THE UNCONVERTED. 141 them by the mercy which they cast away and would have none of, God himself must be called unmerciful by them! But he will be justified when he judgeth, and he will not stand or fall at the bar of a sin· ful worm. , I know there are many particular cavils that~ are brought by them against the Lord; but I shall not here stay to answer them particularly, having done· it already in my T1·eatise of Judgment, to which I shall refer them. Had the disputing part of the world been as careful to avoid sin and destruction, as they have been busy in searching after the cause of them, and forward indirectly to impute it to God, they might have exercised their wits more profitably, and have less wronged God, and sped better themselves. When so ugly a monster as sin is wi.thin us, and so heavy a thing as punishment is on ns, and so dreadful a thing as hell is before us, one would think it should be an easy question, who is in l.he fault, whether God or man be the principal or culpable cause? Some men are such favourable judges of themselves, that they are more pi·one to accuse the infinite perfection and goodness itself, than their own hearts, and imitate their first parents, that said, "The serpent tempted me; and the woman that thou gavest me gave unto me, and I did eat;" secretly implying that God was the cause. So say they, "The understanding that thou gavest me was unable to discern; the will that thou gavest me was unable to make a better choice; the objects which thou didst set before me did entice me; the temptations which thou didst permit to assault me prevailed against me." And some are so loth to think that God can make a self-determining creature, that they dare not deny him that which they take to be his prerogative, to be the determiner of the will in every sin, as the first efficient immediate physical cause; and many could be content to acquit God fi·om so much causing of evil, if they could but reconcile ·it with hi13 being the chief cause of good, as if truths
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