againft the Juftice of God, becaufe he made SERM. us, and confequently has a Right to deal II. with us as he pleases. God gave us Life of his own free Gift, without our Defire or Deferving; for we could neither do the one nor the other, when as yet we were not, when we had not a Being to defire or deferve it in He therefore must certainly have a Right to allot us to what fort or kind of Life he fhall think moft proper and convenient; for the A&t of creating us implies in it alfo a Right of governing us. this is further evinc'd from the Gonfideration of our own State and Condition, which is a State of Dependance, weak and defective, which implies in it a Want of Help and Succour; fo that whatever happens to us in this Life can be no Objection against the Juftice of God, because it comes from him who alone has a Right to dispose of us. And Indeed, were we altogether free from Sin, we might have some Plea for defiring a Life of Eafe and Happiness, exempted from the common Cafualties of which every Man living has his Share. But even then, could not God do what he pleas'd with his own? Shall the Thing form'd fay to him that formi'd it, Why haft thou made me thus? Shall we pretend to direct the Almighty in III. per SERM. his Difpenfations, or teach him what is pro for him to do? Is this the Way we take in our own Affairs? Are we willing to be taught by our Inferiors? Do we not on the contrary too often hate Counsel, and defpife Reproof, even from thofe whom we ourfelves acknowledge to be wife? Shall we then pretend to guide the Hand of Providence, and point out the Way for him, whofe Footsteps are not known? 'Tis to confound our vain Curiofity, and to manifeft his own Glory, that God fometimes works an Effect beyond the Reach of all human Apprehenfion. So that, tho' he is a Being infinitely good and juft, and therefore will not do any thing inconfiftent with Goodness and Juftice, yet he is infinitely wife too, and therefore is above any Rules we shall think fit to prescribe, and confequently will not be accountable to us for any of his Ways; fo that all our bufy Enquiries about these Things must be refolv'd into the Will of God, which is fufficient to filence all the Difputers of this World. When the Difciples faw the Man that was born blind, they immediately concluded that it was the Effect of fome remarkable Sin of him or his Parents; and accordingly ask'd our Saviour, faying, Mafter, who did fin this this Man, or his Parents, that he was SERM. born blind? But to let them fee that there III. were other Reafons for it than they were aware of, Jefus anfwer'd, Neither hath this Man finned, nor his Parents, but that the Works of God should be made manifeft in him, i. e. They were not guilty of any particular heinous Sin, for which they thought this Affliction was fent, as a Judgment, but that the Glory of God might be made ma→ nifest in restoring his Sight. 1 * But, perhaps, it will be said, that to refolve these Things into the Will of God, instead of clearing the Difficulty, is the only Way to make it the more perplexing. This may seem too arbitrary a Way of proceeding to make it fatisfactory to Reafon : For they that call in Question the Juftice of God in this Cafe, will probably ask, how that can be clear'd up by refolving Things into an arbitrary Will? For if it be unjuft for good Men to fuffer Afflictions, 'tis not the saying, it is the Will of God to have it so, that can make it otherwise, that can alter the Nature of Things, and make that juft which is in itself unjuft. The Potter has indeed Power over the Clay, and accordingly makes what he pleases of it; but then it may be said, The Clay is not an intelligent Being, nor capable SERM. Capable of Pain or Pleasure, Happiness or III. Mifery; and therefore can have no Wrong or Injustice done it. To all which let it be anfwer'd, that if the Will of God was capable of having a wrong Biafs put upon it, like that of Man, there would be a great deal of Strength in the Objection; for then whatever was left to the Will, would be left to all the Mischief that could poffibly proceed from a wrong Judgment, which, if the Will is determin'd by the Judgment, as it neceffarily is, will have the Direction of it in its Turn, as well as a right one, But the Cafe is otherwife; for the Will of God, as it has an infinitely perfect Mind belonging to it, is incapable of being influenc'd but by the infinite Truth of Things. Whatever, therefore, is left to the Will of God, is left to infinite Wisdom, infinite Goodness, and infinite Truth, and there fore may very fafely be relied on. Which brings me, Secondly, To fhew, that the Leffon moft proper and natural to be learnt from this, is, hot to murmur and repine at any thing that befalls us, but to fubmit ourselves and our Caufe to God. Since Afflictions are not always Evils, and, if they were, are however no no more than what we have deferv'd, we SERM |