II.

tue there, whofe righteous foul was long vexed SER M. with their unlawful deeds; while God continued such a warning to them, unwilling that they should perish; and at last represented himself as ready to fpare the city, if there were found in it but ten righteous perfons. Towards the generality of mankind, and in the ordinary courfe of things, lenity is fo apparently the character of the divine government, the inftances of its severity so very rare, and punishment fo long delayed, that this is often abused by finners to the encouraging and hardening themselves in their wicked courses; and because fentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the fons of men is fully fet in them to do evil *.

And now to conclude, If upon the whole it appears by the best judgment we can make of the works of God which are known to us; by the frame of inanimate nature, and the conftant providential direction of its course, as related to living creatures; by the animal conftitution fitted for various kinds of enjoyment, and liberally fupplied with the means of it; especially the constitution of the human nature, indued with noble powers and affections, in the proper exercise of which it is capable of attaining to a high degree of perfection and felicity; and by the conduct of divine

*Ecclef. viii. 11.

SERM. divine providence towards mankind, conti II. nually heaping favours upon them notwithstanding their fins, and exercifing all the forbearance and indulgence to them which can confist with a regard to righteousness and virtue, (the promoting whereof thro' the whole creation in his uniform design, most worthy of perfect goodness ;) if, I fay, it appears by the beft judgment we can make upon a furvey of these the works and ways of God, all of them which fall under our obfervation, that the universal tendency is to happiness, and therefore the universal intention feeing the cause is perfectly wife; various happiness, according to the various capacities of the beings it is defigned for ;-muft we not conclude, that he is a kind and benevolent being, that the Lord is good unto all, and his tender mercies are over all his works.

SER

(95)

SERMON III.

The principal Objections against the
Goodness of GOD anfwered.

There is none good but one, that is God.

A

S there is no principle of greater ne-SER M. ceffity and importance in religion than III. the goodness of God, (indeed without

it religion cannot fubfift,) there is none of which we have more clear and fatisfying evidence. Univerfal nature proclaims it; and wherever eternal Power and God-head are manifefted, there also goodness is feen, being understood by the things that are made. The inanimate part of the creation, itself uncapable of any enjoyment, is fo framed and governed as to have a visible relation to life, and to be fubfervient to its prefervation and happiness. The animals of the earth are continually cared for by bountiful providence ; and especially man, confidered in the whole com

pafs

SERM. pass of his being, is a monument of his creaIII. tor's beneficence.

But there is an objection against this doctrine taken from the evil which there is in the

world. This very world which is represented as fuch a theatre of the divine goodness, and particularly the state of mankind, seems on the contrary to contain fo much evil of various kinds, that some have been extremely shocked by it. If the fupreme ruler, whose power is irresistible and his knowledge unlimited, be perfectly good, and he defigned the happinefs of his creatures,-How fhall the many calamities which men feel themselves perpetually fubjected to, and deeply affected with, be accounted for? Whence comes fickness and pains, poverty and distress, famine and pestilence, wars and defolations? And if these miferies are alledged to be the natural or penal confequences of moral evil, how shall the permiffion of that moral evil be explained?

This difficulty has appeared fo great, as to give occafion to a scheme of principles directly oppofite to those which we have endeavoured to establish, I mean that which is commonly called the Manichean fyftem, (first, 'tis probable, vented among the Perfian Magi, afterwards embraced by fome profeffed Chriftians,) concerning two independent principles in the

univerfe,

universe, the one good the father of lights, SER M. from whom good of every kind is derived as III. from its proper author and caufe; the other an eternal, neceffary, and self-originated principle of evil, to whom, as its true cause, must be attributed all the evil, both natural and moral, which is in the world. It may be obferved, that this opinion abfurd as it is, profeffes a respect to the article we are now confidering, the goodness of God, being not avowedly levelled against it; the evidence of it is, it seems, fo glaring, that none of mankind who acknowledge a deity pretend to deny it; but is levelled against his omnipotence, his independence, and abfolute fupremacy. But as the proof of these perfections and glories of the fupreme being is too strong to be shaken by any pretence whatsoever, fo the Manichean error, whatever it pretends, really fubverts the doctrine of God's goodness itself so far as it is the foundation of religion; and defeats the most effential pious affections which arise from it, by destroying confidence in God, from whose dominion, according to that scheme, evil is exempted, and we can have no hope of escaping it by his infufficient power; and it corrupts the true notion of moral evil, leading us to understand it, not as the voluntary, and therefore culpable act of VOL. II.

G

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