THE ARRAIGNMENT OF A SINNER At the Bar of DIVINE IVSTICE Delivered in a SERMON in St. Maries Church at Oxford March the 5. 1655. before the Right Honourable the Judges of Assize c. BY ROBERT WILDE B. D. Minister of the Gospell at Ayno in Northamptonshire GEN 18. 25. Shall not the Iudge of all the Earth doe rightly Quia impunitum non debet esse peccatum puniatur à te ne tu pro illo puniaris peccatum tuum te Iudicem habeat non patronum August de utilitate agendae poenit LONDON Printed by I. G. for Nathanael Webb and William Grantham at the black Beare in St. Paul's Church-yard neer the little North-dore 1656. TO THE RIGHT VVORSHIPFUL JOHN CARTVVRIGHT of Ayno Esq. High Sheriffe of the County of Oxford 1655. My ever honour'd Patron SIR OF those many hundreds of Sermons which you have heard from me since you pleased to call me to the work of the Gospell in your place The lot of being published is only falne upon this single one preach't at your Command to the Country then under your Command I will not adventure at an Apology for my printing it for I look upon the presse as a common Midwife for poore folkes as well as rich and an advantage not only to the grand Masters of Learning and parts but to all other men who desire a cheape easie and ready way of Communication Neither doth this Sermon a Zacheus rather than a Saul come forth because it is higher by the head or of a goodlyer Stature or Complexion then its brethren for no man that sees it will by its looks guesse that it was born in an University nor doe I print it for any thing that it hath done beyond others upon the Subject which it handles for I am not worthy with Ionathans Lad to run and gather up their Arrows but because the Lord pleased to blesse it with some good successe the Reverend Judges and many others being much affected with it and because I cannot as yet find any way of expressing my due respects to your selfe so publiquely as this The best word it had after it was preacht and I never desire better was that it was An honest Sermon and as it is usually said of an honest man that he may travell all the world over and need not feare looking any one in the face so I hope may an honest Sermon And to him that shall examine this Messenger of mine whence he comes and whither he goes and what is his businesse If he say From Ayno with an Hue and Cry after a company of self-condemned sinners who have broken the prison of conscience and run up and downe in their chaines to apprehend them and withall makes mention of your name and warrant for so doing I hope it shall be neither danger nor dishonour to you There is never a Magistrate in England but I am sure ought and never a good one but will assist this work of Gods word to suppresse sinne and open wickednesse There is a suite I confesse depending amongst Divines about Gods Vindictive Justice and its necessary working and excellent pleaders there are on both sides Now although this Sermon speakes on the defendants side yet I hope its testimony shall offend none who shall consider that the chief tendency of my speech and indeed of that point is to the glory of Gods holinesse Justice and mercy and the beating down sinne and those slight thoughts of ungodly men concerning it if therefore this comes into a good mans hands he will not be the worse for reading it if into an evill mans he may be the better and if into a learned mans he will have cause to blesse God that he can write farre better My only request is that when it comes into your hand it may be accepted with the right hand even as it is tendred All that I have to adde is to acknowledge and to leave this with you as a testimony of my gratitude for your many favours and of your diligent and exemplary attendance at and countenance of the publick Ordinances and worship of God under my Ministery And to beg of God on your behalf that you may flourish in your spirituall estate even as you doe in your temporall That in your Magistracy you may be wise and zealous that you may be eyes to the blind and feet to the lame that you may be a terrour to evill doers and a praise to them that doe well that the poore and oppressed may waite for you as the raine and you may cause the widdowes heart to sing for joy That in your family you may walke with a perfect heart not suffering an evill doer or wicked servant to tarry in your sight In a word that by an holy and cheerfull improvement of your time Interest and many talents you may glorifie the great God credit the Gospell uphold sinking Religion be one of those innocents that may preserve the Island doe good be fruitfull in good workes relieve the poore and needy which indeed you doe more than many that make a greater noise strengthen the hands of the Ministry and so expresse your affection to Learning which I know you prize that poor I may stand by and more excellent pens come forth publiquely to acknowledge you and blesse God for you and you may be the blessed of the Lord and your seed after you Sir These are and such as these shall be the humble and dayly prayers of Your most willing and ready Servant in all civill and Christian Offices Aprill 20. 1656. RO: WILDE ROM 1. 