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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	bad_a	good_a	reason_n	1,431	5	5.5448	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A62579	The remaining discourses, on the attributes of God Viz. his Goodness. His mercy. His patience. His long-suffering. His power. His spirituality. His immensity. His eternity. His incomprehensibleness. God the first cause, and last end. By the most reverend Dr. John Tillotson, late Lord Arch-Bishop of Canterbury. Being the seventh volume; published from the originals, by Ralph Barker, D.D. chaplain to his Grace.	Tillotson, John, 1630-1694.; Barker, Ralph, 1648-1708, publisher.	1700 (1700)	Wing T1216; ESTC R222200	153,719	440

Providence of God have in several Ages either befaln Mankind in general or particular Nations and here I shall confine my self to Scripture Instances as being the most certain and remarkable or at least equal to any that are to be met with in History as the early and universal degeneracy of Mankind by the sin and transgression of our first Parents the destruction of the World by a general Deluge the sudden and terrible destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and the Cities about them by Fire and Brimstone from Heaven the cruel extirpation of the Canaanites by the express command of God and lastly the great Calamities which befel the Jewish Nation and the final ruin and perdition of them at the destruction of Jerusalem These are the Objections against the goodness of God which I shall severally consider and with all the brevity and clearness I can endeavour to return a particular Answer to them The First Objection which I told you is more general is this If God be so exceeding Good whence then comes it to pass that there is so much Evil in the World of several kinds 'T is evident beyond denyal that Evil abounds in the World The whole World lies in Evil says St. John 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lies in wickedness so our Translation renders it is involved in Sin but by the article and opposition St. John seems to intend the Devil We know says he that we are of God and the whole World 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is subject to the evil one and under his power and dominion Which way so ever we render it it signifies that Evil of one kind or other reigns in the World Now can Evil come from a Good God Out of the same Mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing Doth a Fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter This cannot be as St. James speaks in another case But all Evils that are in the World must either be directly procured by the Divine Providence or permitted to happen and next to the causing and procuring of Evil it seems to be contrary to the Goodness of God to permit that there should be any such thing when it is in his power to help and hinder it Answer To give an account of this it was an ancient Doctrine of some of the most ancient Nations that there were two first Causes or Principles of all things the one of good things the other of bad which among the Persians were called Oromasdes and Arimanius among the Egyptians Osiris and Typhon among the Chaldeans good or bad Planets among the Greeks 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Plutarch expresly says That the good Principle was called God and the bad Demon or the Devil in conformity to which ancient Traditions the Manichees a sad Sect of Christians set up two Principles the one infinitely good which they supposed to be the original cause of all good that is in the World the other infinitely evil to which they ascribed all the evils that are in the World But besides that the Notion of an infinite Evil is a contradiction it would be to no purpose to suppose two opposite Principles of equal power and force That the very Notion of an infinite Evil is a contradiction will be very clear if we consider that what is infinitely evil must be infinitely imperfect and consequently infinitely weak and for that reason tho never so mischievous and malicious yet being infinitely weak and ignorant and foolish would neither be in a capacity to contrive Mischief nor to execute it But admit that a Being infinitely mischievous were infinitely cunning and infinitely powerful yet it could do no evil because the opposite Principle of infinite Goodness being also infinitely wise and powerful they would tie up one anothers Hands so that upon this supposition the Notion of a Deity would signifie just nothing and by virtue of the eternal opposition and equality of these two Principles they would keep one another at a perpetual Bay and being an equal match for one another instead of being two Deities they would be two Idols able to do neither good nor evil But to return a more distinct and satisfactory Answer to this Objection there are three sorts of Evil in the World the Evil of Imperfection the Evil of Affliction and Suffering and the Evil of Sin And 1 st For the Evil of Imperfection I mean natural Imperfections these are not simply and absolutely but only comparatively evil now comparative Evil is but a less degree of goodness and it is not at all inconsistent with the goodness of God that some Creatures should be less good than others that is imperfect in comparison of them nay it is very agreeable both to the Goodness and Wisdom of God that there should be this variety in the Creatures and that they should be of several degrees of Perfection being made for several Uses and Purposes and to be subservient to one another provided they all contribute to