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contracted, as dross is taken away from silver in the furnace; and to make them white, by causing their sincerity, constancy and perseverance in their holy profession to appear in their trials. But the wicked men, secure in their sins, shall yet continue in their wickedness, and thereby shall be so blinded that none of them shall understand the mind of God in his great works and tremendous dispensations. But hown, they that have an understanding in their own state and condition, and in the state of things in the church of God, (as it is said of the men of Issachar, 2 Chron. xii. 32, that they were 'ny ra wm, 'knowing in the seasons,') they shall understand or come to the knowledge of the will of God and their duty in those things. And of a failure herein, see how God complains, Deut. xxxii. 28, 29.

2. That we consider what peculiar impressions of his will God puts on any of his works. Hereby we may know much of his mind and design in them. All the works of God if duly considered, will be found to bear his image and superscription. They are all like him, were sent by him, and are becoming of him. They have on them tokens and marks of infinite wisdom, power and goodness. Those of providence which he intends. to be instructive, have a peculiar impression of the design of God on them, and a wise man may see the eye of God in them. So he speaks in the psalmist, "I will guide thee with mine eye," Psal. xxxii. 8. He would make him see the way and paths that he was to walk in, by that respect which he would have to them in the works of his providence. This then I say we should inquire after and wisely consider; because,

Obs. XXI. 1. The greater evidence that God gives of his power and goodness in any of his works, the louder is his voice in them, and the greater is the sin of them that neglect them; which also is another proposition from the words.-God made then his works evident to them, so that they saw them," they saw my works," so they could not deny them to be his. And if men will shut their eyes against the light, they justly perish in their darkness: God sometimes hides his power, Hab. iii. 4. "that was the hiding of his power." That is, as the Targumist adds, was laid open,' his power that before was hid from the people was now manifested. But sometimes he causeth it to shine forth. As in the same place he had "horns coming out of his hand." 17 Horns or shining beams, rays of glory arose from his hand, or his power in the manifestation of it in his works. He caused his wisdom and power to shine forth in them, as the sun gives out light in its full strength and beauty. Then for men not to take notice of them will be a signal aggravation of their sin and hastening of their punishment. Now we can never know what appears of God in his

works, unless by a due consideration of them we endeavour to understand them or his mind in them. Again we should der the works of God's providence,

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Obs. XXII. Because the end of all God's works, of his mighty works of providence towards a person, a church or nation, is to bring them to faith and dependance, which is also another observation that the words afford us.-This end he still declared in all his dealings with this people. And it is the principal design of the book of Deuteronomy to improve the works of God which they had seen to this end. And "who is wise, and he shall understand these things; prudent, and he shall know them; for the ways of the Lord are right, and the just shall walk in them, but the transgressors shall fall therein," Hos. xiv. 9. And herein lies a great aggravation of the misery of the days wherein we live. The works, the great works of God are generally either despised or abused. Some account all that is spoken of them ar Angos, as a mere fable,' as some did of old the things concerning the resurrection of Christ on the first report of it, Luke xxiv. 11. And if they are not so in themselves, but that such things as are spoken of are done in the world, yet as to their relation to God they esteem it a fable. Chance, natural causes, vulgar errors, popular esteem, were the originals, with such persons, of all those great works of God which our eyes have seen or our ears heard, or which our fathers have reported to us: "Brutish persons and unwise." There is scarce a leaf in the Book of God, or a day in the course of his providence, that doth not judge and condemn the folly and stupidity of their pride. The very heathen of old, either by reason scorned, or by experience were made afraid to give countenance to such atheism. Nor do I esteem such persons, who live in an open rebellion against all that is within them or without them, against all that God hath done or said, worthy any consideration. "Because they regard not the works of the Lord, nor the operations of his hands, he shall destroy them and not build them up," Psal. xxviii. 5. Others will not deny God to be in his works, but they make no use of them but to gaze, admire and talk. There is somewhat less evil in this than in the former atheism, but no good at all. Yea, where God multiplies his calls by his works, men by this slight consideration of them, insensibly harden their hearts into security. Others abuse them, some by making them the rise of their vain and foolish prognostications; there is such a prodigy, such a strange work of God, such a blazing star or the like-what then? such or such a thing shall follow this or that year, this or that month. This is a specious way whereby atheism exalts itself. For nothing can give countenance to these presumptions, but a supposition of such a concatenation of causes and effects, as

shall exclude the sovereign government of God over the world. Others contend about them; some whose lives are profligate and whose ways are wicked, are afraid lest they should be looked on as pointed against them and their sins, and therefore they contend that they have no determinate language, no signification in them. Others are too forward to look on them, as sent or wrought to countenance them in their desires, ways, and aims. Amongst most, by these and the like means, the true design of God in all his great and strange works is utterly lost, to the great provocation of the eyes of his glory. This, as I have shewed, is every man's faith, repentance and obedience, which how they have been improved in us by them, we may do well to consider. Again, observe from the words, that

