it from us or from any thus to turn the truth of God into a lye as we are too forward to do How shall we that are dead to sin to wit by the Death of Christ live any longer therein Rom. 6. 1 2 3. See also Rom. 3. 3-8 Gal. 5. 13. But now to rhe end we may not think that what God swears to the truth of is in favour to our sins but in love to our Souls Therefore he not only swears Negatively I live saith the Lord God I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked But also Affirmatively But I have pleasure that the wicked turn from his way and live In which he plainly intimates to us his Abhorrency of Sin while he assures us of his love to Sinners and of his no-pleasure in their everlasting misery and perdition That none of us should wrest his Sayings to our own destruction as 2 Pet. 3. 16. But to this we may have further occasion to speak somewhat in what follows and therefore shall here add no more to it 2. In that this is also contained in what the Lord God swears to to wit That the wicked turn from his way and live Herein is also intimated to us That the wicked may turâ— while it is called to Day from his wicked ways and live He may turn there-from possibly and successfully This is also implied and supposed in this Oath For we cannot reasonably believe that this most Excellent One would so solemnly swear that he hath pleasure in that which is utterly impossible for his Creatures to do or which he doth not render or make possible unto them as we may afterwards further shew But that such may turn appears 1. In that he hath opened a Door of Repentance for poor sinful wicked Ones in and by the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord. We were indeed Gods banished Ones 2 Sam. 14. 14. And no man could by any means redeem his Brother nor give to God a Ransom for him Psal 49. 7. But God hath prepared himself a Lamb for a Burnt-Offering and hath accepted a Sacrifice He that was in the form of God and thought it no robbery to be equal with God made himself of no reputation without controversie or confessedly Great is the mystery of godliness God was manifest in the flesh Gods own Son was made of a Woman and so became our Goâ— our Kinsman and Redeemer Thereby the Right of Redemption appertained to him Lev. 25 48 49. And He by the Charity of God tasted death for every man and rose again the third day according to the Scriptures and gave himself a Ransom or Price of Redemption for all men whereby he hath redeemed us from the Curse of the Law being made a Curse for us And hath opened away for our being brought back to God He hath broken the Gates of Brass and cut the Bars of Iron asunder Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness and for his wonderful works to the Children of Men. Psal 107. 15 16. Christ once suffered for sins the just for the unjust that he might bring us to God being put to death in the flesh but quickened by the Spirit 1 Pet. 3. 18. The Law opened no Door of Repentance but it clapt the Curse upon every one that did not perfectly and constantly keep and observe it As the Apostle saith As many as are of the works of the Law are under the Curse for it is written Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things written in the Book of the Law to do them Gal. 3. 10. But Christ hath opened a way and is the way by which any sinful One may come unto God John 14. 6. He is the Door by which any one may enter into the Fold because he died for All yea rather is risen again without which we had been necessarily left in our sins there had been no Repentance from them nor Forgiveness of them John 10. 9. 1 Cor. 15. 15-17 Heb. 9. 22. And in his Name there is preached Repentance unto all Nations even unto the greatest and most notorious Sinners while men are joyned to all the living And our Lord Jesus was sent and came not to call the Righteous but Sinners to Repentance And answerably did so even the greatest Sinners while he was upon the Earth Matth. 9. 11-13 Mark 1. 14 15 And sent forth his Apostles to preach not the Law but the Gospel that men might repent Matth. 10. 7. with Mark 6. 12. So when he was Raised again from the Dead he enlarged their Commission and commanded them to go into all the World and preach the Gospel to every Creature of all the Nations of Mankind and there-with to call to Repentance to repent and turn to God and do works meet for repentanee Mark 16. 15. with Luke 24. 46 47 48. Acts 26. 17 18-20-23 God now commandeth all men every where to repent Because he hath appointed a day in which he will judge the World in righteousness by that Man whom he hath ordained having given or exhibited faith unto all men in that he hath raised him from the dead Acts 17. 30 31. Rev. 14. 