sent to Gen. 19. Sodom they go they enter the Place are kindly receiv'd by the good People are abus'd and injured by the Bad. The Wicked are struck with Blindness and the Righteous saved Lot with his righteous Inclinations is taken out of the City the City with its unrighteous Inhabitants is burnt to Ashes I desire to be inform'd in this place whether God according to his righteous Judgment destroy'd the Place or whether he did it without Judgment Whoever says God punish'd the Sodomites without passing Sentence makes him to be unjust But if he did pass Sentence in the Destruction of the Wicked then he judg'd them and truly he judg'd them at present as tho' it were at the future Judgment For it is most certain that Hell-fire burns for the Punishment of the Wicked hereafter and Sodom with it's neighbourning Cities were destroy'd by fire from Heaven So that by this present one God seems to declare the Dreadful future Judgment when upon a most unrighteous People he sent a sort of Hell from Heaven Even as 2 Pet. 2. v. 6. the Apostle also says And turning the Cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemn'd them with an overthrow making them an Example unto those that after should live ungodly And yet even what was done there had more of God's Mercy in it than of his Severity For 't was a piece of very great Mercy that he deferr'd the Punishment of them so long as it was of Justice that he did some time punish them And therefore by his sending Angels to Sodom he would shew us with what unwillingness it is that he punishes Sinners So as that when we read what the Angels suffer'd from the Sodomites and consider the excessive Greatness of their Villanies the Deformity of their Crimes and the Nastiness of their Lusts God does by that shew his unwillingness to destroy them if they themselves had not extorted their own Destruction from him The Rebellions of Pharaoh and the Works of Moses IX I could produce innumerable other Examples but that I fear I shall seem to write an History whilst I am endeavouring fully to prove the Thing I have undertaken Moses in the Desart feeds a Flock sees the Bush burning hears God out of the Bush receives Commands Exod. 3. from him is exalted with Power is sent to Pharaoh goes to him speaks with him is rejected and yet gains his Point Aegypt is sinitten Pharaoh is scourg'd for his Disobedience and that by more ways than one that the greater Criminal might be wrack'd with variety of Punishment And what then Why after all he rebels ten times and is as often scourg'd What say you to that Why I think you may perceive in this whole Affair that God does both take care of and judge Affairs here below As for Instance in Aegypt where there appears not only one single One but variety of God's Judgments For as often as he smote those who rebell'd against him in Aegypt so often he judged them But what follow'd after Israel is sent out celebrates the Passover spoils the Aegyptians departs with Riches Pharaoh repents draws together his Army overtakes the departed Encamps is parted by the Cloud the Sea is dry'd up Israel passes through is deliver'd by the kind sufferance of the friendly Waves Pharaoh pursues the Sea rowls upon him and he is overwhelm'd in the Waters I think in this whole Affair there does appear the manifest Judgment of God and not only his Judgment but also his Long-suffering and Forbearance For 't is an Argument of great forbearance that the wicked Aegyptians were often smitten as 't is of Judgment that the Perverse and Impenitent were at length destroy'd Well after this Series of Things and Actions Israel being Conquerour without a Battle enters the Wilderness travels without a Journey sojourns without a Road God his Leader the Host of Heaven his Fellow-Soldiers and heavenly Bodies his Guides following the moving Pillar cloudy by Day and fiery by Night changing its Colour and Complexion as fitted best the change of either Season that it might set off the brightness of the Day by it's shady Obscurity and enlighten the darkness of the Night by it's shining Splendour To these add Fountains made on a sudden add Medicated Waters either newly given or else transmuted remaining the same in Kind tho' chang'd in qualities the tops of Mountains open'd with Rivers bursting from them and Sandy Desarts watred with new unusual Streams thousands of Fowls brought to the Travellers Camps Heaven by the tenderest Love indulging not only their Necessities but even their Wantonness the Stars afford them daily Food for forty Years the Heavens still dewing down the luscious Meat did pour it forth not only for Subsistence but for Pleasure too Besides the Men felt not in any Limb the alterations or decays natural to Humane Bodies Their Nails ne're grew they lost no Teeth their Hair still of one length their Feet nere fretted their Garments always whole their Shoes nere torn their Honour was so great in all respects that even their poorest Cloathing shared in the advancement To this add God himself descending purely to instruct them and the Son of God appearing visible to the eyes of Mortals the mighty Numbers of the common Sort admitted to be familiar with their God and honour'd with his Friendship To these add Thunders Lightnings the dreadful Sounds of heavenly Trumpets the fearful Crackling of the troubl'd Air Heavens Axes growning with the sacred Sounds Fires Darkness Clouds all full of God the Lord conversing face to face the Law resounding from the mouth of God Letters cut by God's finger pages hewn from the Quarry arccky Volumn a People learning and Great God their Teacher and even one School for Heaven and Earth made up of Men and Angels For thus says the Scripture that when Moses had related the Words of the People unto the Lord the Lord said unto him Lo I come unto Exod. 19. v. 9. thee in a thick Cloud that the people may hear when I speak with thee And a little after v. 16. There were Thundrings and Lightnings and a thick Cloud upon the Mount And again And the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai on the top of the Mount And afterward He did talk Exod. 33. with Moses the whole Congregation beholding that the Pillar of the Cloud stood at the door of v. 9 10. the Tabernacle and they themselves stood and worshipped at the door of their Tabernacles God v. 11. talked with Moses face to face as a Man speaketh to his friend Things being thus in fact pray does God seem to take care of Man or no when he heaps so many Benefits upon him and does such mighty Things for him when he admits so contemptible a Creature to converse with him and to be even in some sense a sort of Companion to him when he opens those hands for him that are crowded with immortal Treasures
