Several Discourses Considering the Providence of God

SERMON XXIV.

I Am still communicating to you, some Observations which I have made, concerning the motions of Divine Providence, not only for your instruction, but to quicken you also to make Observations yourselves upon the motion of it, that you may increase in spiritual Wisdom. I proceed to a Tenth Observation.

Observ. 10. That the Providence of God is eminently seen in the preservation and protection of his faithful Ministers; and such, both amongst them, and other orders of men, who keeping themselves within the latitude of their duty, have been great adventurers for God in their generations.

1. The Providence of God preserveth both man and beast; it is God that upholdeth our souls in life, and there is no man but in him lives, moves, and hath his being.

2. Nor is there any man that liveth any considerable time in the world, and keepeth any ordinary record of his life; but will see reason, as to say (with David) O Lord! I am fearfully and wonderfully made; so also, Lord, I have been fearfully and wonderfully preserved. But yet (as I have shown you) there are specialties of Divine Providence: some persons that the Lord seemeth to carry upon eagles wings, and to preserve in a more eminent and special manner; sometimes in a way of miraculous Providence, sometimes in a way of extraordinary Providence, in a way beyond other men. Now I have long since hinted you three sorts of men, whom God thus preserveth.

1. Such as are God's Vicegerents, Magistrates, and Rulers of others. This I have abundantly shown you, when I shown you how eminently the Providence of God is seen, both in discovering, and bringing to light; and also in punishing such sins, as tend to the eminent disturbance of human Societies.

2. Such as God useth for the Ministers of his Word. 3. Such as make the boldest adventures for God, and in his service, keeping themselves within the latitude of their duty. I am to justify now this Observation to you. I will open it, and prove it, then show you the reasonableness of Divine Providence in these extraordinary motions. And lastly, I shall make some Applications. First, let me open it to you.

1. It is to be understood of godly, faithful, and painful Ministers, and mostly of such, of whom God hath made, or doth make, or intend to make an eminent use in his Church. As there are no persons more justly a hatred in the house of God, abominable to all men of any sobriety, then lewd, or lazy Ministers; so there is nothing of any special Providence promised to them, and it is more than I have observed, if God, as to their issues in the concerns of this world, hath not left them to a common share with others; and if there hath been any difference made by his Providence, it hath been to their disadvantage; they are more vile than others, and dishonor God more than others; and God often makes them and their families to smart more than others. It is that which God hath said in the case, Them that honor me, I will honor: and they that despise me, shall be lightly esteemed, 1 Sam. 2.30. We have had a great deal of enquiry in the times wherein we live, into the causes of the contempt of the Clergy, Lev. 10.2, 3, 4; one hath guest this thing, another that; for my own part, I have been young, and am growing old, I never yet knew a painful able preacher, living an holy and exemplary life, be his persuasion what it would, under a greater contempt than other men: there are some Sons of Belial will contemn all that are not as much Atheists as themselves. If Ministers will regard nothing but striking their flesh-hook with three teeth into the Lord's pot, to feed themselves; if they will heap up parsonage upon parsonage, till there be no room left in the Earth; and grasp more souls than they can manage, putting out some to pitiful nurses, where they are starved, and affording the other but dry beasts; if they will make themselves vile, like Hophni and Phineas; it is no wonder if they be contemned by men of any sobriety. The Psalmist, Psal. 15.4. makes it the mark of one that shall dwell in God's holy hill, in whose eyes a vile person is contemned, but he honoreth them that fear the Lord; for others, God secureth their honor eminently.

2. Nor is it to be extended to every godly Minister, and at all times. The best of Ministers have their personal sin, for which God may punish them by the common fate of others; God eminently shown himself for Moses and Aaron in the case of Corah, Dathan, and Abiram: he made the Earth to open its mouth, and to swallow up their opposers; but when they had provoked the Lord at the waters of Meribah, they took their common fate with the rest of the Israelites, and died in the wilderness, when they had had no more than a prospect of the promised land. Several instances might be given of eminent Prophets of old, and Ministers of the Gospel, that have perished in common judgments: more especially when it hath pleased God to pick out some of them for Martyrs, and to make them witnesses with their blood, to seal the Truths they have preached. And indeed this special Providence of God hath been most remarkable, in times, when God hath been beginning some great work, which was the case of the Apostles in the first Plantation of the Gospel; and of those eminent servants of God, which since that time he hath made use of in the reformation of the Church, or upholding the interest of pure and true Religion in a time of great Apostasy and defection.

3. The special Providence of God hath not been seen uniformly in those cases, but several ways.

1. Sometimes in providing food for them, and theirs, whereas otherwise they must have starved, or at least been so employed, as they could not have attended the work of God upon their hands.

2. Sometimes in keeping them from such dangers, which have been very near to them, plucking them as brands out of the fire.

3. Sometimes in the delivering of them out of their Enemies hands, rescuing them from the Lyon, when they have been in his paws: sometimes one way, sometimes another, accordingly as it hath pleased the infinite wisdom of God to work for them.

1. The Providence of God hath been eminently seen in the providing of necessaries for his Ministers. I need not tell you what special Laws God made in the case of his Ministry among the Jews; his Priests and Levites were particularly taken care of: but this being the settled maintenance for those that were employed about the Tabernacle, and the Temple, when the Priests were generally corrupted, and God to uphold a faithful Ministry amongst his people, raised up some extraordinary Prophets, that should faithfully reveal his will unto people, they had little or no advantage, but the Lord never failed to provide for them. He provideth a Shunamite, 2 King. 4.10, that provideth a little chamber, a bed, a table, a stool, and a candle-stick for Elisha. And another widow for Elijah, that had faith enough to believe, that in the time of famine her little meal should not fail from her barrel, nor her oil from her cruse: He commanded the Ravens to feed the same Prophet by the brook Chereth, 1 King. 17.14. & 4.6. When the brook was dried up, then the Lord commanded the widow to sustain him, verse. 9. The whole time of the Kingdom of Israel, from the time that Jeroboam revolted, until they were carried away captive, was a sad time to faithful Ministers; for all such stood for the instituted worship of God, in opposition to that at Dan and Bethel; but of all that time, the time of Ahab's reign was the most perilous time: but then God had provided an Obadiah, who took an hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water, 1 King. 18.5. Under the Gospel, God also declared his will for the maintenance of his Ministers. That tithes under the Gospel are due, jure divino, to the Minister, I dare not say; but that a certain and honorable maintenance is due to them, the Apostle puts beyond all dispute, 1 Cor. 9. And if the government of a nation settleth it by way of tithes, there is no question to be made of the lawfulness, either of giving or taking them: but as the best establishments are subject to men's corruptions; so is this.

The story of Merline, a French Minister, is a known story; being forced several days to save his life, by hiding himself in a haymow, God sends an Hen every day, that laid an egg by him, upon which he lived. The story of Junius I told you, relieved by a Taylor, when he was put to work in the Town-ditch for a livelihood: God raised up a rich Matron to provide for Origen and his family. But what need we look back so far for instances, of which all Ecclesiastical story is full; when we have such a plentiful testimony at home. There is no order of men, that God in all ages of the Church hath so strangely and (miraculously almost) provided for, as to the necessaries of life, as for such who have been faithful and painful laborers in the work of his Gospel; they have not been forsaken, their seed have in no scandalous manner begged their bread: but this is but one particular.

2. A second head of instances, which I shall give you to prove this specialty of Divine Providence, shall be the preventing Providences of God, warning them some way or other, of evil that hath been towards them, so as they have been able timely to prevent or escape it. Elijah was you know an eminent Prophet of the Lord's, and his life was often in danger; but God hid him one while at the brook Cherith, 1 King. 17, after he had delivered that unpleasing Prophecy to Ahab; another time, at Beersheba, after he had made such an havoc amongst the Priests of Baal, Chap. 18, 19. God gave him warning of his dangers, and prevented Jezebel's designs. A boy overhears Paul's Enemies conspiring his death, and revealeth it, and he is sent away: at another time he is let down in a basket. Infinite instances might be given you out of other story. Athanasius amongst the ancients, and Luther amongst more modern Divines, were eminent instances of this nature. God indeed (as I told you before) doth not make all his Ministers in times of dangers, such instances of special Providence, but only such as he hath designed to make great and eminent use of.

3. I might also give you as large a proof of this special Providence of God, for the Ministers of his Gospel, in his deliverance of them out of trouble, when they have been within the paws of the Lyon, and ready to be devoured. And this not always in the same method, nor by the same way and means; sometimes miraculously, as in the case of Elisha, and Elijah, more than once, striking their Enemies with blindness, causing fire to come down from Heaven, and to destroy their Enemies. In the case of Daniel, stopping the mouths of the Lions. In the case of Peter, the very night before that Herod was fully intended to have murdered him. In later story we have infinite instances of God's strange deliverance of faithful Ministers (whom it afterward appeared, God designed to make eminent use of) out of their Enemies hands. I remember in the History of the persecution of the Church of Bohemia, we read of an Edict made by Ferdinand, to apprehend all the Protestant-Ministers; upon which many fled into Moravia, and hid themselves; three were taken and kept prisoners in a deep dungeon at Prague: but God by his Providence wrought the escape of one of them, whom he made use of to plant, not less than twenty Protestant-Churches afterwards in Poland. But there would be no end, if I should begin to recite to you all we find in his story of this nature; there can be none so meanly acquainted with Scripture or History, but may confirm himself in this observation. But I added, That the Providence of God hath been also eminently seen in the preservation of those, who have been great adventurers in the cause of God, within the latitude of their duty. A man may adventure in the cause of God, and miscarry in his adventure, and that in two cases: 1. When he adventures without a call from God. 2. When he governeth not himself in his adventure, by the reasonable rules of prudence. Peter made an adventure, when he drew out the sword, and cut off the highest Priest's servants ear: But our Savior bid him put up the sword into its sheath again; for he that draweth the sword (being a private person) shall perish by the sword. Peter had no call to use the sword in the case: The Magistrate hath a call to use the sword in the execution of just laws. The Minister hath a call to use another sword, the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. Every Christian hath a call to serve and obey Magistrates, in what is just and lawful, and to perform those duties, which in his private capacity he oweth unto God; to worship God in his family, and to meet often together in the congregation of God's People, to hear the word, to partake of the Ordinances of God, &c. Now there are times when a godly Magistrate cannot do his duty in punishing of sin, without the adventure of his reputation in a wicked world; the adventure of his estate, his life: when the Minister of the Gospel cannot do his duty, nor the people theirs, without the like adventures: but you shall observe this very ordinary in the Providence of God, he strangely watcheth over, and protecteth such as have a spirit to make boldest adventures, and as strangely rewardeth such. You see it in the whole story of Scripture, Moses and Aaron were called to go in to Pharaoh, and to demand the dismission of the Israelites; God suffereth not Pharaoh, nor any of his Courtiers (notwithstanding their threats) to do them any hurt. Caleb and Joshua adventure to bring up a good report of the land of Canaan, God protecteth them from the mutiny of the people, and they are the only two are suffered to go over into the promised land, Numb. 14.6, 7, 10, 24. Elijah, the three children, and Daniel were great adventurers in the case of God: so was Esther in her going in to the King, to speak for the Jews: so were the Apostles in the first Plantation of the Gospel. The Providence of God strangely watched over them, and delivered them, as you read in the story of their Acts. A man cannot be too bold, if he keeps within the latitude of his duty. Indeed we read of some whom God strangely watched over, in the doing of some actions, that we cannot evince to have been their duty, as that of Phinehas, Numb. 25.7, 8. in killing the Moabitish-woman, and the Israelite in the act of adultery. That of Elijah's killing Baals Priests, 1 King. 18; yet God protected them, and rewarded them; there are many things said in the defense of Phinehas and Elijah, to reduce their actions to the ordinary rule of Justice. It is certain, that by the Laws of God, the adulterers ought to have died, so also the false Prophets; but for the persons that executed the vengeance of God upon them, all that we can say, is this: Their call was doubtless clear to themselves, their actions were most certainly approved by God: he protects them upon the doing of them, he rewards them for doing of them; but non fue • unt ordinaria, sed facta quaedam extra usum, & ordinem communem; they were not ordinary actions, but depended upon a special call of God. By virtue of such a call too, it doubtless was, that Moses slew the Egyptian, for which St. Stephen justifieth him, Acts 7. But a man cannot be too bold for God, if he keeps within the latitude of his certain duty.

2. Provided secondly, He keepeth to reasonable rules of prudence: our rule obligeth us to be wise as serpents. But I will not enlarge upon this Theme; for the truth is, the Providence of God strangely watcheth over bold adventurers in his cause and service, who have acted under such circumstances, as are hardly reconcilable to what our reason calls Prudence; yet certainly, that will not warrant a rash and imprudent managery of a good cause. I need not give you more instances than I have done, to justify this Observation in sacred History. Moses and Aaron, Caleb and Joshua, Elijah and Elisha, Esther, Daniel, the three Children, all the Apostles afford a plentiful proof of this Observation; and in other stories the instances are without number. Luther's whole life was an instance of this, the Archers shot sorely at him, he ventured as high as any in opposition to them; yet his bow abode in his strength, Luther died in his bed in peace.

Nor doth this seem an unreasonable motion of Divine Providence, if we either consider how far the honor of God is concerned in the upholding and maintaining his Ambassadors, and rewarding his servants; or the faithfulness of God in justifying his promises, or the further use that God will make of men in the accomplishment of his designs in the world.

1. Let us but consider the relation wherein the Ministers of Christ stand to him, they are his Missionaries, be hath sent them; as the father hath sent him, so he hath sent them; nay, they are no ordinary servants, they are the Lord's Ambassadors, they come in Christ's name, and as in Christ's stead they entreat men to be reconciled unto God. It is beneath the honor of a Prince to suffer an Embassador to starve, or any way to perish for want of that protection which he is able to afford him; indeed, if any run before they are sent, or instead of God's work to their own, God's honor is not concerned in them, unless to chastise their presumption, and to take vengeance upon them, as in such a case, no Prince would think himself further concerned: but supposing Ministers of the Gospel to be sent by him, and to be ready faithfully to deliver their masters messages (and this we must suppose and believe, or disown the Scriptures, which expressly assert this), God is highly concerned in point of honor (having power in his hand, and the command of all the hearts of men) to provide for his faithful Ministers, and they shall not want.

2. God (secondly) is not only concerned in honor, as a great King and God above all; but as a God of truth and faithfulness, that can sooner suffer Heaven and Earth to pass away, then a word to fail of what he hath spoken: he hath made many promises to his faithful servants in the Ministry, and to those that he hath employed in hazardous employments for him; he of old promised to satiate the souls of his priests with fatness, Jer. 31.14. He of old appointed no inheritance to the sons of Levi, amongst their brethren, because he was their inheritance, as he had promised them, Deut. 10.9. he hath told them he will clothe them with salvation, Psal. 132.16. he told Jeremiah and Ezekiel he would be with them to deliver them, Jer. 1.7, 8, 18, 19. Ezek. 2.6. He hath told Gospel Ministers, he will be with them to the end of the world, Matth. 28. he hath bidden them take no thought what they should eat, drink, or put on, when he sent out the twelve, Matth. 10.9, 10. he bid them to provide, neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in their purses, nor scrip for their journey, nor two coats, nor shoes, for the workman is worthy of his meat. Now after all this, if God should suffer his Ministers to want bread to sustain their lives, or their families, what would men say of the faithfulness of God?

3. Lastly, Let us but consider God, as having many designs yet to accomplish, a great deal of work yet to be done in the world, to be done by the hands of men, who can imagine God should not eminently protect, and provide for those that are, and have been faithful? who would work for that Master, that will not find them bread? What subject would be free to go as an Ambassador for that Prince, that would never protect him in the faithful discharge of his trust, or reward him proportionably to his affronts or losses? Now God knows that we are flesh, and much led by our sense and reason, and must not be encouraged to our duty only by rewards, which are the objects of our faith; but by sensible rewards, at least to such a proportion as is necessary to uphold us to our work. It is therefore not to be wondered at, that God should in a way of special Providence, eminently take care of the Ministers of his Gospel: he hath called them, and sent them to his work, he hath by that call taken them off from that pursuit of the world, by which others procure themselves a livelihood; he hath told them they should live upon his Altar; he hath told us, 1 Cor. 9.7. That no man goeth to a warfare at his own charge, none planteth a vineyard, and eateth not the fruit thereof, nor feedeth a flock, and eateth not the milk thereof: he seeth them out of obedience and conscience to him, refusing the bread they might have: men will not provide for them, he will; Ravens shall bring them meat every day, but they shall be fed. This is but a reasonable motion of Divine Providence. I shall make a short Application of this discourse.

