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A40817
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Of the impunity of bad men in the world a sermon preach'd at White-hall, Decemb. 30, 1694 / by Philip Falle ...
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Falle, Philip, 1656-1742.
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1695
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Wing F340; ESTC R585
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11,660
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34
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and a Scourge to another IX God does not always Punish Bad Men in this World because their Sins are not yet ripe for Punishment The Measure of their Iniquities is not yet full (o) Gen. xv 16. Nemo repente fit Turpissimus No Man becomes thoroughly Wicked at once It must be Step after Step. One Sin must be added to another From a small Heap they must rise to a Mountain And then let the Sinner prepare to meet A JWDOMENT WORTHY OF GOD. And therefore X. Lastly God does not always Punish Bad Men in this World because he has appointed a Day wherein he will pass a strict and impartial Judgment upon All Men and will finally render to every one according to his Works (p) Matth. xvi 27. God needs not Punish Bad Men in this World so long as he means to reckon with them in another World and that sooner or later they must fall into his hands And since a Thousand Years with the Lord are but as one Day (q) 2 Pet. iii. 8. That short Impunity which Bad Men enjoy for a few Years in this World attended with the endless Torments of another World can be no Objection against the Divine Justice and Providence Nay Bad Men must account for this Impunity they now enjoy It will aggravate their Guilt and add to their Punishment that they made no better use of the Opportunity of Grace that was put into their hands not considering that the Goodness of God led them to Repentance (r) Rom. ii 4. Nor is there a more certain Proof of a Future State (ſ) See Dr. Sherlock of Judgment Ch. 1. §. 3. where God will retribute Punishments proportioned to every one's Demerits than the Impunity of Bad Men in the World That God does not Punish them now says Chrysostom (t) Ad Pop. Autioch Hom. xlvi is a Sad Presage that he has some Terrible Vengeance in store for them From what has been said it may appear how little Reason some Men have to Impeach and call into question the Divine Justice and Providence because Bad Men remain Unpunish'd in the World Not that I think it possible to trace every Footstep and solve All the Various Phenomena of Providence in the World God's Judgments are a great Deep (u) Psa xxxvi 6. His Ways are past finding out For who has known the Mind of the Lord and who has been his Counsellor (w) Rom. xi 33 34. But we may know as much as is necessary to set our Minds at ease about this Matter Wherein if any thing yet remains that we cannot now extricate let us remember that a Day is coming that will clear up This and all other Dark Passages of Providence Then we shall be able to give an account of every Accident that happens to every Man in this Life We shall read in the Books of Heaven the Orders of the Divine Counsels And there we shall see with what infinite Goodness and Justice and Wisdom God rules the World and disposes of Human Affairs In the mean while it becomes us to reverence the Invisible Power and Majesty of God To stand in awe of his Judgments tho' they seem never so far off To Work out our own Salvation with fear and trembling (x) Phil. ii 12. Being firmly perswaded that God has set Bad Men in slippery Places He casts them down and destroys them O how suddenly do they consume perish and come to a fearful End (y) Psal lxxiii 17 18. THE END Page 15. line 9. for be Temperament r. be a Temperament ADVERTISEMENTS SERMON sur l'Hymne Angélique Eucharistique Luc. II. 14. Prononcé dans l'Eglise de St. Sauveur en l'Isle de JERSEY le 3me jour d' Avril 1687. jour de Cene. 4to A SERMON Preach'd at St. Helier in the Isle of JERSEY before the English Garrison April 10. 1692. 4to Of the Impunity of Bad Men in the World A SERMON Preach'd at WHITE-HALL Dec. 30. 1694. An Account of the Isle of JERSEY the Greatest of those Islands that are now the only Remainder of the English Dominions in France With a new and accurate Map of the Island Humbly Dedicated to His Majesty 8vo These Four Written by PHILIP FALLE M. A. Deputy from the States of the said Island and Chaplain in Ordinary to His Majesty The History of the Campagne in the Spanish Netherlands Anno Dom. 1693. With an Exact Draught of the several Attacks of the French Line by the Duke of Wirtemberg with the Detachment under his Command Done upon Copper By Edw. D'Auvergne M. A. Rector of St. Brelard in the Isle of JERSEY and Chaplain to His Majesty's Regiment of Scots Guards 4to The History of the Campagne in the Spanish Netherlands Anno Dom. 1694. With the Journal of the Siege of Huy By the same Author 4to Printed for John Newton at the Three Pigeons over-against the Inner-Temple Gate in Fleet-street
