A Discourse of the Judgments of God, Chapter 2
CHAP. II. An Explanation of the Nature of Judgments.
THe Judgments of God are like another Volumn of his Wo…ks, fitted firſt for our contemplation; As the inviſible things of him from the Creation of the world, are clearly ſeen, being underſtood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead: ſo are the ſame arrayed in juſtice and righteouſneſs, apparent in thoſe that are as it were unmade, and decreated in his wrath. For ſeeing that immenſe Eſſence cannot be comprehended in his own Globe of light and purity, we need all the refractions he is pleaſed to make of himſelf, that we may underſtand him. Theſe of his wrath, which is holineſs provoked by ſin, declare that part of his glory: and there is no ſpeech or language where their voice is not heard. For their line is gone out through all the Earth, and their words to the ends of the world. In them hath he ſet a Tabernacle for his Juſtice, which rejoyceth as a ſtrong man to run his race, and the acts of it in their ſeaſon are new every morning. For they are as the light that goeth forth.
Before we enter into the Rational parts of this Diſcourſe, let us ſtand and behold the ſtate and order of Judgments as in Theory.
1. Judgments are thoſe evils that exceed the ſtandard vanity and vexation of ſpirit, that are the every days complaint of the whole Creation, rational, ſenſitive, and inſenſate, in their ſeveral kinds of deploration of themſelves. For theſe are the Covenant made with all things after the Fall, and as it were the very terms and conditions upon which they ſtand in the world, and not new things under the Sun to move wonder and ſearch: Yea that death and diſſolution into which every thing below the Heavens ſinks, either by degrees, or unawares, and is loſt in that dark, amounts not to the nature of what we call Judgment; but moves with life in ſuch a kind of even viciſſitude, as day and night, and inter-changes with as little noiſe.
But Judgments are the hand of God lifted up to ſhew a greater indignation. The former are indeed the angry prints and Characters of a ſetled Juſtice, that reſts and fixes upon that radical pravity and evil of mans nature, and keeps pace and conſtant motion with the continual actuations of it.
But as there is a difference between the diſtempered ſtate and corruption of Mankind, with its ſcintillations, as from a perpetual fire, and more notorious enormities; ſo is there between the unintermitted diſcipline that chaſtiſes man, as a Creature out of the firſt favor and grace with God, and thoſe more terrible approaches, when he comes out of his place, and does his ſtrange work upon ſinners, that they dye not the common deaths of men.
Yet in both theſe, viz. natural corruption, and conſtant infelicity, lye the ſeeds and matter; which being either ſuddenly blown up, or by degrees gathered together, ſwell high in an inſtant, or with leiſure grow to a ſum correſponding each other.
For as depraved Nature breaks out into outragious impiety, or by repeated acts of it ſelf, riſes to its meaſure; ſo it is anſwered by God with ſudden Thunder-claps of his wrath, or the bringing out thoſe Treaſures, that by daily additions have been amaſſed, and are iſſued out in the juſt ſeaſons appointed by him.
In the mean time, as there are many excellent Rules of Religion and Morality conſiſtent with the one, which do not only govern particular perſons, who are Heroick herein, but ſpread themſelves by wholſome Laws and Counſels upon Communities, and adorn the Chronicle of that Age, of which they have firſt been the ſtability: ſo are there great accounts of the goodneſs of God contemporary with the other, and rich acts of his bounty, which do moſt eminently bleſs whole Nations as well as perſons, and recommend the times current over them to poſterity, as proſperous and happy: but all the whole world is neither acquitted from this guilt of univerſal corruption, nor exempted from the miſery ſo cloſely woven into every ſtate of it.
This condition of the world hath given occaſion to great inquiries, how it lapſed into it; ſome reſolution of which is hereafter intended: but now we obſerve how much even this differs from the more tumultuous and diſſoluted appearance of things under Judgment, when a reſemblance of the Garden of Eden becomes a Wilderneſs, and what we now call Proſperity, is clouded with over-ruling adverſity. We come into the world, and finding it as it is in its moſt conſtant eſtate, think it was never better, till by way of negation, removing the evils we perceive to be ſuch, and viâ eminentiae, meaſuring how much higher things might have been, we aſcend in our thoughts to the firſt perfection. But Judgments, without any ſuch circuit or elaboration, are down-right proofs of wrath and miſery, and that things are not as they were deſigned to be.
