II.

VOL. but now they revive; and they now begin to return to a right mind concerning that very matter. But what comes nearer our cafe is that AL fyrian tyrant †, who had been fo long the plague and peft of the world, and wrought fuch a destruction among the people of GOD. When providence came to animadvert upon him, and he lay under God's rebukes and frowns, he fancied himself a beaft; and became like one by the power of his own imagination (as that is moft likely to be understood) till he was capable of understanding, that the most high did rule in the kingdoms of men, and give and dispose of them as he thought fitt. And as I noted to you before, Pharaoh would not know GOD, neither obey his voice, to let Ifrael go, after a series of cross providences following one another; till at length he faw himself furrounded with waters, that gave a safe paffage to the Ifraelites, but a continual threatning and terror to him and his army; but when he found their chariot-wheels taken off, he cried out: "Now we must all fly, "GOD is fighting for the Ifraelites." Then he bethought himself of a GOD, who did not like fuch a course as his was of oppreffion and tyranny, over a people more righteous than himself.

NOT that we are to think, that fucceffes and favourable aspects of providence are themselves, and confidered apart, a measure of right and wrong, in the world. That can by no means agree with what we have fuppofed already.

† Nebuchadnezzar.

t Dan. IV. 34.

There

There are the greateft variations of providence SER M. imaginable, but there cannot be variations of XIX. what is right and wrong: for what is right, always will be right; and what is wrong, will always be wrong. But fuppofing that a cause be in itself manifeftly righteous on the one hand, and unrighteous on the other; (which may be known by other measures) then providence falling in with that which in itself is apparently right, revives and strengthens the apprehenfion of fuch a Deity, as approves of that which is right and equal, and disapproves the contrary. And so it tends at once, as I proposed to shew, both to revive, and rectify the thoughts of God. And hereupon,

(5.) THE great commotions of nations, when the world hath been long before in a deep dream, and a droufy fleep, taking no notice of GoD that rules the world, and governs the kingdoms of men when, I fay, there are great agitations; collifions of interefts, and concuffions of nations; nation dashing against nation; if in this cafe an apparently righteous caufe receives countenance, and is under favourable afpects from heaven, GoD comes to be a great deal more thought of in the world than he was. He is then alfo thought to be fuch, as indeed he is; a God who takes not pleasure in wickedness, nor approves of unjust, or unrighteous practices, though he may have forborne, and fpared thofe for a time that ufed them. But further, when hereupon the thoughts of GoD are revived, and rectified in any mea

VOL. fure in the minds of men, they become fo much . II. the more fufceptible of fuperadded revelation from him; fuch as that, which is contained in the Scripture. For it is to no purpose, when the world is generally atheistical, and have either buried the notion of a GoD, or perverted it, fo as that to think there is a GOD, or that there is none, is all one with them; it is, I fay, to little or no purpose for men to go up and down among fuch perfons, in fuch a ftate of things, with a Bible; for they disbelieve fuch a kind of Deity, as that book reveals. But if the thoughts of GoD be recovered, and rectified in the minds of men, they are a great deal more fufceptible of fuperadded revelation from heaven. And especially,

(6.) IF that revelation be, as that of the Gofpel is, a revelation of grace. For when GOD hath discovered himself by terrible things; being displeased with the wickedness, the atheism, the irreligion, the unrighteousness of men in this world if then there be a discovery of his reconcileableness, of his willingness, or readiness to be at peace with the world; in what a preparation may the minds of men be supposed to be to receive fuch a doctrine, as that of the Christian religion? a discovery of God in Chrift reconciling the world to himself. Do but observe, therefore, that method of reprefenting the great Chriftian doctrine of the Gofpel, of free juftification by faith in Jefus Chrift, which the Apostle takes in the Epiftle to the Romans. He begins it with the discovery of the general wickedness of

the

the gentile world, and afterwards of the Jews. SER M. As to the former he faith, The wrath of God is XIX. revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteoufnefs". And what is all this for? It is all to prepare and make way for the revelation of grace. We have proved, faith he, both Jew and Gentile to be under fin; and therefore that there can be no fuch thing as reconciliation to GOD, and acceptance with him, but it muft be by the intervening righteousness of another. And fo nothing, in the way of means, doth so dispose the minds of men to receive the Gofpel, as when GoD, in the methods and courfe of his providence, doth appear terrible against wickednefs, the impiety and the injuftice of men: nothing, I fay, in point of means can be a greater' preparation for the diffufion of the grace and light of the Gofpel, and the more ready and fucceffful spread thereof. And I add,

(7.) THAT by fuch favourable afpects of providence upon them that efpoufe GoD's in. tereft in the world, the great obftructors of the progrefs of the Gofpel come to be debilitated, and that power of theirs weakened, and retrench-1 ed: by which they opposed to the utmost the diffufing of religion, and the spreading the knowledge of God; making it their bufinefs as much as poffible to extirpate that religion, which godly fouls do fo much defire to see spread in the earth. When the providence of God doth A a 4 animad

"Rom. 1. 18.

VOL. animadvert on fuch, as make it their business to II. destroy true religion out of the earth; so as that

inftead of its being known in all nations, it shall not be known any longer in their own, as far as it is in their power to exterminate itt: when fuch, I fay, are animadverted upon, every eye feeth how this tends to prepare, and make way for, the freer diffufion of the Gofpel-light, and knowledge, among men. For they that would do fuch a thing as root out true religion out of their own nation, to be fure would be far from letting it spread in the rest of the world; and, if it were in their own power, there should be no fuch thing in the world at all. Thus it appears, that favourable events to thofe, who efpouse GOD's intereft, tend to remove obstacles out of the way to the diffusion of true religion; and to promote the propagation of it, in the earth. I therefore come now to fhew, in the

III PLACE, That the hope of this issue and end fhould animate mightily our praises, and be the principal ground of thanksgiving unto GOD for fuch fucceffes and favourable aspects of providence upon them, who efpouse his interest in the world. This might be many ways made out, and indeed by fuch means as are most evident in reason, and moft intimate to the very effence of religion. For in plain common reafon

it

The author alludes, I fuppofe, to the late French King's repeal of the edict of Nantz a few years before, and the terrible perfecution of the Proteftants in his king

dom.