but a very beneficial thing; it does no hurt, but all the good it can, both to it felf and others; and when there is nothing to hurt us, neither within nor without, we can suffer no hurt.

And is not this a fufficient Proof of the Holinefs of Providence, that God has so ordered the Nature of Things, and the Circumstances of our Life in this World, that if Men will be Wicked, they fhall be Miserable? Can any thing in this World more discourage Men from Sin, or make them more zealous to reform themfelves and the reft of Mankind, than fo many daily and fenfible Proofs, that there is no expectation of a fecure State of Reft and Happiness, while either they themselves, or other Men, with whom they muft of neceffity converse, or have fomething to do, are wicked.

For you must remember, that I am not now vindicating the Juftice, but the Holinefs of Providence; and therefore it is no Objection against what I have now faid, That many times virtuous and innocent Men fuffer very greatly by the Violence and Injuftice of the Wicked: Tho' this may be an Objection against the Juftice of Providence, which I have already accounted for, yet it is no Objection against the Holiness of Providence, but a great juftification of it; for the more effectual care God has taken to give all mankind an Abhorrence of all Wickedness both in themselves and others, the more undeniable Proof it is, of the Holiness of God's Government; and this is more effectually done by the Evils which we fuffer from other Mens Wickedness, than from our own. Men who are very favourable to their own Vices when they feel the Pleafures and Advantages of them, learn to hate, to condemn, to punish them, by feel

ing what they fuffer from other Mens Sins: When they lose their own Eftates by Injustice and Violence, or their Good Names by Reproaches and Defamations, or are injur'd in the Chastity of their Wives and Daughters by other Mens Lufts; this gives them a truer Senfe of the Evil of Injuftice, Defamation, and Luft, and makes them condemn these Vices in themfelves, how well foever they love them. This is the Foundation of Human Government, which keeps Mankind in order, and lays great Reftraints upon Mens Lufts: For did not all Mankind fuffer by one another's Sins, I doubt neither Good nor Bad Men would be fo zealously concerned to punish and fupprefs Vice; and therefore the Divine Providence could not have taken a more effectual Courfe to discourage Wickedness, than to make all Mankind fenfible of the Evil of Sin, by making them all, at one time or other, feel the Evil of Sin, in what they fuffer by their own, or other Mens Sins, For were all Men convinced (and it is ftrange that their own Senfe and Feeling will not convince them,) that all the Evils and Miseries of Life are owing to Sin, and that it is impoffible to be happy without Reforming themselves and others as far as they can, what more powerful Argument could Providence offer to us to Reform the World?

There are another Sort of Calamities, and very terrible ones too, which thofe who believe a Providence, can attribute to nothing else but the juft Judgment and Vengeance of God upon a wicked World: Such as Plague, and Peftilence, and Famine, Deluges, and Earthquakes, which deftroy Cities, and Countries; and more ordinary Accidents, when they act in fuch an

extraordinary manner, as if they were directed and guided by an unfeen Hand.

A great many fuch Inftances are recorded in Scripture, and exprefly afcribed to the Judgment of God. God has threatned fuch Judgments in Scripture; and therefore when we fee them executed, we muft conclude, That they are inflicted by God as the just Punishment of Sin. Nay, thofe very Evils and Miseries, which we fuffer by other Mens Sins, are in Scripture attributed to God, who has the Supreme Difpofal of all Events.

For, as I observed before, it is not fufficient Proof, that these Judgments are not ordered by God, that we can find fome immediate Caufes for them; that fome of them are owing to Natural Causes, others to Men, others to fome furprizing and unufual, or it may be, ufual Accidents: For whoever believes a Divine Providence, does not therefore believe that God does every thing immediately by his own Power, without the Miniftry of any Second Causes, either Natural or Free Agents, or what we call Accidents; but he is only obliged to believe, That God governs all Second Causes, to produce fuch Effects as he fees fit; That all Nature moves at God's Command; That fire and bail, fnow and vapours, wind and form, fulfil bis word, 148. Pfal. v. 8. That both Good and Bad Men are under his Government, and the Minifters of his Providence; and that what feems perfect Chance to us, is directed by his Wisdom and Counfel; and then whatever Evils we fuffer, and whatever the immediate Causes of them be, we muft afcribe them all to God; efpecially when the fame Kind of Judgments, which had the fame Kind of imme

diate Causes, are attributed to God in Scripture, it is Reafon enough for us, whenever fuch Judgments befal us, to afcribe them to the Providence of God.

But I need not difpute here, Whether all thofe Evils and Calamities which befal Sinners, are ordered and appointed by God; for till they can prove d priori, by direct and positive Arguments, That there is no God nor a Providence, (which none of our Modern Atheifts pretend to do) while they dispute only by way of Objection, they muft prove, that Things are not fo ordered as they ought to have been ordered, did God govern the World; and if we can prove that they are, their Objection is anfwered. Now with refpect to my prefent Argument, to vindicate the Holiness of Providence, it is plain beyond all Contradiction, that Things are fo ordered for the Discouragement of Wickedness, and the Encouragement of Virtue, as if they had been fo ordered on purpose by the greatest Wisdom, and the most perfect Holiness; and therefore we have Reafon to believe, that they were so ordered by a Wife and a Holy Providence.

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As far then as to command and encourage all Holiness and Virtue, and to forbid and difcourage all Wickednefs and Vice, is a Proof of the Holiness of Providence, I hope I have fufficiently cleared this Point: And I muft defire you to obferve, That these are direct and pofitive Proofs, fuch as every Man may understand, and cannot avoid the Evidence of, and therefore are not to be fhaken by every Difficulty objected against them: For our Knowledge is fo imperfect, that there is nothing almoft which we fo certainly know, but is liable to fuch Ob

jections

jections as we cannot eafily and fatisfactorily answer; but one plain positive Proof, is a better Reason to believe any thing, than a Hundred Objections against it, are not to believe it: Because, fince it is confeffed on all Hands, that our Knowledge is very imperfect, it is no Reafon to disbelieve what we do know, and what we are as certain of, as we can be of any Thing, because there are fome Things relating to the fame Subject, which we do not know; and therefore, unless the Objection be as pofitive and evident as the Proof is, (and I am fure there are no fuch Objections against the Holiness of Providence) we may very reafonably acknowledge, that there are fome Difficulties which we do not understand, and yet may very reasonably believe on as we did.

2dly, Let us now confider, what the Holinefs of God's Providence and Government does not require of him: And I fhall name but one Thing, which fome Men make a great Objection against Providence; viz. That there is fo much Sin and Wickednefs daily committed in the World. Now if the being of Sin in the -World, or if the Wickednefs of Men were irreconcilable with the Holiness of Providence, this were an unanfwerable Objection against it; for it cannot be denied, but that Mankind are very wicked. But what Confequence is there in this, that God can't be Holy, nor his Providence Holy, becaufe Men are Wicked? We may as well prove that there is no God, because there is a Deyil. Such Conceits as these, tempted fome Ancient Hereticks to affert Two Principles, a Good, and a Bad God; because they thought, that if there were but One God,

and