isè. xíiLj THE PUNISHMENTS IN HF.Lt: 625 and the transactions of the great God, till we are becöme fitter judges of his perfections and their demands. Let us .cavil no more against his conduct and government, till we can teach him how far his punishingjustice shall go in the execution of his threatenings, and till we can assign to him the point and limit where his goodness shall interpose and restrain thatjustice. Objection'IV. The fourth objection is derived from the rectitude of the nature of God, or his common equity and mercy united, which has been represented in this manner. Suppose one of the damned spirits among mankind should address himself to the great God in such sort of language as this, " Lord, I was created,by thy. sovereign-pleasure without my own will, I did not desire to be made, much less-to be born in such a relation to , Adam, whereby I brought a sinful nature into the world with me : But I was' united by thy `power and pleasure to a body, which had the 'seeds of sin and misery hilt:: There were strong appetites and violent passions mingled with Illy flesh and blood, which I myself had no hand in procuring ; they fermented in mewith much vehemence,. and I was tempted to many excesses : I made some re- sistance at first, and many times tried to subdue 'them, but I was overcome : At last I suffered myself to be car- ried away by the stream of these sinful affections and ap- petites "which I could not possibly avoid,_nor easily sub due. Is it agreeable to thy equity, O blessed God, tò; punish such a poor wretch with everlasting torments ? And can thy mercy continue `to see this my misery for ever and ever, and not help 'me ? I entreat thee, O thou- almighty author of my being, tö destroy and annihilate':: me utterly soul and body; take away this being which I never asked nor desired ; nay, which I would not have consented to accept among the sinful race of mankind, because in this tract of generation, and existence I stood much more likely to be miserable than to be happy." Answer 1. As for the reasonableness and equity of the conveyance and communication of.the original 'ef- fects of the sin of Adam through every generation of, man, it is granted there are' some difficulties attending it; but these are generally answered by the writers on that subject; and for me to divert from my present dis, YOL.''Ii. 2 s
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