SERMON VII.

The Sins and Miseries of Men not God's Doings, but their own.

MICAH ii. 7.

O Thou, that art named the house of Jacob, is the Spirit of the Lord Straitened? Are these his doings? Do not my words do good to him that walketh uprightly?

THESE words are an answer to the complaints of the Jews under the calamities which they suffered, and under the apprehension of sorer calamities with which they were threatened. These, the prophet observes, were not owing to the want of power, wisdom or goodness in God, for his Spirit is never straitened; neither were they his doings, but their own. God's government never hurts them who walk uprightly, but always ensures their happi

ness.

We have already shewn, in what respects it may be said, "The Spirit of the Lord is not straitened." Hence the prophet infers,

II. That the evils which men suffer are not God's doings but their own. The illustration of this truth

is what now lies before us.

The scripture indeed teaches us, that "we receive evil as well as good, from the hand of God-that when there is evil in a city, the Lord hath done itthat he forms the light and creates darkness, makes peace and creates evil."

Some of the calamities which befal men seem to be more immediate operations of the divine hand. There are others which result directly from their own follies and vices. The latter, however, as well as the former, are, in scripture, ascribed to God's providence, because, in the constitution of his gov ernment, there is an established connexion between vice and misery. But still there is a sense, in which it may properly be said, "The evils which we suffer are not God's doings." For they are not the genuine effects of his original government, but the unhappy consequences of our perversion of it.

This is the language of the prophets; "O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself Thou hast procured this evil to thyself in that thou hast forsaken thy God. Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee. Know therefore and see, that it is an evil thing and a bitter, that thou hast forsaken the Lord. Thy way and thy doings have procured these things unto thee; this is thy wickedness, because it is bitter; because it reacheth to thine heart.-Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; but your iniquities have separated between you and your God."

From the perfection of God's moral character we may justly conclude, that he did not create rational beings to render them miserable, nor institute a government for the sake of spreading confusion and wretchedness among them. Our Savior has taught us, that God, from the foundation of the world, prepared a glorious kingdom for the righteous; but hell was prepared for the devil and his angels. When

God founded the world and placed man upon it, he prepared superior mansions for the reception of this new race, after their trial should be finished; but he prepared no hell for the punishment of the rebels of this race. The benevolence of his government was such, that not rebellion, but obedience was to be presumed. When some of the angels revolted, a hell was prepared for them. And when man, contrary to all reason, departed from God, and went over to the party of rebellious angels, he was justly doomed to that place of punishment, which had been already prepared for them. Man's hope of deliverance was founded on a new constitution.

If we believe God to be a most perfect Being, we must believe, that he is infinitely good; for goodness is essential to a perfect character. Whatever other properties a moral being may possess, if he is without goodness, we view him with entire disapprobation. Without this there can be no moral excellency. The nature of goodness is to will and choose the happiness of others. Hence, then, we may conclude, that God's government is framed and administered in such a manner as tends to the happiness of his subjects.

God's goodness, however, is not a blind, mechan teal impulse, which does good in particular instan ces, without regarding the general happiness; but it is always guided by unerring wisdom, which diseerns and chooses what is proper to be done. And on the other hand, his goodness is accompanied with justice, which never injures one for the superior happiness of another, nor injures a few for the happiness of a greater number. Goodness presupposes justice, and cannot exist without it. To do wrong to some for the greater benefit of others, is hot goodness, but wantonness. If, among sinner's VOL. IV.

H

equally unworthy, God grants to some the favors, which he withholds from others; or if, in his sovereign wisdom, he shews mercy to some, and, for the general good, inflicts deserved punishment on others, here is no injustice to the latter, but grace to the former, and goodness to many. Here is the particular election, of which the scripture speaks; and here may be applied the apostle's metaphor, "Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump, to make one vessel to honor, and another to dishonor?" But to make the innocent miserable, on the whole, for the sake of increasing the general happiness, is contrary to all our ideas of justice; and this surely God will never do. Justice is an essential attribute of the Deity; and to violate this cannot be for the general good.

God exercises over his creatures a government adapted to the natures which he has given them. As he has endued us with the faculties of deliberation, reflection, choice and action, so he governs us in a manner which leaves room for the exercise of them. Inanimate bodies are put in motion, and, as is generally supposed, are continued in motion, by his immediate impulse. Intelligent creatures are to be guided by rational motives and arguments. God marks out to them the path which leads to happiness; places before them proper motives to pursue it; offers them moral assistances, and allows them a space of probation. On him they are dependent for happiness and all the means and helps to obtain it. But whether they will seek the happiness offered them in the use of the means provided for them, and in the improvement of the assistances afforded to them, is referred to their own choice. If forsaking the path of righteousness, they choose and follow a course of wickedness, destruction and misery are before them. But are these God's doings? Are

they not their own? God has made to them the promises and stated to them the terms of eternal life; he has urged their compliance with these terms; he has warned them of the awful consequences of their refusal. Does not his government tend to happiness? Is any thing wanting but their cordial submission to it? What is it that exposes them to misery? Is it God's government, or their opposition to it? The carnal mind is enmity against God, and is not subject to his law. Hence to be carnally minded is death. To be spiritually minded will be life and peace.

We see even in the present life, a connexion between vice and misery on the one hand, and between virtue and happiness on the other. Much the greater part of the troubles incident to men, are the fruits and consequences of their irregular appetites, perverse passions and unreasonable actions. And the greatest enjoyments in life are those which spring from virtuous tempers and heavenly hopes. There are, indeed, many afflictions resulting from a state of mortality, which no man's wisdom or virtue can prevent. But these make not the principal part of human misery: And even these are the fruits of sin. The mortality of our race is the consequence of our general apostacy. "By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death pass ́es on all men, for that all have sinned." And this mortality, which is the effect of sin, is a necessary mean of its cure. Death, in its various forms, is a useful admonition of the evil of sin and of our guilty state, and an urgent call to repentance and newness of life.

Death was not a part of the original constitution under which man was placed; but was introduced by his violation of that constitution. Is it then God's doing? Is it not the work of man? God, in