But now the principle of operation in man is nature vitiated and corrupted: I say nature, not that he worketh naturally, being a free agent, but that these faculties, will, and understanding, which are the principles of operation, are in nature corrupted, and from thence can nothing flow but evil. 'An evil tree bringeth forth evil fruit. Men do not gather figs from thistles. A bitter fountain sends not forth sweet waters. Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean?' If the fountain be poisoned, can the streams be wholesome? What can you expect of light and truth from a mind possessed with vanity and darkness? what from a will averted from the chiefest good, and fixed upon present appearances? what from a heart, the figment of whose imagination is only evil?

[2.] Consider the difference in the rule of operation. Every thing that works hath a rule to work by, this is called a law. In that thing which to man is sinful, God worketh as it is a thing only, man as it is a sinful thing. And how so? Why every one's sin is his aberration from his rule of operation or working. Auaprávav is, 'aberrare à scopo:' to sin is, not to collime aright at the end proposed: ǹ åμapría ¿orìv ǹ àvoμía, is a most exact definition of it; irregularity is its form, if it may be said to have a form; a privation's form is deformity. Look then in any action, wherein an agent exorbitates from its rule, that is sin. Now what is God's rule in operation? His own infinite wise will alone: he takes neither motive, rise, nor occasion for any internal acts, from any thing without himself; he doth whatever he pleaseth;' Psal. cxv. 3. He worketh all things according to the counsel of his own will;' Eph. i. 11. That is his own law of operation, and the rule of righteousness unto others: working them agreeably to his own will, which he always must do, he is free from the obliquity of any action. What now is the rule of the sons of men? Why, the revealed will of God: Revealed things belong to us that we may do them;' Deut. xxix. 29. God's revealed will is the rule of our walking, our working; whatever suits not, answers not this, is evil. Sin is the transgression of the law;' 1 John iii. 4. Here then comes in the deformity, the obliquity, the ataxy of any thing; God works, and man worketh; those agents have several rules. God works according to his rule, hence

VOL. XV.

the action is good, as an action; man deviates from his rule, hence it is sinful in respect of its qualifications and adjuncts. Man writes fair letters upon a wet paper, and they run all into one blot; not the skill of the scribe, but the defect in the paper is the cause of the deformity. He that makes a lame horse go, is the cause of his going; but the defect in his joints, is the cause of his going lame. The sun exhales a steam from the dunghill; the sun is the cause of the exhalation, but the dunghill of the unwholesome savour. The first cause is the proper cause of a thing's being, but the second of its being evil.

[3.] Consider the several operations and actings of God and man: for instance, in a rebellious people's fighting against their helpers under him.

Now the acts of God herein may be referred to six heads:

1st. A continuance of the creature's being and life: 'upholding him by the word of his power,' Heb. i. 3. when he might take him off in a moment: Enduring them with much long-suffering,' Rom. ix. 22. when he might cut him off, as he did the opposers of Elijah, with fire from heaven;' 2 Kings i. 12.

2dly. A continuance of power of operation to them, when he could make their hands to wither like Jeroboam's, when they go about to strike; 1 Kings xiii. 4. or their hearts to die within them like Nabal's, when they intend to be churlish; 1 Sam. xxv. 37. But he raiseth them up, or makes them to stand, that they may oppose; Rom. ix. 11.

3dly. Laying before them a suitable object for the drawing forth their corruption unto opposition, giving them such helpers as shall in many things cross their lusts, and exasperate them thereunto; as Elijah, a man of a fiery zeal, for a lukewarm Abab.

4thly. Withholding from them that effectual grace, by which alone that sin might be avoided; a not actually keeping them from that sin, by the might of his Spirit and grace. That alone is effectual grace, which is actual. He suffers them to walk in their own ways.'

And this the Lord may do,

(1st.) In respect of them, judicially; they deserve to be forsaken. Ahab is left to fill up the measure of his iniquities, 'add iniquity to iniquity;' Psal. Ixix. 27.

(2dly.) In respect of himself, by way of sovereignty, doing what he will with his own, hardening whom he will;' Rom. ix. 15.

5thly. He positively sends upon their understandings that, which the Scripture sets out under the terms of blindness, darkness, folly, delusion, slumber, a spirit of giddiness, and the like the places are too many to rehearse. What secret actings in, and upon, the minds of men; what disturbing of their advices, what mingling of corrupt affections with false, carnal reasonings, what givings up to the power of darkness, in Satan the prince thereof, this judicial act doth contain, I cannot insist upon; let it suffice, God will not help them to discern, yea, he will cause that they shall not discern, but hide from their eyes the things that concern their peace, and so give them up to contend with their only helpers.

