588 COD'S GOODNESS VINDICATED. and the devil more thanhe. God pitieth his children's froward- ness, especially when neçessitated naturally by diseases ; and he that pardoned peevish Jonas, that said, I do well to be angry to the death;" and cdmplaining Job; and excused his sleepy disci- ples with " The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." will not condemn an upright soul, for the effect of a feverish 'deliration; or a melancholy that overcomes his natural power ofresistance. Quest. 20. ' Would you thus argue or quarrel against God's greatness and wisdom, as you do against his goodness ?' You suspect him to be unmerciful, because he cureth not men's sins, and preventeth not their damnation. And have you not the like occasion to argue against his other perfections? Do you think he reasoneth soberly that saith, ' He that maketh asses when he might have made themmen, or maketh idiots, or maketh stones That know nothing ; he that is the governor- of such a foolish, distracted, confused world as mankind is, is foolish himself, or unskillful in government, or wanteth wisdom. But God Both thus.' Is he not worse than a fool that will accuse his God of folly ? Doth not the admirable harmony of allthe1world, and his wonderful work in every creature, prove his incomprehensible wisdom ? And what would you say to him that should thus reason : ' He that ma- keth impotent worms, that suffereth the good to die, that suffereth the tyrantsof the earth to persecute his church and cause; is im- potent, and not almighty. But so doth God.' Would you not say, `I have the wonderful frame of heaven and earth, the sun and stars, the sea and land, to prove to me that he is almighty. This, therefore, is a proved foundation truth, to which all doubts must be reduced.' And if you dare not be so impudent as to deny his omniscience or 'omnipotence, when you think there is error or impotency in his works, why will you anymore deny his goodness when you dream that there is badness in his works? . Do you not know, that power, wisdom, and goodness are God's three essential .principles of operation, virtues, or properties? And that they are none of them greater or less than other? And that his goodness (though not as to be measured by human interest) is equal to his wisdom and his greatness? And do you not know, that to deny any one of the _three, yea, to deny the perfection of any one of them, is to deny that there is any God? And is he sober that will argue, ' There are frogs gild toads, there are worms and asses, there are fools and miserable sinners; therefore there is no God;'' when as there could neither be any of these, nor any world or being, if there were no God ? Quest. 21. Lastly, now consider, ' whether, evidently, the root of all this sin be not' (besides melara oly and Satan) the power
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