Page:On the providence of God in the government of the world.pdf/21

 pleasure, nor which of them is good or bad for them:  there will be a day of judgment, wherein every  shall receive according to his works, and therefore  is no argument against Providence, that 'there is one  to the righteous and to the wicked.'

But it may be objected from scripture: How doth consist with what there is declared, that 'godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is, 1 Tim. vi. 8. According to which, we  Moses and the Psalms, and the writings of  and the Prophets, and in the New Testament  expressions which seem to import a promise of  to the righteous.

A sufficient answer to all the places of Scripture that alledged to that purpose, will be given in some of  three particulars.

1. Abundance of the promises usually insisted on, made to particular persons or nations, and must not  extended farther, as promises for the performance of  God's faithfulness is engaged, though they may  applied as encouragement to hope, when there  to be a parity or advantage of reason in the case. things were promised to the patriarchs, and to captains, and judges, and kings of Israel, and to  prophets, and apostles, and they were assured that these  must happen, for which they had the security of  word. But it would be a great extravagance for man else to be assured of the same events by  those promises. If a soldier be certain that he shall victory, because it was promised to Joshua, or a  man that he shall recover, because a prophet was  to Hezekiah, to tell him that he should be healed,  if a passenger in a ship assure all his company of  escape with life when they are driven by a storm  the rocks, because the angel of God was sent to tell  apostle Paul, 'God hath given thee all them that sail with thee,' Acts xvii. 27.xxvii. 24. [sic] The things may happen, as the predictions of a false prophet may  to pass by chance, and then they, who use the  in this fashion, may talk as they please of the  and power of faith, and what wonders it can do,