Ser. 150. as they deferved; and then, in another mood, they would have him to be nothing but juftice and feverity. left there fhould be a God; as if no other notion could be framed of the divine nature, but of a rafh fury, and impetuous revenge, and an impotent paffion, which, when it is offended and provoked, cannot contain itfelf, and forbear punishment for a moment. Juftice is not fuch a perfection as doth neceffarily exclude wifdom, and goodnefs, and patience; it doth in nowife contradict the perfection of the divine nature, to bear with finners, in expectation of their repentance and àmendment, or if God forefees their final impenitency, to refpite their punishment to the moft fit and convenient feafon. God may fuffer long, and yet be refolved, if finners perfift in the abufe of his goodness and patience, to execute vengeance upon them in due time. It is a pitiful ground of Atheism, that because God is fo much better than wicked men deferve, they will not allow him to be at all.

2. Others infer from the delay of punishment, that there is no providence that adminifters the affairs of the world, and regards the good and bad actions of men : for, though the being of God be acknowledged, yet if he do not regard what is done here below, nor concern himfelf in human affairs, finnèrs are as fafe and free to 'do what they please, as if there were no God; and, upon this ground, the fcripture tells us, many encourage themselves in their wickednefs; Pfal. Ixiv. 5. They encourage themselves in an evil matter: they commune of "Aying fnares privily; for they fay, who fhall fee them? And more exprefly, Pfal. xciv. 4. 5. 6. 7. How long shall they utter and speak hard things? and all the workers of iniquity boast themselves? they break in pieces thy people, O Lord, and afflict thine heritage. They lay the widow and the franger, and murder the fatherless. Yet they Jay, the Lord Jhall not fee, neither fhall the God of Facob regard it. And if this were fo, well might they encourage themselves. If it were true which Epicurus faith, "That God takes no knowledge of the actions of

men; that he is far removed from us, and contented "with himfelf, and not at all concerned in what we "do:" If this were true, the inference which Lù

cretius

cretius makes, were very just; Quare religio pedibus fubjecta viciffim obteritur; "Men might trample religion under their feet, and live without any regard to "the laws of it."

But let us fee how they infer this from the long-fuffering of God, that he neglects the affairs of the world, and hath no confideration of the actions of men, because they fee the ungodly to profper in the world equally with others that are strictly devout and virtuous, yea, many times, to be in a more profperous and flourishing condition; they are not in trouble like other men, neither are they plagued like other men. So that if there be a God, it feems, fay they, that he connives at the crimes of men, and looks upon them that deal treacherously, and holds his peace, whilst the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than himself, as the Prophet expreffeth it, Hab. i. 13.

For anfwer to this, I fhall only give this reasonable and credible account of the long-fuffering of God, and the impunity of wicked men in this life, which not only the fcripture gives us, but the Heathen were able to give from the light of nature, and is agreeable to the common fenfe of mankind, namely, that this life is a ftate of probation and trial, wherein God fuffers men to walk in their own ways, without any vifible check and reftraint, and does not ufually. inflict prefent and remarkable punishments upon them for their evil deeds; because this being a state of trial of the difpofitions and manners of men, is rather the proper feafon of pati ence, than of punishments and rewards; and therefore it is very reasonable to fuppofe that God referves finners for a folemn and publick trial at the great afflizes of the world, when he will openly vindicate the honour of his juftice upon the defpifers of his patience and longfuffering, when he will make his judgment to break forth as the light, and his righteousness as the noon-day. Iq the mean time, the providence of God, when he fees it fit, gives fome remarkable inftances of his juftice upon great and notorious offenders in this life, as pledge and earneft of a future judgment; and thefe, fometimes, more general, as in the deftruction of the old world by an univerfal deluge, when he faw the wicked

I 2

wickedness of men to be great upon the earth; and fuch was that terrible vengeance which was poured down upon Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them; which, as St. Jude tells us, are fet forth for an example, Suffering the vengeance of eternal fire, that is, of a perpetual deftruction by fire.

Another grofs and atheistical inference, which men are apt to make from the delay of punishment is, that there is no fuch difference of good and evil as is pretended; because they do not fee the good and bad actions of men differenced in their rewards, because divine juftice doth not prefently manifeft itself; and every tranfgreffim and disobedience doth not immediately receive a juft recompence of reward, therefore they cannot believe that the difference between good and evil is so great and evident.

For answer to this: not to infift upon the difference which the providence of God fometimes makes between them in this life, I appeal to the confciences of men, whether they do not fecretly and inwardly acknowledge a clear difference between good and evil.