32. Who having the judgement of God that they who commit such things are worthy of death not only doe the same but take pleasure in them that doe them SUch Malice as the Iewes formerly dwelling in England shewed when they poysoned Springs and Fountaines and such subtile cruelty as the enemies of Israel in the wars betwixt Barak and Sisera practic'd viz. to shoot most fiercely at the places of drawing water Such hath been the subtilty cruelty and malice of the enemies of Scripture and Mens soules who have either corrupted the Originalls and laboured the poysoning of them with unsound translations and Glosses or else strongly opposed those that have desired to goe down and draw for themselves and their Flocks water of life out of those pure Springs and wells of salvation Es. 12. 3. It was for this that Campanella gave that pestilent rule to the King of Spaine that he should never suffer his Students in divinity to be much exercised or acquainted with gramatical disputes concerning the Originalls of Scripture as an expedient very probable to keep them from heresies But as subtile as that Serpent was it hath proved as time and experience shewes it only a stratagem against themselves Keeping their leaders in perversnes and their poore people in much leannesse whilst they nurse them with traditions and unkinde translations and deny them the Sincere milke of
the Originalls Here is now before us a Text which if they will allow the Epistle to be Greek as indeed they doe suffers by their vulgar Latine which Lyranus Tolet and the Rhemish and most Romish writers doe and will follow in the very sense and substance of it For they read it thus Who knowing the Iustice of God understood not that they which doe such things are worthy of death c. By which they first insert non intellexerint which is not to be found in any Greeke Coppy and then that which they doe put in is not the Herbe Iohn as we say but very Colloquintida which infects the whole Messe making thereby the Gentiles who are the Subject of the Apostles discourse to be nescious and ignorant that Sin deserved at Gods hands death and so the more excusable when as the very thing which the Holy Ghost seemes apparently to drive the whole Argument at is quite contrary viz. to aggravate and accumulate to their Guilt 1 that They knew sin to be sin 2 that they knew that sin some sin at least deserved death and yet 3 that they did hold downe and violently keepe under this knowne truth like a Prisoner and in despite of it dared to commit those Sinnes Nay 4 not onely so but also that they did connive yea consent to yea Patronize and applaud Others who did so also so that They sinned not through ignorance infirmity or temptation but out of choise and Election and with Deliberation and Delight But I must remember I am not at home but in a place which needs not to be taught how to read or expound Scripture That I may therefore present you the words in a Metaphoricall language proper to this daies occasion and yet not wrench'd and forc'd Methinkes I see Saint Paul in this Epistle as in a triumphant Charriot riding by the Spirit a Circuit about the world first like a Severe but just Iudge to try and condemne all guilty ones and then according to his commission in the Gospel to offer unto all penitents a pardon from Iesus Christ the King of Peace His whole Expedition he divides into two parts as it were two Goale-deliveries One of the Gentile world whom he sits upon and tries by the Law of Nature written in all their Hearts something blurr'd yet legible and by the works of Creation and Providence obvious to their very Senses The other is an Assize upon the Iewes with whom he proceeds to a tryall according to the Lawes of their owne Moses written in their Bookes upon their Walls Doores and Phylacteries and also according to their great priviledges and Gods speciall dispensations towards them and this is the work of the second chapter My Text is the issue of his Arraignment of the Gentiles begun at ver. 18. And with some light and assistance from the context laies before us these particulars * First the Iudge Saint Paul Once a guilty and condemned Malefactor Himselfe But pardoned made a Favourite raised to the dignity of an Apostle and Ambassador sent out and by speciall commission of Oyer and Terminer as I may say given him from heaven by word of mouth from Jesus Christ the King of all the world authorized to try and judge the Gentiles And accordingly in this chapter he sits upon them opens his commission publisheth it then proceeds with them upon an issue of Eternall Life or death Such an other Judge was the Prophet Ezek. Wilt thou Iudge them Son of Man wilt thou judge them chap. 20. 3. And that I may seasonably magnifie our vilified office Such a Judge is every true Minister of the Gospell being all put into commission as well as the Apostles Math. 18. 19. 