terrible manner Job 27.20 21 22 Terrours take hold of him as waters a tempest stealeth him in the night the east-wind carrieth him away and he departeth and as a storm burleth him out of his place For God shall cast upon him and not spare he would fain flee out of his hand All this time that God beareth with you and waits for your repentance he is whetting his sword and bending his bow and preparing for you the instruments of death and the longer the sword is whetting the sharper it will be and give the more deadly wound when it strikes you Ps 7.10 11 12 God is angry with the wicked every day if he turn not he will whet his sword he hath bent his bow and made it ready he hath also prepared for him the instruments of death he ordaineth his arrows against his persecutors Plea 9. It brings us in great profit to go and inform against these men and their Meetings and therefore being in straits and having need of Money we take up this trade of Informing for thereby a third part of all fines will come into our Purses Ans 1. If the work you went about were so good yet it is sordid and sinful to go about such an employment from a covetous principle Teaching the Word of God is a good work and judging the causes between man and man is a good work yet when a man 's great end in these works is to get Money they become sinful Mic. 3.8.11 I am full of power by the Spirit of the Lord to declare unto Jacob his transgression and Israel his sin The heads thereof judge for reward and the Priests thereof teach for hire and the Prophets thereof divine for Money 2. Judas gained thirty pieces of silver by betraying of Christ but what good did his Money do him when his Conscience was awakened and made sensible of his sin his Money was a trouble to him he was weary of it and threw it away and hanged himself Matt. 27.5 He cast down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed and hanged himself When Balaam was sent for to Balack to curse Israel and had a great reward proffered him the love of the wages of unrighteousness prevailed with him to go but what befel him in the way An Angel met him with a drawn sword and would have slain him had not the Ass turned out of the way Numb 22.32 33. And God to shew to Balaam his folly and madness gave the Ass a voice to rebuke him 2 Pet. 2.15 16 which have forsaken the right way and gone astray following the way of Balaam the Son of Bozor who loved the wages of unrighteousness but was rebuked for his iniquity The dumb Ass speaking with mans voice sorbade the madness of the Prophet They that out of love to the wages of unrighteousness will curse the Israel of God are little better than mad-men The very beasts had they power to speak would cry out of and rebuke the iniquity of these men 3. If this practise of yours be so sinful as hath been proved then what you gain in this kind is got with the loss of your Souls and if you could gain the whole world and should lose your souls you would be miserable for ever Mark 8.36 What shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own Soul 4. Consider what the Scripture saith of unrighteous men and the gain they make by their unrighteous practises And I leave it to your Conscience to judge whether to get riches by causing men to be punished for praying to God and hearing his Word be not to get them unrighteously 1. All that is gained unrighteously is got with the loss of the Kingdom of God 1 Cor. 9.6 Know you not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God 2. All that is gotten unrighteously will last but a little while Jer. 17.11 He that getteth riches and not by right shall leave them in the midst of his days and in the end shall be a sool 3. The riches you get this way will eat your flesh as it were fire the remembrance of these things in the other world will torment your Conscience as much as fire does your flesh Jam. 5.3 4. Your gold and silver is cankered and the rust of them shall witness against you and shall eat your flesh as it were fire ye have heaped up treasure against the last days Behold the bire of the labourers which have reaped down your fields which is of you kept back by fraud cryeth and the crys of them that reaped are entred into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth If the hire of a labouring man kept back by fraud cryeth and the cry entereth into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth how much more do the estates of those Ministers who have been Labourers in God's vineyard which have been by you taken away by force and violence cry unto the Lord and their crys enter into the ears of the Lord of Hosts And if the rust of the estates of covetous men who heap up Money and do no good with it will be a witness against them and will eat their flesh like fire then what a witness will all those goods be against you at the day of Judgment which you have caused to be taken away from the servants of God and how will the remembrance thereof vex and torment your Consciences even as if your flesh were continually burning in the fire Plea 10. We abhor those men that turn Informers for filthy lucre sake and look upon them as vile persons It is zeal for the glory of God and the good of the Church that makes us prosecute these men I purpose to give my part of the fines to the poor and to charitable uses therefore I hope I am praise-worthy Ans 1. Suppose it be zeal that carries you out to prosecute these men yet you may be guilty of persecution When the Apostle Paul made havock of the Church of Christ and haled the members of it to Prison he did not act for gain or preferment but out of zeal yet he acknowledgeth himself a persecutor and injurious though what he did proceeded out of a blind zeal Phil. 3.6 Concerning zeal persecuting the Church Act. 26.9 I verily thought with my self I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth And though he did nothing against the members of Christ but what he thought to be his duty yet when he was better instructed he called himself the chief of sinners for persecuting of Jesus Christ 2. An indiscreet zeal may carry a man out not only to do that which is prejudicial to himself but may bring Judgments upon the Kingdom where he lives Saul slaying the Gibeonites out of zeal to the children of Israel and Judah brought a famine which is a sore Judgment that continued a long time in the Land even three years 2 Sam. 21.1 2 Then there was a
