it and providing for it is his natural work which his natural affection moves him to But his threatning or correcting of it is in respect of the other his strange work which he doth not as a Parent but as an offended Parent Thus punishing is God's strange work such as he doth not as he is God but as he is an offended God and yet this work of his may continue for ever as we have an Example in the fallen Angels And I think his everlasting punishment is more plainly as well as more frequently discovered against wicked Men than it is against wicked Spirits in the holy Scripture Lastly The Death of Christ is so far from disproving our Doctrine that it doth most strongly confirm it For if God did punish his Son with an accursed Death when he bare the sins of his People in this World what wonder is it if he punish the impenitent with an everlasting curse or punishment in the World to come Nor did Christ dye to make an atonement for the sins of any such as might easily be proved if it were necessary Proof 16 R. Such Punishment agrees not to the mercifulness of the Creator to his Creature p. 185. to impose such a Punishment on any of them And then he adds some places that say he is rich in mercy and the like B. Surely this would be very good news for the Devils to hear of if it were true But we have our Lord's words to assure us of their everlasting punishment Matth. 25. and elsewhere which shew my Author was mistaken in thinking that it cannot stand with his goodness as he is their Creator Yet we say not that he will punish any thus as they are Creatures but as they are offending and rebellious Creatures And as for his Mercy we have spoken of it before and though it be great yea infinite yet it hath its proper object and will not be acted in opposition to his truth which tells us of everlasting punishment for the wicked as well as of Eternal life for the Righteous Proof 17 R. Sin cannot overcome his love where Sin abounded p. 186. Grace abounds much more Rom. 5.20 This declares the mercy of God to be greater than sin if so the grace of God is to all even to the worst of men for sin abounds in them most And where sin abounds grace saith the Apostle abounds much more If so then all their sins shall be forgiven And if any were to suffer eternally how doth grace abound to them much more where sin hath abounded Answer this if you can B. This is a precious Proof indeed and such as he hath shewed his chiefest strength in and therefore he is pleased to triumph over the poor ignorant Men that Preach up the Doctrine of Everlasting Punishment c. as though he had a certain and an everlasting victory over them as to this particular Thus and thus the case stands and Answer this if you can As brave a Challenge as any Gentleman of his Quality ever need to make to such as we But did he not argue against his own conscience as well as against us and our Doctrine or could he really believe that this Proof was unanswerable if so we shall have cause to consider the words of Solomon The Fool rageth and is confident Behold Sir the work is undertaken your command with me is as good as a Law and I will Answer you if I can And first I will deal with your first Assertion that sin cannot overcome his love which is such a speech as I have seldome met with in any Book but yours If it be meant of God's faithful Servants of humble and penitent sinners I grant that his love will overcome in due time all their sins and be magnified towards them by pardon here and glory hereafter Rom. 8.35 for What shall separate them from the love of Christ Rom. 8. But if he speak of the proud contemners of his Word and ways and the deceitful workers of iniquity that continue such then though we care not to say that their sin doth overcome his love yet we confidently affirm that it will so provoke his wrath as to cause him to punish them for ever in the life to come See Col. 3.6 John 3.36 Matth. 25.46 Psal 92.7 and many other places His second Assertion That God's mercy is greater than sin hath been spoken to already and I need now to say but this about it That it is greater than the sin of Devils and yet Devils shall suffer for ever for their sins and so we may say God's healing power is stronger and greater than Diseases and yet Men dye by them for all that His third Assertion That the grace of God is to all even to the worst of Men if it be meant of his saving grace or such mercy as accompanies salvation is a gross untruth for the Gospel tells us that he that believeth not shall be damned Mark 16. v. 16. And his other That all the sins of all Men shall be forgiven is as loud an Error and let him prove it a truth if he can Thus much for his Vanity His Subtilty follows Where sin abounds grace much more abounds Rom. 5.20 therefore the grace of God abounds to all sinners yea to the worst for sin abounds most in them And if they suffer eternally How doth grace or mercy abound to them Yea doubtless this is the Beast that carries the Bell but let us pursue it a little His gross abuse of Rom. 5.20 and we shall perceive that 't is not a pretty Creature but a horrible deformed Monster For I dare challenge Mr. R. and all his Brethren yea all Mankind to shew me any one Text of Scripture that ever was more abominably abused more wretchedly wrested whether by Papists Socinians Atheists or any sort of Men than this Text of St. Paul is in this case by Him For when the Apostle saith where sin did abound grace did abound much more he doth not mean that God will shew himself most gracious to them that have committed the most or greatest sins for then Pharaoh Judas and Jezabel should be more blessed than Moses Joseph and the Virgin Mary And our Damners and Sinkers be more happy than the holy Prophets Apostles and Martyrs For sin hath most abounded in them if we take Mr. R. his sense of the word But the abounding there mentioned is the abounding of it in the sense and feeling of the sinner that God's gracious goodness hath appeared most wonderful in the eyes of those Penitent sinners to whom sin hath appeared most vile and hateful That the abounding of sin in that place is of this nature the words just before will make evident for we read thus therein the Law entred that the offence might abound Surely it was not given to make men abound the more in sin or to make them more sinful than otherwise they would be but to make men more
have spoken of a punishment never to end and have wept for them that should suffer that if there were any such to be endured by any B. It is not unfit to be noted how blind those Men are that have not a mind to see the Truth He would have spoken of such a Punishment if there had been such c. As some Men will face us down and vow most stoutly that they did not those things which we saw them do So Mr. R. by that speech of his would make Christians believe that our Lord never spake any thing to that purpose when they have often read his plain words concerning it Matth. 25. last Verse These shall go away into everlasting punishment But saith he He would have wept for them that should have suffered such a Punishment And so he might for ought he knows to the contrary for many things that Jesus did are not written Joh. 21. But it is not written so of him True but what of that for in the Gospel we read of some that should dye in their sins and be shut out of Heaven Matth 7.14 c. and yet we read not that he wept for them which notwithstandiâ—g was a misery in the saddest sense His 6. Consideration is an Assertion p. 120. That Scripture maketh no mention of any Punishments but those in this life which certainly argues more strength of his Brow than of his Brain 31. to the end and will not be believed by them that believe the 25. of Matth. to mention no more at this time for therein we find a Day wherein all Nations shall be gathered before Christ and have their sentence according to their works to everlasting life or punishment which will be after most of them have been dead a long time as I need not prove to them that believe that Article of our Creed that He shall come to judge the quick and the dead There is nothing more that needs to be considered by me but only his heaping up Texts of Scripture one upon another for upon this occasion in this 120. page he hath as many Texts as Lines which yet prove no more that there shall be no punishment after this life than Mr. Hobbs his Latine Epistle to Mr. Wood will prove Dr. Fell to be no Scholar And this Reader may be a caution to thee that thou dost not always conclude the Excellency of a Book or a Sermon from the multitude of Texts of Scripture that are alledged therein for a Man may name many when most of them are little to the purpose they are brought for and then they will profit thee no more than the Meat that goes beside thy Mouth will nourish thee 'T is not how many Texts but how pertinent to the point in hand that is to be most regarded p. 121. R. God's punishment of sin is not of so large an extent as his mercy Psal 108. Thy mercy is great above the Heavens And more of the same excellency which they that want may read in the same page I shall not trouble my self to transcribe it B. We would know what he means when he saith God's punishment of sin is not of such a large extent as his mercy If he mean that the principle of it and whence it flows viz. God's Justice is not so extensive as his mercy I may safely deny it His Justice being Infinite as it is the Justice of an Infinite Being If he means it of the exercising mercy and his inflicting punishment Then I say in like manner that the objects of punishment are as many yea more than the objects of his special and saving mercy All that live and dye ungodly shall feel his vengeance and they are without controversie the greatest Number Wide is the Gate that leads to destruction Matth. 