a better, a more lafting and increafing Inheritance, than the Riches of many wicked; and that a Liberal Charity, which fome Men think is to defraud their Children, fhall prove like Seed fown in the Earth, which repays all with a plentiful Harveft.

It is certain, were this firmly believed, and well considered, it would lay the greatest Obligation in the World, both on Bad and Good Men to take care of the Religious and Virtuous Education of their Children: The only way wicked Men have to cut off the Entail of Misery upon their Families, and to fecure their Children from that Vengeance which their own Sins have deserved, is to train them up in Piety and Virtue; and the only way Good Men have to entitle their Children to thofe Temporal Bleffings, wherewith God thinks fit to Reward their Virtues upon their Pofterity, which is the best Inheritance they can leave them, is to make them Good. The wicked Children of wicked Parents, have their own and their Fathers Sins to haften and increase their Punishments; and the righteous Children of righteous Parents, have their own and their Fathers Virtues to fecure and to augment their Rewards.

2. As for Children: What greater Obligation than this could be laid on them to avoid the evil Examples, and to imitate the Virtues of their Parents? The Wickednefs of their Fathers makes it more dangerous for them to be Wicked; for when Wickedness is entail'd, the Punishment of Wickedness is entail'd to; and the longer Judgment has been delayed, the nearer it is, and the more fevere it is like to be. The wicked Son of a wicked Father, cannot promise himself to escape fo well as his Father did, because his Fa

ther's

ther's Sins, which he imitates, call for a more speedy Vengeance on him; either to put a stop to Wickedness, or to root out a wicked Family, and to pull down the Leprous House. But what an Encouragement is it to the Children of Righteous Parents, to imitate their Virtues, that they may inherit all the Bleffings of their Fathers? We think it a great Advantage, for Children to inherit the Fruits of their Parents Industry; but to inherit the Rewards of their Virtues, is much greater: And this none but Virtuous Children can do. A Prodigal Son may inherit the Eftate of an Induftrious Father, but can't keep it; but a Wicked Son of a Virtuous Father, forfeits his Inheritance.

And tho' fome good Men meet with very little, or with no Reward in this World; nay, fuffer very feverely for their Virtue; this is no Difcouragement to their Children, but gives them reasonable Hopes to expect the more: For an Exemplary Virtue fhall have its Reward at one time or other, even in this World; and if the Father had it not, the Son, and the Son's Son, thro' all the Line of a virtuous Succeffion fhall: When good Men fuffer, or miss of the Rewards of Virtue in this World, they have the greater Rewards in Heaven, and their Children on Earth.

3. To reward good Men, and to punish the wicked in their Pofterity, better answers the wife Ends of Providence in this World, than the Perfonal Rewards and Punishments of every particular good and bad Man. I have already obferved, that there are very wife Reasons, why fome bad Men fhould be profperous, and fome good Men afflicted in this World; and fince this World is not the Place of Judgment,

Cc 3

the

the Divine Wisdom does not require, that every good or bad Man fhould be rewarded according to his Works: But yet the Wisdom and Juftice of Providence does require, that Virtue fhould be rewarded, and Vice punished; and that in fuch Degrees, and in fuch a manner, as fhall lay all reasonable Restraints on the Lufts and Vices of Men, and encourage their Virtues. Now Virtue is rewarded, and Vice punifhed, when it is rewarded or punished, if not in the Perfons, yet in the Pofterity of good or bad Men; which leaves room for the Trial of the Faith and Patience of good Men, and for the Exercise of God's Goodness and Patience to Sinners, and for the Ministries of bad Men in the Service of Providence; and yet very effectually difcourages Wickedness, and encourages Virtue.

2dly, Another Inftance of the Wisdom of Providence, is, That God very often punishes Sin with Sin, and many times with Sins of the fame Kind. Our daily Obfervation may furnish us with Examples enow of it, which are visible and publickly known; and it may be, there are few Sinners, but know fome which concern themselves, which the reft of the World does not know Thus God punished the Murther and Adultery of David, with the Incest and Rebellion of his Son Abfalom; and thus Oppreffion is often punished with Oppreffion, Adultery with Adultery, Murther with Murther; and Wicked Men are made Plagues and Scourges to each other.

And God thinks it no Difhonour to the Holinefs of his Providence, to attribute all fuch Retributions to himfelf; for God can ferve the

Wife Ends of his Providence by the Sins of Men, without contributing to their Sins: And it is certain, there is not a fitter Punishment in the World for Sinners, than to fuffer the Evils they do; that is, to be punished by the very Sins which they commit.

Nothing more fenfibly convinces them of a Juft Providence, than this; nothing can give them a more juft Abhorrence of their Sins, than to feel the Evils and Mischiefs of them; nothing can more awaken, and rouze their Confciences, than to fuffer the Evils which they have done. And one would reasonably think, nothing fhould make them more afraid to do any Evil, which they are unwilling to fuffer. So that nothing could better ferve the Wife Ends of Providence, to convince Men of a Divine Nemefis and Vengeance, to give them an Abhorrence of their Sins, and to make them afraid to commit them.

3dly, Another Inftance of the Wisdom of Providence, is, in fo often disappointing both our Hopes and Fears. When we are in the greatest Expectation of fome great Good, either we are disappointed in what we expected, or if we have what we wished for, it does not anfwer our Expectations; we find our felves deceived in our Enjoyments, and that it had been better for us if we had been without them. And when we are terrified with the Apprehenfions of fome great Evil, which is just ready to fall on us, either the Evil does not come as we feared, or it proves no Evil, but a very great Good to us. This is fo often every Man's Cafe, that I need only appeal to your own Obfervations, for the Proof of it.

CC 4

Now

Now, what more effectual way could God take to convince us, that we live in the dark, and know not what is good for our felves; that we disturb our Minds with vain Hopes, and with as vain Fears; that it becomes us to leave all to God, and to depend securely on his Providence, who over-rules all Things with a Sovereign Will: That this is the only way to be eafy and fafe; to chufe nothing for our felves, not to prefcribe to Providence, but to do our Duty, and then quietly expect what God will do?

Is it poffible, there fhould be a happier Temper of Mind than this? More honourable for God, or more fecure for our felves? Does any Thing more become Creatures? Is there any more perfect A&t of Religion, than to depend entirely on God, without Hopes or Fears, in a perfect Refignation to his Will, with a full Affurance of his Protection? And could Providence more effectually convince us of this, than to let us fee by every day's Experience, how apt we are to be mistaken, and to chufe ill for our felves? that our Wishes and Defires, were they answered, would very often undo us; and that we are faved and made happy by what we feared? And why then fhould we defire, why should we fear any longer? Let us do our Duty, and mind our own Bufinefs, and leave God to take care of the World, and allot our Portion in it.

4thly, We may obferve alfo, that God very often defers the Deliverance of Good Men, and the Punishment of the Wicked, to the utmoft Extremity,

When