same power by which he can cause the wind of heaven to fly loose upon the world, make the rain descend, the corn ripen into harvest, and all the blessings of plenty sit in profusion over a happy and a favoured land.

There is no inconsistency, then, between these verses. God says in one of them, by the mouth of Paul, that these men were certainly to be saved. And Paul says in the other of these verses, that unless the centurion and soldiers were to do so and so, they should not be saved. In one of the verses, it is made to be the certain and unfailing appointment of God. In the other, it is made to depend on the centurion. There is no difficulty in all this, if you would just consider, that God, who made the end certain, made the means certain also. It is true, that the end was certainly to happen, and it is as true that the end would not happen without the means-but God secured the happening of both, and so gives sureness and consistency to the passage before us.

shaking of the corn, and wind in sufficient | nations, as he is of the elements. He reigns quantity to winnow it, and make a prospe- in the mind of man, and can turn its purrous ingathering. Should it be the purpose poses in any way that suits his purposes. of God to give a plentiful harvest to us next He made Paul speak. He made the centuyear, it will certainly happen, and yet it rion listen and be impressed by it. He may be no less true, that unless such wea- made the soldiers obey. He made the saither come, we shall have no such plentiful lors exert themselves. The conditional asharvest. God who appoints the end, orders sertion of the 31st verse was true; but he and presides over the whole series of means made the assertion serve the purpose for which lead to it. These visible causes are which it was uttered. He overruled the all in his hand. They are the instruments condition, and brought about the fulfilment of his power. The elements are his, and he of the absolute prophecy in the 22d verse. can either restrain their violence, or let The whole of this process was as comthem loose in fury upon the world. pletely overruled by him as any other proNow, look upon human beings as the in-cess in nature-and in virtue too of the very struments of his pleasure, and you have an equally complete explanation of the passage before us. You will be made to understand how it is true, that it was God's absolute purpose that the men of the vessel should saved, and how it is equally true, that less the sailors abode in the ship, they could not be saved. Why the same God who determined the end, we certain efficacy to the means which he himself had instituted and set agoing for the accomplishment of the end. It does not at all affect the certainty of God's influence over these means, that in addition to wind, and water, and material elements, there were also human beings employed as instruments for carrying his purpose into execution. It is expressly said of God, not only that he stilleth the waves of the sea, but that he also stilleth the tumults of the people, and that he can turn the heart of man as the rivers of water, turning it whithersoever he will. He appoints the end, and it does not at all lessen the sure and absolute nature of the appointment, that he brings it about by a long succession of means, provided that it is his power which gives effect to every step in the progress and operation of these means. Now, in the case before us, there was just such a progress as we pointed out in the case of a favourable harvest. He had determined, that all the men of the vessel should be saved; but agreeably to the method of his administration in other cases, he brought it about by the operation of instruments. He did not save them against the use of instruments, but he did it by the use of instruments. The instruments he employed were men. Paul speaking to the centurion-the centurion ordering the soldiers to cut the ropes, and let the boat away from the vessel-the sailors obliged to work for their own safety-these were the instruments of God, and he had as much command over them as of any others he has created. He brought about the saving of the men by means of those instruments, as certainly as he brings about a good harvest by the instrument of favourable weather, and congenial seasons. He is as much master of the human heart, and its determi

Now, it is worth while to attend here both to the conduct of Paul who gave the directions, and to the conduct of the centurion who obeyed them. Paul, who gave the directions, knew, in virtue of the revelation that was made to him some time before, that the men were certainly to be saved, and yet this does not prevent him from urging them to the practical adoption of means for saving themselves. He knew that their being saved was a thing predestinated, and as sure as the decree of heaven could make it; but he must likewise have known, that while it was God's counsel they should be saved, it was also God's will that they should be saved by the exertions of the sailors-that they were the instruments he made choice of-that this was the way in which he wished it to be brought about; and Paul had too high a reverence for the will of God, to decline the use of those practical expedients, which formed the likeliest way of carrying this will into effect. It is a very striking circumstance, that the same Paul who knew absolutely and unequivocally that the men were to be saved, could also say, and say with truth,

that unless the sailors were detained in the | fluence over the concerns of practical godship, they should not be saved. Both were liness.