6 7. And upon this ground the Wicked and Ungodly are expresly called upon to turn from their Iniquities because Christ who was delivered for their Offences is raised again As it is said Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thought and let him return unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him Isa 55. 3 4-7 with Acts 13. 34. 2. It further appears also That the wicked may turn from their evil and wicked ways while it is to day not only because they are called to Repentance and commanded to Repent as is said But also because he who thus calls and commands them doth also enable them so to do especially where the Scriptures are vouchsafed and the Gospel is plainly preached to men The wisdom of God doth not only call unto such as have long loved simplicity delighted in scorning and hated knowledge and saith Turn ye at my reproof But to encourage and enable them so to do she adds Behold mind and consider this well I will pour out my spirit unto you to wit to strengthen them to what she requires of them she doth not call them to repentance simply but also stretcheth forth her hand to help their Infirmity and relieve their Impotency Prov. 1. 22 23 24. In saying That the wicked may turn from their wicked ways we do not suppose nor believe that they have any sufficiency of themselves so to do as of themselves or that they have naturally any freedom of will or power to turn themselves for in them there dwelleth no good thing but they are carnal and sold under sin Rom. 7. 14. But we are assured from the testimony of the Lord that he who sent his Son into the world to be the Saviour of the world hath also exalted him to his right
ere they believe me Num. 14. 11. So it may be extended more generally we are too ready and apt to doubt of or be unbelieving concerning what he speaks unto us and therefore because of our backwardness and unaptness to believe he confirms his Saying with his Oath Our Saviour saith to his Disciples Let your yea be yea and your nay nay for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil or is from or out of evil Not that he hereby condemns all swearing but instructs his Disciples that Oaths though in some Cases useful and needful are yet out of evil And so amongst other things mens unbelief or doubting of the truth of what is affirmed by a bare Word occasions an Oath for the Confirmation of it So warily understanding it we may say as with respect to Gods swearing it is at sometimes out of or from evil Matth. 5. 37. And so here particularly The House of Israel being convinced of their evil and Judgment being threatned against them therefore thus they spake saying If our transgressions and our sins be upon us and we pine away in them how then should we live Ezek. 33. 10. They were ready to despond and despair of Gods mercy towards them Now then God thus swears unto them because of their slowness of heart to believe him on his Word Thus also it is said An Oath of Confirmation is an end of all strife gain-saying or contradiction Heb. 6. 16. So here God because of their readiness to contradict and gain-say in their hearts at least swears by himself As also to the end they might not gain-say any more but firmly believe the truth of that so Affirmed and Confirmed he interposeth himself by an Oath Exod. 17. 15 16. And that he might lift up their hands which hang'd down and they might have strong Consolation in returning to him from their evil and wicked ways And as God interposed himself by an Oath to Abraham to the end that the Heirs of his Promise might by this Immutable thing also assuredly know and believe the truth of that so confirmed and might have strong consolation Heb. 6. 16-18 So here also God hath sworn by himself that he hath no pleasure in the death of the wicked That men might give glory to him in believing and have solid Consolation in this great Encouragement set before them to the truth whereof he hath as it were bound himself or his soul with the Bond of this most Indubitable Oath as Num. 30. 2-4 Acts 23. 12-14 3. We have in the next place to consider and speak unto the subject-matter thus Affirmed and Confirmed by this most excellent Person And by this undeniable Oath And that is laid down and propounded to us 1. Negatively I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked Now hereto we may speak in this Order to wit 1. By way of Explication or explaining the words 2. We shall give some further Evidences of the Truth hereof 3. We shall note some Instructions here-from 1. By way of Explication let us enquire into and consider these things 1. What Death is that here spoken of and intended 2. Who are the wicked in the Scripture account 3. What are we to understand by this Phrase no pleasure 4. What time is that in which he hath no Pleasure I have 1. What is the Death here spoken of and intended when he saith I have no Pleasure in the Death of the wicked c. Now in Answer thereto we may say The Scripture speaks onely of two Deaths in General As the Wages of Sin In one of which all lesser Deaths are contained and comprehended namely 1. There is that Death which is intimately called the first Death which was threatned unto the First Man Adam Male and Female in case they should eat of the forbidden Fruit As it is said Of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil thou shalt not eat of it for in the day that thou eatest thereof in dying thou shalt die Gen. 2. 