When God makes his name known to Moses, he proclaims, The Lord, the Lord God, gracious and merciful, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth.' Goodness is represented as the chief of God's perfections, as that in exerting which he takes the most pleasure. I am the Lord, who exercise loving-kindness, judgement, and righteousness in the earth; for in these things I delight, says the Lord.'-And St. John, in an expression stronger than all these, says, 'God is love.'

There are indeed objections to the goodness of God, taken from the evil that is in the world; which may be comprised under these two sorts, the evil of sin, and the evil of pain.

The Pagans knew by continual experience, that a torrent of natural and moral evil had spread itself over the world, but were at a loss to assign its origin; like the ancient Egyptians, who had constant evidence of the overflowing of the Nile, but could not find out the spring and the head of it.

How far the evil of sin may have entered into other parts of the creation, we know not; but that its contagious influence hath overspread this earth, is too plain. As we are rational beings, we are able to discern between good and evil, right and wrong; and as we are free beings, we have a power of choosing the good and abstaining from the evil: but even the most upright of us make not the best use that we could of these abilities, and in many things we all offend; whilst the worst abandon themselves to wickedness, and live in perpetual opposition to the laws of nature and to the will of God.

Besides which, we are informed by Revelation, that there are many beings, in order and nature superior to us, who corrupted themselves, and became evil spirits, and continue, from the beginning of the world, in a state of rebellion and obstinacy, and shall be found in the same hardened state, when our Lord comes to judgement.

To these difficulties two general answers may be made, in which an humble and modest mind may acquiesce.

1. We are so incompetent judges of God's providence, that we ought not to charge him with want of goodness from those evils which we see and experience.

If things be made and governed by a good Being, we may conclude that the evil which is in the creation, could not be prevented or removed; and that, when it is compared with the

good, it is so small, that it bears almost no proportion to it. But it is not strange that we should not be able to discover this from our own observation and knowledge of the course of things. We are inhabitants of an inconceivably small part of the world; we know at most the transactions of but a few thousand years. In this little spot where we are placed for the present, we find much evil; and we know that it hath continued what we call a long time. What is this to the boundless universe, and to the ages of eternity? The object of God's providence is the whole world, and in it are innumerable creatures. To all these the divine government extends, ordering all things in the wisest, in the justest, and in the kindest manner. But unless we could survey eternity and immensity, we cannot have a full view of this; and we must not pretend to say, that there is a defect of goodness in the administration of the whole from the consideration of that very little portion of it, which lies within the reach of our contemplation.

2. If this first answer be satisfactory, the second hath still more strength.

It is true there are objections to the goodness of God, which have in them no small difficulty. But in all questions of this nature, it is the part of every prudent enquirer to consider the difficulties on both sides, and to embrace the opinion which hath the fewest. By this way of judging, the question before us is soon decided; for there are many unanswerable proofs of God's goodness, there are many absurdities which follow the denial of it; and the difficulties which attend it, arise in all probability from our limited capacity, and imperfect knowledge, which cannot discover the whole plan and system of divine providence.

From these general answers, let us now descend to a consideration of particulars.

It was an act worthy of our beneficent author to create a variety of beings, endued with reason, and capable of immortal happiness. But a rational agent must be a free agent; for to reason and to act require and imply choice and liberty: and every creature and free being must have a power of sinning, unless he had the perfections of his creator, which is impossible. Thus the evil of sin entered into the world in such a manner, that it cannot be charged upon God, and prove any want of goodness in him.

VOL. II.

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If we consider the evil of pain as the consequence of sin, we must acknowledge that we are deservedly subject to it, and that beings who act perversely and unreasonably, ought to suffer for it.

The pain to which the good are liable, if it be to them an occasion of exercising many virtues, and of qualifying themselves for greater rewards in a better state, is profitable and desirable.

The pain to which the bad are exposed, if it may, as it certainly may, be useful to them, to reclaim them from sin, and to remind them to seek happiness where it is to be found, is also of great advantage; and if it have not this effect upon them, it is a punishment which they deserve.

