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BOOK either have not had, or at least owned any thing of III. Divine revelation. I begin with that which doth

concern the prosperity and impunity of wicked men, which men have with more confidence insisted on, on this account, because all men could not but understand a general reason of sufferings, by reason there were none whose consciences could wholly acquit them of evil actions; but why persons notoriously wicked should live in impunity, when others suffer, that they were unable to give an account of. And this was the Simplic. common pretence of atheism; as Simplicius tells us, in Epictet. συμβαίνει δέ τινας καὶ διὰ τὸ ἀναποδείκτως πιστεύειν, καὶ διὰ τὸ 2,38. Ρ. ὁρᾶν ποτὲ μὲν ἀγαθοὺς δυστυχοῦντας, ποτὲ δὲ κακοὺς ἐν ἑαυτοῖς εὐροοῦντας, ὀλιγωρεῖν ὧν ἔχουσι προλήψεων, καὶ χώραν διδόναι τῇ τραγωδία λέγειν,

Comment.

c. p.

Τολμῶ κατειπεῖν μήποτ ̓ οὐκ εἰσὶν Θεοὶ,

Κακοὶ γὰρ εὐτυχοῦντες ἐπιπλήττουσί με.

It comes to pass, that such who have no grounded belief of a Deity, when they observe the miseries of good men, and the tranquillity and felicity of bad men, they regard not the common notions they have of a Deity, and are ready to cry out with the tragedian,

Shall I not dare to say there are no gods,

When those do prosper who have injur❜d me?

And it is observable, that the most of those who have taken occasion amongst the heathens to question Providence, have done it upon some remarkable injury which they have conceived to be done to themselves; and so we have ground to think that it was more passion and interest, than any clear reason, which was the inducement to it. So Diagoras resolves to set up for an atheist, because the perjured person was not struck dead in the place.

And Jason in Seneca, when he sees Medea fly away CHAP. after killing his children, cries out,

Testare nullos esse qua veheris Deos.

Thou tell'st the world there are no gods that way
Where thou dost fly.

And so Claudian, who largely reasons the case on both sides, for Providence and against it, at last tells us what it was which was the main cause of his doubts, viz. the long impunity of Rufinus.

Abstulit hunc tandem Rufini pœna tumultum
Absolvitque Deos.

Rufinus' death doth clear the gods, and set
My mind at ease.

III.

Med. v. ult.

In Rufin.

I. 20.

Nat. Deor.

But because some carry it higher, as Cotta in Tully, Cicero de who reasons the most (as became a statesman) in re- i. iii. ference to such persons who had been useful or hurtful to the commonwealths, we may suppose there might be somewhat more of reason than interest in such argumentations; and yet even in those discourses we may still find, that the main original of this quarrel against Providence was an over-high esteem of themselves; that they thought they deserved better from the gods than to receive such injuries, or undergo such calamities. Therefore Cotta cries out on Providence, because such persons who were useful to the Roman commonwealth were destroyed, when the enemies to it escaped; as though Providence had been only a tutelar Deity of Rome, and had nothing to do elsewhere. Thence he cries out, If there be Providence, why were the two Scipios destroyed in Spain by the Carthaginians? Why was Maximus killed by Hannibal? Why were the Romans, with Paulus, ruined at Cannæ ? Why did Regulus undergo so much cruelty by the Carthaginians? Why did not Africanus die in his own bed? Nay, saith he, to come nearer home, why

III.

BOOK is my uncle Rutilius in banishment? Why was my friend Drusus killed in his own house? On the other side, why did Marius die in peace, and the most cruel Cinna enjoy so long tranquillity? With many other instances of both sorts. But this is it which I take notice of these for, because we hereby see how common it is for men to question Providence, more out of passion and interest, than out of any solid grounds of

XXI.

reason.

