is mine Indignation, I will fend him against an 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 of the Streets. Howbeit, be meaneth not fo, neither doth his Heart think fo, but it is in his Heart to deftroy and cut off Nations not a few.

And as God often makes use of the evil Actions of wicked Men to punish the Wickedness of other bad Men, fohe alfo overrules them for chastising his own Children on the Account of their Iniquities and Backflidings. A remarkable Inftance of this we have in the Punishments inflicted upon David for the Sins he had committed. For though he had fincerely repented of them, yet it was proper that Crimes of fo heinous a Nature, and which had caused fo great Scandal, fhould be followed with public open Marks of the divine Difpleafure. Hence it was that Abfalom was fuffered to carry his Rebellion to fo great a Height, to defile his Father's Wives, to drive him from his capital City, and reduce him to the utmoft Danger and Diftrefs. The true immediate Caufe of all this was Abfalom's Wickednefs, who freely followed the Dictates of his own Ambition, and the Bent of his corrupt and vicious Inclinations. And God in his righteous Providence fo ordered

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dered it, that he had an Opportunity given him of gratifying these his wicked Inclinations, and ambitious Views. This was permitted as a juft Punishment for the Crimes David had been guilty of; as appears from the Threatnings which had been denounced against him on this Account by the Prophet in the Name of God. 2 Sam. xii. 10, II, 12.

The like Obfervation may be made with regard to Shimei's curfing David. When Abishai would have killed him, David said, So let him curfe, because the Lord hath faid unto him, Curfe David. Who shall then fay, Wherefore haft thou done fo? This is not to be understood as if God had expressly commanded Shimei to curfe David, or had put that Malice and Wickedness into his Heart, or moved his Tongue to utter those opprobious Expreffions. But Circumftances were fo difpofed, that Shimei had a favourable Opportunity given him to vent the Malice, the Envy and Rancour which had been hidden in his Heart, in bitter envenomed Reproaches against David. And that Prince wifely carried his Views to the over-ruling Providence of God, who had permitted and governed this for his Correction, and who would not have fuffered these several Evils to have befallen him, or have given an Opportunity

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portunity to those wicked Perfons to treat him in fo injurious a Manner if he had not deserved thofe heavy Judgments and Calamities.

On this Account wicked Men may be called God's Sword, and his Hand, as they are by the Pfalmift. Pfal. xvii. 13, 14. And indeed, if good Men must be corrected, and fuffer for their Faults, as it is often neceffary they should, the wicked are the readieft Inftruments for fuch ungrateful Work, and need only be left to their own Inclinations, and to have an Opportunity given them for that Purpose. And in every fuch Cafe, it becometh the Sufferers with David to look beyond the immediate Inftruments, by whofe Malice, Injustice, or Cruelty they fuffer, and to adore the Hand of God, and acknowledge and submit to his righteous Judgments.

It may be farther obferved, that evil Actions are often over-ruled to the Punifhment of the Actors themselves. The Pfalmift mentioneth it to the Glory of Divine Providence, that the Wicked is fnared in the Work of his own Hands. Pfal. ix. 16. It frequently happens, that those Councils and Actions which bad Men defign to the Prejudice or Ruin of others, become the Occafion of their own. They fall into the Pit which they have digged, and

in the Snare which they have laid is their own Foot taken. Ver. 15. Thus God may, and often doth make the Sinner's own And Wickedness prove his Punishment. whilst he fuffereth him to perpetrate the Evil he feemed moft intent upon, ordereth it fo that this very Thing bringeth fuch Mischiefs upon him as ferve to punish him both for that and other Crimes he hath been guilty of.

I would. obferve in the last Place, that God frequently fo governeth the wicked Actions of Men as to bring Good out of them. This indeed is far from diminishing the real Evil of those Actions. For Sin of itself, and in its own Nature, hath only a Tendency to Evil; but such is the fovereign and admirable Wisdom of Divine Providence, that it caufeth Good to arife out of that Evil. A memorable Inftance of this we have in one of the worst Actions that was ever done in the World, viz. the betraying and crucifying the holy Jefus. St. Peter in his excellent Discourse to the Jews on the Day of Pentecoft, expreffeth himself thus; Him, i. e. Jefus, being delivered by the determinate Counfel and Foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked Hands crucified and flain. Acts And to the fame Purpofe is the Prayer offered up by the Difciples. Acts iv.

ii. 23.

27. Of a Truth, against thy Holy Child Fefus, whom thou haft anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the People of Ifrael, were gathered together for to do whatfoever thy Hand and thy Counsel determined before to be done. There were many Things which concurred here: The Avarice and Perfidy of Judas, the bitter Envy and Malice and worldly Policy of the Jewish chief Priests and Rulers, the blind Fury of the People, the Baseness and Injustice of the Roman Governor; all which were really the Faults of the Perfons concerned, and the evil Actions they committed were properly of their own doing. Nor did God exert any pofitive Influence for inclining and engaging them to all their feveral Parts in this deteftable Affair. he perfectly forefaw all these Things, and determined to order Circumftances fo as to give them an Opportunity of acting according to their Inclinations, and of executing their finful Purposes; and the Event that followed upon all this, viz. the Sufferings and Death of Chrift, was the Appointment of his Providence for the most wife and excellent Ends, and was rendered happily productive of the greatest Good, for promoting the Glory of God, and the Salvation of Mankind. The fame Obfervation may be applied, in an inferior P 4 Degree,

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