The Souls Porter to Cast Out Sin, Chapter 12
CHAP. XII. A Dehortation from thoſe ſinnes, that are contrary to the feare of God: And firſt of Carnall Security, with the remedy thereof.
THat part of this treatiſe that is paſt is more doctrinal, what follows ſhall bee more applicatory: and that either Dehortatory, or Exhortatory.
The Dehortatory part forbids all thoſe ſiins that are contrary to the feare of God. And they are diverſe: ſome whereof are contrary to it in exceſſe, & ſome in defect. I ſhall handle them in order.
1. One vice contrary to the feare of God, is carnall ſecurity; a wrtechleſſe careleſnes; when men are moved neither with the threatnings of God in his word; nor with the execution of Gods iudgements in the world, nor with the beginnings of GODS wrath upon themſelves. Theſe are the three heads of this Hydra.
1. When men are not touched with the denounciation of the comminations of God in his word: ſuch are they That when they heare the words of Gods curſe,Deut. 29.19.20. bleſſe themſelves in their hearts, and ſay they ſhall have peace, although they walke according to the ſtubbornneſſe of their own hearts, adding drunkenneſſe to thirſt; ſinne to ſinne; running round in the divells circle. Such as make a coveant with death,Iſay. 28.18. and agreement with hell, as if they ſhould not ſeaze them.
Such as cry, the viſion is for many dayes to come;Ezek. 12.27. and the propheſie of the times that are afarre off; the evill ſhall not fall in their dayes. Thoſe that put away farre from them the evil day, as in Amos. Amos 6.3.Thoſe that ſay in their hearts, the Lord will doe neither good, nor evill, as in Zephany. Zeph. 1.12And are not moſt of our age of this guize? Doe not wee ſay in our hearts? Come, God will bee better then his word: Hee that hath made all will ſave all. Give the preachers leave to thunder, and lighten; wee hope the beſt ſtill, no man ſhall put us out of heart. If wee were not lulled aſleepe in the cradle of ſecurity how durſt wee touch that forbidden fruit, that is guarded with Angels (preachers I mean, for Angell fignifies a Meſſenger) when they have a flaming ſword in their mouths, thretning ruine to us? How durſt wee teare the ſacred name of God, when he hath threatned, that hee will not huld him guiltleſſe, that taketh his name in vaine? How durſt wee diſtruſt Gods word, feare to defend a good cauſe, commit adultery, or lye, when God hath menaced, that all fearefull, unbeleeving, abhominable,Revel. 21.8. murderers, adulterers, and all lyers, ſhall have their part in the Lake that burnes with fire and brimſtome? No, no, our tranſgreſſion ſayth to all the world, that there is no feare of God before our eyes,Pſal 36.1. as David argues.
2. It is carnall ſecurity not to bee afrayd, when God hath puniſhed others for the ſame ſinnes, whereof wee are deeply guilty, When our neighbours houſe is on fire, not to feare our owne. Such were the men of Laiſh, they dwelt careleſly, and ſecurely,Iudg. 18.7. as it is recorded of them. And this is our crime. Gods heavie Rod hath rid circuit about other nations, and our Halcyon dayes of peace make us ſecure and careleſſe. When a heathen can tell us, When you are higheſt in iollity, Vhi maximè gaude…is, maximè metues. Sen. de Tr. l. 2. c. 31.feare moſt. Evill is not confined to one people, it may goe forth from nation to nation, as God ſayth. The propheſies are bigge with theſe expreſſions. It is ſayd in Ezechiel, Ier. 25.32. Ezek. 32.10.I will make many people horribly afrayd for thee, when I ſhall brandiſh my ſword afore them: they ſhall tremble every moment, every man for his owne life, in the day of thy fall. And yet wee tremble not, though God hath long brandiſht his ſword afore our eyes in neighbouring kingdomes. God may complaine of us, as hee did of them in Zephany, I have cut off the nations about them, Zeph. 3.6.9.and made their Cities waſte: and I ſayd, ſurely thou wilt feare mee, thou wilt receive inſtruction, that thy dwelling alſo ſhould not bee cut off, but they roſe early, and corrupted all their doings. This is our caſe: the Lord helpe us, and awaken us. As if wee were better than our neighbours, or more able to oppoſe our enemies, if God ſhould let them in. I may take up that queſtion to England, that God aſked Nineveh; Art thou better than populous No, Nahum 3.8, 9, 10.ſituate among the Rivers, whoſe rampart was the ſea? Ethiopia and Egypt were her ſtrength, yet ſhee went into captivitie. So may I ſay, O England, art thou better than Germany, which now lies bleeding under deſolation? If thou art not better, why art thou ſecure, when ſhee is ruined?
