serve any such punishment, then justice does not require the Governor of the world to inflict any such upon any of his creatures, though ever so sinful; for justice does not require him to inflict a punishment that is not at all deserved; yea, rather it seems cruelty so to do. If, therefore, justice did not require it, why did God drown the old world, and burn Sodom ; and why does he damn sinners to all eternity?

Certainly he did not aim at their good when he drowned the old world and burnt Sodom; and certainly he cannot aim at sinners' good in their eternal damnation. There are some calamities in this life, which God might be supposed to send upon his creatures for their good; and indeed, all things considered, they are well adapted to do them good; yea, and are all made to work together for good to them that love God, and may be numbered among their mercies. But what shall we say when God drowns a whole world, burns up several cities, and damns to all eternity millions of his creatures: yea, and all for nothing, when they deserved no ill at his hands, not the least! Where is his justice now? Yea, where is his goodness? Or what does he mean? What does he intend?

Certainly he cannot intend to deal so severely with some of his poor creatures, who never deserved any ill at his hands, merely for the good of others, to fright, and warn, and deter them from vice; for this would be to do evil that good might come yea, this would be the way rather that good might never come; for how could any of his creatures or subjects heartily love him or like his conduct, while they behold millions of their fellow-creatures suffering, for nothing at all, such infinite pains under his hands? Where is his justice? would they all cry. And where is his goodness? They would hate him, and flee from him, and dread a government so infinitely tyrannical. Indeed, to inflict a proper punishment, in case of just desert, is a good thing; tends to maintain government, and make men afraid of sin, and stand in awe of the great Law-giver and Judge of the world. Yea, it is a beautiful conduct, and tends to make God appear aimable in the eyes of all holy beings. Rev. xix. 1. 6. But to afflict and torment poor creatures, who do not at all deserve it, and that for ever, cannot possibly answer any good end; but of neces

sity, must promote a thousand bad ones, when, all the time, the true state of the case is publicly known and understood throughout all God's dominions. It is just as if a father, who has ten children, should tie up five every Monday morning, and whip them almost to death for nothing in the world but to make the rest love him, and be good and obedient children. And would they love him any the more for this? Yea, they could not but hate so cruel a tyrant. Now, therefore, if their scheme be true, why did God drown the old world, and burn Sodom? And why does he damn sinners to all eternity?

Yea, if sin deserves no inflicted punishment, as, upon their scheme, it does not, why does God ever once inflict the least, the very least punishment for it in all his dominions? And that which, though not, in its own nature, more unaccountable, yet is more surprising, why has God, all along from the beginning of the world, been inflicting such a dreadful train of punishments for sin? Why did God turn the angels out of heaven for their first sin, and doom them to an eternal hell, when they did not at all deserve it? Why did God threaten Adam with death in case of disobedience? Why is death said to be the wages of sin? Why did God cause the earth to open and swallow up Korah and his company? Why did God cause the carcasses of six hundred thousand to fall in the wilderness? Why did God strike Uzza dead? And why a thousand more things which have happened in the sight of the world? Surely it cannot be for our good to be struck dead and sent to hell; and surely it cannot be for the good of any in all God's world, that shall see or ever hear of it, when, all the while, it is publicly known that we deserve no ill at God's hands: no, not the least.

And now, after all, to torment us in hell for ever, for nothing in the world, where the fire shall never be quenched, and the worm shall never die ; yea, and to appoint a day of jugdment, under a pretence of doing nothing but strict justice; and to summon all the worlds together, to see and hear, to the end that his impartiality and justice might appear to all, when, all the while, he knows, and all the world knows, that his poor

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creatures deserve no ill at his hands; no, not the least! What can he mean?

Yea, and that which is a great deal worse than all, that I even shudder to think of it, he not only makes a law to punish sinners eternally in hell, when there was no reason for it, but puts it in execution upon his poor creatures who do not deserve it; but having one only Son, of equal glory with himself, he delivers him to death, in the room and stead of sinners; pretending that sin was so bad a thing, that without the shedding of blood there could be no remission, and therefore his own Son must die, to the end he might be just, while he justified the sinner that should believe in him; while, all the time, if their scheme is true, he knew, and all the world will know, sooner or later, that sin never deserved the least punishment at his hands!

