ting of man's everlasting condition upon his eating or noneating the fruit of such a tree, Gen. 2: 17.,, In not destroying Adam presently upon his disobedience; and in the free In promise of a Saviour, unsought unto for it, Gen. 3: 15. protecting Cain when he had forfeited his life to justice, Gen. 4:15. In preserving Ham from the deluge, though as wicked as those that perished, Gen. 7: 13. In ordering the blessing to Jacob, who sought it unduly; and denying it to Esau, who sought it diligently, and to whom it belong. ed of natural right, Gen. 27: 19. 34. 38. In the sudden turning of Esau's heart to love Jacob, whom he had invet, erately hated, and came with full purpose to destroy; yet in a moment his heart is melted; he weeps on his neck, and offers himself and soldiers to be his convoy, Gen. 27: 41. with chap. 32: 6. and 33:4. 12. In causing a fear to be on the Amorites, that they did not pursue Jacob, when highly provoked by his sons' cruelty on the men of Shechem, Gen. 35: 5. In sending a message of peace to Sihon, whom he had determined to destroy; and to that end had harden. ed his spirit, and made him obstinate, Deut. 2: 26. In causing those nations to destroy one another, who came leagued to destroy his people, 2 Chron. 20: 1. 22, 23. In destroying Esau's mount irreparably, and for ever; while Israel, whose land also was full of sin, shall not be forsaken, Obad. ver. 9. 16. 18. 21. Mal. 1: 4. especially considering that these were the several effects of his loving the one, and hating the other, and that "before they had done either good or evil," Mal. 1: 2, 3. Rom. 9: 11. 13. In sending Ezekiel to a rebellious house, that "would not hear;" and not sending him to them that would: "Not to many people of a strange speech, and of an hard language, whose words thou canst not understand: surely, had I sent thee to them, they would have hearkened unto thee. But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee; for they will not hearken unto me; for all the house of Israel are impudent and hard hearted, Ezek. 3: 6, 7. and Matt. 11: 21. In hiding the mysteries of his kingdom "from the wise and prudent, and revealing them unto babes, Matt. 11:25. and speaking in parables to the multitude," lest they should be converted," Mark 4: 11, 12. Acts 16: 6, 7.

It is further manifest, by the Lord's punishing sometimes lesser trespasses, and that severely, and in his own; while

winking at those of a greater magnitude in other men. Moses is excluded Canaan for a hasty word, though smartly provoked, Deut. 32: 51, 52. when Jonah is but mildly reproved for passionately expostulating, Jonah 4: Uzziah dies for but touching the ark, 1'Chron. 13: 9, 10. while the Philistines bore it away in triumph, 1 Sam. 5: 1. Hezekiah but shows the ambassadors from Babylon his house and treasures, and for this his sons and all must go into captivity: "And Hezekiah hearkened unto them, and shewed them all the house of his precious things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious ointment, and all the house of his armor, and all that was found in his treasures: there was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah shewed them not. Behold the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store unto this day, 'shall be carried into Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the Lord," 2 Kings 20: 13. 17. Not that any sin is little in itself, or punished beyond its demerit; but the Lord is pleased thus. to do, partly to show his displeasure against sin, and that he will not bear with it, even in those that are dearest to him; but partly also, if not chiefly in such like cases, to set forth his sovereign greatness, and the uncon trolableness of his matters. Why dost thou strive against him? for he giveth not account of any of his matters," Job 33:13. The seventy-third Psalm is full to the same purpose. That also of Job, and the manner of God's dealings with him, is much to be remarked: he had lived a very strict and holy life; (" not a man like Job in all the earth;" the Lord himself seems to glory in him;) unto which all outward blessings were promised, and freedom from such sufferings; and when bereft of all, "held fast his integrity," Job 1: 8. and 2: 3. yet the Lord goes on to afflict him, and leaves him wholly (saving his life) in Satan's power. Had he been a wicked man, as his friends objected, those sufferings had evidenced the justice of God; but now his sovereignty: which also seems to be intended by that speech of God to Satan, "Thou movest me against him, to destroy him without cause," Job 2: 3.

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Seventhly. There are yet other footsteps of sovereignty, by which that high and holy attribute is further illustrated to us; as, namely, "The Lord's over-ruling the designs

