The divine life in three treatises

7. From the perfect Infinite goodness of God, we must learn to judge of Good and Evil, and in all the Creatures. To this must all be reduced as the standard, and by this must they be tried. It is a most wretched absurdity of sensual men, to try the will, or word, or ways of God, by themselves, and by their own interests or wills; and to judge all to be Evil in God that is against them. And yet, alas, how common is this case! Every man is naturally •oth to be miserable: suffering he abhors; and therefore that which causeth his suffering he calleth evil. And so when he hath deserved it himself by his sin, he thinks that the Law is Evil for threatening it, and that God himself is Evil for inflicting it, so that Infinite Goodness must be tried and judged by the vicious creature, and the Rule and standard must be reduced to the crooked line of humane actions or dispositions; and if God will please the worldling, the sensualist, the proud, the negligent, who should please him, then he shall be good, and he shall be God; if not, say these judges, he shall be evil, and unmerciful, and no God. They will not believe that he is Good that punisheth them. And thus if the Thief or Murderer had the choice of Kings and Judges, you may know what persons he would choose; No one should be a Judge, or accounted a good man, that would condemn and hang him.

7. From the perfect Infinite goodness of God, we must learn to judge of Good and Evil, and in all the Creatures. To this must all be reduced as the standard, and by this must they be tryed. It is a most wretched absurdity of sensual men, to try the will, or word, or wayes of God, by themselves, and by their own interests or wills; and to judge all to be Evil in God that is against them. And yet, alas, how common is this case! Every man is naturally •oth to be miserable: suffering he abhors; and therefore that which causeth his suffering he calleth evil. And so when he hath deserved it himself by his sin, he thinks that the Law is Evil for threatning it, and that God himself is Evil for inflicting it, so that Infinite Goodness must be tryed and judged by the vicious creature, and the Rule and standard must be reduced to the crooked line of humane actions or dispositions; and if God will please the worldling, the sensualist, the proud, the negligent, who should please him, then he shall be good, and he shall be God; if not, say these judges, he shall be evil, and unmerciful, and no God. They will not believe that he is Good that punisheth them. And thus if the Thief or Murderer had the choise of Kings and Judges, you may know what persons he would choose; No one should be a Judge, or accounted a good man, that would condemn and hang him.