Tillotson - BX5037 T451 1712 v2

Serm. CC. God'sfignal judgment upon others. 665 ners than the raft, who are untouch'd by it. And this is the verycafe our Saviour inftanceth here in theText, Suppofeye that thefe Galileans,,werefinners- aboveall the Galilean:, becaufe theyfufferedfuch things ? I tellyou, Nay. Or thofe eighteen upon whom the tower in Siloamfell, thinkye that theywerefinners aboveall men that dwelt in jerufalem ? I tell Nay, And this brings nie to the III. Particular I propos'd, whichwas to Thew how unreafonable it is for Men to draw any fuch uncharitable Conclufions from the Judgments of God upon others, that theyare greater {inners than others ; and likewifehow foolifh it is from hence to take any comfort and encouragement to our felves, that becaufe we efcape thofe Calamities which havebefallenothers, therefore we are better than they, Our Sa- viour vehemently denies,that either ofthefe conciufrons canjuflly he made from the remarkable Judgments of God, which befal others, and pafs by us, l tellyou, Nay but exceptye repent, ye (hall all likewife per: I. It is very unreafonable for Men to draw any fuch uncharitable conclufrons con- cerning others, that becaufe the Judgments of God fall upon them, that therefore they are greater finners than others. For, 1. What do we know, but that God may infi& thofe evils upon thofe particular Perfons for ferret ends and reafons, only known to his own infinite wifdom, and fit to be concealed from us ? What do we know but he mayafflict fuch a Perfon in a remarkable manner, purely in the ufe ofhis Sovereignty, without anyfpecial re- fpeft to the fins of fuch a Perfon, as being greater than the fins of other Men ; but yet for fome great end, very worthy of his wifdom and goodnefs ? As for the tryal of fuch a Man's Faith , and ofhis exemplary patience and fubmiffion to the will of God , it pleafeth God to fet him up for a mark, and to fuffer many and (harp Arrows to be [hot at him , to trywhether his Faith and Patience be proof; as men fet up Armour and [hoot at it with a double charge, not with adefign to hurt it, but to prove and praife it. We are affured that the Goodnefs of God is fuch, that had it not been for fin, we had never known ofktion, nor been exercifed with it ; but now, that we have all finned, and upon a common account are all liable to theJufticeofGod, he may Jingle out from this common heard of finners whom he pleafeth, to fmite withhis Judgments, and for what end he pleafeth; and therefore when God at any time lets fly anArrow at a particular Perfon, this only fgnifies at the utmoft that he is a (inner in general, but no Man can from hence with anycertainty conclude, that this Man is a greater {inner than other Men, And this is very plain from thofe inflames I havehad occafionbefore to mention; the inftance of Job whom God afttifted in a molt terrible manner, for the tryal of his Faith and Patience, and tofurnifh all Ages with a ftanding andglorious example offo great and neceffary a virtue: and from the inftanceof the Man in the Gofpel that was born blind; concerning whom, our Saviour exprefly declares, that this Judgmentdid not befal this Man for any particular or remarkable fin, which either this Man or his Parents had been guiltyofaboveothers, but that the glorious Pow- er of God might be manifefled in his miraculous Cure, John. 9. 3. Neither bath this manfinned, nor hisparents : but that the works ofGodfhouldbe made manifeíl in him. 2. What do we know but that God may fend thefe calamities upon fome parti- cular Perfons, in mercy to the generality; and upon fome particular places in aNa- tion, out of kindnefs to the whole? When wickednefs has overfpread a Nation, and is grown univerfal , if out of this heard of finners , theJuftice of God pleafe to fingle out foie few Perfons, and to chafe them and hunt themdown for terror to the reft, that others may hear, andfear, and take warning ; this doth not fignifie, that the Perfons felefted for ruin were in a different condition from the raft, or that others had not deferved the like judgments as well as they it only lignifies, thatGod remembers mercy in the midfl ofJudgment, and that he was not willing to deftroy them all ; that he does not delight in the death offinners, but rather that theyfhould turnfrom their wickednefs and live. He punifheth a few for example, that others taking warningby it, he may have the opportunity and occafion to fpare a great many. Q.g94 Not ,

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