Use 1. This in the first place lets you see the fountain of that bounty, which the many painful and faithful servants of Christ have experienced in all times, and even in the days wherein we live. It hath pleased God in all times to raise up friends to his faithful Ministers. I remember when Abigail came to meet David, coming against her husband, and had stopped his journey, David saith unto her, 1 Sam. 25.32. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, which sent thee to meet me this day: and blessed be thy advice, and blessed be thou, &c. First, he blesseth God, then he blesseth her; the faithful servants of God, yea the Churches of God, who by this means enjoy anything of the labors of their shepherds, have reason to bless those whom God hath made his instruments to support those upon whom others had no pity. Yea verily, and what our Savior said of the woman that spent her box of Ointment upon him, I think I may apply here, Wherever the Gospel is preached, what they have done shall be told for a memorial of them. If a cup of cold-water for a thirsty Prophet shall obtain a Prophets reward, the greater kindnesses of many shall certainly be rewarded; they have but put a little money into the bank which God keeps in Heaven. But we have more reason to look upward to him, who hath the hearts of all men in his hand, and openeth them as he pleaseth. God hath in it shown his special Providence for his faithful Ministers; let us therefore say, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who hath stirred them up. It was the grace of God bestowed upon the Churches in Macedonia, which taught them in a great trial of affliction, and deep poverty, to abound in riches of liberality, and willingly of themselves to give to their power, yea and above their power. Let it be written to posterity, for a memorial of the people in England, that for so many years together, in the midst of a devouring pestilence, many consuming fires, expensive wars, and a deadness of trade, they have refreshed the bowels of so many hundreds (if not thousands) of God's messengers; but let God have all the glory, who hath given the heart, though their hands distributed the money.

Use 2. In the second place, Let me cry out, O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord: O house of Levi, trust in the Lord: Trust in the Lord, and do good (saith David ) so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed, Psal. 37.3. Let us be faithful to our masters service, and do the work which he hath given us to do, and verily we shall be fed. I cannot say God will provide Coaches, and delicate things for us; but necessaries we shall not want. Herein let us exercise ourselves to keep a conscience void of offense, both towards God, and towards men; and as to other things, we may trust a Providebit Deus, God will provide for us and ours. The experience of these times, if wistly attended to, certainly is enough to keep any from being tempted through fear of want, to debauch their consciences, by doing anything which is apparently sinful, or but so judged and suspected by them. We see some fed with great provisions, faring deliciously every day, whiles others (like Daniel and his partners) have been fed with little more than pulse and water; and at the end of some years it appeareth, they look fairer, as to worldly circumstances, than those who have had far better commons.

Use 3. Lastly, This observation commendeth confidence and courage to all in the Lord's work, in opposition to fear and cowardice. I would not be mistaken, be sure in the first place you be in God's work, that which by his word appeareth to be the duty of one in thy circumstances: nothing but the conscience of having been surprised in the way of our duty, will bear us up under sufferings; be therefore in that point well satisfied: having done that, observe those rules of Prudence which reason directs thee in such cases: this done, fear nothing. Remember the Providence of God most eminently watcheth over the boldest adventurers in the way of their duty. They are the words of our blessed Lord, Mar. 8.35. Whosoever will save his life, shall lose it: but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake, and the Gospel, shall save it. They observe in war, that the soldier that turns his back, and flies, is in much more danger, than he who stands to it; and that nothing makes a conqueror, so much as resolution, and bold adventuring: it is so in our spiritual fight with the world; be then of good courage in it, and quit yourselves like men; remember God is with you, and if so, there's more with you, than can be against you. God indeed in our combats with the world, doth not always keep us shot-free, and bring us off without a scratch; but those whom he doth bring off, are ordinarily those who are most valiant and adventurous: however, it is better to fall valiantly, than cowardly; and our Lord hath told us, That if a man will save his life, he shall lose it; if he hath such a mind to sleep in a whole skin, that he will neglect his duty, and do that which his heart condemneth him for doing, he shall lose what he hoped to save by it, be it life, reputation, estate, &c. It speaketh great unbelief, and distrust in God, to be cowards in plain and certain duties. Be prudent, but take heed of forbearing necessary duty out of prudence, or being faint in the performance of it. That can be no prudence: If a man fainteth in the day of adversity, Solomon saith, that his strength is but small, his faith is but small, and his observation of God's Providence in such cases hath been very small too. But I shall add no more upon this Argument.

SERMON XXV.

I Have done with the Tenth thing in the motions of Divine Providence, which I commended to your observation. I proceed now to another.

Observ. 11. The Providence of God maketh a very frequent and remarkable use of the sins of people, though it be always spotless in making such use of men's sins. That the Providence of God in bringing about the eternal purposes and counsels of God, doth very ordinarily make use of people's sins, I have in a great measure already proved to you under my seventh Observation, where I shown you how God accomplished his purposes upon Mount Zion, by persons that meant not so, and over-ruled the several lusts of sinners hearts to his own praise, making the wrath of men to praise him. But yet I shall take it again in my way, and the rather, because I will show you more especially what use God makes of the sins of his own people. Then I shall give you a reasonable account of this great work of God. And thirdly, I shall endeavor to show you, that it is a spotless use which God maketh, and open it to you, how it may be so, and our reason may conceive of it well enough. And lastly, I shall make some Application.

That it is so, is so obvious to those that are meanliest exercised in the Scriptures, that it can hardly be overlooked by any considerate person.

One of the most glorious products of Actual Providence, was the Revelation of the Covenant of Grace and Redemption: I say the Revelation of it; for the paction, or making of that Covenant, I take that to be eternal, and antecedent to the Creation: but as I take it, those who would distinctly understand the Covenant of Grace, must distinguish betwixt the Paction, the Exhibition, and the Revelation of it, and the Application of it to individual souls. The Paction was an act of Counsel, an eternal act, a transaction between the Father and the Son; the Son as the head of the elect, standing as a surety for believers, and undertaking something for himself on their behalf; that in the fullness of time, he would come into the world, assume our natures, and in that nature die, and give satisfaction to Divine Justice for the sins of the elect: (which some call the Covenant of Redemption ) also undertaking for them, that they in his strength, and through the assistance of his spirit, should do whatsoever his Father should require personally of them, in order to their obtaining salvation through him. But now the Exhibition and Revelation of this eternal contrivement to the world, that was the work of Actual Providence, done in time subsequent to the Creation, and done gradually, as to the more full and perfect Revelation of it, according to the good pleasure and infinite wisdom of God. The first Revelation of it was to Adam, after he had fallen, Gen. 3.15. And I will put enmity betwixt thee [that is the serpent] and the woman, and betwixt thy seed and her seed, it shall bruise thine head, and thou shalt bruise its heel. Now for this, God made use of the first sin that was committed in the world, the fall of Adam: had not Adam fallen, there had been no need of the Revelation of a Covenant of Grace; he, and his posterity had been saved upon the Covenant of Works, he had perfectly done the Will of God, and lived, Rom. 9.11, 12. The Apostle tells us, that before Esau or Jacob were born, before they had done good or evil, God loved Jacob, and hated Esau; and it was foretold, That the elder should serve the younger; for the law of God and Nature, had made the younger a servant to the elder. First, Esau sells his birthright for a mess of pottage; then Jacob by the counsel of Rebekah comes, and tells his Father a lie, and obtaineth the blessing of the first-born: both sinful acts; the first on Esau's part, the second on Jacob's; but God's Providence makes use of both, to bring about his counsels. There was a promise made to Abraham, that God would multiply his seed, and that they should inherit the land of Canaan: Pharaoh strongly sets himself against it, useth all arts to destroy the seed of Jacob; the King commandeth the midwives to kill all the male children, Exod. 1. they save them alive, the King questioneth them for it, Exod. 1.17, 19. they tell a lie to excuse themselves; God makes use of their lie for the accomplishment of his counsels, and the fulfilling of his promise unto Abraham. Who can excuse Rahab in the lie she told to the Kings messengers, sent to apprehend the spies? It is true, the Apostle saith, she did it by faith, and God rewarded her, as he did the Egyptian midwives: Rahab did it by faith, believing what at that time she did not see, that God would give that land to the Israelites, and God rewarded her good intention in the general, not her particular sinful act: but yet the Providence of God made a great use of her lie, for the design he had in hand. Who can excuse David in many particular actions which he did? Which yet God made use of in order to the bringing about his counsels and promise concerning David, in settling him upon the Throne of Israel and Judah: The setting up of Solomon upon the Throne of his Father David, was an eminent product of Actual Providence; but Bathsheba you know was his mother, and David in order to the having her for his wife, murdered Uriah her husband, yet she was the mother of Solomon. No man can excuse Jeroboam in his revolt from the house of David, he did what he did from a very turbulent and ill spirit, and in a very irregular and rebellious manner: but God yet made use of what he had done to fulfil his own counsels, and the threatening he had denounced against Solomon. In short, innumerable instances of this nature might be given, and it is an easy thing to observe God doing the same thing every day. I will instance but in three great products of Actual Providence more, which the Scripture maketh mention of; and three greater have not been, nor can be. 1. The incarnation of our blessed Lord. In the genealogy of Christ recorded by Matthew, chap. 1. ver. 3. you read, Judas begat Pharez, and Zarah of Tamar. You have the story Gen. 38.29. Pharez was an incestuous child, which Judah had by his own Daughter-in-law: he was one of Christ's Progenitors; so was Bathsheba, who came with much sin to be David's wife; yet God made use, you see, both of the sin of Judas, and the sin of David, for the bringing forth his son into the world. Next to his Incarnation, let us consider the sacrifice of Christ for the expectation of our sins, the noblest and greatest act of Providence which was ever brought forth in the world, it was produced by wicked hands. Judas, Pilate, Herod, the Jews, all have their hand in it. The Devil put the malice into the heart of Judas; but God had his end in the action, and accomplished the great design of his glory. The sending of the Gospel amongst the Gentiles, was a great product of Providence in the fulfilling of the Lord's counsels, and many promises: but it was the fall of the Jews, that proved the riches of the world, as the Apostle tells us, Rom. 11.11, 12. They did not stumble that they might fall: but through their fall salvation came unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. The Apostles upon their going out to preach to the Gentiles, gives this account of it, Forasmuch as you have judged yourselves unworthy of eternal life, (that was, by not receiving the Gospel) we turn unto the Gentiles. What shall I need say more? there is no soul brought to Heaven, but is an eminent instance of this: If they had not sinned, they would have no need of any pardon or justification from the guilt of sin, no need of a Savior or Mediator: God suffereth the souls of his People to be concluded under the guilt of sin, that he might have mercy upon them. It is also an ordinary observation of Divines, That God often suffereth people to fall into some gross and scandalous sins, that he might take that advantage to awaken them to repentance, and make use of their falls to a rising again to a new life: and this is often seen in those that have lived civilly, and might be prone to trust to their own Moral Righteousness. But I shall enlarge no further in the Justification of so obvious an Observation. It follows, that I should show you the reasonableness of this motion of Divine Providence.

1. The truth is (in the first place), it is hard to conceive, how otherwise some of God's greatest works of Providence could have been produced. What would the Revelation of a Covenant of Grace have signified to the world, if the Covenant of Works had not first been violated by the first man's transgression? How could else any man imagine, that the salvation of the world should have been accomplished by the death of Christ, if God had not made use of the wicked action of those who took him, and by wicked hands crucified him? The Apostle assureth us, that in all they did against our Lord, they did but execute what the counsel of the Lord had predetermined should be done: If sin did not abound, how should grace much more abound? Rom. 5. In the pardon of sins, the justification of a guilty soul; the Scripture tells us, That all are concluded under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. What should we say to the great work of Providence, in trying his Saints by afflictions and persecutions, from the hands of violent men? God maketh use of the sins of Persecutors, to perfect his Saints by the exercises of their faith and patience; it could not be, without the sins of those who persecute others for righteousness sake.

2. Again, God by this getteth himself a great deal of glory. I have spoke something to this under the seventh Observation: but let me here add a little.

1. He gets himself the glory of his power. There is a fancy hath possessed the Philosophers of the world, That metals of a baser nature, may by art be turned into nobler metals, brass, &c. into gold; and they will tell you, that some such thing hath been done; and abundance of time and money hath been spent, by the vain and covetous Philosophers of the world to little purpose, to find out this Philosophers stone (as they call it): but supposing such a thing possible; yet there must be some similar quality to help, or they will not pretend to any such thing; no Philosopher ever yet pretended by all his Chemistry, to fetch gold out of a dunghill. But now in sin, there is nothing of a similar quality to the glory of God; there is nothing so opposite to the glory of God, as the sins of men and women: For God to fetch water out of a rock, argued great power; to raise up Abraham children from the stones of the field, it must speak great power: but yet not so much, as for God to fetch his own glory out of people's sins. There is in sin an infinite opposition to the glory of God: nothing so diametrically opposite to God's honor and glory, as sin is. Sampson put forth a riddle, Out of the eater came forth meat, and out of the strong came forth sweetness. But what is this riddle to that which I am speaking of? for the glory of God to come forth out of the dunghill, the woeful dunghill of the worst of men's actions? for God to work out his own righteousness out of the vilest actions of men? O it speaketh an infinite Power in God! it is a greater work to fetch light out of darkness. I will (saith God) get me glory upon Pharaoh: For God to get himself glory out of Pharaoh's hard heart, was more than to get his people water out of an hard rock.

2. God by it gets himself the glory of his infinite wisdom. I told you in my former discourse, that he is accounted the best Politician, that can make the best use of all humors, and serve his own designs, even of his utter Enemies: this is the top of a Politicians wisdom: How great then must the Wisdom of God appear in this? nothing hath such an enmity to God and his glory, as sin hath. Job speaketh it to the great glory and honor of God, Job 5.13. He taketh the wise in their own craftiness, and the counsels of the crafty are carried head long. It speaketh the wisdom of a man, that he can make use of the capacious quality of a bird, or a beast, to catch a prey for him: thus the faulconer maketh use of the hawk, the huntsman of the dog, the fisher-man of a fowl, to catch birds, or beasts, or fish for him. This I say speaketh the wisdom of a man above other creatures; O how it speaketh the admirable Wisdom of God, that he can make use of the worst belchings of lusts in men's hearts, the most vile and rebellious actions of men, and out of them fetch his own glory.

3. But in the last place, God above all doth by this magnify the riches and freeness of his grace. This is that wherein the Lord delights to have glory; he predestinated, adopted us, &c. to the praise of the glory of his grace, Eph. 1.6. If God had taken man out of a state of innocence into Heaven, we should never have admired free grace so much as now; it marvelously affects the heart of a child of God, to see God make use of his falls of his sin and corruption, and manifold rebellions, to make his free grace exceeding glorious. We should never so much admire free grace and mercy, if we were not so great transgressors: This is it which maketh grace precious in our eyes, when we cry out of the belly of hell, and he heareth us.

Thus far I have shown you, that God maketh a very ordinary use, and a very remarkable use of people's sins. But I also added, that it was a spotless use; and thus it must be, if God maketh it; For he that is of purer eyes, than that he can behold iniquity, must be of a purer will, than to will iniquity, and of purer hands than to work iniquity. But the difficulty lieth here. It is plain from this discourse, that God useth people's sins as a medium to his glory; he having willed the end, must needs have willed the means: for though a thing may be fortuitous to man, yet nothing is fortuitous, or casual to God. A man now in order to the accomplishment of some design of his, may make use of some things which fall in, and he never foresaw, nor forethought, nor designed as a means in order to his accomplishment, but it were blasphemy to suppose any such thing of God.

A great question there is amongst Divines, what influence God hath upon the sinful actions of men. It falleth not so fully in my way at present, as to engage me in any full discourse upon it. Certain it is, that the holy God putteth malice into the heart of no man, nor doth at all incite him to any sinful actions. This were indeed to make God the Author of sin: he commands it not (that is impossible), he approveth it not, he inclineth not the will of man unto it: But as certain it is,

1. That he assisteth the faculties and members of a man to those natural actions, which his own lust and malice maketh sinful. He assisted the tongues of Ananias and Sapphira to speak, but it was their own lust and malice, which inclined them rather to speak that which was false, than the truth. In him we live, move, and have our being.

2. As certain it is, That he permitteth and suffereth men to execute their lusts, otherwise they could not execute them, he could most certainly hinder them: Forty years he suffered the Jews manners in the wilderness, Acts 13.18. He suffered all nations to walk in their own ways, Act. 14.16. Now for this sufferance, I think it is well expressed by an eminent Divine of our own; God's permission of sin (saith he) lies in the suspension of his own efficiency, and the removal of the impediments. Pelagians dream, that God gave unto man a perfect freedom of will, and so did, as it were, Dormitare in operibus suis, sleep while his Enemies sowed the tares of sin; but no such thing must be imagined of God. Nor doth God only remove those impediments, by which the sinner might be hindered in his acts of sin; he is properly said to be hindered in an action, who cannot do what he hath a mind to do: now God doth something more in his permission of men's sins, than not hinder their commission of it; he suspendeth that efficiency, by which they were restrained, or which should incline them to do otherwise.

