Romans to destroy them, whether they would or no; and when they intended no fuch thing. And many Examples there are of such a judicial Blindness and Infatuation in every Age of the World: There are feldom any great and remarkable Calamities, which befal any Perfons, efpecially Nations, but By- ftanders fee, how they undo themselves by their own stupid Wilfulness and Folly: As has been long fince obferved, Quos perdere vult Jupiter, prius dementat. That God first blinds and infatuates thofe, whom he intends to deftroy. And this is what the Scripture means by hardening Mens Hearts, and blinding their Eyes, as I hope appears from what I have now difcourfed; and no Man has any reafon to quarrel either with the Juftice or Holiness of God upon this account. But we have all great reason to take warning by these Examples, left we provoke God fo long by our Sins, by our own wilful Blindness and Hardness, that he inflict this judicial Blindness on us, that he shut our Eyes not to fee the things that belong to our Peace; which we have fo many fad Symptons of already among us, that it is time to take warning. Nothing can be more juft, than for God to harden thofe Men to their own Ruin, who harden themselves against his Fear: So to blind thofe, who will not fee, nor regard their Duty, as to mistake their Intereft too. And the only way to prevent fuch a judicial Hardnefs and Infatuation, is to Reverence God, to have a respect to all his Commandments; in the first place to take care of our Duty, and then to commit our Ways unto the Lord, in a fecure dependance on his Providence.

There are feveral other Texts of Scripture alledged to this purpose, to charge God with the

Sins of Men; but they will receive a fhorter Answer. As,

2dly, Thofe Texts which afcribe what is done by the Sins of Men, to God's Doing. But the Answer to this is plain: For God can, and does bring to pass a great many Wife and Holy Designs by the Sins of Men, without being the Author of their Sins; and it is only the Event which is attributed to God, not the Sin whereby fuch Events are brought to país. This will appear at the first View, by confidering fome of these Texts.

Jofeph's Brethren fold him to the Ishmaelites, who carried him into Egypt, where God advanced him to Pharaoh's Throne. Jofeph tells his Brethren, That tho' they fold him, it was God that fent him before them into Egypt, to preferve their Lives: So now it was not you that fent me hither, but God, Gen. 45. 5, 7, 8. 'Jo-. Seph does not fay, That it was from God that his Brethren fold him; this was their own Act, and all the Wickedness of it was their own; but it was God who sent him into Egypt, which his Brethren never thought of, nor intended, their only Concern being to get rid of him : And when God did that, which they never intended to do, that may well be faid to be God's Doings, who permitted their Wickednefs, and made ufe of it to accomplish his own wife Counsels: As he tells his Brethren, As for you, ye thought evil against me, but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to fave much people alive, Gen. 50. 20.

When Job was plundered by the Sabeans, and Chaldeans, he attributes it to God. The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away, Job 1.

21. And fo must all Men say, who believe a Providence, that all the Good or Evil that happens to us in this World, whoever be the immediate Inftrument of it, is ordered and difpofed by God: But Job does not therefore attribute the Wickedness of the Sabaans and Chaldeans to God; as if God could not govern and over-rule the Wickednefs of Men and Devils, without being the Author of their Wickedness.

When David had committed that great Sin, in defiling Uriah's Wife, and contriving his Murther, God threatens him by the Prophet Nathan; I will raife up evil against thee out of thine own boufe, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and be shall lie with thy wives in the fight of this Sun: For thou didft it fecretly, but I will do this thing before all Ifrael, and before the Sun, 2 Sam. 12. 11, 12. Which we know Abfalom accordingly did, by the Advice of Ahitophel, Chap. 16. 20, &c.

Now that God did inflict this Punishment upon David, is plain from the Text; but that he either inftigated Abitophel to give this Counfel, or Abfalom to take it, is not faid: And if God could inflict this Punishment on David, without having any Hand in the Sin, it is no Reflection on the Holiness of Providence. All that God exprefly fays he would do in the Cafe, was to put David's Wives into Abfalom's Power; I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour; and then foretels what the Effect of this would be, and what he intended to permit for his Punishment; He Shall lie with thy wives in the fight of this fun. There was no Evil in fo ordering the Matter, that when David fled, he should leave his Wives behind him, which put them into Abfalom's

Power;

Power; and then God forefaw what Counsel Ahitophel would give, and how ready Absalom would be to take it, unless he hindered it, which he decreed not to do, in Punishment of David's Adultery. And thus to order the Permiffion for fuch an End, tho' it has nothing of the Guilt of the Sin, yet entitles God to the Event, confidered as a Punishment; upon which account, God may be faid to do this before all Ifrael, and before the Sun.

Thus when Shimei curfed David, as he fled from Jerufalem, David takes notice of God's Hand in it; and would not fuffer Abishai to cut him off: Let him curfe, because the Lord bath faid unto him, Curfe David, 2 Sam. 16. 10. But every one fees, that this must be a figurative Expreffion, for it is not true in the literal Senfe; God never commanded Shimei to Curfe David; nor did David believe in a literal Senfe that he did, for then he would not have imputed the Guilt of it to him: Whereas we know, tho' he had fworn to Shimei at his Return, when he came to meet him, that he would not put him to death, yet he left it in his dying Charge to Solomon, not to hold him guiltless, 1 Kings 2. 8, 9. But when David faid, The Lord hath bidden bim curfe; all that he meant by it, or could mean by it, is no more than this; That the fad Calamity, which the Providence of God had brought on him by the Rebellion of his Son Abfalom, had given free Scope to Shimei's old and inveterate Hatred of him, and as effectually let loose his reviling Tongue, as if God had in exprefs Words commanded him to curfe David: And therefore he patiently fubmits to this, as Part of his Punishment, and a very confide in rable Part, when compared with the Rebellion

of his Son Abfalom, which gave this Confidence to Shimei to Curfe his King. Behold my fon, which came forth of my bowels, feeketh my life; how much more now may this Benjamite do it? v. 10. This is no more than what David elsewhere complains of, That God had made him the Song of the Drunkards: For Bad Men will take all the Advantages which the Providence of God gives them, to reproach and fcorn, and perfecute the Good: There needs no other Command for this, but a fair Opportunity to do it.

Some object God's giving Power to Satan, firft over the Goods, and then over the Body of Job, excepting his Life: And God's Permitting a Lying Spirit to enter into Abab's Prophets, to perfuade him to go up to Ramoth Gilead. But wherein the Objection lies, I cannot tell; for, I fuppofe, they will not fay, That God, by Permitting the Devil to hurt, and to deceive, made him a Malicious and Lying Spirit. Thofe are very unreafonable Objectors, who will not allow God to make ufe of the Miniftry of wicked Spirits, to wife and good Ends, without Charging him with their Sins too.

But God himself tells us, That when a Prophet is deceived, he hath deceived him: Now how is it reconcilable with the Holiness of his Nature, or Providence, to deceive? Ezek. 14. 9. And if the prophet be deceived, when he hath spoken a thing, I the Lord have deceived that prophet; and I will stretch out my hand upon him, and will deftroy bim from the midst of my people Ifrael.

Now to this it is commonly anfwered, That God permits a Lying Spirit to poffefs fuch Prophets, as he did in the Cafe of Abab; for he only speaks here of the Prophets of Baal, fuch

Pro