The Nature, Vanger, and Cure us, that with Our LiYes were prolong'd to a thoufand Years, were ic poffible. nor chat we might have a longer Time and Space to repent, burrhatwemigh) the longer enjoy our Sins: Why, if God fhouldgrant your Wifi1, and kt:ep yo~ alive till the Day of Judg_ment; wouid n_or that Day become a rhou( 1nd-fold more gloomy and dreadtul ro us, than 1f God had cur us off at the ordinar Time and Age? And rhetefore ir. is a great Favour, that God vottchfafcs borh to the EleCt and eo Reprobates_, m char, fince the Flood, he hach cur fhort the D?.ys of Man upon Earth; for hereby the Elect come tO enjoy the Glory and Happinefs ofHeaven the fOone r, and Reprobates fe_el the Torments :.~nd Punifumems of Hell the lighter:) Providence by afpecdy Difparch preventing thofe Sins thatotherwife would fink them rhe deeper into Condemnation. Pr(fl)idence Secondly, God providentiali.J keeps Men from finning, if not by jhortning their Live; p~et~;n~ yet by cuttingjl;ort their Power, whereby they jhould be enabled to commit Sh 1 • All tha~ ~j!,;,,. en Power that wicked Men have to Sin, it is either from them{elves, or from thdir ning of wickedAifociates, whom they makeufe of as lnfirumems for theAccomplifhMensPorv· ment of their lmpicties ; but Providence can firike them in both, .and thereby er. give their Lufts a mifca,·rying Womb, and dry Breaffs. Sometimes God by his Providenc~cuts off. their evil lnitruments, and thereby dif<t.bles them from finning i fomettmes thetr Inftrumcnts for Counfel: Thus Prrn.ndmce by ovcr-rulingAbfalom to rejet1: the Counfcl of A'hitophel, prevents all that Mifchief that fo wife and fo wicked a Statefman might have comriv'd; and thereupon he goes and hangs himfelf. Sometimes he cuts off their Inftrumencs of Execution; and fo God difappointed the Hopes of b!afpheming Rabjhekah, and fenoan Angel that in one Night kills almoft rwo hundred Thoufand of the A.!Jjrians dead dn the place. Certainly it is great Folly for Men, upon Confidence of their wife and powerful Inftrumerits, to fet themfelves up againft that God that can, without or againft all Means and Inftruments, confound their Defigns, and fruftrate all theirEmerprizes: And as Godthusftrikes their Inftruments, fo fometimeshe :{hikes their Perfons, and takes from them the Ufe of thofe natural Faculties by which they fuould be enabled to commit their Sins: Sometimes he hides their Wits from them, and befots them; fo he did to the Je1vs, ]oh. 7· 30. Tbq fought to apprehend Jefw.; Why, who did hinder them? Was he not there among them? Was there not enough of them to do it? Yes, there was; butyetrheyonlyftand gazing at him, like Men befotted, tilt he efcaped aw.1y fi-om them. Sometimes God hides away their Hands from them, and enfeebles them; as in P[al. 7 6. ). None of the mighty Men htvtJefound their hands; God bath benumm'd them, and laid their Hands out of the way, when they lhould have ufed them. The So· Jomites, ~u know, fwarm'd thick about .Lot's Houfe, intending Villany to his Guefts, a d God fmites them with Blindnefs, rhat they grope for the Door, even at N on-day. Jeroboam firetcheth out his Hand againft the Prophet, and God fuddenly withers it. This is God's frequent Courfe with wicked Men; when he doth not fubdue their Wills, yet he oftentimes fubdues their Power of fin· ning; yea, rnd poffibly, akho' we have not fuch frequent Inftances of it, God may deal thus fometimes with his own Children: Thus he bath threatned, or promifed rather to his Church, that he will hedgwp htr 1vay with Thorns, that flte fhould not be able to break through to her Idclt, as formerly fuc had done: So you have it in Hof. z. 6. And indeed it is a great Mercy that God cloth take away that Power from Men that he fees they will only abu!e to their own Deftruction: It is nor Cruelty, bu t Compaflion, that chains up Mad-men, and rakes from them thOfc Swords, Arro'JVs, and Fire-brandJ, that elfe they would hurl up· and down abroad, both to their own and others Mifchicfs; and {0 it is God's common Pity to Sinners, that are very Mad. men, that fetters and chains them. up, and lays fuch a powerfulReftraint upon them by his Providence, that where their \Vills are not dcfeCl:ive, yet their Power to execute Sin, fuould be. What would wicked Men think, if God fuould now fuddcnly ftrikc them dumb, or blind, or lame, or impotent? \Vould they nocjudge this a heavy Judgment infliCted upon them? They would fo ; and yet believe it, it were better for them chat God fhouldftrike them dumb upon the place, than thar they fhould ever open their Mouths more to blafpheme and rail at God and his People ; better they were ftruck blind, than that the DC'tlil and \'ile Lufts fhould encer into rheSoul by thofc Cafements ; better that God fbould maim them, than that they fh~:;~
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