SECT. 12, 13.] PROMISED OF OLD. 155
whole person and all his concernments, to the displeasure and curse of God; to all the ewil which in this world he feels, or fears in another; to death temporal and eternal. And hence did all the dis- order which is in the universe arise. All this we have found them freely testifying unto. And this must be acknowledged by all men who will not brutishly deny what their own consciences dictate unto them, and what the condition of the whole lower world proclaims, or irrationally ascribe such things unto God as are utterly inconsistent with his wisdom, goodness, righteousness, and holiness. And,—
Secondly, We have manifested their acknowledgment that a prin- ciple of sin or moral evil hath invaded the nature of man, or that from the sin of our first parents there is an “evil concupiscence” in the heart of every man, continually and incessantly inclining the soul unto operations suitable unto it; that is, unto all moral evil whatever.
From both these it unavoidably follows, on the first notions of the righteousness, holiness, veracity, and faithfulness of God, that mankind in this estate and condition can justly expect nothing but a confluence of evil in this world, and at the close of their pil- grimage to perish with a ruin commensurate unto their existence. _For God having, in wisdom and righteousness, as the sovereign Lord of his creatures, given them a law, good, just, and equal; and having appointed the penalty of death, and his everlasting displea- sure therein, unto the transgression thereof; and withal having sufficiently promulgated both law and penalty (all which things we have before demonstrated) ; the transgression prohibited actually ensuing, God himself being judge, it remains that all this constitu- tion of a law and threatening of a penalty was vain and ludicrous, as Satan in the serpent pretended, or that mankind is rendered absolutely miserable and cursed, and that for ever. Now, which of these is to be concluded, divine revelation in the Scripture, reason, and the event of things, will readily determine.
13. That God, without the least impeachment of his righteousness or goodness, might have left all mankind remediless in this condition, is manifest, both from what hath been discoursed concerning the means whereby they were brought into it, and his dealing with angels on the like occasion. The condition wherein man was created was morally good and upright; the state wherein he was placed, outwardly happy and blessed; the Jaw given unto him, just and equal; the reward proposed unto him, glorious and sure; and his defection from this condition, voluntary. ‘“ What shall we say, then? is God unjust who inflicteth vengeance? God forbid.” The execution of a righteous sentence, upon the voluntary transgression of a law just and equal, hath no unrighteousness in it. And this was the sum of what God did in this matter, as to the misery that came on mankind,
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156 MESSIAH, THE DELIVERER FROM EVIL, [EXERC. VIII.
And who should judge him if he had left him for ever to “ eat of the fruit of his own ways, and to be filled with his own devices?” He had before, as expressed his power and wisdom, so satisfied his good- ness and bounty, in his creation, with his endowments and enjoy- ments according unto the law thereof; and what could man look for further at his hands?
Hence Adam, when his eyes were opened to see the nature of evil, in that actual sense which he had in his conscience of the guilt that he had contracted, had not the least expectation of relief or mercy ; and the folly of the course which he took, in hidmg himself, argues sufficiently both his present amazement and that he knew of nothing better to betake himself unto. Therefore doth he give that account of the result of his thoughts, as unto the relation that was between God and him, and what only he now looked for from him, “ I heard thy voice, and I was afraid.” Neither would any revelation that God had then made of himself, either by the works of his power and wisdom, or by any inbred impressions on the souls of men concreated with them, give encouragement unto them that had sinned against him to expect relief. Besides, he had dealt thus with angels. Upon their first sin, “ he spared them not,” but at once, without hope of recovery, cast them under the “ chains of darkness,” to be kept unto the final “judgment of the great day.’ On this our apostle discourseth unto the Hebrews, chap. ii. Now, God dealt not unsuitably unto any of the excellencies of his nature, when he left the apostatizing angels to perish without remedy unto eternity. Had he dealt so also with apos- tatizing mankind, who were drawn into a conspiracy against him by the head of the defection, his ways had still been holy and righteous.
14. Yet doth not this great instance of God’s dealing with angels absolutely conclude his leaving of mankind remediless in their misery also. He might justly do so, but thence it doth not follow that necessarily he must do so. And although the chief, and indeed only reason of his extending grace and mercy unto men, and not unto angels, was his own sovereign will and pleasure, concerning which who can say unto him, “ What doest thou?” yet there was such a difference between these two sorts of original transgressors as may manifest a condecency or suitableness unto his righteousness and goodness in his various proceeding with them; for there are sundry things that put an aggravation on the rebellion of angels above that of man, and some that render their ruin less destructive unto the glory of the universe than that of mankind would have been: for,—