I. To open and illustrate the general doctrine, by a more particular explication.

II. To show the practical use and improvement of

it.

I.

First, I propose to open and illustrate the general doctrine by a more particular explication. "The Lord hath "made all things," or (as the words may be construed) he orders and disposes all things so, as one way or other to serve his own wise purposes. Whatever second causes there are, or however they act, still it is God, and God alone, that governs the world. His providence is so general, large, and comprehensive, as to take in the whole compass of the wide universe; and it is at the same time so very minute and particular, that the smallest atoms do not escape his notice. We are assured by our blessed Lord, that not so much as a sparrow falls without his leave; and that he condescends to feed the fowls of the air, and to clothe the lilies of the field. Heaven, and earth, and hell, are all under his inspection. "If I ascend into heaven,' says the Psalmist, "thou art there: if I make my bed in "hell, behold, thou art there also "."

All occurrences, all affairs whatever, are observed, regulated, conducted by him; even those which seem merely casual and accidental are in reality providential: and what we corruptly call chance is truly providence. What more casual than a lot? and yet the Wise Man tells us in this very chapter, that when "the lot is cast into the lap, the "whole disposal thereof is of the Lord f." God's government of the natural world, his conducting the courses of sun, moon, and stars, his preserving the brute animals upon our globe, and his endowing them with their particular instincts proper to every kind, which to them are so many stated rules of conduct, is highly wonderful; but yet his government of the moral world is much more so: and the most mysterious part of all is, what my text men

tions with a particular emphasis, his ordering even the wicked in a way consistent with human liberty, and so as to serve the ends of his providence, and to promote his glory. This is a profound speculation, to be touched upon only by us, and that with awful reverence. There is a great deal more in it than we are able to understand. The fact is certain; but the manner how is beyond our comprehension. I shall therefore endeavour rather to illustrate the fact, showing what we are to believe or to suppose concerning it, than to give any tolerable account how it is done. There can be no mistake in conceiving, that God had his wise and gracious views in first creating those whom he foresaw would be wicked, and would ruin and undo themselves. He made men free agents, bidding them work out their own happiness by a right use of that liberty which he had invested them with. Many, he foresaw, would do so, and would of consequence arrive at a happy immortality: and it was for their sakes, and for his own glory, that he thereupon determined to create mankind.

It was by no means reasonable, that God should forbear creating such a race at all, only because some would be so foolish as to destroy themselves. For why should those who would make a good use of the favour be denied the advantage, on account only of others who would abuse it? or why should great numbers lose the opportunities of making themselves happy, because others would, by their own fault, abuse the same opportunities to their own undoing? It was undoubtedly kind and gracious in God to create men, though many of them would prove wicked, because it was certain, in God's foreknowledge, that many also would be righteous; and so for their sakes, or for the sake of as many as would be such, it was worthy of the Divine wisdom and goodness to make the world. In this sense we may understand, that God made all things, and ❝even the wicked, for himself," and for his own glory: it was for his glory to create even such as would be wicked, rather than not create mankind at all, and so make none to be happy. But this being a deep and abstruse meditation,

and not so proper for a popular discourse, I pass it over, and proceed to an easier thought, which I take to be principally intended in the text, though not very clearly expressed in our translation; which is, that God makes use of the wicked men who are his creatures, to serve the ends of his providence: they are all absolutely in his hands, and under his sovereign control: they can do nothing without his leave; and when he does give leave, it is to serve some wise end and useful purpose of his own, quite beside their intention. They mean nothing but evil, while God turns it to good. This certainly is one of the most delightful and comfortable theories, which a good man can fix his mind upon; to consider, that amidst all the seeming distraction and confusion in this mad world, where wickedness prevails, and transgressions abound; yet there is a God in heaven, who sits, as it were, calm and undisturbed above; marks and views all that is here doing below; and not only observes, but interposes in every action, in every motion, in every contrivance and thought of the heart, either suspending or suffering it to proceed; and all the while so conducting its force, or turning its direction by secret springs, as to make it answer what himself intended, or had decreed, with all possible exactness. We are by no means able to reach the depth of this mysterious management; but we may take a view of some particulars which may help towards a more distinct idea of what is intelligible in it.

