of it I think is that to David which we have Psal 89. from the 20 to the 35. v. Vers 28. he tells him That he will keep his mercy with him for evermore and his covenant should stand fast with him but yet he reserveth himself a liberty to punish him and his seed for sins vers 30. If his children for sake my law and walk not in my judgments if they break my statutes and keep not my commandments then will I visit their transgressions with the rod and their iniquity with stripes nevertheless my loving-kindness I will not utterly take from him nor suffer my faithfulness to fail my Covenant will I not break nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips So that notwithstanding the Covenant of Grace for eternal life and pardon of sin and all grace in order to the obtaining of this life and notwithstanding the blood of Christ which was the blood of this Covenant God hath yet a liberty to visit the transgressions of his people even their past as well as renewing transgressions with rods and their iniquity with stripes yet he doth not break his Covenant nor alter any thing that is gone out of his lips 3. Nor is it reasonable that any should fancy that God by the establishment of the Covenant of Grace or by acceptance of the satisfaction of his Son as the blood of this Covenant to make an atonement and reconciliation for iniquity should have barred himself of his liberty to punish the sins of his people or that any who hath accepted this Covenant upon the exhibition of it in the Gospel should be excused from such chastisements if we consider 1. That some of these chastenings are made the matters of a promise Mark 10.30 Persecutions are reckoned amongst Christs rewards in this life Heb. 12.6 7 8. Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth and scourgeth every child whom he receiveth c. Thence the ancients were wont to call Martyrdom a Crown and Luther was wont to complain That God would not honour him to wear that Crown Saint Paul prayeth to be made conformable to the death of Christ if the Saints did not fight how could they triumph how should they conquer yea be more than conquerers 2. That afflictions are the path-way to death and death the door into eternal life Every affliction is a blow at the root of our tree preparing it for its fall and if we did not dye how should we live in Heaven We must all dye or be changed or our corruptible could never put on incorruption nor our mortal put on immortality It is reported of Zaleucus a lawgiver amongst the Indians that he should say If God had not appointed that all should dye it had been reasonable for men to have made a law in the case and we read of some Indians who being asked why they worshipped the Sun gave this reason Because it was the Author of death Give me leave to say That death is so necessary and afflictions are so wholesom for Christians that they deserve rather to be reckoned amongst those things which Christ hath purchased for them than such things as he hath purchased them a liberty from 1. All sorts of afflictions of this life are means of grace not so much means of begetting as reviving and increasing grace for as the fire softneth the wax and hardneth the clay so I have usually observed That afflictions make the wicked man worse but godly men better they revive repentance they are times when usually men call sin to remembrance they draw out the exercises of faith and both work and exercise patience Tribulation saith the Apostle worketh patience and patience experience and experience hope David before that he was afflicted went astray after he learned to keep Gods Statutes God while he punisheth his people for their sins doth not barely chasten them but he also teacheth them out of his Law 2. They secondly prepare the Saints for glory and this not only as they restrain sin and tend to perfect grace but as it pleaseth God of his grace to reward the sufferings of his people and the faith and patience of his people shewed in and under their sufferings with the greater glory Thus the Apostle saith 2 Cor. 4.17 That our light and momentany afflictions work for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory And thus much may serve to have cleared this Objection that I may hasten to the practical Application of this Observation This motion of Divine Providence in punishing with temporal punishments past and pardoned sins even in the best of Gods People appears exceeding reasonable 1. In regard of the Justice of God The Justice of God having taken a satisfaction in the blood of his Son and been paid a price for the sins of his people will not allow him to punish them with an eternal punishment yet it is reasonable they should not go altogether unpunished that the world may see that he is a God of purer eyes than to behold iniquity in any I remember what God said by the Prophet Jeremiah to the Jews Jer. 30.11 I will not make a full end of thee but I will correct thee in measure and will not leave thee altogether unpunished You have the same again Jer. 46.28 2. It is reasonable secondly in order to the eternal salvation of their souls 1 Cor. 11.32 When we are judged we are chastened of the Lord that we should not be condemned with the world It is P. Martyrs note upon that Text that the Apostle in that passage particularly respecteth such as fear God for the case is otherwise with wicked men whose punishment but begun in this life shall be perfected in the world that is to come But I have spoken enough to the Doctrinal part of this Observation Let me now come to some practical Observation shewing you what use we may and ought to make of it Vse 1. This in the first place serves to justifie God in those sore afflictions which we often see him bringing upon his own people When we look upon the holiness of a Job and see him a man fearing God and eschewing evil and see such a person under sharp tryals of affliction we are ready to startle at it and cannot understand Divine Justice in it But God is many ways to be justified 1. Who liveth and sinneth not enough against God to justifie the severest dispensations under which God exerciseth him 2. If he did not yet it is an ordinary thing and very righteous for God to write bitter things against his people for the sins of their youth though past and pardoned Now who hath so passed his youth that he hath not been guilty of sin enough to justifie God in his punishments yea and to make him acknowledg that he hath been punished seven times less than he hath deserved And if neither of these could be seen as a meritorious cause yet God hath a liberty by afflictions to try the faith
followeth in the fourth place the necessity of a law to be given unto man in his state of innocency For saith the Apostle where there is no law there is no transgression sin being the transgression of the law Now this Law with the promise annexed to it was the Covenant of Works on Gods part and the restipulation on mans part must be presumed or man had been a transgressor before the fall by a rebellion to the Divine Will and this formally maketh up the Covenant of Works God promising him life upon condition of his Obedience and man accepting the promise and agreeing to the terms or condition of life imposed on him Now God having given this Law and made this Covenant man by the violation of it became guilty a debtor to the Justice of God and so capable of a Redemption a Remission and Justification 5. I desire you to consider That the Covenant of Grace and promise by faith on Gods part could not possibly have been made good without the destruction of the first Covenant of Works and the promise of life made upon that this is that which the Apostle saith in my text That the promise by faith of Jesus might be given to them that believe I pray observe here are three things to be considered 1. The matter of the promise 2. The means by which the promise is to be obtained 3. The objects of it The promise intended is doubtless the promise of eternal life so often called in Scripture as being indeed the great and most valuable promise what is the means of obtaining it On Gods part it must be given out on mans part it must be received by faith for it is given to them that believe and it is therefore called the promise by faith in Jesus Christ Now the promise of life by works under the first Covenant was wholly inconsistent with this promise of being saved by faith in Christ Though the first Covenant comprehended a faith in God as being a piece of that internal homage which every soul oweth to God yet it could not comprehend a faith in Christ as our Mediator there being no need of a Saviour till we were in danger nor of a Mediator till we were become transgressors How therefore was it possible that the promise of faith in Christ to those who believe in him should be given out till first the Covenant of Works was both given out and also violated Though the law by the promise of saith in Christ was not destroyed so far forth as it was a directive and obligatory rule of life and conversation unto all yet so far as it was a Covenant of life it must be both given out and also destroyed that the promise of faith might be given out 6. In the last place I desire you to consider That as on Gods part the promise of life by faith in Christ was inconsistent with the promise of life upon the doing of the works of the law so on our part we should never have come to Christ that we might have life if we had not first been concluded under wrath And this will appear to every intelligent soul that will but consider That the going out of the soul unto Christ for life is a disclaimer of its own righteousness and a very great piece of self-denial to which the soul will never move naturally but must see it self constrained to it by necessity Isa 57.10 Thou hast found the life of thy hand therefore thou wert not grieved so long as a man seeth help in himself and thinks that he hath found life in his own hands so long he is not grieved not at all concerned as to his eternal state And this is the true reason why you see the greatest brokenness of heart and sense of sin yea and the greatest holiness of life too in those men that yet look to be saved by faith in Jesus Christ for our free-will men that maintain a power in man to believe and repent or to keep the Law of God perfectly they have said they have found life in their own hands and then I hope they have none but themselves to blame if they miss and come short of it if they do not repent and turn unto God to day they can do it to morrow It was necessary as on Gods part in order to his giving out of the promise of faith in Christ and exhibition of the Covenant of Grace to the world so also on our part in order to our acceptation and taking hold of any such Covenant and the application of our souls unto God upon the terms of that Covenant for the sure mercies of it that there should first be a Covenant of Works made with man and a law of works given unto him for had there been no such Covenant made no such Law given man could not have broken and violated it and if he had not violated and broken it he could not have been a transgressor he could not have been a lost sinner and consequentially had needed no Saviour nor would man have ever been perswaded to have gone out of himself and to have accepted of the righteousness of Christ for his righteousness had he not first been rendred in a forlorn desperate and hopeless condition without Application unto Christ Vse 1. For the practical Application of what you have heard now in this discourse This in the first place should mind us not to be hasty to deny nor too forward to stumble at some things in the dispensations of God which at first seem to us hard to be understood Who can find out God or search out the Almighty unto perfection I do not know any thing that looketh more inconsistently in appearance to us at our first view of it than this That God should from eternity six the salvation of man upon a Covenant of Grace and write it in his book That there should be salvation in no other than in Jesus Christ nor any other name given under heaven amongst men whereby they might be saved that he who believeth should be saved and he who believed not should be damned for all these things were decrees in the rolls of eternity or they could never have been Revelations of Gods Will in Scripture Heb. 10.5 6 7. and Psal 40.7 In the volume of Gods book it was written of Christ that he should come into the world and do the Will of God relating to the salvation of man I say that God should thus setle mans salvation in the order of its causes and upon the terms of free-grace the merit and satisfaction of Christ and Faith in him and yet when mankind was created God should treat him upon a Law of Works and make a Covenant with him for life and salvation upon condition of his perfect obedience both to the Law written at that time upon his heart and this positive precept of not eating of the tree of forbidden fruit yet there is nothing clearer in Scripture than that God
alive thou shalt live and that eternally if thou fittest still if thou goest on in thy sinful courses thou shalt certainly dye 4. Hast thou not as much encouragement to repent and to believe as ever any had Have not thousands and ten thousands of the Saints of God upon no other encouragement than thou hast broken off sinful courses and sought the Lord while he might be found and have they not succeeded and found rest for their souls Did God yet ever from the beginning of the world encourage any soul in its first motions by faith and repentance toward him by assuring them that their names were written in the Book of Life Or that Christ did dye for them in particular Is it not encouragement enough to thee to tell the thou hast as good a ground of hope and encouragement as the three thousand that were converted at St. Peters Sermon as any of those servants of God had of whose conversion thou readest in the Acts of the Apostles what art thou that thou shouldst look for more 5. Consider That there is no other way for thee to know that thou art elected and that Christ hath paid a price for thee but by thy turning unto God and believing in the Lord Jesus Christ The election of God is in it self sure and certain but it must be made sure and certain unto us by our repentance and faith Did ever any one hear of any soul reaking in its lusts and going on in its course of sin ascertained that God had chosen it unto life that Christ was the head and surety of a better Covenant for it or dyed for it first our calling then our election must be made sure and we must not think to pervert Gods order 6. What hast thou to do with Gods effectual Grace until thou hast improved his common Grace There is a common Grace which God denieth to no man by vertue of which men may read hear pray live a civil life and conversation leave gross and flagitious courses of sin why complainest thou of God for not giving thee his special distinguishing grace inabling thee to exert true spiritual acts while thou dost not use his common Grace and do what in thee lies to reform and amend thy ways and to turn unto God 7. Lastly Though no exercise of common grace can be meritorious of the special Grace of God yet I dare assure thee that God neither ever yet was nor ever will be wanting in his further grace unto those souls that have made a due improvement of his common grace and done what in them lay towards their own salvation Let us therefore leave our enquiring into the Counsels of God and disputing questions which are insignificant to our greatest concerns Let us leave quarrelling with his truths and our little foolish and vain indeavours to argue an inconsistency of his Counsels with his Actual Providence when we have done and said all we can it will be found that God is consistent to himself and that his ways are equal and the iniquity and crookedness is only in our own hearts and ways We cannot with our spoon comprehend it may be the Ocean the great Ocean of his Wisdom and Counsel Let us apply our selves to our own duty and do what he commandeth us for which as you have heard we have encouragement enough SERMON XXXVII Rom. V. 20. Where Sin abounded there Grace did much more abound I Am indeavouring to open to you the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the hard Chapters in the book of Divine Providence solving those Phaenomena's or appearing difficulties which Atheistical Wits have raised to make the holy God appear otherwise than he is his Counsels Truths and Works other than indeed they are I have already spoken to one relating to the making and establishing a Covenant of Works with Adam after the settlement of mans salvation upon the Covenant of Grace The other relating to the dispensation of Providence in the exhibition and publication of the Covenant of Grace I come now to some relating to the Actual Providence of God in the permission of sin and sinners so much sin and so many sinners in the world And for this discourse as an head to it I have chosen this text which in it containeth two great points The abounding of sin and the aboundings of grace The Apostle brings in these words in a magnifying of Christ whom he had compared with the first Adam The first Adam brought mankind under sin and guilt The second brought him under a state of Redemption and Salvation bringing life and immortality to light First the Apostle sheweth whence sin came then whence grace came Paraeus telleth us that the Apostle in this part of the Chapter openeth to us the use of the Law lest any one upon what he had before said should ask Wherefore the law was given he telleth us That the law entred that sin might abound for though the law of it self doth not cause sin yet by accident it doth for where there is no law there is no transgression and the corruption of mans nature enclineth him the more to what is forbidden him Nitimur in vetitum sed hic de actione peccati sermo est quae fit per manifestationem saith a learned Author upon my Text The law maketh sin to abound by way of manifestation as the glass maketh the spots in a man or womans face to abound that is discovereth them that are P. Martyr reckons five ways by which the Law contributeth to the aboundings of sin 1. By forbidding it 2. By increasing the guilt of it 3. By assigning the punishment of it 4. Multiplying it by the variety of the precepts in it 5. By accusing him and condemning him for it Well But why should the law enter that sin might abound hath God then any pleasure or delight in the aboundings of sin The text telleth you that Gods design was to advance grace that where sin abounded grace might much more abound But my design is not largely and strictly to handle my text but only to make use of it in pursuit of my further design to open to you the difficult things of Actual Providence which is by all confessed to have an influence upon mens sins that is to permit them and to govern them the first of these is what I have here to do with What the Providence of God doth or doth not in the permission of sin I have before shewed you and may by and by again speak shortly unto it The Question is Quest How it can consist with the holiness of a pure and mighty God having it in his power to restrain and hinder sin yet to permit it and so much of it in the world The difficulty of our apprehensions in this matter ariseth from these things 1. That God in his own nature is a most pure and holy being Who as he hath nothing in him that defileth so neither can he abide any iniquity This seemeth to have stumbled
blinded and hardned given up more to vile affections a reprobate mind a conscience as it were seared with an hot iron all that he hath to bless himself in and for is that all things continue with him as formerly he yet sees no alteration in his estate he feeleth nothing of the wrath of God Now this observation spoiles all the sweetness of this The Heathens observed that the Gods though they had laneos pedes yet they had ferreas manus though they had woolen feet and moved gently softly insensibly yet their hands were of iron when once they laid hold of wicked men they crushed them to pieces I am sure it is true of him who is the true and living God He is slow to conceive a wrath and beareth with great sinners a long time but when he enters into judgment with men that abuse his long-suffering and patience which should lead them to repentance he falleth upon them with a dreadful destruction O let all sinners that hear this fear and tremble There is no such dreadful vengeance as that which God taketh for abused patience Bless not your selves therefore in your present impunity Hosea 13.12 The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up his sin is hid saith the Prophet bound up as in a bundle There are some other Scriptures much to the same sense Deut. 32.33 34. Their wine is the poyson of Dragons and the cruel venome of Asps v. 34. Is not this laid up in store with me and sealed up amongst my treasures Job 14.17 My transgression is sealed up in a bag and thou sowest up my iniquity Lam. 1.14 The yoke of my transgressions is bound by his hand they are wreathed and come up upon my neck It is the great folly of sinners they will say with Agag the bitterness of death is past they sin and go on a long time in sin and God spareth them and they conclude all is forgot No saith God it is not the iniquity of Ephraim is not like a loose paper blown away it is bound up as papers in a bundle it is not forgot it is but hid with me I have their sins still in remembrance I held my peace said God by the Psalmist and thou thoughtest me such a one as thy self but I will reprove thee and set thy sins in order before thee Some think that the Metaphor in Hosea is taken from labourers that labour in husbandry who bind up in faggots wood that is to be kept some time before it be thrown on to the fire Ephraim thinks his iniquity is forgotten because sin is not presently punished but said God his sin that is say some but I see no need of it the punishment of his sin as indeed it often is taken in Scripture is but bound up and concealed a little Others think it a metaphor drawn from men who bind up mony in bags till the day of payment comes and thus it agrees with that Job 14.17 my transgression is sealed up in a bag Besides that the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies a purse or bag they are bound up they are not pardoned or forgotten thus the binding of sins Matth. 16.19 signifieth a remaining unpardoned Some think the metaphor both in Job and in Hosea is taken from Lawyers who carry their informations and enditements sealed up in a bag or bound up in a bundle that they may not be lost and scattered but be forth-coming when they will put them into Court This is a dreadful meditation for an impenitent sinner that all his sins are bound up in a bundle sealed up in a bag hid not from God nothing can be so hid but hid with God What loads of Faggots hath many a poor creature bound up for him against the great day of burning what a bundle of informations and inditements have some poor creatures bound up for them against the time that the Judge shall sit and God shall come forth to recompence men for their evil deeds Thou thinkest the vanity and wickedness of thy youth thy oaths and blasphemies thy lies and sabbath profanations thy drunkenness and uncleanness is done with No such matter poor creature if thou goest on in thy impenitency they are but sealed up in a bag they are but bound up in a bundle they are but treasured up to use the Apostles expression Rom. 2. against the day of wrath and the revelation of the righteous judgement of God which if it be not in this life as very often it is yet will certainly be in the life that is to come Remember Ahab he was a wicked Prince God bare with him a long time he shed much blood was a great persecutor set up a most odious idolatry God held his peace a great while and proceeded slowly Two and twenty years he ran his course God sealed up all in a bag but observe with what a dreadful vengeance God comes upon him at last It may be thou canst say oh but I have gone on longer twice two and twenty years it may be so but what saith the Scripture if a sinner do evil an hundred times and his days be prolonged yet it shall not be well with the wicked there are but so many faggots more bound up so many enditements more against thee in Gods bag sealed up oh let the sinners in the world be afraid let trembling surprize them all The slower vengeance cometh the more dreadfully it cometh That upon you may come saith our Saviour all the righteous blood that hath been shed from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zacharias There were great quantities of blood shed in Jerusalem betwixt the time of Abel and the blood of Zacharias Verily saith our Saviour all these things shall come upon this generation O let every impenitent sinner tremble at the hearing of this that there is coming upon his soul his body his family all the sin that he hath committed from the sin that clave to him in his Mothers womb where he was conceived in sin and brought forth in iniquity unto the sin of the last hour that he hath lived in the world It was a dreadful reckoning that God made up at last with Jerusalem for all their blood and it will be a dreadful reckoning Sirs God will have to make up with every sinners soul especially with old sinners Vse 2. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 5.11 we perswade men And O that my counsel might be acceptable to every hard-hearted resolved impenitent sinner that heareth me this day that he would break off his sins by true repentance and secure his soul by getting an interest in the Lord Jesus Christ Blessed is he saith the Psalmist Psal 32.1 Whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered and to whom the Lord imputeth no iniquity That man is accursed whose iniquity is hid with God laid by bound up sealed in a bag reserved and in close keeping for an after-reckoning O but that is a blessed
