World may be confiftent with the honour of God, and Justice towards other Men, and the Salvation of his own Soul.

IV. God was the peculiar Law-giver, and Political Governour of the Jews; and Temporal Rewards and Punishments were the Sanction of the Laws which he had given them. For the Mofaical Law is called the miniftration of Death, and the Miniftration of Condemnation, 2 Cor. iii. 7, 9. because the promises of the Law, as fuch, belong'd only to this Life, and a Curse was denounc'd against every one, that continu'd not in all things which are written in the Book of the Law to do them,Gal. iii. 10, 11. God had exprefly threatned to inflict Punishment in this Life, for the tranfgreffion of thofe Laws; and therefore to pray to God that his Judgments might overtake Evil doers, was no more than it is in other Governments, to profecute Offenders before the Magiftrate, they appealed to God to put his Laws in force against them, and not to fuffer the wicked to go unpunish'd in contempt of thofe Laws, which he had ap-pointed, and under that difpenfation which was establish'd upon Temporal Rewards and Punishments. They were not allow'd to indulge their anger and defire of Revenge, yet they might pray that God would avenge himfelf of his Enemies, and rescue his Laws from that contempt which they must lie under from wicked Men, if they did not feel those punishments which the Laws of God threatned them withall.

But

;

But under the Gospel the Cafe is different for now we are not to expect that Temporal Rewards and Punishments fhould constantly follow upon the performance or tranfgreffion of our Duty; but both of them may be commonly referved to a future State. A Chriftian may not pray for Judgments upon his Enemies, because God has not fo peremptorily declared by the Gofpel, that he will inflict his Punishments in this Life, as he had done by the Law, and we have our Saviour's Command and Example to pray for their Repentance, that they be not punished in the next. But a Chriftian may right himself in due course of Law; and in order to that, may Petition the Judge without any breach of Charity; and this was all that the Jews did, when they pray'd God to execute his own Laws, by inflicting fuch Punishments as he had threatned to inflict upon the Tranfgreffors of them in this Life: they invoked and appealed to God as their Political Judge and Sovereign, and pray'd Judgment against Offenders.

V. Those which feem Imprecations, are oftentimes Predictions or Denunciations of Judgments to come upon Sinners; as we may learn from Acts 1. 20. And it can be no uncharitableness to foretell or denounce God's Judgments against Sinners, but rather an ef fect of Charity towards them for their Repentance, and Amendment.

Moft

Most of those places of Scripture may as properly be rendred by way of prediction in the Future Tenfe; and when they cannot, they may be look'd upon as denunciations of God's Wrath. For Prophets were fometimes employ'd to execute the Divine Judgments, as we fee in Elijah, 2 Kings i. 9, 10. and as they sometimes executed God's Judgments, fo they at other times denounced them; and this had nothing of uncharitableness in it, but is fully agreeable with the Gofpel it felf. For thus we read that Ananias and Sapphira were punished with present death by. St. Peter, Acts v. But if St. Peter had denounced Death without inflicting it immediately upon them, this had been lefs. And St. Paul prays that the Lord would reward Alexander the Copper Smith according to his works, who had done him much evil, 2 Tim. iv. 14. which was no uncharitable imprecation, but a leaving him to God's Judgment, and a denunciation of punishment to befall him without Repentance; it was an Authoritative Act, and in confequence of that excommunication which the Apostle had inflicted upon him, 1 Tim. 1. 20 And when God had infpired and empower'd Men to denounce Judgments, this was no more against Charity, than the inflicting of them would have been, or than Excommunication it felf is. If Magiftrates are empower'd in the King's Name to give Sentence, and to inflict Punishments,certainly Men may be fo empower'd and au

thoriz'd

thoriz'd by God himself, and may act or speak accordingly, without breach of Charity..

VI. The Expreffions Pf. Ixix. and cix. are to be understood concerning Judas, as we find them applied, Acts 1. and all other Expreffions of the fame nature may be understood either of him, or of fome others like him, whom the Pfalmift by inspiration might know to be hardned in Sin, paft Repentance, and therefore might pray that God would rather cut them off, than fuffer them to do more mischief in this World, and increase the number of their Iniquities here, and of their Miseries in the World to come.

VII. Laftly, This Suppofition is tacitly emply'd in Imprecations, if they will perfift in their Sins, if they will not repent; and the Penmen of the Holy Scriptures might in fome Cafes know by Revelation, that Judgments were the only means to reclaim thofe Men against whom they pray'd, and then it was the greatest Charity to pray that God would be pleafed to make use of that Remedy, which alone was left for their Amendment; as Pfal. lxxxiii. 15, 16. So perfecute them with thy tempeft, and make them afraid with thy storm. Fill their faces with fhame: that they may seek thy Name, O Lord.

There is nothing therefore inconfiftent with the Doctrine of Charity, and the Love of our Neighbour in thofe places of Scripture, which have been able to the mistakes of unwary

Men.

Men. For either they are Prayers to God to enable the Ifraelites to do what he had appointed, as in the deftruction of the Canaanites, whom God was pleased for wife and great Reafons to punish by the Sword of the Children' of Ifrael, rather than by Peftilence, or any other Judgment. Or they are Prayers to God to affift them in the doing what both Justice. and Charity will allow to be done, either by Perfons in Authority, as King David, or even by private Men; as in the profecution of Offenders, and bringing them to condign punishment; and this may be without any degree of Malice, or the leaft breach of Charity; fince Punishment it felf may be not only an act of Juftice but of Charity likewise towards divers Men. Or thefe Expreffions may be Ap+ peals to God as the Political Governour and Legiflator of the Jews: Or they are Predictions or Denunciations of God's wrath against Sinners. And they may be directed against impenitent obftinate Men hardned in their Wickedness. Or, laftly, they may be only Prayers to God, that he would inflict fuch Punishments upon Men, as may bring them to Repentance.

.

And tho' the Jews in latter Ages perverted fome paffages of their Law to ferve their own Pride and Revenge; yet, as it is evident by many inftances, never any Law but that of Chrift oblig'd Men to more Humanity towards Strangers, or more Charity towards Enemies. They were certainly to Covet no Man's Houfe Ꮓ

or