Obs. XXIII. God is pleased oft times to grant great outward 'means to those, in whom he will not work effectually by his grace. Who had more of the first than these Israelites in the wilderness? As the works of God amongst them were the greatest and most stupendous that ever he had wrought from the foundation of the world, so the law was first vocally given to them and promulgated amongst them, and not only so, but they had the gospel also preached to their ears, as we; not so clearly indeed, but not less truly, Heb. iv. 1. See their privileges and advantages, as they are enumerated by our apostle, Rom. iii. 2. ix. 4, 5. God might well say of them, as he did afterwards of their posterity, "what could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it," Isa. v. 3. for fencing, and planting, and stoning, nothing more could have been done. Outward means, ordinances, afflictions, mercies, they wanted not; and yet all this while, God did not " circumcise their hearts to love him with all their heart, and all their soul, that they might live," as he promised at other times to do, Deut. xxx. 6. yéa, it is said expressly that he gave them not "eyes to see, or ears to hear," that they might know him and fear him. He did not put forth or exercise an effectual work of inward grace, during their enjoyment of the outward means before mentioned. And therefore when God promiseth to make the covenant of grace under the gospel, effectual to the elect, by writing his law in their hearts, and putting his fear into 'their inward parts: he says expressly and emphatically that be will not make it as he made that with the people in the wilderness, and that for this reason, because they, that is the generality of them, had only the outward administration of it, and did not enjoy this effectual communication of saving grace, which is there called a "writing of the law in our hearts and putting of the fear of God in our inward parts," Heb. viii. 8-10. from Jer. xxxi. 31-34. In like manner when our Lord Jesus Christ preached the gospel to all, yet it was to some only to

whom "it was given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God," Matt. xiii. 11-16. I know some are displeased at this, but for the most part they are such as will be pleased with nothing that God either doth or saith, or can do or say, unless he would give them a law or a gospel to save them in and with their sins. They are ready to dispute that God is unjust, if he give not grace to every man to use or abuse at his pleasure, whilst they themselves hate grace and despise it, and think it not worth acceptance if laid at their doors. But thus God dealt with this people in the wilderness. Yea they had means of obedience granted them, after he had sworn they should die for their disobedience. "And who art thou, O man, that disputest against God?" Nay the righteousness of God in this matter is clear and conspicuous: for,

First, God is not obliged to grant any special privilege, even as to the outward means of grace, to any of the sons of men. And to shew his sovereignty and absolute freedom herein, he always granted them with great variety in a distinguishing manner. So he did of old, "he shewed his word" (27, 'his words,' that is his institutions) "unto Jacob, his statutes and his judg ments unto Israel. He hath not done so unto any nation, and as for his judgments they have not known them," Psal. cxlvii. 19, 20, These outward means themselves were their peculiar privilege and inclosure. This was the advantage of the Jews, that to them, and to them alone, "were committed the oracles of God," Rom. iii. 2. And God as he gave and granted these outward means of grace to them alone, so he might have justly denied them to them also, or he might have granted them to all others and withheld them from them. For he dealt not thus with them, because they were in and of themselves in any thing better than those, who were excluded from their privileges, Deut. vii. 6-8. ix. And thus God dealeth still even to this day with the nations of the world: some he entrusteth with the gospel, and some have not the sound of it approaching to them. Man would not abide in the condition wherein Gcd made him, Eccles. vii. 29. And God may justly leave him in the condition whereinto by sin he hath cast himself. That he will afford outward means to any, is of mere grace, liberality and bounty, and shall we say he is unjust if he give no more, when no rule or law of justice obligeth him to what he doth ? Men may by such means and apprehensions sooner provoke God to take away what they have, than to add to them what they have. not. A beggar's murmuring as though he had not his due, when any thing is given him, is the worst way of getting his alms increased.

Secondly, Even outward means themselves, when singly dispensed, have many blessed ends which shall be effected by them,

for they all tend variously to the glory of God. This I acknowledge is despised by men of profane and wicked principles, who have no concern therein. Men, whom nothing will satisfy but the making of all grace so common, as that it should be prostituted unto the corrupt wills of men, to be used or abused at their pleasure, as indeed they utterly evert all effectual grace, so they must find another Scripture to countenance them in their opinion. The book of God will not do it. They measure things merely by their own advantage. But to those that know God and love him, this is of great weight. That the wisdom, holiness, goodness, righteousness and severity of God, be exalted and glorified, as they are in the dispensation of the outward means of grace, though eventually not effectual to the salvation of some, is a matter of great rejoicing unto all that do believe. Again, they may redound unto the great advantage of men, and that both in this world and unto eternity. So saith our Saviour, Matt. xi. 23. "And thou Capernaum which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell; for if the mighty works which have been done in thee had been done in Sodom, it would have remained unto this day." The exaltation of Capernaum consisted in its enjoyment of the outward means of grace, in the preaching and miracles of our Saviour. And although the end of all was, that she was to be brought down to hell for her obstinacy in unbelief, yet while she enjoyed these things, she had a real privilege, and was much exalted thereby. And there might have been an use of these means, which, although it would not have delivered Capernaum from hell at last, because not prevalent against final impenitency, yet it might have delivered it from that hell of temporal destruction, which befel it not long after, as prevailing against their open and professed obstinacy. And so Sodom, had she been intrusted with the like means of instruction, might have continued in her outward state and condition, by such an use of them, unto that or unto this day. For there may be such a conviction of sin, as may produce that repentance and humilia'tion which will avert temporal judgments, which will not produce repentance unto salvation and deliverance from judgments eternal. And this renders the gospel the greatest privilege and advantage of any kingdom or nation in the world, and their principal interest to maintain it. Whatever work God is pleased to do secretly and effectually on the hearts of any, to bring them to the eternal enjoyment of himself; the very outward dispensation of the gospel itself, is suited to bring forth that profession and amendment of life in all, which shall secure unto them the enjoyment of peace and tranquillity in this world. Besides, the taking men off from their present sinful courses, will tend to the mitigation of their future punishment, or a di

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