7.14 15 and many there be that go in thereat and on the contrary Narrow is the way that leadeth to life and few there be that find it That of the Psalmist That his mercy is great above the Heavens signifies no more than the Infiniteness of his mercy in that it knows no bounds but was from everlasting predestination and shall be to everlasting glorification upon the objects of mercy even them that fear him but doth not intimate that he will actually pardon more sinners than he will punish p. 122. R. Death in Job is called the King of Terrors therefore Death is the greatest punishment and the most terrible But if there were an everlasting punishment after Death Job 18.14 that would be the King of Terrors for Death is not terrible in comparison of that B. This reasoning is not so strong as at first view it may seem to be and is very far from proving that Death is the worst punishment that ungodly sinners are subject to For first What necessity is there of expounding Job 18.14 of death The Text doth not mention Death and I know nothing in the Context that will force us to interpret it thereof The Learned * Interpretum pene dixerim Coryphaeus Vti Doctiss Polus in praef ad vol. 2. Synops Mercerus a Man well skilled in the Hebrew renders it by gravissimos terrores which may be in this life as well as in another The King of Terrors by a common Hebraisme signifies powerful commanding conquering Terrors which may be fitly understood of the Soul in its separated state when the Terror of the Lord and the immediate impressions of his wrath have taken hold upon the impenitent Soul Well but my Author will not so easily yield to have it understood of any thing but Death because that is most for his design wherefore let us see if taken in that sense it will be any help to his cause and I shall not fear to undertake the Negative I will prove I say that it will not For the King of Terrors is but most terrible if we make the most of it that we can Now Death may be said to be most terrible though there be a greater terror after Death For most terrible is not necessarily the very uttermost terror that can be but in general very terrible As when the Thunder shook down the Houses in Amsterdam upon the Heads of them that dwelt therein it may lawfully be said that it was a most terrible Day to them yet the Day of Judgment will be more terrible than that 2 Pet. 3.10 wherein the Heavens being on fire shall be dissolved and the Earth with the works therein shall be burnt up So when Men are said to be most excellent Scholars or Souldiers we mean only that they have very good skill in Armes and Arts but not that they do exceed all others therein And in a word the Scripture-phrase is Consonant to this for in Ezekiel 33. Ezek. 33.28 the Lord threatned to lay the Land most desolate yea he assured them of it I will lay it most desolate and yet it suffered not a greater desolation than other
that they are but Fools that do so Pro. 14.9 Yet alas how many such Fools are to be found and that too amongst those that are counted good honest understanding Men What if they never so grosly neglect and forget the God that made them what if they slight his holy Commandments and turn away their Ears never so frequently from hearing his Law Pro. 28.9 and so run the hazard of having their Prayers rejected What if they are so proud that they care not for God nor value a sound Sermon half so much for the bettering of their Souls as they do the smallest piece of a rotten Dunghill for the bettering of their Lands In a word what if they rail at us for desiring to make them better Christians than they care to be spight at their Neighbours and defraud and oppress their poor Brethren and do the Devil any service in the World that may but please or profit themselves make their Purses heavier and their Hearts lighter c. Yet I say they can make a small matter of it and can see no great harm in it or at least no such great harm in any of these things but that they can easily dispense with it for the attaining of those great ends which they propose unto themselves therein But Reader if these Men could but look beyond the Grave and see what is doing in the other World among the Souls of such ungodly ones as themselves If they could but see in a lively and sensible way how many are now Damned for those sins which they are so much in love with and be able to apprehend what sad thoughts those miserable Souls now have of their delightfullest gainfullest wickednesses which have laid them under Eternal vengeance Then believe me they would judge otherwise of these things than now they do I grant indeed there are other means whereby to see the evil of sin as namely the clear Glass of God's Sacred Laws and the Red Glass of Christ's Bloud and Sufferings c. These doubtless may be sufficient to shew sin in its proper Colours to a spiritual eye and will be confessed to be so by all sorts but blockish Papists and blasphemous Socinians But this Point that I am now upon might convince the blindest Worldling of it in case he would truly believe and consider it For he must needs grant there is much evil in that which the Righteous God will punish with Everlasting Torment How vile and hateful how hainous and horrible must that be which the God of all Goodness and Mercy will shew his Eternal Displeasure against How sad a work must that be which hath such a Death for its wages as sin hath yea all sin Rom. 6. ult For the Apostle speaks of sin in general as sin and not of such or such a sin in particular in Vers 23. As hath been excellently cleared by our Protestant Worthies against the Romanists * Ames Anti. Bel. Cham. T. 3. lib. 6. cap. 12. though the Mercy of God delivers them that turn unto him And so it may discover the madness of ungodly sinners that walk in the way to everlasting misery but this will afford matter enough for another Section CHAP. IV. SECT II. Discovering the horrible madness of wicked men in adventuring upon this dreadfullest Misery Inform. 3d. of the madness of the wicked c. FRom hence also we may fitly inform our selves of the monstrous madness of wilful and resolute sinners that will run the hazard of so great misery for the fulfilling of their sinful lusts and humors in this present world Solomon often calls such men Fools and St. Paul stiles them unreasonable men * 2 Thess 3.2 And certainly their folly and unreasonableness appear in nothing more than in their venturing of their Immortal Souls in the ways of Destruction they are apt enough to fear Plagues and Famines Bonds and Imprisonments or any ordinary Calamities yea they are afraid to obey the Commands of their God and their Consciences lest they should run into some inconveniences by so doing and scarce dare to come to the place of Gods publick worship and service in a constant and diligent manner lest some Factious Atheists should call them fools for their pains Psal 9.17 Psal 145.20 But as for the everlasting punishment that is threatned against them and which they cannot possibly escape while they are followers of wickedness these they have little fear of they dread not the dreadfullest dangers and if in love to their Souls we warn them of it and desire them to take heed in time and turn from their evil ways before it be too late they will thank us for nothing as 't is commonly said and advise us to take care of our selves and not to trouble our selves with them But if they did but know aright the greatness of that misery that the damned shall endure they would shun the ways that lead to it and not walk in any way of wickedness for the gaining of all the wealth on earth yea they would be as loth to continue in a state of sin as to stay in a house that is on fire over their heads That therefore I shall endeavour in the next place to discover And here I must needs say with the Apostle who is sufficient for these things who can fathom the depth of the Damneds sorrows what heart can conceive them or what words can express them for who knoweth the power of God's wrath or how miserable it can make the enemies of his holiness But though we cannot fully set forth the Terror of the Lord upon them yet we may soon see so much of it as may make it appear to be most exceedingly terrible as he that cannot sound the depth of the Sea yet he may quickly find that 't is very deep I shall now endeavour to demonstrate with all convenient brevity the dreadfulness of the Damnation and punishment that the wicked that live and dye such shall surely undergo The extreme misery of the wicked in Hell discovered I shall not now speak of the perpetuity of it having spoken much of it before and almost as much as need to be spoken on that subject and much more I am sure than Mr. Richardson or any of his Abetters will ever be able to answer in this world or the world to come but rather of the extremity of it and that in Two generals which will admit of a large consideration 1. The Happiness and comfort that they shall miss of or lose 2. The miseries pains and positive sorrows that they shall sustain and lye under 1. 1. In their Banishment from Christ They shall be banished from the Blessed Presence of the Lord Jesus Christ In their day they would not be commanded by him but in His day they shall be commmanded from him He himself will say unto them depart from me ye workers of iniquity Matth 7.21 and oh what a misery will
if I might call it a state they could not be sensible of any of their follies in chusing the pleasures of sin before the pleasures of piety Doubtless too many in the world yea too many that I know in the world would think it no very hard bargain but rather account it a happiness in some degree if they could but please themselves as they would with their lyes and slanders The fruits of Mr. R's Doctrine their malice and profaneness c. and be assured at the same time that they should suffer no worse punishment than to be turned into nothing after they had wrought all the mischief they are able Would they not then be content if the Laws of the Land would allow it to hear a Sermon but once a year and cast off the very shew of Religion Would they not be content to sit round a Barrel in the midst of a Green on the Lord's day in the Afternoons yea in the Forenoons too and desire no better company than New Cards and Old Stories all the day long Would not a desperate Damning Gallant be more welcome to them than a Preacher and his shameless Whorish Heathenish Boastings be more pleasing to their honest hearts than the best Sermons of the other Yea would they not count him a useless creature and think him unworthy so much as of the dregs of their Merry-go-down for all the pains that he took to prevent their Damnation For if it can do them no more hurt than to consume them to nothing they will not much value it since that which makes an end of them will also make an end of their Sorrows and that it will do no worse they have this pamphlet to perswade them but let them not trust to it for its Author was not infallible Mr. Samuel was no Prophet nor Mr. Richardson any of those that wrote by the Spirit And what he pretends for it from the Destruction of the wicked hath received a censure in the first Chapter p. 107 c. In the 107. page and those that follow to the 113. page he speaks little or nothing that needs to be examined by me for it tends not so far as I can apprehend to strengthen his cause in general nor to confirm that particular point which he hath last endeavoured to defend And having no more to say to him as yet I shall clear one truth which tends to make my way the plainer when I shall meet with him again viz. when I come to take a view of his considerations c. in the 113 114. pages The endless punishment of the Devils proved and the rest The truth that I assert in this case is thus That the fallen Angels shall be punished with everlasting punishment Matth. 