the painful accursed death of the Cross to save lost Souls 1 Tim. 1.15 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners And great care should be used that we do not hinder the obtaining that for which Christ shed his precious blood The greatest good we can do for any man is to further and the greatest hurt is to hinder his Salvation 5. It is recorded to the honour of Hezekiah that he was an encourager of all that did faithfully dispence the word of God 2 Chr. 30.22 Hezekiah speak comfortably to all the Levites that taught the good knowledge of the Lord. And as he did incourage the Ministers of Gods word so God did wonderfully bless him 2 Chr. 31.30 Hezekiah prospered in all his works And it is recorded of Herod as one of his chief sins that he imprisoned one of Gods Ministers Luk 3.19 20. But Herod the Tetrarch being reproved by him for Herodias his brother Philips wife and for all the evils which Herod had done Added this above all that he shut up John in prison Herod was guilty of many evils but this is noted as the principal as that which was above all the rest that he shut up John in prison And as it is a great sin to afflict the Ministers and servants of Christ so it is usally followed with a sore judgment Herod who stretched forth his hand to vex certain of the Church soon after dyed in a miserable manner being eaten up of Worms Act. 12.1 2 3 23. Pharaoh who oppressed Israel and would not let them go to serve the Lord in the wilderness was followed with one plague after another till he was destroyed 6. Rulers ought not to be a terrour to such as do good works but to encourage and protect them Rulers are not a terrour to good works but to the evill Wilt thou then not be affraid of the power do that which is good and thou shall have praise of the same Preaching of the Gospel whereby men may be saved and praying to God in the name of Christ are good works and therefore rulers ought not to be a terrour to any man for these works 7. We are taught and Commanded by our Lord Jesus Christ to pray to the Lord to send forth labourers into his Vineyard because the harvest is great and the labourers are but few Then said he to his disciples The harvest truly is plentious but the labourers are but few Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest that he will send forth labourers into his harvest To pray for labourers and when God hath sent them forth to molest and trouble them for labouring is to contradict our prayers Let the Ignorance Atheism Profaneness the growth of Errour and the small number of Preachers that are found in the Faith and of an holy conversation be considered and laid to heart and it will evidently appear that there is great need of prayer for more Labourers and of encouraging those that are sent forth and of not suppressing any that are faithful peaceable and diligent in the Work of the Lord. Obj. 1. If it be replyed These informers accuse these Ministers that they keep seditious Conventicles and are ready to give oath of it and as such we are obliged by the Law to suppress them An. 1. Rulers ought to be wise as an Angel of God to discern good from evil 2. Sam. 14 17. As an Angel of God so is my Lord the King to descern good and bad And that is no hard matter in the Noon day of the Gospel to distinguish between Religion and sedition When Job was a Ruler among his People he was diligent to search out the truth of all causes that came before him and when he found any Wicked man oppressing the righteous he was so far from rewarding him that he plucked the Spoil out of his Teeth and if he held it fast and would not let it go he break his Jaws rather than suffer him to hold his Spoils Job 29.16 17. The Cause which I knew not I searched out I break the Jaws of the wicked and pulled the Spoil out of his Teeth 2. These Ministers as was hinted before do abhor seditious Conventicles and are falsly accused by these Informers and Magistrates should be slow to believe their false accusations and not proceed to Act against them till they have searched into the truth of these informations and that for several reasons as 1. The great enmity that is in the heart of the Wicked against Righteous men which makes them eager to do them all the Mischief they can The Scripture speaks so frequently and so fully of this that I shall need to say the less Prov. 4.16 They sleep not except they have done Mischief and their Sleep is taken away unless they cause some to fall Ps 37.19 32. The Wicked plotteth against the just and gnasheth upon him with his Teeth The Wicked watcheth the Righteous and seeketh to slay him 2. They are under a temptation of gain and the Love of Mony is the Root of all evil and therefore it is no wonder if they prove false accusers of them against whom they have a great enmity and by accusing of whom they make a great advantage 3. The rule that is given to Magistrates in the word of God is not to proceed to Punishment upon reports till they