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the Father is displeased. There is no more contrariety in the case than between desire and submission in a saint. As the act of the Spirit leaves the moral agency of men entire, the Father may reasonably address them as complete agents, entirely distinct from Him as from each other. There is no exercise of a moral government upon any other principle. No other principle accords with truth; for men are complete moral agents, and as distinct from God as from each other. And it is no less reasonable for Him to command, invite, promise, and threaten His subjects, than for an earthly prince; and He is as sincere as any earthly prince could be in His invitations and promises, even to those who reject His calls. In estimating the sincerity of these addresses you are to lay out of account the physical agency of the Spirit, since this in no degree interferes with the freedom of sinners, nor with the Father's readiness to receive as many as apply. Lose yourselves in contemplating Him in the simple light of a moral Governour, full of love and mercy, having nothing to do with the work of constraining men, sending abroad His invitations to moral agents fully able to comply, and actually receiving all who come: lay aside the relations of before and after, and consider all this, (both the purpose and the act,)"as only present; and then say, are not His invitations to all men sincere? In this light the whole subject appears, (as many can testify,) to a soul possessed of the lively and realizing views of faith.

But I have one more objection to meet. I hear some say, Does not this doctrine make God a re

specter of persons? This depends on what you mean by the terms. If to confer unequal favours on His creatures is to be a respecter of persons, He is doubtless such. The fact meets you' wherever you turn your eye. To men He gave mere exalted powers than to worms; to angels, than to men. He passed by the heavenly spirits that fell, and provided a Saviour for men. He passed by the pagan tribes and sent the Gospel to you. He brings one into the world the child of prayer, to share in the blessings of a pious family, while another is neglected by profligate parents to grow up "like a wild ass's colt." To one He gives "five talents," to another "two," to another "one." One man is born to disease and perpetual pain, another to vigorous health. One inherits nothing but poverty and disgrace, another is born to wealth and honour. One is cut down in infancy, another is suffered to reach the utmost limit of human life. One finds constant success in all the labour of his hands, another seems to live only for disappointment and defeat. Nor is this always the consequence of better or worse management: "The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong." If you mean by respect for persons the holy sovereignty exercised in these discriminations, so far from disclaiming it as derogatory to His character, the great Proprietor of heaven and earth insists upon it as His glory and unalienable right.

And instead of taking offence at this, all the holy universe pronounce with one voice, "Amen: let none but Infinite Wisdom and Love decide a single event to eternity."

What then does the Sovereign of the world mean when He disclaims the character of being a respecter of persons? He always has reference to Himself in the capacity of a judge, or of a king rewarding and punishing, and means no more nor less than this, that when He sits on the tribunal to pass sentence on men, or when He distributes rewards and punishments, He will treat them according to their naked characters, without being biassed by any other consideration, without any private partialities, as for Jews against Gentiles, for apostles against common Christians, for members of the Church against infidels, for the learned against the ignorant, for the rich against the poor, for masters against servants, for kings against peasants. This will appear by a single glance at the passages in which the phrase is used. Jehoshaphat said to the judges, "Take heed what ye do, for ye judge not for men, but for the Lord who is with you in the judgment ;-for there is no iniquity with the Lord our God, nor respect of sons, nor taking of gifts," (bribes.) Moses said to the people, "Be no more stiff-necked, for the Lord your God is-a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward, [bribes:] He doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow." "Shall even he,"

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said Elihu, "that hateth right govern, and wilt thou condemn Him that is most just? Is it fit to say to a king, Thou art wicked?-How much less to Him that accepteth not the persons of princes, nor regardeth the rich more than the poor.-He striketh them as wicked men in the open sight of others, because-they cause the cry of the poor to come unto Him.-He respecteth not any that are wise of heart." When Peter beheld the tokens of divine favour to the first Gentile converts, he said, "Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons, for in every nation he that feareth Him and worketh righteousness is accepted with Him." Paul looking forward to "the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God," says, "Who will render to every man according to his deeds,-tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man that doth 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." Speaking of the apostles and Christians in the mother church at Jerusalem, he says, "Whatsoever they were it maketh no matter to me; God accepteth no man's person." That is, neither membership in the mother church, nor an apostleship is regarded by Him who looks only at the naked character. To masters and servants he says, "Ye masters, do the same unto them, forbearing threatening, knowing that your Master also is in heaven, neither is there respect of persons

with Him." "Servants, obey in all things your masters, knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward:-but he that doth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done; and there is no respect of persons." But Peter brings this matter to a point: "If ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work." So when the Herodians constituted Christ a judge in the question about paying tribute to Cesar, they say, "Neither acceptest thou the person of any, but teachest the way of God truly ;" pretending to say that He would give a just judgment without partiality even to an emperor.

Turn now to the passages in which the phrase is used in reference to men. In every case it refers to men appointed to judge for God. "I charged your judges,-saying, hear the cause between your brethren, and judge righteously:-ye shall not respect persons in judgment, but you shall hear the small as well as the great,-for the judgment is God's." "Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment; thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty; but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour." "Thou shalt not wrest judgment ; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift, [a bribe.]-That which is altogether just shalt thou follow." "It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment. He that saith unto the wicked, Thou art righteous, him shall the people curse."

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