The reasons of the Christian religion the first part, of godliness, proving by natural…

He that compareth (as aforesaid) the Elements and Orbs which have no sense, with a Worm that hath it, will think that sense hath blinded reason, when it is so overvalued, as to be thought the most excellent thing, or a meet measure of the goodness of the Creator.

4. Most of the calamities of the Rational creature which you mention, are sin, and the fruits of sin: and when Man bringeth in sin, it is good that God should bring in punishment. It is an act of Justice, and declareth his Holiness, and warneth others. Therefore all your complaints against these ⟨p. 100⟩penal evils, should be turned only against the sinner, and all should be turned to the praise of the righteous Governor of the world.

4. Most of the calamities of the Rational creature which you mention, are sin, and the fruits of sin: and when Man bringeth in sin, it is good that God should bring in punishment. It is an act of Justice, and declareth his Holiness, and warneth others. Therefore all your complaints against these ⟨p. 100⟩penal evils, should be turned only against the sinner, and all should be turned to the praise of the righteous Governour of the world.

5. And as for the sin it self, which hath depraved the world as foully as you describe it, it is none of the work of God at all; If you say,¹ that he might have prevented it if he had pleased; I answer, He hath declared his detestation of it: as our Ruler he hath forbidden it: he deterreth men from it by his sorest threatenings: he allureth them from it by his richest promises of reward: he appointeth Kings and Magistrates to suppress it by corporal penalties. This and much more he doth against it, and more he could do, which should prove effectual; but his wisdom saw it not meet, nor conducible to the glory of the Universe, to make all Moral Agents of one size, any more than all Natural Agents: and therefore he made not man indefectible. Do you think that [a Rational creature with free-will, being the Lord of its own acts, and a self-determining Principle, to act without force] is not a thing which God may make and take delight in? as well as a Watch-maker taketh delight to make a Clock that shall go of it self, without his continued motion, (and the longer he can make it go without him, and so the liker to himself, the more excellent he thinks his work.) If God may make such a free-agent, then is it no impeachment to his goodness, if it abuse its freedom unto sin; especially when he will over-rule even that sin, so far as to bring good out of it by accident.