you are a Christian must of necessity believe your self to be govern'd by God But if you do not believe with other Christians that you are govern'd by God you must of necessity know that you are separated from all other Christians But if you desire to be inform'd as we have hinted above what is the State of all Mankind in general and not of the Christians in particular the Holy Scripture will solve your Doubt which affirms that all things are continually and without intermission order'd and govern'd by God For he loveth Council and Discipline Nor is there any other God whose Care is Wisd 12. v. 15 18. Universal For so much then as thou art righteous thy self thou orderest all things righteously and orderest us with great favour Here you see God always disposing Affairs and always governing and besides there is not only in this place a Declaration of his Governning but also an Exaltation of Humane Nature For in the words Thou orderest us is the Force of God's Power but in those with great favour is the height of Humane Honour So in the Prophet Do not I fill Heaven and earth saith the Lord And He himself declares Jer. 23. V. 24. why he fills all things Because I am with you says he and will save you God Jer. 42. v. 11. do's not only barely declare his Power and his filling all things but shews the Efficacy and Benefit of such his filling For the Divine filling brings this Advantage with it that it saves every thing which it fills And therefore the holy Apostle St. Paul in the Acts of Acts 17. v. 28. the Apostles says In him we live and move and have our Being Certainly he is more than a bare Disposer of Life in whom is the Principal of Motion of the Creature that lives For he do's not say that we are mov'd by him but in him thereby informing us that the Substance of us All is engraffed in the Divine Perfections Because we plainly live in him from whom we receive even our very Existence So our Saviour himself in the Gospel Loe I am with you alway Matth. 28. v. 20. even unto the end of the world He did not only say that he was with us but that he was with us always And do you ungrateful Man venture to say that he who is always with us do's neither regard nor care for us What do's he stay with us for no other end but to despise and neglect us How are these Things consistent that he should afford us his Presence out of Love and yet hate us by his Neglect For he says Loe I am with you always even unto the end of the world We put a very pretty Meaning on the loving-kindness of God by slandering him for neglecting us when at the same time he openly declares that he do's never leave us He would by this shew us that he would never depart from us in Affection and Protection because his Presence should be always with us And we convert this Divine Charity into Contempt of us and change these Marks of Love into Arguments of Hatred For this His saying that he would be always with us we make a Testimony of Hatred rather than of Love For if the Lord had said he should be absent there would be less Reason to accuse him of disregard in Absence It shews a much greater Slight and Contempt if he should always neglect us who always remain'd with us 't is great aggravation of Hatred to us if he should stay with us only for this End always to let us have his Presence and yet never to love us Far be it from us to have such Thoughts of the most Loving and merciful God that he should be always near us only that by such nearness he might slight and neglect us the more and far be it from us to speak it I am perswaded there is scarce such a Varlet to be found among all Mankind that desires to be near another Man purely because he do's not love him and that would covet to enjoy his Company meerly that he might have the better opportunity to hate and despise him Let therefore Humane Nature either inform or convince us For if we do not desire to be with any Man unless such as we have Respect for and because we have such respect we endeavour that our Company may be as grateful and advantageous to him we do so love How come we then to take away that from God which you must allow to a wicked Man and to depress him beneath even the very worst of Men that he should tell us that he would be always with us that he might use us with the greater Scorn and Contempt But enough of this III. It remains that since I have prov'd by How great things David suffered Testimonies of holy Writ that all things are order'd and govern'd by God I should shew in like manner that many things in this world have been adjudged by him When holy David was abus'd and affronted by Nabal the Carmelite he forbore to resent the Injury and had his Cause immediately avenged by God When therefore his Adversary was dead and smitten by the hand of Heaven he spoke after this manner Blessed be the Lord 1 Sam. 25. v. 39. that hath pleaded the Cause of my Reproach from the hand of Nabal When his Son became his Persecutor and turn'd him out of his Kingdom the Lord as Judge in a short time avenged his Cause and not only barely avenged it but in a much higher degree than he in whose Vindication it was would have had it that God might shew that the Injustice done to the Injur'd and Oppressed is more grievous to Himself than to those that bear it For he who punishes beyond the Desire of the Injur'd Party shews plainly that such overplus of Correction is in his own Quarrel His undutiful Son therefore being snapp'd up by the growing Gallows holy Writ relates the Account then given of this Punishment that fell upon him from above Thus Tidings my Lord the King for the 2 Sam. 18. v. 31. Lord hath avenged or judged for thee this day of all them that rose up against thee IV. Here you see not only from the nature of Things and Examples as I shewed before but also from the very Name and Term of Judgment how the Scriptures prove by holy Witnesses that God do's Judge even in this present World But you think it may be this was a singular Instance a particular Favour granted to so Great and Good a Man that God by his Judgments should deliver him from his Adversaries The whole day would not be sufficient for me to â—â—eak of the Sentences and Judgments pass'd by God in this present World However that you may plainly discern that he do's not pass his Censures and Judgment so much for the sake of Persons as the Justice of their Causes pray mark how the same God as
generally speaking the Good are commonly miserable in this World and the Bad happy Seeing we have to do with Christians the Word of God alone ought to be sufficient to refute this but because many have something in them of Heathenish Incredulity it may be they may be also pleas'd with the Authorities of the greatest and wisest Heathens I shall therefore shew that even they who had not the true Religion and so could not know God as they ought to do because utterly ignorant of that Law by which he is known yet never dream'd of any such Negligence or Carelesness as this Thus the Great Pythagoras whom Philosopy her self almost own'd for her Master discoursing of the Nature and Beneficence Tully de natur Deorum Book I. of the Deity says thus That he is a Soul dilated and diffus'd thro' every part of the Vniverse from which every living Creature receives its Being How then can God be said to neglect the World when by this He shews so great Regard to it that he disposes Himself in every part and parcel of it Plato and all his Followers declare God to be the Ruler of all Things The Stoicks place him like a Pilot at the Helm of his Government And how could they well form a more orthodox and religious Thought of the Love and Care of God Almighty than by thus comparing Him to a Pilot For their Meaning is that as when a Ship is under Sail the Director of it has always his Hand upon the Rudder so God's Care of the World is continual and without intermission and as the One is entirely employ'd in all the Faculties of his Soul and Body in ordering his Tackle to the Winds avoiding the Rocks and observing of the Stars so our good God is always graciously beholding and by His Providence governing and most tenderly and compassionately loving the whole Order of Beings Hence also is that most Divine Saying of Virgil's to this purpose and which shews him to have been a very Great Philosopher as well as Poet. God is diffus'd thro' all Virgil. Georg. 