how carelefs foever we are of our thoughts, and the inward frame of our hearts, yet the fcripture affures us, that he who knows our hearts, will one day judge us according to them, Jer. xvii. 10. I the Lord fearch the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways. And the Apostle fpeaks of a day coming wherein God will judge the fecrets of men by Jefus Chrift, Heb. iv. 13. Rev. ii. 23. 3. This is matter of encouragement to us in many cafes: In our fecret troubles, Pfal. cxlii. 3. When my fpirit was overwhelmed within me, then thou knewest my path. In cafes of difficulty which depend upon the hearts of other men, which though we do not know, yet God knows them: fo the Apoftles, Acts i. 24. when they did not know whom to choofe for an Apostle, they refer it to God; and they prayed, and faid, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, fhew whether of these two thou hast chofen. But efpecially this is matter of comfort to us, when we fuffer by the calumnies and reproaches of men, when the world chargeth us with crimes of hypocrify and falfenefs, and infincerity, then to be able to appeal to the fearcher of hearts, as to our innocency and fincerity, and to fay with the Prophet Jeremiah, O Lord of hosts, that trieft the righteous, and feeft the reins and the heart, unto thee have I opened my cause, chap. xx. 12. and with St. Peter, God which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, Acts xv. 8. 4. This renders all the deep and profound policies of wicked men a vain thing: The Lord knows the thoughts of men that they are vanity; because he knows them, and can defeat them; he can bring their counfels to nought, and make their devices of none effect. He is confcious to the first motions of their hearts; he fees thofe cobwebs which they are fpinning, and can blow them away with a breath; he can fnare them in their own policies, and turn their counfels into foolishness. Thou that putteft a mask upon a wicked defign, and hideft the malice and revenge of thine heart under a diffembling counteVOL. VI. Gg nance, 4 nance, God fees thy defign, and hath a thousand ways to prevent it. When the politicians of the world think they have laid their defign with all imaginable caution, and that their counfels cannot mifcarry, being out of all poffibility of human dif covery or prevention; for all this, their counfels may come to nought, and though they have refolved it, yet it may not ftand; he that fits in the heavens laughs at them, the Lord hath them in derifion. As wife as they are, they are guilty of this overfight, that they did not take God into confideration, by whom they are furprised and difcovered. He that fees their defign, can blaft it in a moment; he can speak the word, and thy breath fhall go forth, and thou shalt return to thy duft, and in that very day thy thoughts perish, Pfal cxlvi. 4. 5. If God only knows the hearts of men, then what art thou, O man, that judgest another's heart? This condemns the uncharitablenefs of men, who take upon them to judge and cenfure mens hearts; which is, to speak evil of the things which they know not; to meddle with things which do not fall under their cognizance. What St. James faith, chap. iv. 12. There is one law-giver, that is able to fave, and to destroy; who art thou that judgeft another? is proportionably true in this cafe; there is but one that knows the heart; who art thou then that judgest another man's heart? Who art thou, O man! that takeft upon thee to fit in judgment upon thy brother, and to pafs fentence upon his heart, to pronounce him an hypocrite, a wicked man, and a damned wretch Art thou a man, and the fon of man, and wilt thou affume to thyfelf the prerogative of God? Man can only look to the outward appearance; but God feeth the heart. There is nothing doth more palpably discover the unchristian spirit of that new fect which is of late rifen up amongst us, than their taking upon them to judge men's hearts, and as confidently to cenfure every man they meet, as if they a had a window into his breaft: But they are not alone guilty of this; those who are fo ready to call men hypo 351 crites, they invade this prerogative of God. We may pronounce an action wicked, if it be contrary to the rule; or a man wicked, as to his present ftate, if the general course of his life and actions be wicked; for our Saviour tells us, by their fruits ye Shall know them. This we may do, provided we be called to it, and be fure it is fo: but to call any man an hypocrite, who makes an outward profeffion of religion, and whose external converfation is unblameable; this is to judge a man in a matter of which thou can't have no evidence; this is to afcend into heaven, and step into the throne of God, and to be like the moft High; for he, even he only, knows