SERM.IV. habitual Sinner, and in that Respect the Creature of his own Hands, he has made himself eternally miferable, by those Habits, which are the Foundation of Hell.

So far, perhaps, you may be willing to allow, there is no Colour of Injustice: But this, you will fay, does not account for the Perpetuity of pofitive Punishments for temporary Crimes. To which I anfwer, that even the 'Threats of eternal pofitive Penalties are not the rigorous Decrees of mere Will and Pleasure; they are fo many kindly Forewarnings of the neceffary Effects of a rooted Averfion to Goodnefs. For it may be necessary to fecure the Happiness of the Bleffed, that, though the Good and Bad, like the Wheat and Tares, are blended together here; they should, at the End of the World, be finally fevered the one from the other. It may be necessary, that if every Region of Joy and Comfort throughout the Creation be peopled with unoffending Beings; the defperately Wicked thould be thruft down (which is a pofitive Punishment) into Places, where no Joy and Comfort dwells, and there for ever imprisoned; that their Rancour and Malice might prey upon themselves, or be discharged

discharged upon their Fellow-Criminals, SERM.IV. which, if let loose, might disturb the in

nocent Part of the World. The divine Sanctions, you fee then, are not the arbitrary Impofitions of Sovereign Power; they are the genuine Result of infinite Wisdom and Goodness, which, in Pity to the Universe, has enacted them, that the whole may receive no Detriment. And whatever other pofitive Punishments may be fuperadded; they will be exactly adjusted to the Demerits of each Offender. The Scripture exprefsly declares, that the Wicked will be beaten with fewer or more Stripes, in Proportion to the different Degrees of their Wickedness.

2dly, Let thofe, who infist fo much upon it, that the Punishment is difproportioned to the Crime; reflect, whether they do not confider Sin in one View, either as to the Fact abstractedly, or as to the Time which the Perpetration of the Fact takes up; without confidering it in all Views, and in all it's Confequences; which yet the only Way to form a true Judgment of the Malignity of it. For the Punishment is not difproportioned to Sin, habitual Sin, if confidered with all it's numerous Train

is

of

SERM.IV. of ill Confequences; the Confequences being fuch, that if unrestrained it would foon involve the whole World in one promifcuous Ruin and Defolation. It is true, one Man cannot do all this Mischief. But then one Man, who, for Inftance, acts unjustly, contributes his Part to the Introduction of univerfal Disforder and Mifery. If all fhould act as unjustly as himself, (and all have as much Right as any one Man) the Foundations of the moral World would be quite out of Course.

To explain this by a familiar Inftance, one Perfon robs another of a small Sum of Money; he is taken and fuffers Death for the Fact: Now what Proportion is there between the Punishment and the Crime ; between depriving a Man of what he perhaps could very well spare, and depriving the Perfon that did it of his Life, of his all in this World? None at all, if we confider the Crime in this Light only: But if we view it in all it's Tendencies, then the Crime is adequate to the Punishment; fince it tends to render Property, and what is valuable in this Life, precarious, and to subvert the Peace of Society.

We know not, we cannot know, how

far

SERM.IV.

far the Confequences of any one Sin may extend, how far the Influence of our Behaviour may affect all that lye within the Sphere of our Activity, thofe beneath us, and about us, our Domeftics, Relations, and Neighbours. And thefe again may spread the Contagion farther. Those that are vicious in a less Degree, however they may blame the Corruption of the World in general, are acceffary to that very Corrup tion. It is here as in a Battle: Every Perfon who fled, is apt to shift off the Blame from himself, and to lay it upon his FellowSoldiers: But if each Perfon, who gaveWay, had stood his Ground; what was a general Rout, would have been a complete Victory. Sin then deferves the greatest Evil, because it is oppofite to the greatest Good, the univerfal Intereft: and as a confirmed Habit of Sin implies the Love of it, a continual Love of what is oppofite to the greatest Good, muft continually or for ever deferve the greatest Evil.

We

may harangue as long as we please upon God's Benevolence. But no Arguments can be drawn from it to foften the feeming Rigour of the divine Sanctions. For univerfal Benevolence must consult the Good

of

SERM. IV. of the whole; which can never be done by abating the Penalties threatned to Vice and much less by removing all Apprehenfi ons of fuffering hereafter, and confequently emboldening Wickedness; but by awakening careless Sinners, and ftriking a Terror: into determined Offenders. Whatever Sanctions are most effectual to compass this End, must be most agreeable to the Goodness of the divine Legiflator, who cannot promote the Happiness of the whole, without fecuring the Obfervance of his Laws. If to annex fuch Penalties be for the Good of the whole; then what is for the Good of the whole, cannot be Injustice to any par ticular Perfon; fince the Good of each particular Perfon is naturally and originally wrapt up in, and connected with, that of the whole. And there is a previous obligation upon every one that comes into the World, either to do thofe Duties, or fubmit to thofe Penalties, which preserve or promote the general Happiness, with which his own was primarily interwoven. God would have enforced our Obedience to Him with lefs Penalties, if less had been fufficient. But it is plain, that lefs Punishments would not have answered the End; fince even

those