Which puts me in mind of a saying among the Jewes The doore that is not opened to the poore shall be opened to the Physicians Vnfruitfullnesse God punisheth men for it 1 With leaving them to the wide world What could I have done more to my vinyard that I have not done in it wherefore when I looked that it should bring forth grapes brought it forth wild grapes and now goe to I will tell you what I will doe to my vinyard I will take away the hedge thereof and it shall be eaten up and break downe the wall thereof and it shall be trodden downe Isa 5. 4 5. 2 Taking away the means of making them fruitfull It shall not be pruned nor digged but there shall come up briars and thornes I will also command the cloudes that they raine no raine upon it ib. v. 6. 3 Taking away the power and meanes of being fruitfull gifts and talents Take therefore the talent from him and give it unto him that hath ten talents Mat. 25. 28. So that for unfruitfullnesse the sinne they have unfruitfullnesse the punishment When he saw a fig-tree in the way he came to it and found nothing thereon but leaves only and said unto it let no fruit grow on thee hence forward for ever and presently the figtree withered away Mat. 21 19. 4 Cutting downe as trees that have left bearing It was John the Baptist's doctrine every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewen downe and cast into the fire Mat. 3. 10. And it was our Saviours too in in the same wordes chap. 7. 19. Luk 13. 7. He that had hid his talent in the ground had his doome to be cast into outer darknesse Mat. 25. 30. Vnthankfull sinning I meane sinning against more then ordinary mercy For otherwise all sinning hath Vnthankefulnes in it It hath been threatned 1 With God's anger although the party were one that God loved exceeding well Hezekiah rendred not againe according to the benefit done unto him for his heart was lifted up therefore there was wrath upon him and upon Judah and Jerusalem 2 Chr 32. 25. 2 God 's not pardoning them or forbearing to punish them How shall I pardon thee for this Thy children have forâ—aken me sworne by them that are no Gods When I had fed them to the full they then committed adultery and assembled themselves by troupes in the harlots houses Jer 5. 7. 3 God's punishing them severely You only have I knowne of all the families of the earth therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities Am. 3. 2. How tenderly does God take it to have hatred thus returned him for his good will even as a father does to be hated by his children whom he hath not onely begotten but bred up with a great deale of love and paines and care One may plainly see it in the manner of his expressions Of the rock that begat thee thou art unmindfull and hast forgotten God that formed thee And when the Lord saw it he abhorred them because of the provoking of his sons of his daughters Deu 32. 18 19. Because of the provoking of his sons and his daughters If they had been strangers their Provoking had not been so odious nor their Sins so provoking Deu 32. 18 19. Heare O heavens and give eare O earth for the Lord hath spoken I have nourished and brought up children and they have rebelled against me The Oxe knoweth his owner and the Asse his masters crib but Israel doth not know my people doth not consider Isa 1. 2 3. Heare O Heavens As if creatures onely naturall would be sensible of such an unnaturall thing viz for children to forget him that nourished and fed them In that place of Deuteron last quoted where we translate formed the Sept. translate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that nourished thee So in Hos 11. 3. in the Latine translation the words are I as Ephraim's nursing father bare them in my armes And indeed these expressions viz of nourishing and a nursing father doe aggravate ingratitude much more then making or begetting or being a father For many fathers doe hate their children and many cause them to be made away as soone as they are borne Being a father is not so much a matter of love At least there is no love in so being but only from unlesse it be by adoption so as God is a father in Jesus Christ For they to whom he is so may well say Behold what manner of love the father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of God 1 Joh 3. 1. He did not love us as fathers love their naturall children which is usually by force of nature so that they cannot help it But he bestowed his love upon us freely To have been indeed the sons of God had not been matter of love but being not the sons of God but the children if wrath yet to be called the sons of God here was love It may be seen likewise viz how tenderly God takes sinning against his love in another comparison which God often useth viz of a wife forsaking her husband Among other places I refer you especially to Ezek. 16. 