the Harmony and Beauty of the whole Some Imperfection is necessarily involved in the very nature and condition of a Creature as that it derives its Being from another and necessarily depends upon it and is beholding to it and is likewise of necessity finite and limited in its Nature and Perfections and as for those Creatures which are less perfect than others this also that there should be degrees of Perfection is necessary upon supposition that the Wisdom of God thinks fit to display it self in variety of Creatures of several kinds and ranks For tho comparing the Creatures with one another the Angelical Nature is best and most perfect yet it is absolutely best that there should be other Creatures besides Angels There are many parts of the Creation which are rashly and inconsiderately by us concluded to be evil and imperfect as some noxious and hurtful Creatures which yet in other respects and to some purposes may be very useful and against the harm and mischief whereof we are sufficiently armed by such means of defence and such antidotes as reason and experience are able to find and furnish us withal and those parts of the World which we think of little or no use as Rocks and Deserts and that vast Wilderness of the Sea if we consider things well are of great use to several very considerable purposes or if we can discern no other use of them they serve at least to help our dulness and to make us more attentively to consider and to admire the perfection and usefulness of the rest at the worst they may serve for Foils to set off the wise order and contrivance of other things and as one expresseth it very well they may be like a Blackmoor's Head in a Picture which gives the greater Beauty to the whole Piece 2 dly For the Evils of Affliction and Suffering and these either befal brute Creatures or Men endow'd with Reason and Consideration 1 st For those which befal the

things and the End for which they were made The Proposition I shall speak to is that God is the first Cause and last End First I shall a little Explain the Terms Secondly Confirm the Proposition Thirdly Apply it First For the Explication of the Terms I. That God is the first Cause signifies 1. Negatively that he had no Cause did not derive his Being from any other or does depend upon any other Being but that he was always and eternally of himself 2. Positively that he is the Cause of all things besides himself the Fountain and Original of all Created Beings from whom all things proceed and upon whom all things depend or that I may use the expression of Saint John Joh. 1.3 which I know is appropriated to the Second Person in the Trinity By him all things were made and without him was nothing made that was made So that when we attribute to God that he is the first we mean that there was nothing before him and that he was before all things and that all things are by him II. The last End that is that all things refer to him that is the design and aim of all things that are made is the Illustration of God's Glory some way or other and the manifestation of his Perfections Secondly For the Confirmation I shall briefly according to my usual Method attempt it these two ways I. By Natural light The Notion of a God contains in it all possible Perfection Now the utmost Perfection we can imagine is for a Being to be always of it self before all other Beings and not only so but to be the Cause of all other Beings that is that there should be nothing but what derives its Being from him and continually depends upon him from whence follows that all things must refer to him as their last End For every wise Agent acts with design and in order to an End Now the End is that which is best which is most worthy the attaining and that is God himself Now his Being and Perfections are already and the best next to the existence of his Being and Perfections is the manifestation of them which is called God's Glory and this is the highest End that we can imagine to which all the Effects of the Divine Power and Goodness and Wisdom do refer And that these Titles are to be attributed to God is not only reasonable when it is revealed and discovered but was discovered by the Natural light of the heathens Hence it was that Aristotle gives to God those Titles of the first Being the first Cause and the first Mover and his Master Plato calls God the Author and Parent of all things the Maker and Architect of the World and of all Creatures the Fountain and Original of all things Porphyry calls him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the first from whence he Reasons to this sense that he is the ultimate end and that all things move towards God that all motions center in him because saith he it is most proper and natural for things to refer to their Original and to refer all to him from whom they receive all Antoninus the Emperour and Philosopher speaking of Nature which with the Stoicks signified God hath these words which are so very like these of the Apostle that they may seem to be taken from him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Of thee are all things in thee are all things to thee are all things II. From Scripture Hither belong all those places where he declares himself to be the first and the last Isa 41.4 Who hath wrought and done it calling the generations from the beginning I the Lord the first and with the last I am he Isa 43.10 Before me there was no God formed or as it is in the margin there was nothing formed of God neither shall there be after me Isa 44.6 I am the first and I am the last and besides me there is no God Isa 48.12 13. I am the