of the vineyard of Naboth, God fent his fervant Elijah to inform him, that he would bring evil upon him, and take away his pofterity, and cut off every male from his house. But, in confequence of Ahab's humbling himself, he is informed, that God would not bring the evil in his days *. The total deftruction, brought on the houfe of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, is reprefented as the punishment of his iniquity. For Baafha "fmote all the houfe of Jeroboam, he left not to Jeroboam any that breathed, until he had de

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ftroyed him, according unto the faying of the "LORD, which he fpake by his fervant Ahijah

the Shilonite; because of the fins of Jeroboam "which he finned, and which he made Ifrael "fin b."

Nor is this vifitation confined to the wicked. In this manner hath God often teftified his dif pleasure with his own children. Solomon was affured that, because of his apoftacy, the kingdom fhould be rent from his fon. Although this judgment was not to be inflicted in his own days, yet as it was procured by his iniquity, it is spoken of as inflicted on himself: "I will furely rend the

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kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy fer"vant. Notwithstanding, in thy days I will not "do it, for David thy father's fake: but I will "rend it out of the hand of thy fon "."

Hezekiah, after his miraculous deliverance from Sennacherib, and from a mortal difeafe," ren"dered not again according to the benefit done

a 1 Kings xxi. 21. 29.

H 3

"unto

bi Kings xv. 29, 30. c 1 Kings xi. 11, 12.

"unto him." When the ambaffadors of the king of Babylon came to congratulate him on his recovery, he fhewed them all his armour, and his treafures. This at firft view might feem a blameless action; a piece of common civility to ftrangers, who had come from a diftant country, or of refpect to the fovereign who fent them. But, in judging of actions, the divine eye is especially fixed on the intention. In this refpect Hezekiah failed. It is therefore faid; "God left him, to try him, that he might know all that was in his "heart." And it is declared, that "his heart "was lifted up; therefore there was wrath upon "him." Either he valued himself too much on account of the fignal tokens of divine favour he had received, as if they had been merited by his righteous conduct; or trufted in his riches, as if they could have proved the means of his defence: or perhaps he offended in both refpects. Whatever might be the particular ground of difpleafure, God declared by the prophet Isaiah, that his fons fhould be carried away captive, and be "eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon." Wrath was upon him, although it came not in his days. For even the fincere repentance of the fervants of God, after great tranfgreffions, has not prevented, although it has fometimes delayed, the judicial vifitation. As to perfonal guilt and punifhment, the fin of David was taken away; but not the punishment as it refpected his family. God teftified his difpleasure with him, as he had formerly

d2 Chron. xxxii. 25, 26. 31.; Ifa. xxxix. 7, 8.

formerly done with refpect to Eli; when he swore that the iniquity of his houfe fhould "not be pur,

ged with facrifice nor offering for ever e." He hath obferved this line of conduct in various inftances; that he might give the strongest teftimony as to the evil and demerit of fin, and his infinite and irreconcilable hatred of it, although the tranfgreffor himfelf was the object of his fpecial and unchangeable love.

It may be faid perhaps, that it is eafily conceivable how parents could thus be punished in their feed, when God was pleafed to communicate his will by a special revelation to the individual; although he should not himself live to fee the completion of the threatening: but that matters now stand on a very different footing, as no fuch extraordinary intimations can be expected. Let it be remembered, however, that "whatfoever "was written aforetime, was written for our learn

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ing." Although, therefore, there be now no particular intimation of the divine will by the Spirit of prophecy, the threatenings and punishments, recorded in Scripture, are warnings to us of what we may juftly expect, if we go on in our trefpaffes.

This is one of the means which God employs for maintaining his moral government: and we muft admire his wifdom in the choice of it. Such is the love which the most of parents bear to their children, that they would rather fuffer in their own perfons, than that they should fuffer. To H 4

how

e 1 Sam. iii. 14.

how many fufferings, indeed, do they cheerfully expose themselves, for their prefervation and comfort! Thus, as has been obferved by the Bishop of Meaux, "God fhews parents, that according "to the fecret order of his judgments, he conti"nues their rewards or punishments after their "death; and holds them in fubmiffion to his "laws by their dearest tie, that is, by the tie of "their children f."

III. God vifits the iniquities of fathers upon their children, especially when they take the fame, or fimilar courfes. To fuch the commination, annexed to the fecond precept of the law, immediately refers: "I the LORD thy God am "a jealous God, vifiting the iniquity of the fa"thers upon the children, unto the third and "fourth generation of them that hate me s." When God here threatens to vifit, the language does not fimply fignify to punish, iniquity; but denotes punishment even after a long, or a confiderable delay. Although men may fuppofe that he takes no notice of the fins committed against him, or that he has in effect forgotten them; he will eventually fhew that they have been accurately observed, and that he hath been treasuring up vengeance. We have already seen, that God, without any injury to his juftice, may punish children for the fins of their fathers, although not chargeable with the fame fins; because he ftill views them as finners. But the threatening referred

f Boffuet's Univerfal Hift. Vol. i. Part 1. Sect. 4.

g Exod. xx. Ş.

ferred to marks the more ordinary tenor of his procedure. Succeeding generations are confidered as manifefting their hatred of God, by continuing in a courfe of iniquity. They may do it in different degrees. Sometimes, by pursuing the very fame track. The Lord complains of his ancient people; "Even from the days of your fa"thers, ye are gone away from mine ordinan"ces h." Thus the iniquity, for which God vifits, is not merely that of their fathers; but their own, because they have imitated their wicked example. At other times they become worse than their ancestors. Their fins, although of the fame kind, are more aggravated. The Jews, under the Old Teftament, killed the prophets: their pofterity were the murderers of " the holy and just "One." Often, the children do not actually commit the fame crimes, but others of a fimilar nature which discover the fame spirit. Or, they testify their approbation of the deeds of their fathers, by justifying, even while they do not imitate, their conduct. "This their way "is their folly; yet their pofterity approve their

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fayings." Perhaps their language is; "Where"fore hath the LORD pronounced all this great "evil against us? or what is our iniquity k ?" But pofterity may be fubjected to the punishment of the fins of their progenitors, although they do not practically imitate them, nor justify their conduct. The jealous God views them as approving, if they do not acknowledge, exprefsly condemn

Mal. iii. 7.

i Pfal. xlix. 13.

k Jer. xvi. 10.