To conclude, therefore, if God be what they suppose, I grant the scheme I have laid down is not right; and it is equally evident that the Bible is not right neither: for the law and the gospel, the Old Testament and the New, every where suppose, and take it for granted, that sin is an infinite evil; deserves the wrath and curse of God: all the miseries of this life, and death itself, and the pains of hell for ever; the law threatens all this. According to the gospel, Christ has died to redeem us from all this, as what we justly deserve. The Bible, therefore, in a word, supposes we deserve it all; but their scheme supposes we do not. The God that made the Bible has no doubt of it; he made his law upon this ground, and upon this footing he gave his Son to die: has appointed a day of judgment, and prepared a place of torment; a lake of fire and brimstone : but their God is of quite another mind; can see no such infinite evil in sin; yea, no evil at all in it, but what results from its tendency to make us miserable. Their God, therefore, is not the God of Israel, nor the God that made the Bible; and, therefore, is no God is nothing but an image framed in their own fancy, suited to their own hearts.

:

Besides, their idea of God is contrary, not only thus to the general tenour of scripture, but also to many plain and express declarations. (1.) It is manifest that God does not make the happiness of his creatures his last end, from Exod. ix. 16, Numb. xiv. 13-21. Lev. x. S. Psalm cvi. 8. Ezek. xx.

3.

throughout; Ezek. xxxvi. 21, 22, 23. and xxxviii. 23. and xxxix. 6, 7. 13. 21, 22. Rom. ix. 22, 23. Rum. xi. 36. Rev. iv. 11. (2.) It is manifest that God does not require his creatures to love and obey him merely because it tends to make them happy so to do, from Exod. xx. 2. Lev. xix. 2. Psalm xxix. 2. and xcvi. 4. 8. and cxlviii. 13. 1 Cor. vi. 20. (S.) It is manifest that God does not threaten and punish sin merely because it tends to make his creatures miserable, from 1 Sam. ii. 29, 30. 2 Sam. xii. 7-14. Plasm li. 4. Plasm li. 4. Mal. i. 6, 7, 8. 14.

But to conclude: How sad and dreadful a thing will it be, for poor sinners, when they come to die, and enter into the world of spirits, there to find that the God they once loved and trusted in, was nothing but an image framed in their own fancy! They hated the God of Israel, and hated his law, and therefore would not believe that God or his law were indeed what they were. They were resolved to have a God and a law more to their minds. How dreadful will their disappointment be! How dreadful their surprise! They would never own they were enemies to God; now they see their enmity was so great as to make them resolutely, notwithstanding the plainest evidence, even to deny him to be what he was. And how righteous will the ways of the Lord appear to be, in that he gave such over to strong delusions to believe a lie, who did not love, and would not believe the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness? 2 Thes. ii. 10, 11, 12. So, the Gentile Nations, not liking to retain God in their knowledge, were given over to reprobate minds, and left every nation to make such a God as best pleased themselves. Rom. i. But it is time to proceed to the next use.

SECTION VI.

RULES OF TRIAL.

USE II. Which may be of examination. What has been said may serve to clear up, to real saints, their gracious state, and may afford matter of conviction to others.

And here I would take the humble believer in his element, that is, in his closet, where he retires from the noise and busi

ness of the world; where he loves to be alone, to read the Bible; to meditate on the perfections of God, and think of his works and ways; where he mourns, and prays, and loves God, and gives up himself to him. In a serious hour of sweet retirement, when you are most yourself, and your thoughts most about you, I would inquire, What are your views? And what is the inward temper of your mind? And how do you live? And what is it that habitually influences you in your daily conduct?

Do you know God? Do you see him to be such an one as he really is; even such an one as the scriptures represent him to be? And do you account him infinitely glorious and amiable in being such an one? And do you begin to love him with all your heart? Do you esteem him so as to exult in his supremacy and absolute sovereignty? And so will seek his glory, and value his honour and interest, as to give up yourself to live to him; and so delight in him, as to choose him for your present and everlasting portion? True, your remaining blindness and ignorance is very great but do you not feel it, and groan under it as your burden, and hate yourself for it as your sin, lamenting the sottishness of your heart, that you should be so senseless and brutish, after so many outward advantages and inward helps, and amidst such clear manifestations made of God and of his infinite glory, in his word, and in all his works and ways; and feel that you are wholly to blame for the stupidity and unteachableness of your heart; ready to say with him of old, So foolish am I, and ignorant, I am as a beast before thee? Psalm 1xxiij. 22. Your disesteem of God and unconcernedness about his honour and interest is great, and you have still a disposition to hate to live upon God only, without any thing else to take comfort in, as the portion of your soul; and so you are inclined to forget God, to forsake him, to depart, and go away, and fall in love with something else, and seek another resting-place, and something else to take comfort in. But do you not feel this your remaining want of conformity to God's law, and native contrariety to it? And do you not hate it, and hate yourself for it? Do you not groan under it, and lament it, and watch, and pray, and fight against it, feeling the infinite sinfulness of it? saying, The