SER M. and Equity, that, in thofe Cafes, in which it XVIII. pleases Almighty God thus immediately to in

terpofe, and bring immediate Defolation upon

any Society, for the fake of the Wickedness of Many of the Men who compofe it; That, I fay, in fuch Cafes, the truly Good Men belonging to it should be preferved and delivered. Otherwife, thefe Calamities could not well be faid to be decreed, or wrought, by God himfelf, for the Punishment of fuch Wickedness only.

And this appears plainly to be the very Foundation and Strength of Abraham's Argument, in the Eighteenth Chapter of Genefis. There -we find, at the 20th Verfe, That God is faid to condefcend to inform Abraham of his Refolution with regard to Sodom and Gomorrah, which, it is plain from Abraham's Answer, was a Declaration, that He would himfelf interpofe, and bring a total Destruction upon those Cities, folely on account of the enormous Wickedness of the Inhabitants. This was the Fact, which · moved Abraham to the Boldness of Arguing with God himself, upon the Principles of Juftice and Equity, from Verse 23, to the End. Wilt Thou alfo destroy the Righteous with the Wicked- That be far from Thee to do after this manner, to flay the Righteous with the Wicked; and that the Righteous fhould be as the Wicked;

That

That be far from thee. Shall not the Judge of all s ER M. the Earth do right? This is his Argument, xvIII. Since this Destruction is to be brought upon these Places for the Sins of the Wicked only, ftrict Juftice requires that the righteous Part of the People should not be deftroyed for the Wickedness of Others, for the fake of which alone the Destruction is brought. Abraham's main Intention is not to intercede for Thofe whofe Iniquities were full; but to contend, from the Nature of Juftice, and of God himself, That a Method ought to be found for the Prefervation of the Righteous, in fuch a particular Cafe. And we fee, the Great God is fo far from being difpleased with a Mortal Man for pretending to argue with him, from fuch excellent Principles; that He plainly approves of the Argument, and goes fo far as to declare, That, rather than the Righteous fhall not be preferved, He will, for their Sakes, if a Few be found, fpare the City, and even put off the Destruction of the Wicked, now ripe for his Vengeance. And, as it appears that there was but one good Man and Family there; This one Man and Family alone are preferved. And thus we fee, that it is the Representation of Holy Scripture, that Good Men are actually delivered, and preferved, according to the Rules of Juftice, by that God, that Righteous Judge of Cc 2

the

SER M, the Earth, in thofe Defolations and DestructiXVIII. ons, which He himself immediately brings

upon a People, exprefly and merely on account of the crying Wickedness, of the Worft Part of them. And this is the Cafe particularly meant in the Objection. For,

4. As for Those Destructive, or Calamitous Events, apparently arifing from the Original Frame and Contexture of this Earth, or of the Air around it; or from the Imperfections, Weakneffes, and Wickednefs of Men themselves, the Inhabitants of this Earth; or from any the like Caufes; the Good Part of Mankind, (the Beft of whom have many Imperfections, and are placed Here, only as in a Country, defigned not for a Paradise, or their Heaven, but for a State of Probation, fuitable to the Ends propofed by their Maker,) ought not to complain, that They partake with the Wicked in fuch Sort of Evils, natural to this State. Nor do the Juftice and Equity of God's Government need any Vindication, on account of Good Men suffering with the Wicked, in these and the like common Calamities of Nature, any more than They do, on account of his not exempting the Best of Men from the common Lot of Sickness, and even Death itfelf, pronounced and executed equally upon

the Bad and the Good, the Just Man and the SER M. Sinner, in this World.

This is all that I can prefume to offer concerning the Cafe of good Men's fuffering, in Calamities brought upon any Nation, for the Sins of Others: And if what I have faid upon so dark a Subject, not entirely laid open to our Capacities, cannot fully answer the Curiofity of Some, or the honeft Defire of Satisfaction in Others, yet it feems fufficient to abate the Force of the Objection; and to give Them fome ground to think, that there may be still ftronger Reasons, in the Counfels of the Allknowing GOD, for this Method of proceeding with the Beft, as well as Worft, Part of his imperfect Creatures, in this prefent State of Things.

Having thus gone over the Three principal Points I first propofed; and then confidered Two Difficulties, arifing upon Them; I will only now make a fhort Application of all to Ourselves, and our own Nation.

If it appears from what has been faid, That Succefs and Profperity have, by the Command and Laws of the Great Governour of the World, attended upon Families, and Nations, where Religion and Virtue have been encouraged and practifed; we may conclude, that the fame will wait upon Us, if Religion and Virtue are Cc3

en

XVIII.

If we

SER M. encouraged and practised amongst us. XVIII. read that his Wrath has been executed, and remarkable Vengeance taken, upon Nations in which Impiety and Immorality have been triumphant; we may be certain, that Desolation and Deftruction is appointed for Us, if Impiety and Debauchery triumph in the fame manner amongst us. And, to be more particular, As We find by the Words upon which I have been difcourfing, and other Paffages of the Gospel, that the Nation of the Jews, in our Saviour's Time, were called upon to caft back their Eyes upon all the Trials God had formerly made of them, and all the Methods He had ufed to amend them; not only by his Prophets, but by all his Mercies, and all his Judgments: and were plainly told, that after all the ungrateful Returns made by them, God would not strive with them much longer; but that, if they did not truly repent, and receive their Meffiah, the Day of Deftruction was foon to come upon them: fo, We of this Nation may find too much Reason to think that That Day is not at any very great Distance from us, beyond which God will not try us, or bear with us; I mean, if we confider how many Methods he has used to awaken us, and how little we have hitherto been alarmed, to any good Purpose of Amendment: how many Happineffes and Mer