ther to good or bad Purposes. This they often do by Arguments and Perfuafions, and by laying before them fuch Motives and Inducements, as are fitted to prevail upon them. And certainly, God hath a much greater Power over the Hearts of all Men, than one Man can poffibly have over the Heart of another. He who hath the nearest Access to our Spirits, who is perfectly acquainted with all the Avenues of our Minds, and the propereft Ways of working upon them, muft undoubtedly be able to influence our Hearts in a thoufand Ways, which now we cannot distinctly explain, and yet without offering any Violence to the Freedom that belongeth to us, as we are moral Agents.

Particularly, he can, when he seeth fit, put fuch Thoughts into Mens Hearts, as may best answer his own moft wife De-. figns. Indeed it is abfolutely inconfiftent with the perfect Holiness of his Nature and Government to fuppofe that he can ever be the Author of evil and finful Thoughts. It is an eternal Truth, that God cannot be tempted with Evil, neither tempteth he any Man. Jam. i.-13. But with regard to thofe Things that have a moral Goodness in them; or which, though in their own Nature indifferent, yet are fo circumstanced as to be capable of ferving valuable

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valuable Ends, there is no Difficulty at all in fuppofing him, on fome Occafions at leaft, to put Thoughts of this Kind into the Minds of Men. And there is great Reason to think that this is frequently done, and that many excellent Defigns of Providence are in this Way brought about, and many Evils prevented. For the most natural Way of working upon Men as reafonable Creatures, and influencing their Actions and Affairs, feems to be by fuggefting proper Thoughts to their Minds, and placing them in fuch a Light as is fittest to make an Impreffion upon them. Many Cafes may happen, in which the influencing the Thoughts and Determinations of one Man, may be of great Importance, not only to himfelf, but to many others. And in fuch Cafes it cannot be unworthy of the great and all-wife Difpefer and Governor to interpofe. There are few Perfons that have carefully observed what paffeth in their own Minds, but who have had Experience of Motions fometimes arifing there, in a Manner they are not well able to account for, which yet have afterwards appeared to be of no fmall Confequence to them, and have produced good Effects. And in thefe, a truly religious Man will be apt gratefully to acknowledge the Interpofition of Divine Providence,

God

God can work upon the Spirits of Men in a Way of immediate Influence, and yet in fuch a Way as is perfectly agreeable to their rational Natures, and which doth not put any improper Conftraint upon others. He can alfo, and probably often doth, make Impreffions upon their Minds by various Means, which he is pleased to make Ufe of in his wife and fovereign Providence to this Purpose. He can eafily order it fo, that fuch Arguments and Motives shall occur to their own Thoughts, or shall be fuggefted to them by others, whether Men or invifible fpiritual Beings, as he knoweth will induce them to take fuch or fuch Refolutions; or he can fo difpofe outward Objects and Circumftances as will have a great Influence upon their Minds. Thus God put it into the Heart of Cyrus, according to what had been foretold concerning him. Ifa. xliv. 28. to give full Liberty to the Jews to return into their own Land, and to rebuild their City and Temple, and furnish them with large Helps out of his Treasury. This was, all Things confidered, a very extraordinary Grant, and a remarkable Inftance to fhew that the Hearts of the greatest Kings are in the Hands of the Lord. And afterwards, when fome other of the Perfian Monarchs fhewed the Jews uncommon Kindness,

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and

and gave them not only Permiffion, but great Encouragement to finish the Temple, and to fettle and order every Thing according to their Law, notwithstanding the Reprefentations made by their Enemies to the contrary, and which feemed to be founded on the Rules of human_Policy, this is piously afcribed to God. Ezra vii. 27. Blessed be the Lord God who hath put Such a Thing as this into the King's Heart. And it is obferved, Chap. vi. 22. that the Lord hath turned the Heart of the King of Affyria (fo the Perfian Monarch is there called) unto them, to strengthen their Hands in the Work of the House of God, the God of Ifrael. And that good Man Nehemiah, having formed an important Design for the public Welfare, acknowledgeth that his God had put it into his Heart. Neh. ii. 12.

Another Inftance of God's Power over the Hearts of Men, is his causing them to change their Purposes and Inclinations, even where they feemed before to be moft fixed and determined. When Jacob was greatly afraid of his Brother Efau's bitter Refentment against him, which feemed to threaten the Ruin of him and his Family, he applied to God by fervent Prayer, to deliver him from his Hand. And the Confequence was, that Efau's apprehended Hatred was surprisingly chang

ed

ed into Love and Friendship, so that he treated Jacob in the most tender and affectionate Manner. A remarkable Inftance this to verify the Wife-man's Obfervation, that when a Man's Ways pleafe the Lord, he maketh even his Enemies to be at Peace with him. Prov. xvi. 7. How fuddenly was David turned from his wrathful Purpose of executing a severe Vengeance upon Nabal and his Family, for his ungrateful and brutish Treatment of him! It is true, that the prudent Conduct of Abigail had a great Influence this Way. But David made a wife Reflection upon it. He regarded Abigail as an Inftrument in the Hand of Providence, and therefore, as he was thankful to her, fo he carried his Views principally to the fupreme Disposer. David faid to Abigail, Bleed be the Lord God of Ifrael, which Jent thee this Day to meet me. And bleed be thy Advice, and bleed be thou, which haft kept me this Day from coming to Shed Blood, and from avenging myself with mine own Hand. I. Sam. xxv. 32, 33. When king Abafuerus feemed abfolutely determin

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upon the utter Extirpation of the Jews, and had confirmed it by a folemn Decree, how foon were his Intentions and Difpofitions fo wonderfully changed, as to fhew them the highest Favour, and to put it in their Power to deftroy the Enemies that

had