4. The various Parts of the Terragueous Ball. So is that of Tully Nor can that God says he understood who is known by us be understood any other way Tully's Tuscâ—l Questions BOOK â— than as a free Mind void of and separated from all manner of Humane Composition knowing and disposing all Things And in another place There is nothing more Excellent than God and therefore the World must of Necessity be govern'd by Him 'T is plain then that God is not under or subjected to any other Being or Nature and therefore that He governs whole Nature himself unless we should be so very wise as to think that He who we say governs all things should at one and the same time both govern and neglect them too Seeing then that even all those who are without the true Religion have been forceably and of necessity compell'd to own that all Things are throughly seen order'd and govern'd by God How comes it to pass that some now a days do think Him to be negligent and regardless who by His quicksightedness sees all things disposes of them by His Might governs them by His Omnipotence and preserves them by his Goodness I have shewn what the Chiefest Authors for Philosophy and Eloquence have thought of the Majesty and Government of the Great God and I particularly took care to choose the most accomplish'd Masters in both those admirable Arts that I might the more easily make appear that all the rest had the same Sense of the Matter or at least that they dissented without any manner of Authority And really I cannot find any of a different Judgment bating a few whimsical Epicureans or Epicurizers who as they have link'd Voluptuousness with Vertue so they have joyn'd God with Sloath and Carelesness that they might shew the World the effect of their Sentiments by following the Epicurean Vices as well as their Opinions II. I do not think my self obliged in this The Prosperity of the Bad and the Adversity of the Good in this World and how the Good cannot but he bless'd place to produce any Divine Testimony to prove so plain a Truth chiefly because the holy Scriptures do so abundantly and with such Evidence contradict all the Reasonings of the Wicked that as in the sequel I am answering their further Calumnies I shall have an opportunity of more fully confuting what has been said before They urge then that all Things are neglected by God because He neither punishes the Bad nor protects the Good and therefore the Condition of the better Sort is much the worse in this World for the Good are poor but the Bad are rich the Good weak the Bad strong the Good mourning the Wicked rejoycing the Righteous miserable and despis'd the Wicked prosperous and advanc'd I desire to know in the first place of those who either grieve at or blame such a Dispensation whether they sorrow for the Saints that is for true and faithful Christians or for Hypocrites and Impostors If for the Hypocrite 't is an idle Sorrow that grieves that a bad Man is not happy For they who are already wicked would only be made worse by Success and become rampant in their Villany And therefore for that very Reason they should be more miserable that they may be less wicked since they vouch the Name of their Religion for their dishonest Gains and make use of the Pretence of Sanctity only for their unrighteous and sordid Bargains if their Miseries were compar'd with their Iniquities they are less miserable than they deserve because let them be in the greatest Misfortunes imaginable yet their Wickedness will be still greater than their Misfortunes And therefore we ought not by any means to be troubled that such as these are not prosperous and happy And much less should we be afflicted for the Saints for tho' they may seem to ignorant People to be miserable yet it is not possible for them to be otherwise than happy 'T is an idle thing for any one to judge other people miserable either in Sickness or Poverty or in any other State in which they take themselves to be happy For no one is miserable in another Man's Opinion but his own And therefore they cannot be miserable by the mistaken Judgment of another Man who are truly happy in their own Consciences For I am of opinion that none are more happy than those who act according to their own Wishes and Desires So then if the Good are in mean Condition 't is what they would be Are they poor they take delight in their Poverty Are they without Ambition 't is because they despise it Have they no Titles of Honour 't is because they refuse them Do they mourn they joy in Mourning Are they weak they 2 Cor. 12. v. 10 rejoyce in Weakness For when says the Apostle I am weak then am I strong And he had good Reason
so was an Endeavour to please him And when St. Paul saw him very much weakned by frequent Sicknesses he suffer'd him to 1 Tim. 5. V. 23. make use of only a very small quantity of Wine that is he would have him take care of his Health but not to pamper the Flesh so far as thereby to make it unruly But for what end did he thus Without doubt for the Reason he Galat. 5. V. 17. himself gives because the flesh lusteth against the Spirit and the spirit against the flesh and these are contrary the one to the other so that ye do not the things that ye would A certain Author on this place said not indiscreetly if we cannot do our Duty as we desire by reason of the Rebellion and unruliness of the Body it must be humbled and pull'd down that the Duty may be done For says he The infirmity Salvian Epist 5. of the flesh puts such an Edge on the Vigour of the Mind that when it is indispos'd all the Powers of the Body are transferr'd into the Faculties of the Soul the inward Parts do not broil with base Lusts no secret Incentives inflame the distemper'd Mind the wandring Senses do not ramble and play the Wanton with a thousand tempting Objects but the Soul alone as Sovereign Mistress in a distemper'd Body is merry and joyful and triumphs over the Flesh as if her Enemy were overcome This then which I have set down is the Cause of good Mens Infirmities and I believe by this time you are of my Opinion too IV. But it may be you 'll say there are greater How Cain slew his Brother Things than these viz. That they suffer grievous and cruel Hardships that they are cast into Prisons that they are put to Torture and that they are slain All that is true But in this what do we more than both the Prophets who were carried into Captivity and the Apostles also who endur'd Torments And yet notwithstanding we do certainly believe that God Almighty took extraordinary Care of them even then when they suffer'd those Hardships for his Service But perhaps for this very Reason you 'll pretend to prove that God does not regard the Things of this World now but reserves them entirely to his future Judgment because for the most part good Men suffer all the ill Things and the Bad inflict them I must confess the Assertion seems not to savour altogether of Infidelity because it does so plainly own God's future Judgment But we maintain that Mankind are so to be judg'd by Christ as that at the same time we believe that God does now dispose and order all things as he thinks most fit and convenient and we affirm that he will sit as Judge in the future Judgment but so that at the same time we teach that he does always exercise