There he is fet forth as the Author of all Events, both good and bad; fo that no Evil Amos 3.6.happens in a City, but the Lord doth it.

Pfal. 33:

16.

Pfal. 33. 14.

There he is reprefented as the Searcher of all Hearts, the Judge of all Mens Designs and Actions, the Avenger of all Evil Practices, and the Refuge of all Good Men.

There we are told, that He is the God of Battels, and that no King is faved by the Multitude of his Armies; nor any mighty Man delivered by his own Strength: but Salvation is from the Lord. And fo are Disappointments.

There we are affured, that He from his Habitation looketh down upon all that dwell on the Earth. He fafbioneth the Hearts of them; he Prov. 19. underftandeth all their Ways. And though many are the Devices that are in their Hearts, yet it is bis Counfel only that shall stand.

21.

In a Word, It is God (as the Apoftle tells Eph.1.11.us) that worketh all Things, and he worketh them all according to the Counsel of his own Will. So that nothing comes by Chance, nothing is done in vain; but all Events are in Pursuance of a Defign.

Nay, not fo much as the Event of casting a Lot (which feems the most fortuitous contingent Thing in the whole World) is left at random: For even in that Cafe, the Disposal of the Lot (as Solomon tells us, Prov. 16. 33.) is from the Lord.

All this is not only the Doctrine, but in a great measure the very Language and Expreffion of these Holy Books. And, what can we defire more? Or, what Words can we invent, that shall declare more fully the Thing we are Speaking of? None

None can, that I know of, except perhaps thofe of our Saviour, with which I fhall fhut up this Point. Fear not (faith he to his Difciples) Are not Two Sparrows fold for a Farthing? Matt. 10. Yet not one of them falls to the Ground without the 29. Will of your Father. Nay, I fay unto you, the ve ry Hairs of your Head are all numbered. O wonderful this! What! God Almighty number the very Hairs of our Heads! Lord, what is Man, that thou shouldft have fuch Refpect unto him, and do that for him, which even the nicest, and moft delicate of Men never yet did for themselves? But thus art thou pleased to exprefs thy particular Regard to the Sons of Men. Thus art thou pleased to let us fee, that none of us are fo inconfiderable, but that we are within the Verge of thy Providence, and Objects of thy Care. And therefore much more are Cities, and States, and Kingdoms fo, wherein the Fortunes of fo many Individuals are wrapt up.

Oh, bleffed be God, for his Love to Mankind! Oh, for Ever adored be his Name, for thus humbling himself to take notice of us and our Affairs, and likewife for giving us fuch abundant Affurance that he doth fo! Since therefore we have fuch mighty Evidence of all forts, that the Lord is King, let the Earth be glad yea, let the Multitudes of the Ifles be glad thereof.

And we fhall ftill fee greater Reason thus to be glad, if we confider a little more particularly the Rules and Meafures by which God administers the Affairs of his Kingdom: Which are not, as too often happens in Human Go

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vernments, Arbitrary Will or Humour, but perfect Wisdom, and Justice, and Goodneß.

Though it be true what the Pfalmift faith, Pal 135. That whatfoever the Lord pleafeth, that doth he in Heaven, and in Earth, and in the Sea, and all deep Places; Yet it is as true, that the Lord will never be pleafed to do any Thing, either in Heaven or in Earth, but what is fuggefted by infinite Goodness, and in fuch Ways as are the Result of Infinite Wisdom. For, as the Pfal. 33. 5. fame Pfalmist tells us, He loveth Righteousneß and Judgment; the Earth is full of the Goodnes of the Lord. He is holy in all his Ways, and righ Pfal. 145. 17,9 teous in all his Doings: And his tender Mercies are over all his Works.

1

To fay, That God deals arbitrarily with any of his Creatures; or, that he difpenfeth Good or Evil to them, merely becaufe he will, without any other Reafon, is in Truth to dif parage his Nature, and gives us fuch a Notion of him, as we have perhaps of fome of the Great Monarchs of the World, but whom we are fo far from efteeming the Best Men.

No, certainly, if we, Mankind, find in ourfelves, that the wifer and better we grow, the lefs are we led by Humour and Will, and the more do we shake off our Indifferency to Good and Evil, and the more fteadily do we cleave to the eternal Laws of Reafon and Righteoufne in all our Actions; We may be fure that God, who is Wifdom, and Justice, and Goodness itfelf, can never, in any of his Actions or Dealings with his Creatures, depart from thefe Principles.

The true Scheme of God Almighty's Government, is plainly this;

His

His Infinite Mind clearly understood all the Poffibilities of Things, long before they were in actual Being. He knew what Things were poffible to be; and how they would act if they were put into Being; and what the Events of all their Actings would be.

His Infinite Goodneß, moved him to put into actual Being every Thing that he faw was Good to Be; and to give them all thofe Powers of Action that they have; and withal, to look after them fo, as that both they and all their Motions and Actions, fhould at last be to the Praise and Glory of the fame Goodneß, that firft inclined him to create them.

His Infinite Wisdom contrived the Methods, in which all this fhould be brought to pass, and fo laid the Scheme and Platform of Things, that nothing could happen in the whole Creation, from the Beginning of the World to the End thereof, (tho' it was in itself never so bad, never fo mischievous) but what both might, and should be fo ordered, as to be fubfervient to that End.

And Laftly, The Scheme of Things being thus laid, his Infinite Power firft produced All Things, and still upholds All Things, and from Time to Time, in their several Seafons, actually brings to pass Every Thing, according to the Determinations of his eternal Wifdom. And though it doth it in Ways fecret to us, yet it doth it certainly and furely, and withal, most easily and gently, with the leaft Violence to the eftablish'd Laws of Nature, and without any Force at all upon the Free Wills of Intelligent Beings.

This, I fay, is the Account that both Reafon and Scripture give us of God's Making and Governing the World. Infinite Knowledge is the Foundation of All. Infinite Goodneß is the Author and Mover of All. Infinite Wif dom is the Contriver and Director of All; And Infinite Power executes All.

Admit now thefe Principles, and see what will follow from them.

It will follow from hence, in the first Place, That every Event that happens in the World, is beautiful in its feafon; as Solomon expresses it. That is to fay, How unaccountable foever it may appear to us, yet there is a good Reason to be given, both why it happens at all, and likewife why it happens at that Time, and with those Circumstances that it doth. It helps to adorn the Great Drama and Contrivance of God's Providence, and minifters to excellent Ends, tho' we, poor Creatures, do little apprehend how it makes for them; as indeed it is impoffible we fhould, unless we had the whole Comprehenfion of Things in our Minds,

and faw the entire Scheme of God's Government, from the Beginning to the End. This must needs be so, if we be Govern'd by Infi nite Wisdom.

Secondly, It follows from hence, that both Good and Evil are measured to Mankind according to their refpective Capacities. If we be fit for Good, Good will come. If we deferve Punishment, we must expect that likewife. For All God's Ways are equal, tho' Ours be unequal.

And therefore it is the most unreasonable Thing in the World to impute our Succeffes, whe