Are not the

worst of men apt to conceive better hopes of fuccefs, when they are about a juft and honest undertaking, than when they are engaged in a wicked defign? Do not bad men feel a fecret fhame and horror, when no eye fees them, and the wickedness they are about to commit doth not fall under the cognizance and cenfure of any human court or tribunal? have they not many checks and rebukes in their own fpirits, much difturbance and confufion of mind, when they are enterprizing a wicked thing? And does not this plainly argue, that they are guilty to themfelves that they are about fomething which they ought not to do?

It is very true, that moft men are more fenfible of the evil of an action, when they feel the ill effects and confequences of it, and fuffer the punishment that is due to it: but yet the fenfe of good and evil is fo deeply impreft upon human nature, that I think no man, remaining a man, can quite deface and blot out the difference of good and evil. So that if men will but attend to the natural dictates and fuggeftions of their own

minds, they cannot poffibly infer, from the delay of punishment, that there is no difference of good and evil.

But, becaufe thofe who are thus are but few, in comparifon, there being not many in the world arrived to that degree of blindness, and height of impiety, as to disbelieve a God, and a providence; and I think none have attained to that perfect conqueft of confcience, as to have loft all fenfe of good and evil; therefore I fhalt rather infift,

Secondly, Upon thofe kind of reafonings which are more ordinary and common among bad men, and whereby they cheat themselves into everlasting perdition; and they are fuch as these :

1. Because fentence against an evil work is not speedily executed, therefore fin is not fo great an evil.

2. Therefore God is not fo highly offended and provoked by it. Or,

3. God is not fo fevere in his own nature, as he is commonly represented.

4. Therefore the punishment of fin is not fo certain. Or, however,

5. It is at a diftance, and may be prevented time enough, by a future repentance in our old age, or at the hour of death. By fome fuch false reasonings as thefe, which men think may probably be collected from the patience and long-fuffering of God, they harden and encourage themselves in an evil courfe.

I. Because the punishment of fin is deferred, therefore they conclude it is not fo great an evil; they do not feel the ill effects of it at prefent; all things go well and profperously with them, no less than with those who are fo ftrict and conscientious; and therefore they hope there is no fuch great evil in fin, as melancholy people are apt to fancy to themselves. For anfwer to this,

1. Confider ferioully what fin is, and then thou wilt fee reafon enough to call it a great evil. To fin against God, is to contemn the greatelt authority in the world, to contradict the greatest holiness and purity, to abuse the greatest goodness, and to provoke almighty justice to take vengeance upon thee, and to make thee as mifer able as thou art capable of being. To fin against God, is to be disobedient to thy Sovereign, and unthankful to

thy belt Benefactor, and to act contrary to the greatest obligations, againft thy beft reafon, and trueft intereft; to difoblige thy kindeft friend, and to gratify thy workt and bittereft enemy; it is to diforder thyself, to create perpetual difquiet to thy own mind, and to do the greatest mifchief poffible to thy felf; to deprive thyself of the greatest happiness, and to draw down upon thyfelf extreme and eternal mifery. And what do we call a great evil, if this be not, which contains in it all the kinds, and all the aggravations of evil that can be, and hath all the circumftances of uglinefs and deformity in it that can be imagined?

2. Whatever fin be in itself, yet from hence we can in nowife conclude that it is not a great evil, because the punishment of it is deferred for a while: from hence indeed it follows, that God is very good in deferring the punishment which is due to thee for thy fins, but by no means that fin is not very evil. The reprieve of a traitor does indeed argue the goodness and clemency of the Prince, but doth not at all abate of the heinoufnefs of the crime for which he is fentenced. The great evil of fin is evident, because the holy and juft God hath forbidden it, and declared his hatred and deteftation of it, and threatened it with most severe and direful punishment: but that God refpites the punishment which is due to fin, and does not immediately take vengeance upon finners, but affords them a space, and means, and opportunity of repentance; this doth not at all leffen the evil of fin, but is rather an aggravation of it, that we should offend and provoke that God who is fo patient and long-fuffering towards us, fo very loth to bring those evils upon us, which we are so rath and forward to pull down upon ourselves.

II. If God doth not immediately punish fin upon the commiffion of it, and inftantly let fly at the finner, this they would conftrue to be a fign that he is not fo highly offended and provoked by it; if he were, he would inanifeft his.difpleasure against it, by the fudden and violent effufions of his wrath. For anfwer to this, I defire these two things may be considered :

1. That God himself, in his word, every where plainly declares to us his great displeasure against fin:

Pfal.