3. He willeth that the sin should be, though he doth not will to effect it. Indeed for God to will the effecting or committing of sin, is not consistent with the purity and holiness of God: God's permission of sin, and willing it in the effect, doth ponere effectum non causam, it doth assert the effect, not the cause; his willing it in this sense, doth by no means imply his procuring it, inciting to it, or approbation of it. It is not procurans volitio; and here Divines say rightly, Deus abs{que} jactura, & sanctitatis offendiculo, velle potest peccata; vult rem effici, non effectum dare. He willeth the thing should be done, but he doth not will the doing of it. Who shall dare to say that God did not will that Judas should betray Christ, and Pilate condemn him, and that the Jews should crucify him? When the Apostle saith, That they did but according to whatsoever God's hand and counsel had determined before to be done, Act. 4.28. And that he was delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, Act. 2.23. If God did not will that most vile action should be done, how did his hand and counsel determine it? How was he delivered by the counsel of God, which the Scripture expressly affirms? And this is all that I know, that Mr. Calvin, or any that tread in his steps have said, which many now a-days have so clamoured against, as if he made God the Author of sin, and willed acts of sin. Mr. Calvin, and all sober Divines will grant them, that it is inconsistent with the holy nature of God, to infuse malice into the hearts of any, or to incite any to any malicious and sinful action, or to assist them in the sinfulness and obliquity of their action: but those who have read Pareus 's disputes with the Jesuits at Swalbach, will easily understand, what Divines these men read, and with whose heifers they plow, and out of whose quivers they draw their arrows of bitter words. To whom the best answer, is that of the Archangel to the Devil, The Lord rebuke them.

4. Then lastly, God governeth the wicked actions of men, when they are done to his own praise and glory, and maketh an eminent use of them; but yet a spotless use. Take Pharaoh in his hardening of his heart, against the Will of God revealed to him for the dismission of the Israelites. God had purposed that Pharaoh's heart should harden, he tells Moses so long before it came to issue: God removed what might have hindered the hardening of his heart, he would believe from time to time, that God had done his worst, and he should keep them, let the mighty God do what he could: he suspended his own efficiency, he could have softened Pharaohs heart, if he had pleased; he assisted him to his natural actions, he could never else have spoken the words he did, nor made ready a Chariot. When the action was done, he governed it to his own praise and glory, he said, I will get me glory upon Pharaoh; and he did get himself glory upon him, and made Pharaoh's wrath to praise him. But I will add no more to the Explication, or proof of this Observation.

Use 1. This now in the first place may convince us of the infinite power, wisdom, and goodness of God. Omnipotency is usually thought to be most discovered in Creation, the production of things out of a mere not-being, into a being, where there is no pre-existent matter for God to work upon: but here seemeth yet to be a greater demonstration of Divine Power, for God to make the wrath of man to praise him, to bring forth the great designs of his glory out of men's sins. It showeth us also the infinite wisdom of God. The natural sagacity of the be is seen in sucking honey out of poisonous herbs and flowers, a thing of the sweetest taste out of flowers, and herbs of bitterest taste, and in doing it, it by its chymistry commendeth the wisdom of its Maker, who hath given it this natural skill. The acquired art and skill of the Apothecary and Chymist, who make the desperatest poisons, which have the greatest contrariety to human nature, to serve for medicines, to heal men's diseases, commendeth the wisdom of God; for their God hath taught them this discretion. But oh the wisdom of God! to make our lusts, our wrath, our sins to praise him! there must be something of the nature of honey in the herb or plant, or the be could get none out of it; there must be something in the poisonous drug or plant, that is consonant to the nature of man, or all the art of the Chymist and Apothecary could never make it serve for man's cure or healing. But there is nothing in the nature of sin, but is quite opposite to the glory of God; yet God makes sin to praise him. O the heighth and depth of Divine Wisdom, yea and of Divine Goodness too! As there is nothing more opposite than sin to God's glory, so there is nothing more pernicious and destructive to us: God makes our sins to serve us, to excite habits of grace, repentance, faith, fear, watchfulness, &c.

Use 2. In the second place, Learn from hence, how impossible it is, that a sinner, by his rebellions against God, should do any hurt but to his own soul. And this is enough to convince the most malicious sinner, of the exceeding vanity of sin. If Julian will in his rage throw his dagger up against Heaven, it shall not touch a star, but return only upon his own head. If the Princes of Babylon will heat a furnace seven times hotter than ordinary, and open a Lions den to destroy the Jewish servants of God; the furnace shall only burn up, and the Lions devour themselves. Indeed in regard of the sinsuness of the best of men, and God's design sometimes to melt, and to try his people, the rage of sinful men doth sometimes reach them; but this is certain, it never reacheth Heaven, nor any of its counsels and designs, unless by the cry of it for vengeance against the sinners. God will have his glory from the vilest persons, and their vilest actions; and although Assyria meaneth not so, yet he shall but accomplish God's pleasure. In 2 King. 6. you read a story of the King of Syria, his sending a party of Soldiers to take the Prophet, ver. 15. The Prophet, ver. 18, prayeth, that they might be smitten with blindness; they were so, and then the Prophet leadeth them into Samaria, into the midst of their Enemies. God deals thus with outrageous sinners. Their design is to dishonor God, and to do God as much despite as they can: God smiteth them with blindness, and instead of accomplishing of their ungodly designs, he getteth glory upon them: He disappointeth the devices of the crafty; so as their hands cannot find their enterprize, Job 5.12.

Use 3. Let me caution all, that they take heed, that they do not abuse this notion, to give themselves a liberty to sin. Do not think this a sufficient warrant for you to do any sinful action, because God knoweth how to make your sins serviceable to his glory. This was an old corrupt conclusion, which the Apostle foresaw, men would falsely draw from these premises, Rom. 3.7. If the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie unto his glory, why then am I judged as a sinner? and not rather, as we are slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say, Let us do evil, that good may come upon it. So when the Apostle, Rom. 5. had said, That as sin had abounded, so grace should much more abound; some concluded, that it was then best to continue in sin, that grace might abound. Whom the Apostle answereth, as you will find, Rom. 6.1, 2, &c. But that none may think, that from hence he is licensed or encouraged to sin, I beseech you to consider,

1. That God doth not move, or incite any to any sinful action, nor command, nor approve any such thing. God in fetching of his own glory out of men's sins, doth but (if I may so speak with reverence unto God) make the best of our bad markets. In the Epistle of John to Gaius, ver. 11, saith he, Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good: he that doth good, is of God; but he that doth evil, hath not seen God, 1 Joh. 3.8. He that committeth sin, is of the devil: now for this purpose was the Son of God manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. Sin is called the work of the flesh; the flesh, that is the mother of sin, and the Devil, he is the father of sin; the Devil engendereth sin upon our flesh. So much of sin as is in any man, so much there is in him of the flesh, so much of the Devil; so much he is a servant to Satan, and to the flesh.

2. Consider, it is no thanks to the sinner, that God hath any glory from his sin; he is not active in the glorifying of God, his activity is all spent in the dishonor of God: he is not voluntary in it. Sin doth not of its own nature glorify God, there is nothing so contrary to the glory of God as our sin is. The sinner doth not, cannot intend the glory of God by his sinful act. The sinner in this case, is only a passive instrument of God's glory; God fetcheth out his glory, forceth his glory from men's sins. God is not at all beho • den to the sinner for any glory he getteth from his sinful act. The glory which God hath from men's sins, is as to the sinner, merely by accident, and besides his intention; as much as it was besides his intention, to let out an imposthume, and cure his Enemy, who ran his sword into him, with an intention to let out his life-blood.

3. Consider, that God needeth not our lie for his glory. Every sin is a lie, and God out of our lies fetcheth out his glory; but he needeth them not, and therefore it is madness to say, I will sin that God may be glorified. God can better bring forth his glory another way, he would be much more glorified by thy keeping his Commandments, and doing of his Will. God indeed needeth not our duties and best actions; but he much less needeth our lusts and corruptions.

4. Consider, That though God in the wisdom of his Providence, makes use of men's sins, to fetch out his glory from them, yet he usually takes vengeance upon the sinner. It is the practice of the Politicians of the world, to make use of the treasons of others, but seldom to reward the Traitors. It cannot be said of God, that he ever loves or approves of the treason of sin, but he ever punisheth the Traitor without a true repentance.

5. Lastly, When God makes use of the sins of people for his own glory, and for their good and salvation also (as in the case of those which belong to his Election of grace), it is never done without a great deal of grief and sorrow of heart to the sinner: they are saved as through fire: great sinnings must have great humiliation. He indeed sometimes maketh use of his people's sins, to make them more humble, more watchful: but the sinner first suffereth a great deal of loss in the peace of his Spirit; he goes to heaven ordinarily with broken bones, and a bleeding heart. So that you see that God's getting himself glory from his people's sin, gives no man a ground of presumption, to go on in a course of sin against God.

Use 4. In the last place, Let this observation mind us, in this case to be workers together with God. Have we sinned, and come short of the glory of God? Let us do our endeavor to make our sins to turn to the furtherance of the glory of God. Let us endeavor to make the best of our own bad markets. What is done, we cannot re-call; let us endeavor, if possible, to make an advantage of our former miscarriages. You will say, How should that be?

Answ. 1. Let the sense of your sins hasten your pace to the Lord Jesus Christ. God hath a great deal of glory from our believing in him whom he hath sent. The soul that accepteth of the Lord Jesus Christ as his Savior, giveth unto God the glory of his Power, Wisdom, Justice, Goodness, Truth; it gives him the glory of the exceeding riches of his free grace.

2. Make use of your sins to increase your Confession, your Repentance and Humiliation. Confession giveth glory to God: my Son, saith Joshua, Confess, and give glory to God. Let your former sins give you the further advantage for sorrowing after a godly sort, that will bring forth carefulness, indignation, fear, vehement desires, zeal, revenge, as it did in the Church of Corinth, 2 Cor. 7.11.

3. Let the remembrance of them cause you to walk softly all the days of your life. This is that which God requireth of all, to walk humbly with their God. The remembrance of your sins may be of notable use to you for this, to keep down that pride which is naturally in all our hearts; that swelling in an opinion of ourselves, of our own duties and performances; that uncharitable judging, and censuring, and triumphing over others, when we see them fallen in the day of temptations.

4. Lastly, Let the consideration of how many sins God hath forgiven you, make you love much. Thus the woman, Luk. 7.37, 47 made an improvement, even of her former sins; her much that was forgiven, engaged her to love that God much, who had forgiven her so much. This improvement St. Paul made, 1 Cor. 15.9, 10. I am (saith he) the least of all the Apostles, and not meet to be called an Apostle, because I persecuted the Church of God. But by the grace of God, I am that I am, and his grace which was bestowed on me, was not in vain: but I labored more abundantly than they all. O this will be an excellent improvement, even of your sins, if your former unholiness shall now help to make you more holy, your former unrighteousness shall help to make you more righteous for the time to come; your reflections upon how much you have done against God, and his Saints, shall now engage you to do more for God, and the cause and people of God. A good husband and house-wife, will lose nothing, but make some advantage of every rag, every bit of wood, &c. I would have you be like them, you have been formerly great sinners, and done much to the dishonor of God: your consciences can show you a great dunghill of sin, which you made in your state of vanity: God hath changed your state, changed your hearts: let not that dunghill be lost, look upon it often, to help to raise up your hearts in the praises and admiration of God's free grace, and the engaging your hearts more for God in your contrary duties for the time to come. But so • uch shall serve for this Observation also.

SERMON XXVI.

I Am still going on, instructing you to that spiritual Wisdom, which the Text telleth you may be gained by, and is declared in the Observation of the motions of Actual Providence. I am now proceeding to a Twelfth Observation of this nature, which I shall give you thus:

Observ. 12. The Providence of God in the distribution of the good things of this life, doth in a great measure move circularly, though mostly to the seeming advantage of ungodly men. In my enlargments upon this notion, I shall keep much to the same method which I observed in the former. 1. Opening it unto you. 2. Justifying the observation by instances. 3. Showing you the reasonableness of this motion of Divine Providence. And lastly, Making some suitable Application.

1. My observation (as you see) concerneth the motions of Actual Providence, as to its distribution of the portions of this life. The Pagan Philosophers distributed all the good things they had any knowledge of into three sorts. The good things of the body, amongst which they reckoned, long-life, health, strength, beauty, &c. The good things of the mind the rich endowments of it, such as knowledge, invention, judgment, wit, memory, and moral virtue, &c. and the good things of fortune, such as birth, ingenuous education, honors, riches. All these have a goodness in them, which lieth in their suitableness to the use of human life or society. The blind Heathen, not seeing the fountain-head of these beautiful streams, ascribed them to fortune: But they are all in the hand of Providence, that giveth to one a longer, to another a shorter life; to one greater, to another lesser measures of health and strength, &c. to one more judgment, wit, &c. than to another. But I chiefly understand my Observation of the good things, which the Heathen called, Bona fortunae, the good things of fortune, such as honors, riches, &c. These also are the Lord's; he it is, saith Moses, That gives us power to get wealth. And the Holy Ghost by another pen-man telleth us, That promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west: but God pulleth down one, and setteth up another. Promotion doth mostly depend upon the favor of the great men of the Earth, and you shall observe the Scripture everywhere maketh God the Author of the favor and grace, which persons have found in the eyes of the Princes of the world.

2. Now I observe in the first place, That the wheel of Providence, in making this distribution, doth for the most part move circularly. My meaning is, that good and evil of this nature, hath (as all human things) its turns and vicissitudes, sometimes to good men, sometimes to bad men. The Heathen had some prospect of this, though what we call Providence, they ascribed to fortune, to whom they gave a wheel, to signify the rotation of all these sublunary contentments, in which you know the same spokes are not always up nor down; but sometimes these spokes are uppermost, by and by they are at the ground; and those that but now were below, are up in their place. And this is most perspicuous in bodies of people, which are made up of those two sorts of men, that divide the world, godly and ungodly. There is a time when the vilest are exalted, and the wicked walk on every side. This is their hour, and the power of darkness, as our Savior saith, Luk. 22.53. And there is a time again, When ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you, Zech. 8.23. There was a time when the seed of Jacob prospered in Egypt, Joseph was advanced, and he was a protection to them. A while after the wheel turns, and there arose a King that knew not Joseph, and then the Israelitish spoke in the wheel of Providence, was at the ground: but in a little while up it gets again. The Children of Israel go out of Egypt with colors flying, and drums beating, and Pharaoh and his Host were drowned in the red Sea. This was now their hour. But soon after the wheels turn again, and they are almost devoured in the wilderness: But as soon as they were on the other side of Jordan, they were again in a prosperous state. Soon after they were oppressed, first by one Pagan Adversary, and then by another; but in David's and Solomon's time, it was again an halcion-time with them. And when they were in Canaan, that party of them, after Solomon's time, which adhered to God, had their vicissitudes; as they had good or bad Princes, so it fared with them. In the seventy years of the Babylonish Captivity, they had a very sad time; but when that was out, they had again a kind hour: and in the very time of the Babylonish Captivity, they doubtless had great vicissitudes; and the case was much different with them, when the three Children were thrown into the fiery furnace, from what it was, when they were advanced to great honors: or when Daniel was thrown into the den of Lions, from what it was, when he was made the first president. When they were come again into their own land, it was not above fifty years before Ahasuerosh disturbeth their settlement, Ezra 4.6. After a few years more, they perfect the building, both of the Temple and City. Soon after they were oppressed, first by the Grecians, (when it was a very sad time with them) then by the Romans, under whom they enjoyed more liberty, till after the crucifying of Christ, soon after which, God said to them, Lo ammi, you are not my people. The like observation might be made of the Christian Church-Catholic, and the several parts of it; God will not always chide, nor keep his anger forever, Psal. 103.9. The needy shall not always be forgotten, Psal. 9.18. he hath said, He will not contend forever, neither will he be always wroth. The same observation might be made of particular persons and parties fearing God. Jacob had his time of hard service, and his time of liberty. Joseph one while is a prisoner, another time the second man in the Kingdom. David had a time, when he was hunted like a partridg on the mountains, and his time when he ruled happily and peaceably over all Israel and Judah.

2. The second part of my Observation was, that as to these good things, the Actual Proridence of God, ordinarily moveth to the seeming advantage of wicked men: I say, seeming advantage upon a double account: 1. For first, Wicked men have no real advantage from any good things they have, their morsels are all dipt in wrath; and they turn to their real loss and disadvantage, as they draw out their lusts, and aggravate their eternal condemnation. 2. I much question whether they have that seeming advantage, which they appear to have. If we consider the disproportion in the numbers of such as fear the Lord, and such as fear him not; I believe we shall find God, as to the things of this life, do as much for his people, as for wicked men. It is true, we see more wicked men than good men in places of honor and power; we see more of them, than of these prosper in the world, and grow great and rich: but therefore what disproportion is there betwixt the number of the one, and of the other? But however, certain it is, that the servants of God have many of them found this a rock of offense to them, and have stumbled upon this temptation; so did Job, chap. 21. David, Psal. 73. Jeremiah, Jer. 12.1. Habakkuk, &c. And this appearance hath been a temptation to others, to deny, or at least to dispute the Providence of God. I shall therefore give you a more particular account of this, when I come to open the 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , or hard Chapters of Divine Providence. In the mean time, I take notice of it, only as matter for our observation, and supposing that it is so, I shall hereafter show you, that it is but a reasonable motion of Providence. But truly upon a stricter observation, I believe we shall find Divine Providence, as to these things, more circular in its motions, and equal in its distributions, than we usually judge it; being deceived, by not wistly observing the disproportion of each party in its numbers; and that of Solomon, Eccles. 9.1, 2. will hold, that the love or hatred of God, is not to be judged from what doth in this life happen unto men.

