to contend with God, while feeling the weight of his hand, then it must be equally absurd in others to feel and express the same spirit, under any afflictions and bereavements. This, therefore, is the plain and practical truth, which falls under our present consideration:

Though men are naturally disposed to contend with God under afflictions, yet it is extremely absurd. I shall,

1. Show that men are naturally disposed to contend with God under afflictions. And,

II. Show the absurdity of it.

him.

1. Let us consider the natural propensity of mankind to contend with God, under the afflictive dispensations of his providence.— While God smiles upon the children of men, they feel no disposi tion to contend with him. They naturally love those, who love them; and so long as God employs his power and goodness in supplying their wants, and satisfying the desire of their hearts, they are well pleased with his conduct. But the same selfishness which prompts them to love God for his favours, equally disposes them to complain of his frowns. If God takes away what he has given them, or denies them what they desire, or inflicts upon them the evils they dread, their hearts will rise in enmity and opposition to Afflictions of all kinds, have a natural tendency to draw forth the corruptions of the human heart, and lead men to contend with the Almighty. Satan, who had long been acquainted with mankind, and knew the natural depravity of their hearts, insinua ted, that afflictions would make all men, at all times, murmur and complain of the divine conduct. This was the plausible objection, which he urged against the goodness of Job, and implicitly against the goodness of all other men. "And the Lord said unto Satan, hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast thou not made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. But put forth thy hand now, and touch all that he bath, and he will curse thee to thy face." God allowed Satan to make the trial, and upon trial, Job retained his integrity, and blessed God under his bereaving hand. This Satan could not deny, but still urged, that if God would repeat his strokes of adversity, Job would rise and contend with him. The second trial was made, His sufferings were greater than he could bear, and led him to pour forth the corruptions of his heart, in the most opprobrious language. From this, we may fairly conclude, that so long as the least degree of moral depravity remains in the hearts of men, they will be prone to contend with God under his chastising hand.

and Job was overcome.

But we shall find much stronger evidence of the natural propensity of mankind to murmur and complain of God, if we consider what he has told us of their conduct in days of adversity. Though 2 Jacob had patiently endured great and sore trials, yet when he had, in his own apprehension, lost Joseph and Benjamin, and was about to lose more of his children, his afflictions produced this bitter complaint: "All these things are against me, and will bring down my grey hairs with sorrow to the grave." The seed of Jacob, who came out of Egypt, were extremely prone to murmur and rebel against God, whenever he visited them with afflictions. Though they commonly pretended to complain only of Moses, yet Moses said they complained of God, and God confirmed his testimony from time to time. In the sixteenth of Exodus we read, "Moses spake unto Aaron, say unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, Come before the Lord: for he hath heard your murmurings." It follows in the next verse but one, "And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel." In the fourteenth of Numbers we are told,' "The Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron, saying, how long shall I bear with this evil congregation, which murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me." In the first of Deuteronomy, Moses tells them how they felt and what they said against God. "And ye murmured in your tents, and said, because the Lord hated us, he hath brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites, to destroy us." The posterity of this same people, manifested the same murmuring spirit, when they were under affliction in Babylon. They murmured against God and said, "The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge." And though God by his prophet, showed them the absurdity of this complaint; yet they continued to say, "The way of the Lord is not equal." The whole history of the children of Israel, from the time they passed through the Red Sea, to the time of their final dispersion, shows that they were always disposed to complain of God and contend with him, when he withheld his favours, or inflicted any calamity upon them. And the Apostle tells the Christians in his day, that the conduct of that people was recorded for the purpose of teaching future generations of mankind, the depravity of their hearts, and warning them against complaining of God, and contending with him, under his chastising hand, “Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come." Human nature is still the same, and pains and murmurs most commonly go together. While God is carrying into execution the universal sentence of mortality,

and bereaving mankind of their friends and relatives, there are almost as many murmurers as there are mourners. The world is in rebellion against God, and every individual is more or less concerned in it. Who can say, that he never entertained any hard thoughts of God, and never felt his heart rise against his holy and sovereign providence? There is, therefore, the most sensible and incontestible evidence, that all men are naturally disposed to find fault with God, and contend with him, under afflictions.

I now proceed to show,

II. The absurdity of men's contending with God, while he is contending with them. This will appear from various considerations.

1. That God exercises infinite wisdom in afflicting them. His understanding is infinite. He has a constant and comprehensive view of the whole universe. He sees all his creatures in all their relations and connexions, both in time and eternity. He knows perfectly well, when it will promote his glory, when it will promote the good of the universe, and when it will promote the good of individuals, to visit them with afflictions. And he knows what kinds and degrees of affliction will answer the best purposes. His afflictive hand, therefore, is always guided by unerring wisdom. He never afflicts, without a wise and holy reason for afflicting. He knows and weighs all the reasons, which the afflicted imagine they see, why they should not be afflicted, and at the same time sees more weighty and important reasons, why they should be afflicted. Job undoubtedly thought, that it would have been much better, if God had spared his substance, and preserved his children, and continued to him the power and opportunity of supplying the wants of the poor, redressing the injuries of the oppressed, enlightening the minds of the ignorant, and promoting the spiritual and temporal good of all around him. But God saw, that more valuable and important purposes might be answered, by reducing him to a state of poverty, pain, and reproach. It was, therefore, absurd in him to set up his understanding against the understanding of the Almighty, "Shall be that contendeth with the Almighty, instruct him?" Shall the afflicted presume to teach God knowledge? Shall those, who are of yesterday, and know nothing, pretend to be wiser than God? How absurd was it in Jacob to call the wisdom of God in question, when he deprived him of Joseph and Benjamin, for the sake of preserving his life, promoting his prosperity, and prevent ing the destruction of whole nations. The afflicted never know what is best for themselves, and much less what is best for the universe. They cannot look through time, and much less through eternity. But God always looks through time and eternity, and all the interests of the universe, in order to send the least evil upon the least of his creatures. So that it may be properly said, that he

