Several Discourses Considering the Providence of God
1. By immediately depriving them of reason and counsel, or punishing them, so as their rage is increasod against God; for this he giveth us the instance of Pharaoh, whose heart was the more hardened by the plagues which he felt; and for this he quoteth Gregory the Great, one of the Popes.
2. God immediately hardeneth the hearts of sinners (saith he) by giving them up to Satan, that they may be by him hardened, as in the case of Saul and Ahab, and those mentioned in the second Epistle to the Thessalonians.
3. (Saith he) he hardeneth them per se ipsos, by themselves, giving them up, as my Text faith, to vile affections. Thus Pharaoh is said thrice to have hardened his own heart; Pharaoh by his own free-will hardened his heart, and God hardened it by his just judgment. God permitted the Heathens to sin yet more and more, and by an actual motion moved them to an act of sin (so far forth as it was an act).
4. Lastly, (saith he), God positively hardeneth sinners, By giving occasions, which through the lust that is in them, incline them to evil. God proposeth to them what things in their own nature should induce, and persuade them to that which is good, but they through their lust and malice make them an occasion to evil. Thus, saith he, God provoked the Jews to emulation by a foolish nation; by showing grace and mercy to the Gentiles, the rage of the Jews against Christ grew greater. Thus Christ's Preaching and Miracles, were occasion to the Pharisees of further blaspheming. But (saith that excellent Author) if we rightly understand it, it is not of so much moment, whether we say that God hardeneth men positively, or negatively; for though as to the execution in the event, the act be negative, yet this event floweth from the positive purpose of God. It is therefore all one, whether we speak in the words of Moses, Deut. 29.4. and say, God hath not given them an heart to perceive, or eyes to see, and ears to hear; or in the phrase of the Apostle, Rom. 11.8. God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes they should not see, and ears they should not hear until this day; for the will of God is as effectual in his negative as positive actions. And now I think I have told you the utmost our Divines have said in this cause, unless some of them have said, that God is the Author of his own judgments and punishments, which I think none can with modesty deny, it being no more than the Scripture saith of all those things which are of a positive nature, but not of those things which are of a privative nature, which yet he may will should be done by his permission, though not by his efficiency; and this is no more than Arminius himself confesseth, that God is effector actus, though no more than permissor peccati. The sum is, if we understand by the punishment of sin with sin, God's judicial act, by which he withdraweth his grace, or his leaving of sinners to the satisfaction of their own lusts; there is no question, but God for men's former sins may do this, yea more than this: he may judicially deliver men up to their lusts, and to Satan to be seduced at his pleasure, and offer them occasions (in their own nature leading to good) which they through their corruption may turn to further sinning. But God cannot punish the former sins of any, by putting any lust or malice into their hearts, by which they become more evil, or otherwise than accidentally, stirring up that lust and malice which is in their heart. This is the sum, so far as I know, of what Divines say, as to God's acts in the punishment of sin, by delivering them up to farther sinnings, though I think Pareus saith true, that besides these ways in which God acteth positively, and more than barely negatively and permissively, God hath many other ways which we cannot explicate, by which he punisheth sin with sin; for who knoweth, or is able to unfold all the ways of God?
Thus far we have seen (so far as we are able to comprehend) what God doth in this his judicial act of punishing sin with sin.
Let us now consider under what circumstances those are whom God bringeth under so severe a dispensation. I answer, They are not only sinners (for God doth not deal thus with every sinner), but such as have provoked him to a very great heighth and degree, shutting their eyes against that light which hath shone upon them, and contemning the precepts of God, and the means he hath used to reclaim them: Such was Pharaoh, first he hardened his own heart, which I think is said three times over; then God saith he would harden his heart: such were the Heathen, mentioned in this Chapter, they had prodigiously sinned against the light and law of Nature: Such were the Jews, to whom this judgment is denounced, Isa. 6. compared with Matth. 13.
Now this being rightly understood, I appeal to the reason of any one that heareth me, although this be a most tremendous dispensation of God; yet whether it be not such as is very consistent, both with the Justice, and Purity, and Holiness of God. Is it not just with God to punish sinners, especially prodigious sinners, and such of them as have shut their eyes, lest the light should shine upon them? If it be just with God to throw such into Hell, why should it not be just with him to seal them up to that damnation? might he cut them off by death, and immediately turn them into Hell? why may he not leave them destitute of his grace, and give them up to a reprobate mind, and to vile affections, and an hard heart, which are but the praeludia to this damnation? Doth any doubt whether this be consistent with the purity and holiness of God? I ask, why may not God deny his means of grace to whom he pleaseth, and yet be an holy God? and may he not then deny it to, or withdraw it from those that have abused his patience, and turned his grace into wantonness and lasciviousness? doth he deliver them up to Satan to be tempted, seduced, hardened? Is not Satan God's instrument in punishing sinners? may not the just and holy God use what instruments he pleaseth for the execution of his wrath?
Object. 1. But doth not God by this become the Author of sin?
I answer, If sin be considered in its true nature, as it is a defect, a filthy action contrary to the Law of God, surely none can be the Author of it, but either he who doth it, or who persuades, or commandeth, or inciteth to the doing of it. God neither infuseth that lust which is exercised, nor commandeth, nor persuadeth the exerting of it. If we consider sin as the punishment of sin, so the permission of it is but a just dispensation of God, and a judicial act; and why God should not be the Author of punishments, I cannot understand.
Object. 2. But doth not God in this dispensation will the sins of these poor wretches?
I answer, He doth not will the doing of them, but he willeth that they should be done; and in this sense he willeth all the sin that is committed in the world; for as nothing could be done contrary to his will, so he doth not govern the world as an idle spectator, only looking on to see what his creatures will do. But he is far from willing the actions, either soliciting, or commanding, or persuading, or assisting them.
Object. 3. But God giveth occasions to them?
I answer, It is true, but it is through the lusts of men's hearts that they become such occasions. They are in themselves either of such a nature, as they might improve for their good, and ought to have done so: such were the Miracles which God shown Pharaoh, or which Christ did before the Pharisees, and the Sermons which he and his Apostles preached to them, or at least such as had in themselves no tendency to produce such an effect. The Governess of the house doth not think that she is either principal or accessory to a servants theft, because she suffereth pieces of Plate to go freely up and down for the use of her family, which possibly becometh a temptation to the lust of her servant, to make him or her to steal.
Object. 4. But God knew that these sinners would take these occasions to grow worse.
I answer, That must be granted: but what then? suppose one of us did know that our good counsels, or reproofs, or corrections 〈1 page duplicate〉 〈1 page duplicate〉 of our Children would but make them worse, must not we therefore use these which in themselves are means to make them better? Suppose a Mistress in a Family did know that her servant would steal some of those things which she suffers to go up and down and be commonly used in her house, is she therefore bound to look them up, and let her whole Family want necessary utensils? Will she not rather say, I will have those things in my house which are fit; if any of my Servants will steal them, let it be at their peril, they shall be hanged for it. Yet surely the Law of Charity, which God hath laid us all under toward our Brethren, obliging us to beware laying of stumbling-blocks, and giving unnecessary occasions of sin unto them, doth not tie up God. But there is no end of disputing with such as are resolved to hold their conclusion, and seek nothing but occasions of reviling. I have enlarged myself far enough upon this argument to show, I think, every unprejudiced hearer, that it is neither contrary to the justice, nor purity and holiness of God, to punish sin with sin; giving up stubborn sinners to vile Affections, and a reprobate mind.
Use. Let me now shut up this Discourse with a few words of Application.
Exho. And what application can be proper to this discourse but an Exhortation to all to take heed of presumptuous sinnings against Light. That sort of people amongst us whom we call Quakers, call to all men to take heed to the Light within them. I will not profess perfectly to understand their principles. But they seem in some of their discourses, to me to think, that men have Light enough within them to show them the way to Heaven; and if so, that will prove a great mistake: but thus much is certain, That every man hath a light within him. That which may be known of God is manifest in them, Rom. 1.19. Every man that is born into the world, hath a natural light, discovering something of God, and of his duty to him, and is under a natural Law, which obligeth him to some duty in proportion to his light. The Apostle in this, Rom. 1. saith of the Heathens that they knew God, and hinteth, that they ought to have glorified him as God, that is, to have paid an homage to God proportionable to the knowledge which they had of his glorious being. But we who are within the pale of the Church: have (as the Apostle saith) a more sure word of Prophecy. Whereunto we shall do well to take heed, as unto a light shining in a dark place, 2 Pet. 1.19. Besides this, many have a common illumination of the Spirit, so far ordinarily attending the Ministry of the word: of such the Apostle speaks, Heb. 6.4. And the Law of conscience, ordinarily worketh according to this Light. It is indeed true there are and will be differences, as to all these Lights. The light of nature varies according to men's parts and education. The Light of Revelation according to the Ministry of the word men sit under, and the other according to God's pleasure who by his Spirit irradiateth some more than others; but according to our light so doth conscience lay a Law upon us. Now men and women are highly concerned, to behave themselves both toward God, and towards men according to the light they have, that is, according to the discoveries they have either from natural principles, or from the word of God, or the illuminations of the Spirit of God, what God is, and what God requireth of them either as acts of homage immediately towards him, or as acts of Justice and brotherly love towards their neighbor; especially to take heed of bold and impudent actings to the contrary: for this cause it is that God judicially gives many up to blindness of mind, hardness of heart, vile affections, a reprobate mind, having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their hearts, who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness, Eph. 4.18, 19. You see both from this Chapter in which my Text is, and from that Text, Eph. 4. That it is what may befall poor Heathens, which have no more then a natural light, yet even they for not living up to that, may so far provoke God: what do you think Christians may do then, that besides the natural light, have the light of the Law and Gospel, the sure word of Prophecy? that have consciences further enlightened, and under a further Law than the Heathens could possibly have? such as have, as the Apostle speaketh, Heb. 6.4. Tasted of the heavenly gift, and been made partakers of the holy ghost, as have tasted of the good word of God and the powers of the world to come? If the Heathens came under such a judgment, because when they knew or might have known by the very light of nature, that the Lord that made Heaven and Earth; could not possibly be like a man, nor a beast, nor creeping things, yet would not attend to the workings of their own reason, nor give their consciences leave to speak, nor hearken to them, but in their practice changed the image of the incorruptible God into an image made like to a corruptible man, &c. were for this deserted of God, and given up to that dreadful degree of judgment this Chapter mentioneth; what shall become of those amongst Christians, think you, who besides the advantage which they have common with Heathens, from that of God which is manifest in them, and from the things that are made, to know what manner of being God is, have also the holy Scriptures telling them, That God is a Spirit and will be worshipped in Spirit and truth; That images are teachers of lies, and mediums by which God will not be worshippped, and revealing his wrath so plentifully against those that in so idle and wretched a manner did worship the true and living God, yet will worship him by images? Doth not the light of nature, and the light of Scripture shine in men's faces, and clearly discover to them, that God is not to be pleased with rude and confused noises, with mere formalities, and lip-labors, but with a simple, pure, and Spiritual worship, where the understanding, the heart and the affections go along with the tongue, and outward man; and where these are wanting all the cringings, and bowings, and roarings in the world, are abominable to him, and no better than the howling of a Dog, and grunting of a Swine. O Sirs, take heed of sinning against this light, for fear of being given up of God to superstitious vanities: for so it ofttimes falleth out, that as a liar, though at first he knew he told a lie, yet by repeating and telling it often, he hath forgot it was a lie, and possibly himself thinks he is relating a true story. So I am persuaded it falls out with many whose consciences at first grumbled a little at what they did, and told them this was no service of God; but through a just Judgment of God they shutting their Eyes against the light, at last think there is no other true worship of God besides what they have taken up, as to which it will at last appear, that it was none at all; for who required any such things at their hands? We can hardly think otherwise of the Jews, who at the first setting up of idolatry by Jeroboam, and that worser idolatry by Ahab, could not but think (many of them) that that was not the true worship of God; but by practice in it afterward grew so warm for it, that none else must be true, but they must slay the Lord's Prophets, and persecute all those who either taught or practiced any other way of worship more according to the mind and will of God.
2. And do not only take heed of shutting your ears, as to your duty towards God, lest God judicially give you up to vile affections as to superstitious vanities; but take heed also that you do not shut your eyes against convictions of your duty towards yourselves and others, in matters of morality. Have you not startled sometimes to see to what brutish degrees of sensuality and immoralities many have fallen from high degrees of profession? To me it hath been one of the prodigies of our age. If one should have told some that were professors twenty or thirty years ago, that within such a time they should be transgressors through wine, so famous for impudent uncleanness, such Apostates from all Religion, such bruits almost in every part of their conversations, such persecutors of those that fear God, and with whom they sometimes professed to be of the same mind, they would certainly have said with Hazael, are we dogs that we should ever do any such things? Yet we have lived to see it. I am loath, I tremble to speak what I think; certainly God hath forsaken these poor creatures; they professed the truth, to have embraced it in the love of it, but they were hypocrites, they received it not in the love of it, but merely in a faction, and for some base sinister ends, and for this cause. God hath given them up to strong delusions, God hath thrown them off his hand of restraint, withdrawn his common grace from them, given them up to the Devil even in this life; God is now punishing upon them their former falsehood. Give me leave to speak my fears, I profess they are my thoughts, my sad thoughts, that we live in an age as full of persons that have sinned the sin that shall never be forgiven, as any age ever was since our Lord was upon the Earth. The sin unto death, for which St. John saith we should not pray, must certainly be prodigious sinning against light, let but malicious be added to it in any Soul; and I then shall believe he hath not sinned the sin against the holy ghost, when I shall see God renewing such a one by repentance, and not before. To such persons I have little or nothing to say. But O let them that stand, take heed lest they fall. Felix quem faciunt, &c. That is an happy Soul that can learn to take heed by the dreadful falls of others; it hath been the saying of others, that Religion stands on tip-toes in our Land. I can say nothing to that, I hope better things; but give me leave to say to those particular Souls in this City, that hear me this day, Your Souls stand on tip-toes. I have now been a witness of the Gospels 〈1 page duplicate〉 〈1 page duplicate〉 〈1 page duplicate〉 〈1 page duplicate〉 being preached to you thirty years, if it be hid I fear it is hid to them that perish. It is much to be feared that you who being of years of understanding have been hearers of the means of grace you have had for these years (yet the faithful preaching of the Gospel, did not commence with my first knowledge of this City) are sealed one way or other, either to Salvation or to damnation. when I speak of being sealed to Salvation I do not understand blessed with a full assurance of it; but the Spirit of God hath made ere this time such impressions upon their hearts, as will make Salvation sure to them though it may be they have not within themselves (sensibly) the witness and assurance of it. I say for those of you who are not thus far sealed, it is much to be feared that you have another Seal upon you, even a Seal of eternal condemnation. It may be you are not in despair, possibly if you had less hope it might be better for you, hope slayeth the hypocrite; but hath not God given you over? Do not you find your hearts are grown more hard, and insensible, more filthy, and vain, and frothy? there is a Seal and a dreadful one too. For old professors to lose their profession, to have cast off their awe, and dread of God, their practice of Religion in their Families and conversation, to grow loose and vain, to turn scoffers, and enemies to Religion and Godliness. You that yet stand, O look to your standing, I would have you look upon men, that have had formerly much light, made great profession and are fallen off to open courses of Sin, as sad examples of Divine vengeance, as if they were turned into Hell. They are no better than brands of Hell-fire, yet stinking, and smoking in the Land of the living, that others may hear and fear; and take heed of sinning against the degrees of light which they have sinned against. O be afraid, you that have yet light before you, how you behave yourselves towards it; instead of disputing the justice, holiness, and goodness of God in punishing sin with sin, be afraid lest this should be your portion, shut not your eyes against the glorious light of the Gospel, take heed of quenching the Spirit, smothering the reflections of your conscience, resisting your convictions, struggling with and against the Spirit of God, quarrelling with God for any lusts contrary to the Revelation of his will; lest, as God said of Ephraim, Ephraim is joined to Idols, let him alone, so God should say concerning any of you, such a one knows better, but he is joined to his formalities, to his vain superstitions, Let him alone; or such a one must have his Cups, his Lusts, his unjust gain, Let him alone: be assured, if God once resolveth to Let thee alone, thou wilt find thy Soul rolling to Hell fast enough. Satan besides will not let that Soul alone of whom God hath pronounced, Let him alone. But this is enough to have spoken to this Subject.
SERMON XLII.
2 Thes. I. 9.
I Am yet endeavoring to make those ways of Divine Providence plain, which to our apprehensions appear difficult and hard to be understood by our weak capacities. In my last discourse I trod upon the brink of the infernal Pit, clearing up to you the justice of God in punishing sin with sin, giving men up for former sinnings to blindness of mind, hardness of heart, a reprobate mind, vile affections: that is, in effect a placing them in the very Suburbes of Hell. My discourse this day will be about the pit itself. Atheists doubt whether there be such a pit or no, it is their interest to deny it; others cannot tell how to reconcile an everlasting punishment to the Divine Justice, there being no proportion between the pleasures of sin for a season, and the torments of Hell forever. My Text you see plainly mentions a punishment with everlasting destruction.
If you consider the words of my Text with their reference to what went before, you will find the Apostle, v. 3. Blessing God for the Thessalonians increase, in their Faith, Charity; and v. 4. Their patience in all the tribulations which they had indeed.
You must know that these Christian inhabitants of Thessalonica, lived in the first and most furious times for Gospel persecutions, when the Heathen amongst whom they lived, had gotten a law, and by that law (as the Jews said of Christ) those that owned the name of Christ ought to die, or to be plundered of their Estates, and imprisoned; and amongst so many Heathens it was not possible, they should want Informers. Nor did they want some Judges that would to the utmost execute those severe Laws upon them. Now in the enduring of all those hard things for Christ and his Gospels sake, these Christians had shown admirable patience; and for this the Apostle thinks himself bound to bless God, For it is given to us on the behalf of Christ to suffer, as well as to believe, Phil. 21.9.
Having mentioned these persecutions he enlargeth a little further, v. 5, 6, 7. Comforting them under them,
1. From the Consideration of the testimony in them, of the righteous judgment of God. Which he proveth, v. 6. It is, saith he, a righteous thing with God to render tribulation to them that trouble you. 2. To give you who are troubled rest and peace. Lest these Christians should say, but when shall these things be? He tells them, When the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from Heaven, with his mighty Angels in flaming fire, taking Vengeance on them who know not God and obey not the Gospel of Christ; who (saith he in my Text) shall be punished with everlasting destruction. The Text will afford us two Propositions.
1. Prop. That those persons who in this life have not known God, or have not obeyed the Gospel of Christ, when Christ shall come to judgment shall be punished with everlasting Destruction, from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power.
