XIIL hearts of good men to fink. It calls upon SERM. them to rejoice, because the Lord reigneth who is their Rock, and the most high God who is their Redeemer. Reafon likewife joins her voice with that. of religion; forbidding us to make peevish and unreasonable complaints of human life, or injuriously to afcribe to it more evil than it contains. Mixed as the prefent ftate is, the pronounces, that generally, if not always, there is more happiness than mifery, more pleasure than pain in the condition of man. SERMON SERMON XIV. On the divine GOVERNMENT of the XIV. PSALM Ixxvi. 10. Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee; the SERM. THIS Pfalm appears to have been compofed on occafion of fome remarkable deliverance obtained by the Jewish nation. It is generally understood to have been written in the reign of Hezekiah, and to refer to the formidable invasion of Judæa by Sennacherib; when the angel of the Lord, in one night, discomfited the whole Affyrian hoft, and fmote them with fudden destruction. To this interpofition of the XIV. divine arm, thofe expreffions in the context SERM. may naturally be applied; Then brake he the arrows of the bow, the field, the fword, and the battle. The flout-hearted are spoiled; they have flept their fleep; and none of the men of might have found their bands. At thy rebuke, O God of Jacob, both the chariot and the horse are caft into a dead fleep. In the text we have the wife and religious reflection of the Pfalmift upon the violent designs which had been carried on by the enemies of his country, and upon the iffue to which Providence had brought them. Surely the wrath of man shall praife thee By the wrath of man, we are to understand all that the impetuofity of human paffions can devife or execute; the projects of ambition and resentment, the rage of persecution, the fury of war; the diforders which violence produces in private life, and the public commotions which it excites in the world. All these fhall praise God, not with their intention and defign, nor by their native tendency; but by thofe wife and good purpofes, which his providence 1 makes XIV. SERM. makes them accomplish; from their poifon extracting health, and converting things, which in themselves are pernicious, into inftruments of his glory, and of public benefit: So that, though the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God, it is nevertheless forced and compelled to minifter to his praise. The Pfalmist adds, the remainder of wrath fhalt thou reftrain; that is, God will allow fcope to the wrath of man as far as it anfwers his good purposes, and is fubfervient to his praise; `the reft of it fhall be curbed and bound up. When it would attempt to go beyond its prefcribed limit, he fays to it, as to the waters of the ocean, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no farther, and here shail thy proud waves be flayed. All this fhall be fully verified and declared by the laft iffue of things; when we fhall be able more clearly to trace the divine administration thro' its feveral steps, by feeing the confummation of the whole. In fome cafes, it may be referved for this period to unfold the myfterious wisdom of Heaven. But in general, as much of the XIV. the divine conduct is at prefent manifeft, SERM. as gives juft ground for the affertion in the text. In the sequel of this discourse, I shall endeavour to illuftrate and confirm it. I fhall fhow in what manner the wrath of man is made to praise the power, and wifdom, the juftice, and the goodnefs of God. I BEGIN with this obfervation, That in order to accomplish the great purposes carried on by the Government of the Universe, it is neceffary that the divine perfections be difplayed before mankind in a fenfible and ftriking manner. We are not to conceive the Supreme Being as hereby feeking praise to himself, from a principle of oftentation or vain glory. Independent and felf-fufficient, he refts in the enjoyment of his own beatitude. His praise confifts in the general order and welfare of his creation. This end cannot be attained, unless mankind be made to feel the fubjection under which they are placed. They must be taught to admire and adore their Sovereign. They must be overawed by the view of a high hand |