Page 54 - Absolute Predestination With Observations On The Divine Attributes

perfection, as residing in God and coinciding with His essence, is sufficiently
secured, without supposing it to reach indiscriminately to all the creatures He
has made. For, was this way of reasoning to be admitted, it would lead us too far
and prove too much, since, if the infinity of His goodness is to be estimated by

the number of objects upon which it terminates, there must be an absolute,
proper infinity of reasonable beings to terminate that goodness upon;
consequently it would follow from such premises either that the creation is as

truly infinite as the Creator, or, if otherwise, that the Creator's goodness could
39
not be infinite, because it has not an infinity of objects to make happy.

Lastly, if it was not incompatible with God's infinite goodness to pass by the
whole body of fallen angels and leave them under the guilt of their apostacy,

much less can it clash with that attribute to pass by some of fallen mankind and
resolve to leave them in their sins and punish them for them. Nor is it
inconsistent with Divine justice to withhold saving grace from some, seeing the
grace of God is not what He owes to any. It is a free gift to those that have it,

and is not due to those that are without it; consequently there can be no injustice
in not giving what God is not bound to bestow. There is no end of caviling at

the Divine dispensations if men are disposed to do it. We might, with equality
of reason, when our hand is in, presume to charge the Deity with partiality for
not making all His creatures angels because it was in His power to do so, as
charge Him with injustice for not electing all mankind. Besides, how can it

possibly be subversive of His justice to condemn, and resolve to condemn, the
non-elect for their sins when those very sins were not atoned for by Christ as the
sins of the elect were? His justice in this case is so far from hindering the

condemnation of the reprobate that it renders it necessary and indispensable.
Again, is the decree of sovereign preterition and of just condemnation for sin
repugnant to the Divine holiness? Not in the least, so far from it, that it does not

appear how the Deity could be holy if He did not hate sin and punish it. Neither
is it contrary to His truth and veracity. Quite the reverse. For would not the
Divine veracity fall to the ground if the finally wicked were not condemned?

(3) God, in the reprobation of some, does not act a cruel part. Whoever accused
a chief magistrate of cruelty for not sparing a company of atrocious malefactors,
and for letting the sentence of the law take place upon them by their execution?

If, indeed, the magistrate pleases to pity some of them and remit their penalty,
we applaud his clemency, but the punishment of the rest is no impeachment of
his mercy. Now, with regard to God, His mercy is free and voluntary. He may

extend it to and withhold it from whom He pleases (Rom. 9.15,18), and it is sad