Accidents > Life and most surprising adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, mariner, who lived eight and twenty years in an uninhabited island on the coast of America, near the mouth of the great river Oroonoque

* u6 ROBINSON CRUSOE.
he has beftowed upon them the fame reafon, affec¬
tions, fentiments of kindnefs and obligation, paffions
of refentment, fincerity, fidelity, and all the capa¬
cities of doing and receiving good, that he has given
us; and that when he is gracioufly pleafed to offer
them occafions of exerting thefe, they are as ready,
nay, more ready, to apply them to the proper ufes
for which they were bellowed, than we often are.
Thefe thoughts would make me very melancholy,
efpecially when I conlidered how mean a ufe we
make of all thefe, even though we have our pow¬
ers enlightened by the Holy Spirit of God, and by
the knowledge of his word, as an addition to our un-
derftanding ; and why it has pleafed the heavenly
wifdom to conceal the like having knowledge from fo
many millions of fouls, who would certainly make a
much better ufe of it, than mankind generally do
at this time. Thefe reflections would fometimes
lead me fo far, as to invade the fovereignty of Provi¬
dence, and, as it were arraign the juflice of fuch an
arbitrary difpofition of things, thatfhould obfcure that
' light from fome, and reveal it to others, and yet ex¬
pect a like duty from all. But I clofed it up, check¬
ing my thoughts with this conclufion ; that we
were ignorant of that right and law by which thefe
fhould be condemned; but that, as the Almighty wras
neceflarily, and by the nature of hiseflence, infinitely
juft and holy ; lo it could not be otherwife, but that
if thefe creatures were all deftined to abfence from
himfelf, it was on account of finning againft that light
which, as the fcripture fays, was a law to themfelves,
and by fuch rules as their confcience would acknow¬
ledge to be juft, though the firft: foundation was not
difcovercd to us ; and, pcoudly, that ftill as we are
the clay in the hand of the potter, no vefiel could
thus fay to him, Why haft thou fufhioned me after
this manner ?
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