been the confequence; but who ever read the event, without feeing that the best of consequences were connected with it ?

The promised feed, in whom all the families of the earth are to be blessed, according to the word of promise to Abraham, was to defcend from that family which was preferved through seven years of famine, as a confequence of the And who but God can compregood intended in that event. hend the infinite good contained in the all glorious plan of mediatorial grace? We then fee, that what, in a limited sense, we may justly call fin, or evil, in an unlimited fenfe is justly called good. We fay, of the top of yonder mountain, it is exceedingly high; and of yonder valley, it is low; and this we justly say, by comparing one with the other, in refpect to the centre of our earth. But the moment we extend our thoughts to contemplate the millions of worlds in unbounded space, and take the whole in one grand fyftem, the idea of high and low is loft. So is fin finifhed, when, by divine grace, our understandings are enlightened, and we hear our fpiritual Jofeph fay, "Grieve not yourselves, ye meant it unto evil, but God meant it unto good." It will be granted, on all fides, that no action unconnected with design ought to be confidered fin; it is then an evil intention that conftitutes an evil action. For inftance, a man exerting himself to the utmost of his abilities to fave the life of his neighbor, accidentally takes his life, the consequence is not the guilt of murder, but heart-aching grief for the lofs of his friend. Again, a man exerting himself with all his ingenuity and strength to take the life of his neighbor, miffes his intention and faves his life from immediate danger; the confequence is not the approbation of a good confcience for having faved the life of his neighbor, but condemnation for having defigned his death, and perhaps mortification in his disappointment, By thefe inftances, the reader may fee, that no act can be de

termined to be morally good, or evil, by the consequences which follow, but only by the difpofition, or intention, which the actor poffeffes when the act is done. Then, in order for the fin to be infinite, the intention of the tranfgreffor must be infinite, embracing all the consequences that can ever arife from what he does; but this is never the cafe with finite beings. We never know all the effects, or confequences, that will be produced from the smalleft of thofe acts which we do in time. It is the immediate confequences which we have in our power to calculate upon, and in them we are often deceived. Our acts as moral accountables, are all limited to the narrow circle of our understanding; therefore, our goodnefs is limited, being of the finite nature of our knowledge, and our fin is in the fame finite and limited circle. It may be argued very justly, that as no finite caufe can produce an infinite effect, no finite creature can commit an infinite fin; and as every effect muft ftand in relation to its caufe, fo man being finite, cannot be the cause of an evil which does not fland in relation to man the finite cause. Should the reader fuppofe, that my admitting the act of felling Jofeph was attended with unlimited confequences, in oppofition to my fentiment, wherein I limit all actions which originate in finite caufes, I reply, as the act of felling Joseph respected the purpofe of Deity, and the plan of grace, those who fold him do not stand as even the shadow of a caufe, but only as inftruments, by which God effected his own divine and gracious purpose. Perhaps the reader by this time, is ready to fay, according to this reafoning, there can be no fuch thing as real evil in the univerfe. If, by real evil, is meant, fomething that ought not to be, in respect to all the confequences which attend it, I cannot admit of its existence; for I cannot conceive of any productive cause whatever, that can be, ftrictly fpeaking, limited in its confequences. For inftance, the first tranfgreffion of man, no one can fuppofe, has ceafed in its

confequences; for, from that caufe, the knowledge of good and evil exifts in moral beings, and when the effects of that knowledge will ceafe, I cannot imagine. If it is objected, that, to call that a fin which produces an infinite continuance of good effects, it must be abfurd; I fay, in reply, the objection comes too late; for it is already proved, that the confequences of an act do not determine whether the act is good,

or evil.