20. As very scar-crowes as the wicked world make of them having a power as authoritatively to declare and pronounce Sentence of life or death from the Pulpit upon the Souls of men as any Judge on earth hath upon the bodies and lives of Malefactors from the Bench And the effects and Successe of our Sermons doe oftentimes make this appeare causing Sinners that stand below as at a Barre to grow pale wring their hands to tremble and cry out like those in the Acts Men and Brethren what shall we doe As we read Judge Faelix himselfe did who when he sent for Paul to heare him thought only of some neat discourse but it proved a Judiciary Tryall of Him for intemperance and injustice The poore prisoner proving to be the Judge and the Judge the prisoner 2. The prisoners at the Barre of Pauls Ministry are the whole body of the Gentile-nations spread all over the Earth Greeks and Barbarians Princes Philosophers Poets Orators wise unwise rich and poor all all There is I confesse a Learned Annotator of our owne nation who as he too much hath gratified the Church of Rome laying the great Mystery of Iniquity at the doore of the Gnosticks a Mungrel Sect made up of Gentilisme Iudaisme and Christianity living in the Apostles time So also he loads them with the heavy Burden of both these chapters But I finde him in this latter opinion to stand alone and by himselfe and not so much as his Friend H Grotius with him The generall vote of Expositors being that the Gentiles were the men whom the Apostle here chargeth 3. The Indictment and Articles of Crimes laid to their Charge wee have ranked under three Heads 1 against God 2 their neighbours 3 themselves many or most of them are found to be Felones de se Not to name All Here is within the compasse of three verses 29 30 31. a Bill brought in against them consisting of Treasons Murders Felonies Riots Buggeries Perjuries and all sorts of misdemeanours no lesse than 23. in number c. 4. As for the Law by which he proceeds in their tryall it is here produced {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} the Ancient and Fundamentall Law of Divine Iustice From whence as the very Fountaine have issued all the just and good Lawes both Divine and Humane in the world The word in the plural number as Beza observes is promiscuously used both for the Mandates of God Morall Iudiciall and Ceremoniall and also for his Judgemenâ—s Rom. 15. 4. But in the singular as here it either signifies that Divine Law of Righteousnesse written in all mens hearts with the obligation to vengeance upon the transgressors so comes to as much as the Synteresis and Syneidesis in naturall conscience Or else it imports that just execution of punishment due for sin Iustitia poenalis Suidas calls it and our English Translation in the Text The Iudgement of God So then the Law is 1. A common and universall Law called by some The Law of Nature by others Ius Gentium and {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} The Divine Law 2. A Iust and Equall Law translated sometimes The righteousnesse of God dealing with sinners according as they are {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman}
{non-Roman} {non-Roman} 3. A knowne and divulged Law Every son and daughter of Adam hath a Proclamation of it nailed by God upon his conscience 4. An approved Law by consent of all men under it Iure Die agnito That they who committed wickednesse were worthy of death Lastly an immutable and indispensable Law it being an essentiall property in God and necessarily proceeding from him in the government of the world So that for matter of Law the Prisoners here have you see as faire a Tryall as heart can wish 5. But what Iury have they and who hath the impanelling of it you will say for that is very considerable Why for that The Jury is not only taken out of the neighbourhood and among their peeres but which is an Indulgence not allowed by mens lawes from among themselves and out of their owne consciences Such a One as we read of Esay 5. 3. Iudge I pray you betwixt Me and my Vinyard c. The very same grand Jury which shall be made to serve betwixt the Lord and the whole Earth at that great day of Assize 6. This Jury like some that in very cleare causes never goe from the bar quickly bring in their Verdict upon Two Bills In both which the prisoners are found guilty In the first as Principalls They were Actors of all those fowle crimes charged on them in the Indictment at large verse 29. 30. 31. In the Second As Accessories Abetters Aiders Countenancers Mantainers and Defenders of Others in the same and the like outrages which although according to humane Lawes the accessories are lesse guilty yet according to Gods Law in many cases is greater than to be the principall 7. There is yet one thing more implicitly in the Text and that is this The prisoners being thus cast seeme to be called upon by the Judge what they can say for themselves That the Sentence of death of which they were worthy being found guilty might not passe To which the poore wretches all stand silent neither being able to cavill at the Court to demur to the Bill to except against the Jury to evade the Law nor to plead ignorance of it for the Text saith they knew it that They which do such things were worthy of death nor lastly To plead Infirmity incogitancy chancemedly and that they did it against their wills For they did not only doe such things but they were {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Master of the Trade professors and practitioners of the very Mysteries of iniquity nay they were such as did consent countenance commend applaud yea command others to doe the same delighting and taking pleasure in them that did so For all this