true, and both were actually brought about. We shall rejoice in the first instance, if The thing was done by the appointment of the explanation we have now given, have God, and it was also done by a voluntary the effect of clearing away any of those act on the part of the centurion and his sol-perplexities which throw a darkening cloud diers. Paul knew of the appointment, but over the absolute and universal sovereignty he did not feel himself exempted by this of God. We are ready enough to concede knowledge, from the work of practically to the Supreme Being the administration of influencing the will of the people who were the material world, and to put into his hand around him; and the way in which he got all the force of its mighty elements. But them to act, was by bringing the urgency let us carry the commanding influence of of a prevailing argument to bear upon them. Deity into the higher world of moral and He told them that their lives depended upon intelligent beings. Let us not erect the it. God put it into Paul's heart to make use will of the creature into an independent of the argument, and he gave it that in- principle. Let us not conceive that the fluence over the hearts of those to whom it agency of man can bring about one single - was addressed, that by the instrumentality iota of deviation from the plans and the of men, his purpose, conceived from eter-purposes of God; or that he can be thwart nity, and revealed beforehand to the Apos-ed and compelled to vary in a single case tle, was carried forward to its accomplish- by the movement of any of those subordi

ment.

nate beings whom he himself has created. And again, as the knowledge that they There may be a diversity of operations, but were to be saved, did not prevent Paul from it is God who worketh all in all. Look at giving directions to the centurion and sol- the resolute and independent man, and you diers for saving themselves, neither did it there see the purposes of the human mind prevent them from a practical obedience to entered upon with decision, and followed these directions. It does not appear whether up by vigorous and successful exertion. they actually, at this time, believed Paul to But these only make up one diversity of be a messenger of God-though it is likely, God's operations. The will of man, active, from the previous history of the voyage, and spontaneous, and fluctuating as it ap that they did. If they did not, then they pears to be, is an instrument in his handacted as the great majority of men do, they and he turns it at his pleasure-and he acted as unconscious instruments for the brings other instruments to act upon it— execution of the divine purposes. But if and he plies it with all its excitements--and they did believe Paul to be a prophet, it is he measures the force and proportion of highly striking to observe, that the know- each of them-and every step of every inledge they had gotten from his mouth of dividual receives as determinate a character their really and absolutely escaping with from the hand of God, as every mile of a their lives, did not slacken their utmost de planet's orbit, or every gust of wind, or gree of activity in the business of working every wave of the sea, or every particle of for the preservation of their lives, at a bid flying dust, or every rivulet of flowing ding from the mouth of the same prophet. water. This power of God knows no exHe is a prophet from God-and whatever ceptions. It is absolute and unlimited, and he says must be true. He tells us that we while it embraces the vast, it carries its reare to escape with our lives-let us believe sistless influence to all the minute and unthis and rejoice in it. But he also tells us, noticed diversities of existence. It reigns that unless we do certain things, we shall and operates through all the secrecies of not escape with our lives-let us believe the inner man. It gives birth to every purthis also, and do these things. A fine ex-pose. It gives impulse to every desire. It ample, on the one hand, of their faithful dependence on his declarations, and, on the other, of their practical obedience to his re quirements. If one were to judge by the prosperous result of the whole business, the way in which the centurion and soldiers were affected by the different revelations of Paul, was the very way which satisfied God-for it was rewarded with success, and issued both in the fulfilment of his decree, and the completion of their deliverance.

gives shape and colour to every conception. It wields an entire ascendency over every attribute of the mind; and the will, and the fancy, and the understanding, with all the countless variety of their hidden and fugitive operations, are submitted to it. It gives movement and direction through every one point in the line of our pilgrimage. At no one moment of time does it abandon us. It follows us to the hour of death, and it carries us to our place and our everlasting destiny in the region beyond it. It is true, II. We now come to the second thing that no one gets to heaven, but he, who by proposed, which was to evince the appli- holiness, is meet for it. But the same power cation of the passage to us of the present which carries us there, works in us the day-and how far it should carry an in-meetness. And if we are conformed to the

image of the Saviour, it is by the energy of the same predestinating God, whose good pleasure it is to give unto us the kingdom prepared for us before the foundation of the world.

