777 27 Tut wottan To cOMtt. the equality of all sins, for sins may have different degrees of guilt and aggravation as to the act, where the object is the same, whether this object be finite or infinite ; as the murder of a father or a king, is a much greater crime than a reproach or slander cast on the same persons. So the wilful hatred of God and blas- phemy against him, with continued malice and public violent opposition to his name, or law, or gospel, are far greater sins than a single neglect of his daily worship for fear of persecution, or a distrusting his providence, though both have the saine infi- nite being, that is,. God, for their object ; and in this sense, there is a sort of infinity in each of the crimes. And accordingly punishments may be proportioned to every crime, for they may differ greatly in the degree of severity and torture, though they may he all equal or eternal in the duration. Sodom and Gomorrha, Capernaum and Bethsaida, may all suffer infinite or everlasting sorrow, and yet the degrees of their pain may be exceeding different all the while. They may have the same infinity of duration, though very different as to the in- tenseness or degree of the pain. M. If the iniquities committed in this life were net punished with torment which is everlasting, yet the damned in hell are ever sinning against God, and therefore they provoke the ven- geance of God to continue his punishing hand upon them for ever, The law of God in all its demands of duty, its prohibiti- ons of sin, as well as in its sanctions of punishment, continues for ever in force in heaven, and earth, anti hell, and we see not how it can be abrogated where it arises from the very nature of God and a creature: And cursed is he that continues not in all things which the law requires; Gal. iii. 10. Every new sin de- mands a new curse and a new punishment, and there is no rea- son which forbids a righteous governor to cease punishing, while the rebellious creature will not cease to offend, and especially while he maintains an everlasting enmity and rebellion against the law of God his creator. If there were any humble meltings of repentance in the guilty soul, if there were any sincere mournings in the sinful creature for having offended his 1lIaker, if there were any soft- ness of heart relenting under a sense of the evil of sin, and returning to obedience and duty, even this would not oblige a righteous and wise governor to forgive tire criminal ; repentance is no compensation for a wilful offence ; nor is it thought unright- eous or unwise for a prince to punish even a penitent offender with death. But let us propose the case in utmost favour to a sinner, against the blessed God, let us imagine that divine wisdom and divine mercy perhaps might be supposed to contrive and to offer'. some proposals to justice in a way of compassion, and might en-
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