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lusts, or diverted your thoughts by new providences? know assuredly that you have received mercy thereby. Though God deal not these providences always in a subserviency to the covenant of grace, yet there is always mercy in them, always a call in them to consider the author of them. Had not God thus dealt with you, it may be this day you had been a terror to yourselves, a shame to your relations, and under the punishment due to some notorious sins which you had conceived. Besides, there is commonly an additional guilt in sin brought forth, above what is in the mere concep- tion of it. It may be others would have been ruined by it here, or drawn into a partnership in sin by it, and so have been eternally ruined by it, all which are prevented by these providences, and eternity will witness, that there is a singu- larity of mercy in them. Do not look then on any such things as common accidents, the hand of God is in them all ; and that a merciful hand if not despised ; if it be, yet God doth good to others by it, the world is the better, and you are not so wicked as you would.be.
[C] We may also see hence the great use of magistra- cy in the world, that great appointment of God. Amongst other things, it is peculiarly subservient to this holy provi- dence, in obstructing the bringing forth of conceived sin ; namely, by the terror of him that bears the sword. God fixes that on the hearts of evil men which he expresseth, Rom. xiii. 4. ' If thou do that which is evil, be afraid, for the power beareth not the sword in vain, for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath on them that do evil.' God fixes this on the hearts of men, and by the dread and terror of it closeth the womb of sin, that it shall not bring- forth. When there was no king in Israel, none to put to re- buke, and none of whom evil men were afraid, there was woful work and havoc amongst the children of men made in the world, as we may see in the last chapters of the book of Judges. The greatest mercies and blessings that in this world we are made partakers of, next to them of the gospel and covenant of grace, come to us through this channel and conduit. And indeed, this whereof we have been speaking, is the proper work of magistracy, namely, to be subservient to the providence of God in obstructing the bringing forth of conceived sin.
These then are some of the ways whereby God providen-
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tially prevents the bringing forth of sin, by opposing obsta- cles to the power of the sinner. And by them sin is not con- sumed, but shut up in the womb. Men are not burdened for it, but with it; not laden in their hearts and consciences with its guilt, but perplexed with its power, which they are not able to exert and satisfy.
The way that yet remains for consideration whereby God obviates the production of conceived sin, is his working on the will of the sinners, so making sin to consume away in the womb.
There are two ways in general whereby God thus prevents the bringing forth of conceived sin, by working on the will of the sinner; and they are, 1st. by restraining grace : 2dly. by renewing grace. He doth it sometimes the one way, sometimes the other. The first of these is common to re- generate and unregenerate persons, the latter peculiar to believers ; and God doth it variously as to particulars by them both. We shall begin with the first of them.
1st. God doth this in the way of restraining grace by some arrow of particular conviction, fixed in the heart and conscience of the sinner, in reference unto the particular sin which he had conceived. This staggers and changes the mind, as to the particular intended, causeth the hands to hang down, and the weapons of lust to fall out of them. Hereby conceived sin proves abortive. How God doth this work, by what immediate touches, strokes, blows, re- bukes of his Spirit ; by what reasonings, arguments, and commotions of men's own consciences, is not for us thoroughly to find out. It is done, as was said, in unspeakable variety, and the works of God are past finding out. But as to what light may be given unto it from Scripture instances, after we have manifested the general way of God's procedure, it shall be insisted on.
Thus then God dealt in the case of Esau and Jacob. Esau had long conceived his brother's death, he comforted himself with the thoughts of it, and resolutions about it. Gen. xxvii. 41. as is the manner of profligate sinners. Upon his first opportunity he comes forth to execute his in- tended rage, and Jacob concludes that he would ' smite the mother with the children ;' Gen. xxxii. 11. An opportunity is presented unto this wicked and profane person, to bring
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forth that sin that had lain in his heart now twenty years ; he hath full power in his hand to perform his purpose. In the midst of this posture of things, God comes in upon his heart with some secret and effectual working of his Spirit and power, changeth him from his purpose, causeth his con- ceived sin to melt away, that he falls upon the neck of him with embraces, whom he thought to have slain.