first I also am the last my hand hath laid the foundation of the earth my right hand hath spread the heavens which is as much as to say he made the World and was the first Cause of all things Rev. 1.8 I am Alpha and Omega the beginning and the end saith the Lord which is and which was and which is to come But more expresly 1 Cor. 8.6 But to us there is but one God the father of whom are all things and we by him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and we to him and for him Acts 17.24 God that made the world and all things therein v. 25. He giveth to all life and breath and all things v. 28. In him we live and move and have our Being v. 29. For as much then as we are the off-spring of God Hither we may refer those Texts which attribute the same to the Second Person in the Trinity as the Eternal Wisdom and Word of God whereby all things were made Joh. 1.3 All things were made by him and without him was nothing made that was made v. 10. And the World was made by him 1 Cor. 8.6 And one Lord Jesus Christ by whom are all things and we by him Eph. 3.9 God who Created all things by Jesus Christ Col. 1.16 By him were all things Created that are in heaven and that are in earth visible and invisible whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers all things were Created by him and for him and he is before all things and by him all things consist Heb. 1.2 By whom also he made the Worlds And v. 3. Vpholding all things by the word of his power Thirdly and lastly to apply this Doctrine Vse First If God be the first Cause of all things who did at first produce all Creatures and does since Preserve them and Govern them and disposeth of all their concernments and orders all things that befal them from hence let us learn 1. With Humility and Thankfullness to own and acknowledge and admire and bless God as the Author and Original of our Being as the Spring and Fountain of all the Blessings and good things that we enjoy If we do but consider what these words signifie that God is the first Cause of all things we shall see great Reason to own and acknowledge to adore and praise him and that with the greatest humility because we have not given him any thing but have received all from him he is the Cause of all things who did freely and of his own good will and pleasure communicate Beings to us without any constraint or necessity but what his own goodness laid upon him Rev. 4.11 Thou art worthy O Lord to receive glory and honour and power for thou hast Created all things and for thy pleasure they are and were Created We could not before we were deserve any thing from him or move him by any Arguments or importune him by intreaties to make us but he freely gave us Being and ever since we depend upon him

adversity as his only support and present help in time of trouble And this is a sure Indication that these men after all their endeavours to impose upon themselves have not been able wholly to extinguish in their Minds the belief of God and his Goodness nay it is a sign that at the bottom of their Hearts they have a firm perswasion of his goodness when after all their insolent defiance of him they have the Confidence to apply themselves to him for mercy and help in time of need and therefore our Hearts ought to rise with indignation against those who go about to perswade the belief of a thing so prejudicial to our Interest to take away the Light of our eyes and the Breath of our nostrils and to rob us of all the Comfort and Support which the belief of an infinite Power conducted by infinite Wisdom and Goodness is apt to afford to Mankind II. We should take great care of perverting and abusing this great goodness by vain Confidence and Presumption This is a Provocation of an high Nature which the Scripture calls turning the grace of God into wantonness making that an encouragement to Sin which is one of the strongest Arguments in the world against it God is infinitely good and merciful but we must not therefore think that he is fond and indulgent to our faults but on the contrary because he is good he cannot but hate evil So the Scripture every where tells us that He is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity that the face of the Lord is against them that do evil he is not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness neither shall evil dwell with him the foolish shall not stand in his fight he hateth all the workers of iniquity He is ready to shew Mercy to those who are qualified for it by Repentance and resolution of a better Course but as long as we continue impenitent God is implacable and will deal with us according to the tenor of his Laws and the desert of our Doings Despair is a great Sin but Presumption is a greater Despair doubts of the goodness of God but Presumption abuseth it Despair disbelieves but Presumption perverts the best thing in the world to a quite contrary purpose from what it was intended III. The consideration of God's goodness is a mighty comfort and relief to our Minds under all our Fears and Troubles Great are the Fears and Jealousies of many devout Minds concerning God's Love to them and their everlasting Condition which are commonly founded in one of these two causes a melancholy Temper or mistaken Notions and Apprehensions of God and very often these two meet together and hinder the cure and removal of one another Melancholy as it is an effect of bodily temper is a Disease not to be cured by Reason and Argument but by Physick and Time but the mistakes which men have entertained concerning God if they be not set on and heightned by Melancholy as many