SERMON XI.

Of moral Evil, and that the Permiffion of it is confiftent with the Divine Goodness.

JAMES i. 13, 14.

Let no man fay when he is tempted, I am tempted of God; for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth be any man. But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own luft, and enticed.

G

OD bath fhown to men what is good,

and what be requireth of them*; yet is it too manifeft, that great numbers of those, who have not only the light of reafon, but of revelation alfo to direct them to good, both moral and natural, follow that which is evil; fo that they involve themfelves in prefent fufferings, and final de

* Mica vi. 8.

ftruction.

ftruction. Thoughtful men have endeavoured to account for this furprizing and melancholy event, by very different fuppofitions.

Some perfons, more concerned to excufe themselves, than to maintain the honour of God their Maker, have imputed all the fin and mifery in the world to him, and afferted it to be a neceffary confequence from the human nature, of which he is the Author, and from the circumstances amidst which he hath placed men. This notion St. James rejects with abhorrence in the text. read, and confutes by an unanfwerable argument, deduced from the perfection of the divine nature. Let no man fay when he is tempted, I am tempted of God; for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he will not therefore tempt any man; that is, defignedly draw him into fin, or lay him under a moral neceffity of doing what he will condemn and punish as fin. The Apostle then mentions the true cause of multitudes becoming finners. God hath formed men with various inclinations, which, under the direction and restraint of reason, are fubfervient to human

virtue and happinnefs; but which to those, who will not exert the neceffary caution and refolution to keep them under government, prove fuccessful tempters to fin, and fruit ful causes of mifery. Every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lufts, which he might have reftrained, and inticed by appearances of pleasure, the deceitfulness of which his reason would have readily shown him, had he confulted it. And in the preceding verfe St. James luggefts the reason, why a moft wife, holy and good God gave to men fuch inclinations, and placed them in circumftances, which might prove occafions of their becoming vicious and miferable. Bleed is the man who endureth temptation; for when he is tried, he fhall receive the crown of life; which the Lord hath promifed to them that love bim.

This text is therefore very proper to introduce the answers, which, according to the method first propofed, are now to be returned to the objections against the goodness of God, raised from the great abounding of evil, natural and moral. For,

I

V. It

V. It has been often afked, and with a strange pleasure and malicious infult by fome bad men, if God be infinitely good, and at the fame time alwife and almighty, and all other beings are his creatures, and no event can take place without his direction, or permiffion at leaft-whence is it, that there is no more good to be found in our world, and that all kinds of natural and moral evil abound? And that mankind are threatned with yet greater evils to eternity? The objections therefore, which are to be now dif tinctly confidered and answered, are three; the great abounding of moral evil among mankind, and as the cause of this, the ftrong propenfity to vice, which is fuppofed natural to men; the many wants, difeafes, pains and calamities to which they are expofed, and under which they fuffer during the present life; and the everlasting evils threatned, and to be inflicted on finners in the next ftate, and under which, to judge by appearances, the greatest part of the human race will fall.

These objections wear a formidable aspect, and have in fucceffive ages exercised and perplexed

There are

perplexed thoughtful perfons. alfo the following difficulties in our way, when we attempt a folution of thefe appearances, which will not allow us to hope, that we shall be able to give answers, in every point intirely fatisfactory, and such as fhall clear every doubt and filence every objection. That we know very little of the moral fyftem of God in other worlds, and of the divine difpenfations throughout them; and yet the moral state of our world may have a real and clofe connection with thefe, though at prefent undifcernible to us. And that we are alfo ignorant of many particular defigns of God in regard to men now, and of the precise manner in which he will treat them hereafter. Yet we despair not of proving, that these objections are to be eftimated as no more than difficulties, and that they may receive a good folution, even though that we give should not be the best-That the main ftrength of thefe objections is derived from ignorance or miflake, as to what is really good or evil for man, or as to the Divine intentions in relation to us; and that therefore they are not with juftice to be admitted as a ballance, against the positive