A27004:957
The reasons of the Christian religion the first part, of godliness, proving by natural…
The reasons of the Christian religion the first part, of godliness, proving by natural evidence the being of God ... : the second part, of Christianity, proving by evidence supernatural and natural, the certain truth of the Christian belief ... / by Richard Baxter ... ; also an appendix defending the soul's immortality against the Somatists or Epicureans and other pseudo-philosophers.
London: printed by R. White for Fran. Titon, 1667
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Obj. But mens sins do God no hurt, as they do the King.
Answ. They do wrong, where they do no hurt. It is not for want of Malignity in sin, but through the perfections of God, that they do not hurt him: But they displease him, and injure him, and they hurt the World and the sinner himself, who is not his own. A Child is to be corrected for many faults, which do his Father no harm. It is not hurting God that is the Cause that sin is punished.
Obj. But God is merciful as well as just.
Obj. But God is mercifull as well as just.
Answ. True, and therefore he showed mercy to sinners in the day of Mercy: And it is for the contempt and abuse of mercy that he condemneth them: If the Mercy abused had been less, the sin and punishment had been less. A merciful ⟨p. 174⟩King and Judge will hang a Murderer or Traitor. Mercy to the good requireth punishment of the bad. Gods Attributes are not contrary. He is merciful to the due Objects of mercy, and hath penal Justice for the Objects of that Justice.