have made diligent search and have certain proof of the truth of the fact Deut. 13.13 14 15. If thou shalt hear say Then shalt thou enquire and make search and ask diligently and behold if it be truth and the thing certain that such abomination is wrought among you 3. These Ministers and those that assemble with them are oftentimes judged and sentence passed upon them for to take away their Goods before they have been heard or had their accusers Face to Face yea sometimes before they know who it is that hath accused them and this seemeth to me to be against the Light and Law of Nature which teacheth that a man ought not to be condemned till he hath had his accusers face to face and hath had Licence to answer for himself The Romans had no other Light to regulate them in their judicial proceedings but the Light of Nature yet they observed this Rule not to pass sentence upon a man till he had his accusers face to face and had liberty to answer for himself Act. 15.16 It is not the manner of the Romans to deliver any man to dy before he that is accused hath the accusers face to face and have Liberty to answer for himself concerning the Crime laid against him If the Romans which were Heathens how much more should Christian Magistrates forbear condemning any man till he hath seen his accusers heard his accusation and been Permitted to make his own defence The name of Pilat is odious in the Christian World and will be to all generations for Condemning our Lord
of all the righteous blood that hath been shed upon the earth since the world stood which if it were well considered and believed and laid to heart were enough to fill the heart of these men with unspeakable horror Ps 69.22 23 24 25 26 27 28. Let their Table become a feare before them and that which should have been for their welfare become a trap Let their eyes be darkened that they see not and make their loins continually to shake Pour out thine indignation upon them and let thy wrathful anger take hold of them Let their habitation be desolate and let none dwell in their tents For they persecute him whom thou hast smitten and they talk to the grief of him whom thou hast wounded Add iniquity to their iniquity and let them not come into thy righteousness Let them be blotted out of the book of the living and not be written with the righteous Observe here 1. A Catalogue of dreadful curses such as may make a mans ears tingle to hear of them 2. The Persons against whom and the cause for which they are denounced and they are such as persecute the people of God for this very Sin of persecution v. 26. For they persecute him c. 3. The person that imprecates or as some by a Spirit of Prophesie foretells what should befall Persecutors and that was David who in this Psalm represents and personates our Lord Jesus And so we may look upon it as our Lord Jesus cursing and foretelling what curses should come upon those that should persecute him and his members Now let us consider what these curses are which David or rather our Lord Jesus foretells should come upon Persecutors Their blessings shall be cursed their table shall be their snare and that which should have been their welfare become a trap v. 22. Their eyes shall be darkned that is they shall be smitten with spiritual blindness and their loins shall shake continually that is they shall be as unable for any good work as a man whose loins shake continually or else a guilty Conscience shall make them shake for fear even where no fear is v. 28. God will pour out his indignation upon them pouring out signifies the abundance of wrath as when the clouds are said to pour down rain it implies abundance of rain and his wrathful anger shall take hold of them it shall not only fall upon them but abide and take such hold as they shall not get from it v. 24. God will give them up to their hearts lusts and punish this Sin by letting them go on in their Sins by adding one Sin to another which is a sore judgment And will not let them come into his righteousness that is will let them dye in their Sins will not let them partake of his mercy and favour will not let them have any share of the righteousness of Christ v. 26. They shall be cut off from the land of the living and have no part with the righteous in the world to come v. 27. God will visit their families and posterity with desolating judgments v 25. This shall be the portion of them that persecute the members of the Lord Jesus if they continue in this Sin without repentance See another Scripture Ps 7.13 He ordaineth his arrows against the persecutors And wo to those men against whom the great God the Lord of Hosts ordaineth his arrows And whereas he saith not his Arrow but he ordaineth his arrows against the Persecutors it implyeth that God hath several sorts of judgments in store for Persecutors both judgments in this life and the life to come It may be you will say we see Persecutors of righteous men are in a very dreadful condition but we hope we are not guilty of this great Sin of persecution by our molesting these men in their meetings and causing their goods to be taken from them Did we hale them to Prisons or cause them to be put to death then we might justly be called Persecutors but seeing we do not take away their lives but their goods we hope we are no Persecutors Ans 1. All injuries done wittingly to righteous men either in word or deed especially when they are troubled for righteousness sake are persecutions Ishmael did not offer any violence to the life person or estate of Isaac He did but mock him Gen. 21.9 yet he is charged with persecuting Isaac Gal. 4.29 But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit even so it is non