Gods Goodness Vindicated, Questions
II. The falſhood and vexation of ſuch mens thoughts, whether the Melancholy or others are brought to paſs, 1. By a falſe method of Reaſoning, 2. By falſe opinions which they have before received: (I.) It is a groſly deluding and ſubverting way of Reaſoning, to begin at dark and doubtful conſequents, thence to argue againſt certain, clear fundamental Principles: As if from ſome doubts about the poſition and motion of the Starrs, or of the nature of light heat and motion, men ſhould argue that there is no Sun, or Moon, or Starrs at all: or that they have no power of Light, Heat or Motion: or as if from the many difficulties in Anatomy, about the circulation of the blood, the oleum nervoſum, the Lympha, and its veſſels, the paſſages and ſuccus of the panereas and gall, the tranſcolation through the inteſtines into the venae lacteae, the chylie glandules, and ſuch like, one ſhould ariſe to a concluſion that there is no blood, no chyle, no veines, no glandules, no head no body: or from the Controverſie, whether the Heart be a meer Muſcle without any proper paronchymae, one ſhould grow to conclude that there is no heart: ſo ſuch perſons from points beyond mans reach, about Gods decrees and intentions and the myſteries of providence, conclude or doubt againſt Gods Goodneſs; that is, whether indeed there be a God: I have ſpoken ſo fully to this caſe in my Reaſons of the Chriſt. Rel. p. 95. and in that whole Chapter, that I would deſire you to peruſe it. I ſhall now only give you twenty Queſtions which the tempted perſon may challenge all the ſubtilty and malice of Hell to anſwer; for it is eaſie to Juſtifie the Goodneſs of God.
Queſt. 1. Is it not certain that there is a world, in which is abundance of Created Goodneſs? The Earth is but a point as to all the World: There is a Sun, and Moon, and multitudes of glorious Starrs, which are many of them manifold greater than the Earth. There are Angels, there are men, there are variety of Creatures in this low part of the Creation, which have all their excellency; All the men on Earth cannot by any contribution of their counſels, diſcern the ten thouſandth part of the excellency of this little parcel of Gods works: And as to the whole, it is next to nothing which we comprehend: Every Worme, every plant, excelleth the higheſt human apprehenſion: Is there no Phyſical Goodneſs in all this unmeaſurable, this harmonious, this glorious frame? Look about you, look upwards, and deny it if you can: And is there no Moral goodneſs in holy men and Angels: And is there no felicity and Glorious Goodneſs in all the Heavens? What mind can be ſo black, as to deny all Created Goodneſs?
Queſt. 2. Is not all the Goodneſs of the whole Creation communicated from God? Did it make it ſelf? or who elſe made it? Are not all effects from their cauſes? And is he not the firſt cauſe? ſee what I have ſaid to prove this fully in the aforeſaid Treatiſe.
Queſt. 3. Hath God made a world that is better than himſelf? Could he give more goodneſs than he had to give? Muſt not he needs be better than all his works?
Queſt. 4. Is he fit to be quarrelled with for want of Goodneſs, who hath infinitely, more Goodneſs than the whole world beſides: More than Sun and Starrs, Heaven and Earth, Angels and Men, all ſet together in all their ſingle and their united, harmonious worth? If he be better than all, is he not moſt beyond accuſation or exception?
Queſt. 5. Muſt not God neceſſarily excell his works? muſt he needs make every worm a God? or muſt he make any God, or equal to himſelf? Is not that a contradiction? And is there not neceſſarily an Imperfection in all that is not God? Nothing can be ſo great, ſo wiſe, ſo good, ſo holy, ſo immutable, ſo ſelf-ſufficient, ſo bleſſed, as God.
Queſt. 6. Is not Gods Creation a harmonious Ʋniverſe, of which Individuals are but the parts: Are not the Parts for the whole, and their worth to be valued for the whole, or for the common ends; muſt every pin in a Watch or every ſtitch in your Garment or every part of your houſe, or every member of your Body and every humour or excrement in it, have that excellency which may ſimply dignifie it ſelf in a compared or ſeparated ſenſe? or rather muſt it not have that excellency with belongeth to it as a part of the whole, for the common end of all together? Is not that beſt, that is beſt to the order, beauty, and uſefulneſs of the univerſal frame?
