Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

SERM. then had Dionyfius fome reason to justify his facrilege by XXXII. his profperous navigation from committing it; and with

fair colour Diogenes might say, that Harpalus's fuccessful treachery and rapine did teftimonium dicere adverfos deos, bear teftimony against the gods, as guilty of injustice or careleffness these fort of difcourfes would, I fay, upon excluding the fuppofition of future judgment, have some validity, or fpecioufnefs: and for want of that fuppofition we may observe the apologies for Providence, elaborately composed by fome philofophers, to be very lame and unfatisfactory. But supposing a judgment hereafter designed by God, and a proceeding with all men according thereto, all difficulty in these cases vanisheth, all objections have plainly no moment or force: then God's present connivance, or patient indulgence toward wicked men will fignify no more, than what most becometh him as God and governor of the world; his moft excellent goodness and admirable clemency toward his creatures and fubRom. ii. 4. jects; in waiting to be gracious, and providing for their return to a better mind; affording them time and means of reforming their minds and manners, that fo they may escape the stroke of final vengeance: so in most cases; and in fome alfo fignifying his wife juftice, in fuffering bad men to proceed forward to an inexcufable pitch of guilt, in order to their more clearly just condemnation and fevere punishment hereafter; that being xarηptioμévoι eis Rom. ix.22. άτúλav, thoroughly fit, as St. Paul speaketh, or ripe for perdition; being prepared, as the Prophet Jeremiah expreffeth it, or fanctified for the flaughter; being by their prefent ease and abused profperity become fat and fair, they may fall more proper victims to divine severity.

ix. 22.

2 Pet. iii. 9, 15.

Jer. xii. 3.

Then alfo from God's permitting good men to fuffer, how smartly foever, nothing can be inferred prejudicial unto divine goodness or juftice; fince they are thereby made fitter for, and do attain a furer title to, thofe excellent rewards, which he upon fuch trial and approbation of

[blocks in formation]

their virtues doth intend to confer upon them P; especially SERM. confidering that afflictions are neceffary, both as means of XXXII. rendering men good, and as occafions of expreffing their goodness, that scarce any virtue could fubfift or could appear without them 9.

There could be no fuch thing as patience, if there were Vid. Chryf. no adverfities to be endured; no fuch thing as contentednefs, if there were no wants to be felt; no fuch thing as industry, if there were no pains to be taken; no fuch thing as humility, if fenfible infirmities and croffes did not prompt us to fober thoughts, and shew us what we are1. There would be no true wisdom, no clear knowledge of ourselves, or right judgment of things, without experiencing the worst half of things. We fhould never learn to mafter our paffions, or temper our appetites, or wrest our inclinations to a compliance with reason, if that discipline were away, which the holy Pfalmift intimateth, saying, It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that IPfal. cxix. might learn thy ftatutes. How much we do love God, No marhow fubmiffive we are to God's will, how little we do tyrs, if no value these mean things here, we cannot otherwife than perfecuby willingly undergoing or patiently bearing afflictions, well exprefs; without it no fure trial of virtue can be, without it no excellent example of goodness had ever been. As therefore it is neceffary that good men, even Magnum that they may be good, fhould fuffer here; fo it is, fup- exemplum pofing a future judgment, very just that they should do fortuna non fo, that they may acquire a title to the rewards following de Prov. 3. it; rewards far outweighing the light afflictions they are 2 Cor.iv.17. put to endure here.

67, 71, 75.

tion.

invenit.Sen.

Rom. viii.

18.

In reference therefore to the prefent impunity of bad Matt. v. 12. men, and letting iniquity to prevail or to proceed here, that which cured David, Job, and Solomon, may fatisfy

us; going into the fanctuary, and understanding the end of Pfal. Ixxiii.

↑ Juftis quicquid malorum irrogatur, non eft pœna criminis, fed virtutis examen. Aug.

4 Experitur, indurat, fibi ipfum præparat. Sen. de Prov. 1.

* Semper effe felicem, et fine morsu animi tranfire vitam, ignorare eft rerum naturæ alteram partem. Sen. de Prov. 4.

17.

Job xxi. 30.

Ecclef.xi.9.

23.

SERM. thofe men; confidering, that the wicked is referved to the XXXII. day of deftruction, and shall be brought out to the day of wrath; that after all their jollity and pleasure, God for all Rom. ii. 5. these things will bring them into judgment. In regard to the righteous being afflicted here, that of St. Paul may 2 Thef. i. 5. fuffice, faying of them, It is a manifeft infiance of God's righteous judgment, that they may be made worthy of the kingdom of God, for which they fuffer: that of our SaLuke vi. 22, viour; Blessed are ye, when men fhall hate you, and fhall reproach you; rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy ; for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: that of Solomon; Ecclef. viii. Though a finner do evil a hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet furely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God. In respect to both forts of men, that of 2 Pet. ii. 29. St. Peter will refolve all doubt; God knoweth how to deliver the godly out of trials, and to referve the unjuft unto the day of judgment to be punished. All fcores will be fully quitted by the execution of that fentence pronounced by Matt. xxv. Our Judge himself, The wicked shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal.

