of things; or they are the Effects of other Mens fins, brought upon us by the ambition and covetoufnefs, by the malice and cruelty of others; and these Evils, tho they are procured and caused by others, yet they are deserved by our felves; and tho they are immediately from the Hand of Men, yet we ought to look farther, and confider them, as directed and disposed by the Providence of God; as David did when Shimei curfed him; God (faith he) bath bid him curfe David, tho it immediately proceeded from Shimei's infolence and ill nature.

Now upon the fuppofition of Sin, the Evils of Affliction and Suffering are good, because they are of great ufe to us, and ferve to very good ends and purposes.

1. As they are the proper Punishments of Sin. Evil is good to them that do Evil, that is, it is fit and proper, juft and due. Pfal. 107. 17. Fools, because of their tranfgreffion, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted. And it is fit they fhould be fo, crooked to crooked is ftreight and right. A rod for the back of Fools, faith Solomon ; and elsewhere, God hath made every

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thing for that which is fit for it, and the evil day for the wicked man.

2dly, As they are the preventions and remedies of greater Evils. Evils of Affliction and Suffering are good for wicked Men, to bring them to a fense of their fin, and to reclaim them from it, and thereby to prevent greater temporal Evils, and preferve them from eternal Mifery; and not only good to the Perfon that fuffers, but likewife to others, to deter and affright them from the like fins; to prevent the contagion of Sin, and to ftop the progrefs of Iniquity, upon which greater guilt and worfe mifchiefs might enfue; and they are good to good Men, to awaken and rouse them out of their fecurity, to make them know God and themfelves better; they are almost a neceffary Difcipline for the best of Men, much more for evil and depraved difpofitions; and we might as reasonably expect, that there fhould be no Rod in a School, as that there should be no fuffering and afflictions in the World.

3 dly, As they are the occafions and matter of many Virtues. God teach eth Men temperance by want, and pa

tience by reproach and fufferings, Vol. VII. charity by perfecution, and pity and compaffion to others by grievous pains upon our felves. The benefit of AfAlictions to them that make a wife ufe of them is unfpeakable; they are grievouss in themselves, nevertheless (faith the Apoftle to the Hebrews) they bring forth the peaceable fruits of righteousness, to them that are exercised therewith. David gives a great testimony of the mighty benefit and advantage of them, from his own experience, Pfal. 119. 76. Before I was afflicted I went aftray, but now have I kept thy word. And, v. 71. It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I might learn thy Statutes.

4thly, The Evils of Suffering, patiently fubmitted to, and decently born, do greatly contribute to the increase of our happiness. All the perfecutions and fufferings of good Men in this life, do work for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. And if they contribute to our greater good and happiness at laft, they are good. The glorious reward of the Sufferings which we have met with, in this life, will in the next clear up the goodness

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and juftice of the Divine Providence,

Vol. VII. from all thofe Mifts and Clouds which are now upon it, and fully acquit it from all thofe Objections which are now raised against it, upon account of the afflictions and fufferings of good Men in this life, which are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in them.

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III. As for the Evil of Sin, which is the great difficulty of all. How is it confiftent with the goodnefs of God, to permit fo great an Evil as this to come into the World? For answer to this, I defire these two things may be confidered.

1. That it doth not at all contradi& the wisdom or goodness of God, to make a Creature of fuch a frame, as to be capable of having its obedience tryed in order to the reward of it, which could not be, unless fuch a Creature were made mutable, and by the good or bad ufe of its liberty, capable of obeying or difobeying the Laws of his Creator; for where there is no poffibility of finning, there can be no tryal of our Virtue and Obedience, and nothing but Virtue and Obedience are capable of reward.

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The goodness of God towards us is fufficiently vindicated, in that he made us capable of happiness,and gave us fuf'ficient direction and power for the attaining of that end; and it does in no wife contradict his goodness, that he does not by his Omnipotency interpose to prevent our fin; for this had been to alter the nature of things, and not to let Man be the Creature he made him, capable of reward or punishment, according to the good or bad ufe of his own free choice. It is fufficient that God made Man good at firft, tho mutable, and that he had a power to have continued fo, tho he wilfully determined himself to evil; this acquits the goodness of God, that be made Man upright, but he found out to himself many inventions.

2. If there had not been fuch an order and rank of Creatures, as had been in their nature mutable, there had been no place for the manifeftation of God's goodness in a way of mercy and patience; fo that tho God be not the Author of the fins of Men, yet in cafe of their willful tranfgreffion and difobedience, the goodness of God hath a fair opportunity of difcovering

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