Queſt. 7. Is it neceſſary to …his end, or to prove Gods Goodneſs that all Individuals, or ſpecies of Creatures muſt be of the higheſt rank or excellency? Is God wanting in Goodneſs, if every Man be not an Angel, or every Angel made unchangeable, or every unlearned man a Doctor, or every Star a Sun, or every cloud or clod a Star, or every beaſt a man, or every Worm an Elephant, or every Weed a Roſe, or every Member a Heart or Head, or every excrement, Blood and Spirits: will you think that a man doth reaſon like a man who thus diſputeth, [He that doth not do that which is beſt when he can do it, is not perfectly good, and therefor… is not God. But he tha… maketh Toads and Serpents and maketh the guts the paſſage of filthy excrement when he could have mad… them equal with the heart doth not do that which i… beſt when he can do it Therefore he is not perfectly good, Therefore he is no… God: Therefore there is no God: Therefore there i… no Creator, Therefore th… World hath no cauſe, o… made it ſelf and preſerveth it ſelf: Therefore I made my ſelf, and muſt rule and preſerve my ſelf▪] Conclude next, [Therefore I will never ſuffer, nor die, …nd thus prove the wiſdom of ſuch reaſoning, if you can.
Queſt. 8. If God made man and all things, Did he not make them for himſelf, for the pleaſure of his own will? Muſt be not needs in reaſon be the end of all, who is the Beginning and cauſe of all? And is not that means the Beſt, which is apteſt to the End? And doth not the proper Goodneſs of a means conſiſt in its aptitude to promote the End? And then is not that the Goodneſs of all Creatures, (partly to be what the Creatour efficiently maketh them, and partly) to fulfil his will, and what Creature hath not this Goodneſs a… to the abſolute will of his Decrees which all fulfill.
Queſt. 10. Are not now both theſe concluſions of infallible certainty, and therefore not at all contradictory, 1. That God is moſt Good, becauſe he is the cauſe of all the Good in the whole Creation, 2. And yet that there are Toads, Serpents, Darkneſs, Death, Sickneſs, pains, &c. which therefore are no whit inconſiſtent with his Goodneſs? neither of them being capable of a denyal, or of a ſober doubt.
Queſt. 10. Is not an Angel, and Man, endued with Reaſon and Free-will, and left to chooſe or refuſe his own Rectitude and Felicity (or miſery,) capable of Knowing, Loving, Serving and Enjoying God, if he will; and inſtructed by a Perfect holy Law (with Rewards and Puniſhments) to chooſe aright, I ſay, Is not ſuch a Creature as noble and as meet for God to make as a ſtone or a toad or worm, or Serpent? If God chooſe to pleaſe his own holy will, by making a world of ſuch Intellectual free agents, whom he will (ordinarily) rule by the way of Moral Lawes and Motives, is this any diſparagement to his Wiſdome and Goodneſs? It is true, that ſuch a mutable free-will is below a confirmed immutable will. But it is as true, that a Toad is below a man. And that Infinite wiſdome thought not meet to make all his Creatures of one rank or ſize, not to make all faces alike, nor all the ſtones in the ſtreet alike, but in wonderful variety. It is not then unbeſeeming God to make a world of Rational free agents; under ſuch a moral Government by Laws.
Queſt. 11. If all theſe free agents have abuſed their Liberty and undone themſelves, if he ſo far ſhew mercy to them all, as that they may be all happy if they will, and none of them ſhall periſh but for wilfull and final refuſing of the ſaving means and mercy which is offered to them; and if they will, they may live with God himſelf, and Chriſt and Angels in endleſs Glory; and none ſhall loſe this free-given felicity but for final refuſal and contempt, preferring certain vanity and dung before it, And if officers be commiſſioned and means provided, to acquaint all, in ſeveral meaſures with the reaſons why they ſhould chooſe Heaven and Holineſs before the dirty pleaſures of ſin, and to importune them daily to ſuch a choice; And if a life of mercies be granted to allure them, and afflictions to drive them, and examples to invite them to chooſe aright. I ſay after all this, have any of theſe perſons cauſe to complain, that God dealeth not mercifully with them? Shall they, that will not accept of life and mercy offered them, accuſe him as cruel that importuneth them to accept it?
