will receive substantial benefit; some even, who by their own conduct have not in a moral point of view deserved it. We see this apparent in the natural world to such a degree, that no one ever thinks it an argument against the existence, the wisdom or benevolence of the first cause; neither can any argument be derived from this consideration to affect in any way the truth of Divine Revelation, because it represents the Almighty as distributing his blessings or sending his judgments among men by means of this mutual connection and dependence.

In the other point of view, as moral governor, his object is to prevent sin and encourage holiness. In this view, good or evil is to be assigned each individual according to his own doings; which object requires particular adjudications and not general laws, and therefore cannot have place perfectly here but it will have place in the utmost degree of perfection at the consummation of all things*. It was intimated above that he has in the very constitution of nature imprinted his character as a moral governor, by the mischief which naturally follows vice, and the tendency of virtue to produce happiness at present. Still this is by general laws. But besides this general constitution of nature, revelation assures us, that he often especially interferes in the affairs of this lower world, for the express pur

See Note 40.

pose of punishing the guilty and protecting the innocent; and the experience of the world plainly confirms this assurance. Even this however is done in so general a way, that to our apprehensions many are involved in these great changes, who do not seem to have brought down the evil, which has befallen them, by their own particular conduct. But in this interference of Providence in the distribution of rewards or infliction of judgments, if you look into his word (by which alone you can learn his purpose in his several dispensations) you will find that purpose is to make such a discrimination, that the vengeance may fall upon the guilty and the innocent escape; so far as can be done consistently with the plan, upon which he framed and upholds the creation.

When the inhabitants of the earth had become so corrupt that he determined to destroy it, he forewarned Noah, the only righteous man, and taught him the means of avoiding the impending evil. He would not destroy Sodom till it was become such a sink of vice, that there were not ten righteous persons left in it; and then he delivered the only one who remained. When the people rebelled in the wilderness, he cut off only the guilty generation, and protected their children. In the extermination of the seven nations of Canaan, he saved Rahab, and suffered the Gibeonites to live, who alone fled for refuge to the God of Israel. In the destruc

tion of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, he made a similar discrimination, setting a "mark," as Ezek. ix. 4. expresses it, "upon the forehead of those who sighed and cried for all the abominations which were done in the midst thereof," to save them: he declares (Ezek. xiv. 16.) that when he sends his judgments upon the land, though Noah, Daniel and Job were in it, they should deliver neither sons nor daughters, but only themselves; which intimates clearly enough why the sons would be suffered to perish; as well as the rule which he observed in this judgment, which was "to sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as corn is sifted ; and yet not to let the least grain fall upon the earth," Amos ix. 9. And this at the very time when the complaint, or rather taunt, recorded Ezek. xviii. 19, 20. was taken up. His offer of life to the sons who would repent, and the promise of safety to those who would submit to the King of Babylon (Ezek. xviii. 17. Jer. xxxviii. 2. and xlii. 10.) all shew the same purpose of preserving the obedient in the destruction of the rebellious. This discrimination was still more illustriously exemplified in the final calamity, which swept off that unhappy city for the impious murder of the Lord of life. Merciless as the sword of the enemy was, he provided a safe retreat in the mountainous region of Pella for

5 Matt. xxiv. 16. vid. Grot.

all, who did not obstinately continue in unbelief, but, before it was too late, looked with an eye of faith on him, whom they had pierced.

The whole of the theocracy of the Jews was founded upon the assurance of God that he would so order their temporal affairs, that if they were faithful in their allegiance to him, he would protect and prosper them; but if they fell away to the evil practices of their neighbours, he would inflict all calamities upon them. In furtherance of this scheme of providence, they were ordered to execute unrelenting vengeance upon individual idolaters of their own nation and their own idolatrous cities: but from the merciful provision of their laws (Deut. xiii. and xx. 10.) it should seem they were bound to try to separate the innocent from the guilty, and not violate, more than the condition of a warlike attack required, the fundamental law of their polity", that the son should not be put to death for the sin of the father. It appears as if they were, in all these cases, to warn the cities, and inquire of them whether the thing were so, before they made war upon them. And Joab seems to have been reproached for the breach of this law in beseiging Abel before he had given the inhabitants the requisite summons,

See Lev. xxvi.; Deut. iv. 23-40; xi. xxviii. xxix. 'Deut. xxiv. 16. See Art. 229, in Michaelis on this Mosaic statute.

2 Sam. xx. 18, 19. The Chaldee paraphrasing it thus: "And she said, remember now that which is written in the book of the law, that they should ask of a city first. Was it not your place to ask concerning Abel are ye peaceable?" alluding to Deut. xx. 10-12. And this sense the Hebrew may bear. Dathe translates it freely: "She said inquiry ought to have been made first of Abel, and then what should be done determined." See Judges xx. 12-14. Our translators seem to have had the same general view of the passage by their marginal reference to Deut. xx. 11. though their translation does not clearly give that meaning. By the execution also, which God from time to time ordered of the idolatrous kings of Israel, and of those of the kingdom of Judah, who connected themselves with them, it seems that he did not only mean to punish the nation generally when they departed from his laws, but also before the depravity became so general, to prevent its increase by the punishment of guilty individuals.

As the law was established upon temporal sanctions, so a special Providence in temporal blessings and calamities was announced: of which, beside the general promises and threatenings given to the whole nation, the following may be taken as instances.-The sanction of the third commandment; which, by the appointment of a sacrifice as an atonement for a perjury committed, Lev. vi. 3. 6. 7.; by the event