6thly. Suitably upon the will and affections he hath several acts, obfirming the one in corruption, and giving up the other to vileness, Rom. i. 24. 26. until the heart become thoroughly hardened, and the conscience seared; not forcing the one, but leaving it to follow the judgment of practical reason, which being a blind, yea, a blinded guide, whither can it lead a blind follower, but into the ditch? not defiling the other with infused sensuality, but provoking them to act according to inbred, native corruption, and by suffering frequent vile actings to confirm them in ways of vileness.

Take an instance of the whole: God gives helpers and deliverers to a sinful people, because of their provocations, some or all of them shall not taste of the deliverance, by them to be procured: wherefore, though he sustains their lives in being, whereby they might have opportunity to know his mind, and their own peace; yet he gives them a power to contend with their helpers, causing their helpers to act such things, as under consideration of circumstances, shall exceedingly provoke these sinners: being so exasperated and provoked, the Lord, who is free in all his dispensations, refuseth to make out to them that healing grace, whereby they might be kept from a sinful opposition: yea, being justly provoked, and resolved that they should not taste of the plenty to come, he makes them foolish and giddy

in their reasonings and counsels, blinds them in their understandings, that they shall not be able to discern plain and evident things, tending to their own good, but in all their ways shall err like a drunken man in his vomit; whence that they may not be recovered, because he will destroy them, he gives in hardness and obstinacy upon their hearts and spirits, leaving them to suitable affections, to contend for their own ruin.

Now what are the ways and methods of sinful man's working in such opposition, would be too long for me to declare; what prejudices are erected, what lusts pursued, what corrupt interests acted, and followed; how self is honoured, what false pretences coined, how God is slighted, if I should go about to lay open, I must look into the hell of these times, than which nothing can be more loathsome and abominable. Let it suffice, that sinful self, sinful lusts, sinful prejudices, sinful blindness, sinful carnal fears, sinful corrupt interests, sinful fleshly reasonings, sinful passions, and vile affections do all concur in such a work, are all woven up together in such a web.

[4.] See the distance of their aims. God's aim is only the manifestation of his own glory (than which nothing but himself is so infinitely good, nothing so righteous that it should be), and this by the way of goodness and severity; Rom. xi. 22. Goodness in faithfulness and mercy, preserving his who are opposed, whereby his glory is exceedingly advanced; severity towards the opposers, that by a sinful cursed opposition they may fill up the measure of their iniquities, and receive this at the hand of the Lord, that they lie down in sorrow, wherein also he is glorious.

God forbid that I should speak this of all, that for any time, or under any temptation, may be carried to an opposition in any kind, or degree, to the instruments of God's glory amongst them. Many for a season may do it, and yet belong to God, who shall be recovered in due time. It is only of men given up, forsaken, opposing all the appearances of God with his saints and people in all his ways, of whom I speak.

Now what are the ends of this generation of fighters against this brazen wall, and how distant from those of the Lord's? They consult to cast him down from his excellency,

whom God will exalt;' Psal. lxii. 4. They think not as the Lord, neither doth their heart mean so, but it is in their heart to destroy and to cut off;' Isa. x. 7. To satisfy their own corrupt lusts, ambition, avarice, revenge, superstition, contempt of God's people, because his, hatred of the yoke of the Lord, fleshly interests, even for these, and such-like ends as these, is their undertaking.

Thus though there be a concurrence of God and man in the same thing, yet considering the distance of their principles, rules, actings, and ends, it is apparent that man doth sinfully, what the Lord doth judicially; which being an answer to the former objection, I return to give in some uses to the point.

Use 1. Let men, constant, sincere, upright in the ways of God, especially in difficult times, know what they are to expect from many, yea, the most of the generation, whose good they intend, and among whom they live; opposition and fighting is like to be their lot; and that not only it will be so because of men's lusts, corruptions, prejudices; but also it shall be so, from God's righteous judgments against a stubborn people; they harden their hearts that it may be so, to compass their ends; and God hardens their hearts that it shall be so to bring about his aims; they will do it to execute their revenge upon others, they shall do it to execute God's vengeance upon themselves. This may be for consolation, that in their contending there is nothing but the wrath of man against them, whom they oppose (which God will restrain, or cause it to turn to his praise) but there is the wrath of God against themselves, which who can bear? This then let all expect, who engage their hearts to God, and follow the Lamb whither he goeth.

Men walking in the sincerity of their hearts are very apt to conceive that all sheaves should bow to theirs, that all men should cry, 'grace, grace,' to their proceedings. Why should any oppose? Quid meruere?' Alas! the more upright they are, the fitter for the Lord by them to break a gainsaying people. Let men keep close to those ways of God whereto protection is annexed, and let not their hearts fail them because of the people of the land; the storm of their fury will be like the plague of hail in Egypt, it smote only the cattle that were in the field; those, who upon the