Queſt. 12. Is the Goodneſs of a King to be judged of by the Intereſt of Murderers in the Goal? when he reſtrained them by Laws, when he warned them by legal penalties, when he encourageth and protecteth all the Good, When the lives of the Innocent need this ſeverity againſt the wicked; when the Common Wealth would take him to be bad, that would not reſtrain Thieves and Murderers by penalties: Yea though this King could if he would, have ſet a conſtant guard on theſe men to have kept theſe men from Murdering, but he thinketh meet only to Govern them by Laws: Will you rather argue, (That the Goal is a place of miſery, Therefore the King is cruel) Then (The reſt of the Kingdom flouriſh in proſperity and peace: Therefore the King is wiſe and gratious.) And is not this little dirty ſpot of Earth, the next door to Hell, a place defiled by wilful ſin, and unfit to be the Index of Gods benignity, from whence we ſhould take an Eſtimate of it?
Queſt. 13. Do not all men in the World confeſs Gods Goodneſs firſt or laſt? Do not all true believers (that are themſelves) acknowledge, that he is Infinitely Good, and Good to them, and that his mercy is over all his works, and endureth for ever? And do not the Conſciences of the Damned grind and tear them for the contempt of Goodneſs, and ſetting againſt mercy, even mercy to themſelves? This is the fewel that feedeth Hell not by way of deluſion, but experimental conviction. If the man that doubteth of Gods Goodneſs and mercy to him, do deſpair, or fear damnation, he fooliſhly contradicteth himſelf. For Hell and Damnation is a ſtate of miſery and torment, in the loſs, and in the Conſcience and ſenſe of refuſed and abuſed mercy. If therefore God be not merciful to you, then you need not fear being damned, for ſinning againſt and refuſing mercy: For that which is not, cannot be ſinned againſt, or abuſed: If God be merciful, you may be ſaved if you will accept this mercy: If he be not, you cannot in Juſtice be damned for rejecting that mercy which was none. And if God be not merciful and Juſt, he is not God. And if there be no God, there is none to damn you. But all confeſs in Heaven and in Hell, ſome with Joy and ſome with ſelf-tormenting anguiſh that God was unconceiveably Good and merciful.
Queſt. 14. What if it were but one or two in a whole Kingdom that were damned, and that only for obſtinate unperſwadable final refuſal of grace and ſalvation, and all the reſt of the World ſhould be ſaved; tell me, would you then ſtill ſuſpect God of cruelty, or deny his Goodneſs? If not, I further ask you;
Queſt. 15. Have you ſo good acquaintance with the extent of the univerſe, the ſuperiour World ▪ the number of Angels and bleſſed ſpirits, as that you are ſure that it is proportionably more in the whole univerſe, that are miſerable? Though ſome pieviſh men have wrangled at what I have ſaid of this in my forecited Books, I am ſo far from flattering their ſelf conceited Wiſdom that I will ſay it over again, That it is agreed on by Philoſophers that the Earth as to the univerſe, is no bigger than a point or inch is to the whole earth; we ſee over our heads, a wonderful Sun, a multitude of fixed and unfixed Stars, of wonderful magnitude, divers of them many times bigger than all the earth; beſides the vaſt Ethereal interſpaces; we ſee in a Tube or Teleſcope a marvellous Likeneſs of the Moon to this Earth, with Shades, inequalities, &c. Multitudes of Starrs in the Galaxie and elſewhere, are diſcernable in the Teleſcope, which without it no eye can ſee; Little know we how far the World extendeth it ſelf, beyond all theſe Starrs and Sun which we can ſee: or whether there be Millions of the like beyond our ſight: The Scripture telleth us of innumerable Angels, Holy and Glorious ſpirits that attend Chriſt in the ſervice of this lower World. No Scripture telleth us whether all the Glorious or bleſſed Spirits be thus imployed as Angels for Mankind, or whether ten Thouſand Thouſand fold more be otherwiſe employed. No Scripture or Reaſon telleth us whether Sun or Moon, Starrs and intermediate Aether, be inhabited or not? It is temerity to affirm that they are. And it is as great temerity to ſay