Judgment in this World For since God does always govern he does always judge because Government it self is the exercise of a Judicial Power How many ways would you have this prov'd Whether by Reason Examples or Testimony If by Reason who is there so void of common Sense or so great a Stranger to the Truth we are discoursing of that does not see and acknowledge that the most beautiful Frame of the World and the inestimable Magnificence of superior and inferior Things are all govern'd by the same glorious Being which created them that he that form'd the Elements is still their Moderator who as at first he made all Things by his Authority and Power so he still rules them by his Providence and Wisdom Especially when in transacting all our own Affairs nothing can be manag'd without Prudence and that every thing has it's Safety and Success from Wisdom and Forecast as the Body has it's Life from the Soul So that in this World not only Empires and Provinces Civil and Military Affairs but even the smallest Offices and private Families nay the very Beasts and the most minute and contemptible of our Domestick Creatures are not to be manag'd without Conduct and a prudent and orderly Disposition And without doubt 't is the Will of God that thus it should be that all Mankind might rule the several Parts alloted them after the Pattern set them by him who so wisely steers the whole But say you things were thus order'd and dispos'd in the beginning of the Creation But when God had made the Universe and perfected all things therein he abandon'd all further Care of earthly Matters and renounc'd it I warrant you to avoid the Drudgery he remov'd it far enough from him or was asraid of being tir'd with it or being taken up with other Matters he left part of the Creation to it self being unable to look after the whole V. You say then that God has left all Care The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrha of mortal Matters If so pray tell me to what purpose serves Religion What reason have we to worship Christ or what hope of gaining his Favour For if God does not at all regard Mankind in this World to what end do we daily lift up our hands to Heaven why do we by frequent Prayers implore God's mercy why do we run to the Churches and why prostrate our selves before the Altars The very Reason of all Prayer is destroy'd if we have not hope of obtaining what we ask And therefore you see the Vanity and Folly of such an Assertion which if it should be admitted does utterly destroy all the Foundations of Religion But it may be you 'll fly to this Excuse and say that we worship God now out of Fear of his future Judgment and that we labour to pay him all the present Service we can that we may obtain Mercy and Forgiveness in the World to come What means St. Paul the Apostle then by his commanding and ordering that Supplications Pray 1 Tim. 2. V. 1. ers Intercessions and giving of Thanks should be constantly every day offer'd to our God in the Church And for what Reason did he order thus But for that which he tells us that we may lead a quiet and peaceable Life in all V. 2. godliness and honesty Here we see he commands us to offer Supplications and Prayers for Things of this present Life and he would never have given such a Command if he were not confident that we should obtain them How therefore does any one think that God's ears are open to Prayers offer'd for the Good things of the other Life but are clos'd and shut up to those of this Life Or how come we in our Prayers in the Church to beg of God present Security if we think we are not heard at all There are therefore no Prayers to be offer'd for our present Safety and Prosperity but rather that the Modesty of the Petition may procure Audience for him that prays it may be convenient to address himself thus Lord we ask not for Prosperity in this Life nor for the good things
nourishing him with the cup of pleasure and feeding him with the bread of Heaven I would fain know how he could better have express'd the Care of his Government what greater Tenderness could he possibly shew them than by Respecting them so much in this Life as to allow them a sort of Anticipation of the Blessedness hereafter X. But perhaps it will be answer'd here that 't is true that a long time ago God was thus careful of Mankind but now a days he do's not at all trouble himself with it Pray how come we to be of that Opinion Because it may be we are not every day fed with Manna as they were then when we are provided with plentiful Crops of Corn Because the Quails do not fly in our Faces to be catch'd when we are supply'd with all sorts of Birds Beasts and Cattle Because we drink not Water flowing from hardest Rocks when we have Cellars Stor'd with choisest Wines Beside I am confident that even we our selves who think they were so much the Care of God and that we are neglected by Him should he instead of what we now enjoy give us those Things they had would certainly refuse the Offer We would never part with what we have at present to be possess'd of what they had not that we have better Things now than that People then enjoy'd but because they who were thus daily fed by the hand of God and Heaven preferr'd their former Gluttony to their present Provisions grew sullen and afflicted with the base Remembrance of fleshly Dyet and lewdly hanker'd after Leeks and Onions not that their former Food was any whit the better but because they were just in the same Condition that we are now They abhorr'd what e're was present and lusted for what was not We commend the Things of that Age more than of our own not that we had rather have them if 't were put to our Choice but 't is a Vice common to Mankind our Desires are always roving after what we have not As one says well Other Men's Goods please us and â— Syrus ours please other Men. Beside 't is almost universally true of us All that there 's not one of us but is guilty of Ingratitude toward God and 't is a kind of Original Sin which taints us all we are still lessening God's love and goodness lest we should own our selves too much his Debtors But enough of this 't is time to return where I left off altho' I doubt not but I have sufficiently prov'd my Proposition yet I shall add somewhat more because I judge 't is safer to use more Proofs than what are barely needful than to destroy a Cause perhaps by being short in using too few XI The Israelites having been some time deliver'd from the Yoak of Pharaoh revolted at Mount Sinai and are forthwith corrected by the Lord for their Folly For so it is written And the Lord plagued the people because Exod. 32. they made the Calfe which Aaron made v. 35. How could God Almighty execute a more evident Judgment on the Offenders than that Punishment should immediately follow the Transgression But why since all the Congregation were guilty was not Sentence pass'd alike on all Because the God of mercy drew his Sword of Judgment against some that others might amend by their Example and that he might shew at once to all his Justice in destroying and Mercy in preserving 'T was Justice that chastis'd them and 't was Mercy that spar'd them altho' both in a different manner for Mercy here had greater share than Justice Because the Lord being always most compassionate is ever more inclind to Mercy than to Vengeance and altho' at that time in punishing part of the Jewish Host the Divine Justice made use of Judgment and Severity yet at that very time his Mercy saved by far the greater part and that out of meer Compassion to their mighty Numbers lest the Punishment should have destroy'd all whom the Guilt had infected However we read that God's Justice is inexorable toward some Persons and Families as in the Case when the People rested on the Sabaoth-day he who presum'd Numb 15. to gather Sticks was order'd to be slain v. 36. For altho' the Act it self was innocent yet the Day on which he did it made it Criminal So in the Case of two contending Parties one who blasphem'd was put to death For thus 't is written Behold the Son of an Israelitish Levit. 