Sermons preached

1. The Suitableness or Correspondency there is between Holiness and Beatitude, Sin and Misery. It must needs be so, if we consider the Wisdom, Justice, Holiness of God.

(1.) The Wisdom of God, which doth all things according to Weight, Measure, and Number, cannot permit the Disjunction of these two things, so closely united together; as ⟨p. 327⟩Sin and Punishment, Grace and Happiness, but there will be an appearance of Deformity and Irregularity. For if there be such a thing as Good and Evil, as Bonum and Malum morale, as Reason will tell us there is: And again, if there be such a thing as Pleasure and Pain, as Joy and Sorrow, or that which we call, Bonum and Malum naturale, as Sense will tell us there is; then it is very agreeable to the Wisdom of God, that these things should be rightly placed and sorted; that moral Evil, which is Sin, should be punished with natural Evil, which is Pain and Misery; that the inordinate Love of Pleasure, which is the Root of Sin, should be checked by a fore-thought of Pain: And that Moral Good, which is Virtue and Grace, should end in Joy and Pleasure. For God is naturally inclined, as the Creator of Mankind, to make his Creatures good and happy, if nothing hinder him from it. Well then, we see how incongruous it is to the Wisdom of God, who permits no dissonancy or disproportion in any of his Administrations, to admit a Separation of these natural Relatives. If there were no other Testimony of this, yet the Dispositions of our own Hearts would know it; for they are some obscure Shadows of the Properties which are in God. We have Compassion on a miserable Man, whom we esteem not deserving his Misery; we are also moved with indignation and displeasure against one that is fortunate and successful, but unworthy the Happiness that he enjoys. Which is an apparent Testimony and Proof, that we are sensible of an excellent Harmony and natural Order between these two things, Virtue and Felicity, Sin and Misery; and to see them so suited, doth exceedingly please us.

(1.) The Wisdom of God, which doth all things according to Weight, Measure, and Number, cannot permit the Disjunction of these two things, so closely united together; as