of Paul urging upon the people of the ship the immediate adoption of the only way by which their lives could be saved, and the situation of an ordinary minister urging it upon the people of his church, to take to

Thus it is that some are elected to ever-that way of faith and repentance, by which lasting life. This is an obvious doctrine of Scripture. The Bible brings it forward, and it is not for us, the interpreters of the Bible, to keep it back from you. God could, if it pleased him, read out, at this moment, the names of those in this congregation, who are ordained to eternal life, and are written in his book. In reference to their deliverance from shipwreck, he enabled Paul to say of the whole ship's company, that they were to be saved. In reference to your deliverance from wrath and from punishment, he could reveal to us the names of the elect among you, and enable us to say of them that they are certainly to be saved.

alone they can save their souls from the wrath that is now abiding on them. Paul did know that the people were certainly to escape with their lives, and that did not prevent him from pressing upon them the measures which they ought to adopt for their preservation. Even, then, though a minister did know those of his people whose names are written in the book of life, that ought not to hinder him from pressing it upon them to lay hold of eternal life-to lay up their treasure in heaven -to labour for the meat that endureth-to follow after that holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord--to be strong in the faith, and such a faith too as availeth, even faith which worketh by love, and of which we may say, even those whom we . assuredly know to be the chosen heirs of immortality, that unless this faith abideth in them, they shall not be saved. But it so happens, that we do not know who are, and who are not, the children of election. This is a secret thing belonging to God, and which is not imparted to us; still it would be our part to say to those of whose final salvation we were assured, believe the Gospel, or you shall not be saved-repent, or you shall not be saved-purify yourselves, even as God is pure, or you shall not be saved. But we are not in possession of the secret-and how much more then does it lie upon us to ply with earnestness the fears and the consciences of our hearers, by those revealed things which God hath been pleas

But again, the same God who ordains the end, ordains also the means which go before it. In virtue of the end being ordained and made known to him, Paul could say that all the men's lives were to be saved. And in virtue of the means being ordained and made known to him, he could also say, that unless the sailors abode in the ship, they should not be saved. In the same manner, if the ordained end were made known to us, we could, perhaps, say of some individual among you, that you are certainly to be saved. And if the ordained means were made known to us, we could say, that unless you are rendered meet for the inheritance of the saints in light, you shall not be saved. Now, the ordination of the end, God has not been pleased to reveal to us. He has not told us who among you are to be saved, as he told Paul of the de-ed to make known to us? What!. if Paul, liverance of his ship's company. This is one of the secret things which belong to him, and we dare not meddle with it. But he has told us about the ordained means, and we know, through the medium of the Bible, that unless you do such and such things, you shall not be saved. This is one of the revealed things which belong to us, and with as great truth and practical urgency as Paul made use of, when he said to the centurion and soldiers, that unless these men abide in the ship ye shall not be saved, do we say to one and to all of you, unless ye repent ye shall not be saved-unless ye do works meet for repentance, ye shall not be saved-unless ye believe the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, ye shall not be saved-unless ye are born again, ye shall not be saved-unless the deeds done in your body be good deeds, and ye bring forth those fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ to the praise and glory of God, ye shall not be saved.

Mark the difference between the situation

though assured by an angel from heaven of the final deliverance of this ship's company, still persists in telling them, that if they leave certain things undone, their deliverance will be impossible-shall we, utterly in the dark about the final state of a single hearer we are addressing, let down for a single instant the practical urgency of the New Testament?

