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"unto corruptible man, and to birds, and four"footed beafts, and creeping things." Now, mark their punishment. Wherefore God alfo gave "them up to uncleannefs." And again; "Even "as they did not like to retain God in their "knowledge," or, "in acknowledgment, God "gave them over to a reprobate mind "."

He also punishes the fin of one perfon by that of another. The fin of David in the matter of Uriah and Bathsheba, was punished by the inceft of Abfalom. Therefore the Lord fent this meffage to David: "Thus faith the LORD, Behold, "I will raife up evil against thee out of thine own "houfe, and I will take thy wives before thine

eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and "he fhall lie with thy wives in the fight of this "fun. For thou didft it fecretly: but I will do "this thing before all Ifrael, and before the "fun *."

In a word, the God of infinite holinefs often ufes Satan himfelf as his inftrument. Thus we read, that, when he was plaguing the Egyptians, he "fent evil angels among them." He permitted him to act as a lying fpirit in the mouth of the falfe prophets of Ahab, when he was about to accomplish the deftruction of this wicked prince. He even employs him as an inftrument for chaftening his own people. Job was in part fubjected to his power. We read of a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan had long bound. And the general experience of the Church concurs with

w Rom. i. 23, 24. 28.

the

x 2 Sam, xii. 11, 12. y Pfal. lxxviii. 49.

the teftimony of infpiration, in affuring us, that when a loving father means to humble and prove his own children, he often fubjects them to severe difcipline, by means of the temptations of this cruel one.

From these reflections we may learn, that we ought never to judge of a work merely from the means or inftruments employed. Did we follow this rule, we would be at times in danger of miftaking God's work for the devil's, and the devil's for God's. Often God is doing his own work, when the carnal eye can perceive nothing but the fad working of human corruptions. And often the devil is doing his, when "transformed into "an angel of light," and coming with fuch "de"ceivableness of unrighteoufnefs," that "even "the children of God may be in part deceived." It is not to the outward aspect of Providence that we are to look for direction; but "to the law, "and to the teftimony." Let us alfo beware of undervaluing his work, becaufe of the inftruments. This is an homage that he claims to his fovereignty, that we should not prefume to limit him. For" as the heavens are above the earth, "fo are his ways above our ways, and his thoughts "above our thoughts."

15. The fame fovereignty appears in the diftribution of natural gifts. One" rejoiceth in "his ftrength." The life of another is a conftant ftruggle with conftitutional imbecility. One is diftinguished for the gift of prudence; while indifcretion is the characteristic of another. Rea

fon,

fon, in one, feems to vie with the intellect of angels; in another, it fcarcely equals animal inftinct. Whence proceeds this aftonishing difference? We must not deny the operation of fecondary caufes. But it must be ultimately refolved into the fovereign will of that Lord who " gi"veth to one five talents, to another two, and to "another one "."

16. The fame thing appears from the whole management of our lot. Our very use of this word, with refpect to human concerns, contains a virtual acknowledgment of divine fovereignty. Some, indeed, prefer other terms, which as they are more allied to the language of heathens, are too often ufed to convey fimilar fentiments. They talk of their luck, or their fortune. But the former is that which is confecrated by the Spirit of God. Thus did David the Type, nay, the glorious Antitype, exprefs himself; "Thou maintaineft my "lot." Nor did either of these distinguished perfons confine this language to the great and leading circumftances of life. For it is added, without any limitation; The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places.??

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Nothing may feem more to depend on chance, or on the most trivial caufes, than the place of our refidence on this earth. Yet we are affured that God hath determined the bounds of our "habitation." It is wholly the refult of his fovereign will, that one is placed "in the valley "of vifion;" and that another "fits in dark"nefs, and in the region and fhadow of death."

Scarcely

2 Matth. xxv. 15.

a Pfal. xvi. 5. b Ver. 6.

c Acts xvii. 36.

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Scarcely in any respect does the exercise of this perfection more remarkably appear, than in the diftribution of the enjoyments of this life. We fee one born a beggar, and another a prince; or one, who is born a beggar, advanced" to fit with princes." On the other hand, one who has had the most honourable nativity, is fometimes brought down to the loweft ftation in fociety. It is undeniable, that much depends on fecond caufes." The hand of the diligent maketh rich," while "the foul of the fluggard defireth, and hath "nothing." But do we not often observe, that those who have equal advantages, and equal induftry, have very unequal fuccefs? Perhaps, you may have marked one, whofe circumftances were originally the fame with thofe of another, who was not inferior in capacity, in diligence, or in frugality, who was employed in the very fame line. Yet with the one every thing has been unprofperous, while riches have flowed on the other. Nay, do we not fometimes fee a perfon who poffeffes far less understanding, and difcovers far lefs industry than another, profper in all that he undertakes, while every attempt fails with the other? In common language, men confefs their inability to account for the difference. They call the latter an unfortunate man. But we must trace matters to another fource, to the overruling providence of that God who manages all the concerns of men as he pleafes. We must remember that he not only gives the means of becoming rich, but that it depends upon his pleasure to give fuccefs to these means; that while "the rich and

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66 poor meet together; the LORD is the maker of "them all." The Ifraelites, therefore, are warned that it would be viewed as an evidence of their "heart forgetting the LORD their God," if they faid, "My power, and the might of my hand "hath gotten me this wealth." They are commanded, on the contrary, to "remember that the "LORD their God gave them power to get "wealth." Let us liften to the eftimate of the wife man. "I faw under the fun, that the race "is not to the fwift, nor the battle to the ftrong, "neither yet bread to the wife, nor yet riches to "men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of

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fkill, but time and chance happeneth to them "all f." Does he here afcribe to mere accident what he denies to fecond caufes? No, furely: He only calls our attention to what appears as chance to unthinking man, but muft indeed be afcribed to the invifible yet certain influence of the First Cause.

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The divine pleafure regulates our lot as to the duration of life. Each of us may fay with the Pfalmift, My times are in thy hand." For God" hath determined not only the bounds of our "habitation," but " the times before appointed." One opens his eyes on the light of life, only that he may close them in death; another is cut off in childhood; a third, amidst all the gaieties of youth. Some are ftruck down in the prime of life; while others are fpared, till "the grafshopper is a bur

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