2. Prop. That amongst sinners, the persecutors of others unjustly for their conscience toward God, and for the Gospel of Christ shall least escape this righteous Judgment. These above others shall be punished with everlasting destruction.
The Emphasis of the proposition, so far as I desire to handle it, lies in the word everlasting; they shall (saith the Text) be punished with everlasting destruction, which is no more than our Savior had said, Math. 25.46. And those shall go into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal, and Math. 9.44, 46, 48. Where you read of a worm that never dieth, and a fire that is not quenched. The Revelation of Scripture in the case is plain enough: only here is the Question.
Quest. How it can stand with the Justice, or goodness of God, to punish momentary Sins, with everlasting destruction?
The grounds of this Question or doubt are.
1. The proportion which Justice seemeth to require betwixt the offense, and the punishment. Justice amongst men requireth a proportion, as well as punishment itself; and it is with us accounted injustice not to keep a measure in punishment. Everyone condemneth the Roman taking away the life of his Servant, in compensation of a cup-board of glasses he had broken, and we count it hardly just, to do the like for little things stolen from us: now there seemeth to be no proportion betwixt momentary singings and eternal punishments. Tertullian rightly calls sins vaporata libidinum momenta, And the holy ghost calls them the pleasures of sin for a season. It is the same case as to the profits of sin, man that is born of a woman hath but a short time to live; and no longer time to sin in, then he hath to live.
2. Eternal torments seem to bear no proportion to that infinite goodness and mercy of God, which we have read of to be in God. They say indeed of Nero, that having condemned a malefactor to long torments, and pleasing himself to see him so tormented, when the poor wretch called to him for mercy, he gave him no other answer, then Nondum tecum in gratiam redii; stay Sir, you and I are not friends yet, but is it possible without blasphemy to imagine any such thing of God, of whose nature it is to forgive, and to show mercy? Can he please himself with the eternal torments of a creature which he hath made? No, no, (saith the Atheist ) Hell is but a bugbear, there can be no such thing consistent with the Justice and goodness of God as Eternal Destruction.
But the Scripture affirms it, suffer me therefore in general to cry out, O you Sons of men, are not the Lord's ways equal? Are not your ways inequal? who art thou, O man, who reasonest with God? Shall the clay say to the Potter why hast thou made me thus? Is not our Reason debauched think we when it can agree no better with the Reason and wisdom of God, whence it deriveth, and that in a lefs proportion, than a drop of water beareth to the Ocean, or the Fountain from which it deriveth?
Know therefore that all these vain and Atheistical reasonings of our hearts proceed upon one, or more of these mistaken principles.
1. That God's compassion, goodness or mercy, must be Eternally extended to, and exercised upon, the most notorious desperate despisers and contemners of it. Now this is indeed to fancy an idol to ourselves instead of God: we have no reason so to conceive of God, partly because we find no human nature so tame, though we be under a Law of showing pity and compassion; partly, because the Scripture no-where teacheth us such a notion of God. Besides, that such a notion of God as this is would disarm the most excellent and perfect being of all power to protect itself, from the greatest injuries which the most debauched persons should offer to it. I would gladly know what reason, or what part of Scripture, can induce any to dream of a goodness, and mercy of God towards sinners beyond this life?
2. That the goodness and mercy of God must be estimated, and measured by his dispensations to individuals. Amongst men, mercy to some particular persons that are eminent disturbers of human Society, is cruelty to thousands possibly. God's mercy may be exercised, and he may be a God in whom all that the Scripture saith of that goodness, that is in the Divine being, may be verified, and yet hundreds yea thousands of impenitent sinners may eternally perish.
3. That the proportion which the Divine Justice observeth in punishing sinners, must be measured by the proportion of time which the sinner hath to sin in. Than which there nothing more false, nor (as I shall anon show you) is there any such rule kept to in the justice of men.
4. That the Justice of God is to be measured by the same measures as the Justice of men, and nothing which amongst men is injust can be just with God; where-as among men, we see the same rewards and punishments are not judged just as to all men: all Nations (though the fact be the same) otherwise punish injuries done to superiors than to inferiors, and it is thought but just to proportion the punishment to the quality and greatness of the person to whom the injury is done.
5. That the condemned sinner satisfies by his suffering, than which there is nothing more false. No creditor takes his debtors lying in prison, whatever misery he feeleth there, to be any part of payment of his debt. These are some of the mistaken Principles, from which vain man quarrelleth at the Divine Justice, in the eternal destruction of sinners. Now these things premised, I shall easily show you, that eternal punishment is not inconsistent with the Justice of God, nor doth any way derogate from that infinite goodness and mercy which is inseparable from the Divine Being.
1. Why should we not (in the first place) allow that to be just with God, which we allow to be just and righteous in man? What doth man less than this according to the extent of his power? Doth not the Magistrate for his offense deprive the Traitor, the Murderer, or other Malefactor, of his life, and all the comforts of it forever? Divines say, that in Hell there is a pain of loss, and a pain of sense; and the Schoolmen argue the former to be greater than the latter: you see man inflicteth an eternal pain of loss, and counts it just; he taketh away the malefactors life, and all the sweet concomitants of it from him forever; he imprisoneth him during life, banisheth him from his Country, never to return, confiscates his estate forever: Yet who quarrels with him as if he did unjustly?
Object. But will some say, God doth not only adjudge a sinner to an eternal loss of his life, estate, liberty, this indeed man doth; but God adjudgeth him also to eternal torments, to a neverdying worm, a fire that never shall be quenched.
Sol. I answer, Had man the same power, he would also do the same thing, and yet hope to be accounted guiltless: where eminent injuries are done to persons of great place and power, How many are angry, and will not be reconciled, though they be under a Divine Law obliging them to the contrary? How doth man sometimes divide a Malefactors last punishment, and suffers him not to die at once, but by piece-meal, to make his punishment as long-lived as he can? What will you say of those condemned to be starved to death? Yet in some great crimes, who calleth this cruelty or injustice? The greatness of the offense is in this case judged to justify the extraordinariness of the punishment.
2. What injustice can it be in God, to be ever exacting satisfaction to a debt which is never paid, especially when the debtor hath also refused his pardon for it? Suppose one of us hath a debtor who oweth us a great sum of Money, we offer him, that if he will come to us, and upon his knees but ask pardon, we will forgive him the debt; he refuseth, we lay him up in Prison, still he payeth us nothing; Which of us counteth it unjust to keep this wretch in Prison as long as we can? The reason why we do not forever keep him in Prison, is because that neither we, nor he, are of eternal duration. If indeed the suffering of the sinner a Thousand, Ten thousand years, did give any satisfaction to God; this were unjust: But who counteth a debtors lying in a Gaol, any payment of, or satisfaction for his debt? There are two things may be said of every sin, which should make the thoughts of sin very dreadful to every understanding Christian. 1. That all the holy actions of all the men in the world, cannot make God amends for one sin. It is a true saying of Drexellius, Omnium bonorum sanctae actiones unius lethalis noxae ponder superantur. 2. That the severest punishment which any poor wretch can suffer for sin, cannot give God satisfaction for the least sin.
3. What pretence can there be of charging God with unjustice, for continuing a punishment upon that sinner, that continueth his impenitency. If a sinner in everlasting torments indeed either ever could, or did repent, there might possibly be some pretence for this imputation of injustice to God, or at least, something might be colourably said to derogate from the goodness and mercy of God, in not delivering him from those torments: Though that Text, Rev. 16.9, 11, possibly be not to be understood of Hell, yet you have in it, a true picture of such as are under the condemnation of it. When the fourth and fifth Angels poured out their vials, and had power to scorch men with fire, it is said, verse. 9, That they were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which had power over those plagues, and repented not to give him glory. And again, verse. 11, They blasphemed the God of Heaven, because of their pains, and their sores, and repented not of their deeds. I say these two verses give you as to this thing, a true picture of Hell. Sinners are there plagued, and scorched with heat, but they repent not, to give glory to God. Had they in this life repented, they had never come into those flames. In that state indeed, there is no place, no means for repentance, nor hath any sufferer there any heart for it. Non decebat justitiam dei poenitere non poenitentium injustitiae humanae; It did not become the justice of God to repent, as to their punishment, who never repent of their own injustice, and unrighteousness. What man pitieth a person laid in Gaol for contriving Treason against his Prince, or Country? Because he continueth there, whiles even in Prison he goes on to revile, and threaten, and act what mischief is in his power under his circumstances? And will not so much as say that he hath done amiss, nor beg his Princes pardon? This is the case of the damned soul: in this life he sinned, but refused to repent, though he was often called to, and admonished to repent; God throws him for his sin, continued in impenitently, into Hell; there he repenteth not, he saith not so much as, I have sinned, Lord have mercy upon me: Is God think you unjust in keeping this hardened, stubborn, and impenitent sinner in an eternal Prison? In this the sinner is like to the Devil, and to his evil Angels; as the Saints in the resurrection are made like to the good Angels: so sinners are like to the evil Angels. The Devils never repent, they never say, what have we done, they never ask God pardon; no more do sinners that are once condemned to a fellowship and society with them forever.
4. What injustice can there be in God, never to cease from punishing that sinner, who never ceaseth from his acts of sin? I shall not here concern myself in that question, whether the blasphemies of the damned be sins, yea, or no: For my own part, I see no reason why they should not be called sins, they are the acts of rational creatures contrary to the Law of God. If the sinner had in this life ceased to do evil, he had never come in those torments; if he ceased not to sin in this life, I ask when he ceased, or by what other name we can call the blasphemies of damned souls because of their torments, than that of sins against God? If they be sins, I say, damned souls never cease to sin. Are not the blasphemies of the Devils sins? And are not the blasphemies of damned souls of the same nature? But I will not enlarge upon this, for it hath a great cognation to the former.
5. If it were not unjust with God to annex the penalty of eternal destruction to his threatening against sin, it cannot be unjust with him, having enacted a Law under such a penalty to execute it. The truth of this dependeth upon this principle, That it can be no injustice, to put a just Law in execution, which is so plain, as that it demonstrateth itself to every man's reason. For what is Justice in the execution or practice of it, but the putting of just laws in execution? Besides, what is necessary cannot be unjust. Hath the Lord spoken it, and shall he not do it (saith the Prophet)? God having enacted such a Law, and affixed such a threatening to it is concerned in truth, to give being to the execution of it. So that all I have to do, is to evince the wisdom and justice of God in making such a Law, which will appear to you, if you please to consider,
1. The influence which it hath upon those who shall be saved, as a means to bring them to Heaven; this appeareth, from that of the Apostle, 1 Cor. 5.11, We knowing the terrors of the Lord, persuade men: as also from the frequent use which both our Savior and his Apostles make of this argument, to deter men from sin, and to engage them to that duty which they owe unto God; in the performance of which they shall obtain everlasting life and salvation. John the Baptist useth it, Matt. 3.7. Our Savior useth it, Matt. 25. The Apostle useth it, 1 Thes. 1.10, and in many other places of Scripture.
2. Such a Law hath undoubtedly a great influence upon the worst of men, and keepeth them in awe, so as they dare not be so vile, as they otherwise would be. I have told you of that Heathen who is reported to have said, That if God had not established death by his Law, it was yet so necessary for mankind, that it had been reason that Governors should have established some Law, to have determined men's lives at such or such times. The Heathens knew nothing of the Revelation of God's Will, as to the eternal destruction of any; but saw such a sanction so necessary for the rule and government of the World, that they figured such a thing, a place where thirsty Tantalus should have rivers just washing up to his lips, and yet he should not be able to drink of them; where weary Sisyphus should be always laboring to roll a stone up the hill, for which he should never be able to find a resting-place. The Heathens saw the necessity of frighting the world with a Sanction, for eternal punishments, for the punishment of wickedness. It is a saying of Cicero, Itaque ut aliqua in vita formido improbis esset posita, apud infero ejusmodi quaedam supplicia impiis antique constituta esse voluerunt, quod videbant his remotis, non esse mortem ipsam pertimescendam. Orat. 4. in Catilinam: That is,
3. But this is further advantaged from the consideration, That this righteous Sanction of eternal destruction, is executed under the Gospel upon none to whom it hath not been a mean before to keep them from it. I have told you, that as to those ordained to life, it is a means to preserve them from wrath to come, to hear of it, the Ministers of the Lord knowing the terrors of the Lord persuade men; and by the consideration and the hearing of these terrors, as by a partial mean, they are brought into a state opposite to it, a state of eternal joy and felicity. To the whole of mankind, it is a mean to restrain them from sin: I now add, that these poor wretches, who at last drop into the Pit as the demerit of their sins, continued in without repentance, have, or might have formerly heard of it denounced against them, as a means to keep them from it, and to bring them to an eternal felicity. Now doth man judge it a righteous thing, having made, and promulgated Laws to his Subjects, telling them what shall be judged Treason, and what shall be the punishment of a Traitor, and therefore promulgated his Laws, that they might take heed of Treasons, Murthers, or other enormous crimes; If afterwards they will commit them, that his Law should be rigorously executed upon them, to the confiscation of their goods, the depriving them of their liberties, yea, and lives too: I say, doth man thus judge? and shall we think it an unrighteous thing with God, when he doth not surprise sinners in their heaps of sin, but publisheth his Law in his word, promulgeth it by Ministers, and therefore publisheth it, that men and women might be by the terrors of the Lord persuaded, and warned to flee from the wrath that is to come, and take heed of having their portion in that place, where the worm never dieth, and the fire never goeth out; yet notwithstanding, in defiance of the authority of God, and in the contempt of his Law, they will go on, and take no warning to execute this Law upon them? To conclude this Meditation, to execute a just Law, can be no injustice, no cruelty, and in God it is necessary to vindicate both his authory, and truth. This Law of eternal destruction, as the punishment of sin, considered in its first establishment, was a just Law: Just, because a means to bring many to Heaven, because an universal mean and most prudential, and almost alone effectual to restrain sin in the world; and because it was first a mean to preserve them from the pit, who at last through their own choice, stubbornness, and willfulness, do fall into it. It is therefore impossible that it should be any injustice in God to put this Law in execution, to punish impenitent and incorrigible sinners with eternal destruction.
6. The proportion which Justice is to observe, and adjust betwixt a punishment and an enormous sinful act, is by no means to be measured, by comparing the time, or degree of pleasure, which the sinner hath had for his sinning, or in his sinful act, but by comparing the punishment, either with the dignity of the person injured and contemned, or with the damage done by the offense, or with the malice, treachery, and perfidiousness of the person offending. It must be acknowledged that distributive justice is to observe a proportion betwixt the punishment, and the nature of the offense: And upon this true principle it is, that this objection, these reasonings of ours, against the justice of God in the eternal destruction of sinners do proceed. But I say,
1. This Proportion is not to be measured, either by the time the sinner hath had to commit his sins in, or by the degree of pleasure, which the sinner hath had in his inordinate sinful actions. That's all which the caviller in this point against Divine Justice hath here to say: What proportion is there between the sins of a few years, and eternal destruction? being tormented in Hell Ten thousand times ten thousand years? But who amongst men measureth thus the proportion of any punishment to any kind of offenses amongst men? The Murderer hath killed his neighbor, the Traitor his Prince, his work was done in a small part of an hour; it may be very few days were taken up, either in the contrivance or execution of his design. Doth justice require, that the time of these Malefactors Imprisonment, or torture in Death, should not exceed the time of the contrivance, or execution of their sin? whoever so judged? There is nothing more ordinary in Philosophy, than to say, that distributive Justice ought to proceed according to Geometrical proportion between persons and things, not according to an Arithmetical proportion, observed in dealings between man and man. The measure then of a sinful action is not to be taken from the duration or continuance of a sinful Act. But,
1. From the dignity of the person offended, injured, and contemned. He that murdereth his Prince is punished otherwise, and more severely than he who murdereth his equal. By God's Law, if the Daughter of the High Priest committed uncleanness she was to be burned, Levite. 21.9. So was not everyone who was an adulteress; but she had defiled her father, and therefore was not to die an ordinary death. It is only said, he that curseth his father or mother shall die, Levite. 20.9. In our Law, If a person murdereth his equal, or inferior, he or she shall be hanged, they shall die the ordinary death of malefactors; but if the Woman murdereth her Husband, the Child his Parent, the Servant his Master, they shall be burned; if the Traitor murdereth his Sovereign, he shall be hanged, drawn and quartered: The injury is done to their superiors. Now there is not so great a disproportion betwixt the greatest Emperor, and the meanest Villain in the world, as there is betwixt the great God of Heaven and Earth, and his creature: Nor is there so great a disproportion betwixt hanging, burning, and torturing to death, and eternal punishment, as there is betwixt an infinite and a finite being. Sin taketh an infiniteness, from the infiniteness of that God against whom it is committed. And so is objective infinitum, objectively infinite; so as there is no disproportion, though the punishment be as they say durative infinita, infinite in duration. The durative infiniteness of the punishment, is adequated to the objective infiniteness of sin.
2. Sin is to be measured by the damage it doth to the person injured, or to the public. Upon this principle of Reason proceedeth another reason of different punishments: He that merely curseth or speaketh evil of his Prince, shall not be punished as he that murdereth him. Now sin wrongeth God infinite ways. In his Sovereignty. The sinner saith, God hath no Authority over me, no power, no right to command me; my thoughts are free, I will think what I list; my tongue is my own, I will speak, God hath nothing to do with me; it wrongeth God in his holiness, it says the Laws of God are not holy, it wrongeth him in his Omniscience, Omnipotence, All sufficiency, in his Justice, in his Wisdom, in all his Attributes: It were a great work to show you how many ways sin wrongeth God; it is intensive infinitum, intensively infinite, and therefore a punishment of an infinite extension, is but proportioned unto it. I pass over the injury done by it to man, as not to be compared with this.
3. Sin is to be measured by the falsehood, treachery, malice and perfidiousness of the person offending. Hence the traitor, the rebellious child, the bloody wife and servant are more severely punished than others that do the same things to other persons, because they violate a trust, and show the greatest treachery and perfidiousness. Iniquity takes the greater heinousness from the greatest obligations to the contrary duty. Now in all sinning against God there are the greatest failers of faith and duty, the greatest abuses of love and goodness imaginable. So as if we thus take our measures, justice keeps but a due geometrical proportion in the eternal punishment of the momentary sins of sinners; for as is the punishment to the offense, so is the party offended to the party offending. As the punishment is without end, infinite, whereas the sins were momentary and temporary: so the party offended was infinite, and the sinner who dared to defy infinite Majesty, and disobey an infinitely great and glorious God was but a finite worm. As is the injury in sinning to a man, so is the vengeance in punishment to the sin. Man is a poor pitiful worm, but by sin he doth an infinite wrong to God; it cannot be expressed how he dishonoreth God: there is no measuring the depth of the guilt in sin. Sin is indeed a finite thing, but it is punished with an infinite punishment; proportioned well enough to the infinite wrong done to the Divine being by it. Let this be a sixth Demonstration of the justice of God.