Mr. FALLE's SERMON AT WHITE-HALL Dec. 30. 1694. Of the Impunity of Bad Men in the World A SERMON Preach'd at White-Hall Decemb. 30. 1694. By PHILIP FALLE Chaplain in Ordinary to His Majesty Publish'd by Command LONDON Printed for John Newton at the Three Pigeons over-against the Inner-Temple-Gate in Fleet-street 1695. ECCLES VIII xi 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. NOthing has been more apt to give Offence and to perplex the Minds of Men than the Unequal Distribution of Rewards and Punishments in this Life The Impunity of Bad Men in the World seems to many very hard to be accounted for It may not therefore be amiss to have this Matter rightly stated and satisfaction given to anxious and doubting Minds about it Which so far as God enables me I shall attempt from the Words I have read 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. They are the Words of a Great KING the Result of that excellent Wisdom with which God had enlarg'd his Royal Heart and of the long Observation he had made on the Ways of Providence in the Government of the World In speaking to them I shall First Shew some very dangerous Mistakes that are about this Matter Secondly Expound this Riddle of Providence the Impunity of Bad Men in the World First Shew some very dangerous Mistakes that are about this Matter For 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. I. This has been the great Objection of Atheists in all Ages against the Being of a God (a) Simplic in Epicter Cap. 38. The Impunity of Bad Men in the World has been the common Popular Pretence to oppose the Belief of the Deity That a God arm'd with infinite and irresistible Power should tamely suffer Bad Men to violate his Laws and bid open Defiance to his Authority and not to resent the Affront by sending quick and exemplary Punishment on such Transgressors is what they think cannot be reconciled to a Rational Apprehension This they say is to destroy the Notion of a God who if he were would Govern the World by a more steady Justice The Story of Diagoras is well known who seeing a Wretch forswear himself and remain unpunish'd became a Professed Atheist II. Others admit the Being of a God but deny his Providence in the Administration of Human Affairs because they see Bad Men unpunish'd in the World (b) Cicer. de Nat. Deor. Lib. 3. §. 81. c. Salvian de Gubern Dei passim They say that if there was a Providence sollicitous about the Rectitude or Obliquity of Men's Actions it would dispense suitable Retributions But the greatest Villanies triumph with Impunity in the World And this they say is a reproach to Providence And an Argument that God takes no care of the little things of this lower World That Virtue and Vice are alike to him That he looks with indifferency on the Good or Evil of Human Acts Which the Epicureans do say to be indeed beneath the Dignity and Excellency of so elevated a Nature as God taken up in the Contemplation of his own Perfections and Happiness to be concern'd about III. Bad Men that own a God and a Providence seeing their Crimes unpunish'd fall into another Error It raises them to a great Confidence about the Nature of those Actions which because God does not Punish they think cannot be Bad (c) Prospetum ac felix Sçelus Virtus vocatur Sen. They take this Impunity for a Token of the Divine Liking and Approbation as Dionysius said the Gods were pleased with his Sacriledge when they sent him a prosperous Voyage after he had robb'd their Temples (d) Cicer. ut Supr §. 83. How often is Success urged in the World to justifie the goodness of an Action This may have some weight as to Publick Societies which have their Reward in this World Outward Prosperity may be indeed a good Indication of God's Favour to Publick and National Interests A very good Sign of his Blessing upon great Transactions wherein Kingdome are concern'd But t is a very fallacious Rule to judge of Particular Actions and Cases by these External Administrations of Providence And there is this pecular inconvenience in it That t is the greatest Impediment I know to Repentance and Amendment of Life For how should that Man Repent who is possessed with an Opinion that a Fact for which he is call'd upon to ask God Forgiveness has had the Divine Stamp and Testimony of Success to prove the lawfulness of it These Delusions are frequent among Men. IV. There is a Fault incident to many otherwise Good Men. They are uneasie at the Impunity of Bad Men in the World They repine at the Patience and Long-suffering of God towards them And this undoubtedly is a Sin For is their Eye Evil because their Master is Good (e) Mat. xx 15. And ought they not to acquiesce in the Divine Methods and Dispensations and adore the Righteousness of God's Ways in the World altho' perhaps they cannot comprehend them Thus Jonah was Angry because God spared Nineveh (f) Jonah iv 1 2. I knew says he that thou art a Gracious God and Merciful slow to Anger and of great Kindness and repentest thee of the Evil. A strange reason to be Angry with God for And there appears to have been something of this Spirit and Temper in the Author of the LXXIII Psalm (g) Ver. 2. c. As for me my feet were almost gone my Steps had well nigh slip'd For I was envious at the Foolish when I saw the Prosperity of the Wicked For there are no Bands in their Death but their strength is firm They are not in trouble as other Men neither are they plagued like other Men. Behold these are the Ungodly who prosper in the World They increase in Riches Verily I have cleansed my Heart in vain and washed my hands in Innocency For all day long have I been plagued and chastned every Morning And Jeremiah expostulates thus the matter with God (h) Chap. xii Ver. 1 2. Righteous art thou O Lord when I plead with thee Yet let me talk with thee of thy Judgments Wherefore doth the way of the Wicked prosper Wherefore are all they happy that deal very Treacherously Thou hast planted them yea they have taken root They grow yea they bring forth Fruit. V. But the Great and Common Evil that is among Men arising from the Impunity of Bad Men in the World is that there are very Few that from thence do not take Encouragement to go on securely in their Sins not dreading that Punishment which some think will never come others look on at such a Distance that the