that they are not: It is lawful to doubt: And it is lawful to conjecture that it is moſt probable they are, Conſidering, 1. That l…fe is the excellency of the Creation, and the deadeſt parts are the baſeſt, 2. That the Earth, and Water, and Aire are full of Men, Beaſts, Fiſhes, Birds, Worms, Flies, &c. 3. That it is incredible to him that looketh upward, that Sun, Moon, Starrs and Aether, are baſer Regions than this dirty Earth; and conſequently that they are baſer as to their uſe and inhabitants: Theſe thoughts of an uncertain thing, are lawful, to him that will go no further than he hath evidence, and not make an uncertain thing ſeem certain; And certain it is, that ſpirits are innumerable. And though ſome of theſe are fallen to be Devils, God hath not told us how many: Nor can we know that it is one to a million of happier Creatures. And can that man then, who is offended with God, not for damning a very few, but for the proportion of the damned in compariſon of others, tell what he ſaith: can he ſay, if God had caſt off all this Earth; that it had been more than one of a million of millions as to the whole Creation. Its true I cannot tell the number: But it is as true that when our foundation is ſure; that God is infinitely wiſe and Good, it is madneſs to accuſe him as unwiſe, or evil, or cruel, for that which we muſt confeſs we do not know; and to talk againſt him in the dark. Stay till you ſee who dwelleth in all the ſuperiour Regions and then take your ſelves for fitter diſcerners of your makers wayes.
Queſt. 16. Are you well acquainted with the nature and degrees of the future miſeries which tempt you to think that God is cruel? They are not all of one degree; What if much of them be ſtill voluntary to the miſerable ſouls? The Devils who are now tormented in Hell, are yet inhabitants of the air, and exerciſed in voluntary acts of Malice. I take it to be no ſmall degree of Hell which the ungodly chooſe and love and poſſeſs among us here on Earth, and will not be diſſwaded from; They are without all holy Communion with God, and they would be ſo, They are out of Heaven and they would be ſo; They are debaſed and confined to ſenſual pleaſures, and wordly vanities and they will be ſo; They are the drudges of the Devil and the ſervants of the fleſh, and the ſlaves of men, and they would be ſo; They are defiled with ſin, and impriſoned in their own Concupiſcence and they would be ſo: They are corrupted and tantalized, and vexed, and toſſed up and down by their irregular deſires; In a word, they have the plague of ſin and have neither holineſs nor true happineſs, and ſo they will have it to be and will not be cured; Now theſe tempted perſons can ſee a miſery in pain; but can ſee no ſuch evil in ſin, for which ſuch pain ſhould be inflicted: when as ſin it ſelf and that which they are willing of, is ſo great a part of their miſery, as that in this life, the reſt is as nothing to it. And though, no doubt, much will be involuntary hereafter, we know not what the proportion will be between the voluntary and Involuntary part.
And what makes theſe men that they do not pitty a Drunkard, a Fornicator, a Worldling, a ſenſual Lord or Gentleman that hath no better than the ſhadows which he chooſeth? Neither the Tempted, nor they themſelves would call God cruel if he would let them ſo live in health for ever; even a healthful Beggar would call God Merciful if he might never die, nor be more miſerable. But Princes or Lords would call him cruel if he ſhould put them into the Beggars or Labourers caſe: You accuſe not God as Cruel for making Toads and Serpents, Worms and Vermine, becauſe they are not troubled with their own condition; But if you could imagine them to have the knowledge how much happier Man is, the caſe would alter: Or if God ſhould change men into Toads and Serpents, you would call him unmerciful; when yet he is no more bound antecedently …o man than unto them: Thus becauſe theſe tempted perſons have as Adam, when his eyes were opened, … diſquieting knowledge, to know Good and Evil penally; their own apprehenſions (as Adams of his Nakedneſs) maketh that ſeem cruelty, which ſeemed a fruit of Goodneſs before.
