And among the enemies of God, some will be found greater sinners than others—­to have sinned longer—­against greater lights, and to have been guilty of more and greater crimes.  To such will be reserved the greater weight of woe.  In order to these discriminations their whole probation will be considered.  And in those on whom sentence of condemnation will pass, the righteous judge will take due notice of every pause which they shall have made in the ways of sin—­of every instance in which they may have denied themselves, out of regard to the divine authority, though it may have been out of fear of God’s judgments, and of every act of kindness done by them, to a fellow creature.  Every thing of this nature, will be considered, and make some deduction from the punishment which would otherwise have been inflicted on them.  The judge will pass nothing of this kind unnoticed, condemning the sinner to the same degree of suffering, as though it had not been found upon him.  A cup of cold water given to a disciple of Christ, will not lose its reward. *

* Matthew x. 42.

“Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him; and when he heard him he did many things, and heard him gladly.”  Herod’s punishment will not be, in every respect, the same, as though he had paid no attention to John’s teaching.  He will not be punished for refusing to hear John, when he did hear him or for refusing to do, what he did do, in compliance with his counsel:  Though he will be condemned as, eventually the murderer of that holy man.  His partial obedience might be extorted by fear; but this is preferable to disobedience; otherwise fear would not be urged as a motive to obedience.  “Fear him who is able to destroy soul and body in hell.”  If preferable to disobedience, a difference will be made between those who obey from no higher principle, and those who disobey.

Here God certainly makes a difference between them.  When Rehoboam humbled himself in the time of his affliction, “the wrath of the Lord turned from him that he would not destroy him:  And also in Judah things went well.”  But his repentance was not unto life.  The character given him at his death is that of a wicked man.

When Ahab, affrighted by the preaching of Elijah, as he was going to take possession of the vineyard of murdered Naboth, “humbled himself and walked softly:”  God signified his approbation of his legal repentance and partial amendment, in preference to his former course; though he afterwards cut him off in his sins.

These are unequivocal evidences that partial obedience, though dictated by the servile principle of fear, is preferable, in divine estimation, to allowed disobedience.  God makes a difference in his treatment of people here, on this account:  suspends his judgments, and mitigates somewhat of their severity, where he sees this kind of relenting in sinners.  If God doth this here, is there not reason to believe that