derful; but the greatest Difficulty in all he fuffered, was, that he could not poffibly underftand what God meant and intended, in bringing all thofe Calamities on him: But had he known that this was only a Trial of his Patience and Virtue, and that God would reward thefe Sufferings with a very long and profperous Life, with a new Increase of Children, and new Additions of Riches and Honour, this had been no Difficulty, no Trial, any more than the Smart of his prefent Sufferings: But Job knew nothing of all this, and therefore did great Glory to God, and made himself an admirable Example of Faith and Patience to the World; and God made him as great an Example of the Rewards of Faith and Patience. Were the Events of Providence as conftant, regular and certain, and the Reasons of all Events as known and visible, as fome Men would have them, and complain that they are not, there would be no Exercife of fome of the greateft Virtues of the Chriftian Life, which do moft Honour to God, and are the greatest Ornaments and Perfections of Human Nature. Which evidently proves, That the Uncertainty and Obfcurity of the Events of Providence, that we know not what fhall be, nor in many Cafes the Reasons of what we fee, is neceffary to the Wife Government of Mankind, and therefore is no Defect, but the Beauty and Perfection of Providence.

Fourthly, We are neceffarily ignorant of a great many Things, without the Knowledge of which it is impoffible for us to understand the Reasons of Providence; and therefore we ought no more to complain that we are ignorant of

the

the Reasons of Providence, than we do of our Ignorance of other Matters, without the Knowledge of which, the Reasons of Providence cannot be known: As to name fome few of thein.

1. We are very ignorant of Men, as I observed before: We know not their Hearts, and Thoughts, and Counfels, we fee little of their private Converfation, we cannot look into their Clofets and fecret Retirements; and unless we knew better what Men are, it is impoffible we fhould understand the Reafons of God's Providence towards them. Now tho' as to external Appearances, there is fome Truth in this Objection, that Bad Men are oftentimes very profperous, and Good Men afflicted in this World; yet I doubt not, but when this Objection is applied to the Profperity or Affliction of particular Men, where it is once applied right, it is a Hundred times applied wrong; especially as to the Sufferings of Good Men For we very often take thofe for Good Men, who are not fo, and who many times pluck off their Difguife themfelves, and convince the World, that they are not fo: And yet if any Misfortune or Adverfity befal fuch Men before they are known, we are apt to wonder that God fhould afflict fuch Good Men as they are, and think it a great Difficulty in Providence; when they themselves know, that they deferve all that they fuffer, and a great deal more.

Nay, I believe there is not a Good Man in the World, who knows himself, and impartially obferves his own Thoughts, and Paffions, and Actions, but knows a Reafon why God at any time afflicts him; knows how he has

deferved

deferved it, and how he wants it, and can juftify the greateft Severities of Providence towards himself: I am fure, all the Good Men' in Scripture do fo, excepting Job; they frequently confefs and bewail their Sins, and acknowledge the Juftice and Mercy of God in what they fuffer: And as for Job, all that he infifts on, is to juftify his own Uprightness and Integrity, that he was no fecret Hypocrite, as his Friends uncharitably accufe him; that he knew nothing fo bad of himself, as to deferve fuch amazing Sufferings as God had brought on him. And indeed, Job's Cafe was very peculiar; and it appeared in the Conclufion, that God did not punish him for fome unknown Wickedness, but to exercise his Faith and Patience, and to make him a Glorious and Triumphant Example, of a firm Adherence to God, under the feveréft Trials.

Now when there is no Good Man in the World, who, upon his own Account, can charge God with afflicting him beyond what his Sins deferve, or the State of his Soul requires we have Reason to think, that there is very little Truth in this Objection; that did we know other Good Men as well as we know our felves,' we should as well underftand the Reafon why God afflicts them, as why he afflicts us And if there be a wife and juft Reason for the Sufferings of Good Men, whatever their Sufferings are, they can be no Objection againft Providence.

And it is very often feen, that fome Men are thought wicked as wrongfully and ignorantly, as others are thought good. It is a very little Matter, that will give Men a Bad Character in a Cenforious World: A Different Opinion in

Reli

gion, or fome External Modes of Worship: Nay, different Interefts, and State-Factions; nay, fome private Quarrels and Animofities, will make some Men paint each other as black as Hell can make them, and then quarrel with Heaven if it does not revenge their Quarrels, and execute that Vengeance which they doom each other to.

And as for others, who with more Reafon are thought bad Men, as guilty of known Immoralities, yet they may have a great deal of Good in them, many Generous Qualities, and Social Virtues, which may make them very useful Men in a Commonwealth; and they may do fo much good, as in the Opinion of Mankind may deferve fome Temporal Rewards, as may deserve Publick Trufts, and Publick Honours; and it is very hard to reproach Providence with the Profperity of fuch Men, which we our felves think well beftowed, notwithstanding their other Vices. And other bad Men may have fome fecret and latent Principles of Vertue, which deferve to be cherished; and when this is, God alone knows; but if we knew it, we should have no reafon to quarrel with the Kindness and Patience of God to fuch Men, which is intended to lead them to Repentance. And as for profligate Sinners who are at open defiance with God, it is feldom feen but that fome remarkable Vengeance at one time or other overtakes them, and vindicates the Juftice of Providence in their Coufufion. So eafy were it to juftify the Providence of God, both towards good and bad Men, did we fufficiently know Men. And our ignorance of Men makes it a very foolish and abfurd Objection; for if inftead of anfwering it, we should deny the Truth of the Objection, K

they

they have no way to prove it. Should we affert, That all good Men are Rewarded, and all bad Men Punished, who deferve to be Rewarded or Punished in this World, they have no way to difprove this, but by plain matter of Fact; by fhewing fome good Men Afflicted, who deserve a Reward, and fome bad Men Profperous, who deferve to be punished: Now this they can never do, without pretending to know what is in Man, to see their Infide, to be acquainted with all their Secrets; in a word, to know Men as God knows them: For tho' fome Men are Afflicted, whom we think Good Men, and it may be are fo, and fome Bad Men are Profperous, yet there may be fuch a mixture of Evil and Good in these Good and Bad Men, which we cannot fee, as may make it very Wife and Juft in God to afflict thefe Good Men, and to profper the Wicked; and fince we cannot poffibly know these things, it becomes us to be very modeft in cenfuring Providence.

2dly, We are in moft cafes very ignorant also of the Counfels and Designs of Providence: We feldom know in any measure, what God is a doing in the World; and then it is impoffible for us to understand the admirable Wisdom of all those intermediate Events, which tend to unknown Ends. In the best contrived Plot there will always be fome Scenes full of nothing but Mystery and Confufion, till the End explains them, and then we admire the Skill and Art of the Poet.

Now the great Obscurities and Difficulties of Providence are in fuch intermediate Events, before we know what God intends by them. As to give an Inftance or two of it.

Had