of the Divine Goodness and Mercy, he mentions the Plagues of Egypt, and the Deliverance of Ifrael by the Overthrow of Pharaob in the Red Sea; To bim that fmote Egypt in their first born; for bis mercy endureth for ever. And brought out Ifrael from among them, for his mercy endureth for ever. With a strong hand, and with a stretched-out arm, for bis mercy endureth for ever. To him which divided the red Sea in two parts, for his mercy, &c. And made Ifrael to pass through the midst of it, but overthrew Pharaoh and his hoft in the red Sea; for his mercy, &c. To him who fmote great Kings, and flew famous Kings, Sibon King of the Amorites, and Og the King of Bafhan, and gave their land for an beritage, even for an heritage to Ifrael bis Servant; for bis mercy endureth for ever.

This ought to be well confidered, before we object the Evils and Calamities which befal bad Men, against the Goodness of Providence. For there are few bad Men who fuffer any remarkable Vengeance, but that their Sufferings are a great Kindness and Deliverance to others, and it may be, to the Publick, in breaking their Power, or taking them out of the World. And in all fuch Cafes the Pfalmift has taught us a very proper Hymn; I will fing of mercy and judgment, unto thee, O Lord, will I fing, Pfal. 101. 1.

Thus the good Government of the World requires fome great and lafting Examples of God's Juftice and Vengeance against Sin: And as terrible as fuch Examples are, they are a great publick Good to the World.

Some few fuch Examples as thefe will ferve to warn an Age, nay, many fucceeding Ages and Generations of Men; which prevents the more frequent Executions of Vengeance, and

juftifies

juftifies the Patience and Long-fuffering of God to Sinners.

If fuch Examples in any measure reform the World, as God intends they should, it makes this World a much happier place; for the better Men are, the less hurt, and the more good they will do; and the less evil there is committed in the World, the less Mankind will fuffer, and the greater Bleffings God will beftow on them.

And though there be a great deal of Wickednefs committed in the World after fuch terrible Warnings as thefe, God may exercise great Patience, and Forbearance towards Sinners, without the leaft blemish to his Holiness or Juftice: For fuch frightful Executions convince the World of God's Juftice; and when God has publickly vindicated the Honour of his Juftice, he may try gentler Methods, and glorify his Mercy and Patience towards Sinners: And thus God punishes, that he may fpare; is fometimes very terrible in his Judgments, to prevent the neceffity of ftriking often, that Sinners may have fufficient warning, and that he may be good to Sinners, without encouraging them in Sin.

Thus the Destruction of the Old World by a Deluge of Water, when they were paft being reformed, is a warning to all Sinners as long as this World lafts, and is a publick and ftanding Confutation of Atheism; of fuch Scoffers as fay, Where is the promise of his coming? for fince the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. The conftant and regular Courfe of Nature, without any Supernatu ral Changes and Revolutions, tempts Men to think that there is no God in the World, who changes Times and Seafons; but this St. Peter tells us, is visibly confuted by the Deftruction of

the

the Old World; for this they are willingly ignorant of, that by the word of God the Heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water, and in the water, whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: And this is Reason enough to fear and expect what God has threatned, That this prefent World fhall be burnt by Fire. But the heavens and the earth which are now, by the fame word are kept in ftore, referved unto fire against the day of Judgment, and perdition of ungodly men, 2 Peter 3. 5, 6, 7. Such Deftructions as thefe can be attributed to no Natural Caufes -but the fame Word which made the World, deftroyed the Old World by Water, and will deftroy this by Fire, which makes it a visible Demonftration of the Power and Juftice of God.

The deftruction of Sodom and Gomorrab by Fire from Heaven, is not only a general Warning to Sinners, but an Example of a Divine Vengeance againft all Uncleannefs, and unnatural Lufts. As St. Jude tells us: Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the Cities about them, in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are fet forth for an example, fuffering the ven geance of eternal fire, v. 7.

Thus the Destruction of Jerufalem by the Romans, which was attended with the moft terrible Circumstances that we ever meet with in Story, is a lafting Confutation of Infidelity, and a glorious Teftimony to Chrift and his Religion: So that moft of the terrible Examples of God's Vengeance, how terrible foever they were to those who fuffered, are Acts of great Goodnefs to the World, and therefore belong to the Goodness of Government; by fome fevere Executions to protect and defend the Innocent, and reclaim other Offenders, without the neceffity

of

;

of terrifying the World in every Age with fuch repeated Severities.

Nay, we may observe farther, That when the World is grown very corrupt and degenerate, and fuch Sinners, if they be suffered to continue in it, will certainly propagate their Atheism, Infidelity and Lewdness to all Pofterity; it is great Goodness to all fucceeding Generations, to cleanfe the World of its impure Inhabitants by fome great Deftruction; by Sword, or Plague, or Famine, to leffen the number of Sinners, and to poffefs those who efcape, with a greater Awe and Reverence of God's Judgments.

Nay, to obferve but one thing more; Many times these terrible Shakings and Convulfions of the World are intended by God to open fome new and more glorious Scene of Providence. Thus it was in the four Empires which prey'd upon each other, and were at laft swallowed up by the Roman Powers; though they made great Deftructions in the World, yet they carried Learning and Civility into barbarous Countries, that the general State of the World was much the better for it, and Mankind the better difpofed to receive the Gofpel, which then began to be preached by Chrift, and his Apostles.

But this is enough to fatisfy us, what little reason there is to impeach the Goodness of Providence, upon account of thofe many Evils which Mankind fuffer: If we confider what the Goodness of God requires of him, and what is good for us in a state of Discipline, and what is neceffary to the good Government of the World, neither our own, nor other Mens Sufferings, will tempt us to question the Goodness of Providence.

I proceed now particularly to examine those Objections which are made against the Goodnefs of Providence: Which are reduced to these two.

1. The many Miseries which are in the World.

2. God's unequal Care of his Creatures, or the unequal diftribution of Good and Evil, both as to particular Men, and publick Societies.

What I have already faid, contains a fufficient Answer to all this; but it will not be amiss for our more abundant Satisfaction, to confider fome things more largely and particularly.

I. I fhall begin with the many Miseries of Human Life. Now this Objection relates either to the Being of any Miseries in the World, or to the Number, Nature, and Quality of them.:

1. As for the firft; fome will not allow God to be good, while there are any Miseries in the World: For, fay they, a good God fhould not fuffer any Miseries to enter into the World: This I observed and anfwered before; That the Goodnefs of Providence muft bear proportion to the Nature, Qualities, and Deferts of Creatures; and fince Man, who was created innocent and happy, forfeited his original Happiness by Sin, we must now confider, not what Abfolute, Unconfined Goodnefs would do; but what becomes a State of Discipline; what is good for Sinners, and for a Corrupt and Degenerate World; and this will abundantly juftify the Goodness of Providence in all the Evils which Mankind fuffer, as you have already heard.

But