24. Woman whose Father was an Aegyptian v. 10. went out among the Children of Israel And this Son of the Israelitish Woman and a Man v. 11 of Israel strove together in the Camp And the Israelitish Woman's Son blasphem'd the Name of the Lord and cursed and they brought him unto Moses And a little after And they put him in ward that the mind of the Lord might be shewed v. 12. them and the Lord spake unto Moses saying Bring forth him that hath cursed without the v. 13. Camp and let all that heard him lay their hands v. 14. upon his Head and let all the Congregation stone him Is not here a plain and manifest Judgment of God and a Sentence in a heavenly Tryal pass'd according to the form of Humane Examinations For first the Offender is seis'd in the next place he is brought before the Judgment-seat then he is accus'd then sent into Prison and last of all punish'd by a Sentence from above And not only punish'd but condemn'd in a Tryal by Witnesses that it might appear that 't was Justice that convicted him and not meer Power that the Example might contribute to the Amendment of all that no one in after-times should dare to do those things that all the People had punish'd in one This is the Method and the Justice with which God does both now act and with which he ever has acted that the punishments inflicted on single Persons may tend to the Amendment of all So it was in the case of Nadab and Abihu both of the Priesthood Numb 26. v. 61. when they were consum'd with Fire in whose destruction God had a mind to manifest not only his common Judgment but a 1 Chron. 24. v. 1 2. very present sudden and unexpected one For thus saith the Scripture That when fire came out from before the Lord and consumed Levit. 9. v. 24. upon the Altar the Burnt-offering Nadab and Abihu the Sons of Aaron took either of them his Censer and put fire therein and offer'd Levit. 10. strange fire before the Lord which he commanded v. 1. them not And there went out fire from the Lord and devour'd them and they died before the Lord. v. 2. By this God would shew that his hand is always stretch'd over us and that the Sword of Vengeance hangs over our heads since we see that he punish'd the Sin of these Men in the very Act The Fact of these
Sinners was scarce committed before the Penalty reveng'd the Sin but that is not the only remarkable Thing in this Affair since there are many others For in these Men it was not so much a wicked Heart as a too rash and unadvised Easiness that was punish'd which is a Declaration from God himself of what punishment those are worthy who dare Sin in open Contempt of the Divine Majesty when these Men are thus smitten who offended meerly for want of Consideration And how heinous a Guilt they would contract who should act expressly against God's Commands when these were so severely scourg'd who wanted nothing but a Command for their Actions Further by this God provides for our Amendment setting before us so wholesome an Example by which all of the Laiety may undestand how greatly they ought to dread the Wrath of God since neither the Merits of the Father could deliver nor the Privilege of the sacred Ministry free even the Sons of the High-Priest from immediate Punishment But why do I speak of the Inconsiderateness of these Men which in a manner affected God himself and tended to the lessening his Honour Miriam Numb 12. v. â— speaks against Moses and is punish'd and not only barely so but in a Judicial way For in the first place she is summon'd to appear in Judgment Then she is convicted and in the last place punish'd In the Reproof given her there was the force of a Sentence in her Leprosie she was put in the State of a real Offender and this Censure did not only humble Miriam but Aaron also For tho' it was not meet that the High Priest should be deform'd by Leprosie yet nevertheless the Chastisement of the Lord was upon him and not only so for Aaron as Partaker in the Crime is chastis'd in that very Punishment which Miriam suffer'd for the punishment is laid upon Miriam that Aaron may be confounded with the Guilt But that we may further understand how inexorable God is in his Judgment in some cases we shall see that he will not hearken to the Intercession even of the offended Party Thus we read that the Lord said unto Aaron and Miriam Wherefore Numb 12. v. were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses And the anger of the Lord was v. 9. kindled against them and he departed And behold Miriam became Leprous white as Snow v. 10. And Moses cry'd unto the Lord saying Heal v. 13. her now O God I beseech thee And the Lord said unto Moses if her Father had but spit in v. 14. her face should she not be ashamed seven days Let her be shut out from the Camp seven days and after that let her be receiv'd in again What I have said on this head and part of my Discourse is sufficient for it would be endless to enlarge upon all when the very naming them would be sufficiently tedious without staying to make Discourses upon them However I shall add somewhat more XII The Israelites repent that they left Aegypt they are smitten for it they murmur at the great Fatigue of their Journey they are afflicted for it They long for Flesh and are scourg'd for it Being weary of feeding every day on Manna they desire to glut themselves with Dainties their craving Appetites are gratify'd to the full but whilst their Bellies are cramm'd they are tormented For while says the Scripture the meat was yet in their mouths the heavy Wrath of God came upon Psal 78. v. 30 31. them and slew the fattest of them and smote down the chosen Men of Israel Og rebels against Deut. 3. v. 3. Numb 26. v. 9 10. Moses and is destroy'd Core reproaches him and is overwhelm'd Dathan and Abiram murmur and are swallow'd up For the Earth open'd and swallow'd up Dathan and cover'd the Congregation Psal 106 v. 17. of Abiram Two hundred and fifty Principal Men likewise as the Scripture testifies who were by name call'd to Council Numb 16. v. 2. made an Insurrection against Moses And at the time of their withstanding Moses and Aaron they said it is sufficient for us that alâ— the Congregation are holy every one of them Wherefore then lift you up your selves above the Congregation of the Lord And what followed v. 3. Why fire came out from the Lord and v. 35. consum'd the two hundred and fifty Men that offer'd Incense But after all these mighty Things they receiv'd no Advantage from Heavens care they were often under the Rod but still without Amendment For as we at this time are every day scourg'd yet are nere the better so they under all their Chastisements continued still the same For what says the Scripture The day following the whole Congregation murmured v. 41. against Moses and Aaron saying Ye have killed the People of the Lord. And what then Fourteen