ways thus; but that thus it is, whenever God fees fit to interpofe, which he does as often as he has any wife End to ferve by it.

Thus we are told, That when a man's ways pleafe the Lord, he maketh even bis enemies to be at peace with him, 16. Prov. 7. And it is a very remarkable Promise God makes to the Children of Ifrael, that when all their Males fhould come Three times every Year to Worship God at Jerufalem, by which means their Country was left without Defence, expofed to the Rapine of their Enemies, who dwelt round about them, That no man should defire their land, when they go up to appear before the Lord, 34. Exod. 24.

We

have many Examples of this in Scripture, and fome of those many ways whereby God does it. When Abraham fojourned in Gerar, he faid of Sarah his Wife, that he was his Sifter, and Abimelech the King of Gerar fent and took her: But God reproved Abimelech in a Dream, and tells him, that he had with-held him from Sinning, and not fuffered him to touch her, 20. Gen. 1, &c. 'Thus when Jacob fled from Laban with his Wives and Children, and Laban pursued him, God appeared to Laban in a Dream, and commanded him that he should not fpeak to Jacob either good or hurt, 31. Gen. 24. Such appearances were very common in that Age, though they feem very extraordinary to us; but God does the fame thing ftill by ftrong and lively impreffions upon our Minds; by fuggesting and fixing fuch Thoughts in us, as excite or calm our Paffions, as encourage us to bold and great Attempts, or check us in our career by frightful Imaginations, and unaccountable Fears and Terrors, or by fuch other Arguments as are apt to change our Purposes and Counsels.

Some.

Sometimes God does this by a Concurrence of External Causes, which at other times would not have been effectual; but shall certainly have their Effect when God enforces the Impreffion.

Thus God in a moment turned the Heart of Efau, when he came out in great Rage against his Brother Jacob. It was an old Hatred he had conceived against him for the lofs of his Birthright and of his Bleffing; and he had for many Years confirmed himself in a refolution to cut him off, the firft opportunity he had to do it: And could it be expected, that the Present which Jacob fent him, which he could have taken, if he had pleased, without receiving it as a Gift; and that the Submiffion of Jacob, when he was in his Power, fhould all on a fudden make him forget all that was past, and the very bufiness he came for, and turn his bloody Defigns into the kindeft Embraces? No, this was God's Work, the Effect of that Bleffing which the Angel gave to Jacob, after a whole Night's wrestling with him in Peniel, 32. and 33. Gen. And when God pleases, the weakest means fhall change the most fullen and obftinate Refolutions.

Of the fame Nature with this is the Story of David and Abigail: Nabal had highly provoked David by the churlifh Anfwer which he fent him, and David was refolved to take a very fevere Revenge on Nabal and his Houfe; but God fent Abigail to pacify him, who by her Prefents, and dutiful and Submiffive Behaviour and wife. Counfels, diverted him from those bloody Refolutions he had taken, as David himself acknowledges: Bleffed be the Lord God of Ifrael, which fent thee this day to meet me, and bleffed be thy advice,

and

and blessed be thou who hast kept me this day from coming to fhed blood, and from avenging my felf with my own hand, I Sam. 25. 32, 33.

Saul purfued David in the Wilderness to take away his Life, and God delivered him Twice into David's Hands; and the kindness David shewed him in not killing him when he was in his Power, did at laft turn the Heart of Saul, that he pursued him no more, 1 Sam. 26, 27. ch.

Thus God confounded the good Counsel of Achitophel by the advice of Hufhai, which Abfa lom chofe to follow; and the Text tells us, this was from God, who had purposed to defeat the good counsel of Abitophel, to the intent that he might bring evil upon Abfalom, 2 Sam. 14. Such an abfolute Empire has God over the Minds of Men, that he can turn them as he pleases, can lead them into new Thoughts and Counfels with as great ease, as the Waters of a River may be drawn into a new Channel prepared for them.

2dly, When God does not think fit to change and alter Mens Wills and Paffions, he can go. vern their Actions, and ferve the Ends of his Providence by them. When God fuffers them to pursue their own Counfels, and to do what they themselves like beft; he does that by their Hands, which they little expected or intended. The fame Action may ferve very different Ends; and therefore God and Men may have very different Intentions in it; and what is ill done by Men, and for a very ill End, may be ordered by God for Wife and Good Purposes: Nay, the ill Ends which Men defigned, may be Difappointed; and the Good, which God intended by it, have its Effect: And this is as Abfolute a Government over Mens Actions, as the Ends of Providence require, when whatever Men do, if

they

they intend one thing, and God another, the counsel of God fhall ftand, and what they intended fhall have no Effect any farther than as it is subfervient to the Divine Counfels; as to give fome plain Examples of it.

Jofeph's Brethren being offended at his Dreams, and at the peculiar kindness which their Father Jacob fhewed him, refolved to get rid of him; but God intended to fend him into Egypt, to advance him to Pharaoh's Throne, and to tranfplant Jacob and his Family thither; and therefore God would not fuffer them to flay him as they first intended; but he fuffered them to fell him to the Ishmaelites, who carried him into Egypt which difappointed what they aimed at in it, never to fee or hear more of him; but accomplished the Decrees and Counfels of God. Another Example we have in the King of Allyrid, who came against Jerufalem with a powerful Army with an intention to deftroy it, but God intended no more than to Correct them for their Sins; this God fuffered him to do, but he could do no more. O Affyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation : I will fend him against a hypocritical nation; and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge to take the Spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire in the street. Thus far God gave him Commiffion; that is, thus far God intended to fuffer his Rage and Pride to proceed; but this was the least of his intention : Howbeit be thinketh not so, but it is in his heart to destroy and cut off nations not a few: But in this God disappointed him. Wherefore it shall come to pass, that when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon mount Zion and on Jerufalem, I will punish the fruit of the ftout heart of the King of Affyria,

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and the glory of his proud looks, 10. Ifa. 5, 6, 7, 12. A great many Examples might be given of this nature, but these are fufficient to fhow what different Intentions God and Men have in the fame Actions; and how eafily God can defeat what Men intend, and accomplish by them his own Wife Counfels, which they never thought of. When God has no particular Ends of Providence to serve by the Lufts and Paffions, and evil Designs of Men, he commonly disappoints them; that when they intend evil, and imagine a mifchievous device, they are not able to perform it, 21. Pfal. 11. Or he turns the Evil upon their own Heads; The heathen are funk down in the pit that they made, in the net which they hid, is their own foot taken; the Lord is known by the judgment which he executeth; the wicked is fnared in the work of his own hands, 9. Pfal. 15, 16. Or he doubly disappoints their Malice, not only by defeating the evil they intended, but by turning it to the great Advantage of those it was intended against; which was visible in the cafe of Haman, whose Malice against Mordecai, and all the Jews for his fake, did not only prove his own Ruin, but the great Advancement of Mordecai, and the Glory and Triumph of the Jewish Nation.

Having thus briefly fhewn, what Government God has both of the Hearts and the Actions of Men, how easily he can alter their Counsels, and manage their Paffions, make them do what Good they never intended, and disappoint the Evil which they did intend, or turn it into good; this is a fufficient Demonstration, how Abfolute the Divine Providence is; for he who has fuch an Abfolute Government of Nature, of what we call Chance and Fortune, and of the Wills and Actions of Men, can do whatsoever pleaseth