Lectures Upon John 4, Part 5 · Lecture 15
Lecture the fifteenth, Iune 6. 1609.
IT followes now, that wee proceed to the two last points in this Text 1. The sin he chargeth her with, is the sinne of fornication she now liued in. 2. Though hee knew shee liued in this sinne, he reiects her not. Where first, it is to be obserued, that though he tell her of the fiue husbands she had had, yet, his meaning is, not to charge her with that, as with a sinne, but onelyonly with this, that the man she now kept; was not her husband. For (howsoeuer it be in the iudgement of Papists, who neuer giuegive the Ecclesiasticall blessing to second marriages, and of all carnall and worldly men, who are euer apt to iudge profanely and vnreuerently of Gods holy ordinance in the state of wedlocke) yet is it no disgrace to a Christian woman in the sight of God, if the necessity, or conueniency of her state, shall call her vntounto it, to hauehave had fiue husbands. So that the sin that Christ chargeth her with, was not that she had had fiue husbands, but that the man she now had, was not her husband. This is euident by foure reasons. First, the Apostle giues liberty to eueryevery widdow, to marrie againe: 1. Cor. 7. 39. The wife is bound by the Law so long as her husband liueth, but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to marrie with whom she will, onelyonly in the Lord. 2. He calls the marriage of all persons honourable: Heb. 13. 4. 3. He calls it a doctrine of diuells, to condemne it, or hold it vnlawfull: 1. Tim. 4. 1. 3. And 4. He commands it in some cases: 1. Tim. 5. 14. (where he speakes of widdowes onelyonly) I will therefore (saith hee) that the younger women marrie and beare children. If any shall obiect, 1 Tim. 5 9. That the Apostle would hauehave none to be chosen for a Church-widdow, that hath had aboue one husband, which argueth, that he esteemed it some blot, or infamy vntounto a Christian woman, to hauehave had more husbands then one; I answer, that he excludes onelyonly such women, as being vniustly diuorced (as many were in those daies) were during the life of their first husband, married to another man. So that the fault he notes there, is the same which our Sauiour speakes of: Marke 10. 12. If a woman shall put away her husband, and bee married to another, shee committeth aduicery.
Now it is to be obserued, that our Sauiour, when hee would effectually touch the conscience of this woman, with the sense of sin, and bring her to repentance, chargeth her not with all the sins he knew by her, (though vndoubtedly he knew many, and intended also to draw her from all her sins as well as from one; and when she repented truely of this one sin, she repented of all the rest) yet I say, he doth not tell her here of all her sins; But (as he hath beene also wont to deale with other of his seruants in the like case) of the huge heape, of her innumerable sinnes, he makes choice of one principall and chiefe one, and layeth that onelyonly to her charge, presseth that onelyonly vponupon her conscience, and this one principall, and chiefe sin, which amongst all her sins, he makes choice of, for this purpose, is the fornication she liued in. From hence then ariseth this instruction.
That among all the sinnes that men are giuen vntounto, Fornication is a principall Doct.sinne, and will lie more heauie vponupon the conscience, and wound the soule more deepely, then other sins; when God shall once effectually discouer it to a man, and charge him with it. See the proofe of this in Iob 31. Where being driuen (partly by the heauie hand of God, that lay vponupon him, partly by the vniust accusations of his friends that charged him to be an hypocrite) to enter into a serious examination, of the life that he had led, there is no one thing that he could finde, in the whole course of his life, that he tooke so much comfort in, as this, that he had euer made conscience of, and kept himselfe free from this sin: and therefore hauing begun with it, verse 1. to the 4. he speakes of it againe, verse 9. to 12. But marke what reasons he giues why he was so affraid of this sin aboue others, verse 2. For what portion shall I hauehave of God from aboue, and what inheritance of the Almighty from on high? verse 3. Is not destruction to the wicked, and strange punishment to the workers of iniquity? and verse 11. For this an heinous crime (saith hee) yea it is an iniquity to bee punished by the Iudges. verse 12. Yea, this is a fire that shall deuoure to destruction, and which shall roote out all mine increase.
The Reasons whereby this may appeare, to be not onelyonly a sinne, but one Reason.of the heauiest and most fearefull sinnes that a man can be guilty of, are principally foure.