3. But thirdly, (which I should have added to the observation, and crave your leave yet to add it) in the dispensations of special grace, and those good things which are truly spiritual, the Providence of God is inaccountable: here the way of Providence, is like the way of an Eagle in the air, a Ship upon the S •• , or a serpent upon a rock, it cannot be tracked. It is true, our Savior saith, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , the poor receive the Gospel; so I should rather translate it, as in the passive voice, then as our translation doth, as if it were the middle voice. The poor preach the Gospel; and the Apostle telleth us, That God hath chosen the poor of this world to be rich in grace, and heirs of the kingdom. And again, you know your calling brethren, not many rich, not many wise not many noble, &c. yet the Providence of God doth deal out special grace to the rich, as well as to the poor. Abraham, and Lot, and Isaac, and Job, and David, and Solomon, Joseph, and Daniel, and Joseph of Arimathea, were all rich men; though as the number of the poor, far exceedeth the number of them who are possessors of great Estates; so the number of holy persons of mean estates, bears the like disproportion to the number of such persons, that are great, and abound in this worlds goods; neither doth the Providence of God deal out these riches of special grace, as if they were inheritances. Was not Jacob and Esau brethren? yet the Lord loved Jacob, and hated Esau. You often in Scripture read of good men, that had very bad children; and of bad men, that had very good children: Jeroboam was a wicked man, one that made Israel to sin, yet in Abijam his son, there was some good thing found towards the Lord. Abijam the King of Judah, was a man that walked in all the sins of his Fathers, 1 King. 15.2. Yet ver. 11. Asa his son did that which was right in the sight of the Lord. Jehoshaphat, the son of Asa, was a very good man; but Jehoram his son walked in all the ways of the Kings of Israel, 2 Chron. 21.5. so did Ahaziah his son. Jonathan was a good man, 2 Chron. 27; but Ahaz his son walked in the ways of the Kings of Israel, and made images for Baalim; yet the son of Ahaz, Hezekiah, was an excellent man. Manasseh his son was a very wicked man the greatest part of his life: indeed, 2 Chron. 33.13, 14, 15, being carried into Babylon, and bound in fetters, he besought the Lord, and the Lord was entreated of him; and then the Scripture telleth us, That he knew the Lord was God, and he began something of reformation, ver. 15. Ammon his son was a very wicked Prince, but Josiah his son an excellent man; but we read no good of any one of his sons. Thus as to the dispensations of saving-grace, we see the Providence of God is not to be tracked, sometimes given to the son of a good father; at another time denied to the seed of those in Covenant with God, and given out to the children of most vile and wicked parents: and this is no more than we yet see every day in the dealings of God. But it is time that I should show you the reasonableness of these motions of Divine Providence. 1. Why the Providence of God moveth in such a circular motion, in the distribution of the good things of this life. It will appear reasonable to you,

1. If you consider both God's general relation to all his creatures, and also his special kindness, and the demonstration of it to his people, together with his faithfulness to his promises. 1. I say, his general relation to all his creatures: they are his creatures, he their Creator; they by Creation his children, and he their father. It is true, they are undutiful children, and do not answer the law of their Creation; God may say to them, If I be your father, where is my honor? But yet children they are, God intends them not the inheritance, and therefore God doth by them, as Abraham by the children he had by Keturah, Gen. 25.5. To whom he gave portions, and sent them away. A father hath many children, some elder, some younger, some more dutiful, whom he loveth with a more peculiar love; but he hath something of a fatherly affection for them all, he giveth them all portions, more or less. Some have their portion in this life, as David speaketh, Psal. 17. Son remember, saith Abraham to Dives, thou hadst thy good things in this life: thy good things. So Lazarus had a right to a child's portion. Joseph sent all his brethren a mess, though to Benjamin he sent seventimes as much as to the rest. 2. But besides this, some wicked men have another relation to God, as servants in some special service, none of them are universally God's servants; but in some special service, many wicked men are God's servants. And no man shall serve God for nothing. This was Jehu's case, which procured him the Crown for four generations, for the service he did God against the house of Ahab. Then if we consider, 1. God's special kindness to his people, declared so often in Scripture, and the reasonableness that God should make some demonstration of it, that all the world may know that God will honor those that honor him; and how impossible it is, that the men of the world should take notice of this, and be convinced of it merely from spiritual rewards, of which they have no certain cognizance, or from eternal rewards; you will see it but reasonable, that God in his Providence should dispose, even of the goods of this life, unto his own people, though not to all, yet to many of them, and that they should have their turns in these distributions of Providence, and not be always, or all of them poor and needy, or vile, and contemptible in the eyes of the world. Especially seeing that, as the Apostle saith, Godliness hath the promise as well of this life, as of that which is to come: And our Lord hath commanded us to seek the kingdom of heaven, and the righteousness thereof, upon the encouragement of a gracious promise, that the things of this life shall be added to them. Further, if there should be no circulation of Providence in these distributions, how should those Scriptures be fulfilled? wherein God hath told us, Psal. 30.5. That the rod of the wicked shall not always rest upon the lot of the righteous; that he will take care that the spirits should not fail before him, nor the souls that he hath made: that his anger endureth but for a moment; that sorrow comes for a night, but joy shall come in the morning, &c. And those many other promises for the good things of this life, which are made to the People of God in Scripture, though they are not to be interpreted into an extent of that latitude, as if they should be the constant portion of the Church and People of God, or of every child of God. Yet how should they be made good, if there were not some circulation of Providence in the distribution of the good things of this life; if it should not go sometimes well, as well as sometimes ill with the Church and People of God.

2. The reasonableness of this motion of Divine Providence will appear to you, from God's love and zeal to Justice. Justice lies in giving to everyone their due; God must be just, and his Justice must be declared to the world, that all may know, that the God of Heaven is a righteous God. Now this Justice of God requireth such a circulation of Providence, as I have commended to your observation. If you will but consider, that as the whole life of wicked men is a life of rebellion and disobedience: So God never had a Church in the world, nor any particular Saint, but had their corruptions, and were guilty of many miscarriages, which subjected them to the vindicative Justice of God. Now for the People of God (if I may so speak with holy Reverence) God hath tied up his own hands, he cannot punish them with eternal punishments, he hath accepted a price, a satisfaction for them; so as now, There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus: But he hath a controversy, even with Judah; and he must punish Jacob according to his ways, and according to his doings he must recompense him, Hos. 12.3. This can be no otherwise, than by denying of them some good things in this life, either such spiritual enjoyments, as the denial of is yet consistent with their enjoyment of the eternal inheritance, or those things which concern the outward man. And as to wicked men, although their greater punishment is reserved unto another life; yet it is necessary for the vindication of Divine Justice before the world, that they should in this life also have their portion of affliction and misery: for as to spiritual judgments, they are but secret plagues, which the world taketh no notice of, nor doth it understand the bitterness and terribleness of them: and as to eternal punishments, they, as well as the eternal rewards of the righteous, are matters of faith, and as not evidenced to the sense of the living part of the world; so neither to be made so demonstrable to their reason, as to enable the men of the world, from them alone, to conclude the Justice of God in recompensing sinners according to their ways. So that upon this supposition, that the God of Heaven is a righteous God, that will recompense everyone according to his ways, and that in the eyes of the world he will declare his Righteousness: There must be in this life, both a reward, and a punishment for the People of God, and a recompense for the wicked according to their ways; and consequently such a rotation and circulation of Actual Providence, in the distribution of the good things of this life, as I have been discoursing to you. And this now gives you a reasonable account of this motion.

If you further require of me to give you a reasonable account, of the seeming inequality of the hand of Divine Providence, in these distributions, why it seemeth to give most advantage to evil men.

1. In the first place it is sufficient to repeat to you, what I before told you, that it is but a seeming advantage. The good things of this life are not in themselves good or evil, but as they are used and improved. Indeed they are such as of themselves have a tendency to make men better; but they make men better or worse, according to the hearts they meet with. Many a man's honors and riches prove his ruin here; but they prove to many more (through the corruption of their hearts) the occasion of the eternal ruin of their souls, as they give them more opportunities to exercise the lusts and corruptions of their hearts. As they are sensible portions, so it is but reasonable, that the worst of men should have their portions of them; and through the predominancy of lust and corruption in their hearts, they prove no advantages to them; but such things as fat them up to the day of slaughter, and further prepare them for the Revelation of the righteous Judgments of God against them.

2. But, secondly, for riches and honors. The Providence of God doth ordinarily dispense them out to men, according to their endeavors, and ofttimes rather suffers men to get them, then gives them to them. God's efficiency is indeed sometimes discernible in giving men estates and honors, giving them favor in the sight of Princes, raising them up great friends: but the most of men that come to great wealth and honors, arrive at them, by being only suffered by God to walk and prosper in their own ways. And indeed this is one reason, why the way to these great things in the world, is more open to the Sinners, than to the Saints of the Earth. Our Savior calleth riches, the Mammon of unrighteousness; and although it possibly was too large to say, omnis Dives; yet it had been true enough to have said, Plerun{que} Dives est vel iniquus vel iniqui haeres, great estates are at first gotten (usually) by ill means, and are attainments, hardly fit for those who think themselves tied up to the rule of the Gospel; being either got by undue sparing, or unjust dealing. And the same might be said of honors. Indeed it is not always so, sometimes God throw's an estate into a man's lap, that is careless of it, and heapeth honors upon some that seek not after it: and this may be one reason, why in these distributions the Providence of God in the distribution of these things, moveth more to the appearing advantage of wicked men, who can use any arts and means to make themselves rich and great; than of those who live by a stricter rule, and must refuse gold offered them upon sinful terms, and honors tendered them as a price for a prostituted conscience.

3. Experience teacheth us, That affliction and poverty, and a mean condition in the world, and a scant measure of the good things thereof, are most adequate to the exercises of grace, and the enjoyment of communion with God. Israel followeth God in the wilderness, in the land of droughts, and apostatizeth in the land of Canaan. When Jeshurun waxeth fat, she kicketh up the heel, like a fatted beast in the pasture, that while it was lean, was tame enough: and therefore Agur prays as much against excessive riches, as poverty. Now God's whole design upon the Saints, is by his dispensations to them in this life, to fit them for the inheritance of the Saints in light; and what he gives them, shall be no more, than will accompany salvation, and fit them for it.

As to the third thing in my observation, who can give an account of the thing that is inaccountable? The reason of it lies in this: That God will have mercy, upon whom he will have mercy: and whom he will, he hardeneth. God will proclaim to the world, that his Grace is Grace, that is, free, not to be conveyed as an inheritance from the father to the child: not depending upon the merits of parents, nor annexed to any secular circumstances, nor anything, which in this world maketh one man to differ from another. But this is enough to give you some rational account of these motions of Divine Providence. I come now to the practical Application of what you have heard.

Use 1. And in the first place this Observation will confirm us, That the love of God to men's immortal souls, is not to be determined from his dispensations of the good things of this life. In God's special love, there is a certainty, in these things there is a great incertainty. These the Providence of God disposeth in some kind of Circulation; sometimes godly men have them, sometimes wicked men, sometimes the Church of God, sometimes the Enemies of God. The Providence of God (as you have heard) in these things moveth most to the advantage of the vilest men. But leaving this more general branch of Application, I shall apply it more particularly.

1 To the sinners of the world that prosper. The rod of God is not upon their backs, they are not plagued like other men: God's Sun shineth upon their Tabernacles: their Bull gendereth, and faileth not; their-Cows calve, and cast not their calves; they send forth their little ones like a flock, they take their Harps, and rejoice at the sound of the Organ (as Job speaketh) riches, and power, and honor, are all with them. Three things I would take the advantage of this Observation to caution them against.

1. That they would not promise themselves a perpetuity in this state. As the child of God may say of his adversity and afflictions, these things are not Eternity; so the sinner may say of his prosperity. There is a circulation in the motions of Providence in its distribution of these things: The same spokes of the wheel are not always uppermost; you are now spokes in the upper part, the wheel will turn, and you will be lower; most sinners have their day, but it is but a day. Day and night, summer and winter, light and darkness follow one another in human conditions, as well as in time: some have a summers-day, others a shorter winter-day, but none hath more than their hour or day. It was Babylon's error to say, That she sat like a Lady, and should never see widowhood, or loss of children. God tells her both these should come upon her in one day. It is the weakness of human nature to look upon anything here as permanent. Are you therefore in a state of prosperity? Is it your hour? think not you shall never be moved. David, Psal. 30. said in the day when his mountain stood strong, That he should never be moved. God did but hide his face, and he was troubled. You may possibly meet with particular persons, that are exceptions to this general rule, but hardly anybody of people.

2. Let what you have heard admonish you not to glory and triumph in your prosperous state; if you will rejoice, let it be with trembling. The observation affords two reasons why the prosperous sinner should not excessively rejoice. 1. Because there is a circulation in these motions of Providence. This was that which quieted David's spirit, disturbed at the prosperous state of ungodly men, Psal. 73.18. Surely thou hast set them in slippery places, thou castedst them down into destruction. 2 I have told you that the Providence of God in these dispensations seemeth to incline most to favor the worst of men. David, Psal. 17.13, 14. prayeth to be delivered from wicked men, who have their portion in this life, and whose belly God filled with his hidden treasure. It hath been an ordinary thing for good men to suspect the love of God to them, when they have met with no changes. Luther was afraid God intended to put him off with the good things of this life. But, saith he, I protested that I would not be so satisfied.

3. Lastly, This speaketh aloud to sinners on the pinnacles of the world, not to harden their hearts. Sin gives a man a base spirit, you shall ordinarily observe, that the worst of men are most proud and haughty in their prosperity, and the most cowardly and low in their spirits, when an hour of adversity comes. How ordinarily do we see it? If vile and abject men get a little power on their side, there is no living by them, their insolencies, oppressions and cruelties are so intolerable; but let them be a little under hatches, there's none will crouch so basely. But, O you fools, when will you be wise? O that in their days of health, they would but think they may be sick, when they are rich, that they may be poor; that when they are the head, they would consider they may be the tail. Prosperity then would not harden them: but it is true, which the Holy Ghost tells us, That prosperity slayeth the fool. It seldom doth a child of God good. Before I was afflicted (saith holy David) I went astray; but it ordinarily slayeth the fool. I shall advantage this with this further observation. As it is usually observed, that men who have had a long and non-interrupted health, seldom escape the first acute sickness they meet with. So it is very rare, that God entereth into judgment with a sinner, that hath enjoyed a long prosperity, but he utterly consumeth him; you cannot but observe in reading the Prophets, that as they denounced the Judgments of God against his own People; so they also denounced them against the Enemies of God, and with this remarkable difference. They seldom threaten judgment to them, but it was utter ruin; God would make a full end of them. But saith God, as to his own people, Thou shalt not go utterly unpunished. I will make a full end of the Nations, that have carried thee away captive, but I will not make a full end of thee, Jer. 30.11, &c.

But secondly, Let me turn myself to them that fear the Lord, and improve my observation as to them in three or four words.

1. Fret not then at the prosperous state of wicked men. It is the great argument of the 37 Psalm: where it is pressed from a great variety of arguments. Remember that the motions of Providence are circular. There are two sorts of things that use mightily to affect us. 1. Strange and unusual things. 2 Things which appear to us against reason. It is no strange thing, Job 12.6. Job complained that the tabernacles of robbers prospered, and they that provoked God were secure, the men into whose hands God bringeth abundantly. Disturb not yourselves then if you see men of prodigious wickedness great in power, and honor, and riches, and flourishing ('tis but what hath always been) and trampling underfoot the people of the Lord. It is no new thing that happeneth to you. A second sort of things we usually startle at, are those things which seem to us unreasonable; we cannot reconcile them to our thoughts, and such a thing is this prosperity of sinners: but this fancy speaketh only, 1. The weakness of our faith. 2. And the shallowness of our reason. If we had faith but as a grain of mustard-seed, that we could believe a life to come, and the joys of an eternal state, in which these men shall have no portion; we should not think these things of that value, but that God might reasonably give them to wicked men. We are like ordinary people, that never were out of the Town where they live, or the Nation wherein they were born, that take that Town, or that Nation to be all the world, and think there is no place better than that which they see and live in. Did we believe that there is a more enduring substance? an house in the Heavens not made with hands, an inheritance that is immortal, incorruptible, that fadeth not away, to none of which the ungodly man hath any right at all, we should never trouble ourselves, that the Sun shineth a little upon the Tabernacles of ungodly men: we should think it but reasonable, that God should allow something of the good things of this life to vile and profligate livers. Remember how the Father of the prodigal quieted the Son that had been always with him, troubled that his brother, who had devoured his living with Harlots, had the fatted calf killed for him, Luke 15.31. Son, remember thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. The People of God, have God always with them, and are admitted to a daily communion with God; all the grace, all the glory of God is theirs. Think this reward enough for the cleansing of thy heart, and the washing of thy hands; and seeing the swearers and blasphemers, and even the worst men of the world, are God's Creatures, and some of them (though they mean not so), yet do God service sometimes; do not judge it unreasonable that God should give them a portion in this life. But I forbear knowing, that it will fall in my way hereafter, when I shall come to open the hard Chapters of Divine Providence, to speak more fully to the reasonableness of this motion of Divine Providence.

