that he has referved no Acts of Judgment for the next World, which is a more proper place for it, and requires fome different Acts of Judgment peculiar to that ftate. If God reward good men, and punish wicked men in thisWorld,why fhould we think that he has referved no Rewards or Punishments for them in the next? especially if we confider these two things:

I. That it is very evident that the Judgment of God in this World is not final; that is, that the Bleffings God beftows upon good men in this world are not the only Rewards he intends for them, nor the prefent Evils and Calamities he brings upon bad men, their only Punishments: This is very plain and exprefs in Scripture; but I must not appeal to Scripture now, while I am arguing from Reafon, and therefore must confider what Natural Indications we have of this: As,

1. That good and bad men live together, intermixt in this World, in the fame Country, the fame Neighbourhood, nay, the fame Family, and therefore God does not intend finally to reward good menor punish the wicked here, for that requires a Separation of them; the fame place will not admit of perfect Happiness and perfect Mifery, which must be the effect of a final Judgment, for their very Neighbourhood will neceffarily allay each other.

Unless God fhould make good men other Creatures than they now are, it would be impoffible for them to fee the perpetual Executions, and the amazing Miseries of Sinners,without difturbing their own Eafe and Reft; and then they could

not

not be perfectly happy in this World. As things now are, the many Miferies and Calamities of Human Life exercife the Pity and Compaffion of good men, and afflict them with a tender and painful fenfe of other Mens Sufferings; and what would it then do, were all wicked men punished in this world according to their Deferts, which would make this world the very Image and Piature of Hell; a very unfit place for good mento be happy in. And if good men were all perfectly rewarded in this world, bad men who live and converfe among them could not be perfectly miferable; for to live in a happy Place, and among happy People, is fome allay of Mifery, at leaft it is not like being condemned to Eternal Night and Darkness, to the Company of Devils and damned Spirits.

Befides this, without a miraculous Providence, good men cannot live among the wicked,but they muft fuffer from them; nor bad men live among the good, but they must receive good from them; and therefore neither of them can be perfectly happy, or perfectly miferable while they live together.

Were there no more in it but this,the very wickedness of men, their Lewdness, Injuftice, Oppreffion, Prophaneness, contempt of God and Religion, would be a perpetual Trouble and Vexation to the good, as the Soul of righteous Lot was grieved with the filthy Converfation of the wicked, and this makes a great abatement in their Happinefs: And yet it would not be a lefs Miracle to preferve all good men from the Injuries of the wicked, who live among them, especially when they are the prevailing Numbers, and have great

Power

Power to do mischief, than it was to preserve Daniel in the Lions Den, from being devoured by thofe hungry and ravenous Beafts.

Nay, it is impoffible that God fhould punish all wicked men in this world, without involving fome good men in their Calamities and Sufferings: When God punishes a wicked Nation with Plague, or Famine, or Sword; when he fires a City, and reduces all the Buildings of it to a heap of Rubbish, how is it poffible but that good and bad men who live together, muft fuffer in fuch a common Calamity? There is reafon enough why God fhould now fometimes permit this, becaufe even good men may deferve fuch corrections,and he can easily recompence them other ways; but this would be no reason, if good men were to receive their final reward in this World; for then they ought to be exempted from the Punishments of the wicked.

Thus how impoffible is it for God to punish all bad men here, without punishing good men in them? Have not many good men very wicked Relations, for whom they have a very tender Affection; Parents, or Brethren, or Children, or those who are nearer to them than all these? And can they be contented to be witneffes of their Sufferings? This cannot be, unless good men in fuch cafes could diveft themselves of natural Affections, which we fee is not,and cannot be done, and if it could, would be a greater mischief to the World, than the fufferings of bad men would do good to it.

And for the fame reafon bad men cannot be perfectly miserable in this World, while good men live among them; for unless God fhould

for

forbid the exercise of some of the most excellent Virtues of the Chriftian Life, and which are in themselves most beneficial to the world; good men will exercise great Charity and Goodness, Forgiveness and Patience towards the wicked, will relieve their Wants, and pity their Sufferings, and be their Patrons and Advocates both with God and Men; that is, will do good to them, and procure Bleffings for them.

The Interceffions of good men very often divert Judgments, and obtain great Bleffings for a very wicked Nation. Sodom it felf had escaped upon the interceffion of Abraham, had there been Ten Righteous Perfons found in it: And God very often fpares a wicked Nation for the fake of good men who live among them, and muft fuffer by fuch publick Judgments; that is, he fpares bad men to fave the Righteous. Thus God bestows many TemporalBleffingsupon the Friends, Relations, and Pofterity of good men, tho they are wicked; and this is part of the Reward of Piety and Virtue in thisWorld; and therefore all good men cannot be rewarded, and all wicked men punished in this world; because many good men must be punished in the Punishments of the wicked, and many wicked men must escape, nay, muft profper in the world, as a Reward of the good; which is not confidered by thofe who make the Impunity and Profperity of fome bad men an Argument against Providence; when the very Profperity of thefe bad men is many times the Reward of Virtue, and a defign'd Favour and Indulgence. to the good. But what I have now faid, plainly proves that God's Judgment in this World is not final, be

caufe

"

caufe good and bad men live together; and it is abfolutely neceffary that they fhould be parted, when God comes to render to every man according to his Works; as our Saviour declares that they fhall be at the Final Judgment, when the Sheep fhall be placed on his Right I land, and the Goats on the left.

2. That God's Judgment in this world is not Final, appears from this, that all good men are not rewarded, nor all wicked men punished in this World, as they ought to be, if God did not intend to judge men in the next world for what they have done in this.

That this is fo, I need not prove, because we every day fee it; and this is made a great Objection against Providence, that many bad men are profperous, and many good men afflicted. And a foolish Objection it is against Providence, but a very good Argument for a Future Judg

ment.

When we have fo many Arguments to prove that God does govern the World, that he does even in this Life reward good men, and punish the wicked, as much as is neceffary for the good Government of the world, it is very abfurd to confute all this only by saying that he does not govern the World as we think he ought to govern it; that is, that he does not punish every bad man, nor reward every good man in this Life. Whoever would make good this Argument, muft prove, that there is no other World after this, wherein God can reward thofe good men, and punish those wicked men, whom he has not fufficiently rewarded or punished in this life; or he must prove that it is abfolutely