650 / 674
Q30
THÈ'ETÉRIVAL
DURA1'TON
OP'
tDTSd.
XIII:
pityin&
them,
and
perhaps
exclaiming against
the seve-
rity
of
the
law,
and the
cruelty
of
the
Judge,
for
con=
demning
such malefactors to death.
But
do
all these
weepers
and
complainers
judge justly
of
the
case
?
Do
they
consider
how
pernicious and ruin
-
(Ms
a
thing
it
would
be
to
a government
to
let
such
trai
Mrs go
unpunished
?
Do
they
know,
that
it
is.
a
piece
of
Clemency
and
goodness to the
innocent
to
punish 'the
wicked
?
Or that
it
is
a
piece
of
necessary
honour
due
to
the
laws,
to make those
who
insolently break
them
sus
-
tain
the
penalty
that
the law
has appointed
?
Do
they
re-
Member
that
the
few
good
qualities, or supposed.talents,
Or
fine
appearances
which
these offenders
are
possessed
Of,
should
out
-
weigh
the demands
of
the
law
and justice,
the
peace
of
the
nation
or kingdom,
and
the
restraint of
others
from
the
same crimes?
Ans.
2.
The
goodness
of
God, the eternal
spirit,
is
a
much
superior
thing to the tenderness and compassion
of
man
dwelling in
flesh
and
blood.
Man
grows
compas-
sionate
by
a sort
ofsympathyor
sensation
of
the miseries
which
his
fellow-
creatures endure
;
and
though this
is
ex-
ceeding
useful for many
purposes
of
human
life,
and
therefore God planted
it
in
our
natures;
yet
it
has
so
Much
mixture of
animal
nature
with
it,
that
it frequently
deg
-`
nerates into
weakness, fondness,
and
folly."
And in-
deed,
if
every
tender creature must
be
gratified
in
this
weakness,
and
form
the rules
of
government, there
would
never
a Malefactor
fall
under
execution,
but
the vilest
criminals
would be
spared, though the government were
ruined.
On
the
other
hand, the goodness or mercy
of
God
is`
a
sedate
willingness or design to do good to
creatures,
and particularly
to
the
miserable,
but
always
according
to
the directions
of
wisdom
and holiness.
As
God can-
not
have such anger,
resentment, or cruelty
in his
nature,
as mankind
may
fall
into when
they
are
punishing
of-
fenders,
so
properly
speaking,
he
has no such
sort
of
passionate tenderness
and sympathy
in
sparing
them
:
Though
the words
of greatest
affection
are
sometimes used
by the sacred writers
to figure
out the
mercies
of
God
to
man
;
yet God both punishes and
spares according to
the
,calm
and
righteous
exercises
of
his wisdom,
and
not
under
the
influence
of
Such
passions
as we
feel.-
Since
therefore