17. And under the Sentence whereof Adam and all his Posterity fell upon his eating of that Tree whereof God commanded him he should not eat As the Apostle saith By one man sin entred into the world and death by sin and so death passed upon all men for that or in whom all have sinned Rom. 5. 12. By Man even by the first publick man came Death for in Adam all die 1 Cor. 15. 21 22. And this First Death had been an Eternal Death had not our Lord Jesus Christ by the Grace of God tasted it for every man and overcome and abolished it 2 Tim. 1. 9 10. And he will in due time destroy it 1 Cor. 15. 26. It is a strange unreasonable and dangerous mistake of some who say that Christ died not for this first Oflence or the necessary Branches thereof or that he tasted not this first Death for men For if so how then came he to be promised of God before he passed the Sentence upon our First Parents Gen. 3. 15-19 Or how shall men be Raised out of this First Death but by him who was delivered for our Offences and raised again for our Justification By Man came the Resurrection of the Dead for as in Adam all die even so in Christ shall all be made alive To wit Quickned and Raised out of the First Death 1 Cor. 15. 21 22. God hath given Christ authority to execute judgment And by his Voice to Bring forth all Men out of their Graves Because he is the Son of Man John 5. 27 28 29. 2. There is another and worse Death which is several times called expresly The second Death To wit as with respect to Men into which such will be cast for their own personal transgressions after they are raised out of the first Death and judged by Christ who remained in their Impenitency Unbelief and Disobedience till the Day of Grace and Patience was ended and died therein Mark 16. 16. 2 Thes 1. 8 9. This Death was not prepared for Men for or by reason of their sinning in the first Publick Man simply but for the Devil and his Angels But they must go into it and be hurt by it who personally and voluntarily listned to and were led by Satan and followed after him and did his Lusts and died the first Death in such transgression Mat. 25. 31-41-46 Of which second Death they shall not be hurt who overcome their spiritual enemies On such the second Death shall have no power Rev. 2. 11. and Chap. 20. 6. But whosoever shall not be found written in the book of life will be cast into the lake of fire which is the second death Rev. 20. 14 15. The fearful and unbelieving and the abominable and murderers and whoremongers and sorcerers and idolaters and all lyars shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone which is the second death Rev 21. 7 8. This second Death is called the wrath to come because it
eschewed evil Job 1. 1-8 and Chap. 2 3. And in affirming him to be a Perfect Man he denies him to be Wicked for perfect and wicked are contrary and opposed the One to the Other Job 9. 22. So certainly David was guilty of many evils and saith Mine iniquities are more than the hairs of my head And prays to the Lord not to remember against him the sins of his youth or his transgressions c. Psal 25. 7. and 32. 4. 5. and 40. 12. And yet else-where he saith I have kept the ways of the LORD and have not wickedly departed from my God Psal 18. 21. But as is usual in Scripture the wicked are such as are opposed to the righteous And who they are we may a little more particularly shew in what followeth That is to say 1. They are wicked men in Scripture account who hate the light which comes to discover and reprove their evil deeds and to save them there from and rebel against the light as Joh. 3. 19 20. with Job 24. 6-13-17 Such as say unto God Depart from us for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways What is the Almighty that we should serve him and what profit should we have if we pray unto him Job 21. 7-15 and 22. 15-17 They are such as are Servants of Corruption and led captive by Satan and who stop their Ears and harden their hearts from Gods fear they are like to the deaf Adder which stoppeth her ears which will not hearken to the voice of Charmers charm they never so wisely Psal 58. 3-5 They are such as hate instruction or to be reformed and cast Gods words behind their backs Psal 50. 