times they are may be rectified by a true representation of the goodness of God confirmed by Reason and Scripture Many good Men have had very hard and injurious Thoughts of God instill'd into them from Doctrines too commonly taught and received as if he did not sincerely desire the happiness of his Creatures but had from all Eternity decreed to make the greatest part of Mankind with a secret purpose and design to make them miserable and consequently were not serious and in good earnest in his Invitations and Exhortations of Sinners to Repentance and it is no wonder if such Jealousies as these concerning God make Men doubtful whether God love them and very scrupulous and anxious about their everlasting condition I have already told you that these harsh Doctrines have no manner of Foundation either in Reason or Scripture that God earnestly desires our Happiness and affords us sufficient Means to that End that he bears a more hearty good will to us than any Man does to his Friend or any Father upon Earth ever did to his dearest Child in comparison of which the greatest Affection of Men to those whom they love best is but as the drop of the Bucket as the very small dust upon the Balance If we have right apprehensions of God's goodness we can have no temptation to despair of his kind and merciful Intentions to us provided we be but careful of our Duty to him and do sincerely repent and forsake our Sins Plainer Declarations no words can make than those we meet with in the holy Scriptures That God hath no pleasure in the death of the wicked but rather that he should turn from his wickedness and live that he would have all Men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth that he is long suffering to us-ward not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance that he that confesseth and forsaketh his sin shall have mercy that if the wicked forsake his ways and the unrighteous man his thoughts and return unto the Lord he will have mercy and will abundantly pardon As for outward Calamities and Afflictions the consideration of God's goodness is a firm ground of consolation to us giving us assurance that God will either prevent them by his Providence or support us under them or rescue us out of them or turn them to our greater good and happiness in this World or the next St. Paul speaks of it as the firm belief and perswasion of all good Men that in the issue all their Afflictions should prove to their advantage We know says he that all things shall work together for good to them that love God and one of the greatest Evidences of our love to God is a firm belief and perswasion of his goodness if we believe his goodness we cannot but love him and if we love him all things shall work together for our good And this is a great Cordial to those who are under grievous Persecutions and Sufferings This Sermon was preach'd before the late happy Revolution which is the case of our Brethren in a neighbour Nation and may come to be ours God knows how soon But tho' the malice of Men be great and backt with a power not to be control'd by any visible means and therefore likely to continue yet the goodness of God is greater than the malice of Men and of a longer duration and continuance And thus David comforted himself when he was persecuted by Saul Psal 52.1 Why boasteth thou thy self in mischief O mighty man the goodness of God endureth continually The Persecution which Saul raised against him was very powerful and lasted a long time but he comforts himself with this that the goodness of God endures for ever IV. The consideration of God's goodness is a powerful motive and argument to several Duties 1. To the love of God And this is the most proper and natural effect and operation of the goodness of God upon our Minds Several of

the World in all Ages does give abundant testimony Thus it was with the old World when the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah while he was preparing an Ark for the space of a hundred and twenty years 1 Pet. 3.20 For the wickedness of Man which was great upon the Earth a general deluge was threatned but God was patient and delayed his Judgment a great while hereupon they grew secure in their impenitency and went on in their course as if they had no apprehension of danger no fear of the Judgment threatned So our Saviour tells us Matth. 24.38 39. As in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noah entred into the Ark and knew not until the flood came and took them all away And so it was with Sodom Luke 17.28 And likewise also as it was in the days of Lot they eat they drank they bought they sold they planted they built And so our Saviour tells us it will be in the end of the World Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed So likewise the Apostle St. Paul Rom. 2.4 5. Despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and long-suffering not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up to thy self wrath against the day of wrath and the revelation of the righteous judgment of God The goodness and long-suffering of God which ought in all reason to lead Men to repentance is to many an occasion of greater hardness and impenitency So also St. Peter foretels 2 Pet. 3.3 that in the last days there should come scoffers who should walk after their own hearts lusts saying Where is the promise of his coming And we see in daily experience that the greatest part of sinners grow more obstinate and confirmed in their wicked ways upon account of God's Patience and because he delays the punishment due to them for their sins Let us consider in the Second