32. For in that Chapt. the Prophet seems to have made it his businesse to set forth the greatnesse of the peoples ingratitude recounting first Gods mercies from vers 4. to 14. and after that their sins notwithstanding those mercies See the complaint concerning Ephraim Hos 7. 13. 15. and the threat pronounced against them vers 16 See also Ch. 11. 3. 4 Deniall of mercy under punishment which is a very sad thing When the Israelites cried ro the Lord for help being invaded by the Ammonites his answer was this Did not I deliver you from the Egyptians and from the Amorites from the children of Ammon and from the Philistines The Zidonians also and the Amalekites and the Maonites did oppresse you and yee cryed unto mee and I delivered you out of their hand Yet yee have forsaken mee and served other Gods wherefore I will deliver you no more Judg 10 11 12 13. It hath been punished and threatned 1 With many sorts of judgements Such as the Jewes at severall times met with before theiâ— captivity The Levites in their confession at the time of the fast after the peoples returne to Jerusalem relating the manner of God's dealing with their ancestors by mercies and punishments and their behaviour towards him still made the cause of their punishments to be their sinnes after the receit of mercies as you may see in Nehemiah c. 9. Not once nor twice nor twenty times in the Old Testament when there is either an exhortation to the Jewes to remember or a reproofe for forgetting the Lord their God their deliverance out of the land of Egypt is presently mentioned in these words Which brought them forth out of the land of Egypt See 2 King 17. 6 7. Deut. 13. 5 10. c. The mention of this mercy alone God knew
was wroth Isa 57 17. For the iniquity of his covetousnesse the iniquity of covetousnesse is much and commonly there is much iniquity also goes with it especially in men that exercize trades or are in places of power and trust I will stretch out mine hand upon the Inhabitants of the land saith the Lord for from the least of them even to the greatest of them every one is given to covetousnesse Jerem 6 13. In the eighth chapter vers 10. he shewes how he would punish their coveting to have more with the losse of what they had and their wronging others with being wronged themselves which is an usuall punishment of covetous men I will give their wives unto others their fields to them that shall inherit theÌ„ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that shall disinherit them may seem a better translation for so the Hebrew word is used sometimes with the accusative case of the person as Zachâ— 9 4. and elsewhere so that them shall relate to the men not to the fields unlesse you had rather say to their heires that is to the heires of those that marry their wives so the vulgar and the Chald Paraphrast 3. Exclusion out of the company of the Saints in this world or excommunication for so Paul would have them punished I have written unto you not to keep company If any man that is cal'd a brother be a fornicator or covetous c. With such a one no not to eat 1 Cor. 5 11. 4. Exclusion from their company in the world to come Nor theeves nor covetous men nor drunkards c. shall inherit the kingdome of God 1 Cor 6 10. The very rust of their mony which they have greedily gathered and niggardly kept if their owne consciences would not confesse their covetousnesse will come in judgment against them and testify it to their faces Your gold and silver is canker'd and the rust of them shall be a witnesse against you and shall eate your flesh as it were fire ye have heaped treasures together for the last dayes Jam 5 3. Covetousnesse must needes be severely punished if it be Idolatry as the Apostle sayes it is Col 3 5. Indeed it may well be counted so rather then other sins yet not so much because covetous men love their wealth more then God for so the gluttons love their belly and voluptuous men their pleasures and other sinners other things as because usually they put their hope and confidence in it which are acts to be exercised upon nothing but God and because they think their life consists in the abundance of things which they possesse for somuch our Saviour intimated in affirming the contrary when he charged the people so earnestly to beware of covetousnesse doubling the caveat Take heede and beware of covetousnesse for a mans life consisteth not in the abundance of things which he possesseth Luk. 12 15. doubtlesse those who are guilty of this sinne have cause to feare God's severe punishment for else our Saviour had never spoken in this manner I might produce many instances of severe punishments of other sinnes of which this sinne was the occasion as Samuel's sons 1 Sam. 8. Saul chap. 15. Nabal chap. 25. and Ananias and Sapphira Acts 5. But of these in their places Cruell men are threatned and punished 1 With hurting themselves The mercifull man doth good to his owne soule but he that is cruell troubleth his owne flesh Prov. 11 17. 