66o The bad and thegood Lfe of Vol, II The general fenfe ofwhich words is, That impenitency in fin will certainly be the ruin of Men fooner or later : it will probably bring great naifchiefs and ca- lamities upon Men in this World; however, it will infallibly plunge them into mifery in the next. But betides the certain denunciation of mifery and ruin to all impenitent (inners, which is the largeft fenfe of the words, and agreeable to many other exprefs Textsof Scripture, it is probable enough, that they may more immediately and particularly refer to thofe temporal Calamities which were to be- fal the yews, and be fpoken by our Saviour by way of Predi&ion, foretelling what would be the fate of the whole Jewifh Nation , if they continued impenitent, ',rages ó¡plws wmhr , re (hall all periJh in like manner; that is, Ifye do not repent, befides the vengeance of another World, a temporal Judgment as fad as thefe I have inflanced in, and not much unlike them, thall come upon this wholeNation: and fo indeed it came to pafs afterwards. For Yofephus tells us, that at the time of the Paßóver, when the whole Nation of the `dews were met together, as their cuftom was, at fern:falera, they were all Phut up and befieged by the Romans; and he tells us farther, that in the time of that Siege, upon a Sedition among them- felves, a great multitude of their .:sere flain in the Temple, as they were facrifi- cing, and their blood poured forth, together with that of the Beafts which were to be offered, as had happened before to the Galileans. From the words thus explained, I !hall obferve thefe two things. Firif Thewrong life which Men are apt to make of the extraordinary and fig- nal Judgments of God upon others. Suppofe ye that. thefe Galileans were 'inners above all the Galilean, becaufe they fufered fuch things ? intimating, that Men are very apt fo to conclude, and that the Jews did fo. Secondly, The right ufe that we fhould make of thefe things, which is, to refle& upon our own fins and repent of then, left the like or greater Judgments overtake us. I tellyou, Nay : but except ye repent, yefhall all likewife periJh. Firfl, The wrong ufe which Men are apt to make of the extraordinary and fig- nal Judgments of God upon others; and that is, to be uncharitable and cenforious towards others, which is commonly confequent upon a grofs and ftupid negle& ofour felves. For Men do not ufually entertain and cherifh this cenforioushu- mour for its own fake, but in order to fome farther end ; they are not fo unchari- table merely out of fpite and malice to others, but out of felf-flattery and a fond affe&ion to theinfelves. This makes them forward to reprefent others to all the difadvantage that may be, and to render theta as bad as they can, that they them- felves may appear lefs evil in their own eyes, and may have a colour to fet off theinfelves by the comparifon. It is the nature of guilt to flee from it felf, and to ufe all poflìble arts to hide and leffen it. For guilt in the Soul is like deformi- ty in the Body. Perfons very deformed feldom arrive to that abfurd conceit of thenfelves, as to think theinfelves beauties; but becaufe they cannot thinkdo, they do all they can to comfort and commend theinfelves by comparifon. Hence Men are apt to cenfure and aggravate the faults and mifcarriages of their neigh- bours, that their own may appear the lefs ; for a leffer evil in refpeft ofa greater, bath fome face and appearance of good ; and therefore Men are ready to take ali advantages to reprefent others as bad as may be : and becaufe there can be no greater evidence, that a Man is a great firmer, than if he be declared to be fo fromHeaven, hence it is, that Men are fo forward to interpret the remarkable Judgments of God upon any perfon, as an argument ofhis being a more notorious offender thanothers. For the farther Explication and Illuftration of this point, I !hall do thefe three things. I. I (hall thew that Men are very apt to make this bad ufe of the fignal Judge tnents of God upon others. II. I !hall more particularly confider feveral of the rafh conclufions which Men are apt to draw from the Judgments ofGod upon others ; whether upon publick Societies and Communities of Men, or upon particular Perfons. III. I (tall thew how unreafonable it is to draw fromhence any fuch rath and uncharitable conclufions concerning others, and likewife how foolifh it is from hence to draw comfort and encouragement to our felves. I. That
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