I have, in the foregoing queries, spoken of that kind of fin which is productive of remorfe; however, we read, befure, of the fin of ignorance, fee Num. xv. 27, &c.; but this I conceive to be more of a legal than of a moral nature, and it is fometimes called error; it is in a thousand inftances productive of forrow and disappointment, but never of guilt. If we confider the Jews under their law, or the Gentiles, who, the apoftle fays, were a law unto themselves, we shall find them exposed to guilt, on the fame principles. Therefore, moral tranfgreffion must vary, as the knowledge and understanding of men vary, in various circumstances.

If it is thought by the reader, that I have paffed over the fpirit of the law, which is love to God in a fuperlative degree, and an esteem for our neighbors equal to that which we have for ourselves, I answer, I have not altogether paffed by it. This law of divine love is that infinite law of perfection, which is higher than our capacities extend, in a finite state. The law given to Ifrael, literally speaking, was only a fhadow of the spirit of love; and all our knowledge of moral holiness is but a faint resemblance of that fublime rectitude from which the most upright of the fons of men are at a great dif

tance.

Having hinted fo much on the nature of fin as to make the fubject plain to the reader's understanding, I will now pafs to an inquiry into its caufe, or origin.

The origin of fin has, among chriftians in general, been very easily accounted for; but in a way, I muft confefs, that never gave me any fatisfaction, fince I came to think for myfelf on fubjects of this nature. A fhort chimerical story from the bard, Milton, has given perfect fatisfaction to millions, respecting the introduction of moral evil into the moral fyftem which we occupy. The fubftance of the account is,

Sometime before the creation of man, the Almighty created multitudes of spiritual beings, called angels: Some of these creatures of God were much higher in dignity and authority than others, but all perfectly deftitute of fin, or moral turpiOne dignified above all the reft, ftood Prime Minister of the Almighty, cloathed with the higheft miffive power, and clad with garments of primeval light; obfequious to nothing but the high beheft of his Creator, he difcharged the functions of his office with a promptitude and dignity, fuited to the eminency of his ftation, and to the admiration of celeftial millions. But when it pleafed Jehovah to reveal the brightness of his glory and the image of the Godhead in humanity, he gave forth the command, fee Pfalm xcvii. 7. Worship him, all ye gods." And Heb. i. 6. “And again, when he bringeth the firft begotten into the world, he faith, and let all the angels of God worship him." Lucifer, Son of the Morning, (as Chriftians have called him) furprised at the idea of worshipping any being but God himself, looked on the Son with ineffable difdain, and in a moment grew indignant, brushed his ftrongest pinions, and waved his wings for the throne of God, challenged fupremacy with the Almighty, and cast his eye to the fides of the north as a suitable place to cftablish his empire. Legions of fpirits followed this

chief in rebellion, and formed a dangerous party, in the kingdom of the Almighty. The Son of God was invested with full power as Generaliffimo of heaven, to command the remaining forces, against the common enemy. And in short, after many grievous battles between armies of contending fpirits, where life could not, in the least, be exposed, Lucifer and his party were driven out of heaven, leaving it in peace, though, in a great measure, depopulated !

God having created the earth, and placed the first man and woman in a most happy fituation of innocence and moral purity, without the smallest appetite for fin, or propenfity to evil, the arch Apoftate enviously looked from his fiery prifon, to which he was configned by the command of the Almighty, and beholding man placed in fo happy a fituation, and in a capacity to increase to infinite multitudes, by which the kingdom of heaven would be enlarged, was determined to crop this tree in the bud. He, therefore, turns into a ferpent, goes to the woman and beguiles her, gets her to eat of a fruit which God had forbidden, by which mean he introduced fin into our system.

I have not been particular in this sketch, but it contains the effence of the common idea. I fhall now put it under examination, looking diligently for the propriety of accounting for the origin of moral evil in this way.

And firft, of this memorable rebellion in heaven! It feems, that this rebel angel was always obedient to the commands of his Maker, until the hour of his fall; that there was not the least spot of pollution in him, until he felt the emotions of pride, which lifted him above fubmiffion to the Son of God. This being the cafe, I afk, was this angel ignorant of the real character of the Son, whom he was com

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