which nothing but the want of Power and Opportunity would prevent. And though they be deprived of that Power; yet they are Unalterably confirmed and eftablished in the Habits of fin; they will for ever continue fubject to those finful qualities and difpofitions which they have contracted, qualities that are directly oppofed to the Purity and Holinefs of the Divine Nature. And upon this account, their punishment is, to all intents and purposes, reconcileable with God's Juftice, which, in a state of Punishment, not of Probation, does require the Execution of Vengeance upon his Enemies, fo long as they continue fo, and that is for ever and ever.

34, The Eternity of punishment is plainly confiftent with the Goodness of God upon this account, that he hath fet before us Life and Death; the Happiness proposed is, at leaft, equal to the Mifery denounced, and we may chufe. our own Condition. Though Mankind was become Juftly obnoxious to God's Wrath; yet he hath freely and graciously restored us to an Opportunity of avoidC 3

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ing Mifery, and obtaining Unconceivable Happiness at his own right hand for evermore. And this is properly the perfection of Goodness: But Goodness and Mercy themselves cannot fave thofe, that will not comply with the terms of Goodness and Mercy.

Thefe Anfwers, or fuch as these, at leaft joyntly confider'd seem abundantly fufficient to fatisfy the Difficulties; though the contrary hath been infinuated in a difcourfe too well known, which was fome years ago published by one, whofe extraordinary Perfonal accomplishments and high Station in the Church do command so very great Deference, that it may perhaps be thought scarce allowable to mention any part of his Writings otherwise than with Approbation and Applause: But he hath in this particular, to the Disadvantage of the Article, made it very plain, that even the greatest men have their intervals of Misapprehension and Mistake. For he hath first urged several reasons to destroy these or the like Anfwers, and then undertaken to remove the Difficulties, by fuch folutions

of

of his own, as are fo far from anfwering that end, and confirming the Truth of the Article, that they give manifest occafion to Dilbelieve it. All which I fhall take the liberty of examining and of endeavouring to refute.

And first, he thus reflects upon the first Argument we urge in Vindication of God's Juftice.

First, it is faid by fome, that because fin is Infinite in respect of the Object against whom it is committed, which is God, therefore it deferves an Infinite punishment. But this, I doubt, will upon examination be found to have more of fubtlety than of folidity in it. 'Tis true indeed, that the Dignity of the Perfon against whom any of fence is committed is a great aggravation of the fault; For which reafon all offences againft God are certainly the greatest of all others. But that crimes fhould be hereby heighten'd to an Infinite degree can by no means be admitted, and that for this plain reason, because then the evil and demerit of all fins must neceffarily be equal; for the demerit of no fin can be more than Infinite: And if the demerit of all fins be equal, there

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can be no reason for the degrees of punishment in another World. But to deny that there are agrees of punishment there, is not only contrary to reafon, but to our Saviour's exprefs affertion, that fome Shall be beaten with many ftripes, and fome with fewer, and that it shall be more tolerable for fome in the day of Judgment than for others. Befides, that by the fame reafon that the leaft fin that is committed against God may be faid to be Infinite because of it's Object, the leaft punishment that is inflicted by God may be faid to be Infinite because of it's Author; and then all punishments from God as well as all fins against him would be equal, which is palpably abfurd.

As to this last part of the Reflection, That by the fame reafon that the least fin that is committed against God may be faid to be Infinite because of it's Object, the leaft punishment that is inflicted by God may be Jaid to be Infinite because of it's Author: It may be anfwer'd by obferving, that Punishment is not at all heighten'd or increas'd because inflicted by Almighty God; for temporary Pain, which God inflicts

inflicts upon the body, is as well.Finite, both in Degree and Duration, as if it were inflicted by a Finite Being; whereas Crimes, as this Author himself acknowledgeth, are aggravated according to the Dignity of the perfon against whom they are committed, and fo Sin is heighten'd, because committed against God's Infinite Majefty, though Punishment, because inflicted by him, be not.

The Author of this Reflection therefore might as well have argued, that if fin committed againft God be Infinite because of it's Object, therefore all creatures are Infinite because God is the Author of them; for this confequence is ftrictly the fame, equally True and equally Pertinent.

When in this Argument Sin is ftyled Infinite because of it's Object, 'tis not urged or imagined, that every thing, which is, in any sense, related to Almighty God, is for that reason to be efteemed Infinite; but that, befides the nature of fuch a Relation, which is Common both to Sin and Punishment, there is in Sin a Peculiar property, which renders the guilt of