the mind against truth, and by degrees betray us to a judicial blindness.

There are some other texts which do indeed attribute the supreme disposal of all human actions to God, but without charging his providence with men's sins. Prov. xvi: 9: "A man's heart deviseth his way, but the Lord directeth his steps." xix. 21: "There are many devices in a man's heart, nevertheless the counsel of the Lord that shall stand." xx. 24: "Man's goings are of the Lord-how then can a man understand his own ways?" The meaning of which is, that men advise, and deliberate, and choose freely, what they intend to do, but when they come to action, they can do nothing, they can bring nothing to pass, but what God will. God can change their counsels, or can disappoint them when they are ripe for action, or can make what they do serve quite another end than what they intended. Now this only proves what I have already observed, that the issues and events of all things are in God's hands, as they must be, if he governs the world. Men may choose what they please, but they shall do only what God sees fit, and what he orders for wise ends. God does not act immediately, but makes use of natural causes, or of the ministries of men, both good and bad men. Men choose and act freely, and pursue their own designs and imaginations, and therefore the moral good or evil of the action is their own; and God does as freely, with unsearchable wisdom, overrule all events, which are therefore God's doing as well as men's, being directed by him to serve the wise ends of providence, in rewarding or punishing men or nations as they deserve.

Thus I have, as briefly as I could, examined most of those texts which have been thought to attribute to God some kind of causality and efficiency in the sins of men; and i hope have made it appear, that there is no such thing intended in them. And for the conclusion of this argument concerning the holiness of providence, I shall only add some few practical inferences by way of application.

1. Not to attribute our own or other men's sins to God. "Let no man say, when he is tempted, I am tempted of God; for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man. But every man is tempted, when he is drawn.

This

away of his own lust, and enticed:" Jas. i. 13, 14. is absolutely necessary to be observed; for without it there is an end of all religion. If God can influence men's minds to wicked purposes and counsels, it is impossible he should hate wickedness, or be so holy as many holy men are, who would no more incline or tempt other men to sin than they would sin themselves. And who will hate sin,

or think that God will love him ever the less for being a sinner, who believes this? If God wants the sins of men to accomplish his own counsels, they must either be very unholy counsels, which cannot be accomplished without the sins of men, or he must be a weak or unskilful being, which is downright blasphemy; for a wise and powerful being can do whatever is wise and holy, without the sins of men. It is excellent wisdom indeed, when men do and will sin, for God to accomplish his own wise and gracious counsels by their sins; but to incline, or tempt, or overrule, or determine men to sin, on purpose to serve himself by their sins, this would be a just impeachment, both of his holiness, his wisdom, and his power; and a God, who is neither holy, wise, nor powerful, would be no very fit object of religious worship.

To say that God decrees the sins of men for his own glory, to magnify his mercy and justice, in saving some few, and in condemning the greatest part of mankind to eternal miseries, is so senseless a representation both of the glory, of the mercy, and of the justice of God, as destroys the very notion of all.

For if man be a mere machine, who moves as he is moved, how can he deserve either well or ill? Necessity destroys the very notion of virtue or vice, both of which suppose a free choice and election; and if there be no virtue nor vice, there can be no rewards nor punishments; and then there is no place either for justice or mercy; and then God can neither glorify his mercy, nor his justice in forgiving sins, or in punishing the sinner. How can any man who believes that he is overruled by God to do all the evil he does, ever be a true penitent, or heartily beg God's pardon, or reverence his judgments, or endeavour to do better? All religion is founded in this persuasion, that God

hates every thing that is wicked; for if there be no essential difference between good and evil, there is no pretence for religion; and if God makes none, there is none; and if he can be the author of what is evil as well as of what is good, he makes no difference between them.