7. The justice of God in the eternal punishment of finite temporary sins, is cleared in this, That the sinner hath sinned, in suo aeterno, in his eternity. There is in every sinner infinita voluntas peccandi, a will to sin infinitely and without end. This I remember a learned Author calleth pessimam adhaesionem peccati, one of the worst circumstances of sin. That the sinner doth not sin eternally, is from God's quicker cutting asunder the thread of his life: had the thread of a sinners life run out to eternity, he would have sinned to eternity. Suppose one amongst the damned who had not spent above twenty or thirty years in the world in sinning, I would appeal to the judgment of any deliberate man, whether this man would not willingly have lived fifty, sixty, or an hundred years, and if he therefore did not desire to live so long, that he might take his fill of sin, satiate himself with his lusts; he who saith otherwise must charge God with damning a soul, who, he knew would have repented, if God would have suffered him to have lived long enough; and can any entertain such a thought of God? If the sinner had lived forever he would have gone on in his sins forever; then there was in him a kind of infiniteness in willing sin. This account of the justice of God in the eternal destruction of sinners, is given us by Greg. Mag. I will give you his words in English.
It is therefore righteous with God that their punishment should never end, whose sinful hearts knew no end in their willingness and lustings to sin. The sinner hath no end as to Divine Vengeance, because as long as he could he would know no term in sinning. It is not just with man to punish the intentions and motions of the heart, because he can but guess at them; he cannot certainly know them till they appear by some overt actions. Our Law makes it treason to imagine the death of the King; indeed the Traitor is not punished till his imagination be discovered by some overt words or actions, by which alone man can judge of intentions and imaginations: but to show us how just even man sometimes judgeth it, especially in some great crimes, to punish intentions; very small overt actions will sometimes serve to judge of the counsels, designs and intentions of a malefactors heart.
8. The justice of God in punishing sinners with everlasting destruction, is apparent by his proposal of an eternal reward to the greatest sinners, if they will repent and turn unto him. God setteth before every sinner an eternal life, as well as an eternal death; the sinner maketh his choice, he chooseth death rather than life; so as the proportion of Justice in the punishment, is justified by the proportion of the reward offered, in case the sinner would leave his sins and turn unto God. This account Aquinas gives of the justice of God in this particular. The sinner (saith he) refuseth and putteth from him an infinite good, and despiseth an unchangeable good for things that are mutable. God's punishments are no greater nor of longer duration, than his rewards are which are proposed to the same persons, if they would have turned from their sins, that they might have lived.
9. Who can so much as in a secret thought charge God with injustice, in the eternal punishment of a sinner, who remembereth that God for the sin of man laid a punishment upon an infinite person, who was the Son of his eternal love: and this the Apostle saith, Rom. 3.26. Was to declare his righteousness: To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness, that he might be just, and the Justifier of him who believeth in Jesus. Now in this we are so far from quarrelling at the justice of God, that there is no Christian that doth not adore and admire it: what is the difference? There God punished an infinite person for a time; here he punisheth finite persons in an infinity of time, that what they cannot suffer in the intension of their suffering, they might be ever doing in the extension of time: yea and this difference more is observable, God in punishing his Son, laid our iniquities upon another; here the sinner beareth none but his own burden, and doth but suffer the punishment due to his own iniquity. Now if we will quarrel at God's righteousness in this loading of his own Son with the burden of his wrath, we quarrel at the highest contrivement of Divine and Infinite Wisdom for the salvation of men: yet it is much more reasonable to dispute that than the justice of God, in the eternal personal punishment of a sinner. It is the saying of Nierembergius.
Illud mihi videtur ridiculum, mirari Divinam severitatem in aeterna scelestorum punitione, nec intendere infinitam illam justitiam in innocentia unigeniti dilecti sui: Quid mirum torqueri in aeternum scelestos pro peccatis suis si passus est pro alienis justissimus Dei filius? Qui potuit sustinere sine contumelia suae bonitatis charissimum natum una hora pati unjust, multo melius tolerabit aeternis injustos suppliciis affligi justissime. Nieremb.
10. Lastly, It is the greatest error and madness imaginable for any soul to dream of mercy in God, after the contempt and despising of his goodness and mercy, to a final impenitency. What is Divine goodness and mercy, but the will of God inclining him to do good to miserable creatures. This, we say, is to be found in God, and that to an infinite degree; and is abundantly seen in his longsuffering and forbearance of them, and patience to them; in his waiting upon them all the days of their life, giving them his Gospel, sending them his Ministers, beseeching them to be reconciled unto God, knocking by his Spirit at the doors of their hearts. Thus the merciful God extendeth his goodness unto all sinners, a long time he declareth that he desireth not the death of any sinner, but is willing that all should be saved, by coming to the acknowledgment of the truth. The vile sinner through the pride of his heart, will not seek after God, but vexeth, grieveth, resisteth his holy Spirit from time to time, refuseth to repent and to turn unto God, defieth him, mocketh at the tenders of Divine grace: thus he liveth, thus he dieth, yet hath heard of, and knoweth the threatenings of eternal destruction: he looketh upon them as bug-bear things, not to fright such men as he is, but children only: he drinks, he swears, he curseth and blasphemeth God; lies, breaketh Sabbaths, he will venture it. Who is that God that shall restrain the lusts of his heart? He will try whether there be such an Hell, such an eternal destruction yea or no. What do we talk of mercy after this, to such a bold defier of the Divine Majesty? What kind of being must we fancy the eternal God, if we should imagine him to have one drop of mercy for such a contemner and defier of Divine goodness? Surely he that made this man will have no mercy on him, he that formed him can show him no favor, without a dethroning himself, and making himself the contempt of his creature. This every sinner doth, one more openly and boldly, another more secretly and tacitly. Every fool, if he doth not speak it with his tongue, yet saith in his heart, there is no God. Whiles vain man talks of mercy in God in this case, I am afraid he fancieth mercy in God to be a passion as it is in us, which necessarily stirs to compassionate every object of misery. Alas! it is no such thing, it is nothing else but the good will of God to do good to sinners if they will be made partakers of his goodness: The same will moveth, and that justly too, otherwise after this life the red flag is then held out. The last grains of sand in the glass of mercy are dropt out, when this life is determined. There is no more sacrifice for sin remaining, but a dreadful looking for of Judgment and fiery indignation which shall devour the adversaries. He that despised Moses law, died without mercy; of how much sorer punishment shall they be thought worthy, who have trodden underfoot the blood of the Son of God, and have counted the blood of the Covenant wherewith he was sanctified, as an unholy thing, Heb. 10.26, 27. These men have done despite to the Spirit of Grace, and we know who hath said vengeance is mine, and I will repay it, I will recompense (saith the Lord) and again, the Lord shall judge his people. I conclude then with the Apostle in that place, It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. There is a time for all things, and as it is so with men, so it is with God: There is a time for mercy, that is the time of this life; and there must be a time for the execution of Justice, when God shall declare his righteousness upon sinners who have despised his goodness and patience, that is the time after this life. The inch of Candle is out when the sinners life is expired: no more coming to the waters, and buying then what before was offered without money, and without price. Mercy hath done its utmost as to such sinners: no more mercy is to be found in God for them, no more compassion in that God who is full of mercy and tender compassion. Nor shall we need at all to stumble at this, for to oblige Magistrates to be always pitiful to them that are in misery, though they have been the causes of it to themselves, and have brought themselves into misery by the highest contempts of Authority and Government; yea and of the clemency and patience of the Magistrate, were quickly to prostitute all Government, and to expose those that manage it to the basest contempt and scorn imaginable: and if the Princes and Judges of the earth, and Generals of Armies upon the prospect of this, see a necessity of setting limits to their bowels of compassion, and no one judgeth them either unjust or cruel in so doing; why may not the same be allowed to the holy and righteous God? But I have spoken enough to convince those who observe the principles of justice allowed in the practice of all States and Governments, with the general observation of the wiser sort in the world, That God is neither cruel nor unrighteous in punishing with an eternal destruction those that know not God, and obey not his Gospel, although their time and pleasure of sinning hath born no proportion, either to the time or degree of their torments. I shall apply it but in a word or two.
1. The first, To sinners who are yet impenitent, who have not yet by repentance and faith saved themselves from this wrath to come.
2. The second to those who through grace have saved themselves from this wrath.
Use 1. To the first I shall only speak after the great Apostle of the Gentiles. We knowing the terrors of the Lord, persuade you. 1. Not to stand disputing with God about the justice and equity of his ways. 2. While your time lasteth to save yourselves from these eternal burnings, from this worm which never dieth, this fire which never goeth out.
1. Dispute not then Divine Justice, as to the eternal Destruction of sinners. You see if you do, you will fall in judgment, though you should be tried by the common laws of men, by the customs and practices of all Nations. Flatter not yourselves, that whatever your Ministers tell you, the goodness and mercy of God will not allow him to see his creatures eternally tormented; or that the justice of God cannot allow him to punish the sinnings of a few hours, or years with an eternity of torments. What have they to do with mercy who have out-sinned their days and years of mercy, and despised the longsuffering, patience and forbearance of God, that for twenty, thirty, forty years together was leading them to repentance, and waiting for their conversion, and turning to him; who had a day and time of repentance, but repented not; an eternal life and happiness offered them, but refused it, and have judged themselves unworthy of eternal life? O let all sinners cease disputing Divine Justice, and presuming upon I know not what mercy in God, and let them today, while it is called today, not harden their hearts, but study to save themselves from this wrath that is to come! Let me but offer you one or two Meditations.
1. Consider with yourselves, how often you have deserved this eternal destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; and how many are dropped into it, who never lived so long, nor sinned so much as you have done? Do not you think that an Highway-man, or some other notorious villain, as he passeth by a pair of Gallows upon the road, hath many such a cold thought as this: How many have perished upon this tree for stealing but a few shillings, or some things of little value? how often have I deserved the same punishment, though I as yet escape? Oh that you who are yet in a state of guilt and impenitency, would reflect upon yourselves, and say, Lord! how many are dropt into the pit of eternal destruction, who never lived so long as I have lived, nor sinned to that degree that I have sinned! yet they are perished, and forever perished, yet I live, and am out of that pit.
2. Consider what an hairs-breadth there is betwixt you and this eternal destruction. You see some in a moment going down into the pit, some in an hours time, some in a weeks time; you sleep over it every night, you tread over it every day; you need not be told how little there is betwixt us and death every day: How suddenly do you see some snatched away on your right hand? others snatched away on your left hand, Ananias and Sapphira drop into the pit with a lie in their mouths? What know you what this day, what the next night may bring forth upon our souls? Let me conclude this with an Exhortation much of that nature, which Daniel used to that great King.
Wherefore, O Sinners! let my counsel be acceptable unto you, break off your sins by a true repentance, and your iniquities, by a coming unto Christ; if so be you may save yourselves from this wrath to come.
Use 2. In the second place, Let the People of God, who are delivered from this wrath, and by grace translated into the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, look back with thankful hearts upon this danger which they have escaped. They tell a story of a person, who being disordered with drink, and riding over a bridg, where he very narrowly, but insensibly escaped the danger of his life; coming back the next day, and viewing his danger, he was so astonished, as that he dropt down dead: your reflection upon this eternal destruction, which (through grace) you have escaped, ought to have no such influence upon you. But from the sight of this dreadful wrath to come, which you have escaped, reflect these two more profitable Meditations upon your souls.
1. What hath God done for me, delivering me from such a death? Oh how patient was God with me? how many nights did I sleep over hell? how many days? how many years did I tread over these endless torments? Oh! what hath God done for me, in plucking my foot out of this snare, as a brand out of this fire?
2. What shall I do? what, can I do enough for that God, who hath saved me from such a death? how often might he have thrown me into Hell? O Lord, I am thy servant, I am thy servant, thou hast saved me from that wrath which is to come. What an engagement should this lay upon us? in nostro aeterno, to serve the Lord while we have any being. Let us therefore go away singing with David, We will extol thee, our God, our King we will praise thee forever, and ever; every day we will bless thee, and we will praise thee for evermore, Psal. 145.1. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name; bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. Who forgiveth all thine iniquity? who healeth all thy diseases? who redeemeth thy life from destruction [yea from eternal destruction] who crowneth thee with loving-kindness and tender mercies, Psal. 103.1, 2, 3, 4.
SERMON XLIII.
Psal. LXXIII. 12, 13, 14.
I Am endeavoring (as I have before told you) to make the seemingly rough ways of Actual Providence plain, expounding to you the hard Chapters of Divine Providence; I am still speaking to such questions as relate to distributive justice, considered as in the hand of Actual Providence; and here also I have already spoken to several things: I am now come to the last which I intend to speak to. It is the great question which hath posed the great Philosophers of the world, and hath made some of them deny the being of God; others deny the care and Providence of God, or at least restrain it to some particular objects; How it standeth with the justice of God to punish and chasten his own people, whiles in the mean time he suffereth the way of the wicked to prosper. To handle this, I have made choice of this Text: it is no wonder that the greatest Philosophers have been posed here, when we find the most eminent servants of God whose names stand upon Sacred Record, at a loss to find out this riddle, and finding it a sad temptation to them. You shall find that Job stumbled at it, Job 21.7. and Jeremy, though he humbly prefaceth his complaint, Jer. 12.1. with, Righteous art thou, O Lord, in thy judgments; yet he must, he must talk with God about his judgments in this thing. Habakkuk was also something disturbed at it, Hab. 1.13. Thou art of purer eyes than to endure any iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is better than himself? In my Text you find the man according to God's own heart stumbling also at this stone, you have an account of his fall by this temptation, from the first ver. to the 16. 2. His recovery of himself, verse. 17, 18, 19, 20. The Propositions which may be observed from this verse, are two.
Prop. 1. That in this life ungodly men often prosper, and increase in riches, when in the mean time holy men are plagued and chastened.
2. Prop. That this is often a temptation to the best of men, to think that they have cleansed their hearts in vain.
I say first, God in this life doth often measure out prosperity to the worst, and afflictions to the best of men. The truth of the Proposition as to matter of fact is evident, both from the Records of Scripture, and the whole course of Divine Providence in the dispensations of it, as through all ages, so in our present age, so as I shall not need spend any time in the proof of it. The Question is,
Quest. How this is consistent with the Justice, Wisdom, or Goodness of God, that the ungodly should prosper in the world, and increase in riches, when his people are visited with afflictions every night, and chastened every morning? I shall add further, to make use of the most vile and wicked men in the world, to chasten those that are more righteous than they are. This was David's case, Saul and Absalom, who (you know) were his great Enemies, were both most vile and wicked persons, and that which Habakkuk expressly complained of, Hab. 1.13. And sufferest the wicked to devour the man that is more righteous than he; The Chaldeans, a vile and wicked people, to devour the Jews, who were the only people God had upon the Earth at that time. Here are three Questions to be spoken to:
1. How it standeth with the Justice of God to measure out good things to the vilest and worst of men?
2. How it standeth with the Justice and Goodness of God, by his Actual Providence to dispense out evil things to the best of men?
3. How it is consistent with the Justice of God, to suffer the wicked to devour the man that is more righteous than himself?
I will begin with the first, where we must inquire, 1. What good things wicked men have. 2. We must vindicate the Justice of God in the distribution of them to them. The good things which a wicked man hath, can be only the good things of this life; for the good things of another life, they have no part nor portion in that matter. 2. They can be none of the good things of grace, special grace; they are without God, without Christ, without hope. Hence must follow, that the good things of which alone they are capable, are either bona corporis, the good things of the body; such are life, health, strength, &c. or the good things of fortune, as the Heathens call them, such are riches, honors, pleasures, or the good things of the mind, such as are learning, wit, &c. These good things wicked men are capable of, the wicked may live, become old, be mighty in power, Job 21.7. There may be no bands in their death, their strength may be firm, they may not be in trouble as other men, as the Psalmist speaketh here in this Psalm. Now this being first premised, I come strictly to speak to the Question.
1. In the first place I desire that may be remembered, which in some of my former discourses I commended to your observation, That as adversity is not the portion of every child of God, so prosperity is not the portion of every sinner: nay if you fix your eyes upon any certain number of good men that live up to the rule of God's word, and a like number of lewd and wicked men, who live without a God in the world; you will find that as to outward prosperity is on the side of them that fear God: Wisdom hath riches and honor in her hand, as well as grace and glory; that which cheats us, is the odds that is in numbers betwixt men who fear God, and such as fear him not, but fix your eye upon any number of certain persons on either side, and you will see that God's fulfilling of his promises to good men for the things of this life, such as health, long-life, riches, honor, &c. to such as fear him are not made in vain, and the justification of God's truth in them, doth not stand in need of those distinctions which we ordinarily make use of, they are only some that God prospereth.
2. As there is no godly man but hath sin enough to justify in his afflictions; so there are many wicked men, who may have done some service for God, which will justify God in such rewardings of them. It is but just with God (as I have shown you) for God to reward men for the service which they have done for God; he rewarded Jehu, Assyria, and Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon.
3. I have shown you, that God with the rewards of this life, doth often reward, and with the punishments of this life doth often punish relations in their correlates; so God may reward, if not the person, for some service he hath done for God; yet he may reward a Father, a Grandfather in the riches, and honor, and outward good things which the present sinner doth enjoy: it was thus you know in the case of Jehu, the prosperity of Joash and Jeroboam, and another or two descended from Jehu, was but the reward which Jehu had for his service against the house of Ahab. But I have enlarged my discourse upon all these things before, and do only hint them here.
4. The good things of this life, are not truly good; they are only called by us good, because of their gratefulness to our sense; they are in themselves but things of a middle nature, good or bad, as we use them well or ill. It is the saying of Nierembergius (an acute Author, though a Jesuit), Fortunantur improbi larvatis hujus vitae bonis ad correctionem nostrae opinionis, ne putemus illa bona posthumae nostrae foelicitati comparanda. Wicked men, saith he, are enriched with the specious good things of this life, to correct our judgments, that we may not judge that those things are worthy to be compared with that felicity, which we after this life shall enjoy. The wiser Philosophers, in their disputes about the happiness of man in this life, which they rightly enough determined must lie in the enjoyments of the greatest good, and their further quest, what that summum bonum was, determined it could not be the good things of the body, nor the good things of fortune (as they call them, we speaking more like Christians, call them the good things of Common Providence), but at last determined (the wiser of them I mean) that it was the goods of the mind in conjunction with a competency, or a moderate portion of the good things of the other natures. But Religion teacheth us to consider man in another notion than they by the conduct of mere natural reason could consider him, as a creature under an ordination to an eternal existence, and capable of an union with, and an enjoyment of God. Now upon these two Hypotheses, it is impossible that the good things of this life should be vere bona, truly good things, and that upon these two grounds: 1. They reach not to another life. What is our inch of time to Eternity? Now all these things leave us in the very hour that our soul goes out into an eternal state; Riches, honors, pleasures, strength of body, &c. all leave us when the body dieth.