place whence this comes to pass and upon what pretence and colour of Reason Men encourage themselves in sin from the long-suffering of God And there is no doubt but this proceeds from our ignorance and inconsiderateness and from an evil heart of unbelief from the temptation and suggestion of the Devil one of whose great arts it is to make Men question the threatnings of God and to insinuate as he did to our first Parents either that he hath not denounced such threatnings or that he will not execute them so severely All these Causes do concur to the producing this monstrous Effect but that which I design to enquire into is from what pretence of Reason grounded upon the long-suffering of God sinners argue themselves into this confidence and presumption For when the wise Man saith that because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil he does not intend to insinuate that God's long-suffering fills the hearts of Men with wicked designs and resolutions and does by a proper and direct efficacy harden sinners in their course but that wicked Men upon some account or other do take occasion from the long-suffering of God to harden themselves in sin they draw false conclusions from it to impose upon themselves as if it were really a ground of encouragement they think they see something in the forbearance of God and his delay of punishment which makes them hope for impunity in an evil course notwithstanding the threatnings of God And therefore I shall endeavour to shew what those false conclusions are which wicked Men draw from the delay of punishment and to discover the sophistry and fallacy of them and I shall rank them under two Heads those which are more gross and atheistical and those which are not so gross but yet more common and frequent I. Those conclusions which are more gross and atheistical which bad Men draw to the hardening and encourageing of themselves in sin from the delay of punishment which we who believe a God call the patience or long-suffering of God are these three either that there is no God or if there be that there is no Providence or that there is no difference between Good and Evil. I shall speak more briefly of these because I hope there are but few in the World of such irregular and besotted understandings as to make such Inferences as these from the delay of punishment 1 st From hence some would fain conclude that there is no God That some are so absurd as to reason in this manner the Scripture tells us Psal 14.1 The fool hath said in his heart There is no God they are corrupt and have done abominable works Now the Argument that these Men frame to themselves is this God doth not take a speedy course with sinners and revenge himself immediately upon the workers of Iniquity therefore there is no God for if there were he would shew himself and not bear the affronts of sinners when it is so easie for him to vindicate himself by a swift and speedy Vengeance Thus the Poet represents the Atheist arguing Nullos esse deos inane coelum affirmat Selius probatque quod se factum dum negat hoc videt beatum Selius affirms there are no Gods and that Heaven is an empty place and proves it because whilst he denys God he sees himself in a very happy and prosperous condition And here it is worthy our notice at what a contradictious rate these Men reason First they would have no God lest he should be just and punish them as they deserve and then in another mood they would have him to be nothing but Justice and Severity lest there should be a God as if no other Notion could be framed of the Divine Nature but of a ●a●h Fury and impetuous Revenge and an impotent Passion which when it is offended and provoked cannot contain it self and forbear punishment for a moment Justice is not such a Perfection as doth necessarily exclude Wisdom and Goodness and Patience it doth in no wise contradict the Perfection of the Divine Nature to bear with sinners in expectation of their repentance and amendment or if God foresees their final impenitency to respit their punishment to the most fit and convenient season God may suffer long and yet be resolved if sinners persist in the abuse of his Goodness and Patience to execute Vengeance upon them in due time It is a pitiful ground of Atheism that because God is so much better than wicked Men deserve they will not allow him to be at all 2 dly Others infer from the delay of punishment that there is no Providence that administers the Affairs of the World and regards the good and bad Actions of Men. For tho' the Being of God be acknowledged yet if he do not regard what is

will be in a more especial manner severe towards those who take encouragement from his Mercy to disbelieve and despise his threatnings And this God hath as plainly told us as words can express any thing Deut. 29.19 20. And if it come to pass that when he heareth the words of this curse he bless himself in his heart saying I shall have peace tho' I walk in the imagination of my heart to add drunkenness to thirst The Lord will not spare him but then the anger of the Lord and his jealousie shall smoke against that man and all the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him and the Lord shall blot out his name from under heaven What ever right and power God hath reserved to himself about the execution of his threatnings he hath plainly declared that of all others those who encourage themselves in a sinful course from the hopes of God's Mercy notwithstanding his threatnings shall find no favour and mercy at his hand whatever he may remit of his threatnings to others he will certainly not spare those