16 17. who will not seek after God or the knowledge of him and whose ways are always grievous Psal 10 2-5 Such as contemn God and harden their faces against him and the fear of him Psal 10. 13. with Prov. 21. 29. And hate and persecute his People who desire to fear his Name Psal 10. 2 3. Mat. 4. 1-3 In short the whole World lieth in wickedness or in the wicked One even all such as are not taught and led of God 2 Thes 3. 3. with 1 Joh. 5. 19. And indeed the word here translated wicked signifies unquiet restless turbulent sinners such as are like the raging waves of the Sea foming out their own shame and know no quietness in their belly As it is said The wicked are like the troubled Sea when it cannot rest whose waters cast out mire and dirt There is no peace saith my God to the wicked Jude 13. and Job 20. 12-20 with Isa 57. 20 21. And there are such manner of persons not only without the Pale of the Church but even amongst Gods professed People there are too many Sinners and Hypocrites in Zion Isa 33. 14. As the Lord saith Among my people are found wicked men yea and such as over-pass the deeds of the wicked among the Heathen Jer. 5. 23-26-29 they may be wicked ones that come and go from the place of the holy Eccl. 8. 10. As here also appears in this Prophecy of Ezekiel in many places and in this Chapter a part whereof we are considering as is signified in what the Lord saith to the Prophet to wit Son of Man I have set thee a Watchman unto the house of Israel therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth and warn them from me When I say unto the wicked O wicked man thou shalt surely die if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way that wicked man shall die in his iniquity but his blood will I require at thine hand c. Ezek. 33. 7 8 9. 14 15 16-19 2. By the wicked also we may understand such persons as have once received the Grace of God to purpose and turned unto him from their sins and Idols to serve the living and true God And yet have afterwards treacherously departed from him as a Wife treacherously departeth from her Husband and played the Harlot with other Lovers after they have known God or rather been known of him These are also called wicked in Scripture and are so in an higher degree than such as have always abidden Servants of sin and so in the state and fellowship and ways of the World So it is said of some who are called wicked They have left off to be wise and to do good Psal 36. 1-3 Thus the Lord saith Thine own wickedness shall correct thee and thy back-slidings shall reprove thee Know therefore and see that it is an evil and bitter thing that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God and that my fear is not in thee saith the Lord God of Hosts Yet I had planted thee a noble Vine wholly a right seed how then art thou turned into the degenerate Plant of a strange Vine unto me Jer. 2. 2 3-13-19-21 Hos 9. 15. So that incestuous Believer that turned to unheard of Fornication in having his Fathers Wife is called that wicked person 1 Cor. 5. 1-5-11-13 To which I shall not further enlarge Now concerning such wicked Ones in both the fore-named Considerations he here saith and sweareth He hath no pleasure in the death of them And it is observable that it is not here said He hath no pleasure in the Death of you wicked Ones or of some wicked Ones or of such wicked Ones as are Elect or belong to the Election of Grace For indeed there are no wicked ones of the Elect while they abide wicked but the Elect of God are holy and beloved Col. 3. 12. And such as unto whom there is no condemnation from God as there is unto all wicked Ones Rom. 8. 33 34. with verse 1. Prov. 17. 15. And it is therefore a very erroneous and dangerous mistake to suppose that any wicked while they are such are elected of God to Salvation But here the Lord swears he hath no pleasure in the death of the wicked indefinitely considered And as is usually said Indefinite Expressions are equivalent to general or universal ones and so he hath no pleasure in the Death of any wicked ones And though the Lord commands and charges the Prophet to speak these words unto the house of Israel yet not onely of the house of Israel for then of what use would they be unto the sinners of the Gentiles When the Apostle Paul writes to Timothy That God will have all men to be saved Though that be written to one man yet it is matter of concernment unto all and written for the good of all in their respective Ages and Generations 1 Tim. 2. 4-7 When Peter saith to the dispersed Believers The Lord is willing that all should come to repentance He intends not these words concerning them onely but more largely and extensively without all peradventure 2 Pet. 3. 9. And the like may be said here Though the Lord commanded the Prophet to say these words unto the house of Israel yet they are written for the sake of others also