Author himself hath laid down this Rule, which is a plain Truth and Universally acknowledged, Justice indeed is concerned that the Righteous and the Wicked should not be treated alike. And therefore 'tis not easy to Imagine how this Abfurdity fhould prefently follow, which he could not poffibly have fallen into, if he had but thought of Juftice, as he did immediately before, under it's fecond confideration, viz. as it relates to God himfelf, and is Infeparable from the Divine Nature. For according to our best notions, grounded upon both Reafon and Scripture, 'tis altogether Inconfiftent with God's Juftice, that Impenitent Sinners fhould go unpunifhed: It is no more to be fuppos'd, that Almighty God, who is * Righteous in all his ways and Holy in all his Works, can exempt Incorrigible, Final Impenitence from punishment, than that he can divest himself of Superiority over his creatures, or cease to have a Being. And that the Eternal duration of the punishment of the Wicked *Pfal. cxlv. 17. S is not only as ftrictly confiftent with his Juftice, but as proper an effect of it as any Punishment it felf is, hath been already evinced; or however, the Arguments urged should, upon this account, be embraced as Convincing and Satisfactory, that they are confirmed by the exprefs and repeated Revelations of God's Will and Purpose in this matter; unless the Affertion here laid down fhould be granted, That though God Almighty hould not execute Everlafting punishments, as he hath threatned, yet this would be no violation of his Truth and Faithfulness, any more than it is esteemed among men a piece of Falfhood not to do what they have Threatned. This dangerous Infinuation may be anfwer'd by confidering, that the threatnings of Men are very often built upon the violence of paffion, and occafion'd by Ignorance and other Imperfections; whence it frequently comes to pafs, that, those punishments, which when threatned feem Reasonable, are afterwards found to be evidently Unreasonable and Unjust: And therefore, even upon this fuppofi fuppofition, that the leaft Deviation from Truth, abfolutely confider'd, is finful, fuch threatnings ought not to be put in execution, becaufe 'tis lefs finful to Remit them than to Execute them. Whereas God Almighty does fully and distinctly know the Reafon and Equity of the punishments he denounceth, even when he denounceth them; All his threatnings are determined by Omniscience, agreeably to his own Eternal and Unerring Wifdom and Justice. Such then being the Disparity and Difproportion betwixt these two cafes, we cannot measure the threatnings of God by the threatnings of Men. But the Difficulty may be still further anfwer'd by observing, that it is notorious Falfhood among Men not to inflict such punishments, abfolutely threatned, as are not only Confiftent with Justice, but neceffarily Required by it. And thefe are the only threatnings of Men, which are, in the present question, to be compared with the threatnings of God, the Execution of which is above proved to be not not only confiftent with Justice, but the proper Effect of it. It would therefore either be inconfiftent with God's Infinitely perfect Veracity not to Execute the punishments in a Future ftate, which he hath threatned, or else Veracity is nothing but an empty Name; as indeed they would have it, who endeavour to prove, that God Almighty's Truth does extend it felf only to matters of Juftice and Goodness towards his creatures; that he is, by virtue of this Attribute, only concern'd to fulfil his Promises. I shall not build my Answer to this upon the notions that we have of Veracity; but shall rather, as the more Certain and Safe method, refolve the whole matter into the account that God himfelf hath given us; For, I think, the Reasonings of these men may be effectually overthrown, and the Contrary clearly evinced from one or two texts of Holy Scripture. When God had declared that the Kingdom of Ifrael fhould be rent from Saul as a punishment for his Difobedi ence ence in the Battle against Amalek, Samuel* thus reflects upon it, The ftrength of Ifrael will not lie, nor repent; for he is not a man that he should repent, Evidently importing, that fince God had Absolutely denounced this punishment, it would be a Violation of his Truth not to Execute it. And this is confirmed by God Almighty's exprefs Words in the cafe of those Ifraelites, of whom he sware that they should not enter into his rest. For though that paffage (as Canaan was a type of Heaven) be not (as is fuggefted) a full proof, that Wicked men fhall actually suffer Eternal misery; yet it does abundantly prove, that God Almighty's Veracity is directly concern'd in the Execution of Punifhments threatned, as well as in Fulfilling what he Promiseth; which may appear from Numb. xiv. 29, 30, 35. Your Carcaffes fhall fall in this Wilderness; and all that were numbred of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me, Doubtless ye shall 1 Sam. xv. 29. not |