cious Aids he hath been pleased to afford

us.

But fecondly, Let us confider how far the Providence of God concerneth itself about Mens evil Actions: For here the Difficulty principally lies.

And for clearing this the following Things may be observed.

First, God never is the proper Author or Cause of evil Actions. He never impelled Men by any pofitive Influence to the Commiffion of thofe Actions. This neceffarily follows from the perfect Holiness and Righteoufnefs of his Nature, which is fre quently declared and afferted in the strongest Manner in the facred Writings. Evil and finful Actions are what he moft expressly forbiddeth in his Law; and it were greatly abfurd and dishonourable to him to fuppofe that he should incline or determine Men by any positive Influence to commit thofe Ac tions which he himself hath forbidden and condemned, and againft which he hath denounced awful Punishments. The true original Cause of Mens doing bad Actions is owing to their own corrupt Inclinations, and to their Abufe of their Liberty; and therefore on themselves they are properly chargeable. This is what St. James fignifies in that remarkable Paffage I

had

had Occafion to mention before, Let no Man fay when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted of Evil, neither tempteth be any Man. But every Man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own Luft, and enticed. Jam. i. 13, 14.

Secondly, Though God is not the Author or Caufe of Mens evil Actions, yet they cannot be done without his Permiffion; and they all come under his Infpection; he knows and obferves them in every Circumftance. As the God of Nature he upholdeth Mens natural Powers, without which they could not be able to act at all, and he leaveth them ordinarily to the free Exercise of thofe Powers, even whilst they abuse and employ them in doing Evil. He fuffers them to act according to their own Inclinations, or to be tempted to evil Actions, though not compelled, or brought under a Neceffity of committing them, for they may ftill abstain from doing those Actions, if they will but make a proper Ufe of the Powers which they really have, and of the Affiftances which God is ready to afford them.

And as evil Actions cannot be done without God's Permiffion, so he hath a perfect Knowledge of them with all the Circumftances which attend them. Let them be done never so secretly, and though

the

the greatest Care and Pains be taken to conceal or disguise them, and varnish them over with fair and fpecious Pretences, yet they cannot escape his Notice. He beholdeth them as they really are in their hidden Springs and Principles. And it cannot but be difpleafing to that most holy and righteous Being, the great Governor of the World, to see his reasonable Creatures acting fo contrary to the End of their Creation, abufing and dishonouring their excellent Powers, by doing those Things which are base, unjuft, and impure, and yielding their Members the Inftruments of Unrighteousness unto Sin. He ordereth it fo in his Providence, that fuch Actions are often attended or followed with the present Marks of his Displeasure, and bring many Evils upon the Actors of them even in this World; or if, as must be expected in a State of Trial, evil Actions do now in many Inftances pafs undetected or unpunished, or even seem to produce fome present temporal Advantages, he will take Care that, if impenitently perfifted in, they fhall in due Time be brought to Light in their proper Malignity and Deformity, and shall meet with fuch Retributions as will fhew him to be a juft and righteous Judge. And this Confideration, that not one of our evil Actions can poffibly pass unobferved by

God,

God, that they all come under the Notice of his righteous Providence, is of great Moment. If a Senfe of it were deeply fixed in our Hearts, no Profpect of worldly Advantage or Gain, no Allurement of fenfual Pleasure, would be able to prevail upon us to do a vicious or unjuft Thing. There is a wonderful, and one would be apt to think an almost irresistible Force in this Thought, if properly impreffed upon the Mind. God feeth the Act of Împiety, Fraud, or Impurity I am going to commit, and shall I dare to affront him to his Face, and to tranfgrefs his Laws under his own Eye? If at present he should seem to connive at it, and not follow it with an immediate Punishment, yet the Time is coming when he will most certainly call me to a strict Account.

But thirdly, Another Thing which ought to be confidered with regard to the Providence of God as refpecting Mens evil Actions, is this, that though they are what he cannot but difapprove, yet he frequently over-rules them for ferving the wife Purposes of his Government, and takes Occafion from thence to bring about his own excellent Defigns. And in this no fmall Part of the Wisdom of Divine Providence in its Administrations towards Mankind doth confift.

VOL. I.

P

It

It may be useful to take a distinct View of fome Inftances of this Kind. Thus e. g. God frequently makes Ufe of the evil Actions of fome Men to punish the Sins of others, and to execute his just Judgments upon them.

It is an Obfervation which hath been made by those who have carefully confidered the present Course of Things, that a great Part of the outward Punishments inflicted upon bad Men in this Life, are the Effects of the evil Actions of other bad Men. And though in fuch Cafes the Evils and Mischiefs inflicted upon the Sufferers may be wrong and unjust as coming from the immediate Actors of them, who have nothing in View but the gratifying their own Paffions, or promoting what they take to be their worldly Intereft, yet it is wife and just in God to order it fo that the Effects of those injurious Actions fall upon Perfons who really deserve to be punished for their own Wickedness. Thus what the King of Affyria only defigned for anfwering the Ends of his own Ambition, was over-ruled by God to the juft Punishment of the Jews for their Idolatry, Hypocrify, and great Corruption of Manners; as is fignified in that remarkable Paffage, Ifa. X. 5, 6, 7. O Affyrian, the Rod of mine Anger, and the Staff in their Hand