2. This calleth unto the People of God, if at any time they be in a prosperous state to look for an hour of adversity. The Circulations of Divine Providence admonish God's People of this; no man reasonably saith in the morning, that the Sun shall set no more in his Horizon, nor in the Summer, that he shall never feel the cold, or see the storms of another Winter; he considers the Ordinances of nature, and the Circulation of these natural motions. It is as unreasonable to promise ourselves stated and uninterrupted felicity in this life, to say (as David) In our prosperity I shall never be moved. Be rather thinking what you shall do, if God should bring you into such a condition.

3. Nor do you despond in adversity. Say to the Enemies of Church and Gospel, as the Church in Micah, Mic. 7.8. Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy; when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me. It is as unreasonable for any to conclude at midnight, that there shall never be a morning, as in the morning to fancy there shall never be a midnight more: you have not it may be in this life those full measures of the good things thereof, which others have; But, saith David, Psal. 17. when I awake, I shall be satisfied with thy likeness. Some interpret it of an awaking at the resurrection, that is sure enough. Some of an awaking out of his afflicted state; God in this life is not always smiting, not always grieving the children of men. The rod of the wicked shall not always lie upon the back of the righteous. Do not build too much upon these hopes, remember that God hath better things for his people, than riches and honors, and earthly power. Heaven is their portion, but yet even as to this life, do not cast away your hope.

4. But lastly, Be patient under all the frowns of Divine Providence. This is the method of Providence, the sinner must have his hour, and that hour to the People of God will be the very power of darkness. The beasts that are nearest the slaughter, usually have the fattest pastures; God hath far better things reserved for them that love him, and even in this life: He will not leave you comfortless, he will come unto you; if not to the rescue of your bodies, yet to the relief, support, and satisfaction of your souls. Wherefore comfort yourselves with these words.

SERMON XXVII.

WE take notice in the world, that Wisdom is not so much the daughter of study, as of experience. It is a practical habit, directing the ordering of men's conversations to their best advantage: which is not so well acquired from our poring on books, and making conclusions from connate principles, or maxims of others, as from the observation of what we see in the world. Hence we observe what Job said, Job 12.12. with the Auncients is wisdom. Elihu said, Job 32.7. Days shall speak, and multitude of years shall teach wisdom. There must indeed be supposed a foundation in nature, and that is a good faculty of judgment, and a foundation in art; for wisdom dwelleth with knowledge, but neither nature, nor art and study will make a morally wise man. Observation contributes more than either: and this is the reason that wisdom is with the Auncients, and that multitude of years teacheth it. The reason of this is, the inequal distribution of reason to reasonable creatures, and the prevalence of passion above it in the most of men; from this it is, that we can better conclude what is like to be done in the world, from what hath been done, than from any rational principles, which will tell us what one would think reasonable men should do. Spiritual Wisdom likewise is much gained by observation: this is that which we call experience, by which we understand not always what ourselves have felt, but what we have seen with our eyes, what we have remarked in God's dealings. And the reason of this, is our imperfect understanding of what God hath revealed in his word, which lets us see, that we stand in need both of the Spirit, and of the Providence of God to be our interpreters; and the oneness and immutability of God gives us a far better advantage to gain wisdom from the issues of his Providence, then the variable passions of men will allow us to gain from what we see in their actings, whose methods ofttimes vastly differ one from another; so as the policies of one age, have no cognation with those of another. The reason also of which is, because there is a wheel within these wheels (though the fools and blind men of the world see it not) governing these sensible wheels, to the designs of his eternal counsels. Hence it is, that he who is wise, will observe; and he who would be wise, must observe the motions of Divine Providence; which though it hath many secret and unsearchable motions, yet also hath many certain and uniform motions, which will fall under the science and understanding of the soul, that giveth up itself to the study and observation of them. I have already offered to you twelve Observations upon the motions of Providence, I yet proceed, and shall at present offer you some further things chiefly relating to the motions of Divine Providence, in the executing of Divine Justice and Judgment, and that as well in the rewarding of the righteous, as in the punishment of the sinner; Two great works of Divine Providence, about which indeed it is mostly taken up: it goeth to and fro the world, doing this work every day; let us see how far we can track it, or make any judgment from the prints of its feet, where, or what we are like to meet with from it: meet it we must at every turn of our lives; our business is to make up a judgment, what we are like to meet with from it, whether it be like to say unto us, Hast thou met me, O my friend! or as Ahab to Elijah, Hast thou met me, O mine enemy! The next Observation I shall commend to you, is this:

Observ. 13. The reward of the righteous man, and also of the sinner, is always certain and constant, though not always sensible and uniform? This must be true. Shall not the judge of all the earth do right? Gen. 18.25. It is in the nature of God to do justly, far sooner shall a good tree bring forth corrupt fruit, than a righteous God do an unrighteous act. It is written in the Will and Promises of God, and in the threatenings which declare the Will of God against sinners. Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with them, for they shall eat the fruit of their doings: Woe unto the wicked, it shall be ill with him, for the reward of his hands shall be given him, Isa. 3.9, 10. Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged: yet surely it shall be well with them that fear God, that fear before him: But it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days, Eccles. 8.12. But it may be better for your edification, that I should open the Observation in the branches of it. The subject of my discourse you see is the vindicative and remunerative Justice of God, considered as in the hand of Actual Providence, I say of both.

1. That it is certain, both the one and the other is certain; for the sinner that swears and drinks, and wallows in his beastly lusts, that lies and cheats, and oppresseth, and breaks Sabbaths, that murdereth, and committeth adultery, and lives in the violation of the Commandments of God, his Judgment is certain, his damnation sleepeth not; the Providence of God shall most certainly meet him, as a Bear robbed of her whelps, to tear him in pieces, and there shall be none to deliver. On the contrary, for him that worketh righteousness, that herein exerciseth himself to keep a conscience void of offense, both towards God, and towards men, that liveth an holy life and conversation, his reward is certain. The certainty of both these depends, 1. Upon the immutable nature of God. The righteous God loveth righteousness, and hateth iniquity, he cannot clear the guilty; he cannot but reward the righteous; as soon shall God cease to be God, as the persisting sinner go unpunished, or the persevering Saint be unrewarded. 2. It dependeth upon the irrevocable will of God. God hath said it, the Lord hath spoken it, and it shall come to pass. Heaven and Earth shall pass away, before a word shall fail of all which the mouth of the Lord has spoken. 3. It dependeth upon the faithfulness of Divine Providence, in acting conformably to the Divine Nature, in the execution of the Divine Counsels, and in pursuit of the Divine Will. Providence is God's action in time, God cannot act contrary to himself, nor contrary to his revealed Will. But this is what none without great impiety can so much as doubt. But I added,

2. That both the punishment of the sinner, and the reward of the righteous man is constant. This is not now a matter of so sensible demonstration, but equally true with the other, Psal. 7.11. The holy Psalmist tells us, He judgeth the righteous, and is angry with the wicked every day. Anger in God signifieth nothing of passion, as it doth in us. It only signifieth God's just will to punish sinners, and the execution of this his just will and pleasure. Now I take that phrase, God is angry with the wicked every day, to be true in both senses; not only that God hath an immutable will, purpose, and resolution to punish resolved and impenitent sinners, but also that he is every day doing of it: and so he is every day rewarding the righteous man. But this will better appear in my Explication of the third thing, where I told you,

3. That neither the reward of the one, nor the punishment of the other are uniform, or always sensible. And indeed the notattending to this, is all that gives the least advantage to the complaints of Job, David, Jeremiah and Habakkuk, concerning the prosperity of the wicked. God sometimes punisheth sinners by temporary afflictions and judgments: these now are obvious to every eye, and incur into all men's senses. All men take notice of men's being afflicted in their persons, crossed in their relations, in their estates, &c. But thus God doth not always punish the worst of men.

2. He hath another way of punishing, and that more dreadful, that is, by spiritual judgments; ubi poenalis nutritur impunitas, a punishing them by suffering them to go unpunished. God never more smartly threatened the ten Tribes, than when he told them by the Prophet, Hos. 4.14. I will not punish your daughters, when they commit whoredom, nor your spouse when they commit adultery. He never spake more severely, than when he said, Why should they be smitten anymore, they will revolt more and more, Isa. 1.5. Hence impenitency, hardness of heart: hence they bless themselves in their sinful courses: this makes them shut their eyes, and stop their ears. This is indeed an insensible judgment; but as it is with the wounds of the body, the more secret they are, and inward, the worse they are: so it is with judgments upon a man, the more inward and insensible, the more desperate and dangerous is the case. The giving of sinners up to a blindness of mind, (as in the case of the Israelites), Isa. 6.9. to an hardness of heart (as in the case of Pharaoh), Exod. 4.21. to vile affections, (as in the case of the Heathen), Rom. 1.26. to a reprobate mind, &c. These are of all other the greatest punishment, one or other way God is angry with the wicked every day. Although he is not every day plaguing them with sensible judgments; yet when he is not doing this, he is letting them alone (as God spake concerning Ephraim, Ephraim is joined to idols, let him alone ) suffering them to go on in their own ways, by which means their hearts grow more hard and impenitent, more blind and insensible: and this is the reason that wicked men grow worse and worse, more vile in their affections, more sottish and reprobate in their minds and judgments, more vile and abominable in their lives. And as the punishment of the sinner, so the reward of the righteous man, though it be always certain and constant, yet it is not uniform, nor always sensible, especially to others. The certainty of their reward standeth upon the very same foundations, that the certainty of the sinners punishment doth, and so doth the constancy of it: for as God is angry with the wicked every day, so God is well-pleased with the righteous every day; he can every day go to God, and say unto him, Thou art my father; God is every day well-pleased with him, and delighted in him. But I say, these rewards are not always uniform, our heavenly Father hath more than one blessing; sometimes he blesseth him that worketh righteousness after one manner, sometimes after another, but he always blesseth them. Let me a little open to you the plenty of blessings, which our heavenly Father hath, and show you how variously he rewardeth him that worketh righteousness.

1. Sometimes some of his people shall be blessed with outward blessings. Abraham shall be a rich man, and have many flocks and herds. Joseph shall be the second man in Egypt. David and Solomon shall be great Princes. Mordecai shall be the man whom the King of Persia shall delight to honor. Daniel shall be the first president. This is necessary that God may justify his Promises of this nature: you have such, Psal. 128.1, 2, 3. and in many other Texts of holy Writ. They may be necessary to uphold the interest of God in the world. The world must sometimes say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous. God's own people shall sometimes have healthy bodies, numerous families, plentiful comfort in their relations; many left hand-mercies, added to those spiritual blessings, with which God hath blessed them all in Jesus Christ.

2. Others now God doth not reward this way, but he rewardeth them in their souls and inward man: and indeed this is the constant reward of them that fear the Lord: and there is a variety in these too. God doth not measure out the same kinds, nor the same proportions unto all. Some are blessed with a quiet conscience, possibly they have not ecstasies of joy as others, but their hearts do not condemn them: and this is indeed the usual reward of the man that worketh righteousness: The work of righteousness shall be peace (saith the Prophet), Isa. 32.17. If God brings them to a sick-bed, or into any other strait, they can say with Hezekiah, 2 King. 20.3. I beseech thee, O Lord, remember me now how I have walked before thee in truth, and with a perfect heart, that is, an upright sincere heart; or with Nehemiah 13, 14. Remember me, O Lord, concerning this, and wipe not out my good deeds which I have done for the house of my God. And give me leave to tell you, this is a great reward, but to be delivered from the sour reflections of a condemning conscience: for as there is nothing more nauseous and troublesome to us, than the sower recoilings of our stomach; so there is no greater torment to a man's life, than the recoilings of a guilty conscience. Nothing is ofttimes so great a torture to a sinner as this, when he saith unto his conscience, Is it peace? and his conscience tells him, What peace? so long as thy drunkenness, thy whoredoms, thy lies, and oaths and blasphemies, thy cheating and cozening, thy oppression and violence remain? There is no peace to the wicked (saith my God). On the other side there is nothing so refreshing unto a spirit tired with the crossness of the world, than to find a peace within himself. Now this is the general reward of the righteous man, if he misseth raptures and ecstasies of joy; yet he cometh not short ordinarily of a quiet and serenity of a waky and awakened conscience. I know there are hours of melancholy, and darkness, and desertion, to which the best of God's People are exposed; but these are but rare examples in comparison of those multitudes of godly ones, that walk in some blessed view of their own sincerity and uprightness. Some he rewardeth in their inward man, with raptures and ecstasies of God: They know and are persuaded that nothing shall separate them from the love of God in Jesus Christ; they defy death and hell, and challenge the fatal strokes which others tremble at the thoughts of. They complain of time, and were it not for the Law of God in the case, would dismiss their souls of their prison, and lie (like men waiting for a wind) longing for that happy gale, that should carry their souls into the wide Sea of Eternity. But this is but the portion of a few, and scarce the abiding temper of them neither; but such hours the People of God have had. Some again he rewardeth inwardly with strength, confirmed habits of grace, and contentment with their portion, &c. Their outward man decreaseth, but their inward man increaseth day by day: they are poor in purse, but rich in grace; they have but little, but they are content with what they have, and tell all the world they have enough. And let me tell you, that as punishments in the inward man, are the greatest punishments; so these spiritual rewards are of all other the greatest rewards, which is matter of easy demonstration, if we will but allow our souls to be our nobler parts, and the Jewel to be better than the Cabinet. Whatsoever tends to the debasing and ruining the soul, must be the greatest evil; and whatsoever conduceth to its ennobling or felicity, must be the greatest reward and good. Besides this, spiritual judgments are the continual forerunners of such as are temporal, and spiritual mercies draw after them, at least a proportion and sufficiency of the good things of this life. All these things shall be added unto you (saith our Savior). 2 Chron. 25.16. God sent a Prophet unto Amaziah, the King would not hear him; see what the Prophet saith, I know (saith the Prophet) that God hath determined to destroy thee: why? because thou hast done this, and hast not hearkened unto my counsel: Spiritual judgments forerun temporal, you have it, Isa. 6.10. When the Prophet asked how long? how long in seeing, they should see, and not perceive; and hearing they should hear, and not understand? God answereth, Until the cities be wasted without an inhabitant, and the houses should be left without men, and the land should be utterly desolate. In like manner spiritual rewards and mercies never go without something of this life, if not a plenty, yet a sufficiency, food convenient for God's People. Finally, as spiritual judgments are the forerunners of eternal ruin: so spiritual rewards are the more certain forerunners of eternal salvation; they are the things which (as the Apostle speaks) accompany salvation, and make men meet for the Kingdom of God.

3. But God sometimes rewards his people with sufferings. This you may think a strange reward. But yet a reward it is, Christ promiseth to the losers for him, that they should receive children, houses, lands, with persecutions; and the Apostles, Act. 5.41. rejoiced they were thought worthy to suffer shame for his name-sake. God honoreth that man whom he calleth out to be a witness for him, and to carry his cross after him. Job speaketh of other afflictions, and crieth out, Job 7.17. Lord, what is man that thou shouldst magnify him? that thou shouldst set thine heart upon him? that thou shouldst visit him every morning, and try him every moment? What need we more than what the Apostle assureth us? Heb. 12. That whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth, and scourgeth every child whom he receiveth: Our light and momentary afflictions (saith the Apostle) shall work for us a far more eternal and exceeding weight of glory: and if we suffer with him, we shall also be glorified together with him, Rom. 1.17. This variety of rewards our heavenly Father hath. The rewards of the righteous from God are not uniform, but always certain and constant: one way or other, God's Providence is always doing them good, and rewarding their righteous deeds: and this must necessarily be true upon the Apostles Hypothesis, That all things shall work together for the good of them that love God. But I hasten to the Application.

