And thus

had deferved fuch Punishments. throughout the Book of Pfalms, the Protection of the Divine Providence is promised only to good and righteous Men, to those who love God, who fear, and reverence, and worship, and put their Truft in him; that if Men be not thus qualified, whatever their Caufe is, they have no Right to the Protection of Providence. And this is the Juftice of Providence, not to fecure Human Rights, but to protect and defend good Men, and to punish the Wicked.

3dly, We may obferve alfo in Scripture, That notwithstanding the Juftice of Providence, and God's love to Righteoufnefs, and to righteous Men, he still by a Sovereign Authority referves to himself a liberty to Correct and Chastise good Men, and to exercise their Graces and Virtues, and to serve the Ends of his own Glory by their Sufferings. We muft diftinguish between Acts of Discipline and Juftice, which have very different Ends and Measures, as the Correction of a Child differs from the Execution of a Malefactor. For whom the Lord loveth, be chasteneth; and Scourgeth every fon whom he receiveth. He corrects us for our profit, that we may be partakers of his holinefs, 7. Heb. 7, 8, 9. Very good Men may fall into fuch great Sins, as may deserve a fevere Correction, not only to give them a greater Abhorrence of their Sins, and make them more watchful for the future, but to be an Example to others; and in fuch cafes Repentance it felf, though it will obtain their Pardon, will not excuse them from Temporal Punishments, as we fee in the Example of David, when he had been guilty of Adultery and Murther; upon his Repentance God declared his Pardon by the Prophet Nathan, but would not remit his PunishN 3 ment,

Punishment, which was not fo much an A&t of Juftice and Vengeance, as of neceffary Difcipline. And these are generally the many Afflictions of the Righteous, out of which the Pfalmift tells us, God will at laft deliver them; whereas the Punishments of the Wicked, when God, after a long Patience awakes to Judgment, are ufually for their final Ruin and Deftruction.

Thus good Men may have many fecret Failings and Miscarriages, known to none but God and themselves, which may deferve fevere Corrections; which sometimes are, made an Argument against the Juftice of Providence, when the Correction is visible, but the Causes for which they are corrected, unknown.

Other good Men fuffer for the trial of their faith, which is more precious than of gold which perifheth; and are trained up by great Severities to heroical degrees of Virtue. All this is very reconcileable with God's love of Righteousness, and righteous Men, for it is the Effect of this Love: And thus good Men for a time may vifibly fuffer as much as the wicked, which occafions fuch Complaints, that all things fall alike to all; but fuch Corrections as thefe are not properly Acts of Juftice, but of Difcipline; not fo much for the Punishment of good Men, as to make them better; not the Effects of Anger, but of Love. "

4thly, We may obferve in Scripture also, That God exercises a Sovereign Authority in exercifing his Judgments upon Wicked Men. He does not always punish them as foon as they deferve Punishment, but fometimes waits patiently for their return; fometimes ufes them as the Inftruments of his Juftice, to punish other Bad Men,

or

or to correct the Miscarriages, and to exercife the Graces and Virtues of good Men; and when he has finished what he had to do by them, reserves them for a more publick and glorious Execution, to be the Triumphs of his juft Vengeance, and ftanding Examples to the World which we know was the cafe of Pharaoh, and the King of Affyria, of Antiochus, and fome great Perfecutors of the Chriftian Faith.

Thus have I fhewn you, wherein the Juftice of Providence confifts, both from the Nature of the Divine Juftice, and the Ends of God's Government in this World, and from the Account the Scripture gives us of it; which will enable us to answer all the Objections against the Juftice of Providence.

I fhall obferve but one thing more, That it is evident from this Difcourfe, that we must not judge of the goodness of any Caufe by external and visible Succefs; much lefs make the Oppreffion of a juft Cause any Argument againft the Juftice of Providence. For Juftice does not oblige God always to favour a juft Cause, when those who have a juft Caufe deferve to be punished. God may juftly punish Bad Men by unjuft Oppreffors, for he is the Sovereign Lord of the World, and can difpofe of his Creatures as his own Abfolute Authority, and Unfearchable Wisdom fhall direct.

СНАР.

VI.

The Holiness of Providence.

TH

'HE next Enquiry is concerning the Holinefs of Providence. For God is a Holy Being, as Holiness is oppofed to all Impurity and Wickedness; and fuch as God's Nature is, fuch his Government muft be; and therefore the Pfalmift, 145. Pfalm 17. affures us, That the Lord is not only righteous in all his ways; which fignifies the Juftice of Providence, which I have already difcourfed of; but he is holy in all his works, as he tells us more at large, 5. Pfal. 4, 5, 6. For thou art not a God that bath pleasure in wickedness, neither shall evil dwell with thee: The foolish Shall not stand in thy fight; thou hateft all workers of iniquity: thou shalt destroy them that speak leafing : the Lord will abbor the bloody and deceitful Man. And yet there want not Objections, and fuch as fome Men think inexplicable difficulties, against the Holiness of Providence. And therefore my defign at present is to set this in as clear a light as I can; and to that end I fhall enquire,

r. What the Holiness of God requires of him, in the Government of the World.

2. What it does not require of him. And 3. What is Inconfiftent and Irreconcilable with the Holiness of Providence.

And if God governs the World as his Effential Holiness requires that he fhould govern it; if what Men ignorantly object against Providence be no juft Impeachment of his Holiness; and if nothing be justly chargeable on Providence,

which is inconfiftent and irreconcilable with the Holiness of the Divine Nature, I fuppofe I need then add no more to vindicate the Holiness of Providence.

I. Now as for the firft, the case seems very plain, That the Holiness of a Governor, in the Government of Reasonable Creatures and Free Agents, can require no more of him, than to command every thing that is Holy, and to forbid all Kinds and Degrees of Wickedness, and to encourage the Practice of Vertue, and to difcourage all Wicked Practices, as much as the Wifdom of Government, and the freedom of Human Actions will allow.

That God does all this, wherein the Holiness of Government confifts, I know no Man that denies: As wicked as Mankind is, it is not for want of holy, and juft, and good Laws; The law of the Lord is an undefiled law, converting the foul; the teftimony of the Lord is fure, and giveth wifdom unto the fimple: the ftatutes of the Lord are right, and rejoice the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, and giveth light unto the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean and endureth for ever; judgments of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether, 19. Pfal. 7, 8, 9. The great complaint is, That the Laws of God are too Holy for the Corrupt State of this World, and moft Men think to excuse their Wickedness by the degeneracy of Human Nature, and the too great Purity and Perfection of the Divine Laws, which they have no Ability to perform.

the

Now the Holinefs of God's Laws are an undeniable Argument of the Holiness of his Providence and Government, whether we confider thefe Laws as a Copy of his Nature, or a Declaration of his Will; much more if we confider

them