Let us therefore appeal from persons who were particularly engaged by some private interest in those passages, from whence they would infer that there was no Providence, to such who stood by unconcerned, and made use of the free dictates of their reason in these cases. And such persons, when they come to reason the case like philosophers, and men out of passion, have given satisfactory and rational accounts why God in his wise providence may sometimes suffer the worst of men to go on in impunity, when good men may go through the troubles of this world. As, 1. God forbears wicked men, to propound the exsero puni- ample of his goodness to their imitation, to teach mine, tom. them not to revenge their injuries too greedily on each ii. p. 550. other. This Plutarch, in that admirable discourse of

Plutarch.

de his qui

untur a nu

ed. Fr.

his on this subject, insists on, as his first reason, why God doth not presently punish wicked men. For, saith he out of Plato, God hath set forth himself in the midst of the world for our imitation; and true virtue is nothing else but an imitation of the Divine nature. And therefore God, saith Plato, gave man the use of sight, that by the sight of the heavenly bodies, and the exact motions which are in them, men should learn to evoxyμov Kai Teтayμévov, that which was comely and orderly, and hate all disorderly and irregular motions; for, as he excellently speaks, Οὐ γάρ ἐστιν ὅ, τι μεῖζον ἄν

III.

θρωπος ἀπολαύειν Θεοῦ πέφυκεν, ἢ τὸ μιμήσει. καὶ διώξει τῶν ἐν CHAP. ἐκείνῳ καλῶν καὶ ἀγαθῶν εἰς ἀρετὴν καθίστασθαι, There is no greater benefit man can receive from God, than to attain true virtue by the imitation and pursuit of those perfections which are in him. And thence, saith Plutarch, God forbears to punish wicked men presently, not lest, if he should punish them, he might do that he would repent of afterwards; ἀλλ ̓ ἡμῶν τὸ περὶ τὰς τιμωρίας θηριῶδες καὶ λάβρον ἀφαιρῶν, but that he might take away the fury and violence of men in revenging their injuries on each other, that they should not do it in wrath and anger, with as much eagerness as they satisfy their hunger and thirst, whereby they do, éπindặν Tois λEAUTYKÓσw, leap upon them who have injured them, with as much fury as a wild beast upon his prey; but men should learn to imitate τὴν ἐκείνου πραότητα καὶ τὴν μέλ Anow, God's gentleness and patience, whereby he gives the offender time to consider with himself what he hath done before he doth severely punish him. As Plato, when his boy had angered him, stood still a while without striking him, τὸν θυμὸν κολάζων, as he said, punishing himself first for his anger, before he would chastise the boy for his fault; and Archytas, when he saw how negligent his workmen had been, and began to be very angry with them, told them, evτυχεῖτε ὅτι ὀργίζομαι ὑμῖν, It is well for you that I am angry with you. Now, saith Plutarch, if the consideration of this forbearance in men should tend to moderate men's heat and violence, how much more should the consideration of the lenity and patience of God do it! καὶ θεῖον ἡγεῖσθαι μόριον ἀρετῆς τὴν πραότητα καὶ τὴν μεγα λomábelaν; and to account gentleness and forbearance to be an imitation of Divine perfections. Now what can be more rational and agreeable to our apprehensions of a Divine nature than this is, that he should

III.

BOOK shew his goodness to all, and, by his forbearance of so many, teach the world more meekness and gentleness towards each other? For if offences rise by the quality of the person against whom they are committed, no injuries can be so great in one man to another, as those affronts are which men put upon God by their continual provocations of him: and if God then be of so infinite patience to forbear such who have offended him, what justice and reason is there, but that men should express more lenity and patience towards each other? So Hierocles excellently speaks, μμeitai kai ev τοῖς φιλίας μέτροις τὸν Θεὸν, ὃς μισεῖ μὲν οὐδένα ἀνθρώπων, τὸ τῆς φιλανθρωπίας ἀγαθὸν κοινῷ τῷ γένει προτείνων, A good man imitates God in the measures of friendship, who hates no man, and extends his loving-kindness to all mankind. Of which Seneca likewise somewhere speaks: Sen. de Be-Ne Deos quidem immortales ab hac tam effusa be1.i. c. 1. nignitate sacrilegi negligentesque eorum deterrent; utuntur natura sua, et cuncta, interque illa ipsos munerum suorum malos interpretes, juvant. The Divine benignity extends itself to all; even to such as affront and dishonour them, and abuse the gifts they bestow upon them. And since there is so much truth and reason in that of Plato, τέλος τῶν ἀγαθῶν τὸ ὁμοιωθῆναι Oe, it is the height of goodness to be like to God; we see what excellent reason there is for that command of Luke vi. 35, our Saviour, Love ye your enemies, and do good, and 36. lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.

neficiis,

I.

2. God forbears presently to punish wicked men, to Plutarch. give them time to become better. This the same excellent moralist gives as another account of God's pa

p.551.

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