the first and most obvious Manifeftation S ER M. of God. And the Wisdom of the

great Creator has in This, as in all other matters, illuftriously appeared; that in order to our true Knowledge of God, wherein All men both learned and ignorant are equally concerned, all other forts of Learning, and Knowledge, (tho' very useful and valuable,) yet are fo far from being abfolutely necessary, that, provided there be not wanting an honest and fincere intenC tion, it will at leaft, with regard to all these other things, be found true in proportion, that he who gathered much, had nothing over, and he who gathered little, had no lack.

AND thus much concerning the Wifdom of God, as made known by his Works.

2. I AM in the next place to confider, the Manifestations of the fame divine Wisdom in his Government of the World, By which I do not now understand That Providence by which he preferves and governs the natural World; For This was included under the former Head; But by his Government of the World, I would here be understood to mean, his Government

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XII.

SERM.ment of rational Creatures, of Angels and

XII. of Men.

Now concerning the Wisdom of Providence in This Government, 'tis not reasonable to make any pofitive judgment, from only a partial Knowledge of a few of its proceedings in fome small portions of Time. For, not of the Government of a Kingdom or a Family, much lefs of the Government of the Universe, can any one make a right and true judgment, without seeing the Iffue and Defign of the Whole. Yet even in all the fingle parts of the divine Oeconomy, if we confider the History of Providence, we shall find fufficient marks of Wisdom, to convince and fatisfy us, that the Difpofition of the whole, will in the End appear as much wiser than can now be conceived; as the Structure of the natural World, after the Discoveries of many Ages, has been found greater and nobler than the mean conjectures and narrow Notions of the Antient Philofophers apprehended. Angels, having been at firft created in fo perfect a state, that nothing less than a total and incorrigible corruption, could make them chufe to leave their own Habitation, Jude ver. 6. it was therefore fit that no place

hould

ゴ

fhould be left for their Return, but that SER M., they should be referved in chains under XII. darkness, unto the judgment of the great day. The State of Man in Innocence, was in great Wisdom furnished abundantly with all things neceffary, to the Happinefs of fuch a Creature in fuch a State: 1 Yet, that his Obedience fhould be tried by God's referving one homage to himself, in acknowledgment of his being Author and Lord of all, cannot but be confeffed to be more becoming a Wife and Supreme Governour, than if he had appointed no fuch trial, nor required any instance of Obedience at all. For This feems to be the meaning of the forbidden Tree; poffibly not that in its own nature, it was better or worfe than the other Fruits of the Earth; but that God reserved it, as as an instance of homage to himself: And the curiofity of trying what was forbidden, and curiofity of knowing good and evil, became to our firft Parents a Temptation to Sin. By complying with which Temptation, when Man had actually finned; he who before was immortal, juftly became fubject to Death. Body was, before the Fall,

Not that his

naturally Im

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mortal;

SERM.mortal; (which can hardly be conceived :) XII. but that God, either by tranflating him,

or by glorifying him, or by any other means unknown to us, (but in general aptly figured by the Tree of Life ;) would have preferved him from Death, which by Sin only was to come actually upon him. Nevertheless even from That Mortality, which he brought upon himself by Sin, God ftill left him a Hope of reftitution; because in his Nature he was more frail and fallible than Angels, and fell not like them through incorrigible malice, but with a mixture of Weakness. The Light of Nature, and the Tradition of God's revealing himself in Paradife, were fufficient Guides to the Pofterity of Adam in the first Ages. In opposition to which Light when men had by degrees corrupted themselves more and more, even to an univerfal Defection; the Wisdom of God manifested itself in deftroying that generation by a Flood, for an Example to all future Ages; and yet not deftroying them fo utterly, but that a few Witneffes were left, for a better Teftimony to those tha fhould come after, than if a total Deftrution had made neceffary a new Creation.

After

After This, the Wisdom of God fhewed SER M.
forth itself in inflicting proper particular XII.
judgments for particular crying Sins; de-
ftroying the inhabitants of Sodom, for their
unnatural Lufts, by Fire from Heaven;
punishing the Jews, as often as they fell
into Idolatry, with that recompenfe of
their error which was meet, by fuffering
them to be carried captive into Idolatrous
Nations, and difperfed in fo unexampled

a manner,

as to remain a standing inftance of Providence in the fight of all Nations even at This day; and frequently requiting alfo particular eminent perfons in Hiftory, fuch as Agag, Adonibezek, and the like, with the fame measure that they had meted unto Others: Yet at the fame time more generally forbearing wicked perfons, that they might have fpace for Repentance; and on the contrary, frequently difciplining the good, chaftifing whom he loved, and weaning them from the World. So that even those very proceedings of Providence, which were vulgarly looked upon as the chief objections against it, his afflicting the good and fparing the evil, appeared, when rightly confidered, to be on the contrary

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none.