for fuch a way as this of hindring Sin would quickly put an end to the World, or to the Commerce and Converfation of it, and is properly to judge the World, not to govern it.

2dly, And therefore tho' God does take care to prevent a great deal of wickedness which Men intend and refolve to commit, and watch for opportunities of committing; yet he does it not by an immediate Supernatural Power, but in Human ways; and for this Reafon commands us, not only to do no wickedness our felves, but by our Advice, and Counfels, and Reproofs, Authority and Power, to hinder other Men from doing wickedly; and this is one way whereby God hinders the actual commiffion of many Sins, by obliging us to hinder the commiffion of them as much as we can. Which fhews, how Men are obliged to hinder the commiffion of those Sins, which God is not obliged by an immediate and Supernatural Power to hinder.

3dly, To be fure, for God to permit the actual commiffion of Sin, can be no greater blemish to the Holiness of Providence, than to permit Men to conceive Sin in their hearts; for therein the moral Evil confifts, when the Will chufes and confents to it: The external Action may be a Natural, Political, Oeconomical Evil, but the Moral Evil is in the Will and Choice. And therefore the permitting or hindering the external commiffion of Sin, does not fo properly concern the Holiness, as the Juftice and Goodness of Providence; for to hinder the actual commiffion of Sin, does not prevent the Guilt of Sin, for the Man has the Guilt of thofe Sins, which he would, but could not commit; but it hinders that mischief which the actual commiffion of Sin would have done to other Men, by murthering

thering their Perfons, or defiling their Wives, or robbing them of their Eftates and Good Names.

4thly, And therefore there may be wife Reafons for God to permit the external commiffion of many Sins, as Acts of Judgment and Vengeance on other Sinners, or as Acts of Correction and Discipline on Good Men. For fince God very rarely punishes Bad Men, or corrects Good Men by an immediate Power; and yet Punishments or Corrections are the proper Exercise of Providence; it cannot unbecome God to make the Sins of fome, the Corrections and Punishments of others; that it is fo, is fo vifible, that I need not prove it: For few Men fuffer any great Evils, but from other Mens Sins: And if God take care, as moft certainly he does, to direct the Evil which Mens Sins do, to light upon those who deferve to suffer by them; it is a mighty vindication of the Wisdom and Justice of Providence, and a fufficient Reason why God fhould permit the external Commiffion of Sin.

sthly, Especially confidering how many Wife and Good Ends God can ferve by permitting Sin; as to render Sin it self infamous and hateful by the great mischief it does in the World; to expose the Sinner himself to Shame and Punifhment: which both deters other Men from Sin, and contributes very much to reform the Sinner: Nay, many times God brings about great and excellent Defigns by the Sins of Men, both for the Advancement of his own Glory, and the Good of Mankind, of which many inftances may be given, were it needful; which is no excufe for Mens Sins, nor any reason why God fhould order and over-rule Men by his Providence to commit fuch Sins, but is a very juftifiable Reason why God fhould permit the actual · Com

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Commiffion of Sin, when he can bring Good out of Evil, and ferve the Wife Ends of his Providence by it.

6thly, And therefore laftly, God does hinder the actual commiffion of Sin, as often as he sees fit to hinder the Evil and Mischief which fuch Sins will do, as I have already obferved; fometimes he very remarkably disappoints wicked Designs from taking effect, as it was in the cafe. of Haman and Mordecai, when the Jews were devoted to Deftruction: And we have as many Inftances of this Nature, as we have Difcoveries of Plots and Treasons against the Lives of Princes, and the Peace of Church and State; or private Defigns against the Lives and Fortunes of Private Men; and how much unknown Wickedness the Divine Providence every Day prevents, we cannot tell; but all the wickedness Mankind would commit, but can't, must be attributed to the Reftraints and Prevention of Providence; and then I doubt not but every Bad Man can give a great many inftances of fuch Difappointments which he himself has met with; that as much Evil as there is committed in the World, yet confidering the great Wickedness and Degeneracy of Mankind, we have reafon to believe, that God hinders a hundred times more than he permits: And confidering the Wifdom and Justice of Providence, it becomes us to think, That God never permits the actual commiffion of any Sin, but he orders it for fome Wife and Good Ends. And this I hope is fufficient to vindicate the Holiness of Providence, notwithstanding fo much Wickedness as is daily committed.

3dly, The Divine Providence is not juftly chargeable with any thing that is utterly inconfiftent and irreconcilable with the Holiness of Government,

Now

Now fince the Permiffion of Sin is very reconcilable with the Holiness of Providence, there can be no other reasonable Objection against it, unless we could prove by plain and undeniable Evidence, that God is the Cause and Author of Sin; and this indeed would prove, that God does not Govern the World with Holiness, if he had any proper efficiency in the Sins of Men: That is, did God tempt Men to Sin, or by any fecret influences and impulfes incline and even compel them to Sin.

But the leaft Thought and Imagination of this is a very great Blafphemy, and the greater and more unpardonable Blafphemy, because there is no temptation to fufpect any fuch thing of God. There is no way of knowing this, but either by our own Senfe and Experience, or by Reason, or by Revelation.

As for our own Senfe and Experience, this can prove nothing: For no Man finds any other force or impulfe, but from his own lufts and finful inclinations; Every man is tempted, when be is drawn away of his own luft and enticed, I James 14. Those who charge God with inclining Mens Hearts to Wickedness, yet confefs that this is done by fuch fecret influences, as no Man can diftinguish from the workings of his own Mind; which is plainly to confefs, that they cannot tell by their own fenfe and feeling, that they are thus moved and inclined by God, but only charge their Sins on God to excufe themselves. Every Man feels what it is that tempts him, his love of Riches, of Pleasures, or Honours; and that the temptation and impulse is weaker or ftronger, in proportion to his fondnefs and paffion for thefe tempting Objects; but yet he feels himself at liberty to chufe and de

termine

determine himself, and finds a principle within him, which refifts and opposes his compliance with the temptation, as contrary to the Will and Law of God, and the dictates of right Reason, and that for which God will punish him. And is there any reafon for Men to charge their Sins upon God, when the only thing that gives check to them, and makes Sin uneafy, is the conviction of their own Confciences; that it is what God has forbid, and what he will punish. This I think is no Evidence of God's tempting and inclining Men to Sin, that he has imprinted on our Minds fuch a natural Senfe of his Abhorrence of all Evil, and such a natural Awe and Dread of his Juftice, that while we preserve this Sense strong and vigorous, no temptation can faften on us.

If we appeal to Reason, the Reason of all Mankind proves, That God does not, and cannot, tempt, incline, and over-rule Men to chufe or to act any Wickedness; for this is a direct contradiction to the Holiness and Purity of his Nature, and the Juftice of his Providence. All Mankind believe God to be perfect Holiness, which is effential to the very notion of a God; and Reason tells us, that such a Pure and Holy Being cannot be the Author of Sin; nor were it poffible to vindicate the Justice of Providence in the punishment of Sin, did Men Sin by Divine Impulfes, or by Neceffity and Fate.

And the Scripture teaches this in express words, Let no man fay, when be is tempted, I am tempted of God: For God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth be any Man, 1. James 13. And all the Laws, and Promises, and Threatnings, Exhortations, Reproofs, and paffionate Expoftulations, which we meet with in Scripture, if they

mean