A PraClical Expojition Counfel of Acbitophc!, prevents all that Mifchief that fo Wife an d fo Wicked Statifman might afterwards have contrived, upon whic h he goes home aod han 1 himielf ; and as if his Sagacity forfook him not in his Death, by that laft A8:ion gags a Propbetick Omen of his Mafier's attending Dcfliny. \e Sometimes God cuts off thei r Inftrumems for Exccurion; So God miraculouily de- feared the huge and va!l Hofr of the blafphe ming Robjhekab, and by unfeen Strokes llew almofi Two Hundred Thoufand of them dead upon the Place. Som01imes God immediately !hikes their Perfons, and difables their Natural Faculties ; fo he fmote the Men of Sodom with BlindnefS, and put out thofe very Eyes that had kin dled in them the Flame:; of unnatural Lults: Thus li kewifc when Jeroboam had firetched fott h his Hand to lay hold on the Propb<t God fuddenly withers it up. Sometimes h e l1ides their Wits fiort;l them, and befots them: So the Jews inJobn 7· 30. fought to have :lpprehended Jefus; and though he was in the vety midfi of the m was enough of them to do it, yet God fo allonHhcs them, that they only on him, whiH! he palfes through the Crowd of them, and ef~apfS away. it is a great Mercy of God to take away that Power from Men rhar he fees they will only ufe to their own De!ltuaion. And tho ugh Wicked Men would think that ifGod fbould now flrike them Dumb, or Blind, o r Lame, or Impotent, that ir would be a bea\1Y Plague or Curfe iuftiEled upon them; yet, b elie\1e it, it is tar better that God fhould ihike thee Dumb, than that ever tho u fbouldert open thy Mouth to rail at him and his People: Better tl)ou wen fhicken Blind, than that ever the Devil and fihhy Lufts !hould enter into thySoul by the Windows of thine Eyes: Better that thou wen maim'd, than that ever thou fhouldft have P ower to commit thofe Sins which will damn if but intended, but ifexecuted will f ink the Soul Sevenfold deeper into Dam. nation. Secondly, Someti~~~es Providence prevents Sin, by raifing up other oppofice Powers aga1nft a Sinner. Thos God defeated the Defigns of the Scribes and Ruler$, who ha· ted Chrill, and ofrentimes they would have put him to Death; but it is f~lid they feared the People, whom his Do£\rine, his Miracles, and his Courfe of Life had obliged to bimfelf. Inftances of this Natur e are many, and occur familia rly, ' Thirdly, Sometimes Providence cafl:s in fame feafonable Diverfion ·"hicb turr.s Men off from the Commiffion of thofe Sins which they bad intended. ·.. LIUS the Pto• vidential palling by of M(rcbants induced the Patriarchs to Sell thcit Brother Jofeph, whom before t~ey had determined to famifh. As skilful Phyficians, when one Par t of the Body is oppreffed with ill and peccant Humours) draw them to anothe r Part lefs dangerous: So God by hi:; Providence many times turns Men from the Commiffion of greater Sins to a ldfer Sin. And I believe there are but few Men, who if they will but ferioully examine their Lives, may prod uce many lnftances, both of the De· vil's Policy in fitting them with Occafions and Op portunities of Sinning, and ofGod's Providence in caufing fame urgem Affairs, or fame fudd en and unexpeEled .A.ccitfenlt, to intervene, whereby they are turned ofFfro m what rhey purpofed. Fourthly, Sometimes by his ProviJence he takes off the OhjeOs againft which they intended to Sin. Thus God preferved St. Peter from Herod's ambitious Rage. He intended the next Morning to put him to Dearb, but that very Night God fends his .Angel to work his Efcape, and thereby hinders the Execution o f that wicked Purpofe. And rhus in al! Ages God many rimes hides his Children from the Fury of wickedMen , that their Wrath againlt them, like Saurs Javelin, miffeth David, and ftriketh only the li\iall, from whence it often rebounds' back into their own Faces. Thefe now are fome of the moft Remarkable Methods of Divine Pr(J7)idtnce, in pre- venting the Sins ofMen. And I am very pr one to think that there are very few who if they will he at the Pains to rcflea back upon, and flriE!ly examine that Part of their Live! that is paft and gone, they may eafily produce many Remarkable Inftances, both of the DevH's Policy in firring them wh h Opportunities and Occ:1fions of finniog, and of God's Providcnces ·in caufing fome immergent Affairs, or fome other firange and unexpe8::ed Accidents, to interpofe, fo that he bath either GraciouOy taken away our Power, or taken away the Obje8s of our Lufis, or divened us when we were in the Purfuits of them. To this we owe much of the Innocency, and in f ame RefpeEts Blamelefnefs, of our Lives, that we have no t been a Scandal ro the Gofpel, a Shame to the Good, and a Scorn to the Bad; And this is the fof/ Way how God preferm from Sin by his Providtnce. Secondly, God preferves from Sin by his Rejlraining Graa. Now this Rejiraining Grace is that which is common, and vouchfafed to wi<ked Men as well as good. In· · •deed
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