Chap. II. Argument from univerfal Mortality. 147 Univerfal Mortality proves Original Sin; particu larly the Death of Infants, with its various Circumftances. TH HE univerfal Reign of Death, over Perfons of all Ages indifcriminately, with the awful Circumftances and Attendants of Death, proves that Men come finful into the World. It is needlefs here particularly to inquire, Whether God has not a fovereign Right to fet Bounds to the Lives of his own Creatures, be they finful or not; and as he gives Life, fo to take it away when he pleases? Or how far God has a Right to bring extreme Suffering and Calamity on an innocent moral Agent? For Death, with the Pains and Agonies with which it is ufually brought on, is not merely a limiting of Existence, but is a moft terrible Calamity; and to fuch a Creature as Man, capable of conceiving of Immortality, and made with fo earnest a Defire after it, and capable of Forefight and of Reflection on approaching Death, and that has fuch an extreme Dread of it, is a Calamity above all others terrible, to fuch as are able to reflect upon it. I fay, it is needlefs, elaborately to confider, whether God may not, confiftent with his Perfections, by abfolute Sovereignty, bring fo great a Calamity on Mankind when perfectly innocent. It is fufficient, if we have good Evidence from Scripture, that it is not agreeable to God's Manner of dealing with Mankind fo to do. It is manifeft, that Mankind were not originally fubjected to this Calamity: God brought it on L 2 them them afterwards, on Occasion of Man's Sin, at a Time of the Manifeftation of God's great Dif pleasure for Sin, and by a Denunciation and Sentence pronounced by him, as acting the Part of a Judge; as Dr. T. often confeffes. Sin entered into the World, and Death by Sin, as the Apostle fays. Which certainly leads us to fuppofe, that this Affair was ordered of God, not merely by the Sovereignty of a Creator, but by the Righteoufnefs of a Judge. And the Scripture every where fpeaks of all great Afflictions and Calamities, which God in his Providence brings on Mankind, as Teftimonies of his Difpleafure for Sin, in the Subject of thofe Calamities; excepting those Sufferings which are to atone for the Sins of others. He ever taught his People to look on fuch Calamities as his Rod, the Rod of his Anger, his Frowns, the Hidings of his Face in Displeasure. Hence fuch Calamities are in Scripture fo often called by the Name of Judgments, being what God brings on Men as a Judge, executing a righteous Sentence for Tranfgreffion: Yea, they are often called by the Name of Wrath, especially Calamities confifting or iffuing in Death *. And hence alfo is that which Dr. T. would have us take fo much Notice of, that fometimes, in the Scripture, Calamity and Suffering is called by fuch Names as Sin, Iniquity, being guilty, &c. which is evidently by a Metonymy of the Caufe for the Effect. It is not likely, that in the Language in Ufe of old among God's People, Calamity or Suffering would have been called even by the Names of Sin and Guilt, if it had been fo far from 20. 2 Chron. xxiv. 18. xxxii. 25. Ezra vii. 23. many other Places. See Levit. x. 6. Numb. i. 53. and xviii. 5. Josk. ix. 13. and 12. and from having any Connection with Sin, that even Death itself, which is always fpoken of as the most terrible of Calamities, is not fo much as any Sign of the Sinfulness of the Subject, or any Testimony of God's Difpleasure for any Guilt of his; as Dr. T. fuppofes. Death is spoken of in Scripture as the chief of Calamities, the most extreme and terrible of all thofe natural Evils, which come on Mankind in this World. Deadly Deftruction is fpoken of as the moft terrible Destruction. 1 Sam. v. 11. Deadly Sorrow, as the most extreme Sorrow. Ifai. xvii. 11. Matt. xxvi. 38. and deadly Enemies, as the most bitter and terrible Enemies. Pfal. xvii. 9. The Extremity of Chrift's Sufferings is reprefented by his Suffering unto Death. Philip. ii. 8. and other Places. Hence the greatest Teftimonies of God's Anger for the Sins of Men in this World, have been by inflicting Death: As on the Sinners of the old World, on the Inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah, on Onan, Pharaoh, and the Egyptians, Nadab and Abibu, Korab and his Company, and the rest of the Rebels in the Wilderness, on the wicked Inhabitants of Canaan, on Hopbni and Phinehas, Ananias and Sapphira, the unbelieving Jews, upon whom Wrath came to the uttermoft, in the Time of the laft Deftruction of Jerufalem. This Calamity is often spoken of as in a peculiar Manner the Fruit of the Guilt of Sin. Exod. xxviii. 