2 Cor. v.

IO.

language, is not enough fuited to the imperfection of human knowledge, and favours too much of system.

In the day of judgment, we know, that Every one shall receive according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad; and, by Gal, vi. 4. God's grace in Christ, shall have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. And in regard to the present life, these predictions of the prophet Ezekiel, in whatever extent they were meant, were, no doubt, faithfully fulfilled; though we may be little able, we especially at this distance, to specify the times, or perfons, or occurrences, of which they were spoken.

It may be more easy perhaps to fingle out an event or two, of which they certainly were not intended.

The destruction of Solomon's temple, for example, together with the captivity of feventy years, was plainly of the number

of

of those punishments, which were inflicted, not only for the fins of the fufferers, but also for the fins of those who went before them. Like unto him (that a Kings is Jofiah) was there no king, that turned

the Lord with all his heart, and with all his foul, and with all his might. NotwithStanding, the Lord turned not from the fierceness of his great wrath, wherewith his anger was kindled against Judah.

xxiii. 26,

27.

xxxvi. 19.

And they burnt the house of God, and 2 Chron. brake down the wall of Jerufalem, and burnt

all the palaces thereof with fire.

xxiv. 3, 4.

Surely at the commandment of the Lord a Kings came this upon Judah, to remove them out of his fight, for the fins of Manaffeh, according to all that he did: and alfo for the innocent blood that he fhed; for he filled Jerufalem with innocent blood, which the Lord. would not pardon.

The deftruction alfo of the fecond tem

ple,

ple, and the astonishing slaughter and excifion almost of the whole people of the Jews, which accompanied and followed it, as they are plainly foretold by our Lord, so they seem to be spoken of by Him as a Divine Punishment, and special Judgment, not only for the crucifixion of our Lord Himself, but also for the violence done to all the Holy men and ProMatth. phets that had been before Him. Fill ye

xxiii. 32,

34, &c." up the measure of your Fathers. - Behold, I

fend unto you Prophets, and wife men, and Scribes; and fome of them ye shall kill and crucify, and some of them shall ye scourge in your fynagogues, and perfecute them from City to City: that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel, unto the blood of Zacharias fon of Barachias, whom ye flew between the Temple and the Altar. Verily I fay unto you, all these things fhall come upon Luke xi. this generation. I fay unto you, it shall be

51.

required of this generation.

And

And that we may the lefs wonder at thefe examples of divine punishment, or at least may mingle reverence with our amazement, in the very fame manner Almighty God seems to have dealt sometimes with other nations befides the Jews; bearing with them long in their iniquities, and then interpofing at laft, by his fpecial providence, to take the more exemplary vengeance for the fins of many generations together. Thou, faith He to Abram, Gen. xv. Jhalt go to thy fathers in peace, thou shalt be buried in a good old age: but in the fourth generation, they, (that is, thy pofterity,) fhall come hither again; for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet FULL.

15, 16.

2,3.

Thus faith the Lord of Hofts, (they are 1 Sam. xv. the words of the Prophet Samuel to King" Saul, about four hundred and fifty years after the departure of the Ifraelites out of Egypt,) I remember that which Amalek did Acs xiii. to Ifrael, how he laid wait for him in the way when he came up from Egypt: now g?,

20.

and

18.

and fmite Amalek, and utterly deftroy all that they have, and fpare them not; but flay both man and woman, infant and fuckling, 1 Sam. xv. ox and Sheep, camel and afs. The Amalekites were indeed themselves finners; but the offences also of their forefathers, you fee, for many generations, are taken into the account, to fill up the measure of their iniquities, and aggravate their condemnation.

What shall we fay more? or what other choice indeed is left us, but to confess our ignorance, and acquiefce in God's will? Pf. xcvii. Righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his feat; but clouds and darkness are round about him. His very truth, and mercy, by which we live, on which all our hopes reft, however glorious and refplendent in Him, are fhewn to human fight with a luftre dim and interrupted; the brightness of a fky broken with clouds, and wet with the drops of rain.

When