726 The Long-fuffering of God. Vai,1 " Men might trample Religion under their Feet, and live without any regard to the Laws of it. But let us fee how they infer thisfrom the long- fuffering of God, that he neg.. lens the Affairs of the World, and hathno confideration of the Anions of Men, becaufe they fee the ungodly to profper in the World, equally with others that are ftrinly devoutand virtuous, yea, many times to be in a more profperous and flourifhing condition ; they are not in trouble like othermen, neither are they plagued like other men. So that if there be a God, it feems (fay they) that he'connives at the Crimes of Men, and looks on upon them that deal treacheroufy, andholds hit peace, whil/l the wickeddevoureth the man that is more righteous than himfelf; as the Prophet expreffeth it, Hab. r. r3. For anfwer to this, I fhall only give this reafonable and credible account of the long- fuffering of God, and the impunity of wicked Men in this Life, which not only the Scripture gives us, but the Heathen wereable to give from the light of Nature, and is agreeable to the common Senfe of Mankind ; namely, That this Life is a Rate of probation and tryal, wherein God fuffersmen to walk in their own ways without anyvifible check and reftraint, and does not ufually inflit pre= tent and remarkable punilhments upon them for their evil deeds ; becaufe this be- ing a flate of tryal of the difpofitions and manners of. Men, is rather the proper feafon of Patience, than of Punifhments and Rewards ; and therefore it is very reafonable to fuppofe, that God referves Sinners for a folemn and Publick Tryal, at the great Aflizes of the World, when he will openly vindicate the honour of his Juftice, upon the defpifers of his Patience and Long-fuffering, when he will make his judgment to break forth as the light, and his righteoufnefs as the noon day. In the mean time, the providence of God, whenhe fees it fit, gives force remar- kable inflances of his Juftice upon great and notorious Offenders in this life, as a pledge and earneft of a future Judgment ; and thefe fometimes more general, as in the deftrution of the old World, by an univerfal Deluge, when be tam the wickednefs of men to k great upon the earth. And fuch was that terrible Ved. geance whichwas poured down upon Sodom and Gomorrah, and the Cities about them ; which as St. gudetells us, are fet forth for an example, fuffering thevenge- ance of eternal fire, that is, of a perpetual deftruûion by Fire. 3dly, Another grofs and Atheittical Inference, whichMen are apt to make from the delay of punifhment, is, that there is no fuch difference of goodand evil as is pretended ; becaufe they do not fee thegood and bad Anions of Men differenced in their rewards, becaufe Divine Juftice doth not prefently manifeft it Pelf, and every tranfgrefion anddifobedience doth not immediately receive a juft recompence of reward, therefore they cannot believe, that the difference between good and evilis fo great and evident. For anfwer to this.' Not to infrít upon the difference which the Providence of God fometimes makes between them in thislife, I appeal to the Confciences of Men, whether they do not fecretly and inwardly acknowledge a clear difference betweengood and evil. Are not the worft of Men apt to conceive better hopes of fuccefs, when they are about a juft and honeft undertaking, than when they are engaged in a wicked defign ? Do not bad Men feel a fecret fhame and horror, when no Eye fees them, and the wickednefs they are about to commit doth not fall under the cognifance and cenfure of any Human Court or Tribunal ? Have they not many checks and rebukes in their own Spirits, much difturbance and confufion of mind, when they are enterprizing a wicked thing ? And does not this plainly argue, that they are guilty to themfelves, that they are about fome- thing which they ought not to do? 'Tis very true that molt Men aremore fenfible of the evil of an anion, when they feel the ill effets and confequences of it, and fuller the punifhment that is due to it : but yet the fenfe of good and evil is fo deeply impreft upon Human Na- ture, that I think no Man; remaining a Man, can quite deface and blot out the difference of gootland evil. So that if Men will but attend to the natural dinates and fuggeftions of their own Minds, they cannot poflibly infer from the delay of punifhment, that there is no difference of good and evil. But
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