and actions of men, to bring his own counsels to pass;" although improper in their own nature, yea, disservient thereto; and sometimes by men contrived on purpose to prevent them. The project of building Babel's tower, to keep that rebellious rout together, is turned to their utter dispersion, Gen. 11: 4. 8.. Jacob's dissimulation, and palpable abuse of his father's infirmity, proved the means to obtain his blessing, and that contrary to his settled inten tion, Gen. 27: 18. 29. Laban dealt hardly with Jacob, to keep him low, and to serve himself of him, but God takes occasion thence to give him Laban's substance, and that by Laban's consent and agreement, Gen. 29. To obviate Joseph's dreams, his brethren sell him into Egypt: and by this means the Lord keeps them all alive, and accomplisheth that honor to Joseph, which they intended to prevent, Gen. 37: 9. 20. 28. 42: 6. 1:18. 20. Pharaoh lays insu perable burdens on the people, to diminish them; and the Lord multiplies them under it. "The more they were op pressed, the faster they grew," Exod. 1: 12. Moses, a keeper of sheep, a man of slow speech, and one that had no mind to the work, Exod. 4: 10. 13. yet he shall be God's ambassador to Pharaoh, (the proudest and most inflexible monarch upon earth,) and bring Israel out of bondage. And who shall be his commander in chief, to deliver his people from their potent oppressors, but Deborah, a woman? Judges 4: 9. At another time, Gideon, "whose family was poor in Manasseh, and he the least in his father's house," Jud. 6:15. and though he had a nu merous and powerful enemy to deal with, and, one would think, had need of all the hands he could make to fight them, yet his army of two and thirty thousand, must be reduced to three hundred men, and they to have no other arms but trumpets, and lamps in their pitchers; and by these he delivers them from that huge host, Judges 7: 3.6,7. And much like unto this was Shamgar's killing six hundred men with an ox-goad, Judges 3: 31. and Samson a thousand with a jaw-bone of an ass, chap. 15: 15. It may further be traced in his producing contrary effects by the same cause; and then again the same effects by causes contrary, Exod. 4:6, 7. So Daniel and his fellows had a fairer countenance with pulse and water, than those who eat of the king's own provision, Daniel 1:15. It is further evidenced, by his

causing the wrath of man to turn to his praise; which, in the nature and tendency of it, is to destroy them that praise him, Psal. 76:10. By his catching "the wise in their craftiness, and causing them to fall by their own devices," Job 5: 12, 13. Psal. 5: 10. Witness Ahab, 1 Kings 22: 20. 22. and Haman, Esth. 7:10. The persecution of the saints at Jerusalem was designed to suppress the doctrine of Christ; which yet was thereby dispersed into many countries, and caused "to grow mightily," Acts 8: 1. 4. So the preacher's imprisonment proved to the furtherance of the gospel, Phil. 1: 12. 14. And since the Scriptures were finished, human stories, and our own observation, do abun dantly prove the matter in hand. Do but consider how it

prevailed to the dethroning of Satan, and turning the world upside down, and this by means of the weakest and most unlikely, to reason, that could be pitched upon: not by the sword and spear, the bow and battle-axe, the barbed horse, and the martial heroes of the earth; but by the bare word of God: and this, not by the hand of learned scribes and pharisees, lawyers, doctors, poets, philosophers; but hy poor illiterate fishermen, carpenters, publicans, tent-makers. And who shall be the subjects and party militant of this never to be conquered kingdom? Not "the wise and prudent, mighty and noble; but babes, the poor, weak, despised, and things that are not; and by these he confounds the things that are,” 1 Cor. 1:27. And by what arms? patience, and faith in the blood of the Lamb," Rev. 12:11. and 14:12.

Consider, also, the constant persecution of the church, and that by men of all sorts, especially those of greatest power and policy; the barbarous devastations that have been made upon it; and with what implacable enmity the world is edged against it; and that yet it stands invincible, and is still getting ground: you cannot but acknowledge the evident footsteps of sovereign power; "that the most High beareth rule over all, Dan. 4: 25, 26. and as for the counsels of the wise, he turneth them backward," Isa. 44:25.

Eighthly. An especial ray of this glorious power shines forth in God's actual predominating over and subduing the spirits of men, in calling and converting whom he will. One would think that a rational being should better discern

his own interest, and out of choice comply with the will of his Maker, as who must needs know what is best for his creature, and who in reason can have no other design upon him but his good: but we find otherwise; the best things degenerated turn the worst, and are hardest to reduce. Of all creatures, man fallen, doth most avert, impugn and resist, when God would turn him out of his natural course; notwithstanding the sorest of evils do attend his present state, and all desirable happiness would apparently follow his change; yet so wedded is he to his lusts, and headstrong in his own will, that none of these things move him: but on he goes, and on he will, yea, though an incensed angel with a drawn sword should withstand him. To crush them to nothing, or break them to pieces, were easily effected; a little of divine power would do that. But to humble a proud and lofty spirit; to soften and melt an obdurate heart; to tame, meeken, and reconcile a sanguinary rebel; to change the very inwards of one habituated in sin and enmity against God, and make him pliable to divine impressions: this highly proclaims the exceeding greatness of his power; it is a glorious trophy of divine sovereignty. Which is also farther conspicuous, and greatly illustrated, in maintaining the work begun, and bearing it on through all opposition. For there needs the same Almightiness of power to preserve the new creation, as at first to raise it. The way of God being altogether upwards and supernatural, there is a great proneness in creatures to revolt from it, like a rolling stone on the steep of a hill. The remains of old nature would, torrent-like, bear down all, if sovereign power did not bar up the one, and sustain the other. For a spark of divine nature to live in the breast of a lapsed creature, is as great a miracle, and as high an effect of sovereign power, as all the instances before enumerated, and more.

- Ninthly. The sovereignty of God displays itself with a yet more astonishing glory, in his eternal disposure of men's everlasting condition. To show, or not to show mercy, to persons equally dignified, (or rather undignified,) in themselves; to make of the same lump one vessel to honor, and another to dishonor, is the sublimest act, and most apparent demonstration of sovereign power concerning men. The reason of which, and that to satisfaction, might have