the hearts of the children of men. IV. From God's knowledge of future events we may learn, 1. The vanity of Aftrology, and all other arts that pretend to foretel future events, things that depend on the will of free agents. The vanity of these arts hath been fufficiently fhewn by learned men, from the weakness and uncertainty of the principles they rely upon: I fhall only for the prefent take notice that it contradicts this principle of religion, That God only knows future events. From prudent collections and obfervations, probable conjectures may be made of what will happen in fome cafes; but there are no certain perfpective-glaffes, with which we can fee future events, but divine revelation; therefore, whoever takes upon him to foretel future events without divine revelation, he arrogates to himfelf that which is the prerogative of the Deity; and God delights to chaftife the curiofity, and cross the predictions of these vain pretenders: Ifa. xliv. 24, 25. Thus faith the Lord that formed thee; I am the Lord that maketh all things, that stretcheth forth the heavens alone, that Spreadeth abroad the earth by myself; that fruftrateth the tokens of the liars, and maketh diviners mad; that turneth wife men backward, and maketh their knowledge foolish; as he alfo in fcripture threatens thofe who confult them, and rely upon them. Those who go to aftrologers, or wife men, as they call them, to know Gg 2 their their fortunes, and enquire of the events of their life, they for fake God, and betake themselves to lying vanities. 2. Refer future things to God who only knows them; truft him with all events; caft your care upon him. When you have ufed your beft prudence, and wisdom, and diligence for your fupply and fecurity for the future, leave the reft to God, for your heavenly Father knoweth both your wants and your dangers. When we are over follicitous about future things, we take God's proper work out of his hands, and ufurp the government of the world. Why do we take too much upon us? We are but of yesterday, and know not what will be to-morrow. Mind your prefent duty and work, and leave events to God: Secret things belong to the Lord our God; but those things that are revealed to us, and our children for ever, to do all the words of this law, Deut. xxix. 29. Do your Duty, commit the rest to God in well-doing. In this world we are in a mixed condition, which is made up of good and evil, of happiness and mifery: What is good for us to know, is revealed, that is our duty; but in great wifdom and pity to mankind, God hath concealed and hid the reft from us. He hath hid from us the good that may happen to us; because the best things of this world are but fhallow and empty, and if we could fee them before-hand, we fhould prevent ourfelves in the enjoyment of them, and eat out the fweetnefs which is in them, by delightful forethoughts of them: And he hath concealed future evils from us, left we fhould torment Qurfelves with the fearful expectation of them. Prudens, futuri temporis exitum, Fas trepidat. What a folly is it to make yourselves miferable with fear of being fo; ante miferias mifer! Use all wise means to prevent what you fear, and then be fatisfied, and be as happy as you can, till mifery come; go go not forth to meet it, fufficient for the day is the evil thereof; do not anticipate the evils of to- JT row, and take prefent poffeffion of an evil to come;' caft your care upon him, who hath promised to care for you. SERMON CXXXVI. The wifdom, glory, and fovereignty of God. JUDE Ver. 25. To the only wife God our Saviour, be glory and mas jefty, dominion and power, now and ever. I Am treating of the attributes of God, particu larly of thofe which relate to the divine underftanding, his knowledge and wisdom The knowledge of God, only implies his bare understanding of things; but his wifdom implies the skill of ordering and difpofing things to the best ends and purpofes, the skill of making and governing, and adminiftring all things in number, weight and meafure. The knowledge of God rather confiders things abfolutely, and in themfelves: The wifdom of God, confiders rather the refpects and relations of things, looks upon things under the notion of means, and ends; accordingly I defcribe them thus: The knowledge of God, is a perfect comprehenfion of the nature of all things, with all their qualities; powers, and circumftances. The wifdom of God, is a perfect comprehenfion of the respects and relations of things one to another; of their harmony and oppo fition, their fitnefs and unfitness to fuch and fuch ends. I have largely fpoken to the firft of thefe : · Icome now to the Second, The wifdom of God in general; together with his majesty and fovereignty, as they are here joined together. I begin with the Gg. 32 Firfi |