man whose sins are covered by God! O let no man despise the riches of Gods goodness forbearance and long-suffering but let him know that the goodness of God leadeth him to repentance Rom. 2.4 5. If he continueth in the hardness and impenitency of his heart he doth but treasure up wrath against the day of wrath and the revelation of the righteous judgement of God Wrath against thee for thy sins lyeth hid at present possibly thy Conscience keepeth silence and doth not arrest and disturb thee the providence of God as to thee keepeth silence judgement is not executed speedily but there will be a revelation of divine wrath either in this life or that which is to come oh therefore break off your sins by a true repentance He that hideth his sins shall not prosper Prov. 28.13 Our sins cannot be hidden from God they are all in the light of his Countenance a man then covereth and hideth his sins from God when he doth not confess and bewail them So long as a man covereth his sins God will not cover them See that experience of David which you have recorded Psal 32.2 3 4. When I kept silence my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day-long for day and night thy hand was heavy upon me my moisture was turned into the drought of summer Selah vers 3. I acknowledge my sin unto thee and mine iniquity have I not hid I said I will confess my transgression unto the Lord and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin Selah Vse 3. In the last place this observation calleth upon all such as fear the Lord and walk before him for a progress in the wayes of God and a patient waiting for the promise The Apostle tells us Heb. 10.36 That we have need of patience that after we have done the will of God we might receive the promise It is our duty as to do well so not to be weary of well doing it is pressed upon us Gal. 6.9 And let us not be weary in well-doing for in due season we shall reap if we faint not And again 2 Thess 3.13 but you brethren be not weary in well-doing There is nothing so far conduceth to make us faint and weary in our duty as when we see nothing comes of it we have hopes and promises but no issue no performance you know Solomon tells you hope deferred makes the heart sick Now this is a great cordial in such a case for us to hear that when providence moveth slowly in bringing rewards to the righteous it recompenceth our patience at last with the riches and liberality of the reward Indeed here are three or four arguments which together with this observation the Apostle hinteth me in the afore-mentioned Text out of the Epistle to the Galathians we shall reap we shall reap in due season Our fainting will spoil our reaping The longer it is before we reap the greater the crop of mercy and blessing shall be which we shall reap 1. We shall reap He that ploweth up the fallow-ground of his heart and soweth to the glory of God and to the good of his own soul in righteousness he shall reap The Husbandman that sowes his Wheat and Barly cannot promise himself that he shall reap the souldier the plunderer may reap what he hath sown a tempest an east-wind lightning many other things may hinder his reaping but he who sowes righteousness he shall reap nothing shall hinder his reaping 2. He shall reap in due season It may be he shall not reap in his season the season which he expected but he shall reap in due season in such a time as the wise God judgeth most seasonable and when he cometh to reap he shall also acknowledge the seasonableness of it that it is in due season we do not know the fittest time for our own mercies God knowes the fittest season we shall reap in due season 3. Consider that our reaping dependeth upon our not fainting we shall reap saith the Apostle if we faint not If any soul draweth back Gods soul will have no pleasure in him he who draweth back draweth back to his own perdition 4. and Lastly our reward will be so much the greater by how much it is slower the rewards of Gods people are ordinarily proportioned to their patient waiting The Apostle Rom. 2.6 having spoken of Christs coming to render to every man according to his work addeth v. 7. To them who by patient continuance in well-doing seek for glory and honour and immortality eternal life Yea and certainly degrees of glory will be proportioned to our patience those that have had least sensible rewards in this life if there be such a thing as degrees of glory may expect some of the highest seats and mansions of glory in that life which is to come But I shall add no more to this Observation SERMON XXX Psal CVII 43. Whoso is wise and will observe these things even they shall understand the loving-kindness of the Lord. I Go on yet in my observations concerning the Actual Providence of God and that more especially in dealing out distributive justice recompensing the righteous and the unrighteous I observed the last time that it is a thing very ordinary with Divine Providence to proceed slowly in these distributions But by how much slower the punishment of a sinner or the reward of a good man cometh from the Lord by so much the greater both the one and the other is I now proceed to another Observation Observat 17. That the Providence of God is very quick in the distribution both of punishments and rewards unto some I shall discourse it first with relation to punishments and then with reference to the rewards of Providence First As to punishments The Apostle Paul to Timothy 1 Tim. 5.24 hath this expression Some mens sins are open before-hand unto judgement and some mens they follow after likewise also the good works of some are manifest before-hand and they that are otherwise cannot be hid I know it is a Text of which Interpreters give various senses as they understand it of the judgment of God some of them others of the judgement of men and amongst those who understand it of the later some understand it of the judgment of the Magistrate others of the judgment of the Church some of both these some of the judgment of God and the Ecclesiastical judgment also I shall not pretend to give the just sense of it I shall only allude to it in my discourse As there are some sins that are open and manifest with respect to the filth and guilt of them they do not hide their sin but proclaim it as Sodom they go to the Devil with a trumpet before them all the world takes notice of them others sin more secretly and slily and in corners So God as to some sinners sits in judgement presently Some indeed he is more slow with they are kept to the great Assize or for many years but he is
never Gods purpose and intendment that any of them should fulfil it or that way obtain everlasting life Vse 3. In the last place my discourse upon this argument may let you see how uniformly the Providence of God in the conversion and bringing home to God of a particular sinner moveth to its motions and workings in order to the general publication of the Covenant of Grace and the way of salvation through him unto the world The way of God in making known of Jesus Christ to a particular soul is ordinarily first by the law to humble the soul and to conclude it under wrath and then to open to it a door of hope and indeed this is but a reasonable working of Providence and exceedingly suitable to the principles of reason and humane nature What signifies the news of a Redeemer unto him who either is no captive or is not sensible that he is the news of a Saviour to him that apprehendeth not himself lost or to stand in need of any salvation God therefore ordinarily in the conversion of a sinner layeth the Law to him sheweth him what God hath required of him how much he is a debtor to God how much he lyes open to wrath and is subject to the curse this letteth him see what need he hath of salvation by a Redeemer and induceth him to be willing to go unto Christ for life Now this motion and working of Providence as to particular souls bears a just proportion to Gods first Revelation of Christ unto the world God first gave unto Adam a Law of Works and made a Covenant with him and then permitted him to violate this Law to break this Covenant and then discovers the Covenant of Grace and Redemption which to this time lay hidden with God although as to the paction of it it was eternal And hence also appears an easie answer to that question whether men and women unregenerated be under the Covenant of Works or under the Covenant of Grace that all men since the fall of Adam are not under the dispensation of the Covenant of Works but under the dispensation of the Covenant of Grace is out of doubt for the Covenant of Works expired with Adams fall But thus far they are under the Covenant of Works viz. That there is no salvation for them but by keeping the whole Law in thought word and deed which is a state sad and miserable enough it being that which no man in his lapsed estate is able to do Adam indeed might have done it none since the fall can do it and from hence followeth the impossibility of salvation for any soul that is out of the Lord Jesus Christ The law they cannot keep so as from the fulfilling of that to expect salvation and whereas as the Apostle telleth us what the law could not do because it was made weak through our flesh that God himself hath done sending his son in the likeness of sinful flesh and condemning sin in the flesh that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us they have no part nor portion in this matter no state nor interest in Christ but are without Christ and consequently during their present state incapable of any lively hope But this is enough to have spoken to this first difficulty and the inferences by way of Application to be made from it SERMON XXXVI Acts XVII 30. But now God commandeth all men every-where to Repent I Am endeavouring to expound to you some of the hard Chapters of Divine Providence These times justifying that to be true of the book of Providence which the Apostle Peter saith of St. Pauls Epistles 2 Pet. 3.16 There are in it some things hard to be understood which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest unto their own destruction It is truly said of Tertullian Deus omnium conditor nihil non ratione providet disposuit ordinavit nihil non tractari intelligique voluit that God the maker of all things hath rationally disposed and ordered all things and would have us to understand all his works It is most certain that all the Lords ways are equal and it is a noble employ to study the equality and reasonableness of them it may be sometimes we shall wade beyond our stature and be forced to cry out O the depth but I think that grave Ancient said true that told us That the Counsels of God do so exceed our capacity that in some particulars they yet wonderfully accommodate themselves to our intellectuals and men might understand more of the reasonableness of the motions of Divine Providence if they would bring to their observation not so much discutiendi acumen as discendi pietatem acuteness of wit to quarrel as an humble desire to learn of God and to understand his will We are prone for the directing of our conceptions of God to make to our selves images graven with the tools of philosophy and humane reason and then to bow to them Whereas could we be content to regulate our Philosophy so far as it relateth to God by the rules of his word and not to think to crook the word of God to our Philosophy many rough ways would be made plain and matters of question quickly rendred out of question I am speaking to such 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of difficulty as arise to considerate souls from the consideration of the motions of Providence relating both to the Covenant of works and that of Grace I spake to one in my last exercise I now proceed to a second which I shall state thus Quest Supposing the Covenant of Redemption and Grace made betwixt the eternal Father and the Lord Jesus Christ not to have been general for all men nor incertain for persons that should be so and so qualified and that the blood of this Covenant was intentionally shed in proportion to the nature of the Covenant How it could consist with the truth of God to offer salvation to all in the ministry of his word upon the Gospel-terms of faith and repentance or to what end it should be done Here are two or three things here supposed which by a great many will not be granted 1. We suppose here first A Covenant made from eternity betwixt God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ relating to the salvation of the children of men This I know some will not understand but the Scripture speaketh plainly Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made he saith not to seeds as many but as of one and to thy seed which was Christ Gal. 3.16 Isa 42.6 and I will give thee for a Covenant to the people hence Christ was called a surety of a better Covenant he was both the party Covenanting and the surety of the Covenant God the Father taking the word of his Son for the fulfilling of the matter of the Covenant both what was to be done by himself upon which account it was called a Covenant of Redemption and by us with respect to
the holy Prophet Hab. 1.13 Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil and canst not look on iniquity wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously 2. There is nothing in the world so contrary unto God as sin is nothing so repugnant to his nature nothing so prejudicial to his glory nothing that he hateth with so perfect an hatred 3. That it always was and is in the power of God to hinder sin God could have hindred Adams fall and all the sin which hath since that been committed in the world Now these things considered that yet God should not hinder sin but suffer men to walk in their own ways and to fulfil their unbridled lusts seems at first view of difficult apprehension It hath been so hard a Chapter to some that they have fancied two Gods the one to be the Principle of all the good the other of all the evil that is in the world they were not able to conceive how a pure and holy God could permit sin The Operations of Providence about sin I have heretofore more largely discoursed Amongst others I have instanced in these two 1. He doth permit and suffer it when he might hinder it 2. Providence doth co-operate as to the natural action though not as to the malice and sinfulness of the action It is most certain that in him every man lives and moves The blasphemer the lyer the profane curser and swearer could not speak if the Providence of God did not in the mean time uphold the natural faculties whose operations are necessary to such actions Now this is that which sometimes startles our deliberate thoughts if God indeed be so holy and pure a God as we have heard he is if he so hateth and abhorreth sinful actions and if he be so mighty and powerful a God why doth not God withdraw that Providence of his which upholdeth the sinner to the natural action while he seeth and knoweth which way the lust in the sinners heart will incline his action I conceive now my text gives some relief to our disquieted thoughts about this particular Why did God first suffer the law to enter That sin might abound that the offence might abound saith the Apostle v. 20. But why should sin abound why did the Providence of God suffer sin to abound That grace might much more abound For saith the text where sin abounded grace did much more abound That as sin hath reigned unto death even so grace might reign through righteousness unto eternal life through Jesus Christ The Apostle is here doubtless speaking with a great respect to the first mans sin of which he had been speaking in the former verses Death passed over all men for that all have sinned and v. 15. Through the offence of one many be dead and so in the following verses you read of one mans sin one mans offence one mans disobedience c. But yet he is not speaking only of Adams sin for he tells you Many were made sinners and all have sinned and he is also speaking of sin as consequent to the law given which I do not think is to be understood of the law given to Adam and the Covenant made with him but of the law given by Moses and in that latitude I shall discourse this subject shewing you that God in a great deal of wisdom did first suffer sin to enter into the world and still suffereth sin to abound in the world You may take that for the Proposition Prop. The holy and omnipotent God in an infinite wisdom of Providence suffereth sin and sinners to abound in the world though himself be of purer eyes than to behold iniquity he hates and abhorreth every sin nothing so grieveth and dishonoureth him yet I say in infinite wisdom his Providence doth permit it suffering men to fulfil the lusts of their own hearts and to walk in their own ways My business must be to give you some account of the Divine Wisdom in it and to make Gods ways of Providence in this thing to appear unto you equal It is a true saying of one of the School-men Plus est bonum vel numero vel quantitate quod Deus elicit per mala quam quod destruitur per mala Al. Al. There is one way or other either in number or in quantity more good which God fetcheth out of sin than is destroyed by sin We may be confident of this or God would never suffer it And indeed the Doctrinal part of my discourse will be nothing else than a justification of that maxim I shall therefore this day entertain you with a resolution of this riddle much like that of Sampson when he had killed the Lyon and eaten of the honey the Bees had made in the carcase Jud. 14.4 shewing you how out of the eater cometh meat and out of the strong cometh sweetness How out of sin which is the vilest thing in the world the most opposite and repugnant thing to the glory of God the glory of God is yet fetched and that in a proportion to compensate the loss and prejudice to his glory from the sin of the sinner It is certain which Augustine long since said and gave as a reason of Gods permission of sin Deus judicavit melius de malis benefacere quam mala esse non permittere God judged it better to bring good out of sin than not permit sin to be committed 1. In the first place let me shew you how many Attributes of God are glorified by his permission of sin and sinners in the world 1. In the first place it is I think well observed by an acute Author That God in this motion of Providence magnifieth his equity to our humane nature Equity indeed is but a piece of justice But when I come to speak to that Attribute I shall restrain my discourse to Gods Punitive and Vindicative Justice Our great master who hath commanded us to give unto our servants that which is just and equal will much more do it himself and it is said of God He shall judg the people with equity Psal 98.9 and he took it very ill when his people said That his ways were not equal The equity of God required that he should leave humane nature to its liberty man was created with a reasonable soul and the very nature of it had been destroyed if it had been left under a coaction and in this the condition of humane nature had been worse than that of sensitive creatures which freely use their natural faculties and exercise their natural motions It is a saying of Aquinas That it is not the work of Providence in its government of man to destroy its nature but to heal and save it God in suffering men to walk in their own ways doth but leave men to their natural liberty and thus magnify the Equity of God to humane nature But this is one of the least 2. God by the permission of sin and sinners and the aboundings of
sin in the world hath infinitely magnified his own goodness It is the saying of a very ingenious Author Satis usui sunt scelera si artem peritiam divinae beneficentiae provocant Sin is of use enough to God in the business of his glory if by it the act and skill of the Divine Goodness and Bounty be made appear to the world the goodness and mercy of God is that Attribute of his which above all others he hath made choice of to glorify himself in and by it is that in which he delighteth which is above all his works Now without the permission of sin yea of the aboundings of sin it had been impossible that Divine Goodness and Bounty should have been so commended to the world Let me open this a little 1. Christs coming and dying for sinners was the greatest act of love that was ever shewed to the children of men What greater love could the eternal Father shew than to give his Son out of his own bosom to be a sacrifice for sins God so loved the world saith John 3 Chap. 16. that he gave his only begotten son Moralists make a question about taking the true measures of the magis and minus of love whether the greatness of love be to be measured from the affliction intention and self-denial of the party loving or the benefit redounding to the person beloved but measure which way you will it was the greatest love on the Fathers side and the greatest that Christ could shew for greater love than this hath no man shewed John 15. and herein God commends his love towards us Rom. 5.8 Besides the inhabitation of the spirit was a benefit of Christs death an effect of his purchase And what greater love could be shewed on the part of the Holy Spirit which is the Spirit of Christ than for it to come down and to dwell in the heart of a poor creature for the person of a believer to be made the temple of the Holy Ghost the receptacle of the Spirit of Grace Now if there had been no sin no sinners in the world what room had there been for a Saviour what needed one to have turned away iniquity from Jacob to have been wounded for our iniquities bruised for our transgressions He dyed for our sins saith the Apostle How could the love of the eternal Father in sending his Son or the love of the Son in taking upon him our nature and dying for us or the love of the Holy Spirit in sanctifying us and renewing us and dwelling in us been manifested to the world If a strong man had not kept the house what need had there been of a stronger than he to have come and dispossessed him All the love of the Father Son and Holy Ghost magnified in the business of mans Redemption and the whole Oeconomy of a Gospel-salvation had been conceal'd and not known to the world 2. Again How could the love of God in the conversion of sinners in the pardon of their sins in their justification the sense they oft have of his love have been manifested to the world What need were there of any pardon if no sins were permitted where were the aboundings of grace in pardoning if there were no aboundings of sin What love of God could be seen in the conversion of sinners if no sinners were permitted in the world How should God magnify his grace by saying to any soul Be of good cheer thy sins are forgiven thee if he did not suffer sins to be committed Thus you see the greatness of Divine Goodness and Mercy could never have been declared to the world but for the motions of Providence in the permission of sins and sinners yea and of the aboundings of them 3. Did not the Actual Providence of God thus permit sin and much sin in the world How should the long-suffering and patience of God be magnified in the world This also is a piece of Gods Name and such a one by which he designeth to make himself glorious he stileth himself Exod. 34.6 Gracious merciful long-suffering slow to anger and Numb 14.18 The Lord is long-suffering and full of tender compassion Now sin and sinners are the objects about which the long-sufferance of God is exercised He endured with much long-suffering saith the Apostle Rom. 9.22 vessels of wrath fitted for destruction How often do we find this in our own experience when we hear wretches blaspheming God and daring Divine Justice how often are we ready to say and it is a good reflexion O what a patient God do we serve which of us would endure such affronts and defiances as God endureth every day The aboundings of sin in the world make the considerate part of the inhabitants of it admire and adore the long-suffering and patience of God 3. The wisdom of God is also wonderfully magnified by Gods permission of sin The Apostle calleth God the only wise God None so wise as God is and the wisdom of God is eminently magnified by his permission of sin One great business of wisdom is to make an Election of the best end but this is not that which I am here speaking to God hath fixed his end it is his own glory and as I have often told you he can aim at no other end than himself and his own glory But next to a good Election of an end wisdom is eminently seen in the choice and conduct of means in order to a proposed end but herein is the heighth of wisdom to be able to make use of the most unlikely means and make them to serve our purpose It is a point I have touched something largely upon in my former discourses upon this Argument and therefore I shall not here enlarge upon it To bring a not-being into a being to make a thing out of nothing argueth an infinite power though there be aliquid materiae something of a matter yet if there be nihilum subjecti no aptitude in the matter to produce an effect of that nature as when God took the rib of a man and made of it a woman this argued also an omnipotent infinite power But yet methinks for God to produce his glory out of the aboundings of sin argueth yet something more if not of power yet of wisdom to make the wrath of men to praise him and the lyes of men to glorify him O how doth this commend the infinite wisdom of an only wise God! Sin all sin is quite opposite and repugnant to the glory of God it speaks the great Wisdom of God to bring out his glory from it Thus God hath glory by accident from the permission and sufferance of sin in the world 4. But let me further shew how God is further glorified by reason of the aboundings of sin in the manifestation of his Justice his Punitive and Vindicative Justice Rom. 9.22 What if God willing to shew his wrath and to make his power known endured with much long-suffering vessels of wrath fitted