Indeed, if we duly consider the thing, and take in all circumstances, from the very evil which is in the world, no slight arguments may be drawn to prove the goodness of God; since those evils have a tendency to produce such a variety of moral virtues and christian graces, and are alleviated by so many aids, and tempered and allayed with so many favours. Hence we may reason and infer,-If God be so gentle even in his corrections, so kind even in his anger, how great must his goodness, his munificence, and his recompenses be! Of all evil the worst is sin; and yet if we had not sinned, the clemency of God had not been manifested; nor would he have had those titles, in which he seems to glory,- The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.' Sin is the occasion of repentance; and repentance produceth humility, distrust of ourselves, religious fear and caution; and when it ends in reformation, it is a powerful motive to affectionate gratitude towards God, according to our Saviour's remark, that he to whom much is forgiven, will love much;' and at this happy change of one sinner, there is, as he also says, more joy in heaven, than over ninety and nine just persons who need no repentance.' 'Shall we then continue in sin, that grace may abound? By no means; for even long-suffering hath its limits, and patience itself may be provoked too far. But the consideration of the easy terms of reconciliation upon repentance and renewed obedience, should teach us to adore the riches of the divine goodness; which thus, out of the greatest evil, brings forth good.

As to temporal inconveniences and troubles, they are not only of a short duration, and a mere nothing compared to eternity; but, by God's appointment, they either produce desirable effects; or they are alleviated by many comforts; or they are compensated by many advantages. Labour, though it was at first inflicted as a curse, seems to be the gentlest of all punishments, and is fruitful of a thousand blessings: the same providence which permits diseases, produces remedies; when it sends sorrows, it often sends friends and supporters; if it gives a scanty income, it gives good sense, and knowledge, and contentment, which love to dwell under homely roofs; with sickness come humility, and repentance, and piety; and affliction and grace walk hand in hand. In general, the disagreeable events and the troubles, incident to human life, both wean us from an immoderate love of this world, and raise the hopes and desires to better objects, and soften the heart of man for the reception of the gentle affections, of affability, humanity, civility, pity, condescension, and officious kindness; and prevent or remove a certain narrow, selfish, and uncompassionate disposition, which often attends great health and a flow of prosperity.

Whilst we thus endeavour to vindicate the goodness of God, we must take care not to entertain false notions of it.

Because God is incomprehensible, some have concluded, that we can frame to ourselves no conceptions of his moral perfections; that they differ from human virtues, not only in degree, but in nature; that therefore goodness in God is a quality, which quite surpasses our apprehension. It is no wonder that profane persons are fond of this notion, which suits very well with their inclinations; but it is strange, that the serious and the religious should ever adopt it. For see what absurd consequences follow: it follows that, when we worship God, we worship we know not what; and that we worship him, we know not why; and that we have no reason to love him, to reverence him, and to put our trust in him; but too many reasons to fear him.

Because God is perfectly good and merciful, therefore sinners would willingly suppose, that he will not punish. They think, that God cannot be angry; and so far they think right: but thence they injudiciously conclude, that he cannot punish. Now,

because he is not only wise, but incapable of anger and of human passions and perturbations, for that very reason, he is the only being who is capable of punishing without error or excess, and of administering impartial justice. God is good, but he is just and wise; therefore we must not explain one perfection, so as to overturn the rest; but observe, that the goodness of God is regulated by wisdom and justice, as his wisdom and justice are tempered with mercy and goodness. This, indeed, seems evident, that an all-wise and good mind never punishes for the sake of punishing, for revenge; but for the good of his creatures, and for the advantage of the whole.

Let us conclude with a plain and practical inference.-Since God is so good to us, we ought in return to love him.

We find many motives to love him from a general consideration of his goodness to mankind, made manifest in the works of creation and redemption. We shall find further incitements to it, if we enter each into our own hearts, and reflect upon his kindness to us through the whole course of our lives; who hath protected us from many dangers, which we could not foresee, or knew not how to avoid; who hath heard us in the day of trouble, when we fled to him, and had no other helper; who continues to give us opportunities to serve him, and to repent of our faults, and to work out our salvation; and shows us so much patience and forbearance, so much favour and mercy, when we, perhaps, have been guilty of so many neglects and transgressions, and have made him so unworthy returns for all his benefits. And yet he is good to us, he supplies our wants, he spares us, and invites us to come to him, and offers us pardon and peace.

Man, of all creatures which fall within the compass of our knowledge, hath had the greatest experience of the mercy of God; and, if he loves him not, is guilty of ingratitude, loaded with every aggravating circumstance.

That we may avoid this crime, let us not suffer those things to be in any degree dear to us, which God hath forbidden us to love, and which are not worthy even of the slightest approbation and the coldest desire. Let us not give too great a share of our affections to those things, which he hath permitted us to enjoy let us not throw away our hearts upon fleeting objects, nor indulge an unhappy fondness for them, which