25.41 We read of everlasting fire prepared for them therefore they shall suffer everlastingly in it for if they should suffer in it but for a time to what purpose to speak with Reverence should everlasting fire be prepared for them The word everlasting which hath hitherto been looked upon as one of the saddest properties of that fire would signifie very little in point of Terror if it did not suppose the everlastingness of their punishment for whom it is prepared As the durableness of a Dungeon or Prison will be matter of small consideration to those that shall endure but a little while in it And their perpetuity under punishment may also be cleared from their perpetuity in sinning their everlasting impenitency The Devils are past all true repentance for their sins and therefore they that continue impenitent are called the children of the Devil ye are of your father the Devil said our Saviour to the obstinate Jews of old And if the Devils will never truly repent of their sins what wonder if they never be released out of punishment yet I do not conclude they should be forgiven if they should repent for God hath not made any promise of Mercy to them upon any terms nor hath he provided any Mediator for them To which I might add as equally serviceable to my present purpose those places of Scripture that tell us that the sin against the Holy Ghost shall never be forgiven Matth. 12.32 And if it never be forgiven they that commit it shall never come out of punishment after the day of Wrath is come upon them And thus we have seen the certainty of the Devils everlasting punishment which of it self will cut asunder the sinews of several of Mr. R's Arguments as shall be seen in the next Section CHAP. III. SECT II. The strong man armed and his strength discovered or Mr. Richardson's deep considerations considered HItherto he hath fought as it were at a distance but now in the following part of his Pamphlet he comes more close and strikes down-right blows upon the Antichristian Priests and all sorts of Priests to use his own words that so he may if it be possible beat them out of their fond conceits about the everlastingness of hell torments And though the number Seven be accounted a Number of perfection yet he will go as far as Ten for so many considerations it hath pleased him to offer us in the 113 c. pages And though his folly hath been somewhat evident by what hath been said yet I think I may affirm the same of it which the Queen of Sheba once did of Solomons wisdom p. 113. that one half of it Reader hath not been told thee p. 113. l. 1. Mr. R. Several considerations that there is not to be any punishment that shall never end B. O fortunate sir what happy Planet were you born under that ever you should be able and willing to do such a great work as this and so effectually to strengthen the hearts of the enemies of God in their most raging resolute wickednesses Well If you make good what you have undertaken you shall surely have the credit of it eris mihi magnus Apollo yea and for your diligent endeavour in this kind you shall by my consent refresh your heart with Malmsbury Ale be a Chaplain to Mr. Hobbs and contemplate the beauty of his famed Leviathan But let us come to the work and consider a little your several considerations and we will not disturb their good order but take them one after another as they come to hand R. p. 113. l. 6. first we do not find the place of Hell mentioned in any of the six days work of God and if it be not found in Gods Creation it is a ground for us to judge that it is of mans Creation viz. a vain imagination c. B. These are plain words indeed and he hath spoken no parable therein but how well he hath spoken a few words will discover For first how would he behave himself if he were to dispute with any such as the Sadducees of old who held there was no Angel or Spirit for they might very easily argue thus We read not in the
Lands had suffered and doubtless not so great in all respects as the Land of Sodom had done So that most desolate is in substance no more than very desolate And so understand the King of Terrors or most terrible of that which is very terrible as Death may be and is to many though there be a worse thing after Death to them that dye in their sins And indeed Death is most terrible as it hath relation to that which comes after it which is enough for this new cavil Consider 9. R. Sin is punished to the full in this life Ezek. 36.18 I poured out my fury upon them p. 123 124. then he adds would ye have it to be punished to the full in this life and afterwards with a punishment never to end then after some extravagancies he adds in the next page 't is as disagreeable to justice to punish sin twice as to receive the payment of a debt twice B. Herein I confess he hath hit the mark as well as if he had been Thomas Gunne himself for the whole state of the question turns upon this hinge whether sin be punished to the full in this life And as Mr. R. and I can agree but in few things so in this we differ as much as may be for I say it is not and my reasons are these 1. Because many ungodly men have had a continued state of prosperity and scarce ever felt any thing that they accounted a punishment yea nothing more common than for such persons to conclude their sins are pardoned because they do not find themselves punished for them I was envious at the prosperity of the wicked Psal 73. 1 to 6 verse and in the following words he tells us they are not in trouble like other men nor doth he intimate any visible Judgments that come upon them in this life And can Mr. R. perswade himself that the sins of such men were punished to the full in this life 2. Because the day of wrath is after this life even at the coming of Christ See Job 21.30 compared with the Text in the Margin * 2 Pet. 2.9 3. Because their sins make them worthy of everlasting punishment See the first Chapter of this Book in answer to the question how it is just to punish temporal offences eternally But on the contrary my Author contends that sin is punished to the full in this life or at least he saith so if we can take his word for it But how he will prove it who can tell For those texts of Scripture which speak of his pouring out his fury upon the wicked in this life as Ezekiel 36.18 are far from proving that there is no wrath for them in another life Yea so far as that they will manifestly prove the contrary for if God punish sin in the day of his Patience how much more will he punish it hereafter in the day of his wrath which is called the day of the Revelation of his righteous Judgment and the day of perdition to ungodly men Rom. 2.5 in 2 Pet. 3.7 They shall awake to shame and everlasting contempt after they slept as it were in the dust of the earth Dan. 12. and yet we know many of them have been brought to shame in this world and suffered shameful deaths for their crimes Object But it is not agreeable to justice to punish sin twice no more than to receive the payment of a debt twice saith Mr. R. Solut. But certainly God best knows what is justice and what is agreeable to it and there is no unrighteousness in him and his word tells us of wrath to come as well as wrath present and of everlasting punishment as well as temporal Matth. 25. 1 Thess 1. 1 Thess 1.10 And the punishment he will inflict upon the impenitent in another world will be so far from any appearance of injustice as that it will be the revelation of his righteous judgment in the Text aforesaid Rom. 2.5 Nor is it any shew of injustice to punish sin twice unless the former were as much punishment as sin deserves as a man may justly be required to make several payments of a debt when the first payment is not to the full and if my Author can prove that sin deserves no more or longer punishments than the punishments of this present life he will shew himself a man of rare acuteness Consider 10 His Tenth consideration is little different from the former it being an assertion of the like nature viz. That there is not a worse thing than Gods fury wrath and anger and these saith he are poured out in this life he means to the full so as that there shall be no more of it remaining for any man in another life His abuse of Scripture p. 125. And how will he prove that these are poured out to the full in this present life Why by these places Ps 78.49 Ps 85.3 Job 14.13 The former he renders thus he poured out all his fierce anger but by his leave the Text saith no such thing but rather thus he cast upon them the fierceness of his anger or as Junius renders aestum irae suae the heat of his anger namely by bringing great calamity upon them here in this world but how will that prove there is no punishment for the impenitent of them hereafter So Psal 85.3 is spoken of Gods own people whom he would magnifie his Mercy upon Thou hast covered all their sins Thou hast taken away all thy wrath viz. from them whose sins he forgave But must it be so therefore with his Enemies too that dye in their sins and would never consent to forsake them while they lived So upright Job speaks of wrath that would be past as to himself But must there be no wrath hereafter for the mischievous Hypocrite Sure that was far from his thoughts The Hypocrites in heart do heap up wrath Job 36 13â— viz. against themselves as 't is plain and needs no proof Wherefore if he blame those that make too bold with the Scripture he must needs pass a hard censure on himself too Yet there is one phrase which to the men of his Religion may seem to favour his assertion viz. the accomplishing of God's anger in this world Ezek. 5.13 Ezek. 5.13 Considered Thus will I accomplish mine Anger viz. by the Judgments mentioned in the verse before Famine c. But those people there spoken of may be considered either personally or civilly and nationally his anger may be accomplished as to National judgments when it is not so as to personal punishments as in Sodom c. 2. We may take the word Anger for the threatnings of punishment which he had made against them in particular as Rom. 1.18 The wrath or anger of God is revealed from Heaven i. e. His threatnings are set forth So here v. 12. A third part of thee shall dye with the Pestilence and with Famine shall they be
