As there are seasons in which God judgeth nations and communities, and renders to them according to their works, there are also seasons in which he doth the same by the world.  That this will be done at the end of the world, or at the judgment of the great day, is not matter of doubt with believers in revelation.  But some other seasons of divine judgment are now more particularly intended.  For there are seasons in which God’s judgments are abroad in the earth—­in which the sins of the world seem to be brought to remembrance, and punished on its inhabitants.

Eminently such was the six hundredth year of the life of Noah.  “When the earth was corrupt before God, and filled with violence,” he entered into judgment, and punished the sin of the world, in the destruction of its inhabitants.  God did not “do his work, his strange work, or bring to pass his act, his strange act,” as soon as “the wickedness of man was great, and every imagination of the thoughts of his heart only evil continually.”  He waited long.  But when the vast term allowed to antediluvian sinners was expired, he swept off a race who had been disobedient while long suffering mercy waited with them.

The sin of the world was then full.  Human guilt had long been augmenting, and at length occasioned that awful display of divine justice.  Many who were at that time destroyed were, no doubt great and old offenders; but many others differed from them, were but entering on life, not capable, of personal guilt, yet they were involved in the general calamity.  Those of every character perished together, “The flood came and took them all away.”

There hath been no other season in which the divine judgments toward the whole world have been so signally manifest as at the deluge.  There have however, been times in which they have been very general and very severe.  One of those times was at hand in our Savior’s day.  On the generation which lived when he suffered for the sins of men, were some of the vials of divine wrath poured out, though not those in which the wrath of God was filled up.  Perhaps at no period yet past, that of the deluge excepted, hath God visited the sins of men with greater severity.  If the divine judgments fell then more particularly on the Jews, the other nations did not escape.  If the Jews suffered more than others, there were reasons; nor are they wholly concealed.

The Jews had enjoyed greater religious privileges than others—­had more means of instruction in divine things, and had neglected and abused them, and seem to have more completely filled up the measure of their iniquity than any other people.  “To whom much is given, of them is the more required; and those who know their duty and yet do things worthy of stripes shall be beaten with many stripes.”

God was also at that time avenging “the righteous blood which had been shed upon the earth”—­the blood of his saints who had been martyred, of which more than a double portion was chargeable on that people.  They had of old killed the prophets, and persecuted those who had been sent of God to warn them from their ways.  The same was still their governing temper, and to a greater degree than at any former period of their history.