est Organon according to the subject it worketh in and by our own Spiritual actions we are prepared for the receptions of these Spiritual habits which are not the influxes of the first grace but of further grace and distributed to Souls which have their senses exercised to discern good and evil should God grant out equal measures of this grace unto all there could be no such thing as groweth in grace no such persons as Babes in grace the Kingdom of grace would be like that of glory in which there is no Infant of days nor old men of years and indeed this were enough to have spoken to this case if God did equally dispense out Spiritual strength to those who are of equal standing in the ways of God for though God will give Heaven at last which answereth the Penny in the Parable to him who comes into the Lords Vineyard at the Eleventh hour yet he doth not give equal degrees of peace and strength to those that come in to his Vineyard and work there but one hour with those who have wrought all the heat of the day Grace strengthens by exercise as habits are strengthened and confirmed by frequent acts But yet this is not enough to say in this case for all those that be of equal years and standing in the ways of God are not of an equal faith nor have an equal zeal fervency and intension of affections Nay often Christians of a much younger standing find more Spiritual strength to mortifie their corruptions and perform Spiritual duties than those who have been of many years standing in the ways of God 3. Thirdly Therefore God doubtless doth it many times to punish sin and guilt in his own People either in the neglect of ordinances and duty or some other moral miscarriages Sin doubly infeebleth a Christians Soul 1. As it Naturally deadneth the heart towards God and discourageth its exercises upon him 2. As it provoketh God to withdraw himself Sin is the aversion of the Soul from God and its Conversion and turning to the imbraces of the Creature hence it is impossible that the Soul that delighteth in sin should equally breath after and delight in God as that Soul that hateth sin and is more perfectly turned from it Sin quencheth the Holy fire in the Soul it also discourageth the Soul from its confidence in God and in its addresses to God it makes the conscience fly in a mans face and repeat to him the words of the Psalmist Psal 50. What hast thou to do to declare my Statutes or that thou shouldest take my Covenant in thy mouth seeing thou hatest instruction and castest my law behind thee Or in the Words of the Apostle What fellowship hath light with darkness God with Belial Righteousness with unrighteousness Sin enfeebleth the Soul in all its addresses to God and discourageth it in all it exercises And 2. It provoketh God your iniquities have separated betwixt God and you saith the Prophet and your sins have made him to hide his face from you It was said by a great Commander of Souldiers That he was never afraid to dye but when his conscience smote him for some guilt of sin when the conscience of a Christian reflecteth guilt upon him he is discouraged from exercising any faith and confidence in God and ashamed in the duty of prayer to go unto God There is no Christian but findeth this in his own experience that the conscience of sin doth wonderfully prejudice his Holy boldness in his approaches to the Throne of Grace How weak is thine heart saith the Lord God seeing thou doest all these things the work of an imperious whorish Woman Ezek. 16.30 It is indeed a weakness to sin and weakness to any Spiritual acting is the first fruit of sin in the Soul for what are the Souls exercises upon God but Holy Meditation Faith Hope Spiritual desires delight a fervency zeal or heat of the whole Soul in Gods service Now sin rendring the Soul guilty and defiled how is it possible it should delight in or desire communion with an Holy God exercise any strong Faith and Hope in that God who hath declared his wrath against sinners or care to draw near to God when it apprehendeth God looking upon it afar off with an angry countenance This is another thing which maketh this motion of Divine Providence reasonable that God by it may punish the failings errors and miscarriages of People 4. Fourthly It appeareth reasonable upon the Consideration of the great differences of Christians in their practise of Godliness The promises of strength are made to those that wait upon the Lord for it Psal 27.14 wait on the Lord be of good courage and he shall strengthen thine heart wait I say on the Lord. Isa 40.31 They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength they shall mount up with wings like the Eagles they shall run and not be weary and they shall walk and not faint Now it is true every Child of God waiteth upon the Lord but every one waiteth not alike nor walketh with God to the same degree Experience will tell every Christian that the more strictly and closely and constantly he walketh with God the stronger he groweth in all Duty Infused habits are advantaged by exercise as the fire that kindled the wood for sacrifices upon the Altar first came down from Heaven but then was to be kept alive by the care and labour of the Priests so habits of Spiritual Grace are indeed infused from God yea and must also be mantained by daily influences from God yet with a concurrence also of our own labour in waiting upon God and exercising our selves unto Godliness and the more a Christian doth so exercise himself the more strong he shall grow Job 17.9 The righteous shall hold on in his way and he that hath clean hands shall add strength or as our translation reads it grow stronger and stronger The more a man excelleth in acts of Righteousness the more he groweth in Spiritual strength ordinarily therefore men and women which have most communion with God and walk more closely with him have most strength to Spiritual Duties 5. Christians differences in Knowledge and Experiences of God is one great reason of their differences as to Spiritual strength 1. Their difference in Knowledge our external acts of Piety such as Prayer as to the true and excellent performance of them do depend upon our internal motions towards God as is our Faith our Love our Hope so will our fervency in Spirit in Prayer and the exercises of our Faith or hope or any other grace be for those inward habits are the principles from which our actions flow the powers which in action we exert and put forth Now these inward workings of our Souls do very much depend upon our knowledge It is true they are not the Natural and necessary fruits or consequents of knowledge Knowledge must be sanctified before it will produce any such effects many a
dishonour God and so cross him in the great end of his governing the World which is his glory Now it pleaseth God to influence some of the children of men to such actions as do truly and immediately tend to his glory ex intentione agentis from the intention will and design of the agents and also ex fine operis from the end and issue of the action such are acts of repentance faith and all manner of holiness The glory of God in these actions is first in the intention of the agent and also in the issue of the work Joshua exhorteth Achan to confess his sin and give glory to God The Apostle saith Rom. 4 That Abraham was strong in the faith giving glory to God And our Saviour tells his Disciples Joh. 15.8 Herein is my father glorified if you bring forth much fruit the fruit of Holiness Now so depraved is the heart of man that he neither could nor would do any of them if not influenced and over-powered by God Without me saith Christ you can do nothing God therefore as to actions of this nature doth influence the heart of man making him willing and able so that as to the event the actions are necessary but as to the manner of working they do them freely willingly and chearfully and this is another piece of Governing Providence by which he ruleth and governeth the motions and actions of men to his praise 7. A seventh act by which God governeth the motions and actions of rational creatures 1. His permission and overruling their oblique intentions and actions 1. He permitteth the doing of them 2. He overruleth and ordereth them when done to his own ends Concerning Gods permission of sin I may have hereafter a more proper and particular opportunity to speak His overruling and ordering of them when done to his own wise ends is what I shall speak to and but shortly in this place It is the great art and wisdom of a civil or military Governour amongst men to make use of the several humours and passions of those under his Command to make them serve the great ends which he hath proposed to himself in his Government The great and infinite power and wisdom of God in the Government of the world is in this wonderfully perspicuous making use of the several lusts passions and humours of men to his own praise and glory for God governeth man so as he putteth no force upon his will If he doth any thing that is good acceptable and well-pleasing unto God he doth it willingly and freely The power of God indeed is seen in making some souls willing he giveth to will saith the Apostle not in overruling him to do the action whether he will or no Man acting thus freely many men do that which is evil from the sinful inclination of their own hearts not corrected by the power of Divine Grace God permits mens sins Act. 14.16 Who in times past suffered all Nations to walk in their own ways but the actions being done his power is seen in overruling the oblique action beyond or quite contrary unto the intention of the agent to the glory of his holy and great name this is that which the Psalmist saith Psal 56.10 Surely the wrath of man shall praise him and the remainder of wrath he shall restrain You have an eminent Text to prove this Isa 10.5 6 7 O Assyria the rod of mine anger and the staff in their hand is mine indignation I will send him against an hypocritical nation and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge to take the spoil and to take the prey and to tread them down like mire in the streets Howbeit he meaneth not so neither doth his heart think so but it is in his heart to destroy and to cut off nations not a few The business was this Israel that is the ten tribes had grievously provoked God God was determined to punish them they were an hypocritical Nation There must be an instrument to bring divine wrath upon them Assyria shall be the instrument therefore called the rod of Gods anger and the staff of his indignation Possibly the inward cause moving the Assyrian was his own lust the enlargement of his Territories some revenge of himself the robbing of their treasures he meant not so his heart never did think so meerly to serve God in the execution of his wrath but herein was the governing and overruling Providence of God seen that he so ruled the lust ambition and revenge of the King of Assyria that he accomplished his pleasure upon mount Zion And indeed thus God doth as to all the sinful actions of men God will have his glory from them but it is by the overruling power of his Providence the sinner meaneth not so neither is it in his heart to think so The persecutor saith I will satisfie my lust or I will supply my self with moneys for the satisfaction of my lust that is his end in the mean time God by his Providence overruleth his malitious actions so as he chasteneth his people for their sins and ripeneth the sinner for destruction God in this doth with sinners as the wise Faulconer doth with the Hawk The Hawk is a bird of prey a ravenous bird that flyeth at the Pheasant or Partridg for it self to satisfie its rapacious quality but the Faulconer by his art tameth the Hawk and maketh use of its ravenous quality to serve his own table and this is a wonderful piece of Divine Providence in governing of the world Most of the motions and actions of men in it are diametrically opposite to Gods glorious end yet they are all made to serve the manifestation of Gods glory and to bring about his great designs in the world But this is enough to have spoken Doctrinally to this point of the Governing-Providence of God I cannot at this time compass all which I would speak of for the Application of this point Only let me mind you again from hence Vse 1 how great the God of Heaven must necessarily be and that not only in respect of the immensity of his Being as he filleth Heaven and Earth but in respect of his activity and power he is called the King of Kings the ruler of Princes The Persians thought themselves great Princes that ruled one hundred and twenty seven Provinces The Turk glorieth in the greatness of his Empire so doth the Spaniard upon whose dominions they say the Sun never sitteth But alas what are all these to the Lords Kingdom who ruleth over all and that after another manner than any Earthly Prince who exerciseth a dominion over his Subjects and Vassals how justly therefore is greatness ascribed unto God and who is there that can be compared with him or like unto him The Unity of the Divine Being also may be concluded from hence for if he ruleth over all then all is subject unto him and there cannot be another God imagined but must be in subjection
sheddeth mans blood by man shall his blood be shed for in the image of God made he him Afterwards it was one of his Ten Commandments given to his people on Mount Sinai Thou shalt do no murther And although in the case of casual homicide he appointed Cities of refuge to which the manslayer might fly and be free from the avenger of blood yet for the wilful murtherer Numb 35.31 he saith you shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murtherer which is guilty of death but he shall surely be put to death and verse 33. So shall you not pollute the land wherein you are for blood it defileth the land and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein but by the blood of him that shed it And accordingly the Providence of God hath generally ordered the government of the several parts of the world that unless it hath been in a very debauch't nation scarce any place hath been found where the Rulers have not been zealous even from the light of nature against wilful murtherers and the Providence of God is in nothing more eminently seen than in the discovery of such transgression and bringing them to justice It is a common observation therefore I shall need the less to insist upon the Justification of it Sometimes God makes use of the fear and passion and shy-looks of the guilty conscience of the murtherer to discover himself sometimes the birds of the air shall pursue him as I remember I have somewhere read of a famous story of murtherers pursued by Crows and Ravens sometimes a Dog shall do it sometimes a Spirit shall do it in short the stories are very many and strange of the Providence of God in discovering of murther Murthers make great gaps and disorders in humane societies 4. Adultery is another sin which maketh great confusion in humane society though not like those beforementioned but in a more secret way yet great disorder it begets By Gods old Law the adulterer was to be put to death it was an extraordinary act and one of those we call heroick acts not to be defended but by an immediate impetus by a command from God that of Phinehas I mean taking a javelin and at once running through Zimri and Cosbi God justified it and promised Phinehas a reward for it The vengeance of God upon those that have given up themselves to this sin is eminent he hath prepared a dart to strike through their livers which he useth in no other case a peculiar defiling tormenting disease The persons that are guilty are often sent to hell in the act by the jealousie of Husbands and by the Laws of most Nations such manslayers are justified It is a sin indeed that doth not make that havock in humane society which some of those beforementioned do and therefore the Providence of God is not so remarkably seen in preventing it and discovering preparations to it but it is eminently seen in the punishment of it both as to punishments in this life and in his threatnings as to depriving them of a life to come 5. I will instance in one more and that is Rebellion and disobedience to the lawful commands of parents It is the fifth of of the Ten Commandments Honour thy father and thy mother that thy days may be long in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee Upon which account the Apostle calleth it the first commandment with promise Indeed this sin is the root of most disorder that is in political society The rebellious child seldom proveth a dutiful wife or good husband nor good servant nor good subject unless grace first maketh a change in their hearts and bringeth them from under the government of their passions the Providence of God is therefore eminently to be seen in the punishment of such children By the Law of God the Son that obeyed not his father was to be stoned to death Read Deut. 21.18 19 20. He that curseth his father or mother shall dye the death Exod. 21.17 Levit. 20.9 Mal. 15.4 Mar. 7.20 And if you observe the Providence of God it strangely pursueth rebellious children with vengeance they seldom prosper 6. I will instance but in one sin more That is persecution or eminent disturbance of others for their conscience towards God This is a sin which doth not only disturb humane society but the best of humane societies the society of the Church it disturbeth humane society ingageth husband against wife and children against parents and brother against brother it spoileth that commerce and traffique by which political societies are maintained and upheld As to that it cannot be without a great connexion and twisting of mens interests of divers perswasions one with another so as the interrupting the free course of one is the interruption of another and while persons are rifled in their houses haled to prisons there must needs be an interruption in their commerce But this sin hath this further aggravation That it makes disturbance in the best societies the Assemblies of Gods People for his worship are the best of humane societies God is in the midst of them more present with them than with any societies in the world besides them Those that rudely break in upon such Assemblies break in upon the great God of Heaven and Earth who hath said Wheresoever two or three are gathered together in my name I will be in the midst amongst them and may justly expect some such extraordinary judgment as the Sodomites met with when they would have broken open Lots house to have pull'd the Angels out but God doth not always work miraculously but seldom fails even in this life to set his mark upon this sort of sinners It is an observation that I have formerly made to you You shall in story read of persecutions which sometimes have lasted long very long but seldom of a persecutor that hath lasted long he is an odious abominable wretch whom vengeance will neither suffer to live nor often to dye after the ordinary death of men He that will but read over the story of the ten Primitive persecutions will see this abundantly confirmed or if any thinks those stories too old let him read what became of Gardiner and Bonner those two bloody wretches in Queen Maries days and of divers others that were their instruments and willingly followed their Commandments and possibly he may confirm himself in this Observation by later examples than those also But I have instanced in those sins which do most eminently disturb humane societies and spoken enough to the doctrinal part of this Observation I shall reduce all I shall say by way of Application to two heads 1. Shewing you what advantage this observation giveth me to call upon all men but especially those in higher orbs to praise the Lord. 2. To perswade all men to take heed as of all sin so especially of such sins as these are against which the wrath of God is so eminently revealed
devouring fires for number and greatness not to be parallel'd God make us to understand his Rod and how many ways he is as a moth unto England secretly and gradually and almost irreparably devouring and destroying us This maketh our days full of the cry of the poor God grant we be not also full of such as stop their ears at the cry of the poor either giving nothing or in no proportion to relieve them I wish we could consider and remember that Text and think what may be our portion and do as we would be done by and remember God often punisheth this uncharitableness in its kind Men of hard-hearts in prosperity ordinarily meet with hard-hearts in their adversity with what measure they mete to others it is meted unto them again The Apostle Gal. 6.1 perswadeth the restoring of a brother fallen in the spirit of meekness and useth this Topick Considering thy self lest thou also be tempted And to the Hebrews he speakes To remember them that are bound as bound with them and them which suffer adversity as being your selves in the body Heb. 13.2 There 's much in those words Lest thou also be tempted and those as being your selves in the body In cases of true charity Christians as they should consider other things so they should consider that they themselves are in the body they may lose their estates their health their limbs they are not in Heaven yet they are in the world and they are in the body they are not meerly spirits invulnerable impenetrable Men should think my house may be fired and all I have lost in an hour or two I may lose my eyes my limbs as this poor creature hath I am in the body So in those words there 's a great Emphasis Lest thou also be tempted Tempted sometimes signifies as much as afflicted though indeed in that Text it seems to signifie sollicited to sin and overcome God saith the Apostle for thy rigid dealing with thy brother over-born with a temptation to sin may suffer the Devil to give thee a foil would'st thou in such a case be roughly dealt with thy self With what measure men mete to others God measureth to them again Let me say to you take heed of omitting your duty in a charitable act lest thou also comest to be so afflicted as to need others charity and when thou art so God should repay thee in thy own kind so straiten mens hearts towards thee that from persons from whom thou mightest have expected pounds thou hast not so many pence think with thy self how such a thing would please you Let me here give you two rules which I think your Reasons will all concur with 1. It is a foolish thing for any person in circumstances of mortality so to govern himself in his conversation as if he were not subject to the common accidents of that state The Apostle saith of Elijah That he was a man subject to like passions with other men The Apostle speaks of humane weaknesses sinful infirmities and God considereth that and gives us allowances for it and therefore though Job had many ill fits of impatience when the hand of God was heavy upon him yet God saith Behold the patience of Job We are all of us also subject to the same sufferings and the Apostle from this Topick comforteth his Corinthians in those first and furious times of the Gospel 1 Cor. 10.13 There hath no temptation taken you but what is common to men Now I say there is nothing more foolish than for any of us in our conversation to govern our selves as if we were not so but out of the gun shot of the chastising Providence of God Our bodies are subject to death to sicknesses to old age and impotencies our estates are exposed to the fire to the thief to the merciless soldier to the oppressor Now for a man in his conversation to govern himself so as if he were never to dye as if he were never to be sick as if it were not possible that a fire should devour his pleasant things that he or his should not be brought to straits is no better than folly and madness 2. It is as foolish a thing for a man to promise himself that in case of such accidents others should be kinder to him than he hath been to others in the same circumstances We cannot so much as fancy such a thing without supposing them better-natured or more gracious either of which is at best a reproach to our selves And this is but reasonable for us to think although we consider not the influence of God in the case who hath told us That he who stoppeth his ear against the cry of the poor he also shall cry and not be heard and hath the hearts of all men in his hand and can easily shut them up in judgment against the cries of those who have sinfully stopped their ears against the cries of those who have cried to them in their distress Hence it follows that it is but reasonable for us in these cases thus to conclude I have now a fair estate but it is subject to decay a fire may consume it in a moment soldiers may devour it either in my or my childrens days I have now an healthy body sound and perfect limbs I may grow sickly lose my limbs my senses and be brought into the condition of a receiver who am now a giver Why should I think that any should consider me or mine in such circumstances more than I consider others Let me therefore do unto others as I would have others do unto me I have no reason to look that it should be meted to me again better measure then I measure unto others But I have dwelt too long upon this first shewing you how the Providence of God doth often retaliate hard heartedness by suffering the hearts of others to harden against men in straits who have stop't their ears against the cries of others to them in distress 2. But there are other kinds of uncharitableness which God doth ordinarily repay in their kind Those are acts bearing the highest opposition to charity tending to the utter ruin and destruction of their brethren such as murthers cruelties and barbarous and inhumane usage of others We shall find in the old Law that God in divers cases established a law of Retaliation If any mischief followed such a striking a woman with child as caused a miscarriage God ordained they should give eye for eye tooth for tooth hand for hand foot for foot burning for burning wound for wound stripe for stripe Exod. 21.23 24 25. and in the case of a false witness there was such a law Deut. 19.16 17 18 19 20 21. which you may read at your leisure It was Gods will that a witness who had testified falsly against any man if he were once found a false witness should suffer the very same thing that the other should have suffered So that throughout all the Jewish period the