planted in man an universal love to man especially to his own off-spring be they obedient or disobedient What Bowels of love in Parents c. p. 170. They do not desire their off-spring though disobedient should suffer such a torment as these men speak of one Year to an end therefore God will not inflict extreme miseries upon men for ever since they are his off-spring as they are his Creatures for God is not less merciful than man B. THis is the substance of his proof And if it be sufficient to prove what he intends by it God's mercy and Parents pity not alike in all things it will be sufficient for other purposes too which Christians will not judge it to be viz. to prove that the Devils shall not suffer extreme punishments without end and that Christ was not punished extremely for the offences of such as we For the former we will take his Argument and urge it thus Parents would not desire to cast their Children into an irrecoverable state of misery upon their first act of disobedience towards them How can we think then that God would cast the Angels that were the noblest of all the works of his hands into an irrecoverable state of misery upon the commission of the first sin against him for God is not less merciful than Man Doubtless the Proof is as strong this way as the other way and yet it is not strong enough nor will not cannot prevail upon them that believe what the Scripture saith in the case for let us prove what we will yet the Apostle hath told us 2 Pet. 2.4 Jude 6. Matth. 25.41 that God spared not the Angels that sinned but cast them down c. 2 Pet. And hath prepared everlasting fire for them Matth 25. And therefore whatsoever proofs are brought to the contrary are not Proofs truly so called but Sophistical Arguments and meer deceits For the latter also we may reason as strongly after the same rate A good Father would not have his beloved Son that never offended him be severely punished for those offences that he never committed therefore much less would the God of all Mercy lay the punishment of our sins upon his Holy Son Jesus in whom his Soul delighted One Egg is not more like another than this is like my Author's Proof aforesaid And though it might be approved by Socinians yet Christians will not be wrought upon by it Esay 53. while they read and believe Rom. 4.25 compared with Rom. 5.8 and in one word the 53d Chapter of Esay And thus we have seen how far this his Proof is from being infallible and therefore the Reader will not think I am bound to say any thing more unto it yet for his farther satisfaction I will add thus much viz. That God is not as Man in every thing for then he should not be a God indeed nor may his goodness and Man's be compared together any farther than the Scriptures will allow of And though he be more merciful than Man is and will shew forth more love and kindness to the meanest of his faithful servants than the most compassionate Parent ever did or can do to his beloved Child yet his saving Mercy hath its proper objects and is not extended promiscuously to all the Sons of Men. He is free in the exercising of it and hath mercy on whom he will And his Mercy no more binds him to save All Men than it did to save all Angels The wicked and impenitent are the objects of his wrath as the Returning sinners are the objects of his love Again God is not only a God of Mercy Psal 94.1 but a God of Vengeance To him vengeance belongeth Psal 94. where the word vengeance is mentioned twice in one verse And he is the Supreme Law-giver and Governour of the World Now as he is such it belongs to him to see that his obstinate and uncurable Enemies may not go unpunished And though he desires not their punishment for everlasting to use Mr. R.'s word as it is a punishment yet he will inflict it as it is an Execution of Justice and a discovery of his holiness and hatred of sin and the like And to come to the comparison a Father that is a Judge and a Law-giver as well as a Father and as such hath made a Law that such and such offenders shall suffer so many Months imprisonment who ever they be may not dispense with that Law if it be just no not in the case of his own Children when they commit the said offences So the God of Mercy being a Judge and Law-giver is engaged by his Honour and Justice to punish sin which is the transgression of his Law according to its desert If you say it is not punished upon the Saints I answer That it was punished upon their Surety Christ Jesus in their place and they are freed by the merit of his sufferings But it is not so with the Enemies of his holiness so remaining they must answer for themselves Proof 9 R. If men had deserved everlasting punishment yet why may not God shew that mercy as not to inflict it as well as to let the Rain fall upon them that no way deserve it p. 171 172. Men often shew more kindness to disobedient Children than they deserve And may not God do the same B. This if Man had deserved such punishment is spoken only for Argument sake for he doth not grant it to be a truth but it hath been proved before whether he will grant it or not But this being supposed What then For saith he why may not God shew so much mercy as not to inflict it upon them that deserve it as he gives the rain to them that deserve it not I answer He doth shew so much mercy upon many such yea many thousands as not to inflict it on them All that truly turn from their evil ways and believe on his Son Christ Jesus shall for his sake be secured from it and he will spare them as a man spareth his own Son that serveth him But if he ask Mal. 3.16 17. why he may not shew such mercy upon all in general or upon the wicked that continue such Then I except against his question for we are not concerned in this case to enquire what he may do but what he will do Things revealed by his own confession belong to us now he hath revealed his will to the contrary as in other places so in that so often mentioned Matth. 25. These shall go away into everlasting punishment and to take vengeance of them that know not God and obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ 2 Thess 1.9 who shall be punished with everlasting destruction c. 2 Thess But he hath not said he will give them no Rain while they live on Earth and therefore is free to give it them though they deserve it not So that for a Man to ask why God
may not shew such favour to the Impenitent as not to inflict such punishment upon them is in effect to ask why he may not act contrary to his own word which is a question more fit to be abhorred than to be answered And what if Parents shew more kindness to disobedient Children than they deserve yet he must not think that Men are a fit rule for God to walk by nor doth he believe that God is bound to shew such kindness to his rebellious Creatures as Men are to their disobedient Children yet it must be remembred that God doth shew a thousand times more kindness to his enemies in this World than they deserve or could deserve if they were his faithfullest servants and doth more for them every day in the Year than Parents can do for their best Children And these things being considered all that which he adds concerning the greatness of God's Mercy above the mercy of man is vain as to that for which he intends it But of that we may have occasion to speak more hereafter Proof 10 p. 173. R. Gods general goodness in the Creation of the world is to all his Creatures Eccles 5.9 The profit of the Earth is for all B. And what of that Is that a proof there shall be no everlasting Punishment for any man Surely if it be 't is not an infallible one but an Idle and impertinent one for the question in this affair is not of God's general goodness but of his saving Mercy Now though we grant the one to be extended to all creatures yet we do not grant it of the other God indeed is good to all but he doth not grant all goodness to all alike Dan. 12. but as some shall arise to everlasting Glory so others shall arise to everlasting shame p. 173. lin 18. R. God takes care to provide for all and bids us feed and cloath the worst that want c. and he that would not have them suffer want here will not impose an everlasting Misery on them hereafter B. We may say of Mr. R. as some did of our Saviour though in a contrary sense that never man spake like him Surely none but himself did ever go about to prove this point in this manner And at the same rate a wicked man might need no better proof of his escaping Hell hereafter than his health and wealth and prosperity here for he might say as Mr. R. Surely that God who would not lay upon them the miseries of sickness and poverty here will not inflict greater miseries for ever hereafter Yet Christians will not count this any good evidence of a state of Salvation Doth not the Parable in Luke 16. manifestly suppose that a man may have comfort here and Torment hereafter All the Turkish Emperors and all the Popes I should have set them first as being the proudest of the two All these I say had Honour and Greatness enough in this world yet we cannot doubt but many of them if not all will inherit shame in the world to come Proof 11 R. Their Opinion lesseneth the goodness of God and limiteth it to a few whereas the Scriptures declare it to be to all p. 174. All flesh shall see his Salvation Luke 3.6 and He will have all men to be Saved 1 Tim. 2.4 The Protestants in Poland say there will come a time wherein the fallen Angels and the wickedest men shall be set free B. This is not all that he saith under this 11. Proof nor do I take my self to be engaged to spend my Ink upon all the Vanities he is guilty of yet that which is for his turn I shall not fear to deal with He urgeth Rom. 8.19.21 to prove that all in general shall be Saved but unless he had made out his Proof from it or shewed some better man than himself that hath urged it for that purpose I shall not think fit to say any thing to it for I am sure Christians may read that Text a thousand times without danger of being led thereby into that Opinion But let us come to the point Our Opinion he saith lesseneth the goodness of God and limiteth it unto a few concerning which we would demand of him what he means by God's goodness If he means God's common goodness it is utterly denyed our Opinion denyes not the extent of that goodness to all though we believe a Hell yet we believe God is good to all here and he therefore casts some into Hell because they would not be truly good to themselves nor chuse the good ways which he commands them to walk in But if he mean it of God's saving goodness then I say our Opinion denyes it to extend to all so as to save All for narrow is the way which leads unto life and few there be that find it i.e. few in comparison Matth. 