the Apostle Rom. 6. last {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} The wages the reward the stipend the stipends of sinne of any sinne of every single sinne are death all kindes of death eternall death Thus the words are diversly read and that eternall death is clearly implyed may be gathered from the Antithesis in the words following The gift of God is eternall life The Greek word for Wages is that which was properly paid in Victualls to the Roman Souldiers by the Commissary of the Army in lieu of Money and was a valuable payment and stipend for their warfare so that it seems for a sinner to dye the death is as just as a pennyworth for a penny and this shall be enough upon the second Particular The third followeth viz. That as it is naturall in God to punish sinne with death so it is naturall to Man to know so much It is true that the first sinner had both the precept Thou shalt not eate c. and the penalty Thou shalt dye if thou dost given him positively over and above what was stampt on his heart but that Iustice being offended would be satisfied most certainly this was in him naturally and therefore as soon as ever he had sinned expectation of vengeance made him fly for the same and to skulk and hide himselfe Paradice being now but a Prison to him Me thinkes I heare the Dialogue Adam Adam so God comes cooly and friendly to him what 's the matter Adam what Man hide thy selfe Lord of the Earth and Prince of this place and hide thy self The most exact beautiful piece which I have made and hide thy self What 's the cause of this shamefastnesse Oh my Lord saith the poor sneak I heard thy voice in the Garden Why what then was my voice so terrible thou hast heard my voice before now Did I thunder did I threaten did I call thee out of thy name Come come that 's not it Yea but Lord I was afraid and hid because I was naked Oh was you naked and what then naked why so you was before this is not the first time that I have seen you naked No no that 's not it thou wretch and Rebell but the naked truth is thou knowest thy desert and doom thy coat of Maile was thy Righteousnesse and that is gone thy Soule is naked and lyes open now as well as thy Skin for my wrath and vengeance Truly this was it He lookt upon Gods Iustice as Gods Nature never dreaming or imagining to stand it out with hopes that God would let it got for nothing And it is very observable that although he knew God to be a mercifull and loving Lord yet not knowing how Mercy and Iustice might both meet in his case he therefore in all the defence which he made for himselfe never pleads Lord what need this satisfying of Iustice if thou pleasest thou maist let this fault escape and look for no satisfaction Had he said thus he had sinned yet more even against Gods Nature as any one of us should also doe should we ask a pardon at Gods hands without adding for whose sake God should bestow it on us As it was in Adam to know and feare Iustice so it remained in all his posterity as the Apostle before he leaves this argument proves Rom. 2. 15. They having not the Law are a Law to themselves their Consciences excusing or accusing one another The great Fall of Adam that broke his Soule in pieces dasht out the knowledge of the true God yet left this naturall principle in Man If thou dost well thou shalt receive well And we finde the Lord pleading the force of this with Cain as an unalterable Rule and naturall notion If thou dost well shalt thou not receive well The interrogation is a clear and strong proof of this Candle yet shined in his spirit There are certain Common and Universall principles Aphorismes and Fundamentall truths kept alive in all men as that there is a Deity it is believed that even Diagoras and Protagoras could not utterly deny it That the Divine Power is to be observed and worshiped that we ought to hurt none doe as we would be done to that there was an Eye which viewes men and among the rest that the Blasphemers of the Gods and vicious flagicious persons deserved death Some pretty glimmerings of the light of this very Doctrine which I preach the Heathens had Hence came their Fancy of Nemesis or Rhamnusia to be a Deity whose very work was to revenge wickednesse and reward goodnesse and it is to my purpose that they called her the daughter of Iove and Necessity implying that to be a God and not necessarily to punish offenders could not consist The Egyptian Theologues placed her Throne above the Moon Ut inde veluti è speculo haec inferiora despiceres That she might from thence behold things here below Hesiod and Homer also ascribe a Deity to a Virgin by the name of {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} paena as Suidas calls it a companion and councellor to love sitting alwayes by his Throne and powring down vialls of wrath upon vile and vitious men here below In their very Playes and Tragedyes when they personated any impious or wicked villaine on the Stage then they would discover some of the Gods looking from behinde a Frame or Skreen and an Angry Fury hanging over him with Rods of Scorpious and to this purpose for example one of their Poets bring in one Plegas a villain under a 1000 torments in Hell roaring like Dives in our Bibles Discite justitiam moniti non temnere Divos By me learne Iustice and be wise Doe not the Holy Gods despise And truly as this light was in men by nature so they could not blow it out but in the second place it would worke upon their Consciences These Gentiles in the Chapter often attempted to smother it and extinguish it They did {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Hold down and with violence imprison this naturall truth but yet it would break Prison and get out and often make them prisoners and fetter them in their own feares and terrors of mind so that they needed not any other Torments than their own awakened consciences which would make them though Emperours and Conquerours to quake and hide themselves Yea Thirdly as by the light of nature and the pangs of conscience so most evidently men every where and in all ages have known what sin deserves by the sad effects and direfull judgements the wrath of God hath ever and anon been revealed from heaven ver. 18. that is as Beza expounds it The wrath of God is every where under heaven made so manifest against sinners that they who would stifle and imprison this evidence cannot although they should the other These three wayes the justice of God against sin hath shined abroad all over the earth But to those within his
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
