SER M. world, equally with others that are ftrictly devout and virtuous, yea, many times, to be in a more profperous and flourishing condition; "they are not in

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trouble like other men, neither are they plagued "like other men." So that if there be a God, it seems (fay they) that he connives at the crimes of men, and looks on upon them that deal treacherously, "and holds his peace, whilft the wicked devoureth "the man that is more righteous than himfelf:" as the prophet expreffeth it, Hab. i. 13.

For anfwer to this, I fhall only give this reafonable and credible account of the long-fuffering of GOD, and the impunity of wicked men in this life, which not only the fcripture gives us, but the heathen were able to give from the light of nature, and is agreeable to the common fenfe of mankind; namely, that this life is a state of probation and trial, wherein GOD"fuffers men to walk in their own ways" without any visible check and restraint, and does not ufually inflict prefent and remarkable punishments upon them for their evil deeds; because this being a state of trial of the difpofitions and manners of men, is rather the proper season of patience, than of punishments and rewards; and therefore it is very reasonable to suppose, that God referves finners for a folemn and publick trial at the great affizes of the world, when he will openly vindicate the honour of his juftice upon the defpifers of his patience and long-suffering, when he will make "his judgment to break forth as the light, “and his righteousness as the noon-day." In the mean time the providence of GOD, when he fees it fit, gives fome remarkable inftances of his juftice upon great and notorious offenders in this life, as a pledge and earneft of a future judgment; and these fometimes more general, as in the deftruction of the

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old world by an univerfal deluge, when "he faw SERM. "the wickedness of men to be great upon the earth." And fuch was that terrible vengeance which was poured down upon Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them; which, as St. Jude tells us, "are "fet forth for an example, fuffering the vengeance of e"ternal fire," that is, of a perpetual destruction by fire.

3dly. Another grofs and atheistical inference, which men are apt to make from the delay of punishment is, that there is no fuch difference of good and evil as is pretended; because they do not fee the good and bad actions of men differenced in their rewards, because divine juftice doth not presently manifeft itfelf; and " every tranfgreffion and difobedience" doth not immediately receive a just recompence " of reward," therefore they cannot believe, that the difference between good and evil is fo great

and evident,

For answer to this: Not to infift upon the difference which the providence of GOD fometimes makes between them in this life, I appeal to the confciences of men, whether they do not fecretly and inwardly acknowledge a clear difference between good and evil. Are not the worst of men apt to conceive better hopes of fuccefs, when they are about a just and honest undertaking, than when they are ingaged in a wicked defign? Do not bad men feel a secret shame and horror, when no eye fees them, and the wickedness they are about to commit doth not fall under the cognizance and cenfure of any human court or tribunal? Have they not many checks and rebukes in their own spirits, much difturbance and confufion of mind, when they are enterprifing a wicked thing? And does not this plainly argue; that they are guilty to themselves that they are about fomething which they ought not to do?

It

SERM.

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It is very true, that most men are more fenfible of the evil of an action, when they feel the ill effects and confequences of it, and fuffer the punishment that is due to it: but yet the fenfe of good and evil is fo deeply impreft upon human nature, that I think no man, remaining a man, can quite deface and blot out the difference of good and evil. So that if men will but attend to the natural dictates and fuggeftions of their own minds, they cannot poffibly infer, from the delay of punishment, that there is no difference of good and evil.

But because those who argue thus are but few, in comparison, there being not many in the world arrived to that degree of blindness, and height of impiety, as to difbelieve a Gon, and a providence; and I think none have attained to that perfect conqueft of conscience, as to have loft all sense of good and evil; therefore I fhall rather infist,

II. Upon thofe kind of reafonings which are more ordinary and common among bad men, and whereby they cheat themfelves into everlasting perdition; and they are fuch as thefe:

1. Because fentence againft an evil work-is not fpedily executed, therefore fin is not fo great an evil. 2. Therefore GoD is not fo highly offended and provoked by it. Or,

3. God is not fo fevere in his own nature, as hẹ is commonly reprefented.

4. Therefore the punishment of fin is not fo certain. Or, however,

5. It is at a diftance, and may be prevented time. enough, by a future repentance, in our old age, or at the hour of death; by fome fuch false reasonings as thefe, which men think may probably be collected from the patience and long-fuffering of Gon, they harden and encourage themselves in an evil course. 1. Because

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1. Because the punishment of fin is deferred, SER M. therefore they conclude it is not fo great an evil: they do not feel the ill effects of it at prefent; all things go well and profperoufly with them, no less than with those who are fo ftrict and confcientious; and therefore they hope there is no fuch great evil in fin, as melancholy people are apt to fancy to themselves. For anfwer to this,

(1.) Confider seriously what fin is, and then thou wilt fee reafon enough to call it a great evil. To fin against God, is to contemn the greatest authority in the world, to contradict the greatest holiness and purity, to abufe the greateft goodness, and to provoke almighty justice to take vengeance upon thee, and to make thee as miferable as thou art capable of being. To fin against GoD, is to be difobedient to thy fovereign, and unthankful to thy beft benefactor, and to act contrary to the greatest obligations, against thy best reafon and trueft intereft; to dif oblige thy kindeft friend, and to gratify thy worst and bitterest enemy; it is to diforder thyself, to create perpetual difquiet to thy own mind, and to do the greatest mifchief poffible to thyfelf; to deprive thyself of the greatest happiness, and to draw down upon thyself extreme and eternal mifery. And what do we call a great evil, if this be not, which contains in it all the kinds, and all the aggravations of evil that can be, and hath all the circumstances of ugliness and deformity in it that can be imagined?

(2.) Whatever fin be in itself, yet from hence we can in no wife conclude, that it is not a great evil, because the punishment of it is deferred for a while; from hence indeed it follows, that God is very good in deferring the punishment which is due to thee for thy fins, but by no means that fin is not very evil. The reprieve of a traitor does indeed argue the goodness

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SER M. and clemency of the prince, but doth not at all abate of the heinoufnefs of the crime for which he is fentenced. The great evil of fin is evident, because the holy and just God hath forbidden it, and declared his hatred and deteftation of it, and threatened it with moft fevere and direful punishment; but that God refpites the punishment which is due to fin, and does not immediately take vengeance upon finners, but affords them a space, and means, and opportunity of repentance: this doth not at all leffen the evil of fin, but is rather an aggravation of it; that we should offend and provoke that God, who is fo patient and long-fuffering towards us, fo very loth to bring thofe evils upon us, which we are fo rafh and forward to pull down

upon ourselves. 2. If God doth not immediately punish sin upon the commiffion of it, and inftantly let fly at the finner, this they would conftrue to be a fign that he is not fo highly offended and provoked by it; if he were, he would manifeft his difpleafure against it, by the fudden and violent effufions of his wrath. For answer to this, I defire these two things may be confidered:

(1.) That God himself, in his word, every where plainly declares to us his great difpleasure against fin; Pfal. v. 4, 5. "Thou art not a GoD that "haft pleasure in wickedness, neither fhall evil dwell "with thee. The foolifh fhall not ftand in thy

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fight; thou hateft all the workers of iniquity. "Thou art not a God that haft pleasure in wicked"nefs." The words are a piwos, and lefs is fpo.ken than is meant and intended, viz. That God is fo far from taking pleasure in the fins of men, that he is highly difpleafed at them, and bears an implacable hatred against them.

And do not the terrible threatenings of God against