thousand and seven hundred Men were destroy'd in a trice by Fire from Heaven But how comes it since all the People had transgress'd that they di not all likewise share in the Punishment especially considering that in the Rebellion of Corâ—h beforementioned not a Soul escaped How comes it to pass that in that case God would destroy the whole Body of the Offenders but in this only some part of them Because God is plentiful both in Mercy and Justice and of his Essential goodness forgives many times as well as exercises Severity in Vindication of his Justice And therefore in that Case his Justice took place that by punishing all the Offenders it might tend to the Reformation of all that saw or heard it But in this he exercises Mercy lest a whole People should be destroy'd And yet when he had used them with so much Compassion and saw the often repeated Scourging of a part only of the offending Multitude had so little Success at the last he utterly destroy'd them all The Consideration of which should both make us tremble and spur us on to Amendment lest we who neglect to reform our selves from their Example come to the same miserable End that they did For what became of them is plain beyond all doubt for seeing that the Chief Design of bringing the Children of Israel out of the Land of Aegypt was purely that they might possess the Land of Promise only two holy and good Men of all that vast Body entred into it For thus says the Scripture The Lord spake unto Moses Numb 14. v. 26 27. and Aaron saying how long shall I bear with this evil Congregation which murmur against me As truly as I live saith the Lord as you have V. 28. spoken in mine ears so will I do unto you your Carcasses shall fall in this wilderness And afterward But your little ones which you v. 31. said should be a Prey them will I bring in and they shall know the Land which ye have despised But as for you your Carcasses they shall fall in this wilderness And what
them likewise And to what end do's it inculcate all these things but that we might know and understand that God's Justice and Judgment in this World will ever be the same they have been And we therefore read that holy and good Men were formerly chastis'd by God's Judgment that we might know that we our selves are to be judged by God as Judge even in this World For as God is everlasting so is his Justice As the Lord's Omnipotence will never fail so neither will his Judgment ever change as God is of right eternal so his Justice has no end And therefore all those who are remarkable for their Piety in the holy Scripture when they were in any imminent Danger or cruel Persecution always call for God's present Judgment So says the Psal 43. v. 1. just Man in the Psalm Give Sentence with me O God and defend my Cause against the ungodly People which lest it might be apply'd to God's future Judgment he adds Deliver me from the deceitful and wicked Man He certainly desires God's present Judgment who prays to be deliver'd from the hands of his Persecutors and being conscious of the goodness of his Cause he do's not so much pray for the help and assistance of God as his Judgment because the best assistance that can be given to a good Cause is when it is rightly judg'd So in another place very plainly Plead thou Psal 35. my Cause O Lord with them that strive with v. 1. me and fight thou against them that fight against me Lay hand upon the shield and buckler and v. 2. stand up to help me You see likewise in this place there is no provocation to any future Severity or Tryal but to the Justice of the present Judgment For this is all he says Lay hand upon the Shield and seise the Sword the Shield for Protection and the Sword for Revenge Not that God in the exercise of his Judgment stands in need of any such Furniture but because in this World the names of such frightful Things are the Instruments of frightful Judgments he speaks to a Humane Understanding in the Language of Humane things because he pray'd to be judg'd and aveng'd of his Adversaries he express'd the Greatness of the Divine Vengeance by Instruments of earthly Cruelty Lastly this same Prophet does elsewhere declare the difference there is between God's present and his future Judgment For he mentions the exercise of a Psal 9. v. 4. present Judgment in these words Thou sittest upon the Throne who judgest righteously And of the Psal 96. v 13. future and eternal Judgment he says He shall judge the World righteously And again He shall judge the People in Truth Here he uses the very Words of the present and future time or tense to distinguish the time of each Judgment That he might shew the present Judgment he puts Thou judgest or thou doest judge and that he might distinguish the Future from the Present he adds He shall or he will judge And thus I have sufficiently prov'd God's Providence his Government and Judgment by Reason Examples and Testimony Especially since the following Discourses tend all to the same Purpose Now if it shall please the Great God whose Cause I am pleading to grant me Strength to go thro' with it I shall attempt to produce what the Adversaries use to object against it and at the same time Confute them SALVIAN of GOD's Government c. BOOK III. The State of the Good much harder than the Bad. Of the just Judgments and Councils of God which are unknown Of what Faith is How few or none are faithful towards God What Murther is Of what it is to imitate Christ Of Law Suits to be avoided And how God is to be Obeyed in all things How few or none Obey Him as they ought to do The Errors of the Rich. The Name of Holiness without Good Manners profiteth nothing 1. THUS far all is well the Foundations of the Work are laid which I have begun with a Pious Design and undertaken purely out of the Love and Duty I owe the Great God and therefore they are not laid in mouldring Mortar nor raised with fading Stone but strong as Heavens Expence and firm as God's own Art and Skill can make them such as He himself speaks of in the Gospel which neither boisterous Winds can shake Matth. 7. v. 25. nor Deluges overturn nor washing Rains throw down For since the Hand as it were of the Sacred Volumes has order'd the Work and the Cement of the holy Scriptures has join'd it 't is of necessity that thro' the Assistance of our Lord JESUS CHRIST this should be as lasting as the firm Materials which compose the Building And therefore it gains this Strength from its Originals and can never be pull'd down so long as they are safe For as in earthly Buildings none can throw down the Walls unless he moves the Stones and Mortar so none can stir the Building I have raised unless he first destroys that of which it is made and perfected which being not to be weakned by any means whatever I may very well presume upon the Stability of the Building since it's Bottom is laid on immortal Supporters The Question then is since Things are thus The State of the Good much harder than tke Bad. if all things in this World are order'd by the Care Government and Judgment of God How comes the Condition of a Vandals Huns Franks Goths c. who then over-ran the Roman Empire Barbarians and Aliens to be much better than ours And why among our selves is the State of the Good much harder than that of the Bad Why are the Righteous cast down and the Wicked lusty and strong Why do's all the World submit to wicked Men and chiefly wicked Powers I could with Reason and Consistency answer that I know not the Secrets of God and am altogether a stranger to his Counsels Of the just judgments and Councils of God which are unknown The Words of Scripture are sufficient Proof to me of this Reason God himself says as I have prov'd in the foregoing Books that he does both Behold Govern and Judge all things If you would know what you are to hold to you have the holy Scriptures 't is the Perfection of Reason to stick to what you read there But I desire you would not ask me for what Reason God does the Things we are speaking of I am but a meer Man I do not understand the Secrets of God Almighty I dare not pry into them and therefore dread to attempt it because I take it to be no less than a Sacrilegious Rashness to endeavour to know more of those Matters than you are permitted to do It ought to satisfie you that God has declared that all things are dispos'd and order'd by himself Why do you ask me why one is Great another Mean why one is Miserable another Happy one Strong
