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ANDOVER HARVARD

THEOLOGICAL LIBRARY
CAMBRIDGE, MAS

BY GEORGE A. BAXTER, D. D.

PROFESSOR IN THE UNION THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY, VA.

THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD.

ISAIAH 46:10. My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure.'

These words assert the complete sovereignty of God. In the context, God is contrasted with the idols of the heathen, who cannot move out of their place; who are unconscious of the worship paid them, and who can. not hear when worshippers cry. On the other hand, Jehovah is represented as carrying his people from the beginning of their national existence, and as "declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things not yet done," saying, "my counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure."

The sovereignty expressed in the text, cannot be confined to the mere external government of nations, the raising up of one, and the casting down of another; the assigning victory to some, and of defeat and ruin to others. It is a Sovereignty, connected with his declaring "the end from the beginning," and comprehends the power of fulfilling the predictions, of the word of God. The unconditional fulfilment of the prophecies, and especially the promises of the Bible, contains undeniable evidence of the most incompre hensible exercise of Divine Sovereignty, the sovereignty which controls all the movements of the human heart. When God promises the extension of his church, this implies the power of converting his enemies into friends, for" in no other way can the church be extended; when he promises to bring all nations into the church, and to cover the whole earth with the knowledge of God, this implies the power, of converting all sinners of every discription, and of making them obedient to the truth.

This power of governing the human heart, is the most important as well as the most incomprehensible part of Divine Sovereignty; it is the power of governing moral agents as such, without impairing their moral agency. It supposes the man to be left in possession of all that freedom of which the human mind is conscious, and yet to be so overruled in all his actions as to preserve the Divine plans from violation, and make all human conduct subservient to the Divine counsels. The wise man says "the king's heart is in the hands of the Lord, as the rivers of water he turneth it whithersoever he will;" and the same must be true of every human heart, otherwise God could not accomplish his purposes, "and do all his pleasure."

This doctrine of Divine Sovereignty, which consists in the government of the human heart, although certainly connected with all our most comfortable views of religion, has met with great opposition from the world. That wicked men should oppose it, was to be expected, for the root of all wickedness is enmity to God, and no one can take pleasure in the sovereignty of an enemy. But that good men, the true children of God, should oppose this doctrine, is more surprising. But although no exposition of this subject has ever met with the opposition of all christians, yet it has often been asserted, that when the truly pious oppose this doctrine, there must be some mistake or misapprehension as to the terms in which it is stated. And this opinion becomes the more probable from the circumstance that Arminians in prayer, use very much the same language as Calvanists, and always make their supplications with an apparent persuasion, that God is able to grant what they ask. They pray that the wickedness of the wicked may be restrained. This supposes that God can set bounds to the purposes of wicked men, even when under the dominion of sin. They pray for the conversion of particular sinners, and sometimes for that of the worst sinners within the bounds of their acquaintance, without making any proviso, that God would convert them if he could. They appear to offer the supplication in full confidence that God is able to accomplish what they desire. Now certainly the belief that God can restrain sinners as far as he pleases, without converting them; and that he can convert sinners of every description, at his pleasure, contains as much of the doctrine of the Divine sovereignty as is generally contended for. If a faithful transcript could he made of the views and feelings of a pious Arminian, when he is praying as the Holy Ghost teaches him to pray, that transcript would form a creed which few Calvanists would refuse to subscribe. This circumstance furnishes ground of hope that the teaching of the Spirit in the hearts of Christians, has laid a foundation for bringing them nearer together in their doctrinal opinions than they are at present. I do not know that all denominational distinctions will be laid aside even in the Millenium, but certainly if Christians would discuss their differences, with more Christian meekness and charity, they might increase their mutual confidence in each other, and come to act with more harmony and efficiency in the common cause, than they do at present. They could then live as brethren ought to live, and the blessings of the God of peace would be more abundant on their joint efforts in the cause of their common Master.

In the progres of this discussion I shall aim at conciliation, rather than controversy. I shall attempt to maintain the substance of what our standards teach on this important subject, and to exhibit it in a manner as little liable to objection from the pious as practicable.

In entering on this discussion it may be proper to state what the doctrine of the Divine sovereignty does not mean. And, in the first place, it does not mean, nor does it allow us to say, that if a man is born to be saved, he will be saved even if he lives in sin; and if he is born to be lost, he will be lost let him do what he can. In the day of judgment, when all the finally impenitent shall be sent to their place, there will not be found among them one sinner who did what he could to be saved-not one sinner who at any moment of his life, was willing to be delivered from the power of indwelling sin, and to be saved on the terms of the gospel.

In the next place, this doctrine does not mean that God is the author of

sin. The only author of sin is the sinner himself. God permits sin. He foresaw when he made man, that he would sin, and did not determine to prevent his sinning, for this would imply that he was defeated in his purpo ses; but he did not use any influence to incline him to sin. And in the pre. sent fallen state of man, God permits sin to a certain extent, and overrules it for the manifestation of his goodness, but he never impels man to sin. He only "makes the wrath of man to praise him, and the remainder of that wrath he restrains."

I will again observe, that Divine sovereignty does not impair the moral agency of man. Man acts as much in conformity with the dictates of his own will, in committing sin and in rejecting the offers of Divine grace, as if there was no decree of God in operation. It is true his actions are so overruled, that the wise and holy purposes of God are not frustrated, but still the moral agency of man is not impaired. How it is, that God gov erns moral agents, and leaves them such freedom of action as makes them justly accountable, is one of the most difficult questions in Theology. Metaphysicians have written volumes to explain the mode of Divine operation in the case, but they have thrown more darkness than light on the subject. But that God can govern moral agents, and still leave their wills free, is a fact fully established by the sacred scripture.

In the first place, it is established by the operation of the text, and by all similar assertions. He does "all his pleasure." "He hath made all things for himself." "He makes the wrath of man to praise him. These, and similar assertions, could not be sustained if God could not regulate the operations of the human mind, notwithstanding its conscious freedom.

But in the next place, we think there are many examples in scripture, which show us the very fact of governing moral agents so as to accomplish the Divine purpose while their wills are left free. The brethren of Joseph, determined on taking his life, if necessary, to prevent the fulfilment of his prophetic dreams. But God had inspired those dreams and determined to fulfil them. Here the purpose of man was in direct opposition to the will of God, and yet God so overruled the event, as to make those very men the agents in accomplishing his purpose and defeating their own. Forty Jews bound themselves by a most determined oath, to take the life of Paul, but their purpose was defeated without destroying their moral agency.

I will observe, again, that the promise of eternal life to the believer, cer. tainly proves that God is able to confirm a moral agent in holiness, which is the most important part of governing the human heart. Whatever contro

versy may exist as to falling from grace in this world, all Christians believe that the redeemed in heaven are confirmed in holiness, beyond the possibility of falling; and this confirmation is certainly by the power of God, and not by their own power. And I cannot conceive of any difference between the power necessary to confirm a saint in heaven, and that which would have confirmed our first parents in paradise. In both cases, the heart of the creature must be considered as in the hands of God. Divine grace arrested Paul when a persecutor of the church; made him an able minister of the New Testament on earth; and led him to a state of confirmed holiness in heaven, from which he can never fall. according to our views, a less power,

Could not the same power, or indeed have preserved Adam in innocence,

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