637 S R M O N LXXXVI. The Juílice of God, in the diftribution ofRewards and Puniíhments. G E N. XVIII. 25. Shallnoá the fudgeof all the earthdo right? IN treating of the Attributes ofGod, I have confidered thofe which relate to the Divine Undertianding,viz.Rnowledge and Wifdom; I come now toconfider thofe which relate to the Divine Will, viz. thefe four, the Juflice, the Truth, the Goodnefs,and theHolinefs of God. I begin with the Firfl,namely,the Mice ofGod. At the 17thverfe of this chapter, God by a great and wonderful Condefcention of his Goodnefs, reveals to Abraham his Intention concerning the Deftru&ion of Sodom; upon this Abraham, v. 23. interceded with God for the Paving of the Righteous Perfons that were there; and to this end, he Pleads with God his Yu- like and Righteoufnefs, with which he apprehended it to be incontinent, to defiroy the Righteous with the wicked, which without a Miracle, could not be avoided in a general Deftrudion. Wilt thou alfo defiroy the Righteous with theWicked? Per- adventure there be fifty Righteous within the City, wilt thou alfo deflroy, andnot fpare the place for the fifty Righteous that are therein ? that be far from thee to do after this manner, to flay the, Righteous with the Wicked, and that the Righteous fhould be as the Wicked, that be far from thee ; /hall not the Judgeofállthe Earth do right? This Negative Interrogation is equivalent to a vehement Affirmation, Shall not the Judge of all the Earth do right ? that is, undoubtedly he will. This we may take for a certain and undoubted Principle, that in the difiributionof re- wards andpunifhments the Judge of the Worldwill doRighteoufly. So that the Argument that lies under our Confideration , is the yuflice of God in the difiribution of Rewards and I' unifhments ; for the clearing of which, we will confider it, Firll, In Hypotheft, in regard to the particular Cafe, which is here put by A- braham in the Text. Secondly, In Thef, we will confider itin General, in the Difiribution of Rewards and. Punifhments. Firfi, We will confider it in f ypothef, in regard to the particular Cafe whiëlï is here put by Abraham in the Text; and the rather, becaufe if we look well into it, there is fomething of real Difficulty in it, not eafy to be cleared ; for Abra- ham's Reafoning, if it be true, does plainly Conclude, that it would have been unrighteous with God in the Deftruttion of Sodom, not to make a difference be- tween the Righteous and the Wicked, but to invole them equally in the fame common Deftrutrtion. That be farfrom thee to do after this manner, to flay the Righteous with the Wicked, and that the Righteousfhouldbe as the Wicked , that be far from thee;.(hall not the Judge of all the Earth do right? as if he had faid, Purely the Judge of all the Earth will never do founrighteous a Thing. And yet notwithftanding this, we fee it is very ufual for the Providence of God to involve good Men in general Calamities, and to make no vifible difference between the Righteous and the Wicked. Now the difficulty is, how to reconcile thefe Appearances of Providence with this reafoningof Abraham in the Text. And for doing of this, I fee but one pofïible way, and that is this, that A- braham does not here fpeak concerning the Judgments of Good which befal Men in the ordinary Courfe of his Providence, which many times happen promifcu- oufly, and involve good and bad Men in the fame Ruin ; and the Reafon hereof is
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