Job's friends did not afflict his body nor touch his estate nor disturb him at his devotion only they grieved his Spirit by their reproaches and uncharitable censures of him and they are charged with the guilt of persecution Job 19.21 22. Have pity upon me have pity upon me Oh ye my friends for the hand of God hath touched me why do ye persecute me c. David speaking of his Persecutors tells us one way whereby they persecuted him was by talking and speaking those things which caused him grief Ps 69 26 They persecute him whom thou hast smitten and talk to the grief of them whom thou hast wounded If uncharitable censures reproaches scoffs be a degree of persecution how can you wash your hands from the guilt of this Sin who call their meeting to worship God by reproachful terms who disturb them in their devotions carry them before Magistrates and cause their goods to be taken from them 2. Though you do not take one drop of blood from these men yet if you hate them and what you do to them proceed out of hatred then are you Murtherers in God's account and shall have no inheritance in the Kingdom of God 1 Job 3.15 Whosoever hateth his Brother is a murtherer and you know no murtherer hath eternal life abiding in him As unchast lusts are adultery in God's account and he that lusteth after a woman though he never touch her hath committed adultery with her in his heart Mat. 5.28 So malicious actions are Murther and he that hateth his brother though he offer no violence to his life hath murthered him in his heart I will not charge you with hatred I leave that to God and your own Consciences But this I will say I cannot understand how your actings are consistent with love For love worketh no ill to his Neighbour Rom. 13.10 3. By taking away their livelyhood whereby their lives are preserved you are guilty before God of taking away their lives For a mans livelyhood is in Scripture accounted his life else what means that Scripture Deut. 24.6 No man shall take the nether or the upper-milstone to pledge for he taketh a mans life to pledge Why is the taking the upper or nether milstone to pledge the taking a mans life to pledge but because it is the taking that which is the means of preserving his life by procuring him a livelyhood 4. By hindring them in the exercise of their Ministery
you take away that which is as dear to them as their lives Act 20.24 But none of these things move me neither count I my life dear to my self so that I might finish my course with joy and the Ministery which I have received of the Lord Jesus to testifie the Gospel of the grace of God 5. You have cause to fear lest a worse Sin than blood be laid to your charge What 's that what is worse than blood The loss and ruine of immortal Souls who possibly might have obtained Salvation had not you broken up the meetings where they went to attend when now they may become a prey to erroneous persons and be swallowed up of Satan who goeth about like a roaring Lion seeking whom he may devour Scattered sheep are in danger to be a prey to wild beasts Ezek. 34.4 5. With force and with cruelty ye have ruled them And they were scattered because there is no Shepherd and they became meat to all the beasts of the field when they were scattered And in the eighth and tenth Verses The Lord swears by his life that seeing his Flock was become a prey and meat to every beast of the field he would require his Flock at their hands that had been the cause of their scattering Obj. 2. But we do not look upon these as righteous men if we did we would not molest them Ans Though you do not yet if God owns and accepts them as righteous this will not excuse your Sin I have in part answered this already and shall do it more fully Ch. 3. Plea 1st Obj. 3. We do not punish them for righteousness sake but for keeping Conventicles which is a thing we hate Ans 1. The work you find them at when you come to their meetings is Praying to God in the name of Jesus Christ giving God thanks Preaching and Hearing God's holy Word and for these things you go and inform against them and raise Persecution against them What is If this be not persecuting men for righteousness sake For Praying Preaching and Hearing the Word of God are Duties commanded by God as was proved before And God's commands are all righteousness Ps 119.72 All thy Commandments are righteousness So that when men are persecuted for these things that are commanded of God they are persecuted for righteousness sake 2. What do you mean by keeping Conventicles If you take Conventicles as Minshew describes a Conventicle when it is taken in an ill sense Pro conventu seditiosorum sceleratorum For a meeting of Seditious and wicked men These men whom you persecute abhor Conventicles taken in this sense as much and it may be more than you do And if you call the Assemblies of these men Conventicles in this sense you are guilty of reproaching the servants and the ways of the living God and so commit a double Sin the one in reproaching the other in molesting them while they are serving the Lord. Remember there is a wo to them that call good evil Is 5.20 3. If the privacy of their meeting be that which you stile a Conventicle then you will find the Disciples of Christ at a Conventicle and Jesus Christ in the midst of them speaking peace to them Joh. 20.19 Then the same day at evening being the first day of the week when the doors were shut where the Disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews came Jesus and stood in the midst and saith unto them Peace be unto you Here is a private Assembly of the Disciples they met in the evening their doors were shut for fear of the Jews And Christ Jesus honoured this private