7.14 or not near so many as miss of it though very many considered in themselves But he tells us All flesh shall see his Salvation very true who doubts of it But he that dares believe his Saviour in that Text but now mentioned will not think that it means that all without exception shall be Saved and if it were so then I say what Divinity yea what truth or sence to speak with Reverence shall be found in the words of Paul to the Corinthians We are a sweet savour c. in them that are saved and in them that perish what shall become of this division of mankind into them that are saved and them that perish if All should be saved and none perish If Mr. Richardson can crack this Nut I will confess his Teeth are strong And as for those Texts they are far from proving the contrary Luke 3.6 Cleared All flesh shall see his Salvation speaks nothing for his turn unless he had made it appear that All in those Texts means all whatsoever without exception of any which I dare say he cannot do nor could it agree with the other places alledged if taken in that sence wherefore by All we mean All sorts that Repent and Believe such persons of what sort soever whether Jew or Gentile high or low bond or free c. shall see the Salvation of God As when it is said our Lord healed all Diseases among the people i. e. all sorts and in another ye shall be hated of all men for my Names sake Matth. 10.22 that is of all sorts of men for certainly All in general did not hate them for Christs sake yea some loved them as truly for it as others hated them 1 Tim. 2.4 Cleared And the other Text may be vindicated with no less difficulty than the former It runs thus He would that All should be saved may we hence infer that God will actually and eventually save all or that he purposeth to save all no sure nothing less There are several Answers to be made unto it to remove this sense from it 1. That the word
All may be taken of all sorts as before and if I should answer thus Mr. R. might find it hard enough to confute it 2. That the will of God is to be distinguished in this case it may signifie either his Appointing will or his Approving * Vid. Chamier de praedestin l. 7. cap. 6. will God may be said to will the Salvation of All in general by his Approving will because he thus willeth them to walk in the way of Salvation and to shun those things that tend to their Ruine As a King may be said to will that none of his subjects should be put to death because he approves not of but wills them to shun those evil ways which make them deserve such punishment from him But yet in case they prove Thieves or Murderers or unsufferable Enemies to the Common-wealth in any other way he wills that they should die for it and appoints them to be put to death and that without any disparagement to his goodness and merciful disposition So in case men will not forsake their wicked ways and turn to God and his true service the Judge of the world doth will their deserved Punishment and will punish them with an Everlasting destruction * 2 Thess 1.9 and that without any impeachment of his Mercy and Goodness In a word he doth not so will the Salvation of All in general as to bring them to Salvation that 's plain since strait is the gate and narrow is the way that leads to Salvation Matth. 7.14 and few there be that find it And that this Text aforesaid doth not mean any such thing is plain for he would that All should be saved and come to the knowledge of the Truth even his Gospel and word of Truth But 't is clear God doth not so will that All should come to the knowledge of his Truth as to bring them infallibly to the knowledge of it Therefore he doth not so Will that all shall be saved as to bring them infallibly to Salvation The Argument is good because the Apostle maketh no difference between God's Willing that All should be saved and his Willing that all should come to the knowledge of his Truth And the word in the Original 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I find is not active but passive only and accordingly it is rendred in our Translation not He Willeth to Save all but He Willeth that all should be saved The former would infer the certain Salvation of All for who hath resisted his Will but not so the latter as the excellent Author in the Margin hath proved in his most Learned Animadversions against Mr. Hoard * B. Davenant p. mihi 17â— c. which our new Predestinarians I hope have so much wisdom as not to oppose He addeth The Protestants in Poland say there will come a time wherein the fallen Angels and the wickedest men shall be set free from Punishment he means B. And what of all that Doth he think they were infallible that we should believe so meerly because they say so Why did he not set down some of their Reasons for it had he done so I would have been content to examine them as I have done his and doubt not but I could Answer them as easily by God's ordinary assistance 2. Whom doth he mean by the Protestants of Poland If he means the best and soundest Protestants as the Denomination ought to be à potiori I say if he means the Orthodox Protestants of that Countrey such as Arnoldus Maccovius Chrzastovius the latter of which wrote against the Arrians * In cap. 1. Johan Evangel in general as the two former against Socinus and Smalcius or * Author Censurae Confess Socin Salinarius Clementinus Zabarovius Zarnovecius c. If he mean such Protestants of Poland as these and the like I utterly deny that ever they taught such Doctrine and if my Author would read their worthy Works he might soon see very much to the contrary But if he mean the Heretical Protestants of Poland who were called Protestants in opposition to Papists and yet were as bad or worse than Papists in doctrine such as Smalcius Archisevius Ostaradius c. then I do not deny but they might be of the opinion that Mr. R. speaks of But the judgment of these men will not go far with me for I am well assured that such rank Socinians as they were not guided by a good Spirit and I think they were not Protestants or Christians unless in the same sense as Rebels are Subjects i. e. bad Subjects p. 177. R. All men are in God for in him we live and move and have our Being And if all men are in God all men are in Christ for He and the Father are one Jo. 10. Now all confess that all who are in Christ shall be saved Rom. 8.1 B. O admirable profoundness and learning enough to puzzle those Mahometan Priests that blew their blinding Powder into the eyes of the People and no less mischievous to the minds of his deluded Disciples than that Powder was to the Gazâ—rs upon Mahomet's Tomb I dare forfeit one of my Fingers if he can shew me a more base and more wilfully-distorted speech a more gross and wretched piece of sophistry in any of the Writings of the Romish Foxes than this under consideration Surely it is hard to guess which he strained most herein his wits or his conscience For my part I do verily judge that he offered violence to both of them And that he should take so much pains in vain may well be matter of vexation to him and yet so he hath done and no better For consider How all men are in God 1. When it is said in the Acts That in God we live and move and have our Being speaking of Men in general that doth not mean that he is the Saviour of all Men in a special sense but that he is the upholder maintainer and preserver of all Men not that all Men have an interest in his saving mercy but that they are sustained by his power and common providence so as that they could not live or move or have a Being without him Wherefore In him we live is as much as if it were said By him we live c. for the Greek Particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth commonly signifie By or Through 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. as we find in Hebr. 1.1 God who in times past spake to our Fathers by the Prophets hath in these last days spoken to us by his Son where the Greek hath it in the Prophets and in his Son but the sense of it is by the Prophets and therefore our Translators have rendered it by the Prophets c. And so in the Latine 'tis expressed by Per instead of In Daven in Col. cap. 1. v. 16. by Beza and others And other Instances are given by the excellent Bishop