12.

Ifa. iii. 10,

11.

46.

This hypothefis doth indeed even to our common sense throughly folve most of those appearances in the course of things here, which otherwife might feem intricate or strange; clearing Providence from all misprifions, and fatisfying our minds, so far as is needful, concerning the reafons of moft occurrences here. From it we may learn,

That God in this great drama, made up of his providence and our free-will concurrently or interchangeably acting, doth mean, in order to this catastrophe of judgment in the last and chief act, to let men go on playing their parts undisturbedly, according to their inclinations and humours, yet within certain limits, and under the check of his hand, in proper feafons, to prevent confufion of all interpofing itselfs.

That it is not, therefore, fit now by open fignifications, either of approbation or dislike, often to interrupt the procefs of human actions; especially confidering that the

• Διὰ τῦτο ἔπω κρίσις, ἵνα κοινῇ πάντες σεφανωθῶμεν, ἵνα ἀπὸ πονηρίας πολλοὶ μεταβληθῶμεν εἰς ἀρετήν. Chryf. in Matt. Or. 11.

final doom concerning perfons is not to be grounded upon SERM. fingle paffages, or the particular acts of one time, but XXXII. upon the whole body of action paffing through the course of each man's part, in the place and time allotted to him ; and that he who now acteth laudably may, before all is done, come to faulter; he that now behaveth himself untowardly may afterward learn to do better, and in the end come off well.

11.

xi. 5.

That hence it is not to be wondered, that God here Ecclef. iii. should be somewhat referved in difpenfing teftimonies of favour to those who at prefent do feem good, fomewhat fparing in declaring wrath toward those who now appear bad; that he should not miraculously pour down golden fhowers on the heads of the righteous, nor fend fire from Luke ix. 55. heaven, as angry man would have him, upon every provocation, to confume finners.

That this life is not a time of reaping, but of sowing; not of approbation, but of trial; not of triumph, but of combat: this world is not a place of enjoyment, but of work; our condition here is not a state of fettlement, but of travel; whence no man fhould expect more of encouragement, than is needful to fupport him in this work and way; fhould look to receive wages before his task is done; to get the prize, before he hath gone through the race; to gather the spoils, before he hath fought out the battle; to enjoy reft, before he is at his journey's end; to be put in full poffeffion of happiness, before his right. and title thereto is completely affured: that no man alfo fhould prefume or please himself upon prefent impunity for his misbehaviour or floth, like thofe of whom the preacher faith, Because fentence against an evil work is not Ecclef. viii. executed speedily, therefore the heart of the fons of men is 11. fully fet in them to do evil; seeing this is the season of mercy and patience, when God commonly doth not farther inflict croffes on us, than may serve to mind us of our duty, or urge us to the performance of it; and feeing the longer vengeance is withheld, the more heavy it will at laft fall on us, if we defpife the present season of grace, and proceed to the end in impenitence; that present im

SERM. punity, therefore, is a fore punishment, and correction here XXXII. a really great favour.

1, &c.

That ordinarily temporal prosperity and adverfity, as in comparison to things relating to our future state they are plainly inconfiderable, fo they can be no arguments of God's fpecial favour or displeasure; whence it appeareth to be no small rafhnefs to conclude how God ftands affected to any perfon from what befalleth him here, (as Luke xiii. those who inferred concerning the Galileans, whofe blood Pilate mixed with their facrifices; and concerning those Jews, upon whom the tower in Siloam did fall, that they were more finners than others of their nation,) yea, that if we must be interpreting God's mind from these occurProv. iii. 12. rences, it is rather more reasonable to conceive, that God Job v. 17. difliketh them whom he doth not check, and approveth Heb. xii. 7. them whom he chastiseth; whence the prosperity of bad men is rather pitiable than invidious, as that which aggravateth and ftrengtheneth their wickedness, which accumulateth guilt, which draweth them forward, and plungeth them deeper into perdition; that the adverfity of good men is no mifery, but a bleffing and happiness to them, as exercifing and fortifying their virtues, enfuring their ftate, endearing them to God. However,

Rev. iii. 19.

Prov.

17.

xxiii.

Luke xvi.

25.

That God plainly doth mean to vilify these present things, appearing to our fenfe good or evil, by scattering them abroad with an indifferent hand; fo that his friends taste as little good and as much evil as his enemiest.

u That there is no reason to wonder or to complain that things here do not go on in a course so smooth and straight as they should do; for that vanity and iniquity have their part and time to act upon this ftage, yea are allowed fometimes a feeming reign; but justice, though at present it seemeth to fleep, or to wink at things, will at length awake, and effectually beftir itself; that right, although here it may be fometime croffed or foiled, yet it can never

Nullo modo poteft Deus magis concupita traducere, quam fi illa in turpiffimos defert, ab optimis abigit. Sen. de Prov. 5.

" Dantur bonis ne putentur mala, dantur malis ne putentur fumma bona. Aug.

« AnteriorContinuar »