Apostle tells us Rom. 11.11 12. They did not stumble that they might fall but through their fall salvation came unto the Gentiles for to provoke them to jealousie The Apostles upon their going out to preach to the Gentiles gives this account of it Forasmuch as you have judged your selves unworthy of eternal life that was by not receiving the Gospel we turn unto the Gentiles What shall I need say more there is no soul brought to Heaven but is an eminent instance of this If they had not sinned they would have no need of any pardon or justification from the guilt of sin no need of a Saviour or Mediator God suffereth the souls of his People to be concluded under the guilt of sin that he might have mercy upon them It is also an ordinary observation of Divines That God often suffereth people to fall into some gross and scandalous sins that he might take that advantage to awaken them to repentance and make use of their falls to a rising again to a new life and this is often seen in those that have lived civilly and might be prone to trust to their own Moral Righteousness But I shall inlarge no further in the Justification of so obvious an Observation It follows that I should shew you the reasonableness of this motion of Divine Providence 1. The truth is in the first place it is hard to conceive how otherwise some of Gods greatest works of Providence could have been produced What would the Revelation of a Covenant of Grace have signified to the world if the Covenant of Works had not first been violated by the first mans transgression How could else any man imagine that the salvation of the world should have been accomplished by the death of Christ if God had not made use of the wicked action of those who took him and by wicked hands crucified him The Apostle assureth us that in all they did against our Lord they did but execute what the counsel of the Lord had predetermined should be done If sin did not abound how should grace much more abound Rom. 5. In the pardon of sins the justification of a guilty soul the Scripture tells us That all are concluded under sin that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe What should we say to the great work of Providence in trying his Saints by afflictions and persecutions from the hands of violent men God maketh use of the sins of Persecutors to perfect his Saints by the exercises of their faith and patience it could not be without the sins of those who persecute others for righteousness sake 2. Again God by this getteth himself a great deal of glory I have spoke something to this under the seventh Observation but let me here add a little 1. He gets himself the glory of his power There is a fancy hath possessed the Philosophers of the world That metals of a baser nature may by art be turned into nobler metals brass c. into gold and they will tell you that some such thing hath been done and aboundance of time and money hath been spent by the vain and covetous Philosophers of the world to little purpose to find out this Philosophers stone as they call it but supposing such a thing possible yet there must be some similar quality to help or they will not pretend to any such thing no Philosopher ever yet pretended by all his Chymistry to fetch gold out of a dunghil But now in sin there is nothing of a similar quality to the glory of God there is nothing so opposite to the glory of God as the sins of men and women For God to fetch water out of a rock argued great power to raise up Abraham children from the stones of the field it must speak great power but yet not so much as for God to fetch his own glory out of peoples sins There is in sin an infinite opposition to the glory of God nothing so diametrically opposite to God's honour and glory as sin is Sampson put forth a riddle Out of the eater came forth meat and out of the strong came forth sweetness But what is this riddle to that which I am speaking of for the glory of God to come forth out of the dunghil the woful dunghil of the worst of mens actions for God to work out his own righteousness out of the vilest actions of men O it speaketh an infinite Power in God! it is a greater work to fetch light out of darkness I will saith God get me glory upon Pharaoh For God to get himself glory out of Pharaoh's hard heart was more than to get his people water out of an hard rock 2. God by it gets himself the glory of his infinite wisdom I told you in my former discourse that he is accounted the best Politician that can make the best use of all humours and serve his own designs even of his utter Enemies this is the top of a Politicians wisdom How great then must the Wisdom of God appear in this nothing hath such an enmity to God and his glory as sin hath Job speaketh it to the great glory and honour of God Job 5.13 He taketh the wise in their own craftiness and the counsels of the crafty are carried head long It speaketh the wisdom of a man that he can make use of the capacious quality of a bird or a beast to catch a prey for him thus the faulconer maketh use of the hawk the huntsman of the dog the fisher-man of a fowl to catch birds or beasts or fish for him This I say speaketh the wisdom of a man above other creatures O how it speaketh the admirable Wisdom of God that he can make use of the worst belchings of lusts in mens hearts the most vile and rebellious actions of men and out of them fetch his own glory 3. But in the last place God above all doth by this magnifie the riches and freeness of his grace This is that wherein the Lord delights to have glory he predestinated adopted us c. to the praise of the glory of his grace Eph. 1.6 If God had taken man out of a state of innocency into Heaven we should never have admired free-grace so much as now it marvellously affects the heart of a child of God to see God make use of his falls of his sin and corruption and manifold rebellions to make his free-grace exceeding glorious We should never so much admire free-grace and mercy if we were not so great transgressors This is it which maketh grace precious in our eyes when we cry out of the belly of hell and he heareth us Thus far I have shewed you that God maketh a very ordinary use and a very remarkable use of peoples sins But I also added that it was a spotless use and thus it must be if God maketh it For he that is of purer eyes than that he can behold iniquity must be of a purer will
our lusts our wrath our sins to praise him there must be something of the nature of honey in the herb or plant or the bee could get none out of it there must be something in the poysonous drug or plant that is consonant to the nature of man or all the art of the Chymist and Apothecary could never make it serve for mans cure or healing But there is nothing in the nature of sin but is quite opposite to the glory of God yet God makes sin to praise him O the heighth and depth of Divine Wisdom yea and of Divine Goodness too As there is nothing more opposite than sin to Gods glory so there is nothing more pernicious and destructive to us God makes our sins to serve us to excite habits of grace repentance faith fear watchfulness c. Vse 2. In the second place Learn from hence how impossible it is that a sinner by his rebellions against God should do any hurt but to his own soul And this is enough to convince the most malicious sinner of the exceeding vanity of sin If Julian will in his rage throw his dagger up against Heaven it shall not touch a star but return only upon his own head If the Princes of Babylon will heat a fornace seven times hotter than ordinary and open a Lyons den to destroy the Jewish servants of God the fornace shall only burn up and the Lyons devour themselves Indeed in regard of the sinsuness of the best of men and Gods design sometimes to melt and to try his people the rage of sinful men doth sometimes reach them but this is certain it never reacheth Heaven nor any of its counsels and designs unless by the cry of it for vengeance against the sinners God will have his glory from the vilest persons and their vilest actions and although Assyria meaneth not so yet he shall but accomplish Gods pleasure In 2 King 6. you read a story of the King of Syria his sending a party of Soldiers to take the Prophet ver 15. The Prophet ver 18 prayeth that they might be smitten with blindness they were so and then the Prophet leadeth them into Samaria into the midst of their Enemies God deals thus with outragious sinners Their design is to dishonour God and to do God as much despight as they can God smiteth them with blindness and instead of accomplishing of their ungodly designs he getteth glory upon them He disappointeth the devices of the crafty so as their hands cannot find their enterprize Job 5.12 Vse 3. Let me caution all that they take heed that they do not abuse this notion to give themselves a liberty to sin Do not think this a sufficient warrant for you to do any sinful action because God knoweth how to make your sins serviceable to his glory This was an old corrupt conclusion which the Apostle foresaw men would falsely draw from these premises Rom. 3.7 If the truth of God hath more abounded through my lye unto his glory why then am I judged as a sinner and not rather as we are slanderously reported and as some affirm that we say Let us do evil that good may come upon it So when the Apostle Rom. 5. had said That as sin had abounded so grace should much more abound some concluded that it was then best to continue in sin that grace might abound Whom the Apostle answereth as you will find Rom. 6.1 2 c. But that none may think that from hence he is licensed or incouraged to sin I beseech you to consider 1. That God doth not move or incite any to any sinful action nor command nor approve any such thing God in fetching of his own glory out of mens sins doth but if I may so speak with reverence unto God make the best of our bad markets In the Epistle of John to Gaius ver 11 saith he Beloved follow not that which is evil but that which is good he that doth good is of God but he that doth evil hath not seen God 1 Joh. 3.8 He that committeth sin is of the devil now for this purpose was the Son of God manifested that he might destroy the works of the devil Sin is called the work of the flesh the flesh that is the mother of sin and the Devil he is the father of sin the Devil ingendreth sin upon our flesh So much of sin as is in any man so much there is in him of the flesh so much of the Devil so much he is a servant to Satan and to the flesh 2. Consider it is no thanks to the sinner that God hath any glory from his sin he is not active in the glorifying of God his activity is all spent in the dishonour of God he is not voluntary in it Sin doth not of its own nature glorifie God there is nothing so contrary to the glory of God as our sin is The sinner doth not cannot intend the glory of God by his sinful act The sinner in this case is only a passive instrument of Gods glory God fetcheth out his glory forceth his glory from mens sins God is not at all behoâ—den to the sinner for any glory he getteth from his sinful act The glory which God hath from mens sins is as to the sinner meerly by accident and besides his intention as much as it was besides his intention to let out an imposthume and cure his Enemy who ran his sword into him with an intention to let out his life-blood 3. Consider that God needeth not our lye for his glory Every sin is a lye and God out of our lies fetcheth out his glory but he needeth them not and therefore it is madness to say I will sin that God may be glorified God can better bring forth his glory another way he would be much more glorified by thy keeping his Commandments and doing of his Will God indeed needeth not our duties and best actions but he much less needeth our lusts and corruptions 4. Consider That though God in the wisdom of his Providence makes use of mens sins to fetch out his glory from them yet he usually takes vengeance upon the sinner It is the practice of the Politicians of the world to make use of the treasons of others but seldom to reward the Traytors It cannot be said of God that he ever loves or approves of the treason of sin but he ever punisheth the Traytor without a true repentance 5. Lastly When God makes use of the sins of people for his own glory and for their good and salvation also as in the case of those which belong to his Election of grace it is never done without a great deal of grief and sorrow of heart to the sinner they are saved as through fire great sinnings must have great humiliation He indeed sometimes maketh use of his peoples sins to make them more humble more watchful but the sinner first suffereth a great deal of loss in the peace of his Spirit he goes
to heaven ordinarily with broken bones and a bleeding heart So that you see that Gods getting himself glory from his peoples sin gives no man a ground of presumption to go on in a course of sin against God Vse 4. In the last place Let this observation mind us in this case to be workers together with God Have we sinned and come short of the glory of God Let us do our indeavour to make our sins to turn to the furtherance of the glory of God Let us indeavour to make the best of our own bad markets What is done we cannot re-call let us indeavour if possible to make an advantage of our former miscarriages You will say How should that be Answ 1. Let the sense of your sins hasten your pace to the Lord Jesus Christ God hath a great deal of glory from our believing in him whom he hath sent The soul that accepteth of the Lord Jesus Christ as his Saviour giveth unto God the glory of his Power Wisdom Justice Goodness Truth it gives him the glory of the exceeding riches of his free-grace 2. Make use of your sins to increase your Confession your Repentance and Humiliation Confession giveth glory to God my Son saith Joshua Confess and give glory to God Let your former sins give you the further advantage for sorrowing after a godly sort that will bring forth carefulness indignation fear vehement desires zeal revenge as it did in the Church of Corinth 2 Cor. 7.11 3. Let the remembrance of them cause you to walk softly all the days of your life This is that which God requireth of all to walk humbly with their God The remembrance of your sins may be of notable use to you for this to keep down that pride which is naturally in all our hearts that swelling in an opinion of our selves of our own duties and performances that uncharitable judging and censuring and triumphing over others when we see them fallen in the day of temptations 4. Lastly Let the consideration of how many sins God hath forgiven you make you love much Thus the woman Luk. 7.37 47 made an improvement even of her former sins her much that was forgiven ingaged her to love that God much who had forgiven her so much This improvement St. Paul made 1 Cor. 15.9 10. I am saith he the least of all the Apostles and not meet to be called an Apostle because I persecuted the Church of God But by the grace of God I am that I am and his grace which was bestowed on me was not in vain but I laboured more abundantly than they all O this will be an excellent improvement even of your sins if your former unholiness shall now help to make you more holy your former unrighteousness shall help to make you more righteous for the time to come your reflexions upon how much you have done against God and his Saints shall now engage you to do more for God and the cause and people of God A good husband and house-wife will lose nothing but make some advantage of every rag every bit of wood c. I would have you be like them you have been formerly great sinners and done much to the dishonour of God your consciences can shew you a great dunghil of sin which you made in your state of vanity God hath changed your state changed your hearts let not that dunghil be lost look upon it often to help to raise up your hearts in the praises and admiration of Gods free-grace and the engaging your hearts more for God in your contrary duties for the time to come But so â—uch shall serve for this Observation also SERMON XXVI Psalm CVII 43. Whoso is wise and will observe these things even they shall understand the loving-kindness of the Lord. I Am still going on instructing you to that spiritual Wisdom which the Text telleth you may be gained by and is declared in the Observation of the motions of Actual Providence I am now proceeding to a Twelfth Observation of this nature which I shall give you thus Observ 12. The Providence of God in the distribution of the good things of this life doth in a great measure move circularly though mostly to the seeming advantage of ungodly men In my enlargments upon this notion I shall keep much to the same method which I observed in the former 1. Opening it unto you 2. Justifying the observation by instances 3. Shewing you the reasonableness of this motion of Divine Providence And lastly Making some suitable Application 1. My observation as you see concerneth the motions of Actual Providence as to its distribution of the portions of this life The Pagan Philosophers distributed all the good things they had any knowledg of into three sorts The good things of the body amongst which they reckoned long-life health strength beauty c. The good things of the mind the rich endowments of it such as knowledg invention judgment wit memory and moral vertue c. and the good things of fortune such as birth ingenuous education honours riches All these have a goodness in them which lyeth in their suitableness to the use of humane life or society The blind Heathen not seeing the fountain-head of these beautiful streams ascribed them to fortune But they are all in the hand of Providence that giveth to one a longer to another a shorter life to one greater to another lesser measures of health and strength c. to one more judgment wit c. than to another But I chiefly understand my Observation of the good things which the Heathen called Bona fortunae the good things of fortune such as honours riches c. These also are the Lords he it is saith Moses That gives us power to get wealth And the Holy Ghost by another pen-man telleth us That promotion cometh neither from the east nor from the west but God pulleth down one and setteth up another Promotion doth mostly depend upon the favour of the great men of the Earth and you shall observe the Scripture everywhere maketh God the Author of the favour and grace which persons have found in the eyes of the Princes of the world 2. Now I observe in the first place That the wheel of Providence in making this distribution doth for the most part move circularly My meaning is that good and evil of this nature hath as all humane things its turns and vicissitudes sometimes to good men sometimes to bad men The Heathen had some prospect of this though what we call Providence they ascribed to fortune to whom they gave a wheel to signifie the rotation of all these sublunary contentments in which you know the same spokes are not always up nor down but sometimes these spokes are uppermost by and by they are at the ground and those that but now were below are up in their place And this is most perspicuous in bodies of people which are made up of those two sorts of men that divide the world godly
men and heads of several idolatrie Jeroboam he brought in the worshipping of the true God by Calves set up at Dan and Bethel and Ahab who brought in the worshipping of Baal both of them very wicked men and God proceeded to execute vengeance slowly upon them but when it came it was a dreadful vengeance Of Jeroboams house none but a little Son came to the grave in peace For Ahab himself you know he was slain in a battel his queen was thrown headlong out of a window and her brains dashed out and the dogs licked her blood his second Son was slain by Jehu seventy more of his Sons were slain by the command of Jehu It were easie to give you infinite instances out of story but I leave it to your experimental observation Mark any person whom you see exemplarily wicked yet God is patient with him a long time and observe what havock God makes with him and his posterity when he beginneth to reckon with him And indeed it seems very reasonable if you consider 1. That by reason of Gods slowness to punish the sinner his sins are multiplied and aggravated to an exceeding great number and degree It was Solomons observation which we shall see verified in our daily experience Eccl. 8.11 Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil The iniquity of the Amorites had not been full if God had not been so patient with them This makes them as the Apostle speaks treasure up wrath against the day of wrath and the revelation of the righteous judgement of God Now the righteous God rendring to every man according to his work must proportion his judgements to peoples sinnings The more their sins are the greater shall his wrath be 2. The more patience is abused the more means of grace are lost the greater alwayes is divine vengeance Now where God proceedeth slowly to vengeance there he exerciseth most patience There patience is most abused there more space and time for repentance is lost there is most despising of the riches of divine goodness forbearance and long-suffering Et laesa patientia fit furor abused patience turns into fury It maketh a patient and long-suffering God cry out by his Prophet Ah! I will ease me of mine enemies and avenge me of my adversaries him that knoweth not how to give up Ephraim to set him as Admah and Zeboim two of the Cities whom he so dreadfully destroyed by fire and brimstone It maketh God who is a Lamb in his own nature to transform himself into a Lion a Leopard a Bare rob'd of her whelps O it is a dreadful thing to abuse much divine patience Now where the providence of God hath appeared slow in punishing sinners there must much patience have been shewn And it must have been abused too if a sinner continues hard-hearted and impenitent I have given space saith God to repent of her fornication and she repented not Rev. 2.21 22. Behold I will cast her into a Bed c. into great tribulation and I will kill her children with death Besides that God seldom exerciseth patience long with sinners but he gives them also other means of grace and they are abused and slighted Noah preached to the old world saith God My Spirit shall not alwaies strive with man and I need not tell you how dreadfully God threatneth Corazin Bethsaida and Capernaum for their abusing the means of grace they had had above other places The like might be proved concerning the providence of God in the distributions of rewards the slower the motion of Providence is in the giving them the greater ordinarily the rewards are It was a great while before Abraham had a Son but when he had him it proved to be one that was a great blessing both to his Fathers family and to the world Rebeccah went twenty years without Children Gen. 25.20 26. but then twins struggle in her womb and she brings forth two great Princes and one of them who was to be the head of the only people God had upon the earth Rachel was for some years barren Gen. 29.31 c. 30. v. 1. when God gave her a Child it was Joseph who proved such an eminent blessing to his Fathers house The Wife of Manoah was barren Jud. 13.2 she bringeth forth Samson Hannah 1 Sam. 1. was barren she bringeth forth Samuel Elizabeth was barren she brings forth John the Baptist Thus you see it as to the blessing of Children It was a long time before God brought the seed of Jacob his servant out of their difficulties but when he did he brought them into Canaan the Land which the Lord cared for upon which his eyes were from the beginning of the year unto the end thereof a land which flowed with Milk and Hony There was a great time betwixt Josephs dream and his exaltation in Egypt There were eight years betwixt Davids Vnction and Coronation in Hebron More instances might be given but it is no more than we shall ordinarily observe in the motions of divine providence the slower the mercy cometh the fuller it is and greater blessing when it cometh Gods people have ordinarily their greatest peace and comforts after their longest and greatest trials and afflictions The reasonableness of this motion of divine Providence appeareth in this that look as in punishing of sinners where Providence moveth slowly it usually hath a great heap of sins to reckon with men for so here it hath great faith and patience to reward in this case Tribulation worketh patience and patience experience saith the Apostle Rom. 5. where there is long tribulation there must be the exercise of much faith much patience much hope and this brings forth much experience Gods greatest rewards of joy and peace in the inward man of eternal life glory and happiness come after much waiting The Apostle telleth us Heb. 10.36 You have need of Patience that after you have done the will of God you might receive the promise The receiving of the promise then is after much patience in doing the will of God and Rom. 2.6 7. The Apostle tells us that God will render unto every man according to his deeds to them who by patient continuance in well-doing seek for glory and honour and immortality eternal life But I have been large enough in the confirmation of this observation I proceed to some application of it Vse 1. In the first place What can strike a greater trembling into the loins of sinners than this I shewed you before that the punishment of a resolved impenitent sinner is certain and constant As well may he promise himself that he shall not dye as that he shall not be turned into Hell and at last hear that dreadful sentence depart from me ye cursed into everlasting burnings it is constant though he is not sensible of it yet God is angry with him every day he every day groweth worse and worse more
