Sera'. LXXXVI. cfRewards and Punt hmeas. 651 the Sinner immediately, fo foon ashe bath offended, and to the utmofl ofhis Pow- er ; becaufe whatever ACts naturally, As necefJarily, and to the utmoft : for I do not fuppofe fuck a juflice effential to God as A&s neceffarily, but fuch a juJlice, which as to the time, and manner, and circumflances of its Aéting is regulated and determined by his Wifdom ; and there is the fame Reafon likewife of his goodnefs. I come now to the ObjeEtions, which are taken partly from the difpenfations of God in this World ; and partly from the punifhments of the other. Firjl, As to the difpenfations of God in. this World, there are there two things Objeâed againft the juflice of the Divine Providence. I. The Inequality of God's dealings with good and bad Men in this World. H. The tranjlationof Punifhments, punilhing one Man's Sin upon another, as the Sins of the Fathers upon the Children, of the Prince upon the People. I be -. gin with the I. ObjeEtion, the inequality of God's dealing with good and bad Men in this World. In this life things happen promifcuoufly, there is one event to the righ- teous, and to the wicked ; if the Wicked fiìffer and are affliéted, fo are the Righ- teous ; if the Righteous fometimes flourifh, fo do the Wicked ; and is not this unjuft, that thole who are fo unequal as to their Deferts fhould be equally dealt withal ? or if there be any inequality, it is ufually the wrong way, the Wicked do many times profper more in the World, and the Righteous are frequently more aíflieled. This was the great Objeétion of old againft the Providence of God, which the Heathen Philofophers took fo much pains to anfwer, nay it did often flake the faith of Holy and Good Men in the old Teflament. lob a z. 6. The tabernacles of robbers profiler, and they that provoke God are fecure, into whofe hand God bringeth abundantly ; and chap. a.r. 7, 8, ç. he Expoftulates the fame matter again ; and David fays this was a great ftumbling-Block 'to him, Pfa1.73 z, 3: and the like we find in the Prophets, Jer. a z. a. and Hab. 1. 13. This Obje Li- on I have elfewhere confidered, I (hall now very brieflyoffer two or three Things, which I hope will be fufficient to break the forceof it. 1. It muff be granted, that it is not neceffary to juflice to Phew it felt imme- diately, and to difpenfe Rewards and Punilhments fo foon as there are Objeas for them. This is not thought neceffary among Men, much more ought we to leave it to the Wifdom of God to determine the time and circumftances of the exercifing of his Juftice : and we are not to concludethat the Providence ofGod is unjuft, if he do not bellow rewards, and inflii`I Punishments, jufl when we think he should. z. If God intended thisLife for a State of Tryal, wherein he would prove the obedience of Men and their free inclination to good or evil, it is not reafonable to expo l that he lhould follow Men with prefent Rewards and Punishments; for that would lay too great a force upon Men, fo that there 'would hardly be any opportunity of trying them ; but on the contrary, there is all the Reafon in the World to prefume that God should exercife the Graces and Virtues of good Men with afiélions and fufferings, and fuller bad Men to take their Courfe for a while, and walk in their own ways, without continual Checks, by frequent and remarkable Judgments upon them, fo often as they offend. 3. If there be another Life after this, wherein Men Ihall be Judged according to their works, then this Objeétion vanifheth, for that great Day will fet all things ,firaight, which feem now to be fo Crooked and Irregular. The defer- ring of Rewards and Punifhments to the molt convenient Seafon, is fo far from being a refleétion upon the juflice of God, that it is highly to the commendation of it. What Claudia,: fays. of Ru/iinus, a very bad Man, whofe long impunity bad tempted Men to call in queftion the juftice of God, is confiderable in this Cafe; Abjtulit hunt tandem Ruffin paw tumultum, Abfalvitque Deos. " The Punishment which overtook him at lafl , did quiet thole tumultuous "thoughts, and abfolved the gods from all blame. 'When Men lookbut a little O000z way,
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