645 / 674
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
punishing
justice
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
that
justice.
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 me
with 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