I. Let us first consider the power of God over the minds and hearts of wicked men. They are, without question, perpetually bent upon mischief, of one kind or other. But yet God shall so overrule, that some particular mischiefs which they would be fond enough of, shall never so much as enter into their heads. If he is pleased, for instance, to preserve some particular person or place from their rage and fury; he may, he often does, prevent the very thought, and turns their minds off from pitching their aims there.

But suppose he permits a thought to come into their

minds; he may yet stifle it there, and never suffer it to proceed so far as to a resolution or design. A thousand accidents may divert it, defeat it, or render it abortive, before it be formed into an intention to do any thing.

Next, suppose it carried on so far as to commence a resolution; yet how easily, how suddenly, are resolutions changed, and designs laid aside, upon any considerable change in mind, body, or outward circumstances, which are all in God's power, and at his disposal.

But suppose farther, that with God's leave the resolution abides, and opportunity invites, and circumstances favour, and a man has all his instruments prepared and ready for putting the same in execution; yet even in that critical juncture, in the very article of action, Providence interposes, many times, and blasts and quashes all in one

moment.

Admit farther, that the resolution formed is suffered to proceed to action; yet Providence alone determines the time when, the place where, with the precise measure and degree of all that is doing; that the agent shall not be able to effect one tittle, either more or less, either contrary to, or different from, what God in his wise counsels had previously determined. "A man's heart deviseth his way, "but the Lord directeth his steps," says Solomon in this chapter, verse the 9th. The meaning of which is, that men may invent, design, or contrive what they please, yet the Lord himself will have both the ordering and finishing of it in his own hands. ""Many are the devices of man's "heart; but the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand 8." God often executes his counsels by the hands of wicked men, making use of their wickedness, as he sees proper, for his own purposes; otherwise they never take effect. We see indeed a great deal of villany and wickedness in the world, and too often (as we may say) it thrives, and prospers, and triumphs; which it becomes us to lament, and to be heartily sorry for: and yet, if we look through

the surface of things, and go to the bottom of the case, we must be obliged to say, that God's hand is in all; and though the wickedness is not his, yet the success that attends it, the effect it has, is really his doing. Wicked men, for instance, commit violence, rob, plunder, murder, or the like; they do it for their own humour, and God suffers it for quite other ends. He had determined, suppose, to take off such a person for his sins, to chastise another, or to prove, try, and exercise a third. He could command serpents, or other noxious animals, to do the work: or he could do it by fire, or floods, or storms, or other casualties or if by none of these, yet by plague or famine, by fever or dropsy, or other wasting distemper: but since there are wicked wretches in the world, full of mischief in their hearts, and wanting only to be let loose; God chooses, in such cases, to make use of them, gives them the reins, till he has finished his own work by them, and then calls them to account for doing it, because they did it not as God's work, but as their own; not by his order, but by his permission only; not with any view to serve or obey God, but for their own humour or pleasure, and for the wickedness of their own corrupt hearts. The sacred history is every where full of examples of this kind, of God's making use of wicked instruments to bring about his own good and gracious designs: not that he could not have done the same thing in another way, and without them, but as they are his creatures, and are in his hands, as all other things are, he will have this use of them, and thus far at least serve himself by them. God made use of the Devil's subtilty to try and prove our first parents, who were foolish enough to be deceived, and so fell from their innocence. And he again made use of the Devil's malice to prove and exercise righteous Job; who was wise enough to stand it, and obtained a crown of triumph. God made use of the wickedness of King Saul to cut off the whole family of priests of the race of Ithamar, whom he had determined to destroy long before, for the sins of old Eli, and his two profligate sons. God made use of the lewdness