ger even well difpofed minds, especially when themfelves are affected by it; but in the fcriptures we fee all these doubts removed. All events are promifcuously ascribed to God; but his intention is reprefented as being good, and kind, even when his proceedings are the most severe. David, addreffinghimself to God, fays, Pf. cxix. 68. "Thou art "good, and doeft good." Pf. cxlv. 9. "The "Lord is good to all, and his tender mercies are 86 over all his works." Pf. xxxiii. 5. "The

"earth is full of the goodness of the Lord." Pf. cxlv. 15. The eyes of all wait upon thee, and "thou giveft them their meat in due season. Thou "openeft thine hand, and fatisfieft the defire of "every living thing.

Our Lord fays, Matt. xix. 17: "There is none "good but one, that is God;" and in his fermon upon the mount, he enforces the duty of univerfal benevolence by the confideration of that of our heavenly father, Matt. v. 45. "That ye may be "the children of your father who is in heaven, "for he maketh his fun to rife on the evil and on "the good, and fendeth rain on the juft and on the ́" unjuft." The apoftle John expreffes himfelf in the most emphatical manner concerning this subject, when he says, 1 John iv. 16. "We have "known and believed the love that God hath to 66 us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love, "dwelleth in God, and God in him." And the

apoftle

apoftle James says, ch. i. 17.

"Every good gift, " and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh "down from the father of lights."

•

The feverity with which good men are fometimes treated, is always represented in the scriptures as the correction of a tender father, intended to promote the reformation and good of his children; and what he always inflicts with reluctance. Jeremiah fays, Lam. ii. 31. "The Lord will "not caft off for ever. But though he cause "grief, yet will he have compaffion, according "to the multitude of his mercies; for he doth not "afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men." The prophet. Hofea draws a most affecting picture of the painful reluctance with which the divine being has recourse to severity, after the most aggravated and repeated provocations, Hosea xi. 1. &c. "When Ifrael was a child, then I loved "him, and called my fon out of Egypt. 66 They facrificed unto Baalim, and burnt incenfe "to graven images. I taught Ephraim alfo to go, taking them by their arms, but they knew "not that I healed them, I drew them with cords "of a man, with bands of love.My peo"ple are bent to backfliding from me though "they called them to the most High, none at "all would exalt him. How fhall I give thee up, "Ephraim? how fhall I deliver thee, Ifrael? how fhall I make thee as Admah? how fhall I fet

"thee as Zeboim? Mine heart is turned within "me, my repentings are kindled together. I will "not execute the fiercenefs of mine anger, I will "not return to destroy Ephraim; for I am God, " and not man, the holy One in the midst of "thee."

The author of the Epiftle to the Hebrews, alfo, reminds the perfecuted chriftians of his age, of these conforming fentiments, fo peculiarly proper to their circumstances, Heb. xii. 5. &c. "Ye have "forgotten the exhortation which fpeaketh unto :: you as unto children, my fon, defpife not thou "the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou "art rebuked of him. For whom the Lord loveth "he chafteneth, and fcourgeth every fon whom he

receiveth. If ye endure chaftening, God deal"with you as with fons: for what fon is he whom "the father chafteneth not?---Now no chaf"tening for the prefent feemeth to be joyous, but "grievous; nevertheless, afterward it yieldeth the "peaceable fruit of righteoufnefs, unto them who "are exercised thereby."

Laftly, the difpenfation of the gospel is always represented as an inftance of the exceedingly great love and goodness of God, John iii. 16. "God

fo loved the world, that he gave his only begot"ten fon, that whofoever believeth in him fhould .. not perish, but have everlasting life." 1 John "In this was manifefted the love of God "towards

iv. 9.

"towards us, because that God fent his only becc gotten fon into the world, that we might live "through him. Herein is love, not that we loved "God, but that he loved us." Rom. viii. 32. "He that fpared not his own fon, but delivered "him up for us all, how fhall he not with him "alfo freely give us all things."

SECTION IV.

Of the mercy of God.

HE mercy of God to those who are difpofed to

THE

return to their duty, when they have once rendered themfelves obnoxious to his difpleafure by their offences, is a subject of which mankind, especially those whofe minds were rendered timid and fearful by a confcioufnefs of guilt, would be more apt to entertain doubts, than of the goodness of God in general. No proof by way of inference only, how fhort and plain foever, would be fufficient for fuch perfons; and yet it is easy to fee, that it is of the utmost importance, that, fuch persons fhould receive all poffible fatisfaction with respect to it: left, through a distrust of the mercy of God, they should be driven into abfolute despair. Befides, nothing is fo engaging, and furnishes fo powerful a motive to a return to duty, as a

thorough perfuafion of the clemency of the offended party. On this account, probably, it is, that the declarations of the mercy of God, to the truly penitent, are fo remarkably full and explicit in the fcriptures, infomuch that no doubt can poffibly remain with refpect to it.

At the very time of the promulgation of the law of Mofes, which is deemed to be the most rigorous of all the divine difpenfations, when Mofes waited in mount Sinai with the fecond tables of stone, immediately after that moft aggravated offence of the Ifraelites in making the golden calf, the divine being makes the most folemn declaration of his mercy imaginable, Ex. xxxiv. 5. &c. "And the "Lord defcended in the cloud, and ftood with "him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. "And the Lord paffed by before him, and pro"claimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful "and gracious, long fuffering, and abundant in "goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thou"fands, forgiving iniquity, and tranfgreffion, and "fin."

When Mofes foretels the final difperfion of the Ifraelites, in confequence of their idolatry, and other vices, he at the fame time gives them the moft folemn affurances of the divine favour in cafe of their repentance. I fhall quote two remarkable paffages for this purpofe, Deut. iv. 25. &c. "When "thou shalt beget children, and children's chil

< dren,