cripture revelation; yet, where the law
of God in the scriptures of truth is silent, there providence regulates
not, is neither institutive, nor declarative of God's will to be done by
us; and where the said divine law does ordain or deliver a rule to us in
any case, there providence gives no relaxation, allowance or countermand
to the contrary. (See _Gee_ on magistracy, in his excellent discourse on
providence.) That an overthrow of this necessary distinction, for the
sake of the above dangerous scheme, cannot be admitted of, in a
consistency with a due regard to the authority of revealed religion, and
that therefore the right and lawfulness of magistracy is not founded
upon the providential will of God, though they are countenanced and
supported by the majority of a nation, will partly appear from the
following considerations:

1. If there is no distinction to be made between the preceptive and
providential will of God, then is providence equally in all respects the
rule of duty, as much as the precept is, and so man should be left at an
utter uncertainty, what is duty, in regard of the opposition that is
many times between providential dispensations and the precept. Nay, then
it is impossible that man can be guilty of sin, in transgressing the
divine will, because God infallibly brings to pass, by his holy and
over-ruling providence, whatever he has decreed by his eternal purpose.
_Rom._ ix, 17. And thus the Jews, in murdering the Son of God, should be
acquitted from the charge of guilt, and could not be said to transgress
the divine will.

2. If no distinction is to be made between the preceptive and
providential will of God, but providence is declarative of the precept,
then is providence a complete rule without the written word. And this at
once supersedes the necessity of divine revelation, and derogates from
the sufficiency and perfection of the scriptures of truth. The written
word is affirmed to be _perfect_: _Psal._ xix, 7. Sinners are reproved
for doing that which the word gave no command for, _Jer._ vii, 31, and
xix, 5; and challenged for following the promising appearances: _Isa._
xxx. 1, 2, 3, 11. It is therefore daring presumption to set up
providence for a rule in opposition to the written law of God. Hence it
must be concluded, either that the preceptive will of God in the
scriptures is imperfect, or the laws therein repealable by providence;
or then that providence cannot be the rule of human actions