2 A Curse or the prayers of godly men against them Jacob a little before he died thus cursed Simeon and Levi for being brethren not only in bloud but in blouds or bloudy-mindednesse and cruelty towards the Shechemites Cursed be their anger for it was fierce and their wrath for it was cruell I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel Gen. 49 7. for thus joyning in sinne division and scattering shall be their punishment 3 Like Cruelty from others Threescore and ten Kings having their thumbs and their great toes cut off gathered their meat under my table as I have done so God hath requited mee Thus Adonibezek himselfe a heathen confessed when the Israelites of the tribes of Judah and Simeon tooke him prisoner and cut off his thumbs toes Judg. 1 6 7. 4 Gods anger Heare me therefore and deliver the captives againe which yee have taken captive of your brethren for the fierce wrath of God is upon you thus spake Oded the Prophet to the Israelites for keeping the Jewes whom they had taken in warre in slavery 2 Chron. 28 11. and so vers 9. he tels them that in the battell also they had exercised such cruelty as called to heaven for vengeance Ye have slaine them in a rage that reacheth up to heaven 5 Certaine punishment without remedy though the cruelty be exercised upon wicked men Thus saith the Lord for three transgressions of Edom and for foure I will not turne away the punishment thereof because he did pursue his brother with the sword and did cast off all pity and his anger did teare perpetually and he kept his wrath for ever Amos 1 11. and thus the Moabites ch 2 1. Thus saith the Lord for three transgrâ—ssions of Moab and for foure I will not turne away the punishment thereof because they burnt the bones of the King of Edom in Lime Some say that that Son whom the King of Moab kill'd and offered for an offering upon the wall 2 Kings 3 27. was the King of Edoms Son whom he had taken prisoner when he endevourd to break thorough his army and apply this threat to him adding to this act of his cruelty here express'd that he burnt his bones into lime one more viz that he made use of this lime to plaister his palace withall 6 Severe punishment without mercy to cry him quits He shall have judgment without mercy that hath shewed no mercy James 2 13. Where it is added For mercy rejoyceth over judgment as mercy rejoyceth over judgmentâ— and love covereth a multitude of sinnes so judgment shall rejoyce over cruelty and where hatred is not one sin of a multitude but shall be discovered Cruelty even towards malefactors how odious it was among the Jews appears both by what they required in those that were to be Judges and by what they allowed to them it was required among other conditiâ—ions that those who were Judges should neither be Eunuchs nor such as had never any children because such were more likely to be cruel and it was allowed the malefactor even after he was sent to execution if he had any thing more to say then what he had said already to come back againe foure or five times Curiosity especially in Divine things Threatned The Lord said unto Moses Goe down charge the people lest they break thorow unto the Lord to gaze many of them perish Exod 19 21. Charge the people in Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 testify to
to coole themselves they tooke cold and died Others that the Starres caused winds and other Meteors in such extremity that they could not fight A Fourth way wherein the hand of God is more notoriously seene in punishing the Enemies of his Church is when he makes use of contemptible and unlikely meanes such as were 1 A sling and a stone wherewith little David slew great Goliah and put the Philistins to flight 1 Sam. 17 49. 2 Rams hornes at the sounding whereof the walls of Jericho fell downe Josh 6 20. 3 An Oxe-goad wherewith Judge Shāgar is said to have slain no lesse then six hundred Philistins and delivered Israel Judg. 3. 31. It is likely that Saul's army when they went against the Philistines c. 1 Sam. 14. had but little better weapons then such tooles for they had no Smiths of their owne and those Smiths which they went to of the Philistins doubtlesse durst not make them any other things then Axes and Mattocks and such other tooles as belonged to husbandry chap. 13 20. 4 One onely woman and with nothing but a hammer and a naile for therewith Jael the wife of Heber slew no lesse man then Sisera the King of Canaan's Generall Jud. 4 21. 