3 It is carnall ſecurity, not to bee terrified with the beginnings of Gods wrath. And it may bee ſayd of us, as Salvian ſpeakes of his times,Nos non …icinos noſtros tantùm ardere vidimus, ſed ipſi etiam arſimus, arſimus, arſimus, tamen flammas non timemus. Lib. 6. Wee have not onelyonly ſeene our neighbours burning, but we our ſelves alſo have been ſcorched more than once, more than one way, and yet wee feare not the flame. God hath begun with us, by ſending the Moth ſpoken of in Hoſea; Hoſ. 5.12.which moth inſenſibly eates out the heart of trading in England, Hoſ, 5.12.ſo that it was never at ſo dead an ebb. The time was (as it is in the Prophet) when Ephraim ſpake, Hoſ. 13.1.there was trembling; ſo when England ſpake, there was trembling: but now other Nations ſlight us. Wee may ſay (as David did) God goes not forth with our Armies. Pſal. 60.10.All this wiſe men ſee and know, and wee are daily minded of it, together with the plagues, agues, famines droughts, and unſeaſonable ſeaſons, that wee have felt: And yet what man among us abates one drunken cuppe for all this? Wee are as jolly, as thoughtleſſe, as ſecure, as if wee were in the third heaven. Wee verifie that that Antonius Pius ſpake of the Chriſtians, that when earth-quakes came, they were ſecureſt. This lethargy is too ſure our diſeaſe. I can runne no better courſe to rouze us out of this leaden ſlumber, this dead ſleepe, then to prove; that wee are not the more, but the leſſe ſafe for our ſecurity: And when our miſcheife arrives, it wil bee the more unſufferable the more unexpected it is. Will wee beleeve God affirming it? Hee that when hec heares this curſe bleſſes himſelfe and promiſes to himſelfe peace, Deut. 29.19.20.the Lord will not ſpare him, his anger ſhal ſmoak againſt him, & all the curſes written in this book ſhall: fall upon him, and the Lord will blot out his name from under heauen. Amos. 6.3.7.They that put far from them the evill day ſhall goe captiue with the firſt that goe captiue. The rich man in the Goſpell ſayd to his ſoule, Soule, ſoule, Luke 12.19.20.thou haſt goods layd vp for many yeares, take thine eaſe, eate, drink, and bee merry. But there came a fearfull meſſage from heavē to him, Thou fool this night ſhall thy ſoule be taken from thee, and then whoſe ſhall all theſe things bee that thou haſt provided? It was the old worlds caſe in the dayes of Noah, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, till the day that Noah entred into the Arke,Mat 24.38.39. and they knew not, till the flood came, and tooke them all away. And ſuch ſhall Chriſts ſecond comming bee, like a ſnare it ſhall fall upon the world, when they leaſt thinke of it, when they are drownd in ſecurity. When men cry peace and ſafety, ſudden deſtruction ſhall come upon them, 1 Theſ. 5.3as travell upon a woman with childe, ſayth the Apoſtle. And it is a propheſie of theſe latter dayes, wee may ſleepe and ſnort in our ſinnes, but our damnation ſlumbers not, 2 Pet. 2.3.