2. The holiness of providence teacheth us never to do any evil to serve providence, under pretext of doing some great good by it, which we think may be acceptable to God. God never needs the sins of men, and can never approve them, whatever good ends they are intended to serve. God indeed does many times bring good out of evil, but he allows no man "to do evil, that good may come." This St. Paul rejects with the greatest abhorrence, and tells us that such men's" damnation is just," (Rom. iii. 8:) for it is the greatest contradiction in the world to do evil in order to do good; for how can a man, who can for any reason be persuaded to do evil, be a hearty and zealous lover of goodness? It is certain that he who does any evil, does not heartily love that goodness to which the evil he does is opposed; and he who does not heartily love all goodness, is a hearty lover of none: there is no reconciling good and evil, no more than you can reconcile contradictions; a good man will love and do that which is good, and an evil man will do that which is evil; and though the Divine wisdom can bring good out of evil, yet evil is not, and cannot be the cause of good, no more than darkness can be the natural cause of light; and therefore a good design can never justify a bad action: for that bad actions should do good, is contrary to the nature of bad actions; and whatever men may intend, I am sure that no man can alter the nature of things, and therefore can never justify himself in doing evil that good may come.

It is certain a wise and holy God requires no such thing of us; and though he very often brings about great and admirable designs by men's sins, yet no man knows how to do it, nor knows when God will do it; nor did ever any man who ventured upon sin in order to do some greater good, ever do the good he intended, though many times he runs himself into more and greater sins than ever he intended.

Nay, I dare boldly say that no man ever deliberately ventured upon a known sin to do some greater good by it, but there was always some base worldly interest at the bottom, coloured over with a pretence of doing good, either to deceive the world or sometimes to deceive their own consciences. The church of Rome, among whom there are those who teach and practise this doctrine, are an undeniable example of it, and we have had too many sad examples of it nearer home.

This seems to me one reason why those prophecies which concern future ages are generally so obscure that no man knows when or how they shall be fulfilled, that no man may be tempted to any sin to serve providence, and to fulfil prophecies. As obscure as these prophecies are, yet we see some heated enthusiasts very forward to venture on any thing to fulfil prophecies, to pull down Antichrist, to set up the kingdom of Christ, especially when they hope to set up themselves with him: but God conceals times and seasons from us; and though he many times fulfils prophecies by the sins of men, yet he allows no man to sin to fulfil prophecies; and therefore never lets us know when nor by what means prophecies shall be fulfilled. Let us lay down this as a certain principle, that God needs not our sins; and that we can never please him by doing evil, whatever the event be: he makes use of the sins of men to serve his providence, but he will punish them for their sins.

CHAPTER VII.

THE GOODNESS OF PROVIDENCE.

THE next inquiry is concerning the goodness of providence: though methinks it is a more proper subject for our devout meditations than for our inquiries; for we need not look far to seek for proofs and demonstrations of the Divine goodness. "The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord:" we see, and feel, and taste it every day; we owe our being,

our preservation, and all the comforts of our lives to it. There is not so mean nor so miserable a creature in this world, but can bear its testimony to the Divine goodness: nay, if you would pardon the harshness of the expression, I would venture to say that the goodness of God is one of the greatest plagues and torments of hell; I mean the remembrance of God's goodness, and their wicked and ungrateful abuse of it. This is that worm that never dieth, those sharp reflections men make on their ingratitude and folly, in making themselves miserable by affronting that goodness which would have made them happy.

Whatever other objections some wanton and sporting wits make against providence, one would think it impossible that any man who lives in this world and feels what he enjoys himself, and sees what a bountiful provision is made for all creatures, should question the goodness of providence by which he lives, moves, and has his being." We should think him an extraordinary benefactor who did the thousandth part for us of what God does; and should not challenge his goodness, though he did some things which we did not like, or did not understand; but atheism is founded in ingratitude; and unless God humour them, as well as do them good, he is no God for them. Nay, I cannot but observe here the perverse as well as the ungrateful temper of atheists; when they dispute against the justice of providence, then God is much too good for them; though he gives us examples enough of his severity against sin, yet his patience and long-suffering to some few prosperous sinners is thought a sufficient argument that God is not just, or that he does not govern the world. When they dispute against the goodness of providence, then God is not good enough for them: though they see innumerable instances of goodness in the government of the world, yet this is not owing to a good God, but to good fortune, because they think they see some of the careless and irregular strokes of chance and fortune intermixed with it in the many evils and calamities of life. Now it is impossible for God himself to answer these two objections to the satisfaction of these men; and that I think is a sufficient answer to them both. For should God vindicate his justice to the satisfaction of these