meeting with his presence he came to them he stood in the midst of them and said Peace be unto you He did not chide them and say Sirs what do you here why do you not meet in the Synagogue why do you shut the doors But speaks peace unto them Let those consider whether they be led by the Spirit of Christ who if they hear of the servants of Christ met together with the doors shut for fear of their Enemies Cry out a Conventicle a Conventicle and load them with reproaches and stir up trouble and persecution against them 2. Arg. Those Informers do offend those little ones that believe in Jesus Christ And that is such a dangerous sin that a man had better have a milstone hang about his neck and be cast into the depths of the Sea than to offend the least and meanest of all those that believe in Jesus Christ Matt. 18.6 whoso shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me it were better for him that a milstone were hung about his neck and that he were drowned in the depth of the Sea Observe here 1. What a dangerous sin it is to offend the meanest person that believeth in Jesus Christ such a man had better have a milstone hung about his neck and be drowned in the depths of the Sea If a man were cast into the depth of the Sea though he had no weight upon him though he had great skill in swimming he would certainly be drowned But if a man had a great stone a milstone tyed about his neck and were cast into the depths of the Sea he would sink suddenly and violently to the bottom of the Sea and it would not be in the power of his friends to recover him again And who would be in this mans condition to gain the whole world Yet they that offend them that believe in Christ are in a worse condition than such a man as is drowned in the deepest place in the Sea with a milstone about his neck for it is not said it were equally good but it were better for him to have a milstone hung about his neck and be drowned in the midst of the Sea than offend those that believe in Jesus Christ 2. The Nature of the sin It is not said whosoever shall kill them whosoever shall imprison them but whoever shall offend them 3. The person offending that is put in this evil condition by his offence Every one whoever he be that shall offend Whoso shall offend It reacheth all persons in all ages and generations of all ranks and conditions 4. The persons whom it is so dangerous to offend and they are such as believe in Jesus Christ any one of them even the least and meanest of them Whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me Now there are in these Assemblies to which the Informers come and against which they raise up persecution many that do believe in Jesus Christ They do all of them profess Faith in Jesus Christ and many of them do by their works shew forth their Faith and give good evidence that they do from their hearts believe on the Lord Jesus Christ It remains now to be proved that these Informers and those that joyn with them are guilty of offending such as believe in Christ which will easily be manifested if
of his Ministers whom he sends to Preach the Gospel received with love and honour and all kindness shewn to them as well as to his Apostles and Prophets And to engage us to an honourable willing and chearful reception of them he telleth us that he will take it all one when we receive his Ministers as if we received himself or his Father Joh. 13.20 Verily verily I say unto you he that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me It is not said He that receiveth my Apostles or he that receiveth my Prophets but he that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me And that we may be assured thereof he adds a double asseveration Verily verily I say unto you Hence I argue If he that receiveth whomsoever Christ sendeth receiveth the Lord Jesus Christ then he that receiveth or persecuteth any of the Ministers of the Lord Jesus whom he sends to preach his Gospel receiveth and persecuteth the Lord Jesus himself 9 Arg. It is Satan that stirs up men to betray persecute imprison and make war against the servants of Christ when Judas took up a resolution to betray Jesus Christ it was the Devil that put this motion into his heart Joh. 13.2 The Devil having put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot Simons son to betray him When there is trouble raised up against those that keep the Commandments of God it is the Devil that stirs up men to raise up persecution against them Rev. 12.17 And the Dragon was wroth with the woman and went to make war with the remnant of her seed which keep the Commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus This action of betraying imprisoning and persecuting the servants of Christ is such a fulfilling of the Devils will and hath so much of the Devils nature in it that the Holy Ghost calls the betrayers and persecutors of the people of God by the name of Devils Joh. 6.70 71. Have not I chosen you twelve and one of you is a Devil He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon for he it was that should betray him being one of the twelve Why was Judas called a Devil It was for betraying the Lord Jesus Rev. 2.10 Behold the Devil shall cast some of you into Prison The Devil did not appear in his own person and hale these Saints into Prison but he stirred up evil-minded men to do his work and they fulfilling his lusts are called by his name Did the Informers consider that it was the Devil put it into their hearts to disturb these Assemblies where Prayer is made to God and God's Word is Preached it would startle them and make them draw back unless they were wonderfully hardened in their sin 10 Arg. These men whom you afflict and