Use 1. In the first place let me recommend this to your observation. Though there be such a vast difference between good and evil in their own intrinsic natures, as might justly allure us into the embraces of the former, and scare every man from the pursuit of the latter; yet such is our nature, that we stand in need of encouragements to the former by rewards, and by the terrors of the Lord to be scared from the latter; and there cannot be anything more effectual with us to discourage sin, and encourage goodness, than if we can effectually persuade ourselves, that the punishment of sin is both certain and constant, and the reward of righteousness is so also. This is the point I have endeavored to demonstrate, and you have heard that the reason of any ones presumption of the contrary, is their looking at nothing as a punishment or a reward but what is sensible, than which we cannot be guilty of a greater mistake, nor any of worser consequence, as to the malign influence it will have upon our lives, and (consequently) upon our eternal state. But consider what hath been said, and judge whether a man can do anything to the greater ruin of himself, than to go on in an impenitent and resolved course of sinning against God. Possibly you do observe, that as to outward things it is much one with a profane swearer and blasphemer, as with the man that reverenceth the glorious God, and feareth an oath, Eccles. 9.2. with the drunkard, as with him that is sober; with the chaste, as with the unclean; with the Sabbath-breaker, as with him that remembers to keep holy God's day; nay the profane lawless sinner is in greater honor and power than the other, richer than the other: and this encourageth thee to join with them. But poor creature! hath he that hath many blessings, but one curse, thinkest thou? Observe well that same prosperous sinner, and tell me if every day he doth not grow worse, if according to his pastures, he be not filled with all the fruits of unrighteousness, if he be not given up to a blind mind, an hard heart, vile affections, if thou doest not observe that his conscience is seared, and branded with an hot iron, as it were, that he grows past feeling. If thou seest this, say not he is not punished, he is punished with a witness. Is a sealing up to damnation no punishment? According to our law you know malefactors are first seared with an hot-iron, upon their next miscarriage they are hanged. It is God's method, when once a soul is seared with an hot-iron, given up to be past feeling, to damn him next without mercy. Look well upon the sinner, and thou wilt discern God is angry every day with him, he is every day fitting for Hell flames, Is this no punishment? On the other side thou seest the man according to God's heart, walking sadly; he is plagued every night, chastened every morning, he is poor and needy, hungry and thirsty, in prisons, in deaths often, pursued by the falcons of the world, as a partridg upon the mountains, persecuted on all hands. Thou concludest contrary to the Scripture, That he hath washed his hands in vain, and cleansed his soul to no purpose: verily there is no reward for the righteous. But hearken poor creature. Had Esau's Father many blessings? and hath Jacob's God but one sort? Thou seest his poverty and want, but doest thou see how he hath learned in all estates to be content, and hath changed his name into a quod vult Deus. And certainly godliness with contentment is great gain. A poor contented Lazarus, is an happier and richer man, than a discontented covetous Dives. Thou seest how he is afflicted every day, how full of troubles his life is; but thou doest not see the serenity of his spirit, the peace of his conscience: his joy in the Holy Ghost, his glorying and rejoicing in tribulations, as his tribulations work patience, his patience experience, and his experience hope. Mark, sirs, the upright men, consider the just men, you will see their ends to be peace; yea in this life you will see them more indisturbed by troubles, and inconcerned in the ruffles of the world than other men. The more you observe, the more you will be confirmed in this truth, that the Providence of God will certainly reward, yea is constantly rewarding him that worketh righteousness.

Use 2. But secondly, what a trembling and terror should this Observation strike into the loins of every sinner; what an engagement should it lay upon them to repent, and turn from the wickedness of their way.! Each part of this Observation ought to be improved for this purpose. Impunity in sinning, is a great encouragement to the sinner: the heart of man stands bent to his lusts, and if he fancieth that he may escape the hands of Divine Justice, or that he doth escape, and thrive, and prosper in his wicked courses, it wonderfully imboldneth him to go on; but if the vengeance against him be certain, if his iniquity will certainly find him out, that he may as well hope not to die, as not to be thrown into Hell when he dies; and if the wrath of God be already kindled against him, and God be already punishing him, What hope? what encouragement can he then have? Now this you have heard is the sinners case. I remember when that great plague was began amongst the Israelites, upon their murmuring against Moses and Aaron, after the death of Corah, Dathan, and Abiram, Numb. 16.46. Moses biddeth Aaron take a censer, and put fire therein from the Altar, and put incense thereon, and go quickly to the congregation (saith he) and make an atonement for them: for there is wrath gone out from the Lord, the plague is begun. Is here an impenitent sinner before the Lord? one that hath been a drunkard, a swearer, a profane person, or that hath lived without God in the world, that blesseth himself with vain hopes or presumptions, that he shall escape the Judgment of God, or may escape it; that his soul is at present free from fears, he thriveth, he prospereth in the world, and his prosperity blindeth his eyes, that he cannot see the hell into which he is dropping, and so maketh no haste to deliver himself from the wrath that is to come? To such a one let me speak, (oh that my counsel might be acceptable!) take thy censer, put fire thereon from the Altar, and put on incense, and go quickly, and make an atonement for thy soul. These are indeed things not in thy power, but my meaning is, Betake thyself quickly to the great work of repentance, which lies not so much in tears and humiliation, as in the change of thy heart, in thy turning from the wickedness of thy way, breaking off from thy sinful courses. Betake thyself unto the Lord Jesus Christ. It is he who hath the golden censer, to whom is given much incense, Rev. 8.3. It is he, Rom. 5.11. By whom we must receive the atonement. Whatever you may think, wrath is gone forth against you, the plague in your souls is begun: you are in health, not sick, not in pain as other men; not so crossed in your estates and relations, as some other men; but for all this wrath may be gone forth against you, the plague may be begun within you. Let me examine you a little, do not you find that your mind is more blind, your understanding more dark, your affections more vile and sensual, your consciences are more benumbed and stupid? Is not the plague then began? Can there be more dreadful indications of Divine Wrath against you? The ax is laid to the very root of your tree; if you do not now bring forth better fruit, you will suddenly be cut down and cast into hell-fire.

Again, What an encouragement to repentance is it, to hear, That he who worketh righteousness, shall most certainly be rewarded, yea that he is rewarded every day? Thou that livest and goest on in a course of bold and presumptuous sinning, what peace hast thou when thou liest down, or when thou risest up? Art not thou like a bankrupt in the world, or one who is much behind-hand, that cannot abide to look into his books? no more canst thou endure to behold thy conscience, or to call thyself to an account; it may be thou hast quietem ex somno, such a quiet as a man in a dead sleep hath. The man that worketh righteousness, can call himself often to account, and when he hath done, lie down and sleep in peace, either in a full assurance, or a good hope, at least through grace, that God hath pardoned and accepted him. Let therefore my counsel this day be acceptable unto you, break up the fallow-grounds of your hearts, sow unto yourselves in righteousness, believe that the work of righteousness shall be peace, and the effect thereof quietness and assurance forever.

Use 3. Finally, What an encouragement here is to the people of God under all God's severe dispensations to them, to go on doing good. Do not desame the God of Heaven, with saying or thinking that you cleanse your hands in vain, nor that he taketh a long day to reward them that work in his work. Behold (saith our Lord) I come quickly, and my reward is with me, to give everyone according as his work shall be. It will not be long before Christ will come with this great reward; but as he punisheth the wicked, so he rewardeth also the righteous man every day: it may be he doth not reward thee with a long life, an healthful body, a plentiful estate, other accommodations of this life; his wisdom seeth not these things fit for thee, he knoweth thy heart, thy temper; but hast thou not a quiet conscience, a serenity of mind? or art thou not strengthened with might in the inward man? doth not Christ dwell in thy heart by faith? art thou not rooted and grounded in love, and able in some measure to comprehend with all Saints, what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and heighth, and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that thou mayest be filled with all the fullness of God? Thou art (it may be) troubled on every side, but art thou distressed? thou art perplexed, but art thou in despair? thou art persecuted, but art thou forsaken? thou art cast down, but art thou destroyed? Thou bearest about in thy body, the dying of the Lord Jesus Christ, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in thy body, 2 Cor. 4.9, 10. Is this no reward? It may be it is not the reward thou lookedst for, but it is that reward which God seeth fittest for thee. It is not all that thou shalt have, when he shall come, whose reward is with him (and he telleth thee that will be quickly), thou mayest expect fuller and greater things; in the mean time thou hast a viaticum, an enough for thy passage through the wilderness. The work of God is a wages to itself, but God gives thee wages besides; yea, and eye hath not seen, nor hath ear heard, nor can it enter into the heart of man to conceive, What great things God hath further prepared for them that love him; say not then, that thou servest God for nothing, and faint not, nor be weary of well-doing: for you shall reap if you faint not.

SERMON XXVIII.

THe these things mentioned in the Text (as I have formerly told you, and you may easily assure yourselves from the Context of the Psalm), are the great and various motions of Actual Providence, concerning which, I am recommending to you divers things that I conceive as true, so very observable. Thirteen I have discoursed, I proceed to another, which will also concern the motions of this Actual Providence, in the distribution of rewards and punishments. The Observation is this:

Observ. 14. The Providence of God doth sometimes reward the intentions of his people, where he doth not allow of, and approve, the actions which should be the product of those intentions; and very often reward some actions, from which he hath service, where he by no means allows the agents design and intention. In the handling of which, I shall first justify the Observation by instances. Secondly, I shall show you the reasonableness of this motion of Providence. And lastly, I shall make some Application of it.

I say first, The Actual Providence of God doth sometimes allow of, approve, and reward the general good intentions of his people; when yet he doth not, and will not allow of those actions, which should be the product of such designs and intentions. This evidently appeareth in that famous instance of David, recorded in holy Writ, both in the 2 Sam. 7. and in 1 Chron. 17. The story is this: David's life until that time, had been a life of a great deal of trouble and distraction; he had many Enemies both before and after he came to the Throne; but at length God (saith the Text) had given him rest round about from all his enemies. The good man presently begins now to think what eminent service he should do for God. At length he considers, that there was no public place for the Worship of God, nothing but a Tabernacle; he had built himself a fine house of Cedar, but the ark, the symbol of God's Presence with his People, that dwelt in Curtains (as he expresseth it, ver. 2.) But this being a thing which concerned the Worship of God, as to which above all things the Lord our God is a jealous God; David, though a great Prince, a great Prophet, a man according to God's own heart, would do nothing till he had advised with the Prophet Nathan: Nathan bids him to go, and to do all that was in his heart; for (saith he) the Lord is with thee. The good man was but a man, and was mistaken; God did not allow of the action,

1. Because he had not directed as yet any such thing, ver. 7. In all the places wherein I have walked (saith he) with the children of Israel, spake I a word with any of the tribes of Israel [or Judges of Israel] whom I commanded to feed my people Israel, saying, Why build you not me an house of Cedar: he repeateth the same reason again, 1 Chron. 17.6. Indeed there is another reason given, 1 Chron. 22.8. Thou hast shed blood abundantly, and hast made great wars: thou shalt not build an house to my name, because thou hast shed much blood upon the earth in my sight. So 1 Chron. 28.3. For those two reasons God disapproved the action, and reserved it for Solomon his son, then it became an institution: Solomon might lawfully undertake it, and did do it. But yet you shall find, that God eminently rewarded this good intention and purpose of David's heart, as you shall read at large, 2 Sam. 7.10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16. and to that degree, that David, ver. 18. thought himself obliged to offer up unto God a particular sacrifice of thanksgiving, and to offer up those praises to God, which you shall read at large in that Chapter, from the 18th verse, to the end of the Chapter. It is plain, that God only rewarded his general purpose, and good intention; for the act or issue of that intention and purpose, the Lord accepted not, but accepted his good will for the deed, which he rejected. For an instance on the other side, take Jehu. Jehu did a good act, that is, the thing which God commanded him: he indeed did it possibly in an ill manner, with ill circumstances, which caused God to threaten, that he would avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, 2 King. 9.7. When the Prophet anointed him that was his Commission, Thou shalt smite the house of Ahab thy master, that I may avenge the blood of my servants the Prophets, and the blood of all the righteous servants of the Lord at the hand of Jezebel; when it was done, God rewarded him for it, 2 King. 10.30. Because (saith God) thou hast done well in my eyes, in executing that which is right in mine eyes; and hast done unto the house of Ahab, according to all that was in mine heart, thy children to the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel. But yet Jehu 's design and intention in all this was naught, he intended no more than to make himself King; he pretended indeed a zeal for the Lord, but intended nothing but the advancement of himself, and his family; for the Scripture saith, ver. 31. of that 10th Chapter, That Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the Lord God of Israel with all his heart, for he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam, which made Israel to sin. God here rewarded the action done at his command, and in the execution of his will, but abhorred the intentions and designs that were in Jehu's heart upon the undertaking and performance of it. Take another instance, it is that which I have formerly insisted upon in the 10th of Isaiah, v. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. It is plain that God approved of the Assyrian 's actions against Israel, he calls them the rod of his anger, ver. 5. he saith, ver. 6. That he would send him against an hypocritical nation, and against the people of his wrath he would give him a charge, to take the spoil, and take the prey, and to tread them down like mire in the streets: Howbeit, saith God, he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy, and cut off nations not a few. The Assyrian had nothing but sinful intentions, he aimed at nothing but spoil and plunder, and accordingly executed God's Will; upon which, ver. 12. God threateneth, That when he had performed his whole work upon Mount Zion, and upon Jerusalem, he would punish the fruit of the stout heart of the King of Assyria, and the glory of all his looks: and ver. 16. That he would send amongst his strong ones leanness, and under his glory kindle a burning, the burning of a fire. More instances might be given of either sort, but these are enough. Let me proceed in showing you the reasonableness of Divine Providence in these motions.

1. On the part of wicked men, it is but reasonable; Because in such actions they do God service, and it is not reasonable they should serve God for nothing. You have a remarkable text for this, Ezek. 29.18, 19. Son of man (saith God to Ezekiel), Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon caused his army to serve a great service against Tyrus, every head was made bald, and every shoulder was peeled: yet had he no wages, nor his army for Tyrus, for the service that he served against it. Therefore thus saith the Lord God, behold I will give the land of Egypt unto Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon, and he shall take her multitude, and take her spoil, and take her prey, and it shall be the wages for his army: I have given him the land of Egypt for the labor wherewith he served against it, because they wrought for me, saith the Lord. The King of Babylon never intentionally wrought for God, undoubtedly what the Lord said of Assyria, was applicable to Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon; spoil, and plunder, and dominion, was all which he aimed at, he never intended to work for God: but yet the work was what was God's Will should be done, and what God had incited him to do; he wrought for me (saith God) he did service, and a great service, he hath had no wages for it, none shall work for me and be unpaid, I will give him the land of Egypt for his pay. So Jehu, he wrought for God, and did a great service against the house of Ahab; I will pay him, saith God. Jehu shall never say he wrought for nothing, his sons shall sit upon the Throne to the fourth generation. Nay upon this account ofttimes God rewardeth wicked men for some actions, and afterwards punisheth them for the manner of their doing of those actions; it is possible men may do what God commandeth them, and yet not obey God. God may reward men for their action, as it is a service to him, and yet punish them for their ill-doing of the action.

2. On the part of good men, where God rewardeth the good design, intention, and purpose, whiles yet he disalloweth the action, the motion of Providence seemeth yet more reasonable; if we but consider, that it is the heart which God principally requires, looketh at, and accepteth. And where the heart is right, the mistake in the action can be but a lapse of human frailty and weakness. Now where the sincere purpose and design, and counsel of the heart is right, there the heart must be right with God. I say the heart is that which God requireth, My son (saith he) give me thy heart, and you shall find where that is right bent and inclined. God passeth over a great many errors and failings in the conversation: and this is what God said in this very case, 1 King. 8.18. Whereas it was in thine heart to build me an house, thou didst well that it was in thine heart. The Lord looketh on the heart, and ordinarily in Scripture he accounteth men to have done good or evil, according as their hearts were prepared or set. Rohoboam did evil, because he prepared not his heart to seek the Lord, 2 Chron. 12.14. Now where there is a good intention, design, and purpose, there the heart is right. Only here I must caution you as to two things: 1. That you do not think that a pretence of a good heart or intention will do you any service. It is one thing to pretend a good heart, another thing to have it. Jehu pretended a great zeal for God, but had nothing less. 2. You must take heed of thinking, that a good intention will justify a sinful action; but a sincere and good intention, I say is accepted of God, and often rewarded by him, where the action is such as God approveth not, and makes an error in action to be but a sin of infirmity; for where the heart stands right, and truly designs the honor of God, the man cannot in that action willfully dishonor God: and this is enough to make this motion of Providence appear to you very reasonable. Before I come to apply this Observation, I shall only give you one or two Cautions.

1. They are only rewards of this life, by which God rewards the services of wicked men, whose heart in the action is not right. Jehis was rewarded, but it was only with a temporary dominion, his sons for four generations sat upon the Throne of Israel. Assyria was rewarded for his service against Israel; but it was only with spoil and plunder, and the enlargement of his Dominions; for the rewards of grace and glory, they are never given to any, whose heart is not right with God.

2. They are but temporary rewards, after the enjoyment of which for a time, God usually punisheth the sinner. Such was the reward of Jehu, it lasted but four generations, and then God visited the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu: It was but a little time that Assyria, that Nebuchadnezzar the King of Babylon joyed in the reward which God gave him for the great service with which he had made his Army to serve against Tyrus, for the Prophets prophesied of the destruction of Babylon soon after: and the Scripture tells us how it was by the Persian Monarch. These things premised, I now come to the Application: And, 1. By way of Instruction.

Use 1. We may learn hence what a good God we serve: no man serveth God for nothing. The least service that men do for God, shall have its proportionable reward. His very Enemies shall not do actions for him, but they shall have a recompense for them. The liberality of God, even to the worst of men, serving him by the by, and looking quite another way when they are at God's Oars, should commend God unto us all; and may mightily help the People of God to conclude, that their labor of love for God shall not be forgotten by him.

Use 2. In the second place, this will instruct you in one great reason of what is such a beam ofttimes in the eyes of God's best servants: I mean the prosperity, power, and greatness of vile men. I know it is not always the cause, but ofttimes it is. They have done some actions, from which God hath had a service; it may be God hath used them to do some great piece of service for his Church, so you know he used Cyrus (upon which the Scripture calleth him God's servant), it may be they have done some service for God against his People apostatizing: thus Assyria was the rod of God's anger, though he did not mean so. God had sent him against an hypocritical Nation. There are many ways by which wicked men may do God service, while they intend nothing so. It may be sometimes God will make use of them to relieve his poor servants in distress, taking advantage of their good natures, or some relation they have to them, &c. And this, though it may be we cannot always give account of the particular cause, is the reason why God doth great things for them, as to the good things of this life. But there are two more proper branches of Application, which I further aim at, the one concerning sinners more properly; the other concerning such whose hearts are right with God.