and more is in the nerves of the word {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} according to Beza Pareus Piscat. c. And thus these Gentile Sinners being brought by the Apostle under an inevitable conviction and Selfe-condemnation and all excuses like father Adams fig-leaves taken away They are left under the Sentence of death either to expect the execution thereof every moment from the avenging Hand of a just God or else which Saint Paul like a mercifull Judge puts them in mind of and perswades them to it to fall downe and cry for a Psalm of mercy and the Benefit of the Booke viz. the Gospell in the Hand of that great and only Ordinary and Bishop of our Soules JESUS CHRIST that so they might be pardoned and live And thus Sacco soluto reluxit argentum as Ambrose saith concerning Benjamins Sack My Text being like That opened This point of divine Learning far richer and finer than Silver or Gold like Josephs cup appeares in the mouth of it By which as was said of that I shall be able anon to divine what Estate you are in whether of death or life and whether you be come hither this day any of you as spies to finde out the weaknesse of the Sermon or indeed to get some spirituall bread It is this That man whoever he be on earth Who knowes that according to the righteousnesse of Gods vindictive justice a wicked life deserves eternall death yet dares both to doe wickedly himself and also to abet countenance uphold and applaud others is an inexcusable selfe-condemned man and in a most desperate estate A Theame not improper for any Pulpit in this land and age where men professe to know so much and surely doe know very much yet live too many as if they knew no law no sin no God no judgement but I have thought it a very suitable subject were it in an hand that could well manage it for this Mornings exercise That all you who are come together to enquire after to try and accuse and condemn to death those poore prisoners who shall be found worthy thereof according to our Lawes may heare of a justice and wrath the righteous judgement of God which no impenitent soule shall escape much lesse they who judicially bring others to their deserved shamefull deaths and yet allow themselves and delight in others who commit things worthy of Eternall death yea and many times of a sentence too from the Bench were you but discovered here as you are sure to be hereafter In my prosecution of this point begging some graines of allowance for want of Academicall exactnesse I shall briefly speak of these 4. things most materiall 1 That there is in God an Avenging justice ingaging him to punish sin the breach of his Law with the eternall death of the sinner 2 That there is in sin that which deserves and it worthy of such judgement 3 That this merit of sin and vindictive justice of God is sufficiently made known to all men 4 That notwithstanding this discovery of divine justice yet multitudes every where doe not only commit wickednesse themselves but delight in it and in them that doe it The rest shall be all in application 1. Concerning the Iustice of God which is a very large and comprehensive subject I must not be allowed to read a Lecture of it here Let this suffice to lead the way to my purpose There are not only in the Scriptures where the eradiation of Gods glory shines brightest but even in profane and naturall writings four Acceptations of Righteousnesse or Iustice all which are more truly properly and naturally in God then in either humane or Angelicall natures 1. The first is called Universall righteousnesse which as the Sun is the Fountaine of light doth bestow not only lustre and beauty but life and being upon Bonity and goodnesse of all kindes so the Scripture useth it to expresse both Morall Civill and Evangelicall exactnesse Righteousnesse exalts a nation but sin is a reproach to any people sin in that place is in its Latitude made the antithesis to righteousnesse in its extent and so the word {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} is equivalent to {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} And this notion Aristotle was
houshold and kingdome of light the Church A farre more glorious Sun-shine hath appeared The Bible a book sent out of heaven made by the true God hath like wisdome cried out in our streets continually and aloud from one end of the Scripture to the other The Lord the Lord beholds from Heaven all the children of men the righteous Lord loveth righteousnesse he is a just God a jealous God one that hates sinne and all iniquity one that will by no meanes let the guilty goe unpunished one that will raine snares fire and Brimstone and give it to the wicked as their portion c. An houre would not serve us to hear all the evidences of this book for truly though some Criticks have found out one Canonicall Book which hath not the word God in it yet is the Word of God yet I thinke none can finde a book in the Bible which hath not some proof or testimony of Gods eternall displeasure against sin Not withstanding all which knowledge both of the Almighties words and deeds against sin set on oftentimes closer then Conscience can doe it by the heavy hand of God himselfe upon the Soules and Spirits of guilty ones even kindling an Hell