Chap. 34. An Expofttion upon the Boob, of Je B. Verf.23. 677 the Law alloweth. There may be a great deale of feveriry ( I grant) in punishing up to the rigor of the Law, but there is no un- rtghteoufnefs in ir.The Mofaical law allowed of forty flripes;now if they had layd forty-one upon any offender, they had layd upon him more then was right, becaufe they exceeded the Law; and to have layd full forty firipes, which was the urmoft they could by Law, had been fevere, therefore they ufually abated one flripe at leafs ; Hence the Apofile Paul faith (a Cor: t s .24.) Ofthe jerees five times received Iforty (tripesfave one ; if they had givenPaul forty (tripes they had done no wrong as to the Law, though one had been too many forand a wrong to him who had not broken, their law. Seeing the Lord lays nomore upon the worll of finners, then the lawalloweth,he doth not lay upon man more then right. Yea not only the chattifements which theLord layeth upon his owne fetvants, but the greaten punifhmenrs which he layeth up- on the worft of the wicked, in this world , are much leffe then might with juflicebe inflieled. This was Ezra'shumble acknow- ledgement before the Lord ( Ezra 9. t 3.) And after all that is come uponus, for our evill deeds, andfor our great trefpafe, feting that thou our Cod haft purai flied uo leffe then, our iniquities deferve. The punifbment that was upon, the peopleol;lfrael , was exceed- ing great, in fo much that Daniel faith in b 'prayer (Chap: 9. t t,. ti.) nder the wholeheavens , bathnot been done, as path been doneupon'erufalem, yet Ezra fpeakingof that very difpenfation, faith, Thouhat ptemfbed su le ffe, then our jut deferve. In this life the greateft of our puniflomerts,. are lefe then the leaft ofour fins. Every fin, or tranigrefiion of the Law, defrves eternall death therefore in this life the greateft punishments that fall up-- on finners, are leffe then their fins.. As the leatl mercies which God befloweth upon them, are greater thenthe greateft of their defervings.(That was 7acobs free confeffien (Gen: 3 2.t o.) Ia;n not worthyofthe leafs of (orI aus leffe then) all the me-cies, and ofall the truth which thou. haft (hewed unto thy fervaut) So the greateft punifhments that fall upon them in this life,are leffe 'then the leaf} of their fins : And in the next life , where finners shall have full meafure, heaped up, preffed down, running over, and that for ever, yet then they (hall not have one grain: more, ti- ther ofweight or meafure, then they have deferved. The Lord layeth upon no man in this, life , fomuch, nor in that to come more then is right, Hence
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=