Use 3. In the third place, this Observation looketh upon all men, even the worst of men, and speaketh to them for two things:

1. That they would employ all the talents which God hath given them in some service of God. Sirs, you can none of you work for a more liberal and bountiful master; the world is the great thing in the eyes of worldly men, they would be rich, and great, and honorable, they have no faith, for the riches of glory, no sense of the riches of grace; their language is, What will you give me? and understand no greater things that God hath to give, than sensible things. Now admit their judgment were right, yet it were their greatest policy to be doing those things which are materially good, and which are unquestionably within their power to do, to be making use of their estates, which they spend in luxury and wantonness, in drinking and gaming, &c. in clothing the naked, feeding the hungry; the power and interest which God hath given them, in the protection of such as fear God, and delivering of them from the hands of oppressors. I remember it was the counsel of the Prophet Daniel, to a Heathen King, Dan. 4.27. Wherefore, O King, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness, and thy iniquities by showing mercy to the poor, if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquility. It is a text, that is not without its difficulties, and about which there hath been a great contention betwixt Papists and Protestants, the Papists from it stiffly contending for their Doctrine of Merits and Satisfaction, by works of mercy and charity. But whiles themselves grant, that works by which we can merit, must be such as are more than strict duty, and Justice and Charity are the two only things which the Prophet doth here advise, which we know are duties required of all in innumerable places of Scripture, there can be little pretence for any such building upon this foundation. Daniel is plainly giving counsel to that Prince, how he might, if not finally avoid, yet for a time turn away that fierce wrath of God which he saw was began to kindle against him; he adviseth him to do this, by breaking off his tyrannical oppression, and showing mercy, instead of that cruelty with which the former part of his reign had been stained. Now mark the argument, If, saith he, it may be a lengthening of thy tranquility. I know your margents, tell you it may be read, It shall be an healing to your error, about which some less judicious Papists make a stir: but their own great Arias Montanus reads it, it shall be a prolongation of thy peace. Their vulgar Lat. reads it, perhaps he will pardon thy sins: the septuagint 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , perhaps God will bear long with thy sins, &c. However (though indeed in that sense it doth not so suit my present purpose) there is no doubt, but restitution is an healing of the error of injustice and oppression amongst men, though it be impossible that it should remove the guilt of sin before God. But I have digressed too far. Let my counsel be acceptable now to every sinner, that hath any interest in the world, any talent of riches or honor, power or interest, which he might improve in the doing of anything which God hath commanded. If he be one that hath no regard to his soul, but merely to his interest in the world, it is the best improvement that he can possibly make of it. If a man had set his heart against the God of Heaven, and designed never intentionally to serve and honor him, but to make the world and his belly his God, without any belief of, or regard to an eternal well-being; yet it were his greatest policy to do things materially good, in order to the obtaining of that portion in this life, for him and his posterity, upon which he is wholly intent.

2. But secondly, This observation speaketh aloud to all to take heed of blessing themselves upon their worldly circumstances. It is a thing that we are very prone to, to conclude, to the acceptation of our persons, and our works, from our outward prosperity. They neither signify anything to us, as to the perfect goodness of the work, nor yet as to any eternal reward, no, nor a lasting reward in this life. We use to say, Bonum ex causis integris, malum ex quolibet defectu, a work is made evil by any defect in it, the least fly maketh the Apothecaries box of ointment to stink; the action must be formally, as well as materially good; not only what God hath required, but it must be done with a true heart, designing the glory and service of God, and in a true manner, according to that rule which he hath given us for the performance of it, or it cannot be acceptable to a pure and holy God: nor do these rewards signify anything as to our eternal reward and recompense. A man may for a work be rewarded in this life, and yet damned in the world to come: he hath had his reward. I remember Christ saith so of the Pharisees prayers and fastings, Mat. 6. They have their reward: the disciples of Christ that act sincerely, they shall be recompensed in the resurrection of the just. Hypocrites have their reward, in the honor and applause they have, in the riches and honor which God giveth them. God is out of their debt. No, nor secondly (which possibly to them is more terrible) these kind of recompenses are but temporary things for a little time. Jehu had taken out all his payment from God for his service against the house of Ahab in four generations. Assyria and Babylon had taken out their rewards for their services much sooner.

Use 4. In the next place, This Observation may be of very great use, both for the comfort and encouragement of such, whose hearts are right with God. For their comfort as to what they have done, for their encouragement to go on yet in their motions and designs for God. 1. For their comfort. It must be laid down for a substratum to the following part of my discourse upon this Theme, That no man can be called a child of God, but he who doth not serve God by the by, tanquam aliud agens, in the mean time eying some other design, and setting up to himself some other end; but he who in his actions sets himself with a full purpose of heart, to seek, and honor, and glorify God, he may miss his mark, either through the mistake of his eye, or his hand, but his face is thitherward, that's the white at which he aims; he hath set the honor and glory of God before him as his mark, and towards it, it is, that he presseth forward: he may mistake (as David did) thinking something will be for the honor of God, which will not; or come short as to the issue, not being able to bring his design to a desired issue; but he taketh his aim right, and setteth up his mark right. Now failers in these cases, when once discerned by the souls of Christians, prove ofttimes causes of great trouble, and exceeding sad reflections to them; and nothing can be thought of as more proper to give them relief, than what I have been at this time discoursing of. That when God doth not, cannot allow of the action as integrally good and perfect, yet he will reward the good intention, the design and purpose in the child's of God's heart. Methinks in this case it is a sweet text, (they are the words of Solomon upon the dedication of the Temple which he had built, 1 King. 8.18.) And the Lord said unto David my father, Whereas it was in thine heart to build an house unto my name, thou didst well that it was in thine heart: Nevertheless thou shalt not build the house, but thy son that is come out of thy loins, he shall build the house unto my name. There are in that text these things remarkable. 1. David had an intention to build God an house. 2. He did not build this house. 3. God did not allow of the action. God sent him word by Nathan he should not do it (as you have heard before). Yet 3. God accepted his good design, his general good intention. Thou didst well (saith God) that it was in thine heart. 4. God did not only accept this good design and intention, but he also rewards it: Nevertheless (saith he) thy son that is come out of thy loins, he shall build me an house: thou shalt not have the honor of it, but thy son shall have the honor of it. David was undertaking a matter in the worship of God, without any special direction; God upon this createth an institution, and legitimateth the action for his son. I say it is an admirable text, if it be well digested, to relieve the spirits of the People of God under their troubles for their imperfect performances. A Christian prays, he sanctifieth a Sabbath, he setteth himself to seek the Lord in any piece of instituted worship; when he reflecteth upon it, and compareth it with the perfect rule, he sits down wonderfully troubled, considering he hath done nothing as he ought to do; he hath prayed, but with a woefully wandering, distracted, and distempered heart; his heart hath not bled while he hath been confessing of sins, nor believed enough while he hath been putting up his supplications to the God of Heaven, nor been raised enough in the Meditations of the Divine Goodness, whiles his tongue hath been uttering the good things which God hath done for him: To what purpose should he do anything more, who doth nothing as he ought to do it? I would but ask a poor Christian, thus troubled upon any performance, Was it in thine heart to honor God in what thou didst? thou camest to hear the word of God, or thou camest to humble thyself before God by fasting, or thou camest to prayer, or to receive a sacrament; thou reflectest upon the action done, thou seest it full of imperfections, thou hast not honored God as thou desiredst, thy heart hath not been perfect with God. But what was in thine heart in these undertakings? was it in thine heart to mock God, or to serve God? was not this thy design to humble thy soul before the Lord, to pay an homage which thy soul owed unto God? was it not in thine heart to serve God? If it were, believe that thou hearest God saying to thee, Whereas it was in thine heart to pray, to praise, to humble thyself before me, to do what I commanded thee to do, thou didst well that it was in thine heart: it may be thou didst not well in the action, it was not well done in thine hand; but this was well, that it was in thine heart. As we sometimes refuse something from our friend, and say, I thank you as much as if you did it, but it is needless; I desire you to spare your pains, I care not for it, or I desire not it should be done yet, but yet I take it as kindly as if you did it. Or as we sometimes accept of what a poor child or servant hath done for us, though we do not like it as done to our minds, and excuse it by saying, Poor child! it intended well: so God doth with us; methinks what he said to David, was as much as if he had said, I do not yet need any other house then I have, I do not care for it: but this thou didst not know, David. Thou didst well that it was in thine heart, thou hadst a good general design and intention: and so to us, this prayer, this service, this homage is not every way perfect, but yet it was in my child's heart to honor me, and to obey my commands. In this he hath done well, I will accept it, because it was in his heart, 2 Cor. 8. If there be a willing mind (saith the Apostle) it is accepted, not according to what a man hath not, but according to what he hath. The Apostle speaketh there with reference to alms, but it is as true as to all other duties; if there be a willing mind, a true heart, it is accepted of God: I shall only caution you, that you mistake not this willing mind for a pitiful wish and velleity, without a settled steady purpose and resolution of heart, and such an endeavor, as is within the reach and compass of our power; so that there wanteth not a desire and endeavor, but only a strength and ability to perform. But if there be that, it is of wonderful comfort to us, under all our accusations and judgings of ourselves. There is no child of God, but it is in his heart to do better than he doth, it is in his heart to glorify God in every duty, in every action, in the whole of his conversation; why if it be in his heart, God saith to him, Thou hast done well that it was in thine heart. Nay this Meditation hath this advantage, That God will reward the good that is in his people's hearts, not only with temporary, but with eternal rewards: and for this the Lord Jesus Christ is to be praised, who hath satisfied Divine Justice for us, and perfectly fulfilled the law for us, and procured this of his Father, That the will should be accepted for the deed. Do not therefore think ever to live in any view of your own perfection, you will never do that: Study only to live in the view of your own sincerity, to find that your hearts are right in the sight of God, take heed of heart-falsehood; ah, that is dreadful to find our hearts false with God. Ah! but will some jealous soul say, How shall I know this? how shall I know if my heart be right with God in any action, when I see the action is not right, but cometh short of the glory of God? I answer, thou shalt easily know, if thou doest but consider what the heart does in human actions: and that you shall understand in three particulars: 1. It is the eye that takes the aim at the mark. 2. It is that which giveth strength to the bow. 3. It is that which gives a man pleasure in the action.

1. The heart is that which (as the eye in shooting) gives or takes the aim at the mark. The tongue speaks in prayer, and the outward man moves in actions of religious worship; but the heart now takes the aim, and directeth the intention of the action. The end of all our actions, is either, 1. The glory of God: or, 2. Our selves, our own honor, &c. If the heart be right with God in actions, the scope, design, and intention of the soul is to glorify God, Psal. 38.9. All my desire is toward thee, Psal. 25.15. Mine eyes are ever toward the Lord.

2. The heart is that which in human actions gives strength to the bow. The strength of a spiritual action lies in the zeal or heat of affection which attendeth the action: now the heat of this is in the heart. Where a man's heart is not in an action, he acts coldly, he moveth slowly, the wheels of a soul are in the heart. Where the heart is in an action, it runs, it makes haste, and delayeth not, it acteth with vigor and fervency.

3. Lastly, The heart is that which gives a soul delight and pleasure in an action. Where the heart is not in prayer, in hearing, there is no pleasure, no sweetness, no delight affecting the soul. Examine now thyself by these things, thou doest that which is materially good, but thou doubtest whether in thy actions thy heart be right with God. Search and see what thy aim and scope was: What didst thou propose to thyself in the action? with what life, vigor, and strength didst thou set upon thy action? what pleasure and delight didst thou take in the action? though indeed much of the last may be kindled in an hour of temptation or desertion, where the soul feeleth not those incomes of divine assistance, nor that freedom of spirit which it hath at other times experienced; yet always the heart aims right, and puts on with what strength it hath; it (like Sampson ) riseth up, and says it will do as at other times, though in doing it discerneth, that God is departed from it, and is not with it as at other times.

Use 5. Again, How should this encourage us all in the ways of God? notwithstanding the discouragements we may meet with from the temptations of our grand adversary; or the suggestions of our consciences, founded upon the demonstrable truth of the imperfections of our best services. We say, Use maketh perfectness, and the Scripture saith, That the man of clean hands will grow stronger and stronger; but in the mean time, acceptation doth not depend upon gradual perfection, but upon the perfection of sincerity, when the design, the purpose, the intention is sincere; when the heart is set right for God, and aims truly at the glory of God, and the fulfilling of his Will, then it is accepted; and indeed it is the most reasonable thing in the world, that we should agree with this. For that man or woman hath either a strange imperfect notion of the nature of God, or of the law of God, that can expect that his duties should be accepted for their gradual perfections, or any intrinsical value in them. I say he that thus thinks, neither knows God as he ought to know him, nor yet his own measures. But if God will accept of, and reward a good intention, a good purpose and design, while we find our hearts right bent, and inclined for God, we have no reason to be discouraged from action.

Use 6. I shall conclude with an Exhortation unto all, In this thing to be like God. You have heard that God sometimes allows not an action, where yet he rewardeth the good intention designing the action: what an example is this for us, who may dissent from some of our Forefathers. Our Forefathers might be mistaken in the Utensils, and Ornaments, and Rites of God's house and worship, as well as David was in his design for the building of God an house, and while we think they were so, we cannot tread in their steps, it would be wickedness to us.

SERMON XXIX.

I Am proceeding still, in directing your Observation of the motions of Divine Providence, especially in the distribution of rewards and punishments. Two things I have already of this nature observed, I now proceed to a third, which will make a Fifteenth Observation.

Observ. 15. It is a very ordinary thing for the Providence of God to distribute the afflictions and punishments of this life, to the very best of his people; and as to them sometimes to spare the very worst of men. I must still mind you that there is no rule so general, but it will admit exceptions as to particular cases, though this hath as few as any. The Apostle hath told us, Heb. 12.6. Whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth: if you endure chastening, God dealeth with us as with sons: for what son is he whom the Father chasteneth not: but if you be without chastening, whereof all are partakers, then are you bastards, and not sons. Hence that so usually quoted passage of one of the ancients, Unicum Deus habui • t filium sine peccato, nullum sine flagello; God had one, and but one Son without sin, but he never had any Son without a cross. Hence some particular servants of God, have been under some temptations at sometimes, to question their state as to the favor of God, because their life hath had so little of the cross in it: but they have been rare examples, to whom Satan hath had an advantage to suggest such a thought. And as Divines determine it difficult to determine, what sin a child of God may not fall into, and justly too, when-as David fell into murder and adultery, Lot into drunkenness and incest, and even Peter cursed and sware, and denied his master: so it is a matter more difficult to say what punishment of this life may not fall upon the best of men. Indeed some Antinomians have made it a question, Whether the afflictions of God's People may or ought to be called punishments or judgments; but it is a strife which they would raise about words: if they by punishments or judgments, intend such legal demands as God should make for satisfaction to his Justice, none who understandeth what he saith, will call the afflictions of good men punishments in this sense; if they mean anything else, they much betray their ignorance, for the Scripture expressly calls them by both. God telleth his People that they should not be altogether unpunished; and the Apostle telleth us, That when we are chastened, we are judged of the Lord, 1 Cor. 11.32. Most certain it is, that it is a very ordinary thing for God in the motions of his Providence to distribute all kinds of temporary afflictions, to such as most fear his glorious Name, and sometimes as to such, to spare even the worst of men. Job expostulates it with God, Job 21.7. Wherefore do the wicked live, become old, yea are mighty in power? their seed is established in their sight with them, and their offspring before their eyes; their houses are safe from fear, neither is the rod of God upon them. David confessed, that his feet were almost gone, his steps had well-nigh slipped, when he saw the prosperity of the wicked: though v. 9. they set their mouths against heaven; yet v. 4. their strength was firm, and there were no bands in their death; they are not in trouble as other men, neither are they plagued like other men, v. 7. Their eyes stand out with fatness, they have more than heart could wish. In the mean time, v. 14. David was plagued all the day-long, and chastened every morning. This motion of Providence hath been evident in the experience of all ages, and there is none who liveth, but may observe it every day: but this is accounted one of the Chapters of Divine Providence, which are hard to be understood. I shall therefore reserve my further discourse upon it, till I come to the last part of my intended discourse, where I shall make it my business to give you an account of it, and at present pass on to some further Observations.

Observ 16. The next thing I shall commend to your remark, is this: That where to human appearance Providence moveth most flowly, either in the punishment of the sinner, or the rewarding the righteous there at last it distributeth most plentifully. I observed to you before, that both the punishment of the wicked and the reward of the righteous is certain and constant, though not always sensible nor uniform. Now I desire you to observe that by how much the slower it is in the punishment of sinners, or in bringing rewards to the righteous, by so much the greater the rewards of the godly men, and the punishment of sinners are when they come. I mean sensible rewards and punishments, for otherwise it is true, which I before told you, God is punishing sinners and rewarding righteous men every day. But as to sensible rewards and punishments, God is very often slow in the distributions of them. The Heathens were wont to say, tarde molunt Deorum molae, the God's Mills grind slowly; and that their God's had laneos pedes, feet shod with wool. It is most certaintly true of the true and living God. His Mill with which he grindeth sinners to powder is always going, He is angry with the wicked every day, but it grindeth slowly; he is moving always in order to this end, but he hath woollen feet: we cannot hear nor discern his motions. But to speak distinctly, here are two things in this observation. 1. That the Providence of God doth ordinarily move slowly in the distribution of sensible punishments to wicked men, or sensible rewards to righteous men.