2. Again, While we are in the possession of our breath, all these things do signify just nothing to the felicity of the soul, which is far the better and nobler part of man: the interest of the soul lieth in its union and communion with God, to which none of these contribute anything, so that the objection proceedeth upon an hypothesis that is merely false; it supposeth that God distributeth things truly and properly good to wicked men, he only distributeth such things to them as have a show and appearance of good, such things as to their palates and sense are good, but have nothing of goodness in them, further than that they are a viaticum, things of necessary use to support us in our way to eternity, and to uphold our beings in the world, while we are here doing the work which God hath given us to do, and finishing our course; and for that, what our Savior said is true, Our life doth not lie in the abundance of that which we possess.
5. Though they be not things in themselves good, nor absolutely and completely good; yet having something of goodness in them, and a great goodness relative to the fancy, apprehension, and desires of sinners (for there be many that will say, Who will show us any good)? understanding nothing else but corn, and wine, and oil, a long-life, an healthful body, a great estate, honor and power, &c. It is but equal that God should gratify their senses, and please them with some such things as they account the goods, the greatest goods, That they might not be without some experience of the riches of divine liberality and bounty. God must be allowed to have a relation, unto the vilest men and women; he is not indeed their Father by Adoption, but he is their Father by Creation. It is not reasonable that any of God's Creatures, Absque ulla liberalitatis experientia elabantur, should go out of the world without some experience of the divine liberality and goodness. I remember it is said of Abraham, that for the Children he had by Concubines, he gave them portions, and sent them away, Gen. 25.5. Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac: but unto the sons of the concubines which Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts, and sent them away, &c. We may say the same of God, he gives grace and glory to his Isaac's, to the children of the promise; but as for others, he gives them gifts of the good things of this life; festinat largiri, saith an acute Author, God makes hast to give out his largesses of mercy to them, because they are not capable of the mercies of another life. God hath time in eternity to reward his Saints, but after this life he hath no time to give sinners anything. And this appeareth the more reasonable, because the worst of men are not only God's Creatures, but may be in some things God's Servants, as the Assyrian and Nebuchadnezzar, and Cyrus were God's Servants: there are very few wicked men but God maketh some use of, if it be but to scourge his own people, for that was the service which the Assyrian did God, Isa. 10. But this I have before spoken to more largely.
6. It is very reasonable, if we consider what there is in these good things of this life, which God giveth out to sinners, of the nature of means on God's part, to allure and persuade them to turn unto him. The Apostle telleth us, That the goodness of God leadeth men to repentance, Rom. 2.4. It doth so ex natura sua, of its own nature, though through the wickedness of their heart, it but makes them worse; so Acts 14.17. He left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness: and this he did, verse. 16. to nations whom he suffered to walk in their own ways. The business is not what these things prove eventually to sinners, so indeed they prove but snares to their souls, that is, accidentally through the misimprovement they make of them, by reason of the lust and corruption that is in their hearts: nor is God's intention and design in giving them the thing to be considered, but what they are in themselves, and of their own nature; so they are things which they desire more than better things, which are grateful and pleasant to them, and should therefore oblige them to serve, and please that God, who so gratifyeth and pleaseth them in things which they make their delight, and the matter of their choice.
7. What in the last place, if we should say, that it is reasonable God should give them these things, as one expresseth it, In infortuniis apparatum; that if they will not use them to their own good and advantage, yet they might give God's glory an advantage by justifying him in their condemnation upon their abusing the goodness of God. They tell us a story of Philip King of Macedon, and of some noble Romans, that they were wont to pray to their Idols, that they would mix their prosperity with some grains of adversity. It is a dreadful speech, Luk. 6. Woe to you that are rich, for you have received your consolation. It is a saying of an ingenious Author, a Jesuit,
Insignitur solum titulus opulentiae ad justitiam damnationis, quia licet ipsa crimen non sit multis fundatur criminibus, aut fundat multa; vel sceleribus paritur, vel scelera parturit—solitarius titulus fortunae infamis est, nisi aliquid pietatis agnomen purget; Merem. That is,
Quest. 2. It remains in the second place to show you, how it consisteth with the righteousness and goodness of God to dispense out evil things to his own people. Job complaineth of his sad trials, and David, that he was visited every morning, and chastened every moment; and we see in our daily experience, that many are the trials of the most righteous servants of God, and those of all sorts.
1. I say in the first place, This is not the lot of all the servants of God, it is only the portion of some of them; some of those who fear God are rich, honorable, mighty in power, men of good estates, prospering in the world: there was a rich Abraham, a rich Joseph, a great man in Egypt, and a rich Joseph of Arimathea; David, the man according to God's own heart was a great Prince, so was Solomon; nay, as I said before, were we not deceived by the odds in the number of Sinners and Saints, I doubt whether we should not find that God with the good things of this life, doth not more universally bless his own servants than he doth others.
2. Suppose that some, yea that many of the People of God in this world are tossed with tempests, and afflicted; yet surely there is none of them but hath sin enough to justify God in their punishments of this nature. I have in my former discourses proved to you, that notwithstanding the satisfaction which Christ hath paid to the Justice of his Father, and the Covenant of Grace made betwixt Christ and his Father, on the behalf of his Elect, and the pardoning of their sins; yet it is consistent enough with Divine Justice, to punish the sins of God's own People, with the afflictions and punishments of this life: they may be chastened of the Lord, that they may not be condemned with the world, 1 Cor. 11.32. Now the most righteous man sinneth seven times a day; nor doth any know how often he offendeth: and why should a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his iniquity? Lam. 3.
3. If you could imagine any person to have lived so innocently, as that he had not by his personal sins deserved those temporal afflictions with which God visiteth him; yet (as you have heard) God may visit the sins of Parents, of proparents, upon Children, and afflictions of this nature, may come upon good people, although not for their personal sins, yet for the sins of their Parents; and this is but righteousness with God, as I have heretofore shown you in a set discourse upon that Subject.
4. But there is yet a fourth thing, which I would speak to a little more fully in answer to this Question, and that indeed takes away the Subject of the question upon the point. As I said of the good things of this life, they are not truly good, so I may say of the evil things of this life, they are not truly evil: as the other are but larvata bona, such things as have but a Vizard of goodness; so these are but larvata mala, such things as have but a show and appearance of evil in them; they are only sensible evils, and our senses do but cheat our Souls in judging them evil. This I will spend a little time to evince to you.
1. In the first place, These are not those things which desile the Soul. It was a saying of Augustine's, There is a great deal of difference betwixt a man's being evil, and suffering evil. Many a Soul is made better by affliction, none is made worse by it, unless it be by accident. Nothing but sin defileth a Soul: a man may be poor in this world yet rich in grace, he may have a sickly body, yet an healthy Soul he may be ignoble in the world, yet have the honor to be called the Child of God; those things alone are evil, which make the Soul filthy, and unclean in the sight of God. Afflictions tend to make the Soul white, to purge it and to cleanse it, they are therefore compared to fire, and help to make our faith to appear more precious than Gold that perisheth; they do not prejudice a Soul as to its grace, nor yet as to its glory; none was ever condemned by God because he was sickly or low in the world: Afflictions are only ingrateful to our sense grievous to our flesh; but as to our Soul and inward man, they touch it not, they do only sully the surface of a man, they do no injury to all to his better part.
This Argument is plain, what doth the Soul of a Christian no hurt is no evil. Why should I call that evil which neither ever did me any hurt nor ever will?
2. The Afflictions of this life are such things as the best of God's people have chosen and preferred before the contrary supposed good. This is a piece of that answer which Salvian long since, gave to this difficulty of Providence.
Humiles sunt Religiosi? hoc volunt: paupers sunt? pauperie delectantur? sine ambitione, ambitum respuunt; in honor sunt? honorem respuunt: lugent? lugere gestiunt: infirmi sunt? infirmitate delectantur, Salvian. de Prov.
3. How can those things be called evils, which have a tendency to make the man better. Afflictions both from God's intention, and their own nature, have a tendency to the making of the Souls of Saints better. God intends them for that purpose, for they are his fatherly Providence for them; all those twigs which make up the rods with which God lasheth his people, grow out of the root and stock of Divine love. The rods with which God scourgeth Sinners, are gathered of a Tree that standeth upon the brink of the bottomless pit; but those with which God chastiseth his people, are gathered of a Tree that stands in the midst of the Paradise of God. Nay afflictions have in themselves a tendency to better the Souls of Saints. They are but like a warm wall to the fruit-Tree, which makes the fruit fairer; you observe that young Children shoot out in sickness, you may observe the Saints too shooting out upon their afflictions; O how many of them have we seen shot out, in humility, in faith, in patience, in heavenly-mindedness, and contempt of the world, &c. It is a saying of Salvian upon this Argument, Ideo Sancti viri sunt infirmiores, quia si fortes fuerint vix Sancti esse poterint.
There are three things in which the felicity of the Soul lieth, 1. In its favor with God. 2. In its conformation to God. 3. In its beatifical vision of God. I shall show you that some of those things, which we call evils, have an influence upon all these.
1. They do indeed none of them merit the love and favor of God, but they are testimonies and indications of this love, and this is eminently true of such as are sufferings for the name of Christ: the Apostle speaketh of Afflictions in general, whom he loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every Child whom he receiveth. Christ saith particularly of the sufferings of his people for him, They shall turn unto you for a testimony, Luk. 21.13. And the blessed Apostle, 2 Thes. 1.5. saith of them, that they are manifest tokens of the righteous judgment of God, that, saith he, you may be counted worthy of the Kingdom of God, for which you suffer. It is a saying of Salvian; Quis tam profundi Cordis, &c. He means, who is so shallow as to think that the rewards of the Saints are carnes & fortitudines, abundance of the good things of this life; the love of God, saith he, is seen in higher things than these, and in things of a quite different nature from these. It is a passage of Augustine, Surgunt procellae hujus stagni, vides malos florere, bonos laborare, tentatio est, fluctus est, & dicit anima tua, O Deus! Deus! Haeccine est justitiae tua, ut mali floreant, & boni laborent: Deus tibi respondet, Haeccine est fides tua? Haeccine tibi promisi, aut ad hoc factus es Christanus, ut in saculo floreres? Aug. in Psal. 25.
It was the rich glutton in the Gospel, who had his good things in this life. God's Lazarus had evil things; far be it from us, saith Salvian, to think that an Argument of God's neglect of us, which is an Argument of God's further love to us.
2. Doth the happiness of a Soul lie in its conformation to God? to the image of his Son? (as the Apostle speaketh) Afflictions highly conduce to this end.
1. This is peculiarly true of such Afflictions as a Christian suffers for the gospel and for the name of the Lord Jesus; and therefore the Apostle triumpheth in this, 1 Phil. 20. That Christ should be magnified in his body, whether by life or death; and therefore speaks of his sufferings of this nature, as the matter of his expectation, his hope, his boldness, and what he was confident he should not be ashamed of: and he prayeth for a fellowship with Christ in his sufferings, Phil. 3.12. Ignatius is reported after all his sufferings to have said, Now I begin to be a disciple. Now (saith Anthony Person a Martyr of our own Nation) I am dressed like a Soldier of Christ, when he had put some of the straw that was prepared to kindle the wood which was to burn him, on the top of his Head.
2. But, All sorts of afflictions have an influence upon the Soul to make it more like to the Lord Jesus Christ. Sufferings in the flesh for Christ's sake make us conformable to Christ's flesh, to Christ in his state of humiliation, to Christ upon the Cross, but all the Afflictions of the Saints conduce to make them like unto the Lord Jesus Christ in his holiness, and purity, that now belongeth unto Christ, and is inseparable from him in his estate of glory, and exaltation: in that he died, he died once and but once, and shall hang on the Cross no more, wear a Crown of thorns no more, but his purity and holiness, that is essential to him: now the Afflictions of God's people make them like unto Christ in this. This is an argument which I have had occasion before to touch upon, and therefore I shall be the shorter in it now.
1. They wonderfully conduce to take the hearts of the people of God off from the Earth, and to six them upon Heaven. Poverty takes off the heart from the love of riches, and delivereth it from an evil covetousness; sickness weaneth the Soul from the love of this life. Now holiness lieth so much in the Sequestration of the heart from the world, that in Greek, an holy man signifies a man that is not earthly. it is an hard thing for a man to be possessed of much of the Earth, and not to have his heart buried in it: it is true we should rejoice as if we rejoiced not, and possess as if we possessed not; but this is an hard saying to flesh and blood, Who is there almost who can hear, who can learn it? how rare is that Soul which liveth in the full fruition of the things of this life, that can yet keep his heart loose from them, and sequestered for God? Prosperity, plenty, a great affluence of the good things of this life are as birdlime to a Souls wings, and keep it from mounting up to God. I remember it is a saying of Salvian, Repugnanti corporis valetudine quae optamus facere non facimus; many a time, the want of strength, and health in our bodies, hindereth us from doing that sin which we have a mind to commit. The great enjoyments of the world are not only the things which make men unwilling to die, but both they, and the great businesses and employments of the world, are those things which keep Christians fettered; they cannot pray, they cannot wait upon God in ordinances, they cannot fast, they cannot solemnly worship God as others less entangled can: amongst other advantages therefore of a poor and afflicted state an ingenious Author reckons this for one, he saith it is puritatis condimentum, the pickle of purity and holiness. They are the very salt of the Earth, without which the best of men would putrefy in their full enjoyment. They are (you know) sharp, and acrimonious things, that are the Enemies to putrefaction: salt seasoneth things, vinegar makes a good pickle preservative of things Sugar quickly corrupteth. It is true there are too too many that have little enough of these things, and as little of any gracious habits, poverty, and afflictions will not give grace; but that is a rare Christian that abounds with the affluences of this life, and yet keepeth his integrity, is as pure, as holy, as full of duty, as others who have less of this worlds goods; they are no fountains of grace, but they are great preservatives of it.
2. Nay this is not all; in the second place, they conduce much to the improvements of grace, especially of faith and patience. They are two habits of grace, that like Solomon's brother and friend are made for adversity. Tribulatio patientiae Robur operatur, patientia fidei probationem parit. Tribulation addeth to the strength of patience; and patience bringeth forth the trial of Faith. If the people of God never met with affliction, how should the trial of their faith appear more precious than that of Gold which perisheth? How should their patience have its perfect work? Faith is never seen till we be out of sight of the thing which we pretend to trust God for. Hope which is seen is no hope, but if we hope for that which we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. Job 's faith in God, and love to God, was seen in his trusting in him, and adhering to him while God seemed to be killing of him. Practical habits are improved by exercise. The Souls of the Saints ordinarily come out of their trials, more strong in faith, more confirmed in hope, more exercised in patience, more flaming in love to God; how then shall we call those things evils which instead of depraving the Soul and making it worse, do tend to the improvement of the Soul and making of it better?
3. Lastly, the highest good which the Soul is capable of is, the beatifical vision, and enjoyment of God to all Eternity. To this the low estate of the people of God doth exceedingly conduce, 2 Cor. 4.17. Our light Affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. Those who shall sit with God upon thrones, are those which continue with him in tribulations. The great multitude which St. John saw, Rev. 7.9, 10, 11, 12, 13. which no man could number, of all Nations, kindreds, people, and tongues, which stood before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes and palms in their hands, upon inquiry were found to be those who came out of great tribulation, and had washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb, v. 14. Our sufferings in this life do not merit glory, alas there is no perfection in our suffering, and sufferings are but our duty; nor is there any proportion, betwixt light and momentary afflictions, and a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; but they work for us a far more exceeding weight of glory. Thou art mistaken then, O Christian in thy Judgment. God doth not (as thou dreamest) distribute good things to his Enemies, nor yet evil things to his friends: the business is no more than this, Deus per ficta mala punit suos, & per larvata bona impios remunerat. Nierem.
Nor let any one think to quibble here, as if God mocked either the one or the other, for although these things which the wicked enjoy, are not real and substantial good things; yet as they are the things which they desire, delight in, which they choose above other things more solidly, and substantially good, they are to them really good, and they have a tendency to make them better; and the afflictions of the people of God, as they have in them an enmity to their flesh, and are ingrateful to their senses, so they have something of real evil in them; but comparatively with other evils, or the greater good things which God hath prepared for his people, they have nothing of evil in them. In short, every observing man discerneth the difference betwixt the love of an indulgent cockering mother, and a wise, and prudent father. The father showeth his love to the Child, by fitting it to live in the world another day, learning it to be a man, to know the world, and to converse with it: to this purpose, he inureth it to hardship, he sends it to school, and keepeth it under a severe discipline: thus he showeth his love to his Child, and when the Child cometh to years of discretion the Child thanks him for it, though under the discipline of its youth possibly the Child thinks the father its worst enemy. The mother possibly showeth her love by cockering the Child, dandling it upon her knee, providing fine clothes for it, giving it sweet-meats, &c. Which things indeed have nothing of true love in them, and do only tend to emasculate the Child, and make it of an effeminate temper, and more unfit to converse with, or live in the world another day. Patrium Deus habet in bonos animum, (saith an ingenious Author) God loves good people, not like a mother but like a father: whom he loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every Child whom he receiveth; he keeps them at the school of affliction, and educateth them under the discipline of the rods, and ferulaes of many trials, and afflictions: he suffereth not the world which is their natural mother according to the flesh, to hug them in her bosom, nor to dandle them upon her knees; he chasteneth them that they might not be condemned with the wicked; he hath said, blessed is he whom thou chasteneth, and teachest him out of thy Law. This is but a fatherly dealing of God with his people. God thus fitteth them for Heaven, polisheth them for shafts in his own quiver, by this darkness makes them fit for the Saints in light. Why sayest thou, O Christian, that the Lord's ways are not equal, or that the Lord dealeth hardly with thee? God dealeth with thee, but as every wise and prudent father dealeth with the Child of his dearest love: and thus I have spoken to two of the Questions which fall under this head. But there is yet a third would be spoken to, and the rather, because it may be a temptation that seized the hearts of many of God's people in former times, that is, How it consisteth with the justice, wisdom, and goodness of God in the motions of his Providence to make the vilest, and worst of men his Instruments to chasten the best, and dearest of his own people: it was Habbakuks complaint, Hab. 1.13. why holdest thou thy peace, when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he, and maketh men as fishes of the Sea, as the creeping things which have no ruler over them? But that will be my next Text, where I shall speak something relating to that dispensation of God, and afterwards shall more largely apply both what I have spoken, and what I shall further speak on this Argument.
