of absolute predestination, which implies, that by an eternal and unalterable decree, the great mass of mankind are passed by and left in their natural ignorance and blindness, and does not imply that an allowance is made for that ignorance, in passing on them sentence of condemnation? Assuredly this is not the spirit of the divine law, as exhibited in the Scriptures of the Old Testament. Let us next proceed to examine, with reference to the same point, the sacred records of the New.

his Father, with the holy cording to his works."

he New, and examine on which the eternal g shall be decided at will, I am persuaded, he earth is represented ct justice, understood understood by human according to an eterted before the indivior evil, unalterable by d uninfluenced by any duct.

our Lord in the text ecisive, for if God shall ks, we are not to be an eternal decree of

And this decision of he Gospels, but most fully in the xxiv. and xxv. chapters of Matthew, where he

describes the last great audit-" when he shall come in power and great glory to judge the world," and declares, "then shall the Son of Man gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other."* But are these individuals thus distinguished, elected arbitrarily, irrespectively

Matt. xxiv. 30, 31.

of absolute predestination, which implies, that by an eternal and unalterai le decree, the great mass of mankind are passed by and left in their natural ignorance and blindness, and does not imply that an allowance is made for that ignorance, in passing on them sentence of condemnation? Assuredly this is not the spirit of the divine law, as exhibited in the Scriptures of the Old Testament. Let us next proceed to examine, with reference to the same point, the sacred records of the New.

DISCOURSE II.

MATTHEW XVI. 27.

"For the Son of Man shall come in the glory of his Father, with the holy angels, and then he shall reward every man according to his works."

IF from the Old Testament we turn to the New, and examine what account it gives of the principles on which the eternal happiness or misery of every human being shall be decided at the last great day of final retribution, it will, I am persuaded, be found that here also the Judge of all the earth is represented as acting towards all mankind with perfect justice, understood in the sense in which that attribute is understood by human reason, and is not represented as acting according to an eternal decree of absolute predestination, fixed before the individuals were born, or had done either good or evil, unalterable by any thing in their power to perform, and uninfluenced by any foreknowledge of their character and conduct.

Of this the positive declaration of our Lord in the text might perhaps alone be considered as decisive, for if God shall reward every man according to his works, we are not to be saved or condemned solely according to an eternal decree of unconditional election or reprobation. And this decision of our divine Lord is repeatedly stated in the Gospels, but most fully in the xxiv. and xxv. chapters of Matthew, where he describes the last great audit-" when he shall come in power and great glory to judge the world," and declares, "then shall the Son of Man gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other."* But are these individuals thus distinguished, elected arbitrarily, irrespectively—

Matt. xxiv. 30, 31.

because they were marked out from the beginning of the world by an unconditional and irreversible decree of God, unconnected with their personal character or conduct? Totally the reverse; pursue the rest of this solemn description of the great final judgment, you hear our Lord warning his disciples to "watch,"* and prepare for the unexpected hour in which the Son of Man should come, and declaring they should be blessed or condemned, according as their Lord should find them discharging their duty like faithful and wise servants, or abusing the long suffering of God by oppression and riot. He illustrates the distinction which shall then be made, by the parable of the "wise and foolish virgins,"† of whom the one improved their religious light, and were admitted to the feast, the others suffered it to be extinguished, and were irrevocably shut out, for the hour of their salvation was past. He illustrates it by the parable of the "talents," in which every servant is rewarded by his Lord's acceptance, and raised to a more exalted dignity, according to the diligence with which he had improved the talents committed to his care, while the unprofitable, because slothful, servant is cast into outer darkness; and finally declares," that when the Son of Man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall he sit on the throne of His glory, and before Him shall be gathered all nations, and He shall separate them, the one from the other, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats; and he shall set the one on his right hand and the other on his left: then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink; I was sick, and in prison, and ye visited me; for inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me;" while to those on his left hand he shall say, "Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat; I was sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not;

* Matt, xxiv. 42-51.

+ Matt. xxv. 1—13.

Matt. xxv. 14-31.