ſayth Saint Peter. This is the voyce of the Scripture: and the Fathers ſpeake the ſame language; they were as cocks to awake theſe drowſie times. Security (ſayth one) is the fore-runner of certaine ruine. Certae ruinae praevia eſt incuria. Qui ſibt pacem promittit, ſecurus invaduur. Aug. in Pſal. 130. Ablatus à peccatoribus timor, ne poſſet eſſe cautela. Salv.Hee that promiſes himſelfe peace in an unlawfull courſe of life, ſhall bee invaded when he leaſt ſuſpects it, ſayth Saint Auſtin. Feare is taken from the wicked, that they might not be aware when judgement ſeazeth them, ſaith Salvian. Nay, the glimmering light of the Heathen, diſcovered this truth to them.Solent ſuprema facere ſecuros mala. Oedip. 2.2. Men uſe to bee moſt ſecure, when the greateſt evils hang over their heads, ſayth Seneca the Tragedian.Vbi tranquilla tibi omnia videntur, ibi nocitura non deſunt, ſed quieſcunt. Sen. de Ira, l. 2. c. 31. When all things ſeeme quiet, that which is noxious, is not abſent, though it be ſilent, ſayth Seneca the Philoſopher.
Nature will teach us, that the ayre is alwayes calme afore an earthquake; And there is uſually a lightning afore death.
Little thought Corah, Dathan, and Abiram, when they rebelled againſt Moſes, that the earth would ſwallow them quick;Numb. 16.31.32. they were gazing at the doores of their tents.
Little thought Zimri and Cosbi to be both thruſt throgh the belly in the act of adultery.Num. 25.8. Little thought Agag the King of the Amalekites to be hewen in peeces by Samuel his ſword when he came in delicately,1 Sam. 15.32.33. and ſaid, ſurely the bitterneſſe of death is paſt.
Little dreampt Ananias, and Saphira, Acts 5.5.10.when they lied to the Apoſtles, that they ſhould fall downe dead at the Apoſtles feet.
When we like Adam are caſt into a deepe ſleepe; a thouſand to one, but wee loſe a rib for it. Let me adde that this ſecurity makes us worſe then beaſts. Hee that wants ſhame is like a beaſt; but hee that wants feare is worſe then a beaſt.Oneramus aſinum, non curat, quia aſinus eſt: at ſi in ignem impellere, ſi in fontem praecipitare velis, cavet quantum poteſt, quia mortem timet. Bern. Load an aſſe (ſaith Bernard) hee cares not, becauſe hee was borne to bear; but if you would force him upon the fire, or into a pit; hee gives backe with all his might, becauſe hee feares death. What a ſhame is it for men then to caſt them ſelves without feare into the jawes of deſtruction? When Balaam his Aſſe ſaw the Angell with a drawne ſword in the way, hee turned aſide, his maſter could not force him on:Numb. 22.23. Wee ſhall ſhew our ſelves more brutiſh than that Aſſe, if wee precipitate our ſelves into thoſe wayes wherein God ſtands with a drawne ſword, eternally to deſtroy us.
Nay (to drive this to a head, and to lay the Axe to the Roote of the Tree) if wee bee ſecure and feareleſſe, wee ſhall prove ourſelves in our kinde, to bee worſe than the Divell himſelfe: For Saint Iames ſayth of them, that they beleeve and tremble. Iames 2.19.They beleeve Gods threates, and tremble at his wrath.
In a word, as it is a miſerie, that Death ſhould be to a man the firſt ſymptome of his ſickneſſe; ſo that man is to bee bewayled with teares of blood, that awakes not, till hee bee in hell, when it is too late.
All theſe conſiderations layd together, and well weighed, cannot eradicate this poyſonous roote of carnall ſecuritie, that is ſo diametrically, and ſo unreconcileably oppoſite to the feare of GOD. We will not (like the Iſraelites) ſit down to eate and drink, Exod. 33.6and riſe up to play. But feare and care will be a more frequent gueſt in our breaſts.