Gods Three Arrows, Section 73
§. 73. Of the bloud of others which principalls bring upon themſelves.
III. *See §. 69.THe bloud of acceſſaries lieth upon the principalls. The Devill is the chiefeſt principall of all ſinners. He firſt ſinned himſelfe, he firſt tempted and drew man into ſinne. In this reſpect he is ſtiled aIoh. 8. 44A murtherer from the beginning. Now a murtherer pulleth upon his owne pate the bloud of thoſe that are murthered. The woman who tempted Adam to ſinne, is ſaid to be b1 Tim. 2. 14.In the tranſgreſſion: whereby among other things is implied, that her owne and her husbands bloud lieth on her. c2 King. 10. 31This ſtile given to Ieroboam (which made Iſrael to ſinne) ſheweth that he was the principall in the defection of the ten Tribes: d1 King. 15. 29anſwerable therefore was his puniſhment: and e—30.his cauſing others to ſin is rendred as a reaſon of the ſeverity of his puniſhment. Becauſe David was the principall in the murther of Vriah, f2 Sam. 12. 9, 10his bloud is laid eſpecially to Davids charge. Thus the deſolations that came upon Ieruſalem, after Manaſſehs time, are ſaid to be g2 King. 24. 3for the ſinnes of Manaſſeh, who was the chiefe ringleader unto thoſe abominations in which they continued untill the captivity, hIer 3. 6.—25. 3.notwithſtanding that good Ioſiah did what he could to make a thorow reformation.
Ob. i2 Chro. 33. 12, 13.Manaſſeh repented, and had his ſinne pardoned. How then could he bring others bloud upon his owne head?
Anſw. Gods pardoning of ſinne doth not extenuate ſinne; and his taking away bloud from a mans ſoule, doth not imply that that man never brought bloud upon his ſoule, but rather the contrary: for that which is not on man, cannot be taken away from him.
For the maine point, it ſtands with juſtice and equity, that they who do not onelyonly ſinne themſelves, but alſo draw others into ſinne with them, ſhould beare the puniſhment of their owne and others ſinnes. For in thoſe others he ſinneth. They are as his inſtruments. If a man do not onelyonly in his mind invent and plot ſinne, but alſo with his body and the parts thereof execute it, he pulleth on himſelfe the greater vengeance. So doth he further heape up vengeance againſt his owne ſoule, if he proceed on to draw others alſo to ſinne. Theſe ſeverall degrees manifeſt a more wretched diſpoſition, aggravate his ſin the more, the more incenſe Gods wrath, and ſo cauſe greater vengeance.
Be wiſe now therefore, O ye Kings; be inſtructed ye Iudges of the earth. All ye that are in place of eminency, on whom many eyes are caſt, whoſe example many are ready to follow, —Componitur orbis Regis ad exemplum. Claud. de 4. Conſul. Honorij.at whoſe word many are ſoone moved to do this or that: be ye wary how you commit ſinne your ſelves, how you manifeſt any approbation of ſinne: how you give any countenance to ſinne. Abuſe not your authority to command any ſinne, as a2 Sam 13. 28.Abſolom did. Abuſe not your wit to contrive and adviſe ſinne, as b—16. 21.Achitophel did. Abuſe not your eminency of place by making your ſelves an example and patterne in ſinne, as c2 Chro. 33. 9.Manaſſeh did. Abuſe not that grace you have with a multitude, to perſwade them to ſin, as dMat. 27. 20.the Prieſts and Elders of the Iewes did. Abuſe not that awe and dread wherein you have your inferiours under you, to compell them to ſinne, as eDan. 3. 1. &c.Nebuchadnezzar did. Abuſe not that dependance which people have on you, O Miniſters, by ſpeaking well of evill, by ſtrengthening the wicked, as fIer. 23. 14.the falſe Prophets did. By theſe and other like meanes, whereby you draw others into ſinne, you pull the bloud of thoſe others upon your owne ſoules. Now to have not onelyonly ones owne bloud, but the bloud of others alſo to lie upon him, is a moſt fearefull eſtate. Thus he doth not onelyonly as much as in him lieth, draw many into eternall deſtruction, but alſo implunge himſelfe more deeply into hell fire. For, all thoſe ſinnes which others commit by his meanes, are as ſo many heavy waights lying on his ſoule, preſſing it downe into everlaſting torment.
This is not to excuſe others that are ſo drawne, as if they ſhould go ſcot-free: For in this text it is ſhewed that IIII. Acceſſaries make themſelves liable to the judgement which falleth on the principall. This point is handled in The Churches Conqueſt on Exo. 17. 13. §. 59.
FINIS.