2. That the more slow it is in the distribution of the one, or of the other, the greater the punishment or reward is ordinarily when it cometh. I will begin with showing you the reasonableness of the first.

1. How else should God justify his attribute of longsuffering and patience? The attribute of clemency, patience, longsuffering, slowness to conceive a wrath, is an attribute which God maketh himself known by, and doth much glory in, Psal. 103.8. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. Nehemiah in his prayer Neh. 9.17. impleadeth God thus, Thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness. Joel maketh use of it as an argument to persuade people to repentance, Joel. 2.13. And Jonah telleth God, that he knew him to be such a God, Jonah 4.2. Now how should God justify this name of his, but in his bearing with sinners a long time, though they be, as the Apostle saith, Vessels of wrath fitted for destruction.

2. How else should God lead men by patience to repentance, and render sinners that continue impenitent inexcusable. This is that account which the Apostle Peter giveth us of this dispensation of providence. 2 Pet. 3.9. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men do count slackness, but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance: and St. Paul Rom. 2.1. saith, Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, v. 4. despising the riches of his goodness, and forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance. When God giveth men and women space to repent, and they repent not, they become inexcusable, and God is justified in the vials of his wrath which he poureth out upon them at last.

3. How else should God exercise the faith, and patience of his people? The exercise of faith is upon an unseen reward, believing what we have no sensible evidence of; the exercise of hope lies in a looking out for it, for what we see, why do we yet hope for? (saith the Apostle) the exercise of patience is in waiting for it, and a quiet submission to the will of God, in bearing what the Lord will please to lay upon us, while we are in our way to our promised reward. If God's providence were not slow in executing his justice, he could not magnify his own patience and longsuffering, and if he were not slow in the distributions of sensible rewards, he could not exercise our faith or patience: this is the Reason why the Providence of God doth often move slowly in the distribution both of rewards and punishments.

2. But secondly observe, by how much the slowlier God proceedeth to judgment against sinners, by so much the more smart the vengeance is when it comes; and by how much God appeareth more slow in the rewards of the righteous, by so much the greater the reward is. It is observed that those men who pass their lives with the least sickness, are usually cut off by, or escape very narrowly from the first sickness they meet with, either because the constitution of their bodies is so strong, that a light sickness will not shake them but some very acute and malignant distemper, or because in their long time of health, they have by degrees contracted a very ill habit of body, so that when they fall down it is a very hard matter to restore them again. The same may be observed as to God's providential dispensations to wicked men, there are some against whom God proceedeth a long time very slowly: though he be angry with them every day, yet he spareth them, and doth not fall upon them by any severe dispensations; but when he doth strike he strikes not twice, he maketh a full end. God bore with the Amorites a a great while; they were a wicked people in Abraham's time, but their iniquity was not full, Gen. 15.16. God bare with them four hundred years after that, but when he brought judgment upon them, it was a dreadful judgment, as you may both learn by the several commissions given out by God to the Israelites against them, and the dreadful destruction of them, of which you read in the book of Joshua. Before them God bare with the world a long time, after he had taken up a purpose to destroy them, and revealed it to Noah, Gen. 6.1, 2, 3. he gives them yet the space of an hundred and twenty years; but they abusing his patience in that time also, he brought the flood upon them, and consumed them all but Noah's family. With that generation of the Israelites which came out of the land of Egypt the Lord shown himself slow to wrath, forty years long the Lord was grieved with that generation; (forty years is a great while for one generation, the life of man being but seventy years) but at length he destroyed them all, so as only Caleb and Joshua entered into Canaan. God bare two hundred and forty years with the Kingdom of Israel, (for so many years there were from their Apostasy in the time of Jeroboam, until they were carried away captive by the King of Assyria ) but then they were so destroyed as to this day none knoweth where they are, or any of their posterity. With the two tribes and an half God yet bare much longer, but at last they were carried into the captivity of Babylon for seventy years. After their restoration God bare long with them, though they were exercised under a variety of afflictive providences, till at last they were utterly destroyed by the Romans from being a Nation. The like observation might be made of particular persons. It is observed concerning the Kingdom of Israel after the defection from the house of David, that they never had one good King. Most of them had very short reigns, except Jeroboam the son of Joash who reigned forty two years, and Jehu who had done such service against the house of Ahab who reigned twenty eight years. There were two that reigned twenty two years, both wicked men, and heads of several idolatry: Jeroboam, he brought in the worshipping of the true God by Calves set up at Dan, and Bethel; and Ahab, who brought in the worshipping of Baal, both of them very wicked men, and God proceeded to execute vengeance slowly upon them; but when it came, it was a dreadful vengeance. Of Jeroboams house none but a little Son came to the grave in peace. For Ahab himself, you know, he was slain in a battle, his queen was thrown headlong out of a window, and her brains dashed out, and the dogs licked her blood; his second Son was slain by Jehu: seventy more of his Sons were slain by the command of Jehu. It were easy to give you infinite instances out of story, but I leave it to your experimental observation. Mark any person whom you see exemplarily wicked, yet God is patient with him a long time, and observe what havoc God makes with him and his posterity when he beginneth to reckon with him. And indeed it seems very reasonable if you consider,

1. That by reason of God's slowness to punish the sinner, his sins are multiplied and aggravated to an exceeding great number and degree. It was Solomon's observation, which we shall see verified in our daily experience, Eccl. 8.11. Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. The iniquity of the Amorites had not been full, if God had not been so patient with them. This makes them, as the Apostle speaks, treasure up wrath against the day of wrath, and the revelation of the righteous judgment of God. Now the righteous God rendering to every man according to his work, must proportion his judgments to people's sinnings. The more their sins are, the greater shall his wrath be.

2. The more patience is abused, the more means of grace are lost, the greater always is divine vengeance. Now where God proceedeth slowly to vengeance, there he exerciseth most patience. There patience is most abused, there more space and time for repentance is lost; there is most despising of the riches of divine goodness, forbearance and longsuffering. Et laesa patientia fit furor, abused patience turns into fury. It maketh a patient and longsuffering God cry out by his Prophet, Ah! I will ease me of mine enemies, and avenge me of my adversaries; him that knoweth not how to give up Ephraim, to set him as Admah and Zeboim, two of the Cities whom he so dreadfully destroyed by fire and brimstone. It maketh God, who is a Lamb in his own nature, to transform himself into a Lion, a Leopard, a Bare robbed of her whelps. O it is a dreadful thing to abuse much divine patience! Now where the providence of God hath appeared slow in punishing sinners, there must much patience have been shewn. And it must have been abused too if a sinner continues hard-hearted and impenitent. I have given space (saith God) to repent of her fornication, and she repented not, Rev. 2.21, 22. Behold I will cast her into a Bed, &c. into great tribulation, and I will kill her children with death. Besides, that God seldom exerciseth patience long with sinners, but he gives them also other means of grace, and they are abused and slighted. Noah preached to the old world; saith God, My Spirit shall not always strive with man: and I need not tell you how dreadfully God threateneth Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum for their abusing the means of grace they had had above other places. The like might be proved concerning the providence of God in the distributions of rewards; the slower the motion of Providence is in the giving them, the greater ordinarily the rewards are. It was a great while before Abraham had a Son, but when he had him, it proved to be one that was a great blessing both to his Fathers family and to the world. Rebekah went twenty years without Children, Gen. 25.20, 26. but then twins struggle in her womb, and she brings forth two great Princes, and one of them who was to be the head of the only people God had upon the earth. Rachel was for some years barren, Gen. 29.31. c. 30. v. 1. when God gave her a Child it was Joseph, who proved such an eminent blessing to his Fathers house. The Wife of Manoah was barren, Jud. 13.2. she bringeth forth Samson. Hannah 1 Sam. 1. was barren, she bringeth forth Samuel. Elizabeth was barren, she brings forth John the Baptist. Thus you see it as to the blessing of Children. It was a long time before God brought the seed of Jacob his servant out of their difficulties, but when he did he brought them into Canaan, the Land which the Lord cared for, upon which his eyes were from the beginning of the year unto the end thereof, a land which flowed with Milk and Honey. There was a great time betwixt Josephs dream and his exaltation in Egypt. There were eight years betwixt David's Unction and Coronation in Hebron. More instances might be given, but it is no more than we shall ordinarily observe in the motions of divine providence; the slower the mercy cometh, the fuller it is and greater blessing when it cometh: God's people have ordinarily their greatest peace and comforts after their longest, and greatest trials, and afflictions.

The reasonableness of this motion of divine Providence appeareth in this, that look as in punishing of sinners where Providence moveth slowly, it usually hath a great heap of sins to reckon with men for; so here it hath great faith and patience to reward in this case. Tribulation worketh patience, and patience experience, saith the Apostle Rom. 5. where there is long tribulation there must be the exercise of much faith, much patience, much hope, and this brings forth much experience: God's greatest rewards of joy and peace in the inward man, of eternal life, glory and happiness, come after much waiting. The Apostle telleth us Heb. 10.36. You have need of Patience, that after you have done the will of God you might receive the promise. The receiving of the promise then is after much patience in doing the will of God, and Rom. 2.6, 7. The Apostle tells us, that God will render unto every man according to his deeds, to them who by patient continuance in well-doing, seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life. But I have been large enough in the confirmation of this observation, I proceed to some application of it.

Use 1. In the first place, What can strike a greater trembling into the loins of sinners than this? I shown you before that the punishment of a resolved impenitent sinner is certain and constant. As well may he promise himself that he shall not die, as that he shall not be turned into Hell, and at last hear that dreadful sentence, depart from me ye cursed into everlasting burnings: it is constant though he is not sensible of it, yet God is angry with him every day: he every day groweth worse and worse, more blinded and hardened, given up more to vile affections, a reprobate mind, a conscience as it were seared with an hot iron: all that he hath to bless himself in, and for, is that all things continue with him as formerly, he yet sees no alteration in his estate, he feeleth nothing of the wrath of God. Now this observation spoils all the sweetness of this. The Heathens observed that the God's though they had laneos pedes, yet they had ferreas manus; though they had woolen feet and moved gently, softly, insensibly, yet their hands were of iron; when once they laid hold of wicked men they crushed them to pieces. I am sure it is true of him who is the true and living God. He is slow to conceive a wrath, and beareth with great sinners a long time, but when he enters into judgment with men that abuse his longsuffering and patience, which should lead them to repentance he falleth upon them with a dreadful destruction. O let all sinners that hear this, fear and tremble. There is no such dreadful vengeance as that which God taketh for abused patience. Bless not yourselves therefore in your present impunity. Hosea 13.12. The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up; his sin is hid, saith the Prophet, bound up as in a bundle. There are some other Scriptures much to the same sense, Deut. 32.33, 34. Their wine is the poison of Dragons, and the cruel venom of Asps. v. 34. Is not this laid up in store with me? and sealed up amongst my treasures? Job. 14.17. My transgression is sealed up in a bag, and thou sowest up my iniquity. Lam. 1.14. The yoke of my transgressions is bound by his hand: they are wreathed and come up upon my neck. It is the great folly of sinners, they will say with Agag, the bitterness of death is past; they sin and go on a long time in sin and God spareth them, and they conclude all is forgot. No saith God it is not, the iniquity of Ephraim is not like a loose paper blown away, it is bound up as papers in a bundle, it is not forgot, it is but hid with me, I have their sins still in remembrance. I held my peace (said God by the Psalmist) and thou thoughtest me such a one as thyself, but I will reprove thee, and set thy sins in order before thee. Some think that the Metaphor in Hosea is taken from laborers that labor in husbandry, who bind up in faggots wood that is to be kept some time before it be thrown on to the fire. Ephraim thinks his iniquity is forgotten because sin is not presently punished: but said God, his sin, that is, (say some but I see no need of it) the punishment of his sin (as indeed it often is taken in Scripture), is but bound up and concealed a little. Others think it a metaphor drawn from men, who bind up money in bags till the day of payment comes, and thus it agrees with that Job; 14.17. my transgression is sealed up in a bag. Besides that the word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 signifies a purse, or bag, they are bound up, they are not pardoned or forgotten: thus the binding of sins, Matth. 16.19. signifieth a remaining unpardoned. Some think the metaphor both in Job and in Hosea, is taken from Lawyers, who carry their informations and indictments sealed up in a bag, or bound up in a bundle, that they may not be lost and scattered, but be forthcoming when they will put them into Court. This is a dreadful meditation for an impenitent sinner, that all his sins are bound up in a bundle, sealed up in a bag, hid, not from God (nothing can be so hid) but hid with God. What loads of Faggots hath many a poor creature bound up for him against the great day of burning! what a bundle of informations and indictments have some poor creatures bound up for them, against the time that the Judge shall sit, and God shall come forth to recompense men for their evil deeds! Thou thinkest the vanity and wickedness of thy youth, thy oaths and blasphemies, thy lies and Sabbath profanations, thy drunkenness and uncleanness is done with: No such matter poor creature! if thou goest on in thy impenitency, they are but sealed up in a bag, they are but bound up in a bundle, they are but treasured up (to use the Apostles expression Rom. 2.) against the day of wrath and the revelation of the righteous judgment of God, which if it be not in this life (as very often it is) yet will certainly be in the life that is to come. Remember Ahab, he was a wicked Prince, God bare with him a long time, he shed much blood, was a great persecutor, set up a most odious idolatry. God held his peace a great while, and proceeded slowly. Two and twenty years he ran his course, God sealed up all in a bag; but observe with what a dreadful vengeance God comes upon him at last. It may be thou canst say, oh! but I have gone on longer, twice two and twenty years: it may be so, but what saith the Scripture? if a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet it shall not be well with the wicked, there are but so many faggots more bound up, so many indictments more against thee in God's bag sealed up, oh! let the sinners in the world be afraid, let trembling surprise them all. The slower vengeance cometh, the more dreadfully it cometh. That upon you may come (saith our Savior) all the righteous blood that hath been shed from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zacharias. There were great quantities of blood shed in Jerusalem betwixt the time of Abel and the blood of Zacharias. Verily (saith our Savior) all these things shall come upon this generation. O let every impenitent sinner tremble at the hearing of this, that there is coming upon his soul, his body, his family, all the sin that he hath committed, from the sin that clave to him in his Mothers womb, where he was conceived in sin, and brought forth in iniquity, unto the sin of the last hour that he hath lived in the world. It was a dreadful reckoning that God made up at last with Jerusalem for all their blood, and it will be a dreadful reckoning, Sirs, God will have to make up with every sinners soul, especially with old sinners.

Use 2. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord (saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 5.11.) we persuade men. And O that my counsel might be acceptable to every hard-hearted resolved impenitent sinner that heareth me this day; that he would break off his sins by true repentance, and secure his soul by getting an interest in the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed is he (saith the Psalmist Psal. 32.1.) Whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered, and to whom the Lord imputeth no iniquity. That man is accursed whose iniquity is hid with God, laid by, bound up, sealed in a bag, reserved and in close keeping for an after-reckoning. O but that is a blessed man whose sins are covered by God! O let no man despise the riches of God's goodness, forbearance and longsuffering, but let him know that the goodness of God leadeth him to repentance, Rom. 2.4, 5. If he continueth in the hardness and impenitency of his heart he doth but treasure up wrath against the day of wrath, and the revelation of the righteous judgment of God. Wrath against thee for thy sins lieth hid at present, possibly thy Conscience keepeth silence and doth not arrest and disturb thee; the providence of God as to thee keepeth silence, judgment is not executed speedily: but there will be a revelation of divine wrath, either in this life or that which is to come; oh therefore break off your sins by a true repentance. He that hideth his sins shall not prosper, Prov. 28.13. Our sins cannot be hidden from God, they are all in the light of his Countenance; a man then covereth and hideth his sins from God when he doth not confess and bewail them. So long as a man covereth his sins God will not cover them: See that experience of David which you have recorded Psal. 32.2, 3, 4. When I kept silence my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day-long, for day and night thy hand was heavy upon me, my moisture was turned into the drought of summer. Selah. verse. 3. I acknowledge my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid: I said I will confess my transgression unto the Lord, and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.

Use 3. In the last place, this observation calleth upon all such as fear the Lord, and walk before him: for a progress in the ways of God and a patient waiting for the promise. The Apostle tells us, Heb. 10.36. That we have need of patience, that after we have done the will of God we might receive the promise. It is our duty as to do well, so not to be weary of well doing: it is pressed upon us, Gal. 6.9. And let us not be weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap if we faint not. And again, 2 Thess. 3.13. but you brethren be not weary in well-doing. There is nothing so far conduceth to make us faint and weary in our duty, as when we see nothing comes of it: we have hopes and promises, but no issue, no performance; you know Solomon