of sin the hearts of sinners are set in them to do evil because judgement is not executed speedily I indeavoured to discourage and check this presumption in my former observation where I confirmed to you that by how much the more slowly vindicative justice proceedeth to the punishment of sin by so much severer the punishment is when it cometh This Observation addeth further to that check for as that which men call slackness is but the long suffering and patience of God not willing that any should perish but that all should be saved by a seasonable repentance So as you have now heard at large discoursed to you neither is God thus long-suffering and patient with all and although God generally be more quick with those sorts of sinners which I have specified to you yet I desire you to observe what I first enlarged upon that there is hardly any kind or sort of sinners but God at some time or other hath picked out some or other of them to make them examples of his severity Thou maist be struck dead while the lye is in thy mouth It was the case you know of Ananias and Saphira Thou maist be cut off in the very Act of Adultery It was the case you know of Zimri and Cosbi Tremble therefore and do not sin God may grant thee many years of patience he may give thee leave to treasure up wrath to thy self against the day of wrath but thou canst not promise thy self an hours patience But above all fear those sins which God usually is so quick in punishing Fear blaspheming God or the King we live in a blaspheming age wherein have been more bold darings of God than in former times God hath revenged his glory upon some of them they have been cut off in their youth before they have lived out half their dayes If another generation riseth up and approveth their sayings wait but a while and you will see vengeance overtaking them also Fear doing any thing against the life of others who by the law of God ought not to dye Blood-thirsty men shall not live out half their days you fee Gods vengeance against this sin is very quick 2. This Observation affords a great encouragement to the service of God especially to eminent actings and sufferings for God There is a reward for righteous men if they go without it to their dying day yet they shall be recompensed in the generation of the just Heaven will pay for all but God doth not always take so long a day to recompence them Many have a reward in this life and that which is to come The Scripture is full of promises even of the good things of this life to godliness in the general and to the several parts and acts of godliness These promises indeed are not made good to every child of God in specie but only in equivalent yea transcendent mercies But even these promises are made good to many and they may be thy portion however thou shalt not miss of the greater things Particularly this layeth an engagement upon all that fear God as God calleth them to it and giveth them advantage for it to signalize themselves by eminent actings or by some eminent sufferings such you have heard God ordinarily payeth presently and besides that eternal recompence which they have in glory they are in more outward and sensible things or in more inward influences of grace recompensed in this life Those that eminently honour God he will honour and many of them have a double mess sent them from the Lord. SERMON XXXI Psalm CVII 43. Whoso is wise and will observe these things even they shall understand the loving-kindness of the Lord. I Am proceeding yet in my Observations upon the motions of Divine Providence that which we call Actual Providence in its administration of distributive Justice both in the punishment of sinners and the rewarding of the righteous Divers Observations I have already made I am come to the Observat 18. Which you may please to take thus That the Providence of God doth very ordinarily with the punishments of this life chastise the past and pardoned sins of people In the handling of which I shall 1. Justifie the Observation 2. I shall shew you the reasonableness of this motion of Providence and reconcile it both to the justice and goodness of God 3. Lastly I shall make some practical application of it That it is so I shall prove by two famous instances the first of David the second Job David you know had fallen into two grievous sins Adultery with Bathsheba and the murther of her Husband Vriah God sendeth the Prophet Nathan 2 Sam. 12. to David to convince him of his sin who doth it by a Parable Davids heart melteth v. 13. and he saith unto Nathan I have sinned against the Lord. Nathan tells him the Lord hath also put away thy sin The sin you see was both past and pardoned but mark what follows v. 14. Howbeit because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme the Child also that is born unto thee shall surely dye He had told him before v. 10. That the sword should not depart from his house and v. 11. That he would take his wives before his face and give them to his neighbour and he should ly with them in the sight of the Sun All this was afterward justified by the Actual Providence of God The Child died 2 Sam. 12.18 Amnon defloureth his Sister Thamar and is slain by her Brother Absolon 2 Sam. 13.14 29. Absalom Davids own Son lieth with his Fathers Concubines in the sight of all Israel 2 Sam. 16.22 Absolom is slain in a rebellion against his Father c. Nay not only thus but God punisheth David with horrors and terrors in his mind with diseases in his body as you may gather from Psal 6. Psal 51. and the rest of those Psalms in which he expresseth his repentance David prayeth Psal 25.7 Remember not the sins of my youth nor my transgressions Job complaineth unto God Job 7.2 3. As a servant earnestly desireth the shadow and as an hireling looketh for the reward of his work so am I made to possess months of vanity I know the words are capable of another sense as vanity may be understood for affliction and misery or the frustration of his expectations but I should rather interpret it by the words of the same Job 13.26 27 28. For thou writest bitter things against me and makest me to possess the sins of my youth c. Moses and Aaron sinned against the Lord at the waters of Meribah I do not think that any of you doubt but that God pardoned their sin yet it is certain that God punished them and that for that sin God himself tells them so Deut. 32.50 51. That the Providence of God doth this is evident The second thing may seem to have more difficulty in it viz. How this is reconcileable either to
You shall observe it often repeated in Scripture Such a one did evil and walked in the steps of his Father in all the sins of his Fathers c. you shall constantly observe that it is set as a mark of dishonour upon those that did so and they perished in their transgressions God according to what he threatned the Jews Isa 65.7 punished upon them their iniquities and the iniquities of their fathers together We are very prone to walk in the steps of our Fathers especially if they have trodden awry and turned aside from the Commandments of God and usually in matters of Religion though we have nothing to say for the superstition and vanity of former generations yet we think it a sufficient plea that our fathers did thus or thus and indeed this was the old plea of the woman of Samaria Joh. 4. Our father 's worshipped in this mountain Thus the Heretick said in one of the Councils but was well answered Immo errantes ab errantibus yes erring children from erring parents The wickedness of a preceding generation especially in the matters of Divine Worship is so far from being a plea for us or excusing us that it doth but increase and aggravate guilt upon us The most righteous persons may without due and seasonable humiliation smart for the sins of their Fathers but if they go on in the same sins they have nothing to expect but that God should punish their sins and the sins of their Fathers together Vse 5. In the last place This observation layeth upon us all a new engagement to holiness and serviceableness to God in the stations in which the Lord hath set us As sin entaileth a curse so holiness and eminent service for God entaileth a blessing to our posterity Godliness hath not only the promise of this life and of that which is to come to our own persons but it hath promises of blessing to those that shall come after us God sheweth mercy to thousands of those who love him and keep his Commandments Jehu was no godly man yet his service he did for God procured him a reward to the fourth generation Abraham was a godly man David a perfect man a man according to Gods own heart Blessings for their sakes came upon their posterity to many generations But I shall add no more to this Observation SERMON XXXIII Psal CVII 43. Whoso is wise and will observe these things even they shall understand the loving-kindness of the Lord. I Proceed yet to offer you some further Observations concerning the motions of Actual Providence I have already made many Last of all some with reference to its distributions of rewards and punishments Let me now go on to a Observ 20. When God calleth any to any new work or relation he ordinarily giveth them a spirit suited to it Every work and relation requires some particular dispositions fitting the persons for it Now I say you shall observe in the motions of Actual Providence that it fitteth those persons for work whom God calleth to it you shall see it in several instances God called Moses to go in to Pharaoh to require him to let the children of Israel go and so to conduct the children of Israel out of Egypt Moses saith to God Exod. 3.11 Who am I that I should go unto Pharaoh and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt God saith vers 12. I will be with thee Again chap. 4.10 Moses excuseth himself that he was not eloquent but slow of speech and of a slow tongue see what God saith to him ver 11. Who hath made mans mouth or who maketh the dumb or deaf or seeing or blind Now therefore ver 12. go and I will be with thy mouth and teach thee what thou shalt say When God called Saul to be King over Israel the text 1 Sam. 10.9 saith That God gave him another heart When God called David to the Kingdom what a spirit of government did God give him What courage and valour that coming from keeping of sheep he durst adventure to encounter Goliah Concerning Solomon the case is plain 1 King 3.8 9. he begged of God a wise and understanding heart to judg his people The text telleth you that God gave it him Lo saith God ver 12. I have given thee a wise and understanding heart As to the Ministry the case is plain as to Jeremiah God ordained him to be a prophet to the nations Jer. 1.5 Jeremiah excused himself he was a child and could not speak vers 6. But the Lord said to him Say not I am a child for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak Be not afraid of their faces for I am with thee to deliver thee saith the Lord then the Lord put forth his hand and touched my mouth and the Lord said to me Behold I have put my words into thy mouth vers 7 8. The like you have concerning Ezekiel Ezek. 2. The like you find upon Christs sending out the seventy and the twelve It is true God doth this several ways and by several rites and ceremonies but God never yet call'd any to any new relation or new work but he gave them a spirit fit for it But let us a little understand what the meaning of that is Quest Wherein lyeth the sutableness of a persons spirit to his work or relation I answer It lyes in two things 1. An inclination or willingness to it 2. A fittedness or preparedness for it 1. An inclination or willingness to it Indeed Gods first call of a person to a work doth not always meet with a willing mind it did not in Moses in Jeremy in Saul but God always makes those willing whom he calls to any service Whom shall I send here am I send me saith the Prophet Isaiah God made Moses and Jeremy willing before he sent them The gravity and burthen of the work to which God calleth may discourage flesh and blood at first but God makes them willing before they take their Commission Hence that in Timothy He that desireth the office of a Bishop c. 2. But this is not all God never sendeth any to any work but he fitteth and prepareth them for it giving them a frame of spirit and abilities of mind capacitating them for the parts of their work or duties of that relation several callings require several gifts and endowments For the magistracy courage and wisdom is necessary for the ministry is necessary not only courage and wisdom but knowledg utterance c. a sound understanding in the holy Scriptures which he is to open to the people and apply to their consciences and so in inferiour relations even Bezaliel the son of Vri whom the Lord called by name to the building of the Tabernacle Exod. 35.31 Was filled with the spirit of God in wisdom and in understanding and in knowledg and in all manner of workmanship and to devise curious works to work
for destruction there is a great deal in that verse 1. The Apostle hinteth us in that text that we are Clay and God is our Potter it was what God had said of old by his Prophet Jeremiah chap. 18. vers 6. and Isaiah chap. 45. vers 9. and what the Apostle himself had said in the two verses immediately preceding upon this account it is that he here calls such as perish vessels of wrath Earthen-vessels with relation to the Potter before-mentioned 2. Being such Potters vessels God had undoubtedly a jus absolutum an absolute right and dominion over the Sons of men vers 21. Hath not the Potter power over the Clay of the same lump to make one a vessel of honour another a vessel of dishonour 3. He sheweth that God doth destinate some to dishonour not using his absolute right and prerogative meerly but for just and righteous causes and he instanceth in three things 1. Gods will to shew his wrath The wrath of God is nothing else but his just will to punish Violaters of his Law God is willing to shew his hatred of sin in the just punishment of it 2. Gods will to make his power known that is in breaking the stubbornness of sinners thus ver 17. it is said of Pharaoh For this same purpose have I raised thee up that I might shew my power in thee and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth and this God calleth a getting himself glory upon Pharaoh Exod. 14.17 18. 3. The third reason he gives is That they are fitted for destruction Divines start a question from these words How or from whom they are fitted for destruction Some say of God as their Potter others will have it to be from Satan others from themselves the different notions may be reconciled Paraeus telleth us there are three things to be considered in these vessels of wrath their nature their sin the end as to their nature they are not from themselves nor from Satan but from God he is the Maker of all As to their pravity and natural corruption that is not from God but from themselves and from the Devil the end is either preximate that is their own dishonour and destruction or remote and ultimate that is the shewing forth the Justice and Power of God Neither of these saith that learned Author is from themselves for they do not ordain themselves to destruction nor design the manifestation of the Lords Power and Justice Thus therefore saith he are the vessels of wrath fitted for destruction according to nature they are created and made by no other than by God as to their sin and corruption by which they are made children of wrath guilty of sin and subject unto wrath they are made so by Satan by their own spontaneous fall and that sin which followed it as to the ends they are from God and according to his eternal Counsel of predestination And this is the reason as is not only observed by Paraeus but by P. Martyr probably why the Apostle only saith fitted and not by whom fitted for destruction that fittedness referring partly to God partly to themselves as they are by sin fitted it is their own act Now when he speaks of the vessels of mercy he speaks in the active voice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 v. 23. Which he had before prepared unto glory So that it being the work of the sinner to fit himself for destruction by the multiplyings and aboundings of sin and God glorifying his Justice and Power in breaking and destroying sinners it is easie to understand how Gods suffering the aboundings of sin tendeth to the glorifying of his Power and Vindicative Justice And thus I have shewed how the various Attributes of God are glorified by his permission of sin But this is but one way by which God hath glory from the permission of sin 2. He hath glory from it from those exercises of grace which are occasioned by it from his own people and these are more internal or more external for such as are more internal repentance faith humility several other graces have either their Original motions from this Providence or are greatly advantaged in their exercise by it 1. For repentance that is considerable either in the inward affection or more external act As to the former if no sin were permitted how could there be any humiliation for sin any godly shame or sorrow any bleeding or brokenness of heart in the sense of sin Were no sin permitted there could be no repentance no godly sorrow for sin c. 2. God hath a great deal of glory by mens believing on the Lord Jesus Christ It is a great piece of the Will of God that men should believe on him whom God hath sent and God is glorified by our doing his Will It were a large Theme to discourse to you how variously God is glorified by mens receiving of the Lord Jesus Christ and believing in him But God had had none of this glory if there had been no permission of sin in the world what is it to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ but to accept of him as our Saviour to expect Salvation from free grace through the merits of Christ and to depend upon him for it Now should God permit no sin there would be no need of a Saviour no occasion for a redeemer no need of going out of our selves relinquishing all confidences in the flesh and in our selves Believing in Christ as our redeemer and Saviour supposeth sin making us lost undone Creatures to stand in need of such a Salvation 3. Again Humility is another habit of grace in the exercise of which God is glorified it is one of those things which God by his Prophet telleth us that he requires of man to walk humbly with his God nothing more contributes to this than a Child of Gods continual walking in a view of his own past and renewing Sins Thus far even the best of Gods people are beholden to their sins they make them walk more softly and to have more humble and mean opinions of themselves and to be more low in their own eyes neither exalting themselves against God nor censoriously and rashly judging their brethren and the more or less that any Christian looks at home and considereth himself and his own ways the more or less he walks humbly towards God and charitably towards his brethren 4. Finally in the 2 Cor. 7.11 You shall find a whole quire of graces all singing forth the praises of God and all occasioned by sin The Corinthians had offended in the business of the incestuous person the Apostle in his former Epistle had brought them to a sense of their sin and to a godly sorrow for it Now saith he this self-same thing that you sorrowed after a godly sort what carefulness it wrought in you Yea what clearing of your selves Yea what indignation what fear what vehement desire yea what zeal what revenge these now are all exercises of