fire in their bosomes and making them like poor Spira to yell and shreek and to have such Devills in them as no Disciple can cast out no Minister can quiet Yet oh wonder How rife rank is all manner of wickedness to this very day in the world nay in the best part of it in the civilized cultivated inlightned baptized part of the world In England whose sinnes are her onely shame and I feare will be her ruine In England old England as much as anywhere and that not onely for the multitude of sinners take so many for so many but for the variety of sinnes Blush ô ye Heavens over our heads and thou Earth tremble under us for I fear there is not a sinne naturall or unnaturall to be found upon record in this sad Chapter to have been committed by the Gentiles against their starâ—light but after an 100 yeares Gospel in this Island and now of late 12 or 14 yeares judgements of an angry God amongst us is still to be found amongst our debaucht ones and I pray God your Lordships doe not to the grief of your hearts meet with most of them even in this one Circuit before you returne Surely surely these dayes are the dreggs and very bottome of Time and if the abounding of Iniquity be one of the signes of the worlds end it cannot be long before the Iudge of Quick and Dead rend the Heavens and comes down Alas for us How doe men sinne with their eyes open their cares open their Consciences wide open In the face of the Sun of the Minister of the Magistrate of God himselfe Men every where know that he is a jealous God a just Iudge an Avenger of all impieties and unrighteous courses that themselves are such and that God hath his quiver full of arrowes and some arrowes upon the very string and they the mark against which they are level'd that they are within shot that hell gapes for them and in Hell everlasting torments that there is no Gospell in the grave and they may be there the next steâ— that vengeance like the sword hanging over Damocles by an horse hair is ready to drop In brief men generally great ones too and Schollers too as too too many know all this and a thousand times more and yet sinne and sinne and sinne and make a mock of sinne delight in it defend it and them who doe it as if Religion were but a piece of Pageantry and this Holy book the Bible but a Romance Tell not me any nice and curious Auditor among you that I might have brought hither some other subject not so common as this is to have discourst of in such an Assembly I know I might and confesse to you that the commonnesse of it stuck a while with me in my Study and pleaded so hard that I cast it by twice or thrice but it was my foolishnesse and I could not well be at quiet untill I returned to it againe being convinced that it was indeed one of the best and most seasonable subjects in the world And you all will say so too if you will but lay to heart these few things First there is not one Soule here or that could be here but is concerned very neerly in this point having too often finned presuming so to doe himselfe against this Iustice of God made known to him and also one way or other to countenance it in others 2. Preaching and declaiming against sinne as loud and allow'd as it is and the Lord make it seven-fold more common and powerfull then it is is not neither can be so common as committing it 3. It is that one common enemy of Heaven and Earth of God and Men of the Creater and all his Creatures against which God Christ the Holy Spirit Ministry Magistracy all meanes possible have been engaged ever since it first entred into the world and yet it will not yeild but fights it out by Inches 1. The Lord when it had of old over-spread all mankinde and fill'd the Earth with Corruption such as poisoned the very Aire and ascended up and stunk in his nostrills and caused him to repent that ever he made such a Creature resolved that he would wash this filth away or else he would wash his hands of all the world and accordingly he did by the Deluge destroy all the race of Adam with a purpose to get rid of sinne save onely eight persons the best he could pick out whom he kept alive to preserve a better seed to people the world againe And yet ' would you think it Sinne scap't drowning though the Sinners did not that crept into the Ark and came out safe and fell to work afresh and made ashift quickly to drown Noah himself in wine whom all the waters could not touch and with that small stock of Eight set up and thrived againe so fast that it soon recovered that ground which it had before lost A while after the Lord tried it with another fierce Element to see if he could fire it out of a place Raining down fire and brim stone upon sinfull Sodome and burning it to ashes carrying out but one righteous Lot to save alive and yet in saving onely him sinne enough was saved to fetch out of his loynes two cursed Nations enough to people all the world with sinners if there had been no more left but they Thus did sinne like Pauls Viper leap out of the fire of Sodome it leapt upon Lot who could not so easily shake it off but it stuck and stung him Neither Water nor Fire have prevailed over it but it hath lived and reigned and will doe I doubt till the Universall Fire come down from God and burn the world about sinners eares 2. As