668 The bad and the good Ufe of Vo1. II. Let us not be hafty and peremptory to pafs Sentence upon others , becaufe of any Evil or Calamity that befals them. We may be as fevere to our felves ,. aswe pleafe, this is fafe and prudent ; but Who art thou that judgeFt another man's Ser- vant ? What our Saviour faid in the cafe of the Woman accufed of Adultery, is very applicable to thofe who are fo forward to cenfure others , as the caùfes of God's Judgments ; He that is without fin , let him throw the firs? Hone, If there be any Man that is not confcious to himfelf that ever he offended and pro- voked God, that man may have leave to lay all the fault of God's Judgments upon. others. God bath of late Years in his Providence towards this Nation fo ordered his Judgments, and they have fallen with fo great an equality upon all forts ofMen; that we cannot without great rafhnefs fix the caufe of them upon any particulars t but however, this does not appertain to us , to pry into the fecret reafons of God's difpenfations ; that which properly belongs to us, is to take off our Eyes from others, and to look into our felves ; and if we would do this , we fhould fee reafon enough for God's Judgments, and great caufe to admire his Mercy and Goodnefs to us , that he bath been pleafed to fpare us , when he hath ruined fo many others. So that the proper ufe ofall the Judgments ofGod upon others, is to bring us to a confederation ofour felves and our ownways, and to argue our felves into Re- pentance. We fhould reafon thus, TheJudgments of God, which have fallen here and there upon others, were intendedfor terror to us, and if we dill continue 'im- penitent, ifwe be unreformed by thefe Providences of God, which were purpofely defigned and intended for our amendment, what can weexpert, but that God fhould alío fend uponus the like or greater Calamities, and that except we repent, wef!iould all likewifé perifh. I cannot apply thefe words, as our Saviour does, becaufe as I told you, they are probably a Predìaion of a particular Event to the Nationof theyews, in cafe they continued impenitent; which they did, and this Prophecy was afterward fadlyful- filled upon them in the utter ruin and deftruaion of that Nation: but this we may affuredly fay, from the warrant of thegeneral tenour ofScripture, That ifnotwith- ftanding thefe greatJudgments ofGod which have been upon us , and have made fuch fearful defolations among us, we do not fearch and try our ways, and turn to him who bath (mitten others for a warning to us, we have reafon to fear, that we (hall fuffer in the fame manner, or that God will bring fome greater temporal Judgments upon us, and be angry with us, until he loath confirmedus. Butwhatever God may do, as to temporal Judgments , this we are as fure of, as the word ofGod can make us, that there is a fad fate hangs over all impenitent finners, which however they may efcape in this World, will certainly fall upon them in the next. God bath fworn in his wrath, thatfuelsPall not enter into,bis ref/ He is immutably determined to make fuch for ever miferable, as by their final ob- ftinacy and impenitency refufe to be happy. And of this terribledoom, the Judg- ments here in the Text are but an imperfe& type and reprefentation. How glad would {inners then be, to fuffer only fuch things as the Galileans did 1 what a fa- vour would they efteem it, to have no worfe fate than thofe eighteen men, upon whom theTower in Siloam fell ! and to be crufh'd under the weight ofthe heaveeft Rocks and Mountains, and there to lye hid for ever, from the face of him that fits upon theThrone, and from the wrath of the Lamb ! No, iris a more fearful ruine, a deftru&ion infinitely more terrible, that attends thofe in another World, who will not repent in this life, even everlaf!ing defiruttion from the prefence ofthe Lord, andfrom the glory ofhispower. Andhow great and fearful that is, is not to be expreft in words, nor can we frame any perfeft Idea of it from any of thofe pains and fufferingswhich we are acquainted with in this World : for Who knows the power ofGod's anger ? who can conceive the utmoft ofwhatOmnipotentJuftice is able to do to fanners ? Nor have we any-reafon in the mean time to think, that Godwill put a flop to temporal Judgments ; but that if we be not reformed by all thofe terrible things which our Eyes have feen, God will punifb us yet(even times morefor our fins. If we
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