grace which bring glory to God if God should not sometimes suffer his own people to fall all the revenue of his glory from these exercises would be lost 5. Again hath God any glory from any more external Acts of Worship and Homage which we perform unto him from our Prayers Praises from our hearing his word receiving the Sacrament Prayer is made up of Confession of Sin and Supplications for pardon of Sin and strength against Sin Confession of Sin gives glory to God my Son saith Joshuah to Achan confess and give glory to God Supplication for good things gives God glory as it owns him to be the Fountain of all good and our whole dependance to be upon him It is true had Sin never entred into the World our daily dependence upon God would have evinced Prayer to have been our daily and a natural homage which derived inferiour beings do owe unto the first being But there would have been no need of Prayer either for the pardon of Sin or for strength against Sin For Praise that also is a piece of Homage which Adam would have owed unto God if he had stood in his first integrity and state of Innocency and the Angels of God who never fell are continually occupied in singing the praises of God But the praises of God both by his Saints upon the Earth and by his glorified Saints are highly advantaged by the forgiveness of their Sins and their having their garments washed in the blood of the Lamb. Now if no sin were committed in the World none would be remitted and forgiven and all the glory which the God of Heaven hath from his Saints on Earth or in Heaven for the free forgiveness of their Sins would have been lost Certainly the fall of the evil Angels advantages the praises of the elect Angel it being doubtless a piece of their song to bless God who suffered not them to fall as the infernal Spirits did and indeed this needeth no further evidence than what it hath from every gracious Soul that hath tasted any thing of the love of God in pardoning mercies I appeal to any such Soul to what a pitch it raiseth his Soul in the thoughts of God and the admirings of his Divine love and grace Psal 103.1 2 3. Bless the Lord O my Soul saith David and all that is within me bless his holy name Bless the Lord O my Soul and forget not all his benefits who forgiveth all thine iniquities and healeth all thy diseases Thus I have shewed you a second way by which God gets himself glory from Sin the permission of Sin in the World 3. Holiness and Piety are advantaged by Sin Sin is a foil to holiness Pulchriora apparent bona ex malorum deformitate As the dark shadows are advantages to the Picture and the wanton thinks at least that her black Patches are advantages to her beauty so are the Sins and Debaucheries which God permitteth in the world advantages to holiness The beautiful and well-proportioned works of Nature are the more beautiful for the Monsters that it erreth in Sin is but monstrum morum a monster in mens manners I am perswaded that in the very times wherein we live God hath made use of the prodigious intemperance lust and luxury Atheisme and foolish superstitious vanities of some to make true Religion Godliness and Vertue appear more lovely unto thousands than before they did Lastly From what is said abundantly appears that it is not without infinite wisdom that the Lord though he be pleased to manifest the riches of grace upon some to change their hearts and to turn them from the wickedness of their ways plucking them as brands out of the fire yet suffers multitudes to walk in their own ways till they drop into that Pit from which there is no Redemption for ever We may all of us be assured that the wise God consulteth his own glory in this In the same Text Pro. 16.4 Where he tells us that he hath made the wicked for the day of evil he saith in the former part that he hath made all things for himself Though we be not able to see the particular reason of many dispensations of God yet we ought to presume they are not done without excellent Counsel admirable reason incomprehensible wisdom yea and infinite love toward those that shall be saved I shall close this discourse with an excellent saying of one of the Ancients If saith he an ignorant person goeth into a Smiths shop what matters it if he doth not knowof what particular use the Sleth the Anvil and other utensils are yet it is enough if the workman knoweth and can make use of every utensil in it's season what if we do not know if we cannot comprehend of what use some particular sinful actions of men should be for the glory of God it is enough for us that God knoweth the vilest action that was ever done in the World the crucifying of the Lord Jesus Christ was of the greatest use for the manifestation of the glory of God Now after this discourse of the reasonableness of Divine Providence in permitting Sin for the further manifestation of the glory of God and the acquisition of glory to his sacred name c. It may seem an idle question why the Lord suffereth so many sinners so as his own number is but a little flock in comparison of those Herds for sin being a quality must inhere in some Subject and if there were no sinners tolerated there could be no sin but yet let me a little further enlarge upon this Argument 1. God suffereth so many sinners that some of them might be made Saints by Nature there is none righteous no not one all are Children of wrath one as well as another all that are implanted into Christ were natural branches of the wild Olive they are made otherwise by an engraffing and implantation into the Lord Jesus Christ It is the Metaphor which the Apostle useth Rom. 11. v. 17 19. Those all those whom the Lord quickeneth were at first dead in trespasses and sins It is the saying of a very ingenious Author Non est sterilis Deo patientia sua ut saltem fatigatione taedeat peccatores voluptatum Gods patience saith he with sinners is not barren if it were only for this that God by suffering sinners many sinners doth at last tire and weary some out of their delight and pleasure in their lusts thou that sayest why doth a pure and holy God endure so many vessels of wrath fitted for destruction do but remember that thou thy self wert once a Child of wrath thou wert once a person fitted both by Original sin and by many actual sins for destruction God suffered thee to go on a long time in thy own ways that he might weary thee of thine own ways and bring thee home unto himself why may not God do so by many others They are yet as wild Asses but why may not they also have a
God hath many Children and his Children will have their wanton vagaries and extravagances and must be brought through the world to Heaven under the discipline of persecutions and many afflictions wicked and profane men in the world are Gods gaolers and bride-well men that keep his houses of correction when his servants are wanton and offend him he sends them to these gaolers he turns them over unto wicked men It was Davids curse of his enemies Psal 109.6 Set thou a wicked man over him and let Sathan stand at his right hand God when his people offend him sometimes sends them to the Extortioner to catch all that they have Sometimes to a barbarous Souldier to spoile all their labour sometimes to a persecutor to rifle their houses and plunder their pleasant things to lay them up in gaoles c. And thus a multitude of sinners is necessary to Gods government of the world But yet for we are very apt to dispute with God how is it that the providence of God suffers such an excess of riot such a world of iniquity in the world if some sin be suffered if some sinners must be endured in the world yet why so much sin Though an easy and manifold answer might be easily drawn up to this from my former discourse yet let me add 3 or 4 things 1. Dost thou that speakest thus consider what a dependency there is of one sin upon another and what an use God maketh of one sin to punish another Let me a little discourse each of these The moralist saith Virtutes sunt concatenatae Divines say as much of the graces of the Spirit of God they have a causative virtue and influence upon one another patience worketh experience experience hope The Apostle tells us faith worketh by love it is indeed productive both of love and hope c. It is also true that Vitia sunt concatenata vices and sinful habits are also linked together and are productive one of another Lust conceiveth and brings forth and sin finisheth and then bringeth forth death And as it is observed in nature the most noxious Creatures are most fruitful and teeming so vice and sin is a most fruitful teeming mother one sin bringeth forth a multitude of sin Drunkenness is the ordinary mother of whoredom filthy and profane discourse quarrellings and contentions Who hath contentions who hath babling saith Solomon in Pro. 23.29 They that tarry long at the wine they that go to seek for mixt wine 2. Again God in his providence maketh use of sin to punish sin But the equity of God in that motion of his providence God willing I shall hereafter more fully discourse 2. To quiet your thoughts upon this permission of Divine Providence I shall offer to your consideration what Nierembergius an acute Author though a Papist saith upon this argument That the quantity of sin which God permitteth in the world is nothing to what he bindreth in it What a Brothel house of uncleanness what a Field of blood and oppression What an universal Ale house would the world be were it not for the restrainings of Divine Grace what but this hindereth that every man is not a Cain unto his Brother a Judas to his Master that every one is not an Heliogabalus for lust and luxury as much a monster of cruelty as Nero The child of God jealous for the glory of God is often stumbled to see so much sin in the world whereas he should rather be taken up with the admiration of Divine Goodness that there is no more prodigious wickedness committed in it Gratulor saith the afore-mentioned ingenious Author compendium peccandi supremae illi bonitati fontanae miserationi quâ tantus malorum ardor extinguitur Would you blame a man who seeing your House all on fire should quench that fire and only leave some straw burning in the Yard The whole world lieth in wickedness there is a great depth of lust and sin in all our hearts by nature God so ordereth it in his Providence that though he thinks fit to leave some lust burning yet he smothereth and restraineth the far greater part He suffereth not the thousandth part of that blasphemy that uncleanness that drunkenness that oppression fraud cruelty and injustice which would be in the world if he took off his hand of restraint from mens spirits What he doth suffer his infinite wisdom knows how to make an advantagious use of for the glory of his great name 3. Consider that the time of sinning beareth no proportion to that time that the Creation shall be without sin The world hath lasted five or six thousand years Chronologers differ in their calculations how long it shall last none can tell many have guessed and already find they have been mistaken But suppose which is not very probable that it should last five six ten thousand more this indeed is a long time for the Devil who is the god of this world to reign and have a kingdom in and a world of sin hath been committed and is committed daily in the world and doubtless will yet be committed before God puts a period to the world and to sinning-time but if it were twice ten thousand years what is that to eternity that eternity that shall be consequent to the day of Judgement when there shall not be a sin committed nor a sinner seen The wicked and all they who forget God shall be turned into Hell There shall not be the black patch of a sin in the beautiful face of the new heavens and new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness when that blessed time comes it shall be all spent in praises and Hallelujahs Stumble not then at Gods Providence in permitting some sin in the world who hath made so good a provision for his own glory unto a long eternity which also shall then be advantaged by the much sin suffered in the world For those who have much forgiven them will love much here and praise God much both here and hereafter the high praises of God in the mouths of glorified saints are doubtless elevated by the high and much sin which they were guilty of in the world You read Rev. 7. of many thousands of Gods sealed ones which John saw and vers 9 10. A great number which no man could count of all Nations and kindred and people and tongues that stood before the Throne and before the Lamb cloathed with white robes and palms in their hands who cryed with a loud voice salvation to our God who sitteth upon the Throne and to the lamb and again vers 12. Amen blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honour and power and might be given unto our God for ever and ever Now St. John desiring to know who these were had this answer These are they who are come out of great tribulation and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the lamb therefore are they before the Throne of God and serve him day
and night in his Temple Had they not been defiled with sin they needed not have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb and having their robes so washed they are elevated in the praises of God 4. Finally We may as I said before be assured that God would not suffer so much sin in the world If much sin did not tend much to the glory of God at last Here may be applied all that I said before in the former part of my discourse on this Argument shewing you how the aboundings of sin conduce to the aboundings of grace 1. That grace wherein man is meerly passive and recipient aboundeth by the aboundings of sin The Apostle telleth us that love covereth a multitude of faults the more faults be covered the greater love is discovered God magnifieth grace in abundantly pardoning and there could not be abundant pardoning if there were not abounding sin a multitude of mercies could not be magnified but upon a multitude of Sin The bredth of the robes of Christs righteousness could never have been seen but for the extension of our nakedness it is the height and depth and length and breadth of Sin which maketh all Saints to comprehend what is the length and breadth and depth and height and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledg that we might be filled with all the fulness of God Eph. 3.17 18. 2. That grace in the exercise of which we are active is also advantaged by the much Sin which God permitteth Our Saviour telleth us Luke 7. those who have much forgiven will love much and those to whom little is forgiven will love but little It wonderfully aggravates pardoning mercy in the sense of a gracious heart to think how many are grinding at the same Mill of sin that he was formerly imployed in and that he should be taken and they left again we should never fight the good fight so well to the glory of God if we had not many enemies to fight with But I have inlarged far enough in the Doctrinal part of this discourse shewing you the reasonableness of this motion of Divine providence in the sufferance of sin and sinners so much sin and so many sinners notwithstanding the opposition that sin hath to the honour and glory of God and to the purity and holiness of the Divine being nothing remains as to this discourse but to consider how this may be useful to us Vse 1. In the first place Let me appeal now to the reason of every one that hears me whether God in the sufferance of Sin and sinners doth not act consonantly to the wisdom of the Divine being It is nothing but our ignorance and inconsiderateness that can be any temptation to us to have any derogatory thoughts of God for these motions of his providence God doth all his own works in infinite wisdom and it is in infinite wisdom that he suffereth sinful men to walk in their own ways What though he be an holy God This will indeed conclude that himself cannot be tempted and that he tempteth no man but it will not argue that he may not suffer any one to be tempted that is as the Apostle James expoundeth it drawn away by his own lusts and enticed What though he hath a power to put a period to sin every moment yet certainly God is not obliged to do all that he can do but his power as ours also is is governed as to the exercise of it by his will What though sin dishonoureth God and impeacheth his glory he knoweth how to vindicate himself and to recompense himself as to his glory and that many ways from the sins of men True it is that it is from the lusts and wickedness of sinners hearts that so much sin is committed in the world yet it is also from the sufferance and permission of Divine Providence God being directed by his own infinite wisdom to govern the world in this method and thus to make a difference betwixt Earth and Heaven so to order it that hereby the vessels of wrath may be fitted for destruction and his chosen ones by many tribulations occasioned generally from the sins and sinners suffered in the world may be prepared for the Kingdom of God O the height and depth of Divine wisdom How unsearchable are Divine judgments how are the ways of God past our finding out Vse 2. But in the second place let every one take heed of taking any occasion from this discourse to give himself a liberty to sin This is the Apostles reflexion upon this he foresaw the ill conclusion which corrupt hearts would draw from these premises therefore adds Rom. 6.1 What shall we say then Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound God forbid he makes it his business in that Chapter to shew that no gracious justified Soul can do so How saith he can they that are dead to sin live any longer therein So again Rom. 3. v. 7 He foresaw that some would say if the truth of God hath more abounded through my lye why then am I judged as a sinner Such thoughts are ready to rise up in our hearts why am I blamed for sinning if God hath glory from my Sns Or why should I be judged as a sinner if the aboundings of sin advantage and make way for the aboundings of grace Surely God â—hen cannot so severely revenge himself upon me for sin To restrain such wild thoughts as these from entring or prevailing in any of your Souls let me offer some few things to your consideration 1. Consider first if any good come by sin to the particular soul that sinneth it must be from the abounding of graâ—e Sin doth not of it self or from any particular affection or disposition in it do any soul good God indeed sometimes turns it for good so that a soul may say it is good for me that God suffered me to fall into such a sin Sin in its own nature tendeth to nothing but the ruine and eternal destruction of a Soul it must be from the aboundings of grace if any good come to the soul from sin the aboundings of Divine grace in the free pardon and forgiveness of sin or the aboundings of grace in the infusion of gracious habits by which the soul is made more broken-hearted more humble in the sense of sin more watchful against it for the time to come and careful to avoid all temptations to it The wages of sin is death and the work of sin tendeth to death to debauch and to debase a soul If a sinner getteth to eternal Life it is through the gift of God if by reason of his former sinfulness he now loves God more and be more zealous for God and more afraid to offend God all this is of grace and grace is free Now reason teacheth every man not wilfully to run upon his own ruine in hope that he shall experience the kindness of a friend in such a ruined estate Who will
Application recapitulate a little 1. For the sins of others which we see permitted in the World 1. Let us be quickened upon the view of them to adore the patience and long-suffering of God Dost thou hear a wretch curse and blaspheme and profane the great and dreadful name of God and defie the God of Heaven challenging his own damnation and doest thou see God suffering him to live from year to year and to go on in this course Doest thou see another in the heighth of rage against the people of God endeavouring if it were possible to root out all Religion and dayly devouring those that are more righteous than himself Let it help thee to recognize the patience of God do thou upon occasion of others profaneness and blasphemy give God the glory of his patience Let it make thee many a time reflect and say O what a patient God is the God in whom I trust he seeth these vile wretches he could as easily crush them as I with my foot can crush a worm yet he spareth them and with much long suffering endures the vessels of wrath fitted for Hell 2. Let the view of the sins of others which thou seest God permitting for his own wise ends make thee adore the wisdom of God Thou art posed to think what glory God can procure to himself from the profaneness and blasphemy of wicked men but God will certainly do it and would never suffer their profaneness if he did not know how to do it O! the infinite wisdom of God that can make the wrath of man to praise him Let thy heart be affected with that meditation 3. Again Doest thou see the world of sin that abounds doest thou hear of prodigious lusts blasphemies cruelties c. which make thy soul tremble Let God upon this occasion have the glory of his free-mercy and grace towards thy soul Bless God that he hath given thee another spirit Say Lord why was not I as one of these I had the same seed of sin in me my heart was as full of original lust and corruption as theirs Oh! what reason have I to adore the free grace of God that I am not as this beastly drunkard as this unclean wretch as this monstrous blasphemer If it had not been for free and rich grace I had been as bad as they It is that which made me to differ 2. But let God have glory from us upon the occasion of his so long suffering us to walk in our own ways Now that may be many ways let me a little particularly direct here also 1. Let it make thee live in a dayly admiration of free-grace both in pardoning thy former guilt and in renewing and changing thy heart This this is a work not for a rapture not for an hour or a day but for eternity It will doubtless be a great piece of our work when we come to Heaven to cry salvation to our God and to the Lamb. Blessing and glory and honour and wisdom and thanksgiving be to the Lord for ever and ever It should be much of our work upon the earth if we have either obtained the sense of the pardon of our sins or a good hope through grace you shall find St. Paul beginning most of his Epistles with such a blessing of God O you redeemed of the Lord you that are come out of a state of deep guilt you can never think nor speak enough what God hath done for your souls It is a great work of God and he doth his great works that they may be had in remembrance Let God have some glory from thee for pardoning those sins by which he hath been much dishonoured by thee and as for his pardoning so for his sanctifying grace Admire God bless God upon the view of thy former hard heart profane and unclean spirit say Ah Lord that ever such an Ethiopian as I was should through grace change my skin that ever such a rebellious spirit should be made obedient such a profane wretch should ever have an heart toward Heaven that ever one that loved his lusts so well as I have done should be taught of God to love him and fear him and delight in him that a Saul should be amongst the Prophets a Paul a persecutor a blasphemer should be amongst the Apostles a Mary Magdalen should wash her Lords feet and be so humbled as to wipe them with the hairs of her head the offering up of these praises glorifieth God 2. Let thy former sins make thee more abundant in penitential tears and in confessions of thy sin unto God God delighteth to hear a soul acknowledg its iniquities and take shame to it self Let thy reflection upon thy former ways make thee with Peter to weep bitterly make thee go alone and confess thy sins unto him that hath forgiven them the more vile thou makest and ownest thy self the more thou glorifiest God as a God of free grace and infinite mercy 3. Let thy former sins ingage thee to love God more Hath much been forgiven thee O love much Say with thy self O I can never love God enough I can never do enough for him I that have done so much against him I that have been so profane so vile that have spent my youth and strength in the service of my base lusts and pleasures and am yet received to mercy at last What shall I render unto the Lord Let my burning love to God and whatsoever beareth his image and superscription make some amends for my burning lusts which had consumed my poor soul if God had not mercifully quenched them 4. Let thy former sins and thy reflections upon them make thee to walk softly and humbly with God all the days of thy life Doest thou find thy heart at any time begin to swell in an high opinion of thy self Say my soul What hath a sinner to be proud on what hast thou that hast been so filthy so polluted to glory in High thoughts become not one that hath been so dirty so polluted and unclean as thou hast been 5. Let your reflections upon your sins bring forth that brood of graces which the Apostle mentioneth 2 Cor. 7.11 Indignation carefulness fear vehement desires revenge Indignation at your selves for your former errors Anger never hath a truer object than when it is exercised upon our selves for our miscarriages Revenge a revenge upon our selves this doubtless lieth much in acts of mortification and self denial mens denying themselves in the lawful use of the liberty of those things which they had before smfully abused Fear a fear of again salling into such remptations as they had before been overcome with A Care in looking to your ways and vehement desires in all things to please God and to walk more perfectly before him 6. Finally You shall make an improvement of your sins if your reflexions upon your former sins both of omission and commission shall engage you to more frequent acts of homage to him to be