5 A mean man of no quality such as Gideon who was of the poorest family in all the tribe of Manasseth and the least man in that family Judg. 6 15. and yet God sent him to save Israel from the hand of the Moabites vers 15. and also told him that he should smite the Midianites as one man vers 16. A FIFTH way wherein the hand of God more notoriously appeares in punishing the enemies of his Children is When he makes use of Angels in that manner as he did when he punished Sennacherib the King of Assyria for besieging Jerusalem in the time of Hezekiah For the Angell of the Lord went out and smote in the campe of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand and when they arose early in the morning behold they were all dead corps 2 Kings 19 35. It is not unlikely that use was made of Angels at other times also when it is said that God smote or the Lord saved and the Lord discomfited such or such a people for you may observe that for the most part it is so said when the number of men was so little that it could not be done unlesse God's hand did eminently shew it selfe either this or some other extraordinary way I will instance in one place especially viz Jud 4 15. where it is said that the LORD DISCOMFITED Sisera and all his Chariots and all his host with the edge of the sword before Barak now it is probable that in that fight God made use of Angels because Deborah in her Song of Thanksgiving for the victory sayes They fought from Heaven chap 5 20. As also because it is said vers 23. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which we translate They came not to the help of the Lord to the help of the Lord against the mighty but others translate it thus They came not to our help The Lord was our help even the Lord with or in his mighty ones meaning by Mighty ones Angels according as we translate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies the bread of strong or Mighty ones the Bread of Angels Ps 78 25. Paul cals them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Angels of his power or or as we render it his mighty Angels However I must confesse it is sometimes thus spoken when it is like the intention was only to denote the just judgment of God upon those that were smitten for their sins as in Judg 20 35. and elsewhere This is certaine that Persecuters of God's Children have just cause to feare the helpe which they have of Angels in regard that as contemptible as they make them they have allowed them Angels of their owne provided of purpose for them continually attending upon God in their behalfe and looking but for the word to execute vengeance upon any that shall wrong them I say unto you their Angels doe alwaies behold the Face of my Father which is in Heaven saies our Saviour Mat 18 10. And therefore was it that in the words immediately before he bade them take heed how they did but despise though it were but one of those little ones that believed in him See Hebr 1 14. Eccles 5 6. and likewise Acts 12 15. for there it is said that when Peter knocked at Mary's doore in the night the people of the house being cōfident it could not be Peter himselfe whom they knew to be in prison the day before said it is his Angel which they seem to have spoken in such a manner not using many wordes for they might have said it is an Angel sent from God about some businesse concerning him as if it were a thing then commonly believ'd and knowne by experience for God's Children to have Angels for their Guardians But to say more yet God's Children have not only each of them his Angel as Peter had but they have had I doubt not they may have againe if occasiō require Mahanaim an army of Angels such as Jacob had for his guard when Esau was coming to meet him in his way homewards from Haran Gen 32 2 And such as 't is likely Elisha had for his when an army of men was sent by the King of the Syrians to take him for when his Servant began to be afraid of the many horses and Chariots which he saw of the Syrians it is said that upon Elisha's prayer the Lord opened the eyes of the young man so it is God must open our eyes by faith before we can see the helpe which he hath laid for us upon Jesus Christ who is mighty to save and he saw and behold the mountaine was full of horses and Chariots of fire round about Elisha So that for horses and Chariots against him there are horses and Chariots for him even horses Chariots of fire 2 Kin. 6 17. Besides what I have here produced the Tendernes of God's love towards his Children the Bitternes of his hatred gainst those that persecute them may be further gathered out of the Scriptures by the Tendernesse Bitternesse of his expressions therein concerning them I will produce only two places One is in Matthew where mention is not made of persecuting them but only of offending them Whosoever shall offend one of these little ones an expression of most tender love which believe in me it were better that a milstone were hanged about his neck and that he were drowned in the middest of the Sea Mat. 18. 6. The other is in Isaiah where God calls the slaughter of their enemies a Sacrifice as he does also elswhere viz Jer 46 10. c. and he seems by his manner of expression to speak of it with abundance of delight and complacency The sword of the Lord is filled with bood it