SERMON XLIV.
Habakkuk I. 13.
I Begin (as you see) where I left in my last exercise. I left with a quotation out of the prophecy of Habakkuk which is now my Text, nor could anything be more proper; for you see it containeth in terms the Question I am this day speaking to. In the beginning of this Chapter and Prophecy, the Prophet had been complaining unto God of the exceeding wickedness, and incorrigibleness of the Jews. God replying to him had told him, what possibly he did not expect (desiring not the ruin but reformation of his people) that he was about to put an end to their wickedness, v. 6. Raising up the Chaldeans a bitter and hasty nation, which should march through the breadth of the land, to possess the dwellings which were not theirs; terrible, and dreadful, &c. An enemy every way qualified to execute God's utmost vengeance upon this people. This quite surpriseth and astonisheth the good prophet, and sends him in hast unto God again, v. 13. saith he, Art not thou from everlasting, O Lord my God, mine holy one? we shall not die, O Lord, thou hast ordained them for Judgment, and O mighty God thou hast established them for correction; then follow the words of my Text, Thou art of purer Eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou on them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue, when the wicked devoureth the man, that is more righteous then he? Habakkuk looked upon this as a very sad dispensation, and what stumbled him as to the righteousness of God, therefore he puts it in that phrase, the man that is more righteous than he, and addeth, and makest men as the fishes of the Sea, as creeping things of the Earth which have no ruler over them. Those brute sensitive creatures are not ruled by any rules of justice or righteousness; those of them that have most natural strength and power, devour those who have less: but now men are reasonable creatures, and should be acted by principles of reason and justice amongst them, might should not overcome right. But, O Lord, in this dispensation of thy Providence thou seemest to govern the reasonable part of the world like the brutish, and sensitive part of it. The Jews though they be a sinful people, yet they are more righteous than the Chaldeans, they are a brutish people and have no right against the Jews; shall thy Providence so order the affairs of the world, that those who have most power in their hand, though they have no right, shall trample down thy people, and eat them up like bread? Lord! this were to make men like the fish of the Sea, like the creeping things of the Earth, which have none over them, to govern them by any rules of justice or righteousness. Lord, why doth thy Providence thus govern human affairs? This I conceive the sense of the words. The question which remains to be spoken to is this.
Quest. How it can consist with the Justice of God in the motions of his Actual Providence to suffer wicked men to devour those who are more righteous than themselves.
I am the more willing to speak to this because it is a dispensation under which many, of those that fear the Lord in this nation have suffered: we have seen good men rifled, their goods taken from them, we cannot say but they have deserved this, and far more than this from the hand of Divine Justice; but though they have deserved this, yet we are ready to think it is hard that they should suffer this from such miscreants as take the Spoil, and God will certainly one day fetch the blood of his people and their abominations out of their mouths. We are prone to think that God should not suffer his people to be devoured, by those who are more unrighteous then they are. The Text gives you an account.
1. Of a great disorder in the world, at least a dispensation of Providence which Habakkuk thought so. Men dealt treacherously; the wicked devoured the men who were more righteous than themselves.
2. It gives you an account of God's carriage under this disorder. God looked upon men, that is, he seemed to look upon the men that dealt treacherously, and to hold his peace while Sinners devoured the more righteous persons. God by the motions of his Providence seemed rather to favor, than frown upon these disorders. Hence might be observed these two propositions.
1. Prop. That it is no unusual dispensation of Providence for God to suffer the wicked to devour those that are more righteous than themselves.
2. Prop. That this dispensation hath been matter of stumbling, and a very sore temptation even to the servants of God.
For the first as to matter of fact there is nothing more demonstrable, look over the whole History of Scripture, the History of all times, you will find it true; the world began with Cain's killing Abel, it went on with the Egyptians, the Amalekites, the Philistines, the Babylonians devouring of the only people which God had in the world. Now I say this hath been heretofore, and doubtless is at this time a great temptation to God's people. Habakkuk complains of it in the Text. Job complained, Job 30.1. That those who were younger than he had him in derision, even those whose Fathers he would have disdained to have set with the dogs of his table. Shimei a dead dog, as he called him, cursed David and Doeg the Informer prevails against all the Lord's Priests, Judas another Informer devoureth him who is the Lord of life. It is a dispensation that hath often put the servants of God into unseemly passions, James and John would have had fire come down from Heaven as in Elijah's time, to have destroyed the Samaritans. Peter was out of patience to see the Informer come with a company, with Swords and Staves to take his Master, and in his passion draweth a Sword, and with it cuts off the ear of the servant of the high priest. David himself when God offered him the choice of three Judgments, desired rather to fall into the hands of God than into the hands of men. I say it is and hath often been a very sore temptation, advantaged partly from Nature, partly from some Religious reflections.
That which in human nature advantageth this temptation, is, 1. The disdain every man naturally hath to suffer an injury from one beneath himself: when Gideon would have had his Son Jether, have fallen upon those two Eastern Princes Zebah and Zalmuna, they said rise thou up, and fall upon us; men have a natural disdain and scorn to suffer from their inferiors, we see it in every days experience. Now although every child of God is low in his own eyes, and in honor preferreth every Saint before himself; yet, as St. Paul sometimes magnified his office against the false Apostles, and counterfeits of his age, though he judged himself the least of the Apostles, and unworthy of that great Name: so they cannot but magnify themselves, in comparison of open profane miscreants, that are the scum, and off scouring of the place in which they live; such as are common drunkards, liars, swearers, Sabbath-breakers, and guilty of other debaucheries, the very scabs of the body politick, and spots of the Assemblies to which they are united.
2. Every man naturally hath a regret at the receiving of injuries from those from whom he hath deserved no such thing. Now the People of God are persons of innocence, who have done no wrong to their worst Enemies; they have loved their Enemies, prayed for them, been ready to do any offices of love to them, and know not how to bear an injury from those to whom they have done no wrong. This was that which troubled David's Spirit, Psal. 35.12, 13. They rewarded me evil for good to the spoiling of my Soul, but as for me when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth, I humbled my Soul with fasting, and my prayer returned into my own bosom; I behaved myself as though he had been my friend, or brother, I bowed down heavily, as one that mourned for my mother. But in mine adversity they rejoiced, and gathered themselves together, yea the abjects gathered themselves together against me, and I knew it not; yea they did tear me, and ceased not, with hypocritical mockers at feasts they gnashed upon me with their teeth. Lord how long wilt thou look on? Rescue my Soul from their destructions.
2. This temptation is likewise advantaged from some Religious reflections.
1. From a reflection upon the purity, and holiness of God. O Lord (saith our Prophet in my Text,) thou art of purer Eyes then to behold iniquity. How a just and pure and holy God should look on, and hold his peace to see a company of vile wretches tearing and devouring his own people, this is a knowledge (at first view) too wonderful for them.
2. From a reflection upon the promises and threatenings of God; they look into the holy word of God, and find that full of promises of good to God's People, of threatenings of wrath and vengeance to wicked men; instead of this, they see vile men building up Palaces to themselves upon their ruins, and adorning themselves with their Ornaments; the houses of the profane furnished, and adorned with that which is not theirs; instead of the wicked man's preparing garments, and the just man's putting them on (as Job speaketh) they see good and righteous men preparing garments, and lewd and ungodly men put them on; they see the spoil of such as fear the Lord in the tents of lewd and ungodly men.
3. From a reflection upon the Decrees of God: O Lord, (saith our Prophet) thou hast ordained them for destruction; O mighty God, thou hast established them for correction: they consider lewd and wicked men, as men whom God by a fixed act of his Will hath ordained to judgment, as persons who by the established counsel of God are to be destroyed, and they cannot expound the Providence of God into a consistency with his eternal purpose, when they see them not only live, prosper, and grow old, but also live by the death of such as fear God, and build their nests on high with feathers which they have plucked from their wings. From these, and other causes, ariseth this trouble and coil in the spirits of God's people. Fluctus est, Tentatio est (as Augustine saith) it is a great wave, a great temptation and trouble; and even God's own people here, are ready to think they see a knot in the thread of providence, a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense in the even ways of the Lord's dealing. Let me endeavor in a few words to untie this knot, to remove this stone. Four or five things I shall speak, one or other of which, or all together, will make this way of the Lord plain to every sober and understanding Christian.
1. How is God to his people more hard, or unrighteous in such a dispensation, than he was to the son of his dearest love? Our blessed Lord hath taught us, That the Disciple is not above his Master, nor the servant above his Lord; it is enough for the Disciple that he be as his Master, and the Servant as his Lord, Matt. 10.24, 25. 'It is true, the chief Informer against our Lord, was one of his hoshold, Judas; but he was a son of perdition, the only ill member of all the 12. Who were his witnesses, but a company of perjured wretches, who could not agree in their testimony? Who mocked him and scourged him? Herod, a monster for all manner of wickedness. Who were they that spit upon him; that cried out crucify him, crucify him; that gave him Gall and Vinegar to drink? were they not the abjects of the people? Thou art not able to conceive of God's righteousness, in giving thee over, and thy estate over to a Renegado, an apostate from his former profession, to wretches who make no conscience what they say, what they swear, what they do: How was he righteous in giving over the Son of his love to such wretches? We are never so like to our Lord and Master, as when we are betrayed by a Judas, informed against, and testified against by false and perjured wretches, mocked and abused by the abjects and off scouring of the people: If God might be a just and righteous God in suffering these things to be done to the green tree, surely he may suffer them to be done unto us who are dry trees. Thou art troubled that God should suffer profane scoffers to call thee hypocrite, and hast a temptation to think God is not just to thee in suffering it; knowest, or rememberest thou not what contradiction of sinners Christ endured, how they said of him, that he did cast out Devils, by Beelzebub the Prince of Devils? When thy spirit riseth against thy adversaries, oh think of Christ who was the Captain of all our Salvation. But further yet,
2. Before thou in thy thoughts passest sentence against God and his righteousness, consider with thyself by whom wouldest thou have God to chastise his people? It is written That all who will live godly in Christ Jesus, must suffer persecution. Now supposing persecution one of those species or kinds of affliction which, God hath a liberty to Scourge, and chasten his people by; Who should be the persecutors? couldest thou expect that the seed of the woman should break the woman's head? That such who have tasted of the love of God, should bite and devour one another? Indeed sometimes (through the prevalence of lusts and passions) it proves so through mistakes, and such misapprehensions as the best are subject to and this but in particular rare cases.
1. But it suiteth not the ingenuous nature of God's people to do injury to others: Indeed it suiteth not any persons (though of little acquaintance with God) if they be persons of any goodness, and ingenuity of nature; you see amongst us, none but one saved from the Gallows for that purpose, will be a common hangman: we see how ordinary persons they must be that will be persuaded to be Bailiffs; but now to fall upon the Lord's Priests is a work only fit for an accursed Edomite. The Child of God is yet under a further Law than that of a good nature, he is here taught of God to do good to all, to love his enemies, to do good to them that hate him; to love and pray for those who hate him and despitefully use him; he is so far from requiting evil for evil, that he taketh himself obliged to return good for evil: Now it is not reasonable to think that God should make use of his own people, who are by himself taught the clean contrary; and are obliged by a contrary law, which they have so far imbibed, that it is written on their hearts, and engraven in their souls, to punish and chasten his own children. Who ever set a Sheep to worry a Sheep? The work of informing against, accusing, chastening, scourging the people of God, is a work fit for none but profane wretches, drunkards, swearers, the debauchees of the world, who have in them such a radicated hatred of God, and such an antipathy to that holiness which is fountain'd in him; that like as the Basilisk, they say, will fly upon the picture of a man, out of its antipathy to human nature, they will fly upon every person that hath the image and superscription of God upon his soul, and is called by the holy name of God: it is a work that only fitteth those whose hearts are possessed with the poison of unrighteousness, and all superfluity of wickedness. To do injury to others, suiteth not an ingenious nature in any person; but it much less suiteth the Sanctified nature of a Child of God: few creatures will prey upon their own kind. If a Child of God be to be rent and torn in pieces, to be chastened and scourged by men, that he may not be condemned in the world; there are none so fit to do it, as the Dogs and Swine in the world. I would ask of thee (saith an excellent Author) who art under such a temptation as this, Wouldst thou have the Saints of God persecute, imprison, plunder, destroy one another? Surely they would then lose their Majesty of virtue, their title of Saints. Supposing then the work must be done; it is as reasonable to conclude, that it must be done by those who are less righteous then they are; and not that God should first possess his people with principles and habits of grace diametrically opposite to such courses, and then set them on work to practice such things.
2. Give the Lord, I beseech you, leave to make some use of the very worst of men. It is the saying of an acute Author, Cur non ex perditis hominibus hoc lucraretur Deus, &c. Why should not God make this profit of the vilest men? It is true, it is not all the service which God makes wicked men do; but give me leave to tell you, it is one of the greatest pieces of service God hath from them; they are left in the Land, as the Canaanites were left in Canaan, Judge. 2.3, to be Thorns in the sides of God's Israelites, to keep the Lord's Gaols and Bridewell, his houses of correction for his people. Take a profane vile wretch, he hath his being from God, and his well-being he hath from God, he eateth God's bread, and is clothed with God's wool and flax; What hath God for all this? He swears profanely, he blasphemeth God prodigiously, he breaks the Lord's Sabbaths, God is dishonored by him every day. This service he hath from them, when he hath a Child to be whipped, he turns him over to him; God makes the same use of wicked men he doth of the Devils, they are his people's tempters and tormentors. Wicked men are to God, as the Dog to the Shepherd, as the Hawk or Bird of prey to the Faulkener; God useth them, to let them fly at his own people sometimes, and to pick out the eyes of them who are as dear to him as the Apples of his eye. The Assyrian in the world signifieth little to the service of God, but as as he serveth well enough to make a Rod for his anger, and a staff for his indignation, to be sent against an hypocritical Nation, which God can no longer bear with, but is at last resolved to make the people of his wrath.
3. The worst of men must be suffered to fill up the measures of their iniquities; you know God told Abraham, that the iniquity of the Amorites was not yet full; God will have sinners fill up their measures. Now, there is no such way for wicked men to fill up the measures of their sins, and make themselves ripe, full ripe for Divine vengeance, as for them to fall upon this work of devouring the Servants of God, who are more righteous than themselves are. I have a good authority for it, Matt. 23.34, Wherefore, behold, I send unto you Prophets, and wise men, and scribes, and some of them you shall kill and crucify, and some you shall scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city, that upon you may come all the righteous blood that hath been shed upon the Earth, from the blood of Abel, to the blood of Zechariah, &c. Mark what went before, verse. 32. Fill you up then the measure of your Fathers; you Serpents, you generation of Vipers, how can you escape the damnation of Hell. As the Child of God must finish his work which God hath given him to do; so the reprobate must fill up his measures too. It may be a poor wretch hath been a swearer, a Sabbath-breaker, a drunkard, an unclean person, many years; God hath born with him, let him alone, there want yet some drops to fill up the measures of his sin, he falls upon the people of God, turns a persecutor, smiteth his fellow-servants with the fist of violence and wickedness; then cometh the master of that servant in an hour when he looketh not for him, and presently giveth him his portion with Hypocrites, where there is weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth: offenses must come, they will come, but woe be to those by whom they come. Methinks there is a great Emphasis in those words, That upon you may come all the righteous blood that hath been shed upon the earth, from the blood of Abel, &c. There was a great deal of righteous blood shed from the time of Abel to the time of Zechariah: what had God let it all sleep? had God in those hundreds of years reckoned with sinners for none of it? Yes, certainly God had revenged himself of many a blood-thirsty man. But yet Abel's blood was not expiated in Christ's time; there was yet an arrear of reckoning for Abel's blood. Well, who shall pay for it? even everyone that was Cain's successor in that kind of sin. You read no such expression in Holy-writ with reference to any other sin. This sin, this devouring of persons more righteous than ourselves, hath many grains of guilt in it more than any other sins have; men by it fill up the measure of the sins of a Nation, and they fill up the measure of their own personal sins. It is a saying (as I remember) of Augustine's, Nemo habet injustum lucrum sine justo damno, lucrum habet in arca damnum in conscientia.
4. But lastly, Why should not God be righteous, in suffering wicked men to do his people good? This is a point I have something largely before spoken to, and therefore may be shorter in this Discourse: prosunt & gelu, & nix quia incommodant (saith one); they do them good, by doing them hurt, as snow and frost do good to the Corn. The Apostle tells the people of God, that all things are theirs, 1 Cor. 3.21. that is, for their good, profit, and advantage; and again, All things work together for the good of them that love God. The dignity of the people of God is such, that not only brute beasts, but brutish men (St. Paul's Ephesian beasts ) shall be harnessed for their service in order to their eternal salvation; and if the Angels be ministering spirits for the good of God's elect, it is no wonder if the children of the Devil be beasts ministering for their service too. They say Vespasian had a wretched saying, that the smell of money was sweet from whencesoever it came. I am sure the odor of grace is sweet, whatsoever be instrumental for the sending it forth. The truth is, what the wiser Philosophers said of a morally good and wise man, is much more true of one spiritually wise and good; He is out of the jurisdiction of evil. Seneca saith, that a wise man cannot be contemned of any, quia magnitudinem suam novit, because he knoweth his own riches. A gracious man can be imprisoned by none, because he knows his own liberty, and will enjoy it when the world hath done what it can: he can be plundered by none, because he knoweth his own riches. It were a vast work to open to you how many ways the persecutions of the saints advantage and profit the people of God; but I have in some measure done it before, and shall not again further enlarge upon it. The Apostle telleth you much in short, when he telleth you, that Tribulation worketh patience, and patience experience, and experience hope. I shall add no more to the Doctrinal part of this Discourse.
Use 1. Now hear, O Israel, hear all you sons and daughters of men, are not the Lord's ways equal? Is not your judgment of them unequal? This is the great argument against Divine Providence, because in the world there appeareth such a confusion of things, The wicked walk on every side, while vilest men are exalted: profane lewd persons, live, grow old, are rich, and great in power. The Sun (which seemeth to go down upon the Tabernacles of some that fear the Lord) shineth bright upon the Tabernacles of the ungodly; the people of God are afflicted, plundered, nay and (which seemeth hardest of all) the holiest and best of men are devoured by the vilest and most profane wretches; this is that which is a sore temptation to men, and makes them think that certainly there is no God who judgeth the world, or that God regardeth not the affairs of the world; there is no strength in this argument, no reason for such a conclusion: the love or hatred of God is not to be concluded from anything which is before us in this life, as with reference to actions, we call good evil, and evil good; so through the deceitfulness of our senses, we miscall things; we call those things evil which separate them from the affection of our sense, have no evil in them; and things good which have no real goodness. Now the judgment of sense is a very fallible judgment: do you see the wicked prosper, the godly man visited every morning, and chastened every moment? come but up into the sanctuary, and you will be able to unriddle this Providence: Job saw the wicked flourishing and taking root, but suddenly he cursed his habitation. You see the innocent children of God imprisoned, plundered, &c. Dives clad in purple and faring delicously every day, while poor Lazarus lies at his door full of sores, begging what falleth from his Table, and cannot get any relief. Come up into the Sanctuary, and you shall there see Lazarus, this poor begging Lazarus, in Abraham's bosom, and Dives that fared so deliciously, and was so richly clad, begging a cup of cold water to cool his tongue. Had you been with St. John in his vision, Rev. 7. you would have seen a great number of all nations, kindred and people, stonding before the Lamb, and clothed with white robes, and with Palms in their hands; and these were such as come out of great tribu •• tion, and had washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb, and were in triumph serving God day and night.