molest are righteous men as hath been before proved And it is a mighty sin to afflict righteous and just men There are different degrees of sins some are small sins others great sins others mighty great sins This sin of afflicting the just is among those that are mighty great sins Amos 5.12 I know your manifold transgressions and your mighty sins they afflict the just they take a bribe and they turn aside the poor in the gate from their right The Prophet having taxed Israel of being guilty of mighty sins and if any should ask what mighty sins they were guilty of he presently adds They afflict the just See the greatness of this sin in several particular 1. All the wrongs and injuries done to righteous men the Lord takes as ill as if done against himself Zech. 2.8 He that toucheth you toucheth the apple of mine eye The eye is the tenderest part of the body and the apple of the eye the tenderest part of the eye a touch on the apple of the eye is more grievous more afflicting than a blow on the back or hand it is not said he that killeth you he that beateth you with many stripes but he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of mine eye intimating that the smallest afflictions the least troubles that are brought upon righteous men are exceeding grievous to God he counts what is done to them as done to the apple of his eye There are no afflictions brought upon righteous men but he esteemeth himself afflicted in their affliction Jer. 63.9 In all their affliction he was afflicted when they are in misery their miseries are not only grievous to them but they grieve his Soul also Judg. 10.6 His soul was grieved for the misery of Israel And what a monstrous sin is this for a creature to presume in his heart to do that which afflicts and grieves the Soul of God in whom we all live and move and have our being and to strike at the apple of his eye 2. Righteous men are nearly related to God they are his servants Ps 116.6 Truly I am thy servant I am thy servant They are his friends Joh. 15.14 Ye are my friends if ye do whatsoever I command you They are God's children Gal. 3.26 Ye are all the children of God by saith in Jesus Christ They are members of Christ's body 1 Cor. 12.27 Now ye are the body of Christ and members in particular And it must needs be an horrible sin to abuse to imprison to fine to hale out of their meetings the servants the friends the children of God and the members of Christ when they are about their Masters work when they are worshipping and serving their heavenly Father 3. The Lord beareth a great love to righteous men Ps 146.8 The Lord loveth the righteous And how contrary is this to God's Will that you should afflict those whom he loveth 4. Righteous men are blessings to the places where they live Prov. 11.11 By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted what was promised to Abraham Gen. 12.2 I will bless thee and thou shalt be a blessing belongs to all the members of Jesus Christ Gal. 3.9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham And therefore they that afflict and persecute righteous men are not only unthankful for but they are enemies to their own good for they partake of many blessings for righteous mens sake What Laban said to Jacob Gen. 30.27 I have learned by experience that the Lord hath blessed me for thy sake The same might those Villages and Cities say where righteous men dwell did they observe the dealings of God with them we have learned by experience that the Lord hath blessed us for these righteous mens sake 11 Arg. The practise of these men who punish or cause to be punished righteous men for praying to God and for Preaching and Hearing God's holy Word is greatly prejudicial to the whole Kingdom and that on several accounts 1. As it brings down National Judgments one man's sin may cause a whole Nation to suffer Achan's sin brought God's wrath upon all the Congregation of Israel Josh 22.20 Did not Achan the son of Zera
commit a trespass in the accursed thing and wrath fell on all the Congregation of Israel and that man perished not alone in his iniquity What was Achan's sin which brought wrath upon all the Congregation of Israel we find Achan himself confessing it to Joshuah Josh 7.20 21. Achan answered Joshuah and said Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel and thus and thus have I done When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babilonish garment and two hundred shekles of Silver and a wedge of Gold of fifty shekles weight then I covered them and took them and behold they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent and the Silver under it The sin of these Informers seems to me equal if not greater and as likely to bring down wrath upon the Nation as Achan's sin and that for these Reasons 1. The men of Jericho were God's enemies and they and their substance were accursed of God Josh 6.17 The city shall be accursed even it and all that are therein But the righteous and all they have are blessed of the Lord Ps 3.8 Thy blessing is upon thy people not only their persons are blessed but their substance also Deut. 33.11 Bless Lord his substance See also Deut. 8.4 5. Now is it not as great a sin for these men to oppress God's friends who are the blessed of the Lord and to take away their substance which is under the blessing of God as it was for Achan to take away silver and gold and rayment from the men of Jericho which were God's enemies and both they and all that they had were under his curse 2. Achan committed his sin secretly he hid what he took in his tent Behold they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent He laboured to cover his sin but these men declare their sin as Sodom They are not afraid to sin openly in the sight of all men And the more openly and impudently a mans sin is committed the more provoking to God to send down his Judgments 3. Achan confessed his sin and thereby gave glory to the God of Israel Josh 7.20 These men glory in their shame and will not be brought to acknowledge their iniquity 4. Achan was punished for his trespass all Israel stoned him with stones and burnt his house with fire Josh 7.25 But these men are so far from being punished that they oft-times go away with a reward Another instance of a whole Nation suffering for the sin of one man we have in David's case David's numbring the people provoked God to send a Pestilence which in three days time slew seventy-thousand men 1 Chron. 