Practical Reflections on the Late Earthquakes, Chapter 3
CHAP. III.
We ought not to Cenſure others, becauſe of ſuch Calamities, as greater Sinners than thoſe who eſcape: much leſs ſhould we paſs a Judgment on their Eternal State, becauſe they are cut off ſuddenly by a temporal Judgment.
TO apply this: 1. Let us not then excuſe or encourage our ſelves, by cenſuring others, as greater Sinners than we, on whom more terrible Judgments have been inflicted: For except we repent, we muſt alſo periſh. This is the expreſs Declaration of Chriſt, upon the Account given him of thoſe on whom the Tower of Siloam fell, and of the Galileans, whoſe Blood Pilate had mingled with their Sacrifices, Luke 13.5. As to theſe Galileans their Crime is not certain: ſome think they brought this Judgment upon themſelves by their Sedition, as conſpiring againſt the Roman Government; intermixing ſome Acts of Religion as the Bond of their Conſpiracy; which Pilate hearing of, ſurprized them in the Act, and put them to Death: Others think they were the Followers of Judas of Galilee, mentioned Acts 5. who ſeduced many from their Obedience to the Roman Emperor; and that they were Jews coming up to the Paſſover to ſacrifice, and there he fell upon upon. Others ſuppoſe them to be Samaritans, and that they were ſlain, worſhipping in their Temple on Mount Gerizim; but called Galileans, from Judas the Head of the Faction: and the Hatred of the Jews againſt the Samaritans might occaſion that ſevere and bitter Cenſure. Whatever the Occaſion was of their Sufferings, our Lord condemns the Cenſure of them as greater Sinners on that Account; for tho ſometimes Men guilty of provoking Sins, are followed with ſuch remarkable Judgments, that it would be ſtupid Impiety not to obſerve the Hand of God therein, as in the Caſe of Herod, Acts 12, &c. yet God may chuſe out ſome to be Examples and Warnings to others, who are not greater Sinners than they. 'Tis true, ſome Mens Sins are ſo viſible, as to be open before hand, going before to Judgment, as the Apoſtle ſpeaks, 1 Tim. 5.24. (They are foreign, manifeſt to the Judgment of all Men, before they come to be laid open at the laſt Day: they go to Judgment before the Sinners themſelves are brought thither.) When ſuch notorious Crimes are followed with extraordinary Puniſhments, the Connection & Relation between them muſt not be denied: But otherwiſe we ſhould judg charitably of the Sufferers.
We muſt not make a raſh and haſty Judgment of the Providences of God, or interpret the Voice of his Rod by uncertain Gueſſes of our own. We may eaſily be too curious in prying into the Secrets of Providence; for his Judgments are a great Deep; and of many of them we may ſay with Aſaph, VVhen I thought to know this, it was too wonderful for me. He hath not thought fit to give us a full Account of all his Deſigns and Ends, why ſuch who are not greater Sinners than others, are ſometimes puniſhed more. In ſuch Enquiries we ſhall ſoon get out of our Depth, ſo as to ſwim in Diſſatisfaction, or ſink into Diſtruſt, if we ſuffer our Curioſity to ſtretch it ſelf too far.
Therefore after Solomon had told us, Eccleſ. 7.15. that there is a juſt Man who periſhes in his Righteouſneſs, and a wicked Man on the contrary who prolongeth his Life in his Wickedneſs; he adds in the next Verſe, Be not righteous over-much, nor make thy ſelf over-wiſe: that is, do not think thy ſelf more righteous than the Perſon to whom ſuch a Judgment befals; nor make thy ſelf over-wiſe, i.e. do not pretend to be able infallibly to expound this Riddle, and to know the meaning of Divine Providence in ſuch a Diſpenſation; for one Event may befal the Righteous and the VVicked, Eccl. 9.11. The great Apoſtle may have his Hand arreſted with a Viper; and yet none but Barbarians would conclude, upon that Account, that he is followed with Divine Vengeance, Acts 28.4.
We read of twenty ſeven thouſand killed by the Fall of a Wall at Aphek, 1 Kings 20.30. As ſometimes Appeals have been made to God in the high Places of the Field, and yet the Succeſs of the War hath not always been on the juſter Side. The Benjamites were engaged in an ill Cauſe, and yet were victorious over the other Tribes, Judg. 20. The Ark of God hath been taken by the Philiſtines. Children are ſometimes cut off for the Sins of Parents, as 1 Kings 15.30. Ch. 16, & 17.
God acts as a Soveraign, in theſe things. The ſucking Infants of Babylon muſt periſh by the Sword, and their Brains be daſh'd out: And the little Children of Sodom and Gomorrah were burnt with their Parents, by Fire from Heaven: Concerning which God ſaith, Ezek. 16.20. I took away Young and Old, as I ſaw good. He doth what he pleaſeth; and who can ſay unto him, What doſt thou? He doth not think fit to give us now a full Account of all his Matters, or to ſay all that he can in juſtification of his preſent Providence; Job 33.13. Iſa. 46.9. Dan. 4.34. But the Great Day of the Revelation of the Righteous Judgment of God, will unriddle all theſe things, and ſcatter all thoſe Clouds, and remove all thoſe Difficulties that now puzzle us.
Much leſs ſhould we conclude concerning their Eternal State, who are cut off by ſome temporal Judgment. We have no Warrant, or Authority to ſit as Coroners on the Souls of deceaſed Perſons. It would be very uncharitable to conclude, that all the Iſraelites were ſhut out of Heaven, who died in the Wilderneſs, and by the righteous Judgment of God were not permitted to enter into Canaan: Or that the inquiſitive Bethſhemites, or Ʋzza, and others that have been ſtruck dead for unwarrantable Actions, did periſh to Eternity. There is a Vail of Darkneſs upon many ſuch Works of Providence: but what we know not now, we ſhall know hereafter, John 13.7. Good Joſiah may die in a Battel as well as wicked Ahab; and Nebuchadnezzar may have a proſperous Reign of forty Years, as well as David. Eternal Love and Hatred are not known by theſe things. We muſt not conclude a Man to be certainly wicked, becauſe he is cut off by a ſudden Death, or doth not go to his Grave in Peace.
Think not, ſays Chriſt, that they were greater Sinners than others, who were thus ſuddenly and exemplarily cut off; That is, you cannot for that Reaſon, and barely on that Account, ſo ſuppoſe, and judg of them. He doth not deny that they were greater Sinners, but only aſſerts that their greater Sufferings will not prove that they were ſo: For it is agreeable enough to the Wiſdom of Divine Government, (or of any Government) that, when many Perſons are equally guilty, ſome may be ſelected to be Examples, and Warnings to others, when others no leſs criminal are ſpared. Other Nations, as bad as Sodom and Gomorrah, have not been deſtroyed by Fire from Heaven. We muſt Adore Divine Juſtice in the Puniſhment of a wicked People, but his Soveraignty muſt be owned in the Choice of Subjects. We ſhould be very partial to our ſelves, and uncharitable to our Neighbours and Brethren, if we conclude them to be greater Sinners than we, becauſe they have ſuffered more. I repeat this, as knowing that we are very apt to condemn ſuch Perſons, who are thus Examples in ſuffering; & to hug our ſelves, as more righteous than they, becauſe we are ſpared.
But as to our ſelves, and our own Caſe, we ought to know that God will not always bear to have his merciful Warnings contemned, to have numberleſs extraordinary Mercies abuſed, to have leſſer Judgments upon us, and his more remarkable Severity upon others, diſregarded. We ought ſtill to remember and conſider it, that, Except we repent, we are like to periſh.