The  goodneis  of  God  is  not  limply  a  difpofition  ia

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f  Exod.  XXXIII.  II.
of  GOD's    Goodnefs.  13

nis  nature  to  do  good,  uncontrolled,  undirected  by
wifdom  i  fimilar  to  what  is  obferved  in  fome  of  his
creatures  in  certain  inftances.  Infinite  wifdom,  or
the  moft  consummate,  the  mod  perfect  reafon,  is  in-
diiTolubly  connected  with  goodnefs  in  the  great  God  :
And  the  former  is,  undoubtedly,  if  One  may  fo  ex-
prefs  it,  the  leading,  regulating,  and  all-directing
attribute  of  his  nature  -,  in  fuch  fort,  that  there  are
no  exertions  of  mere  power,  or  of  mere  goodnefs  and
benevolence  in  him  ;  but  every  thing  rhat  is  done
by  him,  is  done  according  to  rhe  immutable  rule  of
wifdom,  or  perfect  reafon  ;  of  which  He  himfelf,  and
only  He,  is  in  all  cafes  an  adequate  judge.  If  God
be  indeed  an  infinitely  knowing,  reafonable,  and  wife
being  \  it  is  furely  no  prefumption  to  fay,  and  even
a  duty  firmly  to  believe,  that  he  never,  in  any  cafe
whatever,  acts  unreafonably,  or  unwifely.  And  if
this  be  the  cafe,  as,  I  fuppofe,  is  univerfally  acknow-
ledged in  words  at  leaft,  by  all  profeffed  chrifhans  ;
what  was  faid  above,  undeniably  follows  ;  viz.  that:
none  of  the  actions  of  the  great  God,  are  merely  and
folely  the  exertions  either  of  power  or  of  goodnefs  -s
but  all  conducted  by  a  wifdom  that  cannot  err.
