I lo. Of the Immortality of the )oal, Vol; II fo that no Man can make any certain Judgment of God's love and hatred towards Perlons, by what befals them in this World, it being the lot of good Men many times to fuller and be aflli&ed, and of wicked Men to live in a flouri(hing and profperous condition; I fay, thingsbeing thus, it is very agreeable to thefe No- tions which we have of the Divine Holinefs and Juflice, to believe that there will a time come, when this wife and juti Governour of the World will make a wide and vifible difference between the Righteous and the Wicked ; fo that tho for a while the Juftice of God may be clouded, yet there will a time come when it shall be cleary manifefted, and every Eye fee it and bear witnefs to it when yudgmentfh411 break firth as the light, and Righteoufnefs as the noon-day. It is pofíible that Sin for a while may go unpunifh'd, nay, triumph and profper; and that Virtue and Innocence may not only be unrewarded, but oppreft and de- fpifed, and perfecuted. And this may be reconcilable enough to the Wifdom of God's Providence, and the Juftice of it, fuppofing the Immortality of the Soul, and another (late after this Life, wherein all things fhall be let (trait, and èvery Man shall receive according to his works : but unlefs this be fuppofed, it is im- poflible to folve the Juftice of God's Providence. Who will believe that theaf- fairs of the World are adminifter'd by him who loves Righteoufnefs, and hates all the workers of iniquity, who will not let the leaf[ fervice that is done to him pafs unrewarded, nor on the other hand acquit the guilty, and let Sin go unpu- nifh'd, whichare the Properties ofJuftice; I fay, Who will believe this, that looks into theconrfe of the World, and fees with how little difference and di(tin&ion of good and bad, the affairs of it are manag'd? That fees Virtue dilcountenanced and defpifed, poor and de(titute, afi&ed and tormented ; when wickednefs is many times exalted to high places, and makes a great noife and ruffle in the World ? He that confiders what a hazard manytimesgood Men run, how for goodnefs fake they venture, and many times quit all the Contentments and Enjoyments of this Life, and fubmit to the greateft Sufferings andCalamities that human Nature is capable of; while inthemean time profperity is poured into the lap of the wick- ed, and Heaven feems to look pleafantly upon thofe that deal treacheroufly, and to be filent whilft the wicked devours the Man that ismore Righteous than him- feif ; he that confidersthis, and can without fuppoing another Life after this, pretend to vindicate the Jufticeof thefe things, mutt be as blind as the Fortune that governs them. Would not this be a perpetual ftain and blemifh upon the DivineProvidence, that Abel, who offer'd up a better Sacrifice than Cain, and had this teflimony, thathe pleafedGod, yet after all this, Ihould have no other reward for it, but to befain by his Brother, who had offended God by a flight and con- temptuous Offering ? If there were no Reward to be expeíted after this life, would not this have been a fad Example to the World, to fee one of the fitti Men that ferved God acceptably, thus rewarded ? What apitiful Encouragement would it be to Men to be good, to fee profaneEfau bleft with the dewofHeaven, and the fatnef: ofthe Earth; and to hear good old Jacob in the end and conclulton of his days, to complain, Few and evil have the days ofmy Pilgrimagebeen ? If this had been the end of Efau and Jacob, it would puzzle all the wit and reafon of Man- kind to wipe off this reproach from the Providence of God, and vindicate the Jutiiceof it. And therefore I do not wonder, that the greateti Wits among the Heathen Philofophers, were fo much puzzled with this Ob;e&ion again& the Pro- vidence of God ; If the. Wife, and Juft, and Good God do adminitierthe Affairs of the World, and be concerned in the good or bad A&ions of Men, cur bonis male ¢. malis bene? How comes it to pafs, thatgood Men many times are rniferable, and, bad Men fo happy in the World ? And they had no other way to wipe off this Objection but by referring thefe things to another World, wherein the tempo- ral fufferings of good Men should be eternally rewarded, and the short and tran- fient happinefs of wicked Men fhould be rendered infignificant, and drowned in an eternity ofmifery. So that if we believe the Beingof God, and the Providence of God ; (which I do all along take for granted in this Argument) there's no other way imagina- ble to folve the Equityand JMiceof God s Providence, but upon this fuppoftion, that there is another life after this. For to fay, That Virtue is a fuflìcient and abundant
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