2. The intention of this Diſcourſe is eſpecially to obſerve Judgments, as they comprehend Nations, and infold Communities: For though God viſits obſcureſt perſons, and Families with them, yet they renown themſelves by their large ſpread upon greater pieces of the world, and the ſtretch of themſelves upon Thrones, Cities, and Countries, over which they draw the line of confuſion and deſolation; in ſo much that their deſcriptions are proportionable to that general diſſolution of all things, at the end of the world: of which they are indeed ſmaller Maps and preparatory introductions. The Prophet foretelling theſe, ſpeaks in a language proper to the day of Judgment; when the mountains ſhall tremble out of their places, and the foundations of the earth diſcover themſelves; the Sun and Moon reſign their light, and the Stars forſake their Orbs, and fall from their Heaven. All which ſolemnities are borrowed to repreſent the down-fall and judgment of particular places and Kingdoms.
While we conſider them thus, they are upon a hill, and fitter for general obſervation, as being more publick, and inſtructions from them more comprehenſive; though the ſame reaſons have place, and like admonitions ariſe from the hand of God, however it plants it ſelf, or grounds its work, if the motions of it fall under our view, and offer themſelves to our notice.
3. Theſe Evils ariſe ſometimes from Nature turned out of its courſe, and loſing that poiſe God hath with greateſt wiſdom given it; from whence come all thoſe inequalities and intemperatures that produce Famines, Peſtilences, Earthquakes, Storms, and Deluges.
For when all things were ſetled by God in number, weight and meaſure, for the advantage of the world, and welfare of the whole Creation; there neceſſarily follows, when they are diſordered, ruine and miſery, according to the degrees of the diſorder, both through the ceſſation of that benefit, their right courſe carried with it; and alſo through the violence of cauſes out of their places, and thoſe exorbitant motions which are the fury and rage of Nature.
Beſides theſe, there are alſo the terrible conflicts of the luſts and paſſions of men ſtriving upon the great Sea of the world, roaring like Thunder, flaſhing like Lightning, tearing more greedily then Tempeſts, and that put all things into greater Convulſions then Earthquakes.
There are no greater evils upon Mankind, then thoſe of which he himſelf is the Engineer; Blood, War, Rapine, and Terror devouring without mercy, are bred in his own bowels, and executed by himſelf, being the combates of thoſe fiery exhalations which ariſe from his unruly Soul. From whence come wars and fightings among you? Come they not hence? Even from your luſts, that war in your members? And theſe often introduce as ſuddenly and inevitably thoſe Famines and Peſtilences, which come more kindly out of the hand of what in this caſe we ſtyle Nature. Throughout Scripture, and all Hiſtory, we find God in juſtice uſing man againſt himſelf, and creating him the ſevereſt enemy of his own kind. He proſecutes peccant Cities, Nations, by ſome others that are fitted to bring to paſs his righteous ends, being no leſs under him, then the ſeveral Creatures that ſeem more immediately his inſtruments, and the reins of which are acknowledged in his hand, to turn them every way as he pleaſes.
4. All theſe we define to be Judgments; that is, They come upon the world through the deſign and counſel of the ſupreme Cauſe of all things, God himſelf; and are neither Revolutions, that arriving at ſuch a Period, muſt needs ſhew themſelves like Eclipſes in ſuch a Nodus; or accidental and eventual things, that through long toſſes of them hither and thither, fall out and happen to be, and by conſtant throwing of them, hit ſometimes thus, ſometimes otherwiſe: But they are the moſt mature and ſage determinations of an infinite mind and underſtanding; that though he cuts the lines of his own motions often, and labyrinths them through one another, ſo that we can find no certain path; yet will he at laſt adjuſt all he diſpoſes, to the conviction of the whole world. And yet we ſtay not here, but purſue the ſenſe of this awful word, Judgments; in wch the Scripture comparing ſpiritual and divine things with themſelves, ſo much delights. They are the execution of a juſt and righteous Sentence of God upon the evil actions of man, according to Laws of unqueſtionable equity; wherein his own glory and the trueſt peace of the whole Creation lye together concerned (the eſtabliſhment of Order and Government requiring ſo neceſſarily the puniſhment of ſin) ſo that they are neither the diſplays of his meer pleaſure, or the Arcana Imperii, the Cabals of his Dominion or Rule of the world; but the preſence of his infinite Juſtice, and Juriſdiction over all things, how much ſoever the adminiſtration of ſo great an Empire falls within it; which doth certainly conſpire herein: as is hereafter to be ſhewn.