wisdom, and goodness on them, yet, without this image of God in man, there was nothing here below to understand God in them, to glorify God by them. This alone is that whereby in a way of admiration, obedience, and praise, we were enabled to render unto God all the glory which he designed from those works of his power.

3. The third was, that it might be a means to bring man unto that eternal enjoyment of himself, which he was fitted for and designed unto. For this was to be done in a way of obedience; do this and live,' was that rule of it which the nature of God and man, with their mutual relation unto one another, did require. But we were made meet for this obedience, and enabled unto it, only by virtue of this image of God implanted in our natures. It was morally a power to live unto God in obedience, that we might come to the enjoyment of him in glory.

Evident it is, that these were the principal ends of God in the creation of all things. Wherefore this constitution of our nature, and the furnishment of it with the image of God, was the most eminent effect of infinite wisdom in all the outward works of the divine nature.

(2.) In the entrance of sin, and by apostacy from God, man voluntarily rejected and defaced this blessed representation of the righteousness and holiness of God, this great effect of his goodness and wisdom, in its tendency unto his eternal glory, and our enjoyment of him. No greater dishonour could be done unto him, no endeavour could have been more pernicious in casting contempt on his counsel. For as his holiness, which was represented in that image, was despoiled, so we did what lay in us to defeat the contrivance of his wisdom. This will be evident by reflecting on the ends of it now mentioned. For,

[1.] Hereon there remained nothing in all the creation here below, whereby any representation might be made of God's holiness and righteousness, or any of the moral perfections of his nature. How could it be done this image being lost out of the world? The brute inanimate part of the creation, however stupendously great in its matter, and glorious in its outward form, was no way capable of it. The nature of man under the loss of this image, fallen, depraved, polluted, and corrupted, gives rather a representation

and image of Satan, than of God. Hence instead of goodness, love, righteousness, holiness, peace, all virtues usefully communicative and effective of the good of the whole race of mankind, which would have been effects of this image of God, and representatives of his nature, the whole world from and by the nature of man, is filled with envy, malice, revenge, cruelty, oppression, and all engines of promoting self, whereunto man is wholly turned as fallen off from God. He that would learn the divine nature, from the representation that is made of it, in the present actings of the nature of man, will be gradually led unto the devil instead of God. Wherefore no greater indignity could be offered unto divine wisdom and holiness, than there was in this rejection of the image of God wherein we were created.

[2.] There was no way left whereby glory might redound unto God from the remainder of the creation here below. For the nature of man alone was designed to be the way and means of it, by virtue of the image of God implanted on it. Wherefore man by sin did not only draw off himself from that relation unto God wherein he was made, but drew off the whole creation here below with himself into a uselessness unto his glory. And upon the entrance of sin, before the cure of our apostacy was actually accomplished, the generality of mankind divided the creatures into two sorts; those above, or the heavenly bodies, and those here below. Those of the first sort they worshipped as their gods; and those of the other sort they abused unto their lusts. Wherefore God was every way dishonoured in and by them all, nor was there any glory given him on their account. What some attempted to do of that nature, in a wisdom of their own, ended in folly and a renewed dishonour of God, as the apostle declares, Rom. i. 18, 19. 21, 22.

[3.] Man hereby lost all power and ability of attaining that end for which he was made, namely, the eternal enjoyment of God. Upon the matter, and as much as in us lay, the whole end of God in the creation of all things here below was utterly defeated.

But that which was the malignity and poison of this sin, was the contempt that was cast on the holiness of God, whose representation, and all its express characters, were utterly despised and rejected therein. Herein then lay the

concernment of the holiness or righteousness of God in this sin of our nature, which we are inquiring after. Unless some reparation be made for the indignity cast upon it in the rejection of the image and representation of it, unless there be some way whereby it may be more eminently exalted in the nature of man, than it was debased and despised in the same nature; it was just, equal, righteous with God, that which becomes the rectitude and purity of his nature, that mankind should perish eternally in that condition whereinto it was cast by sin.

It was not, therefore, consistent with the glory of God, that mankind should be restored, that this nature of ours should be brought unto the enjoyment of him, unless his holiness be more exalted, be more conspicuously represented in the same nature, than ever it was depressed or despised thereby. The demonstration of its glory in any other nature, as in that of angels, would not serve unto this end, as we shall see afterward.

