594 GOD'S GOODNESS VINDICATED. Canaanites in special. But that they all apostatized from the covenant of grace made with Adam and Noah, there is no proof. We have not the history of any of their countries fully, so as to determine of such cases. In Nineveh God ruled by that law of grace which called them to repent, and spared them upon their be- lief and repentance ; " Because he was a gracious God, and mer- ciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth of the evil ; " Jonah iv. 2. And that God dealeth not with mankind now as the mere judge of the violated law of innocency,. he declareth not only by the full testimony of his providence, or mercies given to the sinful world, but also by the very name, which he proclaimeth unto Moses (which signifieth his nature, and his mind towards others, and not what he is to Jews alone ;) Exod. xxiv. 6, 7. " The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity, and transgression, and sin." All which is in- consistent with the relation of God, as a judge of a people, only under the curse of an unremedied, violated law, and unredeemed, though he add, " and that will byno means clear the guilty," &c., that is, will neither judge them innocent that are guilty of the crime, nor judge them to life that are guilty of death, according to the tenor of the law which they are under; Purificando non puri- ficabit' as the literal version ; that is, will not judge unjustly, by acquitting him that is to be condemned, or as the Chaldee para- phrase bath it, `not justifying those that are not converted.' lt is enough for us, therefore, to know, that the visible church bath manifold privileges above all others Rom. iii. 1-3, &e. And that salvation is more easy, sure, and plenteous, where the gospel cometh, than with any others ; and that we have, therefore, great cause to rejoice with thankfulness for our lot, and that the poor world lieth in wickedness, and must be pitied, prayed for, and helped to our power, and that " God is the Savior of all men, but especially of them that believe ; and that he is good to all, and his mercies are over all his works ; " and that he will never damn one soul that loveth him as God. But what is in the hearts of all men in the world, and consequently how they shall be used at last, he only that searcheth the heart : can tell and it is neither our duty nor our interest, nor possible to us, to know itof all par- ticulars, much less to conclude, that none among them have such love, who believe him to be infinitely good, and to be to them a merciful, pardoning God. And we know withal, that all they that know not Jesus Christ, as this determinate person that was borìi of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified,
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