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his brows, which was the neceffary and immediate Effect of God's curfing the Ground; that whereas before, the Earth would have fupply'd man with all things for his Neceffity and Delight, without his care and labour, now it would not yield its Increafe of its felf, but brought forth Briars and Thorns. And as difficult a State as this is, it was very fit for fallen man

1. A laborious Life is of great ufe to fubdue the flefbly Principle, and to prevent the Opportunities, and Occafions, and Temptations to fin. The experience of the World tells us, that nothing more corrupts mens Manners than Idleness, the Flefh grows rampant with Sloth and Luxury; and Time it felf is fo uneafy and troublefome when we have nothing to do, that men rather chufe to be wicked, than to be idle; and therefore God who forefaw the Degeneracy of Mankind by the Fall, hath provided work for us, that with the fweat of our Brow we muft eat our Bread.

2. This does not only employ the Bodies, but the Minds of men: Puts them upon the study of Philofophy, and the invention of Arts and Sciences; upon obferving the Works of Nature, and Dependance of Caufes and Effects; to obferve the Motions of the Heaven, the Sun and Moon, and Planets, thereby to know the Seafons of the Year, and to fix the time of their return; it is this neceffity to which we owe the moft ufeful Difcoveries in Nature, which is not only very beneficial to the World, but a very delightful Entertainment, and the most natural Ornament and Perfection of our Minds.

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3. The Neceffities of Human Life are the foundation of Human Societies, and make men combine together for mutual Help and Comfort: For tho Man is a fociable Creature, and delighted with Human Converfation, yet in this degenerate State nothing is a greater endearment than our mutual Dependance upon each other, that we cannot live fingle and apart, because we want a great many things which the Skill and Labour of other men muft fupply us with.

Now this obliges us to the exercife of all friendly and fociable Virtues; brings us under Government, without which Human Societies cannot fubfift; and this lays great Reftraints upon the Lufts of Men, and by a ftrict Discipline trains them up to the practice of Moral Virtues, which is a good means to correct the Degeneracy of Human Nature; it inspires us with Principles of Love and Humanity, of Juftice and Charity, and foftens and polishes our Natures by the mutual Endearments of Converfation; it makes us Friends to Mankind; gives us a fenfe of Injuries, and an abhorrence of them; and which is more than this, it gives publick Countenance and Encouragement to Religion; for Publick Government muft encourage Religion, because Religion is its greateft Defence and Support; and this makes fome men fincerely religious and devout,and forces fome external figns of Honour from those who have little fense or reverence of a Deity, which tho it does no good to them, is for the advantage of the World.

So that this Curfe in the neceffary Confequences of it, is the greatest Bleffing to Mankind; which is an abundant Justification of the Wisdom and Goodnefs of God in it. A more

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eafy ftate of Life did better become a ftate of Innocence; but fince the Fall, fuch an easy, carelefs, unconcerned Life,would have funk man lower into Senfuality, and made his Recovery more defperate and hopeless.

It were eafy to give many Inftances of this nature, to juftify the Divine Wisdom and Goodness in fuch Paffages of Providence as feem very harsh and fevere to us; but this may fuffice at prefent to make us modeft in our Cenfures of Providence, and not to perplex our Minds with fuch Difficulties as we cannot unriddle.

2. Efpecially if we add, That there is a plain and evident reafon why we cannot and never fhall be able to underftand a great many Difficulties of Providence in this World, and therefore ought not to cenfure the Divine Providence, because we cannot in all cafes comprehend the reafons of it. As for inftance;

We are very ignorant of men, and therefore can never be able to give an account of GOD's Providence towards them: We can in general juftifie the Divine Providence both as to the Afflictions and Sufferings of good men, and the Profperity of the wicked; but when we defcend to Particulars, we are at a lofs, why such a good man is a great Sufferer, and another good man profperous; why fuch a bad man reaps the juft Rewards of his Villanies in this World, while another man equally bad efcapes, and profpers by his Wickedness. We cannot know this, because we do not fufficiently know men. We may mistake those for good men, who are fecret Hypocrites, and carry on wicked Defigns under a K 3

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Mafque of Religion; and then when welcom plain that fuch a good man fuffers, God may be very juft in punishing an Hypocrite. We know not what the fecret Diftempers of good mon are, which may require a fevere Remedy; nor what good there may be even in bad men, which may make their Recovery hopeful, and make it, reafonable for God to spare...

Thus we know not how particular mens Inte refts are interwoven with each other, or with the Publick, which may make it reasonable for God to spare or to punish them upon more accounts than their own; for good men may fuffer in the Sufferings of the wicked, and be bleffed in their Profperity: The Sufferings of good men, and the Profperity of the wicked, may be of publick ufe to the world; and it is very juft and reafonable in the wife Governor of the World, to make the Interefts of private men fubordinate to a Publick Good. But when this is neceffary, we know not, and therefore are very incompetent Judges of the Divine Providence: Nay,we fee but a very little part of God's Providence towards particular men; but a Scene or two of their Lives, or it may be but a little piece of a Scene, and therefore it is impoffible we should make a true Judgment of God's Providence towards them, the Beauty of which confifts in the proportion of Parts, and adapting every thing to the end it ferves. The Hiftory of Joseph taken all together, is a Demonftration of God's tender care of him, though there were fome doleful Scenes of his Life; the hard Usage he met with from his Brethren, who fold him for a Slave into Egypt ;

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and from a wicked Mistress there, whose false Accufations condemned him to a Gaol, from whence God raifed him to Pharoah's Throne. There are very few Men can make any Objection against the Divine Providence, with refpect to themselves, because they know themselves, and the feveral Stages of their Lives, what Good and Evil they have done, and what they have deferved, and what they have received from God; which is a good Argument that we should find as little to except against the Providence of God to other Men allo, did we know them as perfectly as we know our felves.

III. As for what cannot be known in this World, it is time enough for us to know it in the World to come.

Indeed this Knowledge is not fit for us in this World; it is not fit we fhould know one another fo perfectly, as is neceffary to vindicate every Pallage of God's Providence towards other Men; for this would be to have a Cafement into each others Breafts, to understand all the Intrigues and Secrets of Families; and were it put to our own Choice, I am apt to think we should rather be contented to be ignorant of a great many things, than to be fo well known our felves to all the World.

Nor is it fitting in this State that we should fo perfectly underftand all the Secrets of the Divine Counsel,for what reafon he afflicts or profpers private Men, or publick Societies, as is neceffary to make a Judgment of the Divine Providence: One great Mystery of Government is to conceal Counfels; and this is the Glory of the Divine Providence, by dark and mysterious Methods to bring about

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