From thence he shall come to judge the Duick and the Dead. SERMON XXXII. THE REASONABLENESS AND EQUITY OF A ECCLES. iii. 17. I faid in my heart, God fhall judge the righteous and the wicked. Ecclef. i. THESE words are the refult of a ferious contemplation SERM. upon the state of human affairs and common occurrences XXXII. in this world: the Royal Philosopher having, as he telleth us, given his heart to feek and fearch out by wisdom con- 13. cerning all things that were done under heaven; what was the proper nature, what the juft price of each thing; what real benefit or folid comfort each did afford; how every perfon did fare in the pursuit and fuccefs of his defigns; did, after full examination and careful balancing all things, refolve upon fuch conclufions as these : That no kind of undertaking here did in effect yield any Ecclef. i. confiderable profit or complete fatisfaction, but all in the 8. ii. 11. iffue did prove vain and vexatious. 11. ix. 11. That no man from his care and industry, in any courfe Ecclef. ii. of life, could promise himself any certain fuccefs, or reap xi. 6. answerable reward. 13. Ecclef. ii. SERM. That although between wisdom and folly (or between XXXII. goodness and wickedness) there is fome intrinsic difference Ecclef. ii. of worth, (one excelling the other, as light doth excel darknefs,) yet, as to external advantages, and as to final event here, there is no great odds difcernible; for that events (profperous and adverse) did appear to fall out, not according to the qualifications or to the practices of men, but indifferently, according to the swinge of time and chance; and for that death and oblivion alike do feize upon Ecclef. ii. all; fo that apparently, in that respect, a man hath no preeminence over a beast. 15. vii. 15. ix. 1, 11. 16. iii. 19. Ecclef. ii. That in common life nothing doth appear better, than 24. iii. 12. for a man, with the best advantage he can, to enjoy ordi15. xi. 10. nary fenfible delights and comforts, which his condition doth afford. V. 18. viii. Ecclef. iv. 18. That in regard to the present things here, life were not 2, 3. ii. 17, defirable to any man, the inconveniences and troubles thereof outweighing its benefits; fo that even the wisest, greateft, and happiest perfons (fuch as he himself was) had cause to hate life, and all their labour which they had taken under the fun. Ecclef. iii. 11. viii. 17. xi. 5. 9. xii. 14. That the mind and affection of God toward men are very reserved; the course of Providence very abftruse, the reason of events unfearchable to the wit or study of men; fo that we can hardly from appearances here defcry any confpicuous marks of God's favour or his displeasure. From these obfervations, as from fo many arguments, he doth both here and otherwhere in feveral places of Ecclef. xi. this Book infer, that there fhall be a divine judgment, V. 8. viii. paffing upon all men, both righteous and wicked; whereby 12. vii. 18. these seeming incongruities in the providential administration of things fhall be falved; and in regard whereto our present opinions of things may be rectified: this he interpofeth here; I said in my heart, (that is, by the confideration of things I was perfuaded,) that God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: this he ever now and then toucheth, as incident to his meditations: this he in the clofe of all propofeth as the grand inducement to piety, Ecclef. xii. and obedience to God's commandments; For God fhall bring every work into judgment, with every fecret thing, SERM. whether it be good, or whether it be evil. XXXII. This judgment he expreffeth indefinitely, fo as not to determine the kind or time thereof; and as to the abfolute force of his words, it may fignify the decree of God, to reward or punish men here in this life, according to their deserts, the which in holy Scripture is commonly ftyled God's judgment; but the force of his arguments (or at least of some of them) plainly doth infer a future judgment after death; and fo therefore I fhall take his fenfe to be, grounding thereon this obfervation, That from a wife confideration of human affairs, and obvious events here, we may collect the reasonablenefs, the equity, the expediency, the moral or prudential neceffity of a future judgment, according to which men fhall receive due recompenfes, answerable to their demeanour in this life: this observation it shall be my endeavour by God's help to declare, and prove by arguments deduced from the reafon and nature of things. First then, I fay, it is reasonable and equal, that there fhould be a future judgment: this will appear upon many accounts. 