Serm.L.XXXVII. The TruthofGod. furely die ; which yet was not accomplilh'd , for he lived many HundredYears after. God threatned Ahab to bring evil upon him and his family, s Kings zri sr. But upon his Humiliation he is pleafed to refpite it , v. tg. So God threatned Hezekiah with Death , but upon his prayer adds fifteen Tears to his Life. Thus Nineveh was threatned, but upon their Repentance , God repented of the evil, Jon. 3. to. Now how is this deferring and turning away of Judgment confiflent with. the Truth of God ? doth not this feem to charge him with Fal/hood or Levity Anf This may be faid in general , that every one that underftands the Nature of God, cannot but be very well affur'd , that FalJhoodand Levity, are very far from God ; and tho' he could not untye force particular Knots, and anfwer all Difficulties, yet he ought to reft fatisfied in this Aflurance. I confefs this Obje- &ion is troublefome, and requires a diftind Confderation. I will not be perem- ptory in nice Matters, but I ¡hall, with Submiffion, offer thefe Things in anfwer to it. I. As for the Expreffion of God's repenting, we are to underfiand it , as many others in Scripture, after the manner of Men, and fpoken by way of Condefcenti- on to our Weaknefs, and accommodated to our Capacities, and not as cafting any Imputation of Fal/hoodor InconftancyuponGod, as if either he did not intend what he faith, or out of Levity did alter his Mind. When God is laid to repent, the Expreffion only liignifies thus much, that God Both not execute that whichTeemed to us to have been his Purpofe, that he is pleafed to do otherwife than hisThreat- ningsfeemed openly to exprefs, becaufe of force tacit Condition implyed in them ; and this doth not derogate either from the Truth, or Sincerity, or Conjlancy of God in his Word. Not from his Truth ; for he fpeaks what he intends really, if fomething did not intervene to prevent the Judgment threatned , upon which he was refolved, when he threatned , to be taken off and flop his Judgments : Nor doth it derogate from his Sincerity and Plainnefs ; for he hath told us that his Threatnings have fach Conditions imply'd in them : Nor doth it derogate from the Conftancy and Immutability of God ; becaufe Goddoth not mutare confiliumfed fententiam, he doth not change his Counfl and Purpofe , but takes off the Sentence which he had paft with referved Cond tons. a.. As to the Infantes, that I may g`v.e more particular 'Satisfaction to them; hall confider the Threatnings of God wïrh this double Refpe t, either with Relation to a Law, or with Relation to the Event; as they are Predictions of fomething to come. (s.) Some Threatnings have only Relation to a Law, as they are the Santion of it. And thus confider'd, they differ from Promifes ; for Promifes confer a Right, omne promiffùm cadit in debitum ; but a Threatning doth not convey any Right, nor if forborn can the Party complain of Wrong done to him; and there. fore in this Cafe it can only fignify what the Offence againtt the Law deferves, and what the Offender may expeét ; for the bad Threatning is not Púni/hmenti but the avoiding of it. And this may anfwer theftrff ¡ní'lance. God gave Adam a Law ; and by way of Sant`lion, not of Preditïion of an Event, he threatned the Breach of it with Death : Now God did not execute the Punihment threatned at the time threatned, but deferr'd it, and this without any Impeachment of his Mice or Truth, becaufe this threatning was only the Santlion of the Law. (z.) We may confider Threatnings with Relation to the Event and as Pre- dic`ïions ; and as to the Accomplifhment of thefe, there Teems ro be á greater Degree of Neceffity, becaufe the Honour of God's Knowledge , and Power, and Truth feem to be concerned in them; .for if his Word be not fulfill'd, it muff either be for want of Knowledge to forefee Events , or Power to bring them to pafs, or Conflancy to his Word. Now if we confider Threatnings with RefpecSt to the Event, as they are Predictions of future Judgments , I think all the other Inflances may be fatisfied, by laying down this Rule for the underftanding of them , viz. " That all Prophetical Threatnings or Predictions of Judg- ment are to be underftood with this tacit Condition, if there do not inter= vene the Humiliation , and Repentance , and Prayer of the Perlons " againft whom the Judgment is threatned ; and if fo, God may upon Repen- P P p p " tance, 65.7
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