The predestination of God respecting the final escape of Paul and his fellow-travellers from shipwreck, though made known to the Apostle, did not betray him into the indolence which is ascribed, and falsely ascribed, to the belief of this doctrine; nor did it restrain him from spiriting on the people to the most strenuous and fatiguing exertions. And shall we, who only know in general that God does predestinate, but cannot carry it home with assurance to a single individual, convert this doctrine into a plea of indolence and security? Even should we see the mark of God upon their foreheads, it would be our duty to labour

them with the necessity of doing those ness upon the business of doing. We can things, which, if left undone, will exclude give you no assurance of its being the defrom the kingdom of God. But, we make cree of God, that any of you shall be saved. no such pretensions. We see no mark upon But we can give you the assurance, that any of your foreheads. We possess no you will be saved, if you do such and such more than the Bible, and access through things. Surely, if the people whom Paul the Mediator to him, who, by his Spirit, can addressed, did not feel themselves exemptopen our understandings to understand it. ed by their knowledge of God's decree, The revealed things which we find there from practically entering upon those meabelong to us, and we press them upon you sures which carried forward its accom-"Unless ye repent, ye shall all likewise plishment, you, who have no such knowperish." "If ye believe not in the Son of ledge, must feel doubly impelled by the unGod, the wrath of God abideth on you." certainty which hangs over you, to the work "Be not deceived, neither covetous, nor of making your calling and your election thieves, nor extortioners, nor drunkards, sure. You know in general, that predesshall inherit the kingdom of God." "He tination is a doctrine of the Bible, but there who forsaketh not all, shall not be a disci- is not one of you who can say of himself, ple of Christ." "The fearful, and the un-that God has made known his decrees to believing, and the abominable, and all liars me, and given me directly to understand, shall have their part in the lake which burn- that I am the object of a blessed predestieth with fire and brimstone." These are nation. This is one point of which you plain declarations, and apart from the doc-know nothing; but there is another point trine of predestination altogether, they of which you know something-and that is, ought, and if they are believed and listened if I believe, if I repent, if I be made like to, they will have a practical influence upon unto Christ, if I obtain the Holy Spirit to you. We call upon you not to resist this work in me a conformity to his image-and influence, but to cherish it. If any of you I am told, that I shall obtain it if I ask itare the children of election, it is by the then by this I become an heir of life, and right influence of revealed things upon your the decree of which I know nothing at the understandings and your consciences, that outset of my concern about salvation, will this secret thing will be brought to pass. become more and more apparent to me as Paul said as much to the centurion and the I advance in a meetness for heaven, and soldiers, as that if you do the things, I call will, at length, become fully, and finally, upon you to do, you will certainly be saved. and conclusively made known by its aeThey did what he bade them, and the de-complishment. I may suffer my curiosity cree of God respecting their deliverance to expatiate on the question, "Am I, or am from shipwreck, a decree which Paul had I not, of the election of God?" But my the previous knowledge of, was accom- wisdom tells me that this is not the busiplished. We also feel ourselves warranted to say to one and to all of you, "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and ye shall be saved.". "Repent and be converted, and your sins shall be forgiven you." Return unto God, and he will be reconciled. If you do as we bid you, God's decree respecting your deliverance from hell, a decree which we have not the previous knowledge of, will be made known by its accomplishment.

ness on hand. It is not the matter which I am called on to do with at present. After Paul said to his companions, that it was quite indispensable to their safety that the sailors should be kept in the vessel, what did the centurion and his men do? Did they fall a speculating about the decrees? Did they hug themselves in the confidence, that as their safety was a point sure and determined upon, they need to take no trouble at all in the concern? O no! No Again, we call upon you, our hearers, to sooner did Paul give the word, than they compare your situation with that of the acted upon it. They gave themselves up centurion and the soldiers. They were with all the promptitude of men whose told by a prophet that they were to be lives were at stake, to the business on hand. saved, and when that prophet told them They cut the ropes-they let go the boatwhat they were to do for the purpose of they kept in the sailors--and from the very saving themselves, they obeyed him. They first moment of Paul's address to them on did not say, "O it is all predestinated, and the subject, all was bustling, and strenuous, we may give up our anxieties and do no- and unremitting activity; till, by the unthing." They were just as strenuous and wearied perseverance of those living and active, as if there had been no predestina-operative instruments, the decree of God tion in the matter. Paul's previous assur- was accomplished. Now, they were much rance, that all was to end well, had no effect better acquainted with the decree which in lulling them to indolence. It did end respected them, than you are with the well, not however without their exertions, decree respecting you. They had the bebut by their exertions. How much more forehand knowledge of it, and will you be does it lie upon you to enter with earnest-less active, or less strenuous, than they?