322 knit ANtf Ltz ovzR1, Eic. his creature man, who has by wflfut rebellion renounced his alle- giance ; this God, I say, has à just right to resume all that he has given him, hemay take away all his own favours from a rebel, he may annihilate and destroy him utterly, both soul and body: And by this utter destruction, man is punished with the everlastingloss of his being and consciousness, his soul and body, and all their comforts ; which destruction, as it is due to every sin against God, so perhaps it is a punishment not improper to be inflicted for the least sin : and yet it is in some sort commensu- rate to the infinite evil contained in sin, as it is a loss of all bless- jngs for an infinite duration, that is for ever and ever. But since, in actual transgressions, there are different de- grees of aggravation, God in his wisdom and justice may suit the degree of punishment exactly to the degree of every man's offences; and yet, by making any part of it eternal, mayanswer the infinite demerit of sin. According to the different aggrava- tions of sin, God may deprive the sinner of some of his powers, and of all his comforts, and leave him only an existence in mi- sery for a thousand years, or for ever: He may take away his bodily life, and leave his spirit according to its own Immortal nature, to exist for ever in sorrow and anguish of mind, as a natural consequence of sin-; he may deal with him as he pleases, and re-assumeas many of his gifts and blessings as he will,, limiting the exercises of his own goodness, or bis punishing justice, as his wisdom sees fit ; and he may also punish him with amost painful sense of new-inflicted evil, as well as with the loss of all good. This seems tome to be themost natural' notion that man could arrive at by the mere light of reason, viz.. that sin against God forfeits all that man has received from God, and gives God, as a righteous Governor, a right to resume it all or as much of it as he pleases ; and perhaps this is what is emi- nently signified by the word death, which scripture threatens as due to sin. See more in the marginal note, and question XI. section I. This therefore I shall treat of more largely and par- ticularly. VI. But first, I would take notice of that remark, which Mr. Locke makes on the last verse of the first chapter of the epistle to the Romans, where the apostle expressed." himself thus concerning the wicked heathens, in Our common reading, viz. Who. knowing the judgment of God,' that they which commit such things are worthy. of death. But Mr. Locke endeavours to correct this reading by a direct contradiction of it, and that bor- rowed from one manuscript only; viz. Who knowing not the judgment of God, that theywhich commit such things areworthy of death: That is, as- he explains it, they knewnot that God hdd pronounced death to be the wages of sin. I grant indeed the heathens knew it not to be a divine revelation; but their own
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