And in the first place that I may speak of Servant's Faults If thy Servant be a Run-away thou Rich and Great Man art a Run-away likewise For all they Run away from the Lord who relinquish the Law of the Lord. VVhat then is it that you with all your Riches blame in your Servant VVhy he runs away from his Lord and Master and you from yours But in this you are much more Faulty than he because 't is ten to one but that he deserts a bad Master but you always a good One. In the next place you blame the Voraciousness of your Servant That which his Poverty will very rarely admit him to be guilty of your Plenty makes your daily Practice You see therefore that you and only you are the Party more especially lash'd by the Apostle's Judgment because in what you judge another you condemn your self for you do the same Things which you Censure in others not only the same but Greater and Much more wicked you fail not to punish Intemperance in him tho' acted very rarely when you your self are daily Cramm'd even to the very Throat Theft in your Opinion is a Crime likewise peculiar in Servants But you with all your Goods are guilty of Theft likewise for all they who do things that are unlawful do by that involve themselves in the Guilt of Theft IV. But what need I treat of these Matters Of the World living in wickedness with such Nicety and as at a distance when not only the private Pilferings but even the Notorious open Robberies of the wealthier sort are Manifest to all the VVorld VVhere is there one that lives near a Rich Man who is not actually a Beggar or in as bad a Condition For by the Incroachments and Oppressions of the Men of Power the weaker and meaner Sort lose all that 's theirs and even their Persons too together with their Goods So that the sacred Scripture does deservedly speak of both these sorts of Men when it says As the wild Ass is the Lions Prey in the Eccles 13. v. 19. Wilderness so the Rich eat up the Poor 'T is not only the poorer Sort that are subjected to this sort of Tyranny but almost All Mankind in general For what 's the Advancement of a Grandee now but the porscribing of a City or what 's the Lieutenancy of others whom I forbear to name but Pillaging and Plunder For nothing brings so certain a Destruction on the poorer Sort as Power And Preferment is now purchas'd by some few but to be paid by the destroying of All Than which nothing can be more unworthy or unjust The poor Subject pays the Price of the Preferment which he never purchas'd and tho' the Bargain 's made without him yet he shall know the Payment The VVorld's turn'd Topsy-turvy for the Advancement of a Few One Man's Grandeur is the Bane of the whole VVorld The b 1 Boetica 2 Lusitania 3 Taraconensis Spains can witness this which have little else left them now but their Name All the Parts of Africa know in what Condition they have been And the c Togata Comata Braccata Gaul's are sensible how they have been Plunder'd tho' not alike by all and therefore they have some small Strength left yet in some few Corners by reason that the Integrity and Honour of some few Governours has sometimes replenish'd those Provinces which the Rapine of many others had wasted V. But I have digress'd too far our of pure Grief and Concern To return therefore to what I was saying before What Vice is there familiar to their Servants in which the Great Ones are not equally concern'd Unless perhaps they make this Difference to punish that as a Fault in the Servant which they themselves commit as Just and Lawful Besides a Servant is not admitted to Aspire so high as to exercise those Oppressions and Encroachments I have before charg'd on the Wealthier Sort Altho' in that I may be mistaken For some who from Servants have become Great have done the same or greater Feats But this ought not to be any Imputation upon Servants in General that some from their Condition have been so far Advanc'd Murders are likewise very rare among the Servants out of the Dread and Fear of Death but you hear of them every day among the richer Sort in confidence and hope of Pardon Unless it may be I am thought to deal partially to reckon this for a Fault which the Rich Men do because when they kill some of their ordinary Servants they think it is but Justice to do so and not at all a Crime But this is not all they make use of the same Liberty in all their Lewdness and Uncleanness For I would fain see that Rich Man who observes the sacred Tyes of Wedlock whom the Frenzy of Lust do's not hurle headlong whose House and Family are not a sort of Stews and who do's not gratifie his mad Desires upon whatsoever Person the Fevor of his wicked Lusts directs him according to what the holy Writ says of such Sparks as these They were as fed Horses Jerem. 5. v. 8. in the Morning every one Neighing after his Neighbour's Wife For do's not he prove this to be directly said of himself who endeavours filthily to enjoy whatsoever his Eyes lust after Perhaps I shall be thought to deal very hardly to mention any thing of their Concubines because that in comparison of the forementioned Wickedness is a sort of Chastity it looks like being contented with few of the Sex and to restrain their Lusts to a certain Number of Wives Judge the Expression of Wives because many are arriv'd to that height of Impudence as to Esteem their Maid-Servants as their Wives and I could wish that as they are thought to be in a manner Wives so that they were the only Ones For it is much more foul and abominable that some who have lighted upon Honourable Matches do a second time take Wives out of the Rank of Servants thereby disgracing the Honour of sacred Wedlock by the Meaness of so degenerate an Allyance not at all Blushing to become the Husbands of their own Servants debasing the State of their Noble Marriage in the dirty Beds of their own Slaves Such Men I wish with all my Heart in the Condition and State of those their Spouses since they have shewed themselves so very fond of their Company VI. I doubt not but very many of those who are really Great and Noble or those who would be thought so do receive with Scorn and Contempt that in the handling the Subject I am now about I have said that some Servants are far less Wicked than their Masters But since I have not spoken this of All but only of such are Really so I ought not to incur the Anger of any one unless he know himself to be Indeed such as I have Reflected upon lest for that very Reason he be thought to be One of that Gang.
