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ner, as it is an act of goodness to pardon fin to those that do repent. There is a good intention in chaftifements; for, notwithstanding our great boasts of our free-will, we fhould be too great ftrangers to duties of piety and virtue, unlefs God fhould, now and then, exercife us with fickneffes and afflictions, as a counterpoife to our propenfions to follow the lufts and pleasure of life, and the ordinary allurements of the world. Now fince we are fo charitable, that in a well established government, which rules by laws, and punishes fuch offences, where now and then by accident, murders and robberies are committed; we do not impute them to the governour, much less ought we to impute the mifcarriages of men to God; fince God hath declared himself against ungodliness and unrighteousness of men; fince all finners know they do amiss at their own peril. God gave no fuch power unto men : for power is concluded within bounds of reafon and right. Lawless and exorbitant acts, are impotencies and deformities.

Now I fuperadd here the neceffity of this doctrine I have fo much infifted upon. If we attribute evil to God, these four mischiefs are likely to follow, which will root up all religion and conscience.

First, We fhall think of God contrary of what God is, and worse than he deserves of us; and then we shall lefs love him, and lefs regard him. So we fhall not reprefent him to ourselves a lovely object; for the fountain of good is highly lovely; but the author of evil is the most unlovely object; and he

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is not the most lovely, unless he be the fountain of goodness.

Secondly, We fhall not think aright of evil, not hate evil as we ought: for if we impute it to God, a man will fay, what harm is there in that which God doth?

Thirdly, We fhall excufe curfelves more than there is cause for, and shall abate in ourselves the sense of our own faultinefs; for then we fhall look upon ourselves only as God's inftruments and you know the principal he doth excufe the inftru.

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Fourthly, We fhall take very little care to repent, or revoke any thing unduly done. For who will trouble himself about that which he thinks is the will of God? And a man will afk himfelf, who at any time bath refifted bis will? Romans ix. 19.

A word for the latter, and I have done. God is not the primary cause of the finner's mifery. There is no reason at all why we should expofe our felves to temptation, by attributing external evils to God, more than we have afsurance of. If we attribute all external evils to God, then you put an invincible and an intolerable load upon the virtue of patience; and patience must bear the load of all. And truly we are not fo fubmifs to God, nor fo free from self-love, as to put forth acts of patience to fuch a height. This I ordinarily hear, when any thing befals men, they fay, it is the will of God. To explicate this. It is true, that God doth exercise his judgments in the world; but yet I will deny

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two things. First. That God doth whatsoever evil befals men and, fecondly. I deny that it is true, that all evil that befals us, is the punishment of fin: they are neither of them certainly true. It is true, and we have reafon for it, to attribute the univerfal deluge to God Gen. vii. The deftruction of Sodom to God; Gen. xix. for it is faid God did it. We have cause to attribute to God the fudden death of Nadab and Abibu: Num. iii. the deftruction of Corah, Dathan and Abiram; Num. xvi. of Ananias and Saphira: Acts v. for it is afcribed to God, and the caufe affigned. But it doth not follow that all the evils that befal us, are the immediate hand of God. For, first, Some of them may follow upon the condition of the matter, juft as ruft follows the nature of iron; fome evils do fall out from the state of the world: fecondly, Some we bring upon ourfelves, by our neglect, or abuse of our selves; as the diseases that follow upon intemperance, or the harms that follow upon violent and unnatural motion: or; thirdly, Some are the effects of malicious causes, for which God will challenge accountable agents. Now therefore fince there are other caufes, how doth it expofe men to temptation? how doth it mifreprefent God to men, to attribute all the evil that befals them to God's immediate hand? It is very true, that God hath this power: but for the exercife of this power, to fay it is certainly God's work, whatsoever the fecond caufes be, this is that which I reprove. Wherefore let us entertain good thoughts of God, as much as may be ; that we may be encouraged to repent, and have faith and confidence in him; and

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do not attribute that to God, which we have no affurance is the immediate hand of God; but only God did not interpofe; as where it follows the nature of the matter; or brought upon ourfelves by our neglect, or abufe of ourselves; or where foreign agents have done us a mischief. No, you may imagine that God hath created fecond caufes, and doth permit things to go according to the nature of fecond causes; and he doth interpofe when he will. But, with very great caution, attribute things that are grievous to God; but recommend God as lovely, and the object of love, as much as poffibly you For fince God is not the author, or cause of the creature's fin, but that the greatest evils of finners arise from themselves; and for that the evils that befal us, may be attributed to other caufes: therefore let us not without caufe, throw them upGod.

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VOL. III.

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DISCOURSE LXV.

The direful Vengeance which falls upon the Souls of incorrigible finners.

Rom. i. 29.

Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity, whisperers, &c.

N these words you have the ultimate iffue of the horrid, monftrous, degenerate ftate of mortals. The very reading of this catalogue is enough to startle and awaken any body, and make him confi-. derate and apprehenfive of his danger, fo as to betake himself to religion, and to come within the confines of it, that he may be delivered from fuch abominations. One would wonder that human nature should fo degenerate, fhould admit of them, that fuch villainies fhould ever be reported of any, who by their inftitution are intelligent and voluntary agents; I had need almost to apologize for reading fuch a text in the ears of a chriftian auditory : and were not this in the bible, I durft not be fo uncharitable and had I not spoken of feveral things in the chapter before, I should not have fingled out this alone. I intend not in my discourse, to make a discovery concerning wickedness in thefe various expreffions:

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