them. We therefore know by this, had we no light from any other quarter, that the angels were under a law, requiring perfect obedience, and threatening every act of difobedience with endless deftruction. The experiment has been actually made, and every one that finned, that was guilty of the leaft deviation from perfect obedience to the law (for every fuch deviation is fiu) has perifhed; has fallen into a ftate of endless mifery. Therefore every tranfgreffion of the divine law; every fin deferves endlefs punishment; and this is the only proper penalty of

fuch a law.

THE threatning of infinite evil to difobedience feems to imply a promife of good or happiness to obedience; or, at leaft, a continuance of exiftence in a flate of happinefs, fo long as the creature continues obedient: For though annihilation be not a positive evil; yet it must appear to a happy creature, enjoying the pleasure of obedience, and of the favour of God, and having an ardent defire to ferve and glorify him, to be an unspeakably great evil, though it be a negative one, to have his exiftence taken away; and be forever deprived of all his happinefs, by annihilation. This would be to him a real and great punishment. And we have good reafon to believe, that to annihilate fuch a creature, is not agreeable to infinite wisdom, rectitude and goodness; and therefore, that God never will do it; but we may be certain that every moral agent fhall continue in exiftence and happinefs, and enjoy the favour of God, fo long as he continues in obedience; and that this is implied in the threatning For a threatning to inflict evil on the dif obedient, neceffarily implies that he will not inflict any on the obedient, even the negative evil of ceafing to exift. And indeed the innocent and obedient, must be confidered as having a right to impunity. Hence, by the way, it appears, that moral agents muft and will exift without end; as this is neceffary, in order to the proper exercise

exercife of moral government, and their being the proper fubjects of fuch government. For the moral law, which is effential to moral government, muft threaten infinite evil to all who difobey it. Therefore the disobedient must exift forever, in order to fuffer the evil threatened, and which they deferve. And those who never difobey can never ceafe to exift, confiftent with the wisdom, rectitude and goodness of the Lawgiver and Governor.

It may be farther obferved, that there is reafon to conclude, that the best and most perfect moral government, is not confiftent with moral agents being continued in a ftate of trial, without end, fo as to be continually expofed to fall by fin, and always remain in a total uncertainty, whether they fhall perfevere in obedience, or fall into endless perdition, by tranfgreffion. That there fhould be a time for fuch trial, is certainly proper, and necessary to answer the best ends; in moral government. How long this time fhall be, and with what particular circumstances it is beft it should be attended, the infinitely wife and fovereign Governor only, is able, and has a right to determine. It is alfo certain, that God is not fo obliged in juftice to the obedient creature, to confirm him in holiness and happiness, after the longest term of obedience, that he would do any injury or wrong to him, if he should not grant this favour. For the creature can never merit or deferve fuch a reward by any obedience whatsoever; fo that eternal life should be a debt due to him, for what he has done. The creature by giving all he has, that is, by perfect and constant obedience to the law of God, gives no more than he conftantly owes to God, or only juft pays a debt which is due; and therefore continually demanded of him. Therefore he can have no demand on his Maker, of pofitive reward, or of any thing which is due to him.

But

any

But notwithstanding all this, confidering how undefirable it must be to the obedient creature, to be always in fufpenfe, knowing himself in danger every moment, of falling into fin, and eternal ruin; and that he depends wholly upon God, for prefervation from this evil; and that he is under no obligation to grant it: And, on the contrary, confidering how very defirable and pleafing it must be to fuch a creature, to arrive to a state of certainty, that he shall never fall into fin and mifery; being confirmed by God, in a ftate of perfect holiness and happiness forever: And confidering what a strong motive and great encouragement to obedience, it would af ford to the creature, for God to promise him, that upon his continuance in obedience for a fet time, which he will fix, he shall be confirmed in his favour, in holiness and happiness forever, without any poffibility of falling into fin and ruin: And fince fuch a promife, on fuch a condition, would be a ftriking manifeftation of God's love of virtue and holiness, in that he grants fo great a reward of the obedience of his creatures; and an expreffion of his bountiful munificence and infinite goodness: Confidering all this, and more that might be mentioned, is there not reafon to conclude that fuch a promife, is ef fential to the best and most perfect moral government; and that this promife is always implied or expressed, in God's law, under which all moral agents are originally placed; and which threatens infinite evil to the tranfgreffor. Such a law or conftitution, with fuch requirements, promises and threatnings, may be called a covenant, in which what is required of the creature is stated and fixed; and the rule and manner of God's conduct towards him, and treatment of him, is alfo revealed and eftablished.

That the angels were under fuch a conflitution, law or covenant, which not only threatened endless punishment to the difobedient; but promifed a confirmation

PART 1. in holiness and happiness upon their continuing obedient, through a certain time of trial, and that this time of trial is long fince over, is evident from fcripture, in that they were in the Apostles days called ele angels, which denotes their being fixed in holiness and the favour of God; or that they had a fure title to eternal life. And the endless torment of the wicked is reprefented as being in the presence or fight of the holy angels, which fupposes, at least, that they will be holy and happy without end.

How long the time of trial was before they were confirmed, who continued obedient; and what was the special teft and trial of their obedience, if there were any; and what was the particular temptation and fin of those who fell into rebellion and ruin, we are not expressly informed in divine revelation. Yet perhaps it will ap pear that we are not left wholly in the dark, respecting thefe particulars, if we attend to the following things, fome of which feem to be fuggefted from the holy fcriptures, and are here offered as being probable.

It has been observed, that it appears from fcripture, that man is more an ultimate end, than the angels; that angels were made to answer ends respecting man, and in this fenfe were made for man; and that this appears from the ufe which God makes of the angels, in giving and fubjecting them all to Chrift, as the Redeemer of man, to be improved by him as inftruments of promoting his defigns in the redemption of finners; and to minifler to, and ferve the redeemed from among mankind; and that they were therefore created for Chrift, confidered as God, Man, Mediator, and Redeemer of finners, and are his angels, to be used by him in carrying on his great defigns in the redemption of his church.

made to

May we not infer from this, that when the angels and man were made, the angels were, in fome way, know, that God had peculiar and grand

defigns

to

to answer by man; that, though mankind were made fo much inferiour to them; yet they were to be the peculiar favorites of heaven; and that one of that race in the human nature, even a man, fhould be the head of a moft glorious kingdom; and be the Lord of angels, to whom they must yield a moft ready obedience; being employed by him in miniftring to, and ferving his friends and fubjects of the human race: That this was one end for which they were made; and that their cheerfully complying with the revealed will of God, in this matter, and fubmitting to this perfon as their Lord, and ferving him, and his friends of the human race, should be the particular teft of their obedience and faithfulness; and if they did cordially acquiefce in this defign, and perfevere in obedience to this revelation and command, through the time of their trial, they should be confirmed in holiness and happiness forever. As this now appears to have been God's defign, refpecting the angels, and that he made them for this end; and as this was doubtless the greatest trial, whether they would be obedient in all things, is it not reasonable to suppose, that fo much of this divine scheme was revealed to the angels, as was necessary to give them opportunity, voluntarily to confent, and acquiefce in it, and cheerfully devote themselves to this fervice?

This revelation and injunction of the Most High, made known in a degree and manner agreeable to infinite wifdom, was most probably the occafion of the rebellion of those angels who finned; they difapproved, and refused to comply with it. Lucifer, who was at the head of all the angels, the highest and most noble creature that God had made, was difpleafed with fuch a plan: Pride entered his heart, and he was not willing, he refused to obey this command, and ftoop fo low as to become a fervant to the inferiour, diminutive crea are man, and be fubjected to ferve and adore one in