Captivity and having the Fear of Death upon us burst into Laughter You would think all the Romans were satiated with the Herbs of * A proverbial saying for a foolish laughing with sorrow in the end Sardinia They die Laughing And therefore almost in all Parts of the World Tears follow our Laughter and even at present that Saying of our Lord is come upon us Woe unto you that laugh for you shall Luk. 9. weep II. But it may be since I have spoken so Of Gods Goodness in desiring nothing that is either heavy or burthensome for his peculiar favour 's conferred upon us long of the publick Sports and Uncleannesses some one may be apt to think that we are worse than the Barbarians only in this because they do no such things and 't is only we that do them but as to the wickedness of Carnal Lusts and the filth of Abominable Fornication that we are not by any means so Bad. Let us if you please compare the Romans in this Particular with the other People And really I cannot tell whether they can be more rightly compar'd to any than to those whom God having plac'd in the very heart of the Commonwealth has made Lords and Masters of the Roman Soil But altho' nothing can be argu'd of the Judgment of God yet seeing he has taken away from us a great Part of our Possessions and given them to the Barbarians let us consider whether what he has taken from us and given to them he can be thought to have done by a just Judgment Every one knows that the Aquitanes and the * The inhabitants of what is now call'd Gascoine and Guienne in France Novem-Populi had the very Marrow of almost all Gaul and the Breasts of all its Plenty and not only of Plenty but of what is sometimes preferr'd before it of Delight Pleasure and * People of Languedock and Gascoine Beauty The whole Country there was so intermixt with Vineyards and curious flowry Meads chequer'd with various Tillage planted with Orchards or the pleasantest Groves water'd with Fountains or flow'd between by Rivers or cover'd all over with Harvests plenty so that the Possessors and Owners of that Country seem'd not so much to enjoy that Portion of the Soil as the very Resemblance of Paradise And what after all this Undoubtedly they ought to be more dutiful toward God whom he had thus in a peculiar manner enrich'd with such an Abundance of His Favours For what is more rational and fitting than that they whom God by His Blessings seem'd particularly willing to oblige should likewise in an especial manner endeavour to please him by Honour and religious Service especially considering that God requires nothing that is heavy or burdensome from us God do's not call us to the Plow or the Spade not to Till the Earth nor to Dig and Delve in the Vineyard nor do's he require so much of us as we do from our Servants For what says he Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give Matt. 11. v. 28 c. you rest Take my yoke upon you and learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart and ye shall find rest unto your Souls For my yoke is Of what God requires of us easie and my burden is light Our Lord therefore do's not invite us to Labour but to Refreshment For what does he require of us what does he command us to perform but only Faith Chastity Humility Sobriety Mercy Holiness all which do not burden but beautifie us And not only so but they do therefore adorn this present Life that they may much more adorn that which is to come O the Goodness Loving-kindess and inestimable Mercy of God who gives us in this present Life the Blessing of Religion for that very End that he may hereafter reward the very Things that he gave us Such certainly without all question the Aquitanes ought to have been And truly as I said in a more especial manner because they receiv'd more especial Favours from the hand of God But what after all these What follow'd What but every thing the quite contrary For as they were the richest in all Gaul so they were the most Vicious For there was no where greater Voluptuousness no where lewder Lives nor no where more corrupt Discipline This Return they made the Lord for His heavenly Favours that as much as He by His loving kindnesses endeavour'd to draw them to him that he might have mercy upon them so much on the other hand by their detestable Actions they labour'd to exasperate Him III. But it may be this is false and is rather Of the vices of the Aquitanes spoken invidiously than truly I shall not make use of any far-fetch'd Proof as Orators and others in their Causes are us'd to do by producing to justify it only some few and those strangers and not legal Witnesses I will only ask the Parties who have done the Fact I have told an untruth if they deny it For they confess it and which is worse they own it so as not to shew the least Sorrow in the Confession For they have the same Mind now in the Confessing it as they had before in the Acting it As then they were not ashamed to commit the Wickedness so neither now do they in the least repent that they had done those Wicked things Excepting however some very few Holy and Eminent Men who as one of their Number says Redeem'd their Crimes by scattering their Coin Excepting I say those I speak of whom in that Universal Stanch and Filth of Vices I believe only to have been guilty of the lesser Crimes since they deserv'd to be reform'd by Heaven For he does not in every Respect offend his Lord for whóm Mercy is reserved And in short I am of Opinion that he had always his Eye upon God in the midst of his Mistake who could obtain the Blessing from Him that he might continue no longer in it But the rest and Most and Richest were almost all the same their Guts were almost one bottomless Pit And all their Lives one continued Brothel-house But what do I mention the Brothel-houses I take the Bawdy-house to be much less faulty For the Harlots who are there never knew the Bond of Marriage and so they do not pollute what they never knew They do indeed deserve to be punish'd for the Sin of Unchastity but yet they are not guilty of the sin of Adultery Beside there are not many Brothels and there are very few Queans who have damn'd themselves to that cursed way of Living But among the Aquitanes what City was there in the Richest and Noblest part of it which was not like a perfect Stews Where was there a Rich Man of Power who did not live in the filth of Lusts Who did not plunge himself in the nasty stinking Jaques Who was true to his Bed Nay as far as lying with