1. It is not onelyonly a sinne, but a mother-sinne, a cause of many other sinnes, it drawes men to many other sinnes, yea to other most hainous sinnes, Pro. 23. 28. She increaseth the transgressions among men. Doe not prostitute thy daughter (saith the Lord, Leuit. 19. 29.) to cause her to be a whore, least the land fall to whoredome, and the land become full of wickednesse.
2. It is not onelyonly a sin, but a punishment of other sinnes. I might alledge the punishments that God hath beene wont, and will certainely inflict on this sin. But I reserue that to another place, Salomon in Eccles. 7. 26. speaking of the woman, Whose heart is as nets and snares, and whose hands are as bands: he addeth, He that is good before God, shall be deliuered from her, but the sinner shall be taken by her, Pro. 22. 14. The mouth of a strange woman is as a deepe pit, he with whom the Lord is angry, shall fall therein. So Rom. 1. 24. Speaking of such as God gaue vp to their hearts lusts, and to vncleannesse, and verse 26. to vile affections, and verse 28. to a reprobate sense; hee names the sinnes that prouoked God to deale thus with them, verse 28. they regarded not to know God, and verse 21. when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, nor were thankefull. And therefore God gaue them vp to this sin. Many speake much, how this sin abounds in such townes, where the Gospell hath beene most plentifully and powerfully preached; and thinke they hauehave great aduantage against religion for it; but indeed, this makes much for the honour of the Gospell, that the Lord cannot indure the contempt of it, but vseth to punish it in this fearefull manner. And who are they that in such places fall into this sin? Surely such as either regard not to know God, Rom. 1. 28. Or if they doe know him, hauehave not glorified him as they ought, Rom. 1. 21. but hauehave beene hypocrites, and nourished vnderunder the profession of Religion some grieuous sinne, Whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her (saith Salomon, Eccles. 7. 26.) but the sinner shall be taken by her. Wonder rather, there be not more tainted with this sinne, seeing there are so many that regard not to heare, and of those that doe heare, so many that make no conscience of any thing that they heare.
3. There is no sin, that is so directly opposite to sanctification, and holinesse as this sin. Therefore as the Spirit of God is eueryevery where called the Holy Ghost, because there is no one worke wherein he shewes himselfe, wheresoeuer he dwells, more then in holinesse; So the wicked spirit is called the vncleane spirit, Matth. 12. 43. because there is no one sin, whereby it may be better knowne where he dwells and raignes, then vncleanesse Of all the sinnes that man committeth, there is no one, that hath more force to quench the Spirit, to dull, and banish all grace out of the heart then this sinne hath. See the proofe of this, 1. Thess. 4. 3. 4. 5. For this is the will of God, euen your sanctification, that yee should abstaine from fornication: That eueryevery one of you should know how to possesse his vessell in sanctification and honour, not in the lust of concupiscence, euen as the Gentiles that know not God, verse 7. For God hath not called you vntounto vncleanenesse, but vntounto holinesse. See how sottish, Salomon became, after he had giuen himselfe to fleshly lusts, his nines turned away his heart after other gods, (saith the Holy Ghost, 1. King. 11. 4.) and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God. Yea it puts out the light and iudgement that was in man by nature, they that liued in lust were giuen ouer, foreign saith the Apostl…, Rom. 1. 28. in a minde voide of iudgement.
4. There is no sinne that is committed with such delight and pleasure as this is, and therefore it must needs bring in the end more bitternesse and anguish to the soule, then other sins doe. For the more pleasure men hauehave found in sin, the more bitternesse shall they finde in their consciences one day for sin, Luke 6. 25. Woe be to you that laugh now, for yee shall waile and weepe, and 16. 25. Remember thou in thy life time receiuedst thy pleasures, now therefore thou art tormented. Therefore the Scripture speakes so oft of the bitternesse of this sinne: Heb. 12. When he had said verse 15. Let no roote of bitternesse spring vp and trouble you. He adds verse 16. Let there be no Fornicator, Iob 13. 26. When in the beginning of the verse he had said, that the Lord wrote bitter things against him, charged him with bitter sinnes, he adds what those bitter things were, Thou causest me to possesse the sins of my youth. These tricks of youth will be bitter to men one day, Pro. 5. 3. The lips of a strange woman drop as the hony combe, verse 4. But the end of her is bitter as wormewood, and sharpe as a two edged sword, Eccles. 7. when he had said ver. 25. That he had compassed about to know wickednesse and folly, the foolishnesse of madnesse, he adds verse 26. I finde more bitter then death, the woman whose heart is as nets and snares, &c.