We must now a little return unto what we before laid down. Wisdom being the directive power of all divine operations, and the end of all those operations being the glory of God himself, or the demonstration of the excellencies of the holy properties of his nature, it was incumbent thereon to provide for the honour and glory of divine holiness in an exaltation answerable unto the attempt for its debasement. Without the consideration hereof, we can have no due prospect of the actings of infinite wisdom in this great work of our redemption and recovery by the incarnation of the Son of God.

(3.) Sin brought disorder and disturbance into the whole rule and government of God. It was necessary from the infinite wisdom of God, that all things should be made in perfect order and harmony, all in a direct subordination unto his glory. There could have been no original defect in the natural or moral order of things, but it must have proceeded from a defect in wisdom. For the disposal of all things into their proper order belonged unto the contrivance thereof. And the harmony of all things among themselves, with all their mutual relations and aspects, in a regular tendency unto their proper and utmost end, whereby though every individual subsistence or being hath a pecu

liar end of its own, yet all their actings and all their ends tend directly unto one utmost common end of them all, is the principal effect of wisdom. And thus was it at the beginning, when God himself beheld the universe, and 'lo it was exceeding good.'

All things being thus created and stated, it belonged unto the nature of God to be the rector and disposer of them all.

It was not a mere free act of his will, whereby God chose to rule and govern the creation, according unto the law of the nature of all things, and their relation unto him; but it was necessary from his divine being and excellencies, that so he should do. Wherefore it concerned both the wisdom and righteousness of God to take care that either all things should be preserved in the state wherein they were created, and no disorder be suffered to enter into the kingdom and rule of God, or that in a way suited unto them, his glory should be retrieved and re-established. For God is not the God of confusion, neither the author nor approver of it, neither in his works nor in his rule. But sin actually brought disorder into the kingdom and rule of God. And this it did not in any one particular instance, but that which was universal as unto all things here below. For the original harmony and order of all things consisted in their subordination unto the glory of God. But this they all lost, as was before declared. Hence he who looked on them in their constitution, and to manifest his complacency in them, affirmed them to be exceeding good,' immediately on the entrance of sin, pronounced a curse on the whole earth, and all things contained therein.

To suffer this disorder to continue unrectified, was not consistent with the wisdom and righteousness of God. It would make the kingdom of God to be like that of Satan, full of darkness and confusion. Nothing is more necessary unto the good of the universe, and without which it were better it were annihilated, than the preservation of the honour of God in his government. And this could no otherwise be done, but by the infliction of a punishment proportionable in justice unto the demerit of sin. Some think this might be done by a free dismission of sin, or a passing it over without any punishment at all. But what evidence

should we then have that good and evil were not alike, and almost equal unto God in his rule, that he doth not like sin as well as uprightness? Nor would this supposition leave any grounds of exercising justice among men. For if God in his rule of all things dismissed the greatest sin without any penalty inflicted, what reason have we to judge that evils among ourselves should at all be punished? That therefore be far from God, that the righteous should be as the wicked; Shall not the Judge of all the world do right?' Wherefore the order of God's rule being broken, as it consisted in the regular obedience of the creature, and disorder with confusion being brought thereby into the kingdom and government of God; his righteousness, as it is the rectoral virtue and power of the divine nature, required that his glory should be restored, by reducing the sinning creature again into order by punishment. Justice, therefore, must be answered and complied withal herein, according unto its eternal and unanswerable law, in a way suited unto the glory of God, or the sinning creature must perish eternally. Herein the righteousness of God, as the rectoral virtue of the divine nature, was concerned in the sin and apostacy of men. The vindication and glory of it, to provide, that in nothing it were eclipsed or diminished, was incumbent on infinite wisdom according unto the rule before laid down. That must direct and dispose of all things anew unto the glory of the righteousness of God, or there is no recovery of mankind. And in our inquiry after the impressions of divine wisdom, on the great and glorious means of our restoration under consideration, this provision made thereby for the righteousness of God in his rule and government of all, is greatly to be attended to.

(4.) Man by sin put himself into the power of the devil, God's greatest adversary. The devil had newly by rebellion and apostacy from his first condition, cast himself under the eternal displeasure and wrath of God. God had righteously purposed in himself, not to spare him, nor contrive any way for his deliverance unto eternity. He on the other side was become obdurate in his malice and hatred of God, designing his dishonour and the impeachment of his glory with the utmost of his remaining abilities. In this state of things,