When God paffed by Mofes, he made this declaration of himfelf, Exod. xxxiv. 6. The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-fuffering, abun dant in goodness and truth, &c. And in Pfal. lxxxvi. 5. Thou Lord art good, and ready to forgive. And in Pfal. cxii. 4. He is gracious, and full of compaffion. In thefe places of fcripture, you have either all these words, or as much faid of God; and indeed, nothing is more true of God, than that he is the first and chiefeft good; his prime perfection is goodness, and our trueft notion of him is, that he is almighty goodness. For what I have further to fay, I fhall obferve this method. I. I shall speak in point of Vindication, and give fatisfaction to objections that arife against this great truth. II. I fhall make Explication of the feveral phrases in the text. III. Proceed to Confirmation of it by fatisfactory argument. IV. To matter of Caution. V. And laftly, make fome Application. I. For Vindication. There are three objections to be removed, and then the heart of man cannot ob◄ ject any thing against this representation of the di vine goodness. 1. The feveral inftances of feverity represented to us in fcripture, and in other ftories. 2. Some fcriptures reprefent God very terrible. 3. The neceffity of justice; for, as fome imagine, it is indifpenfible, and of abfolute neceffity that fin be punished. 1 1. For the feveral inftances of God's Severity in the fcripture, which feem contrary to this goodness and great kindness of God to man. We have the to ma inftance of the deluge, wherein all mankind (except fome few) were fwept away with the flood, Gen, vi. The inftance of the feven nations which God commanded to be deftroyed, Deut. vii. 23, 24. The Ifraelites, when brought out of Egypt, led up and down the wilderness, and at last confumed. Nadab and Abihu, for their inadvertency, in of-fering ftrange fire, were confumed by fire, Leu. x. 1.2. Uzzah, in his good will, meddling with the ark without God's exprefs command, fmitten dead, 1. Chron. xiii. 9, 10. Five hundred of the Bethhemites, that rejoiced at the return of the ark from the Philistines, flain fuddenly for looking into it, 1. Sam vi. 19. The inftance of the defolation of the Jewish nation, Mat. xxiv. Ananias and Sapphira, who were great benefactors to the church, referving part of what they fold to the ufe of the church, were punished with fudden death, Acts v. I. &c. Herod who took the applause of the people to himself, died a moft dreadful death, Acts xii. 23. And the dreadful deftruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Gen.xix. 24. To which I answer in several propofitions. Bat " 1. It is enough to be gracious, not to be wanting in neceffaries, for any ones good: and he that doth fo, may abound in his courtefies as he himfelf pleafeth. When neceffaries for our good are afforded, and by any neglected, the blame lies upon them. 2. & 2. Sometimes the fins of nations and of perfons are come to their height, and God forced to punish. 3. The judgments of God in this life are exemp lary and difciplinary, Luke xiii. 3, 5. and 1. Cor. x. 6. 11. And better a mischief should fall on particular persons, than that a general inconvenience fhould follow. 4. God fometimes lets us feel fomething of hell, here, to prevent it hereafter. Chaftisements are exercifes of virtue not effects of vengeance Heb. xii. 10. 11. 5. There may be a particular account given in feveral cafes. I will fingle out the hardest. As to Nadab and Abihu, Uzzah, and the Bethshemites, Ananias and Sapphira; to these, particular reasons may be given. When Nadab and Abibu finned, the Mofaical inftitution was but newly set up and when Ananias and Sapphira finned, the gospel institution was new. Now when a new law is fet up, there is fevere inflicting of punifhment in cafe of tranfgreffion. For if authorityfhould fuffer it to go unpunished, it would be understood and thought an allowance of it; and therefore did God fo feverely punish these first tranfgreffions of his new inftitutions. Then, as for Uzzah and the Bethfhemites, we muft confider, that God had feverely plagued the Philiftines (when the ark was in their hands) with emerods in their fecret parts; and they net acquainted› with the religion of the ark; therefore furely he would not pafs by and overlook Uzzah and the Bethfhemites who did know it. It cannot be imagined, that God would allow a rafhnefs and abfurdity in them, having fo feverely punished the Philistines be-· fore. 6. Though 6. Though we do not know what time or leifure God will allow to finners to repent, yet we certainly know God will grant forgivenefs to penitents; which is enough to declare God gracious and merciful. 7. If it be not the cafe of repentance, there is no other way for God's forgivenefs; for this is the tenor of the Grace of God, Acts xi. 18. Repentance unto life. Acts v. 31. Him hath God exalted with his right hand, to be a prince and a Saviour, to give repentance to Ifrael, and forgiveness of fins. Lukexxiv. And that repentance and remiffion of fins should be preached in his name. I cannot expect the subsequent act of forgiveness, where there is not the antecedent act of repentance, and converfion, and reformation. For what we have done amifs, and do not recal by repentance, we are thought to stand to. 47. 8. We cannot competently judge concerning the proceedings of God to his creatures, when taken in iniquity; because we are not privy to the spirit in which men fin. This for anfwer to the first objection. The fecond objection is relating to fuch scriptures as reprefent God fevere, by giving up to a reprobate fenfe, stupidity and hardness of heart, &c.Pfal. Ixix. 23. Let their eyes be darkned, that they may not fee,” and bow down their back always. And Rom. xi. 10. To give an account of these places in short, see but against what persons these are spoken; persons that were contumacious, and resolved to go on in an evil way and where there is this cafe of wilful finning pursued with impenitency and contumacy; in this cafe I must say two things. I. This I. This cafe hath no promife. And I. It hath no promife of God. For the grace of the gofpel runs in this ftrain; repentance unto life, repentance and remiffion of fins, Acts xi.. 18. Never remiffion promised without repentance; and this is the tenor of the grace of the gospel, Luke xxiv. 24. 2. This cafe is not fit for the exercise of grace and mercy; for this cafe is not compaffionable: for this finner would not have God to disturb him; he would be let alone; he makes no application to God at all; he doth not defire to be beholden to him. Now God cannot be faid to be wanting, though in this cafe he leaves men to their own hearts lufts, because it is to them according to their own hearts defire. For these finners defire not the knowledge of God's ways; they choose the pleasures of fin, whatever follows upon it. But if any fhall fay, or think, God may if he pleafe, by an irrefiftable power prevent all fin and misery: I answer, is it reasonable, that God having made intelligent and voluntary agents fhould force them, and make them do either this or that; fo or whether they will or no? fee what will follow. 1. There would be no exercife of virtue, for all virtue is in choice, 2dly. Nohappiness, for we should be under force and conftraint. 3dly. Of what use would our natural faculties then be ? 4thly. It would alter the very state of God's creation. It could be no probation state; and it is the contrivance of wifdom, first that we fhould work, and then have a reward. 5thly. God hath made us of natures to be other I |
