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On God's Infpection and Government of human Actions.

· DISCOURSE X.

PROV. V. 21.

The Ways of Man are before the Eyes of the Lord, and he pondereth all his Goings.

T

HE Government of Divine Provi

dence towards Mankind extendeth both to their Hearts and to their outward Actions. This latter is what we are now to confider. And furely, if God inspecteth and governeth the Hearts of Men, their moft fecret Thoughts, Counfels, and Purpofes, as was fhewn in our laft Discourse, it cannot in Reafon be denied, that their external Actions must needs be also under his fovereign

fovereign Cognizance and Superintendency. This is what the Wife-man fignifieth, when he declareth, that the Ways of Man are before the Eyes of the Lord, and he pondereth all his Goings. He pondereth them, he weigheth them as in a Balance, as the Word properly imports, and obferveth them with the greatest Exactness. He beholdeth them not merely as an idle Spectator that is wholly unconcerned and indifferent about them, but as the fupreme Governor and Judge, fo as to govern and over-rule them to the wife Purposes of his Providence, and to reward or punish them in the propereft Manner, and in the fittest Season. Thine Eyes are upon all the Ways of the Sons of Men, faith the Prophet, to give every one according to his Ways, and according to the Fruit of his Doings. Jer. xxxii. 19. And not only doth God know all Mens Actions when they are done, but he hath a perfect Fore-knowledge of them before they are done. He knoweth how all Men will act in every Circumftance. And though the Manner of God's fore-knowing the free Actions of Men be hard to account for, (nor is it to be wondered at that it should be fo) yet the Thing itself is what Reason as well as Scripture leadeth us to acknowledge. It has been generally owned among all Nations which have believed that there

is a God and a Providence.

Nor can it well be conceived how the Scheme of Pro→ vidence could be compleat without it. And there is a plain Proof of it in many exprefs Predictions of human Actions, which have all the Appearance of being free and contingent that any Actions can have, and yet were certainly fore-known many Ages before they happened. Several remarkable Inftances of which may be found in the facred Writings.

The Providence of God as refpecting the Actions of Men may be diftinctly confidered, both with regard to their good and evil Actions.

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Firft, All the good Actions Men perform are under the divine Inspection and Government. He is perfectly acquainted with the Principles from which they flow, and all the Circumftances that attend them. And. he makes Use of them for anfwering the Ends of his moral Government, for moting the Interefts of his Kingdom, and the good Order of the World, and for rendering Men useful to one another. And it is pleafing to him to fee his reasonable Creatures acting in a Manner agreeable t Reason, Truth, and Righteousness, 21 employing the active Powers he hath giv them to valuable Purposes. He ordered it fo in his Providence, that fuch good flow

tions are often in fome Measure rewarded even in this Life, and procure present Bleffings and Advantages to those that perform them; at least, they are attended with an inward conscious Satisfaction, which is far to be preferred before any fenfual Pleafures or Gratifications. Or if, as is frequently the Cafe in this State of Trial and Difcipline, good Actions are attended with great Difficulties and Difcouragements, and through the Ignorance of miftaken and prejudiced, or the Malice and Wickedness of ill-defigning Men, meet with very bad Returns, and expofe the Doers of them to present temporal Evils and Sufferings, he will certainly take Care that they shall be rewarded in a future State: not one of them fhall be forgotten before God; they fhall be produced into open View, and fhall receive an ample and glorious Recompence.

And the Concernment which the Providence of God hath with Mens good Actions, doth not only appear in that he obferveth and approveth them, and will take Care that they fhall be properly rewarded in the fittest Seafon; but it is farther to be confidered, that Divine Providence frequently interesteth itself in exciting Men to good Actions, and affifting them in the Exercife of those Actions, and in

removing

It

removing Impediments, and furnishing proper Occafions and Opportunities. cannot reasonably be denied, that God may have many Ways of doing this, without infringing the Freedom which belongeth to Men as they are moral Agents, and so as that the good Deeds they perform may still be truly and properly faid to be of their own doing, and may be rewarded as fuch. There is nothing in fuch a Suppofition but what is worthy of God, and agreeable to his fupreme Wisdom and Goodnefs. The Doctrine of the Holy Scriptures is very clear and exprefs on this Head. And it is of great Importance to us to get a Senfe of it ftrongly fixed upon our Minds. What an animating Confideration must it needs be, when we fet about the performing a good Action, to be affured that the great Lord and Father of all, on whom our Happiness depends, obferveth the good Deed in every Circumstance, and is ready to affift us in the Performance of it, and to support us under the Difficulties which may attend it! This fhould both encourage us to apply to God by Prayer for his divine Affistances, and fhould engage us, when we have done any Thing that is good, to give Thanks to his holy Name for the Opportunities he hath put into our Hands, and the gra

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