the exercise of Mercy and works of Love in particular more than Sacrifices at the hands of his people for the particle there used is not an absolute Negative but a Comparative only as in the Text before Ezek. 18.23 Vid. Rivet in Hos 6.6 where the Particle not doth not deny his pleasure to punish but compares his will of punishing with his will of returning and of their Salvation in case they turn in Truth and prefers the latter before the former Now if we do but state the matter thus and infer the conclusion according to the sense of the Text it will need little or nothing more to be said for its confutation for who sees not the vanity of this Argument God regards the exercise of Charity and Works of mercy more than Sacrifices therefore none shall be punished for ever c. If he will take leave to infer thus I will give him leave to make the same conclusion from the History of Job's Cattel or the fiery Tails of Sampsons Foxes He concludes this Proof with a very great truth That God abhors cruelty but 't is such a Truth as little concerns either his design it self or the things that he had said immediately before but is brought in by the head and shoulders and is forced to stand in this improper place by the meer violence of his Resolute Pen. If he would make it serve his turn he must of necessity make it appear that God cannot punish an impenitent sinner everlastingly without being cruel which I am confident he cannot do and do verily hope he will not undertake to do And if he think so I might easily subdue his error if it be not maintained by an invincible perverseness and that by telling him wherein the cruelty of a punishment consisteth to wit not in the duration of it or degree of it but in the nature and merit of it As first when the person punished is not fit to bear the punishment as if a man should punish the perverseness of a child with a Rack instead of a Rod or as if he should disown and disinherit him for some smaller acts of disobedience to him This were cruelty because the punishment in the one is of such a nature as is unfit for the child to bear and in the other because 't is such as is not due for such an offence nor deserved by it as it respects man And therefore our honest Professors that revile and reproach us behind our backs for preaching God's word and taking their Tythes and make lyes of us for telling them the sad Truths that concern them are like enough to be indicted for cruelty when the Judge of the world shall come for though these things through his good Providence do not hurt us much yet they are things that are not deserved upon the former accounts and therefore are no better than cruelties in the eyes of him whose we are and whom we serve And on the other side though a punishment be never so great and grievous yet if it be such as the person punished doth deserve for his offence it is not cruelty but justice That wretched Villain Ravilliack that murthered that Renouned King of France in his Coach King Henry the IVth if I mistake not was afterwards taken and Tormented to death in a fearful manner yet I believe there were few honest men that ever accused his Judge of cruelty for condemning him to such a death because they knew he had well deserved it by the horrid crime he had committed And now having taken so much pains to make good his bad cause in the nineteen Proofs that we have seen there is no doubt but he will make the best use he can of his strength and skill in his 20th and last Proof as the Candle gives a great light a little before it goes out And behold what it is Proof 20 R. 'T is not for the glory of God to impose such a Punishment upon any man p. 189. for glory lieth not in imposing great and terrible Punishment but in mercy and forgiveness Exod. 34.6 7. But by his leave I judge otherwise and do not doubt but it is for his glory to impose great Punishment upon the wicked namely for the glory of his Justice which he doth not so much as pretend to disprove unless it be by telling us that glory consisteth in mercy and forgiveness for which he alledgeth Exod. 34.6 7. And how vain all this wisdome is a few Lines may discover for certainly God's glory doth not lye only in mercy and forgiveness for he was glorified upon his greatest Enemies even hard-hearted Pharaoh himself Rom. 9.17 yet he was not glorified in a way of mercy upon him but in a way of vengeance and severity and the same may be said of the Devils And in that Text in Exodus as the Lord proclaims himself to be merciful and gracious so one that will by no means clear the guilty or wicked so remaining And the not clearing of them is not an act of mercy my Author himself being Judge Then he adds thus R. Proverbs 10.12 'T is said Love covereth all sins But what of that for it doth not mean that God's love will cover or forgive all Men's sins penitent or impenitent no sure the Prophet tells us of some Esay 27.11 That he that made them will not have mercy upon them 'T is meant therefore of the love of Men one towards another Love so far as it prevails will cause a Man to cover to wit to overlook and pass by the sins of his Brethren against him vid. Synopsin crit in Pro. 10.12 so far as with a good conscience he may But he proceeds R. God doth all things for his glory p. 190. and it is more for his glory to save all men than to save a few In what sense we hold that few shall be saved hath already been shewed To wit comparatively with them that dye in their sins and perish for otherwise 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Rev. 7.9 the number of them that are saved is a great number Now if Mr. R. supposeth that 't is more for God's glory to save all Men than to save some only he may enjoy his Opinion but ought not to impose it upon us as an undoubted truth without a sufficient proof which he hath not been pleas'd to give us The Apostle speaks all in a Verse of them that are saved 1 Cor. 1.18 and of them that perish Surely then God doth not save all for we read of some that perish but he doth what is most for his glory saith Mr. R. himself Therefore it is not most for his glory to save all or to save the Impenitent And if it were most for his glory to save all Men why would it not be most for his glory to save all the Angels too for is not their nature as noble and their salvation as precious as Man's And yet
we Preach Men into Despair But if they dye as they lived and so come to Hell the thing they so much feared will come upon them there will be an absolute total and everlasting desperation Their hope shall perish Pro. 11.7 They will be no more able to hope for any comfort than to annihilate the Heavens And how bitter this will be who can tell for verily Desperation is a Hell it self said one who I hope is in Heaven Francis Spira Fifthly Their Souls will be exceedingly miserable 5. Conscience accusing through the rebukes and accusations of their own Consciences They do sometimes accuse them on Earth or else our reproofs of their sins would not so greatly offend them how much more will they do so in Hell when they are throughly awakened and enlightened and quickned by the wrath of their Judge for then they will have nothing to do but to testifie against them and torment the sinners for not obeying them before A wounded spirit or conscience who can bear said Solomon and yet the wounds of the Spirit and troubles of the Conscience do sometimes tend to the Health and Salvation of the Soul through the help of the Spirit of God how intolerable then must the state of the Damned be whose wounds of Conscience will never be healed who will ever be tormented with its ragings and rebukes And O how much matter of accusation and rebuke will it then have against them How will conscience work 1. When they think of the excellency and eternity of that blessedness they have lost and how they have lost it for sin and vanity and those things that perished in the using c. 2. When they think with themselves how fair they were many of them for Heaven how highly they were exalted in Gospel priviledges having the Word of Life and Salvation and the Ministry of it among them which if they had improved as they might and ought to have done they might have been as those Saints whose glory they behold with so much envy and astonishment 3ly When they remember how much time and Golden opportunities they had to consider of their ways and seek that grace and mercy that would save them which they trifled away as nothing worth 4ly When they remember how often they were perswaded to return and how often they were convinced of the evil of their ways of the necessity of turning and yet in spight of all would go on still in their trespasses O that sinners would consider of this when they still enjoy the instructions and exhortations of a plain and faithful Ministry How they will one day wish that they had been willing to obey it or that they had never been able to hear it It will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha at the Judgment Day than for such That Sodom that was the shame of the World for wickedness and the most eminent instance of Divine vengeance of any People under Heaven being burnt with Fire and Brimstone from thence yet that Sodom shall be in a better case at Judgment than the neglecters of this so great Salvation Matth. 11.24 It will be some abatement of their Torment that they had not those means of grace those constant Sermons those strong perswasions and clear convictions that Gospel-sinners had They shall not have so much darkness of sorrow because they rebelled not against so much light 5ly When they remember what cost and charges they were at what care and pains they took many of them in Satan's shameful services How they adventured the shame and censures of the World the loss of their health their peace their life to please the Devil and their wicked humours How they stifled their consciences shut their eyes against the light rejected Christ and Glory his Word and his Kingdom for the deceitful pleasures and profits of sin and took more pains in the way to destruction than ever any pious Man did in the way to Heaven How perfect a Hell will Hell be unto them where their own Consciences shall be their Tormentors where their Accusation and Rage shall never cease Mark 9. v. 44. where their Worm shall never dye Doubtless they will then be in the saddest sense a Terror to themselves It were easie to name many other particulars that will aggravate the Damned's Misery But I have other things to speak of and therefore pass them by However that little I have said already if we write everlasting upon it will in some measure shew the folly of them that will venture their Souls in any way of wickedness Matth. 16.26 though it were to gain the whole World by it The great Objection answered But say some If Damnation be such a dreadful thing as you make it to be and be also everlasting what will you say of the goodness of God which the Scripture speaks so often of Or how can it stand with the goodness of a God viz. with Infinite Goodness to cast his Creatures into so great misery especially if we suppose this shall be the case of most Men as you asserted before I answer He that hath well weighed what was replyed to Mr. R. when he cavilled somewhat to the same purpose need not be much troubled with this Objection Nevertheless I shall not grudge a large Answer to it it being that which is most commonly urged by selfish sensual sinners and hath not been wholly forgotten by the Author of that Paradoxical Book De Amplitudine Regni Coelestis * Caelius Secundus Boni Natura est Communicari quomodo Deus Pater Miserationum c. It is the nature of good to communicate it self and the more he communicates his goodness the more he discovers it And how shall God appear to be the Father of Mercies and Infinite in Mercy if his saving beatifying Mercy be not extended to the greatest part of Adam's Posterity So He. But though a Man cannot go through a thick Hedge without scratches yet he may go by it at an easier rate so he that cannot make his way through objected difficulties yet may pass them by and hold fast the truth in spight of them And as to this particular if thy reason cannot untie this Knot let thy faith cut it asunder And if thou canst not see how the Infiniteness of God's goodness can stand with the everlasting punishment of the Creature yet believe it nevertheless for the sake of that Word that testifies both of them unto us For as our Lord Christ hath told us There is none good but God viz. absolutely Matth. 19. unchangeably infinitely good So he hath told us no less plainly That the wicked shall go into everlasting punishment Matth. 25. And therefore 't is certain the one is not contrary to or inconsistent with the other whatsoever the wits or follies of Men may judge of it And that thy Reason as well as thy faith may have some satisfaction in the case I shall lay down these