God to punish wicked men though he knoweth afflictions will do them no good but make them worse hardening their hearts and giving them occasion to blaspheme because of their plagues But we do not only see adult and grown persons smitten of God and afflicted and those as well such as fear God as those who have no fear of God before their eyes but we also see children smitten of God such of whom we say They have neither done good nor evil The Question is Quest How this dispensation of Actual Providence is reconcileable to the justice and goodness of God That which blindeth our eyes and maketh this motion of Providence appear more hard and difficult to be understood by us is the supposed innocency of children they perish oft-times before they come to exercise any acts of reason Concerning the eternal state of children dying in their infancy I shall determine nothing because indeed the Scripture that I know of no-where determines all so dying within the election of grace nor that Christ as to all such hath expiated the guilt of Adams sin or original corruption nor that effectual saving grace doth always attend the Ordinance of Baptism though they be brought under it which yet many are not This is a great secret what God doth with the souls of children dying in infancy But this is not what I have to do with what God doth with the souls of such we see not we have no sufficient means to understand and therefore freely leave them to the good pleasure of God But we see they are afflicted as well as others they dye as much as others if not in greater numbers Shall we say the hand of God is not in this thing Or that their sicknesses and deaths are no effects of punitive Providence or vindicative justice but the meer product of a disordered nature and temper this were certainly to contradict the holy Scriptures where we find the afflictions of children made the matter of threatnings the executions of punishments upon them ascribed to God God by his Prophet threatned the death of Davids child by Bathsheba and of Jeroboams child in this Text see vers 12. The afflictions and troubles of children rise no more out of the dust nor more spring out of the ground than others their afflictions come at his command work at his command bring forth the issues which he willeth them and are punishments as well as the afflictions of more adult and grown persons My business must be to reconcile this motion of Divine Providence to Divine justice and goodness In order to which I shall offer you several considerations 1. Could I assure you that all children dying in their infancy are undoubtedly saved either as being within the decree of election and all of them chosen in Christ to eternal life before the foundation of the world or as having their share in the guilt of Adams sin expiated by Christ and their original pollution washed away in his blood this question were determined and the objection of no value It is a priviledged soul that first gets out of the prison of the flesh into the liberty the glorious liberty of the sons of God Supposing this it would be no act of justice and severity but mercy and goodness of God to cut off our children from the womb and from the breasts to deliver them from the bodily pains and aches from all other vexations crosses and disturbances which they shall be sure to meet with in the world happy thrice happy is that soul certainly that makes but one leap from the womb into Abrahams bosom that takes but one step into the world and the next into Paradise and certainly this is the case of very many Christ hath told us that of such is the kingdom of God if all such be not there as to which the Scripture is silent yet many such are there all chosen in Christ are there There is good hopes of the seed of those that fear God the Covenant of God is with his people and with their seed and how happy are they that can get to Heaven with a groan or two with such a degree of pain and aches as those little bodies can only bear and that before their reason is improved by its reflections to make their pains and miseries more bitter So that as to all such as are ordained unto life the case is plain Divine goodness is eminently seen in giving them so short a passage through the vale of misery and shewing them a far shorter and nearer way to Heaven than what more grown persons must go through much tribulation Now though I cannot assure you this concerning all yet I can concerning many which makes the day of their afflictions and death to be much better than the day wherein it was said of them There is a child born into the world and surely if the Thracians who were heathens upon the prospect of no more than the miseries to which humane life is subjected could alter the common custom of rejoycing at Nativities and mourning at Burials into a mourning at the birth of their children and a rejoycing and triumphing at the death of their friends we to whom a life and immortality is brought to light by the Gospel and to whom the immediate transition of elect souls out of a state of mortality and misery into a state of happiness and eternal blessedness is matter of faith have much more reason to adore the goodness of God in the present determination of our childrens lives than to quarrel at Divine Providence for bringing such things to pass while it doth us nor ours any further harm than depriving us of the little pleasure we take in beholding those pictures of our selves dandling them in our laps hugging them in our bosoms while also this pleasure is embittered to us by a thousand fears and cares and sollicitudes and troubles for with and concerning them But because I cannot assure you this concerning all something further must yet be said to vindicate the justice of God in this dispensation 2. Therefore I say the original sin of children is enough to justifie God in all his afflictions of Children nor is this that I know denied by any valuable or considerable party It was indeed the opinion of Arminius That no person was damned meerly for original sin but upon what grounds none of his disciples have been able ever to tell the world to any satisfaction and it were strange if they should when the Scripture saith expresly Ephes 2.3 That we are by nature the children of wrath that is certainly heirs of wrath and exposed to the wrath of God and the Apostle tells us Rom. 5.18 That by the offence of one man judgement came upon all to condemnation Now when-as all men were by Adams sin subjected to wrath and condemnation and by their original sin children of wrath what ground hath any to assert that none shall be eternally condemned meerly for original sin
would pose the thoughts of any intelligent person I think I do indeed know that some tell us that Christ as to all men expiated the guilt of Adams sin some add also original sin others tell us that is all washed off in Baptism I want one clear Scripture for any thing of this but yet Arminius never denied so far as I have read him that infants have not upon them the guilt of original sin which God may punish certainly if not with eternal yet with temporal punishments for even past and pardoned sins may be thus punished as I have before shewed you in my Observations upon the motions of Actual Providence Every infant cometh into the world under the guilt of the first mans transgression reckoned to him as he was in the loyns of Adam and under the want of original righteousness with an innate pravity and corruption of nature averse naturally to all that is good prone and inclined unto that which is evil Supposing now what Arminius would have and can never be proved that God will eternally condemn none meerly for this sin yet surely he may justly scourge and correct with the utmost punishments short of eternal punishment even this guilt in children which have not actually finned It was Gods threatning annexed to his Covenant with Adam In the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt dye Some question how God justified it when Adam lived to nine hundred and thirty years before he dyed Divines therefore expound it by eris mortalis thou shalt be subject and liable unto death in the day in which he did eat he became mortal from that day he began to dye and was made liable to that change Every child assoon it cometh into the world eateth of this forbidden fruit I mean becomes liable to the guilt of its proparents eating and so is liable unto death It is true the Lord doth not cut off all children how then should the world be replenished and stand but yet he cutteth off some for the declaration of his justice as a Prince when a whole City or Province is in a rebellion he will not cut them off all because he will not waste and depopulate a Country but he will cut off some for the declaration of his justice Thus you see this motion of Providence is easily reconcileable to the justice of God upon this hypothesis that children are sinners and under an original guilt and if we could be so confident as some are that none shall be damned for that sin only or that it is expiated on the behalf of all or washed away in Baptism as to all born within the pale of the Church Yet nothing hinders but by the same justice by which God punisheth past and pardoned sins which I have formerly at large opened to you God might yet justly trouble and afflict little ones they might be sick and they might dye as Jeroboams child mentioned in the Text did though vers 13. saith of him expresly That there was some good thing found in him towards the Lord God of Israel Let this be a second consideration to satisfie you as to the righteousness of God in these dispensations But I proceed yet further 3. This motion of Providence seemeth very reasonable and competent to the wisdom of God That he might declare to the world that he is that God in whom all breath he in whom they live they move and have their being If we should see none dye but in an old age we should be ready to think that our candle never went out but for want of oyl and should not understand how much we were beholden to God for every hour of life how much we depended upon him for our daily breath as well as for daily bread Now it is but reasonable that the world should understand God to be the fountain of life that sickness and death do not meerly depend upon second causes but there is a first cause that is the efficient the principal efficient cause of these changes though he useth a variety of second causes he will therefore suffer irregular motions of humours in children which shall in them cause sicknesses and death though they never were surfeited with meats nor Inflamed with drinks He bloweth out Candles newly lighted to let us know that the issues of life and death are in his hand and that the breath of man is not meerly in his own nostrils and it is but reasonable that God should make himself thus known to us as the God of our lives 4. Again this dispensation of Providence is reconcileable to the goodness of God God by this means doth deliver little ones from the evil to come This is the very case in the Text God was bringing evil upon the house of Jeroboam as he threatneth vers 10 11 12. he intended to take away the remnant of the house of Jeroboam as a man taketh away dung from the earth Abijah falls sick and dies and this out of mercy to him that his eyes might not see nor he have any share in the evil which God was about to bring upon his Fathers house God gathereth up the Lambs before the storm cometh It is said of Babilon Psal 137. That he should be happy that should take their little ones and dash them against the stones and we read in Scripture of such famines as inforced women to eat their own children Now God often cuts off little ones in his mercy to them I might here further add that God by this dispensation preventeth much sin in those that are thus taken away But I pass on yet to some further considerations clearing Gods justice 5. It is but reasonable that God should do this to punish the sins of the Parents and to do them good It was one of my observations concerning the motions of Actual Providence That God doth very ordinarily punish Relations in their Correlates Parents in their Children and I shewed you the reasonableness of Divine Providence in this motion It was for the punishment of Davids sin that his child by Bathsheba died and the death of it was threatned by Nathan as a part of Davids punishment 2 Sam. 12.14 Possibly God may sometimes do it to abate our affections to our children and that he might have more of our heart and affections as the Gardiner cutteth off the suckers which draw too much from the root and the country Housewife takes away the Calf when it sucketh so much as it leaveth no milk for the pail 6. Finally Why may not this motion of Providence seem reasonable That room might be left in the world The world is a great Theatre in which he hath many to act their parts God at first lengthned out the lives of the Patriarchs to seven eight nine hundred years that the world might be replenished with Inhabitants He now shortneth the lives of those that are born into the world that the world might not be overburdened with Inhabitants More might be added By the death
the wisdom and justice of God in making such a Law which will appear to you if you please to consider 1. The influence which it hath upon those who shall be saved as a means to bring them to Heaven this appeareth from that of the Apostle 1 Cor. 5.11 We knowing the terrors of the Lord perswade men as also from the frequent use which both our Saviour and his Apostles make of this argument to deter men from sin and to engage them to that duty which they owe unto God in the performance of which they shall obtain everlasting life and salvation John Baptist useth it Matt. 3.7 Our Saviour useth it Matt. 25. The Apostle useth it 1 Thes 1.10 and in many other places of Scripture 2. Such a Law hath undoubtedly a great influence upon the worst of men and keepeth them in awe so as they dare not be so vile as they otherwise would be I have told you of that Heathen who is reported to have said That if God had not established death by his Law it was yet so necessary for mankind that it had been reason that Governours should have established some Law to have determined mens lives at such or such times The Heathens knew nothing of the Revelation of Gods Will as to the eternal destruction of any but saw such a sanction so necessary for the rule and government of the World that they figured such a thing a place where thirsty Tantalus should have rivers just washing up to his lips and yet he should not be able to drink of them where weary Sisyphus should be always labouring to roll a stone up the hill for which he should never be able to find a resting-place The Heathens saw the necessity of frighting the world with a Sanction for eternal punishments for the punishment of wickedness It is a saying of Cicero Itaque ut aliqua in vita formido improbis esset posita apud infero ejusmodi quaedam supplicia impiis antique constituta esse voluerunt quod videbant his remotis non esse mortem ipsam pertimescendam Orat. 4. in Catilinam That is That wicked men might in this life have upon them some fear of punishment the Ancients would have some punishments appointed in Hell for they saw that without this even death it self would not be feared Hence it was that Origen one of the Ancients though as he had many other errors he thought the punishment of the damned should one day have an end yet as they say he would never openly publish his opinion being aware what a deluge of wickedness it would let in upon the world I would offer it to any reasonable mans thoughts to consider what less than a threatening of eternal destruction could be in prudence judged to bear any proportion to the impetuous lust of rage and passion that disturbeth humane nature Governors affix to their Laws the penalties of perpetual imprisonment banishment whippings brandings burning hanging hanging drawing and quartering we see this is not sufficient hundreds of persons throughout England in a year are cut off notwithstanding these Laws and these punishments It is true some hope of escaping and not being detected may a little encourage but this is not the main they know if the worst comes that can come it is but exercising patience for an hour or two and they are out of their misery I appeal to every considerate persons judgment whether he doth not think that if the aw of an eternal destruction were of the world the world would not be a Thousand times more full of Traytors Murtherers Blasphemers Adulterers Thieves Defiers of all Divine and humane Laws than it is at this day though it be now full enough if they do not think so their thoughts are very shallow and they will be at a loss to tell us how the Christianized parts of the world are more civil and have fewer of these exorbitancies than are to be found amongst Indians and Barbarians if they do think the world would be much worse I would fain know of them whether the establishing a law for the eternal destruction of sinners were not both just and a piece of infinite Wisdom in God Now if it were just for God to establish such a Law I am sure it must be a piece of distributive Justice in God to put it in execution yea and his truth must be also concerned in it he hath spoken it and he must do it for he cannot alter the thing that hath gone out of his lips It is I think reasonably said by an ingenious Author That it more concerneth the glory of God to keep many from sin than to keep a few from Hell The Glory of God is far more highly his concern than the salvation of particular persons Gods Glory is more advanced by the restraint of sin in the universality of mankind than it is hindred by the damnation of any part of them And methinks we might without any great difficulty agree this when-as it appeareth both by our Laws and the daily proceedings of our Courts of Judicatory we agree it to be more for the publick good of a Nation that the Government and Laws of a Nation should be maintained than that the lives of hundreds of Traytors Murtherers Thieves and other miscreants that are disturbers of humane polities and societies should be preserved 3. But this is further advantaged from the consideration That this righteous Sanction of eternal destruction is executed under the Gospel upon none to whom it hath not been a mean before to keep them from it I have told you that as to those ordained to life it is a means to preserve them from wrath to come to hear of it the Ministers of the Lord knowing the terrors of the Lord perswade men and by the consideration and the hearing of these terrors as by a partial mean they are brought into a state opposite to it a state of eternal joy and felicity To the whole of mankind it is a mean to restrain them from sin I now add that these poor wretches who at last drop into the Pit as the demerit of their sins continued in without repentance have or might have formerly heard of it denounced against them as a means to keep them from it and to bring them to an eternal felicity Now doth man judge it a righteous thing having made and promulged Laws to his Subjects telling them what shall be judged Treason and what shall be the punishment of a Traytor and therefore promulged his Laws that they might take heed of Treasons Murthers or other enormous crimes If afterwards they will commit them that his Law should be rigorously executed upon them to the confiscation of their goods the depriving them of their liberties yea and lives too I say doth man thus judge and shall we think it an unrighteous thing with God when he doth not surprize sinners in their heaps of sin but publisheth his Law in his word promulgeth it by Ministers
dispensations all discontentment at their own low estate all displeasure at Gods dealings with others all accusations of God of injustice or hard dealings with his people whatsoever as a fruit or indication of any of those passions is certainly here forbidden us under the notions of fretting being angry or envious Let me now press this negative or prohibitive part of your duty upon you by some few arguments 1. I beseech you to consider the exceeding sinfulness of it when God said to the Prophet Jonah Dost thou well to be angry it is certainly implyed that he did not well It is in this Psalm twice forbidden us twice in the Book of Proverbs at least Envy is by the Apostle reckoned up as one of the fruits of the flesh now certainly if no more could be said than this It is the will of God that if thou seest the wicked prosper grow rich and great thou shouldst not be displeased at God nor envy them c. This should be enough to engage the people of God to take heed to their Spirits in this thing and indeed we had need watch for we shall find our Souls under very great temptations in the case and that it is a very hard thing for a good man to look with a good Eye upon the prosperity of wicked men 2. But I shall shew you that it is a sin which receiveth more than ordinary aggravations 1. As first it is against the express letter of the Divine Law 1 Kings 11.9 10. It is said that the Lord was angry with Solomon because his heart was turned from the Lord God of Israel who had appeared to him twice and had commanded him concerning this thing that he should not go after other Gods God hath commanded us concerning this thing this particular thing and hath been pleased to make it the matter of a precept many times repeated If God had commanded us some great thing should we not have obeyed him in it How much more in the forbearing of a little Iust or passion It is not concluded a sin meerly from consequence of Scripture or to be concluded from some precepts that are laid down there it is the express letter of Scripture he that runs may read the will of God concerning this 2. Again by how much the more precepts are violated by any sinful action by so much the sin is greater you have heard this is a Sin against both Tables a sin against the duty which we owe unto God and the duty which we owe to our Neighbour that which we are forbidden in many Scriptures those so plain that he who runs may read them 3. Again Some sins are in their own nature more heinous than others amongst others the sin of Murther is a very great transgression Solomon saith Prov. 6.32 Men do not despise a thief if he stealeth to satisfy his Soul when he is hungry but v. 32. whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding he doth injury to his neighbour of an higher nature But now Murther that is an higher transgression St. John tells us no Murtherer hath eternal life Our Saviour reduceth Anger and Envy under the commandment Thou shalt not kill and makes him that is angry with his Brother without a cause no less than a Murtherer 4. Further yet a sin that breaketh out at the lips in sinful words or in the conversation by irregular actions is greater than that which is only in the heart defiling that Now it is a very hard thing for men to keep the fire of anger and envy within the chimney of their corrupt hearts Even the best men have not been able to keep it in 5. Finally by how much any sin is more the mother of Sin and brings forth more sins by so much the greater it is This fretting and envying at the prosperity of sinners besides the discontent and impatience of the Spirit which constantly attendeth it bringeth forth a world of sin at our lips and in our conversation reviling speeches detracting words spightful thoughts words and actions c. 2. Again this sin receiveth an aggravation from the persons offending In that Text 1 Kings 11.4 9. I observe two aggravations of Solomons sin of Apostacy The first that he did it when he was old so had he great experiences of God v. 9. there 's another expression it was after God had appeared to him twice for men that know not God nor have had any experience of his ways to fret and vex that others have more of the world than they have is not such a guilt as for the people of God to do it They are called the Children of Light and that not only in respect of grace and mercy which may be compared to light of which they are Children but with respect to knowledg they are a people who know better things than others and should know the riches the honours all the good things of the world are not worth valuing now for you after that you have been thus far enlightened still to be so enamoured upon them as to fret vex and be envious because others have more of them than you have must be a great transgression Especially to consider that you are the Children of God hears of grace yea and of glory too Thus I remember the Father of the Prodigal rebuked his Son fretting for the fatted Calf slain for his Brother Son saith he remember thou art always with me and all that I have is thine for those whom God hath made the heirs of grace and glory the heirs of the Kingdom to whom God hath said All that I have is thine I say for these to fret vex and repine that wicked men prosper in this world and have a little of this worlds goods must be a great provocation And to this there are not many of Gods people but in one degree or other have had an experience of the incertainty and vanity of all these things enough to depretiate them and render them invaluable to any good and gracious heart Further yet what doth any man get by fretting vexing or being envious at the prosperity of sinners as our Saviour said of thought-fulness none can by thinking add one cubit to his stature So I may say none by fretting vexing or envy can either detract a cubit from the stature of a sinner in prosperity nor add a cubit to his own it is a sin that can end in nothing but murmurings and repinings against God in tormenting and macerating of our selves and in the discomposure of our Spirits To shut up this discourse by how much any sin is more causeless by so much the greater it is there is neither so much good in the highest prosperity a sinner is capable of nor so much evil in the lowest and most afflicted estate of the people of God as to give a reasonable ground or occasion for a Child of God to give himself the disturbance so much as of one hour or to wile his
