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mighty to perfection: It is as high as heaven, what canft thou do? deeper than hell, what canft thou know? the measure thereof is longer than the earth, and broader than the sea, 11. Job 7, 8, 9. But though we cannot discover all the Wisdom of Providence, no more than we can the Wisdom of the Creation, yet we may difscover enough to fatisfy us, that the World is governed as well as made with infinite Wisdom: When we contemplate God, it is like losing our selves in a boundlefs Profpect, where we fee a great many Glories and Beauties, but cannot fee to the end of it. We may discover admirable and furprizing Wisdom in that little we fee of Providence, as I have already briefly obferved upon feveral Occafions; but we know fo little of what has been done in the World, and by what means it was done, and what Ends it ferved, that it is no wonder if we have as imperfect a view of the Wisdom of Providence, as we have of the Hiftory of the World. But yet whoever diligently applies his Mind to the Study of Providence, will fee reafon to admire a great many Events, which carelefs Obfervers make objections against Providence: Which will be of,fuch great ufe to confirm us in the belief of a Providence, and to give us a profound Veneration of the Divine Wisdom, that I fhall venture to make fome little Effay of this Nature; which though I am fenfible muft fall infinitely fhort of the Dignity of the Subject, yet will fuggeft fome very use ful Thoughts, and fhew us the most delightful and profitable way of ftudying Histories, and Providence. And to do this in the beft manner I can, I fhall

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1. Confider fome great Events recorded in Scripture, which are as it were the Hinges of Providence, whereon the various Scenes of Providence turned.

2. I fhall take notice of fome other vifible Marks and Characters of Wisdom in the more common Events of Providenee, especially fuch as are made Objections against Providence.

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1. Some great Events recorded in Scripture, which gave a new Face of things to the World, and opened new Scenes of Providence.

The State of Innocence, wherein Man was created, was a State of perfect Happiness. There was no Death, no Sickness, no Labour, or Sorrow; but the Fall of Man made a very great change in this vifible Creation: Man himself became Mortal, and was condemned to an induftrious and laborious Life; according to that Sentence, Curfed is the ground for thy fake; in forrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns alfo and Thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field: In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it waft thou taken: For dust thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return, 3. Gen. 17, 18, 19.

This was a very fevere Sentence, which deprived Man of Immortality, and of the eafy and happy Life of Paradife; condemned him to Labour and Sorrow while he lived, and then to return unto Duft; and yet the Wisdom as well as Justice of Providence is very visible in it; it was not fit that when Man had finned, ́ he fhould be immortal in this World; and an induftrious and laborious Life is the best and happiest

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Difcourfe of happieft State for fallen Man, as I have elsewhere fhewn at large.

Death, ch. 2. Se&. I. Difcourfe of Judgm.ch. I fe&t. 8.

We know little more than this of the Antediluvian World, till we hear of the general corruption of Mankind, That the earth was filled with violence, for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth; infomuch, that it repented the Lord that be bad made man upon the earth, and it grieved bim at his heart, 6. Gen. This was fo univerfal a Corruption, that there was but one righteous Family left, only Noah, and his three Sons, and therefore God refolved to sweep them all away with an univerfal Deluge, excepting that one righteous Family, whom he preferved in the Ark, which he appointed Noah to prepare for that purpose.

The Juftice of this no Man can difpute; for if all Flesh corrupt its ways, God may as juftly deftroy a whole World of Sinners, as he can punish, or cut off any one fingle Sinner. But that which I am now concerned for, is to fhew the wonderful Wifdom of Providence in the deftruction of the Old World by a deluge of Water; and rightly to underftand this, we muft confider the several Circumftances of the Story, and what God intended by it.

Now though that wicked Generation of Men deferved to be deftroyed, yet God did not intend to put a final end to this World, nor to cut off the whole Race of all Mankind, but to raise a new Generation of Men from a Righteous. Seed; and to make the Deftruction, of the Old World a ftanding Warning, and a visible Leffon of Righteoufnefs to the New: And a few Obfervations will fatisfy us, that nothing could be more wifely defigned for this purpose:

1. Let us confider the Wisdom of Providence in destroying the Old World without the utter Deftruction of Mankind. It was too foon to put a final End to the World which he had fo lately made, without reproaching his own Wifdom in making it. There had been very little of the Wisdom of Government yet feen, but one Act, and that concluding in all diforder and confufion; and had God left off here, and put a final end to the Race of Mankind, it had been but a very ill spectacle to the Angelical World, to fee a whole Species of Reasonable Beings fo foon destroyed. The Old Serpent, who deceived our first Parents, would have gloried in his Victory, that he had utterly spoiled and ruined the best part of this vifible Creation, and even forced God to destroy the most excellent Creature he had made on Earth. But God had threatned the Serpent, that the Seed of the Woman fhould break his Head, and therefore the whole Pofterity of Eve muft not be destroyed, but a Righteous Seed must be preserved to new-people the World.

But befides this, The Destruction of the Old World being intended as a warning to the New, it was neceffary there fhould be fome living Witneffes, both of the Destruction and the Refurrection of the World, to affure their Pofterity of what they had seen, and to preserve the Memory of it to all Generations. Of which more presently.

2dly. The Wifdom of God was very visible in delaying fo terrible an Execution till there was no Remedy. To deftroy a World carries great Horror with it, and makes a frightful reprefentation of God, if it be not qualified with all the

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moft

moft tender and foftning Circumftances. And I cannot think of any thing that can justify Providence in it (excepting the laft Judgment, when the Divine Wifdom thinks fit to put a final End to this World) but the irrecoverable State of Mankind, and the abfolute neceffity of fome new methods of reforming the World.

And therefore God delayed the Destruction of the Old World, till all Flesh had corrupted his Ways, and there was but one Righteous Family left, which must be in danger of being corrupted too by the univerfal Wickednefs of the Age. However, it is certain, That though Noab might have preferved his own Integrity, and have taught his own Family the Fear and Worfhip of God,..yet he could do no good upon the reft of the World; he was a Preacher of Righteoufnefs, but his Sermons had no effect. It is generally concluded by the Ancients, that he was an hundred Years in building the Ark, and all this while he gave vifible warning to them of the approaching Deluge: Now when it was impoffible by any ordinary means to put a ftop to the Wickednefs of Mankind, what remained but to deftroy that corrupt and incurable Generation, and to preserve righteous Noah and his Sons, to propagate a new Generation of Men, and to train them up in the Fear and Worship of God? Had he delayed a little longer, the whole World might have been corrupt, without one righteous Man in it; and then he muft either have maintained and preferved a World of Atheists and profligate Sinners, or must have destroyed them all: But it more became the Divine Wifdem, when Religion was reduced to one Family, to defer Vengeance no longer, while he had one righteous Family to fave to preferve

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