Use 2. What you have heard upon this argument, looketh very wistly upon every prosperous sinner which this day heareth me, and boasteth in his large possessions of the good things of this life. The sum of what you have heard is, that the things which you glory in are not truly good; that they are but temporary rewards or gifts of God; that they are means to bring you to the acknowledgement of God; that ofttimes through men's corruptions they prove the means of their greater ruin.
1. In the first place, How should this take down a sinners plumes. Let not the great man glory in his greatness, nor the rich man in his riches. Let not any say in his heart, if God had not a favor to me, he would never give me such an estate, such a success in my trade, such an healthy body, &c. The method of Providence is quite contrary. I have somewhere met with a story, that anciently according to the laws of Persia, a malefactor had liberty for an hour before he died to ask what he would, and it was not denied to him. One they say condemned to die, and being according to their custom asked what he would desire, answers, Neither this nor that, but only That I may see the Kings face; which being granted, he so plied the King in that hour, as that he obtained his pardon; whereupon they say that the Persians altered their custom, and covered the Malefactors face as soon as he was condemned, that he might see the King no more. God to thousands of sinners gives what their hearts could wish, riches, honors, pleasures, they are poor condemned wretches by the law of God for all this, vessels of wrath fitted for destruction; when the hour-glass of their life in this world is run out, they are to be turned into Hell, to depart from God as accursed creatures into those everlasting burnings that are prepared for the Devil and his Angels. Only God, that all his creatures might taste something of his bounty, for that hour giveth them all good things of this life; had it not now been a silly and unreasonable thing, suppose the Malefactor had asked for, and had a House full of Gold or Silver, or all the great titles the world could have dignified him with, to have gloried and boasted of them as tokens of the Kings love, when in the mean time he knew he was a poor condemned wretch, and by and by to be cut off from the enjoyment of them all. Is not this the very case? thou knowest thyself to be a drunkard, a swearer, a liar, an unclean person; thou knowest that for these courses the righteous law of a righteous God hath condemned thee; it saith such persons shall never see God, shall never enter into the Kingdom of God, but be thrown into the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: God out of his bounty gives thee for the few hours thou hast to live out of Hell, health, riches, honors, pleasures, all thy heart can wish in the world: hast thou any reason to boast thyself in these things, or to be proud of them? thy condition is infinitely worse than the Philosopher's, that could eat no dainties at the Kings Table, because he saw a naked sword hang over his head by a twine-thread. Certainly (poor wretch!) it were thy wisdom for this little time of thy life, to do as it is said that Malefactor in Persia did, despise all things, and only desire thou mightest apply thyself for the little time of thy life with tears, fasting and prayer to God, that thou mightest see his face, and obtain the pardon of thy sins through the blood of Christ. Poor wretches! what (in the mean time) have you to glory in? what have you to be proud of? What should make you walk with a stretched-out neck, or a lofty eye? thou art not master of one good thing; thou callest them good, because they are grateful to thy sense, and please thy sensitive appetite; and they are so far good as they serve thy outward necessities, but of no significancy at all, either to thy spiritual or eternal happiness. Yet these are the things which make the wicked man proud, swelling in an high opinion of himself, despising others. Oh! that God would make you understand, that you have not only perishing fleshly bodies, to be covered with soft and gay clothing, but immortal souls; that you are creatures under an ordination to an eternal existence, and that nothing can be worth naming as good, but what will profit you as to your immortal capacity, What shall it profit a man if he should gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what can a man give in exchange or ransom for it. You have heard of a Prince that in his extremity of thirst, cried out, a Kingdom for a draught of water. The time will come when every impenitent sinner shall wish that he had not had a foot of land in the world, nor a rag to cover his nakedness, so be it that he had had the pardon of his sins, and the robes of Christ's righteousness to cover the nakedness of his soul. Let him therefore that glorieth, glory in this, that God is his Lord, and Jesus Christ is his Savior.
2. This speaketh to the prosperous sinner, as not to be high-minded, because he hath nothing to be proud of; so to fear, and to keep, and enjoy what he hath with fear and trembling. James would have the Rich man rejoice when he is brought low; Jam. 1.10. Because as the flower of the grass he passeth away: and when he hath lost his riches, his honor, his outward felicity, he hath lost all: but here are greater reasons yet, because by a prosperous condition, oftentimes, poenalis nutritur impunitas, a penal impunity is nourished. Prosperity slayeth the fools, and sinners are ordinarily by it fatted and prepared for the day of slaughter. David saw that God set the prosperous sinner in slippery places: upon Pinnacles and Towers; but slippery places: you observe that the bloughtiness (as you call it of the body) is but an ill sign of unhealthiness; the sinners growing fat in outward enjoyments, I am sure, is no good sign, Psal. 73.17, 18, 19. Surely thou didst set them in slippery places, thou castest them down to destruction; how are they brought to destruction in a moment? they are utterly consumed. If a child of God hath reason to rejoice when he is brought low, surely a sinner hath reason to tremble when he is up on high. Godly men have used to be afraid of prosperity; it is an hard thing for the most watchful Christian to keep his feet, when he is set upon the slippery mountain of riches, honor, successes, &c. David himself never had a slip like that he had when he came into the highest state. Even the best of God's people have great reason to rejoice with trembling in the midst of full cups; but sinners have far more reason; when they are not plagued as other men, when there are no bands in their death, when their eyes stand out with fatness, and they have more than heart could wish; that is the time when their mouths are set against Heaven, then their day of destruction is not far of; and indeed those are the two dreadful considerations, and therefore they have reason to fear and tremble. 1. Lest their prosperity should slay their souls. There is a latent poison in sinners hearts at all times, but poverty and adversity keeps it in. The poor man useth entreaties (saith Solomon), but the rich man speaketh proudly; honor and power are great temptations to oppression: Riches and abundance to all sorts of Luxury. So as if a man be a fool, and hath no spiritual wisdom to rule and to govern himself in a prosperous state; his prosperity slayeth him, giving advantages to those lusts that are in his heart to discover themselves. It is the prosperous sinner that oppresseth his neighbor, that does acts of injustice, and thinks by his power to defend himself. 2. Again, Prosperity bodes ill; The sinner is never so near a fall as when he is upon a pinnacle of honor and power. When the worldling saith, Soul take thine ease, thou hast goods laid up for many years; then comes the voice, Thou fool! this night shall thy soul be taken from thee; and one reason of this is because that is the time when his sin ripeneth, when he lifteth up his heart highest, and openeth his mouth widest, and lifteth up his hands most fiercely against the God of Heaven. O then let the prosperous sinner fear and tremble.
3. Lastly, You have heard that it is but a righteous thing with God, to give unto the worst of men, the good things of this life, because they have something in them of the nature of means to convince sinners, both of their sins against God, and also of their duty to God: Indeed, they ordinarily prove the quite contrary, but this is not of themselves, or from their own nature; but from the lust and corruption of sinners hearts. O then let the goodness of God lead you to repentance, Rom. 2.4. The Apostle lets us know, that the patience, long-sufferance, and goodness of God leads us to repentance. The longsuffering and patience of God, if there were no more, ought to do it: And certainly were there any ingenuity in the heart of a sinner, it would do it. For him to sit down and think, I have been a drunkard, a liar, a swearer, a Sabbath-breaker these Twenty, Thirty, Forty years; God hath seen, and known me all this time, there hath not been a thought of my heart but hath been naked before him; I have not told a lie, nor sworn an oath, but as soon as the word hath been out of my mouth, the news of it hath been in Heaven, and it hath been written in God's Book of remembrance: God hath all this while been an Almighty God, and hath had it in his power every moment of this time to throw me to Hell. He could have struck me dead with my lie in my mouth, as he did Ananias and Sapphira, Acts 5, or with my oath, my curse, my blasphemy in my mouth; but God hath been longsuffering and patient with me, willing that I should at last be saved: Shall I yet go on in my sinful courses? Shall all this patience of God be lost upon my desperate soul? Surely I am bound humbly to acknowledge thus many years of patience, and to sin no more, lest I turn Divine patience into fury. But then the riches of God's goodness, though it be but in the things of this life, adds great weight to the argument; for a poor creature to sit down, and think that he hath not been plagued as other men, he hath not had such a sickly body, nor such a scant estate; but God hath made his cup to overflow, he hath had success in his trading, whiles others have been blasted. O shall not this goodness of God lead thee to an acknowledgment of God? Shall it not lead thee to a repentance for thy sin? wilt thou treasure up wrath against the day of wrath, and the Revelation of the most righteous Judgment of God? Consider that the good things thou hast enjoyed, have a natural tendency to change thee, if thou hadst not banished that common ingenuity which teacheth all to love those that love them; and most certainly it will make thee worse, if not better: if it doth not soften thy heart, it will harden thy heart; if these things tend not to make thee more holy, they will certainly make thee more lewd and profane. And think with thyself what an aggravation of thy eternal misery it will be, to fall into it, out of as high a state of content and external felicity as thou wert capable of. I would have every prosperous sinner say with himself, What hath God done to me that I should be thus vile, and so presumptuously sin against him? There are very many, that if they would listen a little to their own consciences, might hear God by them, speaking to them, and saying, What could God have done more for you than he hath done? Would you have strong and healthy bodies? God hath given you them. Would you have large possessions? great and plentiful estates? God hath given you such. Would you have desired a loving Wife, hopeful Children? You have had them. God aggravateth the sin of David from the outward blessings he had blessed him with; he had raised him to be King over Israel from following the sheep; he had given him his Masters Houses, and his Masters Wives into his bosom, 1 Sam. 11. Will not God, think you, from hence aggravate your sins another day? Will not this make Hell twice more Hell to you? will it not add more heat to the fire that never shall go out? and pain to the gnawings of that worm that shall never die? Oh harden not your hearts; today, while it is called today hearken to God speaking to you, not only by the voice of his Word, but by the voice of his Mercies. O let not that riches of Divine goodness make you worse, which in reason ought to make you better. Let not your honors, your riches damn you. Take heed that there be not cause to say of you, that if God had not been so good to you, you had not been so lewd and profane, so wicked and abominable in his sight. Thus far I have applied this discourse, as to wicked men; it remaineth yet, that I should apply it as to the people of God, showing them their duty under such dispensations of providence; but it is a point fit in our times to be further enlarged upon, than my time will now allow me to do.
SERMON XLV.
Psal. 37. v. 1, 3, 4, 5, 7.
THe point I am upon, is to clear up the justice, equity, and reasonableness of the motions of God's Actual Providence, in the prosperity of wicked men, his afflictings and chastiseings of his own people, and delivering them up into the hands of those, who although the best of God's People are sinners, and deserve the severities of God, yet are more wicked, more unrighteous than they. This I have cleared, and made Application of my discourse, so far as may concern wicked men; That which only yet remains, is to inform the People of God of their duty under such a dispensation: This has been the case of God's people in former times; the estates at least of many who truly fear God, and desire to worship him according to his Will, have been exposed to the vilest men; and this may be a sore temptation to God's own people. I will therefore enlarge this discourse a little, showing you the duty of God's People at such a time, and for this I have chosen this Text. No other portion of Scripture so fully setting it out together, as the 7 or 8 first verses of this Psalm, which partly show them.
1. What they are to avoid. 2. And then what they are to do.
The prohibitive directions are three. 1. They must not fret, this is repeated three times, v. 1. Fret not thyself because of evil doers. v. 7. Fret not thyself because of him that prospereth in his way, because of the man that bringeth wicked devices, to pass, v. 8. Fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.
2. They must not be envious. v. 1. Neither be thou envious at the workers of iniquity. 3. They must not be angry. v. 8. Cease from anger, forsake wrath. The instructive directions are four.
The first is the exercise of faith. v. 3. Trust in the Lord. v. 5. Commit thy way unto the Lord, trust in him. v. 7. Rest on the Lord.
2. The second is the practice of holiness. 1. They must not do evil. v. 8. so v. 27. They must depart from evil. 2. They must do good. v. 3. v. 27. The same is repeated.
3. The third is, They must delight themselves in the Lord. v. 4. Delight thyself also in the Lord.
4. They must wait patiently for God, v. 7. You have it again repeated. v. 34. Wait patiently for him. Wait on the Lord and keep his way.
In these 6 or 7 particulars I shall open to you, and press upon you your duty under such dispensations as these. I will put the three first together, because they have a great affinity, and cognation one with another.
1. It is your duty under such a dispensation, Not to fret, to be envious or angry. The words in the Hebrew Text are 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 w ch signify to inflame, to kindle, to burn, and in a secondary sense to be angry, because anger puts a man into an heat; the heating of the blood about the heart by the disorder and disturbance of the gall, is assigned as the natural cause of it. The moral Philosopher, calleth Anger the irrational perturbation of the mind: others tell us it is a desire of Revenge, and use to distinguish betwixt ira and iracundia, making the first to be where we have a just cause, the other where there is no cause; but in short, as to our purpose, anger is to be considered,
1. As a passion, a natural passion; and so is not in itself sinful, it is a power created in us by God, which we may use well or ill.
2. As a Virtue when it is used in a good and justifiable cause when a man is troubled and desireth the punishment of another secundum ordinem rationis, where according to God's will he ought to be punished.
3. As a Vice, such the exercise of this passion proveth, when a man is angry either for no just cause, or in an irrational and undue manner. When wicked men prosper we are commanded not to be angry, not to fret wickedly and sinfully, so as either to be displeased at God's Providence, as Jonah was for the gourd, when God asking him if he did well to be angry, plainly implieth that he did ill and not well; or to desire an unjust, and undue revenge upon him, either when the person hath not deserved it, or in an undue order or measure. This Anger first boileth in the heart, and there discovereth itself in evil wishes, and thoughts of sinful revenge; then breaketh out at the lips, and showeth itself in uncomely speeches, reproaches, and revilings; and lastly showeth itself in rendering evil for evil. The anger which is here forbidden us under this dispensation of God is such as tendeth to the dishonor of God, to the disturbance of our own Spirits, wiling them, and putting them into disorder; and to the unjust disturbance of others. From this anger it is the will of God that his people under such dispensations should cease. This is the wrath they should forsake.
The word translated [envy] signifieth to envy or emulate. Envy is properly an hatred of or a trouble for the felicity of another, whether the cause of it be a fear of some hurt to ourselves, or a discontent that it is well with them, or that they are in a better estate than ourselves. Hence is hatred, detraction, rejoicing in the evil of our neighbor, Affliction at their prosperity, &c. There is a just anger at the prosperity of wicked men as, God is dishonored by reason of it, and the interest of God in the world suffereth by it; for the heart of a man to be hot and zealous for God, yea and to desire God's just revenge of his own name and glory upon sinners, is but what he may and ought to crave and do. Thus we find Moses, the meekest men on the Earth often angry, and executing the vengeance upon God but for a man to be displeased and discontented at God's Providence for it, or to be angry at their Bretherns good, this is sinful, the first is against the love which we owe to God, the second against the love which we owe unto our Neighbor. To desire an undue or unjust punishment of them, is a sin against Justice, that Justice which we owe unto all men; this envying at the prosperity of sinners, is forbidden also in other Texts. Prov. 3.31. Envy not thou the oppressor, choose none of his ways, Prov. 24.1. Be not envious as the evil doers, neither desire thou to be with them. In sum, God in this precept, forbiddeth his people under such dispensations: all discontentment at their own low estate, all displeasure at God's dealings with others, all accusations of God of injustice or hard dealings with his people whatsoever, as a fruit, or indication of any of those passions, is certainly here forbidden us, under the notions of fretting, being angry, or envious. Let me now press this negative or prohibitive part of your duty upon you by some few arguments.
1. I beseech you to consider the exceeding sinfulness of it: when God said to the Prophet Jonah. Dost thou well to be angry, it is certainly implied that he did not well. It is in this Psalm twice forbidden us, twice in the Book of Proverbs, at least. Envy is by the Apostle reckoned up as one of the fruits of the flesh; now certainly if no more could be said than this; It is the will of God, that if thou seest the wicked prosper, grow rich, and great, thou shouldst not be displeased at God, nor envy them, &c. This should be enough to engage the people of God to take heed to their Spirits in this thing; and indeed we had need watch, for we shall find our Souls under very great temptations in the case, and that it is a very hard thing for a good man to look with a good Eye upon the prosperity of wicked men.
2. But I shall show you, that it is a sin which receiveth more than ordinary aggravations. 1. As first, it is against the express letter of the Divine Law, 1 Kings 11.9, 10. It is said, that the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the Lord God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice, and had commanded him concerning this thing that he should not go after other God's. God hath commanded us concerning this thing, this particular thing, and hath been pleased to make it the matter of a precept many times repeated. If God had commanded us some great thing, should we not have obeyed him in it? How much more in the forbearing of a little Just, or passion! It is not concluded a sin, merely from consequence of Scripture, or to be concluded from some precepts that are laid down there, it is the express letter of Scripture, he that runs may read the will of God concerning this.
2. Again, by how much the more precepts are violated by any sinful action, by so much the sin is greater: you have heard this is a Sin against both Tables; a sin against the duty which we owe unto God, and the duty which we owe to our Neighbor; that which we are forbidden in many Scriptures, those so plain that he who runs may read them.
3. Again, Some sins are in their own nature more heinous than others, amongst others the sin of Murder is a very great transgression. Solomon saith, Prov. 6.32. Men do not despise a thief if he stealeth to satisfy his Soul when he is hungry, but, v. 32. whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding, he doth injury to his neighbor of an higher nature. But now Murder that is an higher transgression; St. John tells us no Murderer hath eternal life. Our Savior reduceth Anger and Envy under the commandment, Thou shalt not kill; and makes him that is angry with his Brother without a cause no less than a Murderer.
4. Further yet, a sin that breaketh out at the lips in sinful words, or in the conversation by irregular actions, is greater, than that which is only in the heart defiling that; Now it is a very hard thing for men to keep the fire of anger and envy within the chimney of their corrupt hearts: Even the best men have not been able to keep it in.
