This question:why evil men often prosper;and good men suffer adversity,has been much disputed by the ancient,and is the same with this of ours:by what right God dispenseth the prosperities and adversities of this life;and is of that difficulty,as it hath shaken the faith,not only of the vulgar,but of philosophers and,which is more,of the saints,concerning the Divine Providence."How good,"saith David,"is the God of Israel to those that are upright in heart;and yet my feet were almost gone,my treadings had well-nigh slipped;for I was grieved at the wicked,when I saw the ungodly in such prosperity."And Job,how earnestly does he expostulate with God for the many afflictions he suffered,notwithstanding his righteousness?This question in the case of Job is decided by God Himself,not by arguments derived from Job's sin,but His own power.
For whereas the friends of Job drew their arguments from his affliction to his sin,and he defended himself by the conscience of his innocence,God Himself taketh up the matter,and having justified the affliction by arguments drawn from His power,such as this,"Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth,"and the like,both approved Job's innocence and reproved the erroneous doctrine of his friends.Conformable to this doctrine is the sentence of our Saviour concerning the man that was born blind,in these words,"Neither hath this man sinned,nor his fathers;but that the works of God might be made manifest in him."And though it be said,"that death entered into the world by sin,"(by which is meant that if Adam had never sinned,he had never died,that is,never suffered any separation of his soul from his body),it follows not thence that God could not justly have afflicted him,though he had not sinned,as well as He afflicteth other living creatures that cannot sin.
Having spoken of the right of God's sovereignty as grounded only on nature,we are to consider next what are the divine laws,or dictates of natural reason;which laws concern either the natural duties of one man to another,or the honour naturally due to our Divine Sovereign.The first are the same laws of nature,of which Ihave spoken already in the fourteenth and fifteenth Chapters of this treatise;namely,equity,justice,mercy,humility,and the rest of the moral virtues.It remaineth therefore that we consider what precepts are dictated to men by their natural reason only,without other word of God,touching the honour and worship of the Divine Majesty.
Honour consisteth in the inward thought and opinion of the power and goodness of another:and therefore to honour God is to think as highly of His power and goodness as is possible.And of that opinion,the external signs appearing in the words and actions of men are called worship;which is one part of that which the Latins understand by the word cultus:for cultus signifieth properly,and constantly,that labour which a man bestows on anything with a purpose to make benefit by it.Now those things whereof we make benefit are either subject to us,and the profit they yield followeth the labour we bestow upon them as a natural effect;or they are not subject to us,but answer our labour according to their own wills.In the first sense the labour bestowed on the earth is called culture;and the education of children,a culture of their minds.In the second sense,where men's wills are to be wrought to our purpose,not by force,but by complaisance,it signifieth as much as courting,that is,winning of favour by good offices;as by praises,by acknowledging their power,and by whatsoever is pleasing to them from whom we look for any benefit.And this is properly worship:in which sense publicola is understood for a worshipper of the people;and cultus Dei,for the worship of God.
From internal honour,consisting in the opinion of power and goodness,arise three passions;love,which hath reference to goodness;and hope,and fear,that relate to power:and three parts of external worship;praise,magnifying,and blessing:the subject of praise being goodness;the subject of magnifying and blessing being power,and the effect thereof felicity.Praise and magnifying are signified both by words and actions:by words,when we say a man is good or great;by actions,when we thank him for his bounty,and obey his power.The opinion of the happiness of another can only be expressed by words.
There be some signs of honour,both in attributes and actions,that be naturally so;as amongst attributes,good,just,liberal,and the like;and amongst actions,prayers,thanks,and obedience.
Others are so by institution,or custom of men;and in some times and places are honourable;in others,dishonourable;in others,indifferent:such as are the gestures in salutation,prayer,and thanksgiving,in different times and places,differently used.The former is natural;the latter arbitrary worship.
And of arbitrary worship,there be two differences:for sometimes it is commanded,sometimes voluntary worship:commanded,when it is such as he requireth who is worshipped:free,when it is such as the worshipper thinks fit.When it is commanded,not the words or gesture,but the obedience is the worship.But when free,the worship consists in the opinion of the beholders:for if to them the words or actions by which we intend honour seem ridiculous,and tending to contumely;they are no worship,because no signs of honour;and no signs of honour,because a sign is not a sign to him that giveth it,but to him to whom it is made,that is,to the spectator.