who believe so largely concerning the Mercy of God not with a mind to submit to the terms of it but to presume so much the more upon it 4. God hath not been wanting to shew some remarkable Instances of his severity towards Sinners in this World As he is pleased sometimes to give good Men some fore-tastes of Heaven and earnests of their future happiness so likewise by some present stroke to let Sinners feel what they are to expect hereafter some sparks of Hell do now and then fall upon the Consciences of Sinners That fear which is sometimes kindled in Men's Consciences in this life that horrible anguish and those unspeakable terrors which some Sinners have had experience of in this World may serve to forewarn us of the wrath which is to come and to convince us of the reality of those expressions of the Torments of Hell by the worm that dies not and the fire that is not quenched That miraculous Deluge which swallowed up the old World that Hell which was rained down from Heaven in those terrible showers of Fire and Brimstone to consume Sodom and Gomorrah the Earth opening her mouth upon Corah and his seditious company to let them down as it were quick into Hell these and many other remarkable Judgments of God in several Ages upon particular Persons and upon Cities and Nations may satisfie us in some measure of the severity of God against sin and be as it were Pledges to assure Sinners of the insupportable Misery and Torments of the next Life 5. The Argument is much stronger the other way that because the punishment of Sinners is delayed so long therefore it will be much heavier and severer when it comes that the wrath of God is growing all this while and as we fill up the measure of our sins he fills the vials of his wrath Rom. 2.5 And according to thy hard and impenitent heart treasurest up to thy self wrath against the day of wrath and the revelation of the righteous judgment of God God now keeps in his dis-pleasure but all the while we go on in an impenitent course the wrath of God is continually increasing and will at last be manifested by the righteous Judgment of God upon Sinners God now exerciseth and displayeth his milder Attributes his Goodness and Mercy and Patience but these will not always hold out there is a dreadful day a coming wherein as the Apostle speaks God will shew his wrath and make his power known after he hath endured with much long-suffering the vessels of wrath fitted for destruction All this long time of God's patience and forbearance his wrath is kindling and he is whetting his glittering sword and making sharp his arrows and this long preparation doth portend a much more dreadful Execution so that we should reason thus from the long-suffering of God God bears with us and spares us at present and keeps in his anger therefore if we go on to provoke him time will come when he will not spare but his anger will flame forth and his jealousie smoak against us This is but reasonable to expect that they who in this World forsake their own mercies the mercy of God in the next should forsake them 4. Another false conclusion which Men draw from the delay of punishment is that because it is delayed therefore it is not so certain the Sinner escapes for the present and tho' he have some misgivings and fearful apprehensions of the future yet he hopes his fears may be greater than his danger 'T is true indeed we are not so certain of the misery of wicked Men in another World as if it were present and we lay groaning under the weight of it such a certainty as this would not only leave no place for doubting but even for that which we properly and strictly call Faith for faith is the evidence of things not seen But sure we have other Faculties besides Sense to judge of things by we may be sufficiently certain of many things which are neither present nor sensible of many things past and future upon good ground and testimony we are sure that we were born and yet we have no remembrance of it we are certain that we shall dye tho' we never had the experience of it Things may be certain in their causes as well as in their present existence if the causes be certain The truth of God who hath declared these things to us is an abundant ground of assurance to us tho' they be at a great distance The certainty of things is not shaken by our wavering belief concerning them Besides the very light of Nature and the common Reason of Mankind hath always made a contrary inference from the long-suffering of God and the delay of present punishment Tho' Men are apt to think that because Judgment is deferr'd therefore it is not certain yet the very light of Nature hath taught Men to reason otherwise that because God is so patient to Sinners in this life therefore there will a time come when they shall be punisht that because this life is a time of tryal and forbearance therefore there shall be another state after this life which shall be a season of recompences And by this argument chiefly it was that the wisest of the Heathen satisfied themselves concerning another state after this life and answer'd the troublesome Objection against the Providence of God from the unequal administration of things in this World so visible in the afflictions and sufferings of good Men and the prosperity of the wicked viz. That there would be another state that would adjust all these matters and set them streight when good and bad Men should receive the full recompence of their deeds The 5 th and last false conclusion which Men draw from the long-suffering of God and the delay of Punishment is this that it is however probably at some distance and