following Considerations 1. That there is in God Bonitas Regiminis as well as Beneficentiae In plain English thus There is in God the goodness of a Governour and the goodness of a Benefactor now his punishing the wicked with Eternal Damnation is not at all contrary to his goodness in either of these sences 1. 'T is plain It is not contrary to the goodness of his Government He is the great Governour of the World and therefore is called a King a great King the King eternal c. in Holy Scripture Malac. 1.14 1 Tim. 1.17 Cap. 6.15 and as he is such it belongeth to him to punish obstinate and impenitent offenders according to their deserts and without this the goodness of his Government namely the wisdom and righteousness of it would not be discovered to his Creatures Even amongst Men they are not accounted good Governours that do not punish the disobedient according to their deserts and maintain the honour of Government thereby And if a Man suppose that the wicked do not deserve to be punished for ever who would gladly be wicked for ever he little knows what wickedness is and the equity of this dispensation hath been cleared in the first Chapter of this Book towards the end of it 2. It is the goodness of God's nature that he hates sin and wickedness 'T is his Excellency that he cannot look on iniquity else he were not a Holy God and without Holiness he could not be a God indeed for his Holiness is Essential to him and therefore when he would swear by himself he swears by his Holiness Now if the goodness of his nature doth make him to hate sin it cannot be any disparagement to his goodness to punish it accordingly since the punishing of it is but the just demonstration of his hatred against it and he that shall go about to argue the contrary will shew himself a bad Logician and a worse Christian 3. If it were not contrary to his goodness to threaten Everlasting Punishment and Destruction to the wicked Matth. 25. 2 Thess 1. c. and to tell us of such Punishment for them so continuing then certainly it cannot be contrary to his goodness to make good that word by inflicting such punishment Whatsoever Men pretend herein for the extolling of God's goodness yet he will not think himself honoured by them when they would exalt it against his Holiness and Truth 4. These Learned Objectors should not act so unlearnedly as to argue the doing of that upon the account of his goodness which cannot be done upon the account of his wisdome nor complain of his casting those into Hell whom his wisdome sees to be utterly unfit for Heaven The Enemies of God and Holiness are not fit to dwell in his Holy place A Swine is fitter for a Prince's Presence-chamber than an unholy Soul for Heaven And if Hell be fitter for them than Heaven 't is fit that they should be sent to Hell rather than Heaven for 't is fit they should have what is fittest for them If an ungodly Man should be brought to Heaven it would be little comfort to him yea I doubt not but he would count it a misery if he should come there in such a state The imperfect graces of his People on Earth as discovered in gracious practises are matter of trouble and grief unto him and he had rather be amongst the Beasts of the Field than be in company with those that would move him to be Holy in good earnest How contrary then would the Holiness of God be unto him and what a vexation would it be to him to see those glorified whom he so much delighted to vilifie and disgrace to see those silly precise ones as he counted them sitting with Christ upon his Throne whom he thought more worthy to be trodden under foot by such as he Thus miserable would an ungodly Man be in Heaven and is it not fitter that he should be miserable in Hell Is it not more proper and congruous that he should torment himself in the place of Torment than in the place of Glory and Blessedness And secondly Let me tell the Objector that God will sufficiently appear to be good in a way of Beneficence also though the wicked be under Everlasting Condemnation This is so plain that I need not spend much time in the proof of it for it would not be accounted a reasonable thing that a King on Earth should be charged with unmercifulness for condemning of Rebels to perpetual Imprisonment He will appear a gracious and bountiful King for all that while he takes care of the honour and safety of his true Subjects Thus will the King of Heaven appear to be bountiful and gracious and abundant in goodness in his gracious dealings towards all his faithful Servants 2. He is very bountiful to the wicked themselves yea to the very worst of them here in this World He gives them that Breath which they so often breathe out to his dishonour and the reproach of his Gospel He gives them all that time which now they mispend and those precious means of grace which they so unthankfully despise and abuse He gives them drink to quench their thirst though they drown their reason with it and preserves them every minute and moment from many secret and unknown dangers besides those that are open and visible in which respect he is said to be the Saviour of all Men. * 1 Tim. 4.10 Yea he gives them time to repent and promises of mercy when they unfeignedly return from sin to his service in Esay 55.7 c. And as for the Number of them that perish which Coelius Of the Number of the Damned and Mr. R. think so strangely of we may easily perceive it is not so much to be wondered at nor may not be imagined to be any disparagement to the Divine Goodness A sober Christian may receive some satisfaction from the words of his Lord in Matth. 7.14 Broad is the way that leadeth to destruction and many there be that go in thereat Is it fit these Men should make a question of that which their Lord who is Truth it self hath so positively told us Nevertheless I shall add a few Considerations to rectifie our thoughts hereabouts that on that account we may not charge our God foolishly And 1. How many soever they be that perish yet none of God's true servants ever shall John 10.28 Christ will give them eternal life and they shall never perish John 10. 2. Those many that perish were all out of the way of Salvation and would not be perswaded to turn into it by a true Conversion What wonder if Destruction and Misery be their end when they are in their ways as St. Paul in Rom. 3.16 Destruction and misery are in their ways and the way of peace they have not known He that chuseth to travail in a Ship that is bound for Spain may not wonder if at last he
a great adversary that delights in nothing more than in his hopes of seeing thee in the same Hell with himself do not joyn with him in working out thy own destruction He will surely do it if he can nor hath he any more compendious way and Method to undo thy Soul than to keep thee from considering thy State seriously and the dreadful danger thou art in while thou givest thy self up to the service of Sin and dost not chuse the fear of the Lord But to come directly to the point in hand Thou darest not spend any serious thoughts upon such matters lest it should distract thee It seems then thou takest thy self to be well in thy wits as yet and if thou art so indeed I may hope thou wilt not think it unreasonable to make use of thy Reason for the good of thy Soul I mean by answering for this particular these following Queries 1. Whether there can be any more dreadful or damnable distraction than for a man to follow his sins and not consider his danger to rebel against the King of Heaven wilfully and deliberately and not to take time to consider what he is doing and which way he is tending I think there can be no greater madness than this unless a greater degree of the same kind and I hope Reader thou art of the same opinion 't is sad to see a man that is thus mad for his Soul to neglect it still and plead that he doth so for fear of being mad O what monstrous madness is this 2. Whether thou wouldst Reason at this rate in other matters of far smaller moment Suppose thou hadst passed through some infected houses where the most were dead of the Disease and one say unto thee Alas man O how fearful is thy case consider the danger and seek out for help for those houses had the Plague and 't is ten to one but thou art infected c. wouldst thou reply I dare not consider of it lest the thoughts of my danger and death should dull my Spirits and make me Melancholy And why should not men Reason so in such cases but that they less mind their Souls concerns than their Bodies 3. Whether thy Reason was not given thee to consider of the state of thy Soul in order to its eternal welfare and whether God doth not require thee to consider thy ways what they are and what they tend to Hag. 1.5 Thus saith the Lord of Hosts consider your ways and Esay 1.3 he complains that his people did not consider And can you think that 't is the way to be mad to consider of them or that God will take away the use of your reason because you use it according to his will and command A Caution Yet think not of thy danger despairingly nor draw any sadder conclusions from the consideration of thy present state than the Scripture alloweth of Say not I must needs be damned because I am not yet in a state of Salvation or that thou must certainly go to Hell because thou hast been hitherto in the way to it c. 