e446 Of Converfon, or Turning anteOa. SHCT.IX he takes, but what is fit forhis end he propounds : As thePotter doth not make' every veffel inone thape, but one one way ; another; another, as his ufe is of it, Thus God theweth wonderful wifdóm the variety of his affli tions, one is one way exercifed, another, another ; becaufe they come not at random, but are framed by God, at his pleafure. Hence Dac.9. he is laid towatch over evil, to bring it upon them. God watchethover evil, to thew that he confiderswhat is the firtefi judr ement,what is the fìttefl feafon,whoare the fittell fubjeas : Oh howwell is it, that the framing and deviling of all evil, is not in the 'Devils hands, and wicked mens hands I they indeed frame evil, and devife malicious devices ; but theyareonely inflruments, every way limited, in power, in time and place, and therefore they cannot devour as they defire: And thus much Why judge- for the phrafe, Toframe anddevifeevil, When attributed to God. ments and af- In the next place, confider briefly, why judgements and affliaiens are fliftions are called evil ; For is not God ion in difpenhng of them ? Are not his judge- called evil, merits righteous and holy ? Do not the people of God with much joy and praife, acknowledge them ? why then fhould theybe called evil ? This hash (truck fo much upon force of the Ancients,; Arnobius and others , that they thought only that good came fromGod, which was pleolant and comforta- ble; and that theft bitter fore affliéhions, come onely Permigvé, as the Orthodox fay, about the evil of fin: And the error about this, made the A'Iarcioniteshold two firft and chief principles : One Good, from whom carne onely good; the other Evil and wicked, from whom carne onely evil: But the Scripture is very clear , and the Prophets are very diligent to in- form, That all the judgements they lay under, were brought by God upon them fór their fins. Fait therefore, They are called evil, becaufe though in their nature and ufe; thegood fruits of Gods juflice, yet they deprive us of stir temporal and fpirstual good We might enjoy: So,that ;¿ the happinefs and quietnefs we might have in body and foul, is truly calico Good ; fo that which depriveth us of thefe, may well be called evil. Thus the Prophet, Your inquiries Withhold good things from you, Jer.5.25. Oh how fhould this, if not the love of God, make thee let againft thy fin; for its that which deprived' thee of all temporal and fpiritual good; its that which turneth all thy honey into' gall, all thy wins. into vinegar, all thy bread into a thine. a. Secondly, It may Well be called evil,' becaufe it; the fruit of that Which to truly evil. The evil of punifhment is the neceffary daughter of the evil of fin; now it is ufual to call anyeffeft by the nameof the caufe, and nothing is more ordinary in Scripture, to call both fin it felt, and the punifhment of fin, by thename of fin : Thusfin is laid tolie at the door, Gen, 4:7. Chrifi became littler us, a Cor.4. Your fin Will finde you out, Numb. 32.23. that is, finand punith- tnent : So thatno manmay commit the evil of fin, with" hope todrapethe evil of punifhtnent, for theyare bothchained together. 3. Thirdly, They are evil, becaufe upon all men naturally Whev4 theyfall, if not preventedby grace, theydraw out their evil, they make themmore Wicked,as We may fee i in the damned: fo that afllìftions and judgements of themfelves, have no `futabie power to convert and turn from fin, but rather flu up the fire ofcor- ruption in men to a greater flame, They are as Garlike, and other unfavory herbs, themore they are pounced, theworfe is theirfinell. in thegreat. But although they hecalled evil, yet they arenothing fo evil, as theevil of ett evil. fin. The breach of Godslaw, the offence done to his Majefty, is infinitely a 'greater evil then any temporal or eternal mifery ; yea, this latter is tobe in. dured, rather then theother committed: Oh i who (hall perfwadethe world of this ? that to be poor, to be milerable, to be tormented with all kindeof cruel deaths here, and eternally tormented hereafter, is nothing fo bad as to commit the Mail fin ^ yet nothing is more true them this thing. Oh thou that judgett
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