· not thine

eyes upon the truth? thou haft ftricken them, but they have not grieved; thou haft confumed them, but they have refused to receive correction: They have made their faces ⚫ harder than a rock, they have refused to return.' We can easily fee in the history of the children of Ifrael, how fevere ftrokes brought them to fubmiffion and penitence. When he flew them, then they fought him; and they returned and enquired early after God; and they remember'ed that God was their rock, and the high God 'their redeemer.' Both nations in general, and private perfons are apt to grow remifs and lax in a time of profperity and feeming fecurity; but when their earthly comforts are endangered or withdrawn, it lays them under a kind of neceffity to feek for fomething better in their place. Men must have comfort from one quarter or another. When earthly things are in a pleafing and promifing condition, too many are apt to find their reft, and be satisfied with them as their only portion. But when the vanity and paffing nature of all created comfort is difcovered, they are compelled to look for fomething more durable as well as valuable. What therefore can be more to the praife of God, than that when a whole people have forgotten their refting place, when they have abused their privileges, and despised their mercies, they should, by distress and suffering, be made to hearken to the rod and return to their duty?

There

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There is an inexpreffible depth and variety in the judgments of God, as in all his other works; but we may lay down this as a certain principle, that if there were no fin, there could be no fuffering. Therefore they are certainly for the correction of fin, or for the trial, illuftration, and perfecting of the grace and virtue of his own people. We are not to fuppofe, that thofe who fuffer moft or who fuffer fooneft, are therefore more criminal than others. Our Saviour himfelf thought it neceffary to give a caution against this rafh conclufion, as we are informed by the evangelift Luke; There were prefent at that feafon, fome that told him of the Galileans, • whose blood Pilate had mingled with their fa'crifices. And Jefus answering, faid unto them, " Suppofe ye that these Galileans were finners above all the Galileans, because they fuffered fuch things? I tell you, nay; but except ye repent, ye fhall all likewife perifh.' I fuppofe we may fay, with fufficient warrant, that it often happens, that thofe for whom God hath defigns of the greatest mercy, are first brought to the tri-, al, that they may enjoy, in due time, the falutary effect of the unpalatable medicine.

I must also take leave to obferve, and I hope no pious humble fufferer will be unwilling to make the application, that there is often a difcernible mixture of sovereignty and righteousness in providential difpenfations. It is the prerogative of God to do what he will with his own; but he often

often difplays his justice itself, by throwing into the furnace thofe, who, though they may not be vifibly worse than others, may yet have more to anfwer for, as having been favoured with more diftinguished privileges, both civil and facred. It is impoffible for us to make a just and full comparison of the character either of perfons or nations, and it would be extremely foolish for any to attempt it, either for increafing their own fecurity, or impeaching the juftice of the Supreme Ruler. Let us therefore neither forget the truth, nor go beyond it. His mercy fills 'the earth.' He is alfo known by the judgment which he executeth.' The wrath of man in its most tempeftuous rage, fulfils his will, and finally promotes the good of his chofen.

-3. The wrath of man praifeth God, as he fets bounds to it, or reftrains it by his providence, and fometimes makes it evidently a mean of promoting and illuftrating his glory.

There is no part of divine providence in which a greater beauty and majefty appears, than when the Almighty Ruler turns the counfels of wicked men into confufion, and makes them militate against themselves. If the Pfalmift may be thought to have had a view in this text to the truths illuftrated in the two former obfervations, there is no doubt at all that he had a particular view to this, as he fays in the latter part of the verfe, the remainder of wrath fhalt thou restrain.' The fcripture abounds with inftances, in which

the

the defigns of oppreffors were either wholly difappointed, or in execution fell far fhort of the malice of their intention; and in fome they turned out to the honour and happiness of the perfons or the people, whom they were intended to deftroy. We have an inftance of the first of these in the history to which my text relates *. We have alfo an inftance in Efther, in which the most mischievous designs of Haman, the Son of Hamedatha the Agagite, against Mordecai the Jew, and the nation from which he sprung, turned out at laft to his own deftruction, the ho nour of Mordecai, and the faivation and peace of his people.

From the New Teftament I will make choice of that memorable event on which the falvation of believers in every age refts as its foundation, the death and fufferings of the Son of God. This the great adversary, and all his agents and inftruments, profecuted with unrelenting rage. When they had blackened him with flander, when they had scourged him with fhame, when they had condemned him in judgment, and nailed him to the cross, how could they help efteeming their victory complete? But, oh the unfearchable wisdom of God! they were but perfecting the great defign laid for the falvation of finners. Our bleffed Redeemer, by his death, finished his work,

The matter is fully ftated and reasoned upon by the prophet Ifaiah, chap. x. from the 5th to the 19th verfe.

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work, overcame principalities and powers, and made a fhew of them openly, triumphing over them in his crofs. With how much juftice do the apoftles and their company offer this doxology to God? "They lift up their voice with one accord and faid, Lord, thou art God which haft 'made heaven and earth, and the fea, and all that in them is: who by the mouth of thy 'fervant David haft faid, Why did the heathen. rage, and the people imagine vain things? The 6 kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers

were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Chrift. For of a truth, against thy holy child Jefus, whom thou haft anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Ifrael, were gathered together, for to do whatsoever thy hand and 'thy counfel determined before to be done.'

In all after ages in conformity to this, the deepest laid contrivances of the prince of darkness, have turned out to the confufion of their author; and I know not but, confidering his malice and pride, this perpetual disappointment, and the fuperiority of divine wisdom, may be one great fource of his fuffering and torment. The cross hath ftill been the banner of truth, under which it hath been carried through the world. Perfecution has been but as the furnace to the gold, to purge it of its drofs, to manifeft its purity, and increase its luftre. It was taken notice of very early, that the blood of the martyrs was the feed