xercises infinite wisdom in every instance of adversity. He -ever inflicts the least evil by his own hand, or by the instrumenality of his creatures, without consulting all the interests of the niverse. How is it possible, then, for the afflicted to see all the easons which he sees, for afflicting them? And if they cannot see e wise and holy reasons of his dispensations towards them, how bsurd is it, to call his wisdom in question, and presume to instruct ae Almighty!

2. t is absurd for the afflicted to contend with God, because he xercises infinite goodness in visiting them with afflictions. "There s none good but one, that is God." His goodness transcends the oodness of all other beings. He is good unto all, and his tender mercies are over all his works. He takes no pleasure in the death or distress of any of his creatures. He does not afflict willingly, or grieve the children of men. His heart is tender towards his nost sinful and rebellious creatures. What compassion did he feel and express towards his degenerate people. "How shall I give thee up Ephraim? how shall I deliver thee Israel? how shall I make hee as Admah? how shall I set thee as Zeboim? My heart is turnd within me, my repentings are kindled together. I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger, I will not return to destroy Ephraim: for I am God, and not man." The afflicted are often ready to imagine, that if God were as kind and benevolent as they are, he would not inflict so many evils upon mankind in general; nor such great calamities upon them in particular. But have they any ground to think, that they are more compassionate, than the Father of mercies, and the God of all grace and consolation? Have they ever done so much to promote his glory, as he has done to promote their happiness? Have they ever done so much to promote the happiness of their fellow-men, as he has done to promote the good of the universe? Or have they ever done so much to promote their own good, as he has done to promote it? He has bestowed great and numerous favours upon them, while he has visited them with few slight afflictions. And shall they not receive some evil as well as much good at the hand of God? Shall they contend with the Almighty, if he afflicts them for their own good, or the good of the universe? He never inflicts the least evil upon them, but for one or the other of these kind and benevolent reasons. He exercises the same infinite benevolence in taking away, that be does in bestowing favours. Of this Job was fully convinced, while his heart was tender and submissive. "The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." He believed, that God had as kind and benevolent feelings in sending him adversity, as in sending him prosperity; and all other afflicted persons have reason to believe the goodness of God, in afflicting them. It is only if need be, that he gives pain, or distress to apy

of the children of men. And how absurd is it for the afflicted to complain of the goodness of Gɔd, and to contend with him for taking the best method to express it.

8. It is absurd for the afflicted to contend with God, because he is perfectly just in all the evil he brings upon them. Job in his murmuring frames, repeatedly insinuated, that he had not deserved the heavy calamities, which God inflicted upon him, and impeached the justice of the Deity. This drew from Eliphaz a very pertinent and pointed reproof. "Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished being innocent? or where were the righteous cut off? Shal mortal man be more just than God? Shall a man be more pure than his Maker? As God perfectly hates sin, so it belongs to him to manifest his displeasure against it; and pain or punishment is the only proper expression of his displeasure. When God afflicts, he means to manifest his displeasure to the afflicted. But in all temporal calamities, he punishes men infinitely less than they de serve. The least sin deserves his wrath and curse both in this life, and in that which is to come: what then do many, and great, and aggravated offences deserve? Certainly they deserve far greater evils, than God ever inflicts upon men in this world. “Why then should a living man complain; a man for the punishment of his sins?" The afflicted always have reason to say, "It is of the Lord's mercies, that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not; he has punished us less than we have deserved." How absurd is it then, for them to contend with the Almighty, and reprove him for injustice?"Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” “He that reproveth God, let him answer it." Elihu reasoned with Job upon this point with great force and propriety. He said, " Far be it from God that he should do wickedness, and from the Almighty, that he should commit iniquity. For the work of a man shall be render unto him, and cause every man to find according to his ways. Yea, surely God will not do wickedly, neither will the Almighty pervert judgment. Shall even he that hateth right govern? And wilt thou condemn him that is most jus!? Those who contend with the justice of God, do virtually reprove and condemn their Maker; and what can be more criminal and absurd tha th s?

4. It is absurd for the afflicted to contend with God, because he is their absolute Sovereign, and has an original and independent right to dispose of them according to his own pleasure. He has made them, and made them for himself; and is it not lawful for him to do what he will with his own? They are the clay, and he is the potter; and may he not take what methods he pleases, to form them for his own use, and fit them for future happiness, or misery? Afflictions are the common means, which God uses to form the moral characters of mankind, and to prepare them for their final condition in a future state. Surely, then, it must be in the highest degree

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