Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world.

IMPROVEMENT.

too great and too complicated to have been begun and carried on without design, and without a fixed plan of operation. Can we suppose, that God would begin the work of creation, of providence, or of redemption, without a design to accomplish some important object? And can we suppose, that a work, which takes up thousands of years, and employs countless mil

1. If God knew all his works from the beginning of the world; then he must have determined all | his works from the beginning. We cannot conceive of his knowing how he should act, in any instance, without first determining how he would act, in that instance. I am inclined, however, to think, that people have involved themselves in difficulties by too widely sepa-lions of intelligent agents, could rating the foreknowledge and de- be begun, and conducted to a hapcrees of God. In the order of py issue, unless the whole plan of time, they are co-existent. As it it were first drawn in the Divine respects time, we should ever mind? If we could suppose all this, place the foreknowledge of God and if we could conceive, how God as far back, as we do his decrees. could foreknow all his works, But, in the order of nature, we are without first determining what he obliged to place his decrees ante- would do; yet he has abundantly cedent to his foreknowledge. He taught us in his word, that he demust have determined how many termined, as well as foreknew, all worlds he would make, in order to his works from the beginning of know how many worlds he should the world. Though the foreknowmake. He must have determined ledge of God is plainly revealed; how many intelligent creatures he yet much more is said about the would make, in order to know decrees, or determinations of God, how many intelligent creatures he in the bible, than is said about his should make. He must have de- foreknowledge. It is there said, termined how he would govern"The counsel of the Lord stand and how he would dispose of the works of his hands, before he could know how he should govern and dispose of the works of his hands. Moreover, the works of God are

eth forever, the thoughts of his
heart to all generations. The
counsel of the Lord, that shall
stand."
He says, "My counsel
shall stand, and I will do all my

pleasure. Who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will. He is in one mind, and who can turn him? and what his soul desireth, even that he doeth." These passages, as well as many others, fix the determinate counsel, as well as the foreknowledge of God.

word, if God foreknew how he should treat any of his creatures, in any situation, he must foreknow how they would act, in order to be in that situation. Accordingly, he has often foretold what his creatures would do; which is another evidence that he foreknows all their works. God foretold that the children of Israel should go down into Egypt and sojourn in a strange land. He foretold that Pharaoh would not let the people go. He foretold that the Jews would reject Christ, that the heathen should rage, and the rulers of the earth should set themselves in array against the Lord and against his anointed. And in numerous other instances, has he foretold the actions of men. Hence we have every reason to believe, that known unto God are all the actions of all his creatures, from the beginning of the world.

2. If God foreknows all his own works, he must necessarily foreknow all the works of his creatures: He makes use of his creatures as instruments, in accomplishing his purposes. In this view, he must foreknow all their works. But, in another view, he must foreknow all the works of his creatures, in order to foreknow all his own works.. Many of his works are consequent upon the works of his creatures. If God foreknew, that he should reserve the fallen angels in chains of darkness, unto the judgment of the great day, he must foreknow, that the angels would sin and fall. If God foreknew that he should provide a Saviour for Adam and his posterity; he must foreknow that Adam would fall, and his posterity become sinful, ruined creatures. If God foreknew that his Son would be crucified and slain by wicked hands; he must foreknow that these wicked men would crucify and slay him. If God foreknew that he should send Joseph down into Egypt for good; he must foreknow that his brethren, for evil, would sell him to be carried down into Egypt. If God foreknew whom he would welcome into his joy, in consequence of their repentance, faith and holy obedience; he must foreknow who would repent, believe and live holy lives. And if God foreknew whom he would sentence to depart accursed, in consequence of their There is another way of consid impenitence, unbelief and wickedering the foreknowledge of God, lives; he must foreknow who which some prefer. They would would continue impenitent, unbe- rather call it present than forelieving and sin to the last. In a knowledge. They consider all

3. If God foreknows all things; then all things are certain. There is nothing more certain, than knowledge. In point of certainty, there is no difference between divine foreknowledge and the most absolute divine decree. Whatever God foreknows will take place, most certainly will take place. If God foreknows who will repent and believe the gospel; all who are thus foreknown, will certainly re pent and believe the gospel. And if God foreknows who will live and die in impenitence and unbelief; all, who are thus foreknown, will certainly live and die in impenitence and unbelief. If God foreknew who of us should be saved, and who of us should be lost; it is certain in the divine mind, who of us shall be saved, and who of us shall be lost.

would easily see that none would be lost, only in consequence of their impenitence, unbelief and unholy lives.

own free choice. In this moral agency consists. There cannot be greater moral liberty, than for men to choose and refuse, and to

The same is true of the fore-act voluntarily, in view of motives. knowledge of God. He not only foreknows the end, but he foreknows all the means to bring about the end. The means foreknown are absolutely necessary to bring about the end. God not only foreknows who will be saved, but he foreknows that all who will be saved, will be saved in consequence of repentance, faith and a life of holy obedience. And he not only foreknows who will be lost, but he foreknows that all who will be lost, will be lost in consequence of their impenitence, unbelief and wicked lives. Hence this objection, when brought against either of these doctrines, is wholly without foundation.

Again, objectors say that the doctrine of divine decrees deprives men of their moral agency. It makes them machines. They must act just as God has decreed they should act. But they may as well say the same, in view of the foreknowledge of God. If he foreknows how men will act, they must act just as he foreknows they will act. Hence, if they have no agency in the one case, they have no agency in the other. If they are machines in the one case, they are machines in the other.

But this objection, like the others, does not lie against either of these doctrines. God has not only decreed that men should act, but he has decreed that they should act as free agents. And God not only foreknows how men will act, but he foreknows how they will act as free agents. Though neither the decrees, nor the foreknowledge of God, renders the actions of men certain; yet neither of them lays any natural necessity upon men. Men always act of their

This men do, when fulfilling the divine decrees, and acting according to divine foreknowledge. Many examples of this might be brought from scripture. Two or three only will be sufficient to mention. The Assyrian was sent, by the determination and according to the foreknowledge of God, to destroy and cut off sinful nations. Yet he acted with all possible freedom. He chose what he would do, and acted according to his choice. His choice is expressed. He did not mean to accomplish the purposes of God, but it was in his heart to destroy, and cut off nations not a few. It was afore determined and foreknown to God, that Pharaoh would not let the children of Israel go. Yet he acted as freely in refusing to let them go, as ever he did in all his life. The crucifixion of Christ is declared to have taken place according to the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God. Yet his crucifyers acted as free moral agents, in putting him to death. They chose to crucify him, and with their wicked hands they did as they chose. Hence neither the decrees, nor the foreknowledge of God, deprives men of their moral agency, nor frees them from criminality.

Another objection brought against the doctrine of divine decrees is, that it leads to licentiousness. Objectors say, It makes men wicked. Sinners will say, "Our case is determined for eternity, we know not how. We may be happy forever, or we may be miserable forever. We may as well be easy, and take what sinful pleasure we can in this world." But they may say the same, if the