The ſumm is, when you come into another world, and ſee what manner of puniſhment it is that God exerciſeth on the damned, (as well as on how many) you will then be perfectly ſatisfied, that there is nothing but that amiable Juſtice, which is the fruit of Holineſs, Goodneſs and Wiſdom in it all; and you ſhall ſee nothing in the puniſhment of the miſerable which you ſhall either blame or wiſh were otherwiſe, if you come to Heaven.
To which let me adde, when you come to ſee the Heavenly Glory and how the God of infinite Goodneſs hath advanced ſuch innumerable Hoſts (if not Worlds) of Men and Angels into ſuch wonderful felicity, and compare this with the ſufferings of the Devils and of his damned followers, inſtead then of quarrelling with the Goodneſs of God, you will be wrapt up in the admirations and Praiſes of it with ful… delights, to all Eternity.
Queſt. 17. And tell me, Is he fit to entertain ſuſpicions and quarrels with God▪ who knoweth God to be God▪ and knoweth himſelf to be but a man; I ſpeak not only in reſpect of our inferiority, as the Potſheard ſhould not quarrel with the Potter: But in reſpect of our great and certain Ignorance: Are we not puzzled about the pooreſt Worm and pile of Graſs (whoſe manifold myſteries no Mortal man can yet Diſcover) Are we not groſly ignorant about every thing (even viſible and palpable) which we ſee, and touch and have to do with: Do we not know that we know but little, even of our ſelves, or of any thing about us in the world? And ſhall the darkened ſoul, while it muſt operate in ſuch a puddle of brains and humours, be ſo madly proud, as to preſume of a knowledge, which findeth out errours and badneſs in God, who is infinitely wiſe and good? Nothing is more ſure than that God is moſt wiſe and Good; and nothing ſhould be eaſilier known to us, than that we are very blind and bad: And if ſuch wretches then cannot reconcile their thoughts about Gods works, ſhould they not rather ſuſpect themſelves than him? ſuſpect, did I ſay? ſhould they not take it as the ſureſt verity, that it is, God, that is not only Juſtifiable, but infinitely Amiable and Laudable, and that it is worſe than bruitiſhneſs, for ſuch Moles to be his accuſers?
Queſt. 18. Yea is this accuſing God, a fit employment for that perſon, who liveth in a Land of mercies; who hath been bred up in mercy, preſerved by mercy, … differenced by ſaving mercy from the ungodly; who hath been called from blindneſs, carnality and prophaneneſs, and entertained many a time in holy Worſhip with God; who hath been waſhed in Chriſts blood and Juſtified from ſo many and grievous ſins, and made of an enemy an adopted Child, and of an heir of Hell, an heir of Heaven, and all this by the tender mercies of a provoked God, a gratious Redeemer, and a holy Sanctifier? Shall this perſon? I ſay, this, be one that inſtead of praiſing God with the raptures of continual Joy, ſhall turn his accuſer? O let the guilty that readeth this, ſtop here, and fall down on his knees to God, and melt into tears in the ſenſe of ſuch unkindneſs.
Queſt. But can a Child of God be poſſibly guilty of ſo great a ſin as this?
Anſw. I ſpeak not now of the malignant Atheiſt: But of the Melancholy tempted perſon: Alas, it is the Melancholy diſeaſe, and the Devil, more than he: God pittyeth his Childrens frowardneſs, eſpecially when neceſſitated naturally by Diſeaſes: and he that pardoned pieviſh Jonas, that ſaid, I do well to be angry to the death; and complaining Job; and excuſed his ſleepy Diſciples with [The Spirit is willing but the fleſh is weak,] will not condemn an upright ſoul, for the effect of a feaveriſh deliration, or a Melancholy that overcomes his natural power of reſiſtance.