sinn'd It yeilded to nothing but a Commutation which is proper for justice to doe And by the Exchange had gold for drosse a richer and nobler draught of mans bloud than if the whole species had suffered eternally And that none but the Elect party might by this expedient escape Eternall punishment In the whole Instrument Indenture betwixt God and our Goel our kinsman and undertaker Jesus Christ This vindictive Iustice hath these provisoes most strictly inserted to be inviolably observed 1. That whosoever should not have the Benefit of Christs death and satisfaction should personally suffer and as certainly dye as if there had been no such way of salvation found out 2. That none of those for whom he should dye should be allowed to live as they list to commit sin and delight in wickednesse or ever come into heaven where God had to doe with the least spot of sin upon them but that Christ should looke to them and sanctifie their natures and make them by his spirit fit and meet to be partakers of the inheritance c. And 3. In order to all faire proceedings betwixt Grace and Iustice a certaine fixed Day is pitcht upon unalterably wherein the date of this Covenant shall expire and cease and that even Jesus Christ himselfe who had for so many thousands of yeares gratified Mercy should in person appeare to see vindictive Iustice righted to the utmost In order whereunto all Mankind dead and alive young and old shall be called together viewed and examined impartially and that then All wicked and ungodly men who were not suffered for and paid for by Christ and made new Creatures however they sped in the dayes of their flesh shall both Soul and Body all of them to a man most certainly and eternally be damned as if there had been no such Saviour in the world at all And lastly Because it was the Lords good pleasure and purpose for the glory of his blessed patience and many other weighty causes him thereunto moving to let the world continue long and if Iustice should not shew its selfe and exercise its wrath at all untill the last Judgement day the children of men would grow intolerable in their blasphemies and impieties against God and be ready to thinke him such a one as themselves and break out also into bloud rapine and confusion among themselves It was therefore resolved and agreed That the Covenant of Grace should not hinder or binde up Divine Iustice's hands but that God might reveale wrath from Heaven when how as often and upon whomsoever he pleased provided they were out of the book of life And also that vindictive Iustice shall have her Officers and Deputies by the name of Magistrates and earthly Gods who should have power and authority from God to punish sinners according to the merit of their crimes and as far as a temporall life goes Yea and over and above all this that the world might know and be well satisfied that Jesus Christ and his Religion were no enemies to or would any waies abate the power of Justice and of Magistrates by patronizing or protecting the wickednesse of wicked men He also hath done Justice this further right by the Gospell by granting not onely that no badge of Christianity or Church-priviledge what soever let the Pope answer for his counterfeit power as well as he can shall excuse much lesse exempt any one from the hand of Iustice but also by setting up a new and high Court of Iustice within his Church inabling them to proceed further with open and scondalous sinners then the Magistrate doth or can viz. to punish their very Soules and Consciences by delivering them up to Satan and accursing them he engaging himself to see it made good Quid ultrà potuit facere quod non fecit What could be done more and what more need be said to prove against all doubters and disputers that Iustice to punish sinners is none of those indifferent Acts of God which he might doe or not doe as the making of the world and but one world c But yet more and in a farre more excellent manner is spoken be Lactantius in his dispute against the stupid and sottish Stoicks and Epicures By Pareus against the subtill and sinfull cavills of the Socinians who pull hard to overthrow this Doctrine thereby to make their way easier to invalidate the merit of Christs death And lately by a learned Pen of one of your one in this place I shall onely adde this That upon this Hinge all piety and righteousnesse among men turnes for if God should be uncertaine in his rewards who would serve him if in his punishments who will feare him and I conclude this point with that determination of the Father Iraquae ad correctionem vitiorum pertinet nec homini adimi debet nec Deo potest 2. Concerning the second thing that there is in sinne in every sin that which deserves the death the Eternall death as well as the Temporall of the sinner I have not provided to say much neither indeed need I. Socinus himselfe grants the merit of Eternall destruction which is the greater and every Protestant and Orthodox Writer against the Papists distinction of sinnes Veniall and Mortall have sufficiently cleared both Many Scriptures I could call in to make proof hereof let two be enough I. The words of the Text {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Worthy of death By Death all good Expositors doe understand and take in all evills of punishment death in its latitude death corporall and spirituall temporall and eternall of sense and of losse the full vialls of wrath And by the word worthy is meant due deserved just and proportionable Beza saith the word {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} is taken from the even and equall poising and weighing things in a Ballance an antient Embleme of Justice so that though Cain or any man may say truly enough My punishment is greater than I can beare yet no man can say say truly that his sufferings are more or greater than he deserves Dives in Hell cries out of his torments but not a word against the Judge or the Sentence that sent him thither the enemies of God have cause to blesse God that spared them and kept them so long alive but no cause to cavill at their punishment for eternall death is full weight and yet but weight for sinne even among men whole scales cannot be carried with so even an hand as Gods Corrective Iustice hath an Eye to the quality of the party wronged and proportionates the punishment to his dignity and greatnesse an abused Majesty makes that high Treason which committed against a meaner subject would be but Felony or Mis-demeanor Peccanti in summum bonum summum debetur supplicium He deserves to suffer the greatest evill who sinnes against the greatest good The second Scripture shall be that of