'T is not despairing of Salvation but returning from thy sins that is the work thou hast to mind and if thou returnest in Truth as sure as there is a Hell so surely thou shalt escape it through the Mercies of the Living God Read for thy comfort Esay 55.7 Dir. 2 Be sure to shun all gross and scandalous sins and all such company how merry soever that may be likely to draw thee to them or to harden thee in them 'T is as vain to promise your self Heaven while you walk in any way of gross wickedness as to promise your selves life and health when you resolve to take the rankest poyson I have told you in times past saith the Apostle and now tell you also that they that do such things not only those there mentioned but such like shall not inherit the Kingdom of God And especially Take heed of such courses as are injurious to men vengeance from God is most plainly intimated to be the Reward of such doings 1 Thess 4.6 That no man go beyond or defraud his brother in any matter for the Lord is the Avenger of all such as we also have forewarned you and testified Yea this course hath brought men to a hell here on earth Spira a famous Gentleman of Cittadella a Civil-Lawyer who was almost a Miracle of Spiritual misery and breathed out Woes and Terrors to himself continually discovered the sad thoughts that he had of his former practises in that kind confessing his sin with a most sorrowful heart His words are these Spira 's life p. 3. lin 1. translated I was exceedingly covetous of money and accordingly I applied my self to the getting of it corrupting justice by deceit and inventing ways to delude it Good causes I either defended deceitfully or sold them to the Adversary perfidiously Bad causes I maintained with all my might opposing often the known truth c. He saw That money was too hardly earned which was gotten with the loss of Justice and Truth Noverint universi caveant universè Dir. 3 Take heed of your Company Make not the known enemies of Religion and holiness your ordinary familiar Companions But mistake me not I am not perswading you to forsake your necessary Relations but your unnecessary wicked Companions and there is no hope of your Salvation till you are heartily willing to forsake them a companion of fools or wicked men that are notoriously such shall be destroyed Prov. 13.20 These are likely to frustrate as far as is possible the means of grace and Salvation to thy Soul keeping thee from Hearing or Reading or other duties when thou shouldst be about them and hardening thy heart against God's fear O how many that seemed very hopeful for Heaven a long time have yet at last been taken and overcome by this snare of the Devil and went to hell for company shun them carefully as you love your souls forsake the foolish live Pr. 9.6 better leave them than perish with them Dir. 4 If you would escape hell content not your selves with a false and ungrounded hope of escaping do not conclude your safety from false and insufficient grounds He that lyeth in an infected bed and hopeth that he is in no danger of the Disease because his Smell and Taste is good or on any the like insufficient ground and reason is not only never a whit the safer for his hope but is really so much the more in danger because he contents himself with his dangerous condition and concludes his safety from that which will not warrant any such conclusion Just so in the present case He that is in the way towards hell and yet hath a strong hope upon unsound grounds that he is not in danger of it is not the safer because he hopes but the more in danger because he hopes upon unsound grounds here therefore I shall name some sandy foundations upon which
the Pharisees made light of him and derided him in Luke 16.14 Thus of the 4th Direction Direct The 5th If you would escape Hell make sure of a true and sound conversion and wait upon God in the use of all holy means for it But above all things take heed you mistake not in so great a concern nor think your selvs converted when it is not so Matth. 18.3 Except ye be converted ye cannot enter into the kingdom of Heaven And surely if a Man cannot come to Heaven without it he cannot escape Hell without it neither Now you must not think your selvs converted while you are predominantly in love with any wicked course whatsoever or in plainer English while you count sin your liberty and priviledge and had rather follow any way of wickedness than a way of real and universal religiousness if it were not for fear of the shame of the World or the damnation of Hell Many I doubt not are religious sober civil just c. out of constraint not willingly and forbear gross sin more out of dread of punishment than out of any love to God or obedient regard to his Will and Law serving God as the poor Indians did the Devil viz. for fear lest otherwise he should do them a mischief And what do you think is such service worth assuredly very little or rather nothing in the sight of God who seeth the principles of Mens works and services and looks more upon the Bent of the mind and will than the matter of the work Know thou the God of thy Father and serve him with a willing mind 1 Chron. 28.9 A blockish slavish unwilling service when the work is done which he had rather should not be done is fit only for a sensless Deity or a dumb Idol not for the high and holy one Believe it you are not truly and savingly converted till God and holiness have the main disposition of your hearts and wills till you had rather have God in Christ for your everlasting portion to enjoy than Honor and Wealth and all this World 's good till then you are but Worldlings till you had rather walk in a way of holiness than follow the most gainful Trade of sin As a false defrauding servant is never turned to be a true and faithful servant till he had rather be true and faithful to his Master than to cheat and defraud him Pray therefore for your selves as the Apostle for the Thessalonians that God would direct your hearts to his love or as our Church that he would encline your hearts to keep his Law Dir. 6 Acquaint thy self with Christ search the Scriptures and see how sufficient a Saviour he is how able and willing to receive and relieve returning sinners Did he reject any that were but truly willing to accept of him Did he not come into the World to save such and complain that the People would not come unto him that they might have life Them that come unto him with true faith and repentance he will in no wise cast out Joh. 6.37 O sinner if thou wilt heartily forsake the Devils drudgery he will save thee from Hell and all its damnation If thou turnest from every evil way and givest thy self up to him relying wholly upon his merit and righteousness he will give thee acceptance in the sight of his Father and deliver thee from the wrath to come 1 Thess 1. ult So much for the use of Direction I come now to one or two Uses more and so shall put a period to my Discourse In the next place then It may serve for our Instruction and may teach us not to envy at the prosperity of wicked Men nor to judge Gods ways to be unequal because of their impunity joyned with final impenitency in this present World No cause to judge so when we consider that he hath a Hell to punish them in for there the sinner shall have enough of sin and such wages as is suitable to his works of iniquity There the proud sinner shall be low enough the jovial sinner shall be sad enough the sottish sinner be thirsty enough the Revengeful sinner have vengeance enough the Damner and Sinker be damned enough and sink deep enough into the lake of fire There they that tyrannized over pious Christians shall be insulted over by the Devil and be buffeted by the unclean Spirits they that willingly forget their God and Souls shall remember their sins whether they will or not they that made light of Christ and Sermons shall be loaded to the full with wrath and curses and in a word they that grinn'd at godliness shall gnash their teeth at their impieties God to whom vengeance belongeth will avenge himself upon them and punish them with everlasting destruction from his presence 2 Thess 1.8 9. Lastly Let me hence add a word to the godly in general let them be exhorted to grow more and more 1. In Grace and holy obedience for what love what service what obedience can ever be suitable to that goodness of God which saves them through Christ from the everlasting punishment their sins deserve We may well exhort them to all holy duties by the mercies of God Rom. 12.1 They can never do too much for his Glory that hath done so much for their Salvation for he will give them eternal Life and they shall never perish Joh. 10. 2. In comfort and spiritual joy Rejoyce in the Lord always saith the Apostle to such Phil. 4.1 Christ is their all-sufficient Saviour and they shall surely be saved from wrath through him Rom. 5.9 why should any worldly Troubles trouble them overmuch since they shall have none in the world to come Death can do no more than rot them and hell no more than fright them Rejoyce therefore O faithful Christian and give thanks at the remembrance of the goodness of thy God the joy of the Lord is thy strength O let it be thy work too Yea most certainly it shall be so at the coming of Christ to judgment He will then receive thee to himself Joh. 14.3 His love shall then be stronger than death and conquer the last enemy for thee Thou shalt be filled with Joy and Glory when the wicked shall have their fill of shame and sorrow and shalt be accepted graciously with him when all the enemies of his Holiness shall be banished from his Presence and be buried alive in everlasting fire And now bless the Lord O my Soul for all his gracious Providences and in special for all his gracious Assistances in this small Work Say not This Work thy Hand to End hath brought Or This thy Labour hath attain'd unto Say rather thus This God by me hath wrought He 's Author of that little Good I do To Him be Glory for ever and ever FINIS