5 40 Zeat6r Prerogative. protnifed that man fhould, though inforros, verfe 17. and in thefweat ofhisface, vet. is.. eat breadfrom theground. A fecond favour isherein conferred on Adam, thatCod in his due time would put a period to his painful life,his toil,trouble,and turmoil,occalioned by his tilling the earth, and other intervening affli&ions thould not (aft always, but end and ex- pire with his life, for duff thou art, and unto duff thou thole return. This text I may rearm the GRAND LEVELLER as which cqual'eth Shovels and Seepters, Pen -knives and Swords, Schollars and Souldiers, Captain: andCaptives, Prinbes and Pegfants, higb.audlow, rich andpoor, one withanother. St. Paul, í Tim. 4. compareth mans life.to a rate , I have finifhed my courfe, and Heb. iz. I. Let us runwith patience the race that is fei before us, let us improve his Metaphorinto an Allegory,andit will ferve us very conveniently for the dividing ofour text; Whereinwe mayobferve; (t. Carter, the Bar, fromwheirce wé do flare, for duff Thou 1 Art. a. Meta, the mark, to which we run, andunto duff thou fhalt L return: Beit here remembred, that this Metaphor is confined to the Terrefìial earth- ly part ofman, without the leaftreferents to his beff moity, Imean his Soul ; man confrfleth of two parts, .rc and 'A, soul andduff, the former not comingwithin the compafs of the Text, fall not under the notion of daft, appropriated to the body alone. I cannot with comfort and confcience proceed,to the colleaingofobfervations out ofaText, whilftconfciousto my felf, that the fame is incumbred with difficul- ties, and we meet with two main °nea in the Textwhichmull firlt be removed. Firf Q effion. This being, (as I may fay) thefirfl' day of ,lodgment; when God' in the text legallyproceeded to the fentencing ofAdam (cafe by the confeffion of his own confcience) how comethit topais that onlyTemporalpunifhmentis infli&ed upon him. One might juflly have expe&ed, that Cod rather would have laid, from Hell came thyfin, and to Hell let eloy fin return; and thyfoul go along with it. Or you find go frons the place wherein youkind, to the place ofeternal Damnation, where the worm deeth not , and the fire is not quenched, there fhall be weeping and gnafhingofteeth. Whereas now the mention only ofTemporal death, bathgiven the hint to Propban,perfons in this licentious age ( greedy to matchat allshadows ofadvantage) nodefs boldly than falfly tomaintain,that fin in its own nature,doth only deferve, and (hail only receive Temporal Death. I anfwer, fir£t 21(egatively, It was not becaufe fin in its own nature, deferveth only Temporal Death, feeing (were it the work of the day,and the tine as proper as the place for that purpofe) Legions of Scriptures might be produced to prove that eternal (as well as temporal) death is due tothe demerit of fin, yet none can wonder at prophane perfons, if willing to kindle comfort to themfelves at every Gloworm-theymeet with,it being for theintereft of thieves and murderers to be- lieve (if they can fo perfwade themfelves) that there never will be Goals, fudge, Sizes, Segions, Sheriffs, or Executioners. But for moll weighty reafons,Obvioue andopen to our apprehenfion, (betides others no doubt concealed in hisownbo- fome) Divinewifdome adjudged it not convenient to befentence our fira Parents with eternal Damnation, though according to his juftice andtheir deferts,it might have been infli &ed upon them. Fide in general I anfwer, ',Ploy fhould any mans eye be evil becaufeGods isgood? What if he were pleated to abate of legal extremity, and mercifully to remit much thereof who (hall fay unto him, why elof thoufo i Indeed Itinerant Judges bound to obferve the letter of the Law, may not, but a King by his Prerogative may commute
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=