5. Finally by how much any sin is more the mother of Sin, and brings forth more sins, by so much the greater it is. This fretting, and envying at the prosperity of sinners, besides the discontent, and impatience of the Spirit which constantly attendeth it, bringeth forth a world of sin at our lips, and in our conversation, reviling speeches, detracting words, spiteful thoughts, words and actions, &c.
2. Again, this sin receiveth an aggravation from the persons offending. In that Text, 1 Kings 11.4, 9. I observe two aggravations of Solomon's sin of Apostasy. The first, that he did it when he was old, so had he great experiences of God. v. 9. there's another expression, it was after God had appeared to him twice: for men that know not God, nor have had any experience of his ways, to fret and vex that others have more of the world than they have, is not such a guilt as for the people of God to do it. They are called the Children of Light, and that not only in respect of grace, and mercy, which may be compared to light of which they are Children, but with respect to knowledge; they are a people who know better things than others and should know the riches, the honors all the good things of the world are not worth valuing, now for you after that you have been thus far enlightened, still to be so enamored upon them as to fret, vex, and be envious, because others have more of them than you have; must be a great transgression; Especially to consider that you are the Children of God, hears of grace, yea and of glory too. Thus I remember the Father of the Prodigal, rebuked his Son fretting for the fatted Calf slain for his Brother; Son (saith he,) remember thou art always with me, and all that I have is thine, for those whom God hath made the heirs of grace and glory, the heirs of the Kingdom, to whom God hath said All that I have is thine. I say for these to fret, vex and repine that wicked men prosper in this world, and have a little of this worlds goods, must be a great provocation. And to this, there are not many of God's people but in one degree or other, have had an experience of the incertainty, and vanity of all these things, enough to depretiate them, and render them invaluable to any good and gracious heart.
Further yet, what doth any man get by fretting, vexing, or being envious at the prosperity of sinners? as our Savior said of thought-fullness, none can by thinking add one cubit to his stature. So I may say, none by fretting, vexing, or envy, can either detract a cubit from the stature of a sinner in prosperity, nor add a cubit to his own, it is a sin, that can end in nothing but murmurings and repinings against God, in tormenting and macerating of ourselves, and in the discomposure of our Spirits. To shut up this discourse by how much any sin is more causeless, by so much the greater it is, there is neither so much good in the highest prosperity a sinner is capable of, nor so much evil in the lowest and most afflicted estate of the people of God, as to give a reasonable ground or occasion for a Child of God, to give himself the disturbance so much as of one hour, or to wile his Spirit, for— tolluntur in altum, ut lapsu graviore ruant, they are set in slippery places, they are mounted up to Heaven, but they shall be thrown down to Hell. It will be a great piece of a sinners infelicity in Hell, that he hath had an external felicity upon earth. But I have shown you this largely in the opening of the Doctrine. This is enough to have spoken to the first thing in a Christians duty under such a dispensation.
2. I proceed to a second thing, wherein the duty of a child of God lieth under such a dispensation of Providence, as I have been discoursing of; That is, living a life of faith. This is called Trusting in the Lord, verse. 3. Committing our way unto the Lord, verse. 5. Resting on the Lord, verse. 7. Trust in the Lord, verse. 3. and verily thou shalt be fed: it may be read, and is read by some, Feed upon truth: the words are 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 The Psalmist useth three or four words here expressive of this Duty 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , which some translate hope; so the LXX 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 . 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 that all translate feed, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 devolve: it is also translated dirige, detege, confide; the last word is 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , which some translate expect; some, beg or desire. The first word is used verse. 3. which, as I told you, some translate hope, some translate trust; there is no great difference, for all hope doth imply trusting; and no man trusteth but he will hope. I will turn you to some other texts where the same word is used, Psal. 25.2 O my God, I will trust in thee, let me not be ashamed. Prov. 28.26. He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool. Jer. 7.8. Behold you trust in lying words, that will not profit. Psal. 118. It is better to trust in the Lord, than to put confidence in man. In short, it signifieth to repose a confidence in another for the effecting of something for our advantage; from which act of the mind proceedeth another, which is hoping, which is the souls motion in expectation of a thing. The second expression, as we translate it, is verily thou shalt be fed, as others feed on truth. It is the word that is ordinarily used in Scripture, and translated truth: the word translated feed, is also what is ordinarily so translated; those that translate it verily, take it adverbially: but how 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 is translated thou shalt be fed, I do not understand, and therefore prefer the other reading of some learned men; and feed upon truth: so truth is the object, and feeding signifies the act. And thus it beareth a proportion to that Text, Hab. 2.4. The just shall live by faith; wicked men feed upon the wind, Hos. 12.1. upon Ashes, Isaiah 44.20. But (saith the Psalmist) feed thou upon truth, the truth of God's word. It may be thou canst not feed upon bread, thou haste not that to eat; but if thou canst not feed upon bread, feed upon the promises, feed upon truth, O doctrinam auream (saith a grave Author) debere 〈…〉 •• stram alimoniam, omnem vitam in hac terra conjunctam habere fidem, O golden sentence, that all our livelihood in this world is faith. A third expression is, Commit thy way unto the Lord; Ar. Montanus translateth it roll, the Arabic version, discover thy way unto the Lord: the word is used Gen. 29.38. and they shall roll the stone. Prov. 26.27. He that rouleth a stone it shall return upon him. The fourth time is 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , we translate it rest in the Lord, others, be silent to the Lord; So Lam. 3.26. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait. I shall not much insist on that word: there is a double rest, 1. A rest of confidence. 2. A rest of silence; of which more when I come to speak of the duty of patience under this dispensation. You have heard the words expressive of the Act; there are two words in these verses, that express the object of this Act; Truth, The Lord Jehovah. God is the objectum quod: Jer. 17.3, 4. Cursed be he that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm. God is the object which the soul is to trust in. The word of truth is the next object, the object by and through which, and upon the account and encouragement of which, we trust in God at such a time. The object of faith is the truth, power and goodness of God revealed to the child of God in the word. There are usually mentioned two acts of faith. The first is called Assent, by which the soul agreeth to the Proposition of the word, as a true saying. The second is an Act of recumbency, a resting upon the promise, a resting upon God's truth, power and goodness, as declared and held forth in his word. This is that which profane persons in our age (to show their Atheism as well as wit) call a lolling upon Christ and his promise. Rolling ourselves and resting upon Jehovah, and upon the word of truth, are (as you see) Scripture-terms of which we need not be ashamed. Hence if you ask me, what it is for the soul of a Christian to live by faith in an evil time. I answer it lieth in two things.
1. In the souls fixed and steady assent unto those Promises which God hath made to his People, suited to such a dispensation. These are many and more than one sort: they are written in the Scripture, and brought to our minds by reading and by hearing the word of God: the business of faith is to unite the soul to these words, and to command the soul into a fixed and steady assent to them, that the soul shall no more doubt of the fulfilling them, than of anything of more sensible demonstration. These Promises might be brought under several heads: I intend not to enlarge this discourse so far as to treat of all. I shall only instance in two sorts, and speak something to them.
1. The first is those promises which God hath made for the destruction of wicked men, though set upon the highest pinnacle of honor, power and prosperity: of which you have divers in this very Psalm, verse. 2. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither like the green herb: verse. 9. For evil doers shall be cut off: verse. 10. Yet a little while and the wicked shall not be: yea thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be. So verse. 13, 15, 17, 20, 22, 28, 38. Psal. 1.4. They shall be as the chaff, which the wind bloweth to and fro. The Scripture is full of such words as these.
2. The second sort are those Promises which God hath made for the protection and preservation of his people, under the pressures of ungodly men. Psal. 125.3. The rod of the wicked shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous. Psal. 46.5. God is in the midst of his Church, therefore it shall not fall. Mat. 16.18. The gates of Hell shall not prevail against it. Psal. 94.14. For the Lord will not cast off his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance. Mica. 4.4, 11, 12. So quite through this Psalm there are many promises of the same import. Now the work of faith is to persuade the soul, of the certainty, and undoubted verity of these words of God, to settle the soul in this persuasion. That sooner shall Heaven and earth pass away, than any of these things shall fail which God hath spoken. Then the work of faith is further to carry out the soul without any carping, trouble or disputing, to rest wholly upon these words. A Christian seeth the word of God what he hath said for its relief: now faith teacheth the soul to agree this as the word of him who cannot lie or repent: and calleth upon the soul to trust in God for the fulfilling of it, to roll itself upon the promise, and to commit itself, its cause, its way unto the Lord: the soul of a Christian is very solicitous and careful for the concern and interest of God in the world: faith teacheth the soul to cast its care, the burden of its spirit upon the Lord, assuring it that God careth for it. Faith speaketh to the soul in the language of Solomon, Eccles. 5.8. If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of Justice, and Judgment in a Province; marvel not at the matter, for he that is higher than the highest regardeth, and there be higher than they. I say, this is a great piece of the Child of God's duty in such a time when the vilest men are exalted, and the wicked walk on every side, and the people of God are trodden underfoot, as the mire in the streets. It is the Will of God concerning them, The just shall live by faith. This is the proper time for the exercise of Faith, when the eye of sense faileth; Faith is the evidence of things not seen, the substance of things hoped for: The proper operation of Faith is, where sense faileth, where God is trusted, and not seen: Blessed are they, (saith our Savior) who have not seen, and yet believe. This is Opus diei in die suo. Though the people of God ought to be careful of all duty at all times, yet they ought to have a special regard to the duty of their day; the seasonableness of a duty, addeth much to the weight and importance of it. The foundations are shaken (saith the Psalmist) Psal. 11.3, 4, What shall, what can the righteous do? Mark what follows: The Lord's Throne is in Heaven, his eyes see, his eye-lids try the children of men. This is that life which the Saints have lived, yea, and they have lived well upon it. When David had lost all, the Amalekites had taken Ziklag, and in it all that he had, 1 Sam. 30.6, the Text saith, David encouraged himself in God, the Truth, Power, and Goodness of God; nor did he hope in God in vain, as you shall read in that story. What had Hezekiah to live upon but Faith, when Sennacherib had besieged him with his mighty Army, and ranted against him, and the God of Heaven too after that rate you read. What had all the Patriarchs, all the Saints and Servants of God to live upon but Faith? of whom you read, Heb. 11. Nor is there any life which so glorifieth God as this; it eminently glorifieth three Attributes of his, his Power, Goodness and Truth. No man will trust in a bruised Reed, or lean upon a broken Staff; therefore the Apostle speaking of Abraham's faith, Heb. 11. saith, He believed that God was able to raise him from the dead: and again, Rom. 3, He believed that he who promised was able to perform. It giveth God the glory of his goodness, for the expectation of his soul, is the Mercy and Goodness of God; and it also giveth God the glory of his truth, for the proximate object of Faith, is the Word, and Promise of God. O therefore let this be your care, when you cannot live by sense, live by Faith. It is the happiness of a Child of God, he hath something to live on in the worst of times, Psal. 34.10, The young Lions shall be hunger-bit; but there is no want to them that fear the Lord. One would think that of all creatures the Lion should be most out of danger of being hunger bit. The Lion the King of the Forest, all other Beasts are subject to this Beast: yet if an old Lion, that cannot run for its prey, that hath lost much of its strength may be hunger-bitten; one would think a young-Lion that is in its full strength should not. Yes, saith the Psalmist, a young Lion may be hunger-bitten: those that have most of the world, wicked men that have greatest honors, greatest power, great advantages to provide for themselves, they may be hunger bitten, they may come to want; but there shall be no want to them who fear the Lord, there shall be no time so ill, but they shall live; if they cannot live upon bread, they shall feed upon truth. How much better is the estate of a godly man, than that of his neighbor? It is a great point this, a great piece of duty: Let me therefore a little further enlarge upon it three ways; 1. Showing you how a Christian may know if he liveth this life. 2. Directing you in order to it. 3. Perswading it by Arguments.
1. Will some Christian say, how shall I know if I live this life? Suffer me to give you five or Six Characters of it. 1. It is a Spiritual life. Our life (saith the Apostle) is hid with Christ in God. What Christ sometimes said to his Disciples when they would have had him to have eaten something, that a Child of God may say to all the world; I have meat to eat you know not of. His life is a spiritual life; such is the life of Faith, both with respect to the subject, and to the object of it. As to the subject of it, it is the soul that lives; the body lives by bread, the soul lives by truth, by the promise. There are many that in evil days, their bodies have enough to feed upon, but their souls have nothing; hence their hearts become like Nabal's, dead as a stone: yea, and as to the object it is spiritual too, he that feedeth upon truth, feedeth upon Jehovah: It is the truth of God in the word, which the soul liveth upon; the soul of a Believer can no more live upon Words and Syllables, than another soul. No but it is the truth of God in these words, his power and ability to perform what he hath said, his inclination and good-will to the performance, and his truth and faithfulness. Every life in an evil day, is not a life of faith; some may live upon fancy and foolish hope, some may live upon means, with which their eye feedeth them; another may live upon a Roman spirit of his own. Tu ne cede malis, sed contra audentior ito. These men may live at Sea, in the midst of troubles, and never think of God and Christ, nor upon the power, goodness, and truth of God, but upon an,
2. This life of Faith is a quiet life: It is a quiet life as to passions. Faith hath a wonderful power, to keep the mind in a calm serene temper: It is the unbelieving soul that fretteth, and sumeth, and vexeth; all turbulent passions upon God's providence are the products of unbelief. The Prophet telleth us, He that believeth maketh not haste: Faith drieth up immoderate tears, scatters the storms of fears, maketh the soul to cease from anger, and forsake wrath: It quieteth the tongue, so as it doth not charge God foolishly; it keeps a man from all murmuring and flyings out against God, from all indecent and extravagant flying out against men, who are God's instruments; I held my peace, because I knew it was thy doing. David believed that God had done what was done, he dust not mutter or repine, because the Lord had done it. And so as to action, I mean irregular actions, Take an unbeliever, and let him be in any straight or distress, he is unquiet, and turbulent, and makes no conscience what means he useth to set himself at liberty, but he that believeth maketh not haste, he who by faith eveth the promise, gives credit to it, and hath committed himself to the Power, Goodness, and Truth of God for the accomplishment of it: as he is not hasty with his spirit, to murmur, fret, and vex, because it is not presently made good to him; so he is not hasty with his tongue to charge God foolishly, nor in his action: He dareth not use any sinister or unlawful means, to quit himself of any difficulty in which he is entangled; he believeth that God will preserve, uphold, deliver him, and in his own time find out some lawful way and means, and the belief of this restraineth him from impatience, or anything which should be a fruit, and indication of it.
3. Again, The life of Faith, is an expectant life. The Apostle telleth us, that Faith is the evidence of things not seen: Hence Faith hath always two daughters which are its genuine off spring. 1. Hope, which is the souls looking up, or looking out for those things of which Faith giveth an evidence or assurance. Faith assureth, hope expecteth, and this is so inseparable from Faith, that it is often in Scripture put for Faith, and only differeth in this, that Hope is an expectancy upon faith's evidence; and the certainty which it giveth the soul of the thing promised in the word. Every hope indeed doth not speak faith, but every grounded hope doth; there is an hope of an hypocrite which groweth up like the rush without mire, and the flag without water. Patience is another daughter of Faith (I shall have occasion to speak to that more fully hereafter). Faith assureth the thing to the soul, Hope looketh out for it, and expects it; Patience keeps the soul still, and waiting for it: If you ask me what the soul expecteth, what it waiteth for; it must needs be that, of which Faith hath given the soul an evidence, that is the Promise. The Promises are of various natures, for outward mercies, such as Protection, Deliverance, &c. Spiritual mercies, such as inward Support, Strength, Consolations, Eternal happiness.
4 Again, The life of Faith is an active life: The operation of Faith doth not terminate in a mere speculation. The activity of Faith lieth,
1. In the diligent use of all natural and rational means which God hath appointed, in order to the obtaining of the mercy, of which faith hath given the soul an evidence and assurance. As Faith doth quiet the soul, and restrain it from the use of all unlawful means; so it doth quicken and engage the soul in the use of all lawful and proper means. The reason of which is, [ 4] because Faith can assure the soul of no mercy, but in that manner and order, and under those circumstances, in, and under which, God hath promised to bestow it. Now God hath promised mercies in the use of means; so it quickeneth and engageth the soul to the use of means, as a piece of the Will of God, in order to the obtaining of our desired mercy.
2. It lieth in the use of all spiritual means; and here Prayer in a special manner, Prayer being the general spiritual means to be used for the obtaining of any mercy. Daniel, chap. 9, understood by Books, that the time was come, for the fulfilling of the 70 years captivity; and this faith of his, as to what he read in the Books, quickened him up, to pour out that fervent prayer unto God, Dan. 9.
5. The life of Faith is a cheerful and joyous life: you read in Scripture of a joy and peace which attendeth believing, Rom. 15. Believing the glory of God, is a great means to make the soul to rejoice in the hopes of it: Now the reason of this joy, is the strength of that evidence which faith doth give the soul; for joy is nothing else but the complacency of the soul, or rather the expression of this complacency, upon the souls union to its desired object. Now according to the nearness and fullness of this union, so is the joy. Faith giving the soul a great and unquestionable evidence of the thing, doth also give unto the soul a proportionable joy.
6. The life of Faith is a crucifying, dying life to the world. This is the victory (saith the Apostle) by which we overcome the world, even our faith. Faith looketh up to the Cross of Christ, and by it, the heart of a Christian is crucified to the world, and the world is crucified to his heart. The proper operation of Faith is to work against hope; for indeed, if once the mercy cometh in sight, so as sense cometh in play, faith ceaseth as well as hope: Hence the operation, and exercise of Faith, must needs crucify the heart of a Christian, to the world, to sense, and to all sensible objects. Faith made Abraham overlook his own body, which was now dead, and Sarah's dead womb; it made him to overlook the Knife and the Altar, and the loss of Isaac's natural life, and only to consider, that God was able to raise him up from the dead; it maketh a Christian overlook all seeming difficulties, in regard of sense, and all contrarieties whatsoever indeed seemeth to be in his way: Now by these things, you may try yourselves whether you live the life of Faith, under sad and dark Providences, yea, or no. By this time methinks I hear some of you saying to me, But how should we come to live this life? what should we do, that in dark and troublesome times we might live this life of Faith? Let me give you something of advice in the case, and then conclude with two or three Arguments.
1. Study the Scriptures, and observe the promises reposited in that storehouse for the people of God at all times, and for all sorts of mercies. The promises are those words by which men live, The Scripture is a rich Store-house of mercy, it is full of promises, promises for this life, and that which is to come; there is in them a salve for every sore, and this is well worth a Christians observation, to see how God in his word hath fitted him with a plaster for every wound; when thou findest the promises respecting thy state in particular, endeavor to whet them upon thy heart. It is a metaphor which God useth as to his precepts, Deut. 6. and as it is the duty of a Child of God to whet the Precepts upon his heart, to engage, and quicken him to obedience: so it is his duty to whet the promises upon his soul for his consolation. The Scripture is full of comfortable words; O be not ignorant of them! it is a large and full storehouse, O be acquainted with it!
