Chap. 3 7. inExpo1ïtion upon the% of Jos, Vat-. 23, I aítfwer', Firft, the Lord hash left te(lituonv ent;ugh upon Record, and written it in theblood of many thou ands, to him.elf, that he it excellent iz4 pedgmtxt , by taking vengeance on the wicked. Did henot excel! in Ju:'anent upon the Loring Aasgels? (2 Pet, 2.. 8. 7ude 6.) was he not excellent in' Jac'.,;- menr,when he defiroyed the whole world for fin ? when he -burnt Sodom and Gomsrráh with fire for tin ? HON many in,tances might Igive of this from Scripture ? Gad ha:h Efficiently de- dated hitnfelf excellent in this, punitive U dgment. I anfwer,Secondly,God indeed dohnetprefently executeJudt;- meat upon all the wicked ;; we fhoiid rather be lead by fence than by faith, -if he fhoulddo fo, if he fhould tinite (inners as loon as they provoke him; yea, if God (honld take that cent fe, he mutt even break the world to peices, and defiroy whole generations at once. Thirdly, God fuffers (inners a while,t hat his courcels niay be fiddled; for though the wicked obey not thecommand©f God, yet they fulfill the councel of God (Af1s 4. 28. ) and they do it chiefly when he with- holdeth Judgment from them. Fourthly , Unlefs the Lord did a little give flop to the execu- tionof Judgment in this kind, it would neither appear how good', nor how bad fame men are. Let fume have but a little power in their hands, and theworld at will,then you shall fee whither they will go, and what they-will do. And w_ten bad menare fuffered to go on unpunifhed, and to be a punif ment toothers, then it appears more fully how good Comae are, and that in a twofold re- fpe&t. Firft, becaufe they refraine from evils , though they fee that they altopoflibly might do it (:mpuráe) and nor futfer in this world. Secondly, becaufe they hold fail both their proteflion and praElife of CSodlinefs, howmuch foever they fuffer for it in this world fromevil men. Fifthly, God is executing Judgmentsupon wicked enemy hil , he feems to fpare them from j tdgtiaent (Pro. r. 3 2,) The pro_ fperityoffoolsflayed) them. Svme think a wicked man is r tehtily favoured when he is in p-ofperity, no, that profjperity is his cte- ftruc}ion, and deftruetion is Judgment in per f e-tion. The table of a wicked man is made his fnarre,hïs f,.11 table fattens his heart, which is the farefl of alljudgments.Tobe un':enfible is worfe than anypunithment of fenfe;'to be hardned or beartned in doing L i l l Lvih 6zç
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