43. That they bear not Iniquity and die. Levit. xxii. 9. Left they bear Sin for it and die. So Num. xviii. 22. compared with Levit. x. 1, 2. The very Light of Nature, or Tradition from ancient Revelation, led the Heathen to conceive of Death as in a peculiar Manner an Evidence of divine Vengeance. Thus we have an Account, Acts xxviii. 4. That when the Barbarians faw the venomous Beast hang on Paul's Hand, they faid among themselves, no Doubt this Man is a Murderer, whom though he hath escaped the Seas, yet Vengeance fuffereth not to live. Calamities that are very fmall in Comparison of the universal temporal Destruction of the whole World of Mankind by Death, are spoken of as manifest Indications of God's great Difpleasure for the Sinfulness of the Subject; fuch as the Deftruction of particular Cities, Countries, or Numbers of Men, by War or Peftilence. Deut. xxix. 24. All Nations ball fay, Wherefore bath the Lord done thus unto this Land? what meaneth the Heat of this great Anger? Here compare Deut. xxxii. 30. 1 Kings ix. 8. and Jer. xxii. 8, 9. Thefe Calamities, thus fpoken of as plain Teftimonies of God's great Anger, confifted only in haftening on that Death, which otherwife, by God's Difpofal, would most certainly have come in a fhort Time. Now the taking off of 30 or 40 Years from 70 or 80, (if we fhould fuppofe it to be fo much, one with another, in the Time of thefe extraordinary Judgments) is but a fmall Matter, in Comparison of God's first making Man mortal, cutting off his hoped-for Immortality, fubjecting him to inevitable Death, which his Nature fo exceedingly dreads; and afterwards fhortening his Life further, by cutting off more than 800 Years of it: fo bringing it to be less than a twelfth Part of what it was in the firft Ages of the World. Befides that innumerable Multitudes in the common Course of Things, without any extraordinary Judgment, die in Youth, in Childhood, and Infancy. Therefore how inconfiderable a Thing is the additional or haftened Destruction, that is fometimes brought on on a particular City or Country by War, compared with that univerfal Havock which Death makes of the whole Race of Mankind, from Generation to Generation, without Distinction of Sex, Age, Quality, or Condition, with all the infinitely various difmal Circumstances, Torments, and Agonies, which attend the Death of old and young, adult Perfons and little Infants? If those particular and comparatively trivial Calamities, extending perhaps not to more than the thoufandth Part of the Men of one Generation, are clear Evidences of God's great Anger; certainly this univerfal vaft Deftruction, by which the whole World in all Generations is fwallowed up, as by a Flood, that Nothing can refift, must be a moft glaring Manifeftation of God's Anger for the Sinfulnefs of Mankind. Yea, the Scripture is exprefs in it, that it is fo. Pfal. xc. 3, &c. Thou turneft Man to Destruction, and fayeft, Return, ye Children of Men.-Thou carrieft them away as with a Flood: They are as a Sleep: In the Morning they are like Grafs, which groweth up; in the Morning it flourifbeth and groweth up, in the Evening it is cut down and withereth. For we are confumed by thine Anger, and by thy Wrath are we troubled. Thou hast fet our Iniquities before thee, our fecret Sins in the Light of thy Countenance. For all our Days are paffed away in thy Wrath: We spend our Years as a Tale that is told. The Days of our Years are Threefcore Years and Ten: And if by Reafon of Strength they be Fourfcore Years, yet is their Strength Labour and Sorrow; for it is foon cut off, and we fly away. Who knoweth the Power of thine Anger? According to thy Fear, fo is thy Wrath. So teach us to number cur Days that we may apply our Hearts unto Wisdom. How plain and full is this Teftimony, that the general Mortality L 4 |