1. Seeing all men come hither without any knowledge or choice, having their life, as it were, obtruded on them; and seeing ordinarily (according to the general complaints of men) the pains of this life do overbalance its pleafures; fo that it feemeth, in regard to what men find here, a punishment to be borna; it feemeth alfo thence Ecclef. iv. equal, that men fhould be put into a capacity, upon their 3, 4. ii. 17. good behaviour in this troublesome state, of a better state xv. 10. hereafter, in compenfation for what they endure here; & otherwife God might feem not to have dealt fairly with his creatures; and we might have fome colour to expoftulate, with Job; Wherefore is light given to him that is in Job iii. 20, mifery, and life to the bitter in foul? Why died I not from a Vitam non mehercule quifquam accepiffet, nifi daretur infciis. Sen. ad Marc. 22. Nemini contigit impune nafci. Ibid. 15. Job iii. 3. Jer. xx. 14, 21. SERM. the womb? why did I not give up the ghoft when I came XXXII. out of the belly? 2. Seeing man is endued with a free choice and power over his actions, and thence by a good or bad use thereof is capable of deferving well or ill, it is just that a respective difference be made, according to due estimation; and that men answerably should be proceeded with Job iv. 8. either here or hereafter, reaping the fruits of what they voluntarily did fow. There is a natural relation between Jer. xxxii. merits and rewards, which must come under taxation, and find effect, otherwise there would be no fuch thing as justice and injuftice in the world. Prov. xxii. 8. 19. 3. Seeing there is a natural fubordination of man to God, as of a creature to his maker, as of a fubject or fervant to his lord, as of a client or dependent to his patron, protector, and benefactor, whence correfpondent obligations do refult; it is just that men should be accountable for the performance, and for the violation or neglect of them; so as accordingly either to receive approbation, or to be obliged to render fatisfaction; respectively, as they have done right, and payed respect to God, or as they have offered to wrong and dishonour him; otherwise those relations would feem vain and idle. 4. Seeing alfo there are natural relations of men to one another, and frequent tranfactions between them, founding several duties of humanity and juftice; the which may be observed or tranfgreffed; fo that fome men shall do, and others fuffer much injury, without any poffible redress from otherwhere, it is fit that a reference of fuch cafes fhould be made to the common Patron of right, and that by him they should be fo decided, that due amends fhould be made to one party, and fit correction inflicted 2 Theff. i. on the other; according to that of St. Paul; It is a righteous thing with God to recompenfe tribulation to them that trouble you; and to you who are troubled reft with us, in the revelation of our Lord Jefus. 6,7. 5. Whereas also there are many fecret good actions, many inward good difpofitions, good wishes, and good purposes, unto which here no honour, no profit, no plea fure, no fort of benefit is annexed, or indeed well can be, SERM. (they being indifcernible to men ;) there are likewife XXXII. many bad practices and defigns concealed, or disguised, fo as neceffarily to pafs away without any check, any difgrace, any damage or chaftifement here; it is most equal that hereafter both these kinds fhould be difclofed, and obtain answerable recompenfe. 6. There are alfo perfons whom, although committing grievous wrong, oppreffion, and other heinous mifdemeanours, offenfive to God and man, yet, by reafon of the inviolable sacredness of their authority, or because of their uncontrollable power, no justice here can reach, nor punishment can touch; who therefore fhould be referved to the impartial and irrefiftible judgment of God; and fit it is, that (for fatisfaction of justice, and distinction of fuch, from those who contrariwife behave themselves well) a Tophet fhould be prepared for them. 7. Upon these and the like accounts, equity requireth that a judgment should pass upon the deeds of men; and thereto the common opinions of men and the private dictates of each man's confcience do atteft: for all men feeing any perfon to demean himself brutishly and unworthily, committing heinous disorders and outrages, are apt to pronounce it unfit, that fuch an one fhould escape with impunity likewife when innocent and good perfons (who do no, harm, and do what good they can) do fuffer, or do enjoy no benefit thence, it is a pity, will any indifferent perfon be ready to fay, that fuch a man's cafe should not be confidered; that fome reparation or fome reward fhould not be allotted to him: the which apprehenfions of men are in effect the verdicts of common fense concerning the equity of a judgment to be. 8. Every man alfo having committed any notable mifdemeanour, (repugnant to piety, justice, or fobriety,) doth naturally accufe himself for it, doth in his heart sentence himself to deferve punishment, and doth stand poffeffed with a dread thereof; fo, even unwillingly, avouching the equity of a judgment, and by a forcible instinct presaging it to come. As likewife he that hath performed any vir Ifa. XXX. 33. |