in his own Image. The Time would fail me curioufly to examine the many Excellencies of it; befides that, fuch an Examination would not be very fatisfactory. For the Soul is framed with fo much Sub-, tility, that it is infearchable even to itfelf: Tis fearfully and wonderfully made, the Knowledge of it is fo high, that we cannot attain unto it. Tho' the most ignorant Perfon is well affured, that he can Apprehend, Remember, and Think; yet the most knowing can but guefs how they do fo, or where the Principles of those Acts are placed. Let it then fatisfy us, that we enjoy them, and have feveral good Ends which they ferve; the chief whereof is gratefully to contemplate the Bounty of the Benefactor by whom they were beftowed.

Man could not deferve any Favour, much less fuch peculiar ones; but God at the first forming of him, conftituted him Lord over the Works of his Hands, out of his own meer good Pleasure: Out of his own free Goodness, he gave him a Body exceedingly preferable to thofe of other Beings; and infufed into it a Soul endowed with Reafon and Immortality.

Neither did his Goodnefs ftop here; but he graciously youchsafed to enter in

to

to a Covenant with him, that if he faithfully obeyed his Commands, he fhould af ter fome Time, be tranflated to a Place of never ending Felicity in another World; and for the prefent, dwell in the most delightful Part of this. And though Man yielding to the Devil's Temptation, un-. gratefully tranfgrefs'd the divine Command, and fo forfeited his Title to the Heavenly, as he loft his Poffefsion of the earthly Paradice; nevertheless, God had fo much tender Love and Concern for him, that though he turned him out of Eden for ever, yet he made him again capable of getting Admiffion into Heaven.

But I thall wave the confidering of This any farther, till I come to fhow the Goodness of God, from the Redemption of the World by our Lord JESUS CHRIST; and shall now proceed to my Second Argument for it, to wit, the Prefervation of the World.

The Fall of Adam had a fatal Influence upon all those that came out of his Loyns: He himself lived to fee the miferable Effects of it, in the horrible Corruption of their Manners. And not long after his Decease, the Wickedness of Man was fo. great in the Earth, the Thoughts of his Heart were fo continually evil; that it re

pent

pented the Lord that he had made Man, and it grieved him at his Heart. Now for God to preferve the World, notwith standing so great, and lo often repeated Affronts; for him to permit all Things to continue in being, notwithstanding fuch a provoking Rebellion against him, is a very bright Evidence of his Long-fuffer ind; and Long-fuffering is one of the highest Marks of Goodness: Had not God been Infinite in it, 'tis highly probable, that he would have immediately withdrawn Existence from the whole Race of Mankind; and hurl'd back the Universe into its original Nothing. But his Vengeance was reftrained by the

Riches of bis Goodness, and his Juftice

as

it were curb'd and check'd by his Mercy.

'Tis true indeed, that God did pour forth the Vials of bis Wrath upon that finful Generation. But even in the Midst of that Judgment he remembred Mercy; and faved Noah with his Family, in order to People the Earth again after the Flood was over. Nay, farther, St. Peter tells us, That the Long-fuffering of God waited in the Days of Noah, while the Ark was a preparing: So that had those wicked Wretches amended their Lives during that Seafon; had they in that Interval, wafhed

washed away their Sins with the Tears of a penitential Sorrow; we have juft Reafon to conclude, that they had prevented the Fountains of the great Deep from fending forth those mighty Torrents; and the Floodgates of Heaven from difcharging on them thofe amazing Streams of Water: But they went on ftill in their Wickedness, and were therefore at length over taken by a Judgment worthy of God. A Judgment which one might think, would have ftruck fuch a Terror into those who faw and efcaped it, as would have always withheld them from offending him who fent it, by any Sin; and yet we find that Noah himself within a little while after it, became guilty of the Sin of Drunkennefs; and he who was in no Danger from the Flood of Water, was almost drown'd by the Overflowings of Wine.

And indeed the Generations which fprang from him, have all along liv'd in a Revolt from their Creator. Both facred and prophane History give a fad Account of their prodigious Wickedness and Debauchery. As for those that were Heathens, we find that their Deities were lewd and licentious; 'tis therefore no ftrange Thing to read that the Votaries were so too.

And as for the Jews, they

were

ར

were likewise a moft provoking Nation, a moft difobedient, obftinate, fliff-necked People: But nevertheless, we fee that God preferved the World, and all Things therein in their mutual Order; catifed Seed-time and Harvest; Summer and Winter; Day and Night, to fucceed cach' other; and moreover gave Rain from Heaven, and fruitful Seafons, filling the Hearts of thofe impious Wretches with Food and Gladness. And would he have done all this if he had not been infinitely Good? Would have preferved the Earth, and its kindly Fruits to the Ufc of fuch ungrateful Creatures, if his Goodness had not been without Bounds?

Once more, and to conclu de this oint.. How daringly is the divine Majefty affronted every Day? And that too by us who enjoy the Light of the glorious Golpel, and can't well be ignorant of the dreadful Penalty which is thereby incurr'd? But notwithstanding all this, God ftill permits his Sun to rife, and bis Clouds to drop Fatnefs upon us; be daily follows us, compaffeth us about, and loadeth us with bis Benefits: And what should be the Reason of fuch a Procedure as this? Why, 'Tis becaufe his Goodness is infinite, and bis Mercy over all his Works: He is

L

not