21.2.7 And David said to Joab and to the Rulers of the People Go number Israel from Beersheba even to Dan and bring the number unto me that I may know it And God was displeased with this thing therefore he smote Israel v. 14. So the Lord sent Pestilence upon Israel and there fell of Israel seventy thousand men Let it be considered whether those Informers that go to the Assemblies of these men to take the names of those that worship God in order to the punishing them for their serving God do not sin in as high a degree as David did in the numbring the people For 1. The numbring of the people was not without a president for it was done by Moses at God's appointment in the second year after Israel came out of Egypt Num. 1 2. But to number mens names in order to punish them for being present then and where Prayer is made to God in the name of Jesus Christ and God's Word preached hath not been practised by any persons that have occurred to my observation in reading the holy Scriptures 2. David might have pretended better things to have excused his sin than these Informers have for their practice As by numbring the people he might see the accomplishment of God's promise who promised Abraham a great and numerous posterity and all the Generations from Abraham to David were but fourteen Generations Matt. 1.17 Now that there should be a thousand thousand and a hundred thousand men that drew sword and four hundred threescore and ten thousand in Judah beside Levi and Benjamin that were not numbred 2 Chron. 21.5.6 When David heard this great number he might have made this use of it what a demonstration is here of God's faithfulness and power that from one and him as good as dead should spring so great a multitude of men besides women and children Besides he might have said what cause have I to be thankful to God that hath put such honour upon me to make me a King of such a numerous people For in the multitude of people is the Kings honour Prov. 14.28 He might also judge it a point of prudence conducing to his credit and his peoples safety to know his strength that having so many potent enemies on every side he might judge when and with whom to make War and Peace as it becomes a wise and wary Prince to do Luk. 14.31 But these things did not excuse David from sin God saw an irregularity in David whether it were pride or curiosity or neglecting the offering that was prescribed when the people was numbred Num. 12.13 14. I shall not determine 3. David was troubled in conscience for his sin and made an humble confession of it to God 2 Sam. 24.10 And Davids heart smote him after that he had numbred the people and David said unto the Lord I have sinned greatly in that I have done and now I beseech thee O Lord take away the iniquity of thy servant for I have done very foolishly But we hear of no remorse from these men 4. David offended but once in this kind but these men go on in their evil way and often renew their sin 5. David when convinced of his sin was willing to have suffered death so that God would not proceed to punish Israel for his sin 2 Sam. 24.17 And David spake unto the Lord when he saw the Angel that smote the people and said Lo I have sinned and I have done wickedly but these sheep what have they done Let thy hand I pray thee be against me and against my father's house Whereby it is evident that he had no evil design upon the people when he caused them to be numbred But these men that go to these Assemblies to take names and watch them as they come forth in order to the getting them to be punished make it manifest that they have a design upon them to do evil to them 2. The actings of these Informers are prejudicial to the whole Kingdom because righteous men are the strength of a Nation and are blessings to the places where they live Zech. 12.5 The governours of Judah shall say in their heart The inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my strength in the Lord of Hosts their God Prov. 11.11 By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted When Elisha was
them for their sins and they are very dreadful which without repentance will be their portion as hath been shewn in the second Chapter Rev. 8.4 Come out of her my people that you be not partakers of her sins and that you receive not of her plagues As they that partake of Babylon's sins shall be partakers of Babylon's Plagues so shall they that partake of the Informers sins partake of the Informers Plagues Prov. 29.24 Whoso is partner with a thief hateth his own soul The same I may say of him that is partner with these Informers he hateth his own Soul And why doth he that is a partner with a thief hate his soul Because he takes a sure and speedy course to destroy his own Soul Let me here shew you how many ways a man may be partaker with these Informers in their sin for these men do involve many others in the guilt of their hainous transgression 1. They that