2. Learn to live upon God in prosperity and fullness. The Soul that maketh the Lord its portion in a time of prosperity and fullness, will scarce be to seek in a day of emptiness and adversity. Our too much living upon the creature, while we have it: will hinder our wholly living upon God when we want it. Take heed of living too much upon your creature-enjoyments when you have them, learn in the greatest affluence of the creatures, in the greatest overflowings of your cup, to live upon God, and to say of them, This is not my portion. Saint Paul had his heart crucified to the world, and died daily. O how hard doth the Soul find it to live upon God in an evil time; that hath not learned to live upon God in a good day? and while it goeth well with him as to outward enjoyments. You that are at ease in the world, and do not know the evil that others meet with; learn this lesson before the evil day cometh upon you, and surpriseth you. Learn to live upon God, before you have nothing else but a God to encourage yourself in.
3. Observe the practice and experience of the Saints of God. David lived by faith, when he had nothing in the world left him, he encouraged himself in his God; Job lived by faith when he said. Though he kills me, yet I will put my trust in him. Say to your Soul, my Soul, why should not I go, and do likewise. Why should I not do as David and Job did, I have the same promise, the same power, truth, and goodness of God to trust to, and to live upon which any of the Servants of God have formerly had.
4. Call thy heart off its disquietments, endeavor to convince thyself of the sinfulness of them: there is much in this as to one that is a true Christian; if one that is a Child of God can effectually persuade himself that it is his sin to have his heart dead in an evil day, to have his heart dejected because the Providence of God bloweth a cross upon him, it will go a great way with him to command his heart off its disturbance. Thus doth David, Psal. 42.11. why art thou cast down, O my Soul, why art thou disquieted within me trust still in God, for I shall yet praise him who is the health of my countenance and my God.
5. Lastly, strengthen your hearts with a resolution to trust in God; though he killeth me, saith Job, I will put my trust in him. See what David doth Psal. 55. He had been bitterly complaining of the prosperity of the wicked, and his own afflicted state; in the close of the Psalm he cometh to give both himself and others good counsel. v 22.23. Cast thy burden upon the Lord, he shall sustain thee, he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. But thou, O God shalt bring them down into the Pit of destruction; bloody, and deceitful men, shall not live out half their days, but I will trust in thee. I have done with this discourse when I have commended this life of faith to you by two or three arguments.
1. It is a life in death, light in darkness, strength in weakness, comfort in misery: the Soul that can live this life is a great conqueror over tribulation, anguish, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril Sword; yea it is more than a Conqueror, Rom. 8.35. You shall see how it is with a Christian which hath learned to live the life of faith, 2 Cor. 8.9. he may be troubled on every side, but he will not be distressed, he may be perplexed, but he will not be in despair, he may be persecuted but he will not be forsaken, cast down, but he will not be destroyed; is not this a rare life? A persecutor may take away the life of nature from a Christian, but he cannot deprive him of his life of faith; faith will keep the head of a Christian above water in the greatest deeps of trouble, and affliction. Read Heb. 11. and observe in how many difficulties, in how many deaths that noble army of Martyrs lived, by virtue of faith. Yea and they lived well and cheerfully (as you will find there) Our Savior adviseth his disciples, to lay up for themselves treasure in Heaven, where no moth came to corrupt, no thieves to break through, or steal. Is it not an excellent thing for a Christian to have a life beyond the gun shot of a persecution, beyond the mercies, or cruelties of bloody wretches? The life of faith is such as makes a man post funera vivere, nay in funere vivere, to live when he is dying. Paul was in deaths often, yet lived by fatih; he saith of himself and others of the servants of God, that they were killed all the day long, yet they lived still, they lived by faith. The life of faith cannot be taken away by any evil hand: No nor can the comfort and sweetness of it be touched or impaired by the Sons of Belial.
2. It is a distinguishing life. The unbeliever may live the life of a beast, which is the life of a beast, he may live the life of a man, which is the life of reason; but notwithstanding this, he may perish forever: but he that liveth the life of faith shall not perish, he who liveth this life shall live forever.
3. Lastly, It is a free, and independent life. We account in the world, that that man liveth the best life, that liveth the freest life, in least dependency upon others. Hence we do not account the life of a Beggar, or a Servant, or a Child, so good a life as the life of him, that lives upon none, but upon what he hath of his own. There's none in the world lives so free a life as he who lives by faith upon the promise, his life is independent upon the whole Creation, it is hidden with Christ in God. But this is enough to have spoken to this piece of a Christians duty in an evil time.
SERMON XLVIII.
Psal. XXXVII. 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8.
Verse 1. Fret not thyself because of evil-doers, neither be thou envious at the workers of iniquity.
Ver. 3. Trust in the Lord, and do good.
Ver. 4. Delight thyself also in the Lord.
Ver. 5. Commit thy way unto the Lord, Trust also in him.
Ver. 7. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him, fret not thyself because of him that prospereth in his way.
Ver. 8. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath, fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.
HAving shown the equity and wisdom of Divine Providence in governing the affairs of the world, so as that oftentimes, the vilest men are exalted, and the wicked walk on every side, The rod of the wicked lieth upon the lot of the righteous, and they are chastened every morning, and plagued every moment, whiles the eyes of the wicked stand out with fatness, and they have what their hearts can wish, and are often suffered to devour those who are more righteous than themselves: I am inquiring what the duty of a Child of God is under such a dispensation of Divine Providence; and for this purpose I have chosen this text, perhaps more fully expressive of it, than any other single portion of Scripture. Part of it I have opened. I have shown you Negatively, they ought not to fret, to be angry, or to be envious. Positively, I have shown you it in their duty to live the life of faith. I now proceed.
3. Thirdly, It is their duty to delight themselves in the Lord. You have it here v. 4. Delight thyself also in the Lord. Such a time as this is usually a time when the Child of God, cannot delight himself in the Creature: it may be he hath a dear, a loving Wife, dutiful, and pleasant Children, and would delight in them; but a Prison must separate him from them, or an Exile, or Banishment must make their Company very unpleasant to him. It may be he hath a full, and plentiful estate, and could take a pleasure in that; but he seeth that is by Peecemeal pulled from him every day, and because he will enjoy his conscience, and keep peace there, he shall not enjoy that property which the Laws of the Nation, and his honest Labor, or the gifts of his Friends have invested him with: now at such a time, and under such a dispensation of Providence as this is, what shall a righteous man do, what is his duty in such a day; my Text telleth you, he shall delight himself in the Lord, Delight thyself in the Lord. Delight is nothing else, but the Souls Complacency, Rest, and Triumph in an object. So that to make a thing or person the object of Delight there must be an apprehended goodness in the object, and the Soul delighting itself in it, pleaseth itself with it, and resteth, and Triumpheth, and even leapeth for joy in the Enjoyment of it. There is in delight more than a content, pleasure and rest of the Soul in its object; the Soul Triumpheth, Leapeth, and even Shouteth for joy. God is to be considered in himself, so his name is Jehovah, El Shaddai, a Fountain of Sufficiency, Power, and Goodness. There are three things which must concur to make a reasonable Soul to delight in any object, how good and excellent soever it be in itself. 1 Propriety, 2 Possession and Application. 1 Propriety. Let a thing or Person be in itself never so good, never so excellent, and let it be so apprehended by me, this may render it the object indeed of my love, but not of my delight. For saith the Soul what is all this to me? here it is impossible that a wicked man should have any Delight in God, because he hath no propriety or interest in him. He may possibly from Reason conclude that in God there is an infinite Power, Sufficiency, Goodness, he can have no true notion of God but he must conclude this. The first being must necessarily have an infiniteness of Power, and consequently of Sufficiency, and the Fountain of Good from whom all good floweth, must necessarily have all good in him; but let him be never so apprehensive of this, yet so long as his Soul saith, what portion have I in God? God is a stranger, an enemy to me, he can never delight himself in God: will the Hypocrete delight himself in the Almighty? Job 27.10. If thou wilt return to the Almighty, then shalt thou delight thyself in the Almighty. None but the Child of God can delight himself in God, because he alone hath an interest and propriety in him, he alone can say, my Lord, or my God.
2. Possession also is necessary to delight. Suppose a man to have a right and title to an Estate; and consequently a propriety in it yet if he be kept out of the Possession of it he can take no delight in it. Hence it is that a Soul that hath a true right and title to Christ and a real interest in him, yet if it lieth under dark apprehensions of this title, and interest, he cannot delight himself in the Lord, for delight requires not only propriety, but some degrees of the apprehension of that propriety: Now while he apprehendeth, that his Sins have separated betwixt God and him, he wanteth such a possession as is necessary to delight.
3. A third thing is Application. Let a Soul have never so true a propriety in God, never so true a possession of the promises of God; yet if he doth not make application to his Soul of that knowledge of God which he hath and of the promises in which he hath an interest, his Soul will have no delight in God or in the promises: now this application is made two ways.
1. By Meditation, often thinking of God, and upon the promises. My meditation of him (saith David ) shall be sweet: David speaks of a great delight he had in God's Commandments, they were his Meditation night and day.
2. Secondly, by Faith, assuring the Soul, and giving it certain Evidence of the truth of the Promises. Now, from this discourse both appeareth, 1. What there is in God for a Soul to delight in, in such an evil day as I have been discoursing of, when his People are very low, and his Enemies are very high. It is that power, and sufficiency which is in him, by which he is able to Relieve them; and that goodness which is in him, and rendereth him always ready to help, and willing to save so as nothing can stand betwixt us and our desired Salvation, help and deliverance, but only his wisdom, by which he better knoweth times, and seasons, and what is good, or bad for us than we do. The Soul knowing and apprehending these things, and likewise its own propriety, and interest in God, and being put into some possession of this Propriety, in a day of evil makes its application to such promises, and portions of his word, as he hath revealed his will in, proper to such a State as the Soul is in: hence it comes to be well-pleased with God in his dispensations, it is brought to a sweet, and pleasing rest, and triumpheth in its portion, in the day of greatest Evils, and singeth with David. Psal. 73.25. Whom have I in Heaven hut thee? and there is none upon the Earth that I desire besides thee? My flesh, and my heart faileth, but God is the strength of my heart and my Portion forever, v. 26. Now this is both the duty, and privilege of every Child of God, and indeed these are both great arguments to persuade it. It is their privilege, for though there be a Power, a Sufficiency, an infinite goodness in God, which is inseparable from his Divine being; yet this not being enough to bring the Soul to a pleasure, delight and complacency in an object, without a Propriety, Possession and Application of it, it is manifest, that only those Souls, who have such a propriety, interest and possession, and are in capacity to make such an Application, can delight themselves in the Lord; and as this is their Privilege, so it is also their duty: which will appear to you if you please to consider,
1. That there is enough in God, for the Soul of a Child of God to please itself with, under all dispensations. Shall I show you what that is.
1. Whatsoever is done in the World is done by him. It is the Lord who lifteth up one and throweth down another, there is no Evil in the City which he hath not done.
2. In all God doth pursue the noble, good, and wise ends of his own glory. Whatsoever the intentions of men are, whether Assyria mean so, or so, God pursueth still the same design of his own glory, being his own end, in all his Efficiencies, and in all his permissions, and to this end he ordereth all things.
3. That he is a God infinitely wise, and it must be said of all his works of Providence as well as creation, In wisdom he hath made them all. His Judgments are indeed a great deep, but they are a deep of Divine wisdom; and all that God doth or suffereth to be done in the World, he doth, he suffereth all to be done according to his infinite wisdom, and counsel.
4. That he is the same in power that ever he was. Once have I spoken, yea twice have I heard it (saith the Psalmist) that power belongeth unto God; so as if he pleased he could when he pleased alter the state, and complexion of things, and turn the wheel, that now runs upon the lot of his people, upon the neck of his Enemies, and put wicked men in the stead of his afflicted people.
5. That his love is the same that ever it was toward his people, and is working towards, and for them under the darkest, and most gloomy dispensations of Divine Providence. God loveth his children in Prisons, as well as in Palaces, in a poor and low, as well as in a more high, and prosperous condition, upon dunghills as well as upon Thrones: now lay all this together and Judge if a child of God hath not ground enough to delight himself in the Lord under all dispensations of Divine Providence. It is not enough to please his Soul, and to bring it to a rest for him to think, what is now done in the World, or in that part of the World where my Lot is cast, my heavenly Father doth it all, and he ordereth all things for his own Glory, he is infinitely wise and knoweth how to fetch out his honor from all, he hath all power in his hand, and can turn his hand upon the little ones, upon the poor and afflicted of his flock whensoever he pleaseth; and he loveth me as well in this low afflicted, poor, despised estate as he did when the world went better with me, and I had more credit and repute in it, more of the riches, honors, power, and enjoyments of it than I now have. Is not here ground enough for a Soul under such dispensations to delight himself in the Lord, especially considering the promise in the Text; Delight thyself in the Lord, and he shall give thee the desires of thy heart? But besides this, how often doth God call to us for this duty? Psal. 33. v. 1. Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous. Joel. 2.23. Fear not, O land, be glad, and rejoice, for the Lord will do great things, v. 21. Be glad then you children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God. Phil. 3.1. ch. 4.4. Rejoice in the Lord. Rejoice in the Lord, and again I say rejoice. We shall find this hath been the constant refuge and practice of the people of God. David his third Psalm was composed when he fled from Absalom, his 7 th Psalm when he was afflicted with the words of Cush the Benjamite: his 34. Psalm, when he changed his behavior before Abimelech the Philistim King: his 52. Psalm upon occasion of the villainy of Doeg the Edomite: his 54. when the Ziphites made a discovery of them to Saul: his 56. Psalm when the Philistines took him in Gath. The former part of his life, until the Lord settled him upon the Throne of Israel and Judah, was indeed nothing else but a time of trouble and great afflictions, when his enemies were very high, and he was very low, he had little, or nothing in the creature to delight in now at this time, the Psalms tell you his relief, and practice, which was to delight himself in God. Thus Habbackkuk, ch. 3. v. 17. Although the fig-tree shall not blossom, neither shall be fruit in the Vine, the labor of the Olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat, the flocks shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stall, that is, though all sensible relief, and comfort, shall fail: yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my Salvation. To press you to this duty, I shall only mind you of what I have already told you.
1. That there can be no such providences befall any Child of God, but he may find enough under them still to delight in God: when he can see nothing for a Sensual eye to delight in, he may yet find enough for his Spiritual eye to delight in. Is it not matter of pleasure to thee to think, Well let times go how they will, I have a God to go to, though (saith Job) Wormes shall eat this body, yet in my flesh I shall see God? To think that now God is but doing his own work, and though men oppress, yet he that is higher then the highest considereth the matter? To think that God is able to turn the ball when he pleaseth, that in the mean time he is in the love and favor of God, he may have communion with God, and God will provide for him? These and an hundred such things as these afford matter enough for the child of God to delight himself in the Lord at all times.
2. Consider again, how equitable it is, that Children should at all times delight themselves in him, because he at all times delighteth himself in them: whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, as a Father his Son in whom he delighteth; his chastening is not a dispensation of wrath, but of wisdom. Observe how he speaketh to his afflicted Church. Isa. 54.11. O thou afflicted, tossed with tempests and not comforted, behold I will lay thy stones with fair colors, and lay thy foundations with saphires. Christ was anointed to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of gladness, for the spirit of heaviness, Isa. 64.1, 3. Though his people have lien amongst the Pots (as the Psalmist expresseth it) yet he hath a pleasure in them.
3. Let me Thirdly, offer to your consideration, the advantage of this delighting yourselves in the Lord in a day of Evil. It would arm the Soul against all the temptations of an evil time. 1. It would abstract the mind from the world: we see if the Husband delights in his Wife, or a Father on his Child, how it draweth off their hearts from all other objects, that all are nothing to them in comparison of that object in which the great delight of their heart is. 2. It would fill the mind of a man, so as it should say to all the world, as Isaiah, I have enough, I have enough, keep what thou hast unto thyself; or as Jacob (whose delight was in Joseph ) It is enough: is Joseph yet alive? It is enough. 3. It would give the Soul a rest. The mind of a man resteth in the object of its delight. 4. Finally, it would wonderfully quiet the mind as to the Will of God; we are usually satisfied with what is done by those persons whom we principally love, and delight in. Let this therefore be our study, our great labor and business, to bring up our hearts to a delight in the Lord. Study his attributes that you may know what he is in his Power, Goodness, Truth, Wisdom &c. Study his promises, which concern this life, or that which is to come; particularly those which more specially suit thy circumstances: Consider the examples of the Saints, and Servants of God, in thy circumstances; meditate upon these things, whet them upon thy heart; say often to thyself, This God is in himself, Thus and thus he hath revealed himself, and he who hath said it, is Power, Goodness, Truth, &c. But this is enough to have spoken, to this other piece of a Christians duty, under such dispensations of Divine Providence. I proceed to another piece of Duty.
4. Depart from evil, and do good. You have it. verse. 8. Fret not thyself in any wise to do Evil. And verse. 3. Trust in the Lord and do good; you have them both together, Psal. 34.12. and 1 Pet. 3.12. Now this doing of good, is a very large term according to the intent of all that duty, which is required of us by the precepts of the first and second table. There is a duty which we owe unto God, all which is comprehended under the first and great commandment, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with all thy heart and all thy Soul, and all thy Strength. Thus that man doth good, that loveth, and feareth God, that prayeth unto him, and performeth all those acts of homage, and worship which God hath in his word required, as much and as zealously and warmly in the worst, as in the best of times: this is properly a doing of good, it is honest and just, and what God requireth of us; it bringeth profit and advantage to ourselves; it will bring comfort, sweetness, and peace to the Soul. So that take good in what notion you will, this is a true doing good. Again, there is a good which may be done to ourselves, or to others: the Apostle commandeth us to do good to all, Gal. 6.10. thus our Savior commandeth us to do good to them that hate us, and the Apostle Heb. 13.16. commands us not to forget to do good and to distribute; and it is one piece of our doing good, Isa. 1.17. to judge the fatherless, and relieve the oppressed. Further yet, there is a good of our general calling: This is comprehensive of the whole duty of a man considered in no further capacity, than that of a creature towards God, or that of a Christian relating to the Lord Jesus Christ, and owning him. There is a good of our particular calling, respecting us with reference to our Relations, as Magistrates or Subjects, Husbands, or Wives, Ministers, or flock, Parents, or children, Masters, or Servants. Finally, there is a