374 J1Commentane 11pon · Chap.6. . a caufe of the cb•ldrcns hone, fceing that A God in hisla(l iudgement, cur!hh awicked mans po!lerity, by leauing them to them· fdues,to blindnclfe ofminde, ahd hatdoclfe of heart,thatlb th<y may fulnU themeafure of their fathers, as our SauiourChrill fpea: keth,Mar. •3· 3·•· and byrheirowneliones, may iu(lly pull vpoo them conillgne punifh– menr. Laltly, GQ6 dorhmoremanifc!lhis •nthagain!! the tinne of rhe patentby punilhingthechilde. · " Obi,fi.P. Num.~$+Thechiefe!lof the Ifraelites were'hanged vp before' the Lord; for the fornication and idolatry of the peo· pk: therefore rhey did not beare rhe burden <>f t·heir owne linoe. An{ ... They If ere pu– nifhed forrheir owne tinne,for ihey confen- B ted toworO>ippe rheidoll, and commit folly w>th rhedaughtersof MMb: orratherwere prmcipall ring-leaders' and .fir(! aaors in this-Comick.tragedy , as may appeare by thepraa,feof Zmm, Prince of rhelamdic of rheSimto~iits)ver(e 6.in bringttlgCoshiea M'llditmiti{h woman, into his tenr,in the fighr of M'fes,and the·wholecongregation.Ther– fore·becauferhey did not hinder-rl;em from cOmmltting 'this .fact, as they mtgbr,bcf'ing irrthio place'<>fgouernmenr,but did partake with rhem ·in,rhe Gnrie, they are flrll pumil>· ed,and that more feuerely :·for a1 thoufand of them were hanged-vp the fame da~, verfe4. there!! ofpeople,to the number of •3.thou- C [and, were flaine by the (word, anhe tom– ruanJemenl<lf God: verfe s. to·.thich Paul had an eye,when bee faid,rhat the;, f,//in '"' daJ >3-'hou[.,d. J,Cor.Jo.8.meaningof tht common fort,excluJing thoferhatwr.re han· ged vp: for in all rherewere •'I· rhoufand; Numb. >s. 9· Thus the contrariety which (i:emes to be betwixt rhofe twoplace, m~y be better accorded,thcn to fay (asforue do)that the pen-men,or(cribes,failedin copying our rhebookes. Or (asorhers) tharitwas ;~;, vt~f.l,..uey•~~:;v in P4N!: orasothers,thatPAul is norcotrary to M,fu,(ceing rhat tftherewerc >+thoufand, (as Mofufaith,) there were 1 f. rHoufand: forrheroisno rcafonwhytheA· poflle fhould v(e the lelfe number rather ' then the greater, (except tharwhichl haue D fitid) conlidering rhe greater, is as round a number asthe lelfe. Obi,UJ!I. D•uidfinnedinnumbringthe people,andthey were punifhed for his finoc: Achantinned, & the people fell flaine before rhe men ofAi: therfore euery man doth nor beare his owne entire burden. The like may be f•id ofthe children ofthe Sodomites,and ofthe 6rCl borneof the Egyptians, who bare rhe burden oftheir parents finne. A•f· The. people were puniO>ed for theirowne tinnes·: and fo was Dauid,albeit not.in hisqwn,bur in. their perfons: for God pumfhed him in his' kmd,in ddlroying thepeople with that fear– full plague,in whofegreatmultitude heehad gloriedfo much. lodeedetheirpuniO•meot was occaGoned by his Linne : burcaufed by , the1rown.e: for no man,though neuerfoho- . ly,io without Gnne, aod therefore none but de(erue pubilhment: oay,it uqodt mm]rhar . wtArtnqt&'4n(Nmtd,Lam.3,'2J.' ;· And albeir aU the infants perilhed io the Deluge, and to the ouerthrow of Sodome & Gomorrha,whichcould neither lmitate,nor approoucthc aa1onaof their fore-fathers: '"' their death was dcferued. For though mfanta be rruely called inn•tmtr, in regard of ad'uaJl finne: yet theyar,c rrofinnDc-mts in re– gard of originall: for from the wornbe they carry a wohltlh nature, wh1ch prepares rhem to the fpotle, thoul\h they neuer did hurt: the Scorpion hath his !ling within him, though he doenoralway Clnke 1 and though aSerpent may be handled while{! the colde harh bcnummed him; yet when heeis war– med, hee will hilfeout his venemous poifon. Mans praa,fe doth cleare God of vr.IUOicc in this behalfe, in killing the young cubbes, aswell as the oldc foxe: rhewolueswhefpeo, ••.well asthe damme. Albeit if wee fpeakc ol thm finall eflare,andcomero particulars, wee·are to Jcaue ((ocrec iudgemenls to God.• The example of Ach•nismoredifficulr, fee' · mg that for his lione,3G. of thepeople were n.me,lolhua7· $.and his whole famtlleroo· tt:d out, vedC z.s. who were Oot confenting tohiofatl,norguilricof hlsfinne. Yerfome· ·thing may probably bcfaid in thiscafe.Firfl, that they were guiltic of this his tiune in parr, in not punifhinc theft fo feuerefy as they ought to haue dcne,which wa• a means to embolden Aeh•• to tleale the execrable thing Secondly, that prmatc good mull yeeld to the publike ; as the life of euery particularperfon to thegenerallgood ofthe whole Common-wealth: thus fouldiers in rhewarres,rcdeemethepublikepeace by rhe lolfe of theirowneliues: now the manifeCla– tion of the glorie, of thewifedome, power, and luflicc of God., is the publike good of rhe whole<Church i therefore mens priuate good, euen their liues, mull giue place ro ir: cfpecially contidermgbee neuerlnfiias tem– porall punifhment for the pubhke good of hisElca, whome heecorreas in iudgemenr, not in iniurle. Thirdly, howfoeuer Ath•• did bearethe burden of his ownefinnc;thio iudgement might bee iofiitled vpon them for their good: for tcmporallpunilhment, yea death it felfe, is fomcrimcs infiiaed for the good ofthofcthatarepunilhed,as we fee in rhc children of the Sodomites , many whereof(no doubt)wererakenaway'in mer– cic,le(l malicelhould hauechanged andcor– rupted 1heirminde•: and fomcttrne for rhe tcrrour ofothers, to beeawarning·peece ro ·make them rake heede; and fometimc for borh: asitmaybee itwas in this pmicular. Fourthly, linne committed bya particular man, thar is a member of a poli11ke bodic, dorh afrcra fort belong to the whole hndtf: ..
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