and in the same Nation where the Gospel is preached some have a sound and little more Preachers in some places in stead of preaching the Gospel Preach human Philosophy or the lusts of their own hearts In other places the Word of God is preached faithfully and powerfully so that the Kingdom of Heaven suffereth violence and the violent take it by force Men are compelled to come in This difference in the external ministration which let me tell you hath no small influence upon the eternal concern and interest of men for God doth not ordinarily work by way of miracle and heal the eyes of the blind with Clay and Spittle is fountain'd only in the free-will and Grace of God Vse 2. But I trust I speak to some who have tasted further of the mercy and Grace of God than receiving the general Dispensation of the Gospel with their outward ears God hath by his holy Spirit upon the preaching of the Gospel effectually moved their hearts and conquered their Souls into a subjection to Christ They have embraced the Lord Jesus Christ by a Gospel-faith they are brought by a mighty hand out of darkness into marvelous Light and translated out of this Kingdom of Sin and Satan into the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus I have this day been discovering to you the Fountain of this Grace of which God hath made you partakers you have heard that it is the will of God only which hath distinguished betwixt you and others It is not because you were more nobly born than others nor because you were more rich more honourable or by nature better complexioned than others God saw no more goodness in your natures than in the natures of others you were all the same flesh he infused into all Souls of the same nature and species only he hath willed rather to shew mercy unto your Souls than to the Souls of others because he hath set his love upon you There are three duties that hence lie very obvious 1. The First is Praise Thankfulness and Admiration Certainly every such Soul stands highly obliged with the Psalmist to cry out Bless the Lord O my Soul and all that is within me bless his Holy Name Bless the Lord O my Soul and forget not all his benefits If free Grace will not affect our hearts and fill our mouths with a new Song nothing will It must certainly be an amazing consideration for a Soul to sit down and think I was in the same mass and lump of lost man-kind that others are I was by Nature a Child of wrath as much as any my Childhood and Youth were Vanity as much as any others I was grinding at the same Mill it may be in actual sins I outstripped many others Now that the Lord should look upon me and pluck me as a brand out of the Fire that God should open my eyes and change my heart What did God see in me Possibly my more external circumstances were far less and more unvaluable than those of thousands of others my House was of small account and little esteem there are many more great and noble more wise and prudent than I am many who in all appearance so far as man can judg might have been more serviceable to God than I am or am ever like to be now that the Lord should pass them over and shew mercy to me certainly no Soul can seriously think of these things but must be ravished with the apprehensions of the inaccountable love of God in these things and say What shall I render unto thee O Lard what shall I render unto thee 2. This notion of Gods Soveraignty freedom and inaccountbleness in the dispensations of his Grace should teach every Soul that hath been or shall be made a partaker of it the great lesson of humility The Apostle Rom. 3.27 giveth this as the reason why God hath setled the justification of a Sinner upon a bottom of free Grace and hath excluded works that he might also exclude boasting and teach those who glory to glory in the Lord upon this Argument the Apostle exhorteth the Gentiles not to boast against the Jews Rom. 11.22 Behold the goodness and the severity of God saith he to those who abide in their unbelief severity to thee goodness Pride is a sinful habit disposing the Soul to swell in the opinion of some excellency in it self and a little thing will swell our corrupt hearts The Apostle propoundeth this very consideration as a cure for that tumour in the Souls of Christians 1 Cor. 4.7 For who maketh thee to differ from another And what hast thou which thou didst not receive Now if thou didst receive it why dost thou glory as if thou hadst not received it It is nothing but the will of God that hath made a difference betwixt thee and the vilest Sinner breathing betwixt thee and the most filthy Drunkard the most furious Persecutor c. It was not for any worth any goodness or holiness which the Lord saw in thee but of his meer free will and Grace God hath shewed mercy to thy Soul what hast thou now of thy own to boast or glory in Thou hast indeed reason to glory and to make thy boast in the Lord and to bless God for what he hath done for thy Soul more than for a thousand others but there is no thanks to thee his will his own will was the fountain of his Grace extended to thee God hath had mercy upon thy Soul only because he would have mercy O therefore be not high-minded but fear and walk humbly before God 3. Lastly this calleth upon all of you who have tasted of this free and unaccountable Grace to live a distinguishing life and conversation There is a Generation that fancyeth that the Doctrine of Free-Grace opens a door to Liberty It is but the old Cavil in Saint Pauls time there were those that thus accused the Doctrine of Free-Grace as if it gave men a liberty to go on in sin as appeareth by the Apostles anticipation of that Cavil Rom. 6.1 What saith he shall we then continue in sin that Grace may abound God forbid and so he goeth on shewing that any such conclusion from his principles was unreasonable How shall we saith the Apostle who are dead unto sin live any longer therein Special distinguishing Free-Grace both deadneth the Soul to Sin and inflameth the Soul with a love to God who hath made the Soul to differ so as that Soul cannot live as other men the love of God constraineth him he must apprehend himself obliged to do more for God than others because God hath shewen more mercy to him than unto others and that meerly because he would shew mercy What can possibly be imagined to have a greater and lay an higher obligation upon the Soul to all manner of holiness in conversation to perfect holiness in the fear of the Lord as the Apostle speaketh SERMON L. Hosea XIII 9. O Israel thou hast destroyed thy self but
in me is thy help I Am now come to the second general Proposition which I promised you to discourse upon a little In my last exercise I discoursed to you of the Fountain of Life and Grace which we found to be the free-will of God There is no other account to be given of Gods shewing mercy but because he will shew mercy which is most certainly true as of Gods eternal acts of Grace so of his Acts of Providence as to the dispensation of his first Grace The next Proposition I mentioned was this 2. Prop. That God in his providential Dispensations of punishment never acteth by meer Prerogative but according to the demerit of his Creatures In his Dispensations of Grace and the means of it he acteth meerly from his own Will he will have mercy upon whom he will have mercy and there is no other account to be given of those Dispensations he sendeth the Gospel to this place rather than another because he will send it he changeth this Man or Womans heart and turneth it to himself because he will shew mercy But the case is otherwise in his penal Dispensations there God acteth not upon Prerogative God there hath a Prerogative for may not the Potter do what he will with his Clay But it is one thing to have Jus absolutum an absolute right and power which we must claim for God so long as we know him to have an absolute right and Soveraignty over the works of his hands 't is another thing for God agere secundum jus absolutum to act according to his Soveraignty and absolute power this we say God doth not I pray observe I restrain my Discourse to Gods Dispensations of actual Providence I shall not meddle with the eternal Councils of God in this case that is quite beyond my Subject propounded It is unquestionable that the punishments of Sinners both in this Life and that which is to come as well as the other great issues of his Providence concerning the rewards of righteous men were set in order by an Eternal deliberation but whether by a meer negative or positive Decree whether upon consideration of sin or no are points I am not at all concerned to interest my self in having all along restrained my discourse to the motions of Actual Providence and certain it is that God in those Dispensations doth punish none either here or hereafter meerly because he will but upon consideration of Sinners demerits Shewing mercy is an Act of Grace punishments are Acts of Justice The gift of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is Eternal Life that is a guift and what is freer than gift But the Wages of Sin is Death 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Man must earn Death before he hath it from the hand of a merciful God but Eternal Life must be given him if ever it be his Portion so saith my Text. O Israel thou hast destroyed thy self I will open this in two or three conclusions 1. I understand it of all kind of destructions possibly the Text may chiefly relate to temporal destructions 't is Ephraim to whom the Prophet is speaking and it is about a bodily destruction but the Conclusion is general and the Text is well enough applyed by Divines to Eternal destruction all destructions whether of Body or Soul are of our selves yea I take the Aphonimy of the Text to be more eminently true of the destruction of the Soul than of the destruction of the Body A Child may dye for the sins of the Parents Subjects may dye for the sin of their Prince as in the case of Saul's Children that were hanged in David's time and in the case of those many thousands which in David's time were cut off for his sin in numbring of the People The Children of God may be involved in a common destruction and suffer as they are a part of a sinful Nation God may take them off to deliver them from an evil to come as in the case of Abijam the Son of Jeroboam God may punish his people with afflictions of this Life for the trial and exercise of their graces but in Eternal destructions God can have no other end than the punishment of the person and all such destruction is for a mans sin his personal sin 3. When we say that Mens destruction is of themselves you must understand of themselves as the meritorious cause not of themselves as the principal efficient cause God is rightly enough entituled to all the Evil of punishment in the City It is no dishonour to his Majesty to be the Author of his own Judgments which is all that Mr. Calvin or any of the same mind with him have said which hath made some so clamour against them as having asserted God to be the Author of Sin For God to be the Author of punishments is no stain to his Glory but a Declaration of his Justice and of his Righteousness Christ himself shall come as the Apostle telleth us in flaming fire to take Vengeance upon them who know not God and obey not his glorious Gospel God shall say to those on his left hand depart from me you cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels But our destruction is from our selves as the proximate and meritorious cause though from God as the efficient cause It is not from the Soveraign will of God meerly but from the stubborn and rebellious will of Man that any Soul perisheth Divines do say that though God cannot will the doing of any Sin yet he may will that it should be done The Holy Ghost telleth us that Herod and Pilate and the Jews employed in accusing condemning crucifying of Christ did no more than what the Council of God had determined should be done But I say notwithstanding this the proximate cause of mans Damnation is not because God hath willed their Damnation it is the guilt of their own Sins the demerit of their own Transgressions which bringeth them to the Pit of Destruction The Gracious God sheweth mercy and saveth all who are saved by Prerogative by Grace you are saved saith the Apostle he hath the same Prerogative in matters of Death that he hath in matters of Life but he useth it not but there acteth according to his Statute-Law The Soul that sinneth shall dye He who saveth men without themselves damneth none without themselves Men are saved by Grace but they are damned by Sin The wages of Sin is Death Omne peccatum est voluntarium all Sin is of ourselves it must have something of our own will and consent to and in it 3. Thirdly Although this be certain that all destruction all punishment is for Sin yet the particular proximate cause of some punishments is unknown to us I will instance in one particular a punishment undoubtedly a most severe punishment The withholding the Gospel and so the ordinary means of Grace and Salvation from the far greatest part of the world They hear nothing of the Lord Jesus
for his not repenting not believing according to his Word Is there any unrighteousness with God in this case more than in the Fathers dealing with the Child upon the former Supposition What pretence is there for it The Sinner you will say could not repent could not believe without the special Grace of God which was never given him No more could the Child buy those things the Father willed it to have and come before him with unless the Father first gave it mony the Child had no mony of its own But the Child might have left its play it might have read and heard the Word he might have come to God by Prayer and begg'd of him a soft and contrite heart and a believing heart he had power to do all this and had he done this God had not been wanting to him in his further Grace To him that hath shall be given saith our Saviour that is to him that hath and useth and proveth what Gifts and Graces he hath as he ought to do shall be given more Grace But this the poor wretch hath not done but dieth an hard-hearted an impenitent and unbelieving wretch what unrighteousness is there with God in his condemnation he perisheth in his own iniquity his blood is upon his own head his damnation lieth at his own door his destruction is of himself his help might have been from God if he had not been wanting to himself O sinful men are not the Lords ways equal Yes yes they are our own ways that are unequal the straight ways of the Lord are only made crooked by our idle fancies our proud hearts and corrupt reasons and foolish misprisions Vse 4. In the last place let me apply this discourse by way of Exhortation it will afford matter of Exhortation 1. To the people of God 2. To the men of the World those I mean that are not yet converted unto God 1. To Gods People 1. To you it speaketh to make you more afraid of sin for the time to come Sin in Scripture is ordinarily resembled by sickness and a disease Now what is true of sickness is true of Sin every sickness is not unto death but every sickness hath something of death in it it leadeth to the Grave it is not the last stroke at the giving of which the Tree falleth but it is a blow in order to the fall of it Every sin doth not bring forth death yea as to you No sin shall bring forth death because Rom. 8.1 There is no condemnation to them that are in Jesus Christ but every sin hath something of the nature of a self-ruining and destruction in it The wages of every sin is death the natural tendency of every sin is unto death It is the Gift and Free-Grace of God that as to you prevents it and although your sins do not bring forth an Eternal ruine and destruction to you because the Blood of Christ and the Intercession of Christ hath prevented and will prevent that yet your sins may bring forth many lesser deaths to you for them you may be in deaths often for them there may be a death of your peace and comforts as there are no temporal Evils which sin may not bring upon the people of God so there are few spiritual Evils on this side of Hell to which it doth not subject them So that although you be not under the danger of an Eternal ruine yet you are under the danger of so many deaths so many destructions as may justly lay a Law upon you and make you afraid of sinning against God 2. But Secondly This calleth to all of you to admire the Divine Grace by which you are saved I hope it is the portion of many of you to whom I am speaking you are not yet got up to the new Hierusalem but you are in the right way that leadeth thereunto O cry Grace Grace unto the hand which set you upon that Shore It is true of you you also by sin had destroyed your selves by Grace you are saved you were once Fire-brands as well as any others are you now brands pluckt out of the Fire It was the hand of Grace that pluck'd you out You hath he quickned saith the Apostle Ephes 2.1 who were dead in Trespasses and sins Amongst whom also we had our conversation of old according to the Lusts of the Flesh you also were once acted by the Prince of the Air who yet worketh in the Children of Disobedience and were by Nature the Children of Wrath as much as others It is a sweet though in some sence a bitter meditation to cast a thought back and think Lord How had I also destroyed my self How near was I going to the Pit of Eternal ruine and destruction Nay how often yet is our Salvation from God We are every day destroying our selves we lye down with sin enough to justify God in destroying us before the Morning and rise up every day with sin enough to justify God in destroying us before the Evening By Grace we are saved 2. But Secondly let me speak to those which can have no such good hope through Grace They yet are in their natural State and condition in the Gall of bitterness and in the very bands of iniquity Sirs it is that which I have often told you and I wish the sound of it may never be out of your Ears you are Creatures ordained to Eternity when you dye you dye not like brute-Beasts Death will not determine your beings you shall be either Eternally happy or Eternally miserable All that I have to say to you is to plead with you that you would not ruine your selves and let me tell you that if ever you perish it must be because you have destroyed your selves Do not fright your selves with thoughts of Gods eternal decrees secret things belong to God revealed things to us Whatever Gods secret counsels and purposes be this is his revealed will The Soul that sinneth and that alone shall dye Trouble not your selves with any such thoughts as these If I be not elected do what I will I shall be damned If God hath cast me off I shall labour in vain It is the Sluggard saith Solomon which saith There is a Lion in the way We cannot ascend up into Heaven to search Gods Books there is no need of it The Word is near us even in our mouths that telleth us that God never destroyeth any Soul but the meritorious cause of it is in himself and this we know that all sin is voluntary O then take heed of destroying your selves by wilful and presumptuous sinning against God Nature teacheth every Man to look to himself as to his Life Health Estate and shall not our reasonable Nature instructed by the Word of God prompt us to take care of our selves as to our Eternal Interest You will say unto me what shall we do that we may not de destroyed for who liveth and sinneth not against God I have before told you that
not freely confessing them and humbly bewailing them before him who alone hath power to forgive them which alone is necessary in order to forgiveness This was Davids case Psal 32.3 When I kept silence my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long For day and night thine hand was heavy upon me my moisture was turned into the drought of Summer I acknowledged my sin unto thee and mine iniquity I have not hid I said I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sins There you have both the case and the cure But sometimes the concealing of some sins from men is a great cause of the long abiding of a temptation and this mostly happeneth in souls that are weak in knowledg and not able of themselves to find out and apply to themselves that relief which is in Scripture for them under such guilt and therefore had need of the help of some spiritual Interpreter But I say in every hour of temptation it is very proper to a tempted soul to search and see if he can find no Achan that troubles him or that provoketh God to punish him by setting Satan or by suffering Satan to stand at his right hand oftentimes by the way I have found sins which have been acts of unrighteousness towards men where restitution hath not been made or where restitution hath been unpossible have a long time given advantage to the tempters suggestions but where particular sins cannot be fixed upon as it happeneth in many cases souls fall under great and exceeding troublesome temptations whom God hath yet all their life kept and restrained from such erronious transgressions I say where this happeneth As Herod in great cruelty sent and killed all the children to two years old that he might be sure not to miss him who was born King of the Jews so it will be great policy and piety in a Christian to confess all his sins which he can remember and charge himself with 〈◊〉 to study the mortifying of every member that he may be sure to fall upon that which doth offend him and give the Adversary advantage against him hence it followeth that frequent humiliation and prayer frequent confessions of sin and prayer for the forgiveness of them through the blood of Christ are exceeding proper works for souls under temptation We may indeed concerning violent temptation say as Christ said of possession with the Devil it seldom cometh off without much fasting and prayer yea and holiness of life and watchfulness against sin is the singular duty of poor tempted souls the soul is at such a time in the spiritual fight It was Gods special command to the Israelites that when the host went forth to battel then they should take heed of every wicked thing By a parity of reason when the soul goeth out to the spiritual fight and especially when it is in the fight it standeth concerned to take heed of sinning against God sin weakens the hand and there is nothing more ordinary than for Christians in those circumstances to be de novo troubled for their slips while they have been in that condition 3. Hence Thirdly may easily be concluded the duty of Christians to take unto them the whole armour of God that they may be able to stand against the wiles of the Devil in the evil day and having done all to stand Eph. 6.13 not to yeild but to resist Many arguments might be brought to perswade this spiritual resistance you have to do with a foiled Adversary you want not a spiritual assistance Christ was therefore tempted that he might be able to succour you when tempted he cannot conquer you but by your voluntary surrender The will of man is a Fort that is not to be storm'd many are the presidents of those that have resisted and come out of the field conquerors look unto Jesus the Captain of your salvation he resisted Mat. 4.11 The Devil leaveth him and behold Angels came and ministred to him After great temptations usually come great consolations great manifestations of God to the souls of his people But that which follows from this Discourse is because thus you shall fulfil the Lords end this is good acceptable and well-pleasing unto God God himself as I before shewed glorieth in Jobs conquest and checks the Devil upon it God therefore bringeth you into the Field that you might fight valiantly resist manfully and at last come out with a Garland of honour O therefore take heed of casting down your Arms of entertaining any thoughts of running away They observe in Battles that more are slain in a running away than where they manfully maintain the fight but in this fight none falleth but he who yieldeth and throweth down his Arms. They observe also in War that the presence of the Prince in the Field viewing his Souldiers who behave themselves more or less valiantly doth much animate Souldiers You may be assured of this That when you are in this Spiritual combate your great General is in the Field God is observing you particularly observing how you gird up your loins stand to your Arms how you behave your selves in the managery of the fight and that he therefore suffereth you to be tempted that he may see what faith what patience what love to God is in your hearts But thus much shall serve to have spoken to this particular to shew you the wisdom of God and the reasonableness of his motions of Providence in suffering Souls to be more under temptation than others SERMON LIV. Isaiah 28.29 This also cometh from the Lord who is wonderful in Counsel and excellent in working I Proceed now to the Second Question Quest 2 of those which I propounded whence it is that God doth not equally strengthen all the Souls of his People unto the performance of their duty toward him yea and that the same Persons do not at all times find the same mesures of Spiritual strength unto their Spiritual duty Answ There is nothing more demonstrable in matter of fact than that it is so nothing more certain than that God could make it otherwise the Question is whence it is and how the wisdom and the reasonableness of Divine Providence appeareth in this dispensation let me before I come to speak directly to the Question premise something 1. Concerning Spiritual duty 2. Concerning Strengthning grace Duty is a word of very large extent comprehensive of all the Acts both of Piety and Probity wherein the Law of Nature or the Law of God in Scripture maketh us debtors to our great Creator It is usually divided into our duty towards God which is that which we call Piety or our duty toward man which we call Probity both of them ly in the motions of our hearts tongues or more external actions Our duty towards man is much comprehended under the two generals of Justice and Charity Now for much of this duty God denieth unto no man a sufficient strength and