CHAf.I. upon the Epiflle of J A M B s . . VERS.l3· 'f>art1y through a wicked defire that is in men to blemifh the Being ofGod~ Man naturallyhateth God, and our fpight is fhewn this way, by polluting and·prophaning his glory, and making it become vile in our thoughts, for fin~e we cannot raze out the fenfe of the Deity,we would defiroy thedreadand reverence of it. 'Tis a fay– ing0fPlutarch, Malo de me dici nullum ejfe Plutarchum quam mahtm ef[e Plutarchum,de deo ms lefentire qu!tm deum ejftnegare pcjus duco; We cannot deny GrJd, and therefore we debafe him which is worfr, as '£is better not to be, then to be Wickfd; we think himaHneofus, Pfal.5o.21. and the Apol1lf faith, We turn hu glory into a lye, Rom. I. Well then, beware of this wicked– nefs, of turning fin llpon God ; the more n.ttural it is to us, the more tl10uld we take heed of It. We char~ God with om evils and fins dive~~ ways. · 1. When we blflme his Providence, the fiate of things, the times, the perfons about us, the circumfiances ofprovidence, as the laying of tempting objects in our way, our comition,&c. as ifGods difjofing of our interests were a calling us to fin: Thus A Jam Gm. 3 .J 2. The" oman 'Which thou gaveft me, foe gave me, and I did eat. Mark, 'cis o6/iquely refkded upon Qod, The Woman 'Which thou gavejl me: So many will plead the greamefs of their difiraelions and incombrances; God hath laid fo many miferies and difcouragcments upqn them, and cafi them upon fuch hard times, that they are forced to fuch fhifts, whereas alas qod fendeth us miferies not to 71Mkf m \Vorfe, but tomale! us bettsr, as Paul feemeth to argue in r Ctr. ro• .1 3· I4· if they did turn t~ Idolatry, the fault was not in their futferings and tryals, but in themfelves. Thus you makeGod to temptpu tojin, when you transfer it upon.· provi-:'ence,and blameyour condition, rather thenyour felve.r : Pro~ vidence may dtfjofe of the object, hut it cloth not impel or excite the lujl; it appointeth the condition,but Satanfetteth up thefnare; : 'cwas by Gods providence that the wedg of gold lay in Achan.t. '\\Jay, that Bathfhebawas offerednak.ed to Davids eye, that thefen.. fua! mar.~ hathabundance, that the timorouJ is furprized withper– fe.cution, &c. all thefe things are fromGod, for _the fault lieeh not here; the outward efiate, or the creatUJ:es that hav~.b~elJ the:o'§ca, fionJ ofour-jimzin!{,, cannot be blamed; as heauty in wome.n, ple,a:. fantnefs in wine; thefe are good creatures of god, meant for a re– medy, we tum them into a.fnare; the more of Gods goodnefs or. ~ 3 . glory . .
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