harbour these men in their houses and wish them good success in their undertakings are partners with them in their evil deeds 1 Joh. 2. Ep. v. 10 11. If there come any unto you and bring not this doctrine receive him not into your house neither bid him God speed For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds As he that harboureth and encourageth false teachers is partaker with them in their evil-deeds so also they that receive into their houses encourage and wish success to these men that oppose the Ministers of Christ that teach the Word of God in truth are partakers with them in their evil deeds 2. They become partakers with them in their sin who rejoyce and take pleasure and delight to see these Informers disturb the Meetings of these men Obad. v. 12 But thou shouldst not have looked upon the day of thy brother in the day that he became a stranger neither should thou have rejoyced over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction neither shouldst thou have spoken proudly in the day of their distress They that take pleasure in others wickedness are under the same or rather a greater guilt than those persons that commit the wickedness Rom. 1.32 Who knowing the Judgment of God that they that do such things are worthy of death not only do the same but take pleasure in them that do them Hoc pejus illo saith Grotius upon the place This latter To take pleasure in them that do them is worse than the former for a man may do evil under a temptation but to take pleasure in another man's sin argues an exceeding great corruption in that man's heart God was greatly offended with Moab for rejoycing at the Assyrian spoiling the Israelites Jer. 48.26 27. Moab also shall swallow in his vomit and he also shall be in derision For was not Israel a derision unto thee was he found among thieves For since thou speakest of him thou skippedst for joy 3. Such as at the instigation of these Informers take away or buy those Goods which are taken away from men fearing God for their worshipping God and that either because they are sold at a low rate or because they would not have the Informers go without a reward Obad. 13. Thou shouldst not have entred into the gate of my people in the day of their calamity yea thou shouldst not have looked on their affliction in the day of their calamity nor have laid hands on their substance 4. Such as plead their cause defend and justifie them in their evil ways they are deeply guilty and partakers with them in all the evil and mischief that they do It is worse to plead for sin than to commit it As Grotius observeth Nam affectu abreptus peccat aliquis sine eo non peccaturus At qui defendunt talia docent vitio carere sane gravius delinquunt Joash thought that man worthy to dye that should plead for sin Judg. 6.31 Will ye plead for Baal will you save him He that will plead for him let him be put to death while it is yet morning To justifie a wicked man is an abominable sin in the sight of God Prov. 17.15 He that justifieth the wicked and he that condemneth the just even they both are abomination to the Lord. 5. They that afford their aid help and assistance to these men in their evil designs are partakers of their sin To help an ungodly man in an evil undertaking will bring down wrath from the Lord 2 Chron. 19.2 Shouldest thou help the ungodly and love them that hate the Lord Therefore is wrath upon thee from before the Lord. When the Apostle Paul made confession of his sin of persecution he mentions the keeping the clothes of them that stoned Stephen as an evidence of his consent to that wicked fact and his being involved in the guilt of his blood Act. 22.20 And when the blood of thy Martyr Stephen was shed I was standing by and consenting to his death and kept the rayment of them that slew him Paul did not help to throw the stones he did but keep the rayment of those persons that stoned him and this little assistance that he gave them was a great trouble to his Conscience Take heed therefore of giving any assistance to these men either by guiding them to the places where these persons are assembled that they seek after It is recorded to Judas eternal infamy That he was guide to them that took Jesus Act. 1.16 or by telling them the names of the persons whom they find assembled together or drawing up their Informations they give unto the Magistrate or aiding them in the dispersing these Assemblies or any other way helping them in their evil way 6. Such as excite counsel and put forward these Informers to undertake their evil work are partakers with them in their sin The people of Israel were said to make the calf which Aaron made because he made it by their instigation Exod. 32.2.35 The people gathered themselves together unto Aaron and said unto him up make us Gods which shall go before us And the Lord plagued the people because they made the calf which Aaron made The guilt was equally and the plague greater upon the people for stirring up Aaron to make the calf than upon Aaron himself that made the golden calf David is charged with killing Uriah 2 Sam. 12.9 Thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword yet David himself did not touch him they were the Ammonites that killed him but because David plotted and contrived his death and wrote Letters to Joab to set him in the forefront of the battel where he was slain Ch. 11.14 15. Uriah's blood was laid to David's charge Jezabel stirring up Ahab to work wickedness made her a partaker of Ahab's guilt 1 Kings 21.25 There was none like unto Ahab that did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the Lord whom Jezabel his wife stirred up 7. Such as hire those Informers to undertake this