decisively pronounce upon the doom that rightfully belonged to him-nor, while the heart of man remaineth as it is, can he keep it from revolting against this false and unfeeling oppressor, or from rejoicing in the destiny which hurled him from his throne. And should, in this world's latter day, the scene be acted over again, between the struggles of a patriot nation and the stern resolves of a lordly and barbaric despotism-neither what is told and authoritatively told of the mysteries of a predestinating God, nor what is reasoned and irrefragably reasoned of the metaphysics of an unveering necessity, shall ever overbear the judgment or the sensibilities of our moral nature; but, in spite of ourselves, should the spectacle again be offered of a triumphant people and a tyrant overthrown-still, as heretofore, should we feel it to be a retribution of Heaven's high justice upon the one; and still unite with the other in their lofty acclaims of gratitude, loud as from the hosts of Israel when the horses and the chariots of Pharaoh were cast into the sea, and joyful as the song of Moses over his now liberated

nation.

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LECTURE LXXIV.

ROMANS, ix, 19--24.

"Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault for who hath resisted his will? Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour and another unto dishonour? What if God, willing to show his wrath and to make his power known, endured with much long-suffering the vessels. of wrath fitted to destruction; and that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy which he had afore prepared unto glory, even us whom he hath called, not of the Jews only but also of the Gentiles ?”

But before entering upon the affirmation of Peter, we again recommend your attentive comparison of the two passages in Paul-in the one of which the part which God has in the processes, either of man's ruin or of his recovery, is adverted to by the apostle; and in the other of which the part is adverted to that man himself has in these processes. The first passage is in Romans, ix, 22-24: "What if God, willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much long-suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction; and that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?" The second

in Romans, ii, 4-11: "Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and long-suffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? but, after thy hardness and impenitent heart, treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; who will render to every man according to his deeds: to them who, by patient continuance in well-doing, seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life; but unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath: tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; but glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good; to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: for there is no respect of persons with God." You will observe that what the inspired writer says of God's anterior processes regarding the vessels of wrath and the vessels of mercy, is in the form of a query and not of an express deliverance. This is not a subject on which he lays himself out for the satisfaction of his readers, and so it remains an unrevealed mystery. But what is of chief because of practical importance to us is, that they, of whom it is said in the 9th chapter, that the long-suffering of God will terminate in their destruction, are only those who in the language of the 2nd chapter shall be found to have despised that long-suffering that they who are called vessels of wrath and whom God is said to have hardened in

the obscure passage, are they who in the clear passage are said after their own hardness and impenitent heart to treasure up unto themselves wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God-that while in the one God is represented as preparing aforehand unto glory, yet in the other He is represented as rendering to every man according to his deeds-that while in the one He is set before us as calling Jews or Gentiles of his own past ordination, yet, this must be in harmony with that which is our present concern, even that God giveth eternal life to those who have observed a patient continuance in well-doing; and tribulation and anguish to every soul of man that doeth evil, whether Jew or Gentile, for there is no respect of persons with God. And thus again while a hopeless and as yet impracticable obscurity sits on God's part, there is none whatever which sitteth upon ours. We do not know why He may have selected us as the individuals in whom He worketh to will and to do; but we do know what is incumbent on us, which is to work out our own salvation. We do not know why any individuals ever come into contact with the first influences of that hardening process which shall terminate in their destruction; but we know it to be the pressing, and we shall add the practicable duty of all individuals, to harden not their own hearts-and that if any individual here present shall but awaken unto a concern for his own soul, and betake himself in good earnest to his perusals of the Bible and to his prayers, God

is in readiness to descend with an influence that shall soften and shall save him, saying unto one and all "Turn unto me and I will pour out my Spirit upon you."

This brings me to the utterance of Peter "that the long-suffering of the Lord is salvation"-not willing, as he says some verses before, that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. We are aware of the distinction made by theologians between the secret and the revealed will of God; and the only use we should like to make of it is this, that whatever is secret belongs unto Him and we have nothing to do with it— whatever is revealed belongs unto us and with that we have to do. What God's past ordinations are in regard to us we do not know. Paul singles out no individuals. He treats the doctrine generally, and even then bids adieu to it with a question which he leaves unsolved; and so let us leave it. What God's present attitude is in regard to us we do know; for Peter, instead of guessing at it by a question, tells us of it by an affirmation the most distinct and decisive-and not only so but bids us beware of suffering ought that has been said by Paul to defeat or to do away the impression of it. Our wisdom is to forbear the question, and to proceed upon the affirmation; to imitate the one apostle in his speculative reserve, and to take from the other apostle the impress of his practical earnestness-assured, that, however impenetrable the haze may be which hangs over the path-way of God

VOL. III.

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