Queſt. 19. Would you thus argue or quarrel againſt Gods Greatneſs and Wiſdom, as you do againſt his Goodneſs? You ſuſpect him to be unmerciful, becauſe he cureth not mens ſins, and preventeth not their damnation. And have you not the like occaſion to argue againſt his other perfections? Do you think he reaſoneth ſoberly that ſaith, [He that maketh Aſſes when he might have made them men, or maketh Ideots, or maketh ſtones that know nothing; He that is the Governour of ſuch a fooliſh, diſtracted, confuſed world as mankind is, is fooliſh himſelf or unskilful in Government or wanteth wiſdome: But God doth thus] Is he not worſe than a fool that will accuſe his God of folly? Doth not the admirable harmony of all the world, and his wonderful work in every Creature, prove his incomprehenſible Wiſdom? And what would you ſay to him that ſhould thus reaſon [He that maketh impotent wormes, that ſuffereth the Good to die, that ſuffereth the Tyrants of the Earth to perſecute his Church and cauſe, is Impotent, and not Almighty: But ſo doth God] Would you not ſay, [I have the wonderful frame of Heaven, and Earth, the Sun and Staars, the Sea and Land to prove to me that he is Almighty. This therefore is a proved foundation truth, to which all doubts muſt be reduced:] And if you dare not be ſo impudent as to deny his Omniſcience or Omnipotence, when you think there is errour or impotency in his works: Why will you any more deny his Goodneſs, when you dream that there is badneſs in his works? Do you not know that Power, Wiſdom and Goodneſs are Gods Three eſſential Principles of Operation, Virtues, or Properties? And that they are none of them greater or leſs than other? And that his Goodneſs (though not as to be meaſured by humane Intereſt) is equal to his Wiſdom and his greatneſs? And do you not know that to deny any one of the three, yea to deny the perfection of any one of them, is to deny that there is any God? And is he ſober that will argue [There are Frogs and Toads there are Wormes and Aſſes there are fools and miſerable ſinners, Therefore there is no God.] When as there could neither be any of theſe, nor any world or being, if there were no God?
Queſt. 20. Laſtly, now Conſider, whether evidently, the root of all this ſin be not (beſides Melancholy and Satan) the power of ſelfiſhneſs and ſenſual or fleſhly Intereſt. Alas, poor men, that were made for their God, to rejoyce wholly in Pleaſing him and to ſhew forth the luſtre of his Glory, are fallen unto Themſelves and Fleſh; and now they that ſhould wholly devote and referr themſelves to God, do ſtrive to make God a ſervant to themſelves, and meaſure his Goodneſs by the Standard of their fleſhly ſence and Intereſt; And God ſhall be with them no longer Good, that is no longer God, than he will give them their wills, and ſerve their fleſh, and keep them from croſſes, and loſſes, and pains, and govern the World according to their fancies; And when they are committing this odious ſelf-exalting Idolatry, and abaſing God, even then will they Judge themſelves both Wiſer, and more merciful than he: Yea, when a Melancholy man deſpaireth in the ſenſe of his own ſin and badneſs, at that very time he thinketh himſelf more Merciful than the God of Infinite Goodneſs, and accuſeth his God for being crueller than he himſelf. O man into what diſtraction and confuſion art thou faln, when thou departeſt from thy God and ſinkeſt into that blind and wretched ſelf?
And tell me, what if but the wills of all the poor, the pained, the dying, &c. were but reconciled to their ſuffering-ſtate? would that which pleaſeth the will be matter of any complaint? You may ſee then that it is not Gods providence, &c. but the wills and waies of ſinners that are the diſeaſed cauſes of all their wranglings. And if our wills were cured and reduced to Gods will, we ſhould find no fault with him; If I can but be truly willing of impriſonment, poverty, or death, how can I feel any thing in it to complain of? When even ſinners (as aforeſaid) do obſtinately here take their miſery for their happineſs, and are contented with it ſo farr as it is voluntary.
By that time theſe twenty Queſtions are Anſwered, the accuſations of God as wanting Goodneſs, will all turn to the accuſers ſhame.