Oil of Scorpions, Consideration 3
THE THIRD CONSIDERATION.
A Third ConsiderationPunishments for sinne, call for conuersion from sins. may be this. That the punishments of God for our sins, call vponupon vsus for a turning from our sinnes vntounto God. Our mercifull God, compassionate to Mankinde, powres not out his wrath all at once, but sends lesser chastisements before, to preuent the greater; and shootes off some warning Pieces, to make vsus strike the Saile of our carnall swelling, before he begin mainly to fight against vsus, by a destroying and desolating Batterie▪ Sequitur Hillar. in Ps…l. 2.terrorem bènignitas, &c. Terrour is accompanyed with Mercy, and to whom vengeance is due for their sinnes, there is yet allowed a blessed Confession of sins in Repentance. For God doth not presently kill, but first speakes in his wrath, and holding backe awhile the full stroke of punishment, doth onelyonly trouble in his displeasure.] Euen vntounto Pharaoh a meere stranger vntounto God, that asked whoGod by less…r punishments calls vponupon vsus, that by conuersion wee should preuent the greater. was God, yet God retayns this order of his discipline, and by lesser plagues giues him many warnings, to leaue his sin of retaining Israel; neither do the greater plagues or his finall ouerthrow ouer-take him, vntill all the degrees of formerTaught by God. plagues bee in vaine spent vponupon him. Yea, God himselfe opens to vsus this method of his Chastisements, when he tells the Israelites many times in one Chapter, That hauing punishedLeuit. 26. them sore for their sinnes, if they will not hearken and bee reformed thereby, hee will punish them yet seuen times more; whence it plainly appeares, that the fruit expected of his former punishments, was a reformation of those sinnes for which they were punished. Elihu, the Spokesman ofIob. 34. 31. God vntounto Iob; tells him and vsus, what is meet to bee said vntounto God in affliction; It is meet, saith hee, to say thus vntounto God, I hauehave born Chastisement, I wil not offend any more. Finally, theHeb. 12. 10. Apostle telleth vsus this vse of Gods chastisements; we are chastised (saith he) that wee might profit thereby, and the profit he describeth to be this, That we might be partakers of Gods holinesse. As this hath beene taught by God, so hath it been practised by the godly,Practised by the Godly. for by Gods chastisements, they hauehave turned from the sinne for which they were chastised. Before I was chastised, saith Dauid, I went astray, but now doe I keepe thy Law. The very rehearsall of Iudgements vponupon sinne, worketh in Iosiah a publique reformation of sinnes. And Solomons Wisd. 12. 2.wisedome, which is a kind of paraphrase of Scripture, herein agreeable to the Scriptures, hath this obseruation: Thou chastnest them by litle and litle that offend, and warnest them by putting them in remembrance wherin they hauehave offended; that leauing their wickednesse they may beleeue in thee, O Lord. Yea, the very Hypocrites… and Heathens beleeued, that conuersion from sinne was Gods end in his punishments for sinne. Therefore the false-hearted Israelites, Iudg. 10▪ 10 16.being oppressed by the Philistines and children of Ammon, runne vntounto the Lord; saying, Wee hauehave sinned against thee, both because wee hauehave forsaken our God, and also serued Baalim; And they put away their strange gods and serued the Lord. The Niniuites, And Heathen.though Gods iudgements were peremptorily pronounced against them, yet they so farre take notice of this purpose of God; that by punishmēts threatned or imposed, God aymeth more at the destructions of sinnes, then of sinners; that not withstanding, Ionahs peremptorie affirmation, they will still retayne a hopefull dubitation. Accordingly runs the Kings Proclamation, Let them turne eueryevery one from his euill way, and from the violence that is in their hands, Who can tell if God will turne and repent, and turne away from his fierce anger that we perish not? Thus wee see that God hath a meaning of conuersion in his punishments, and that Man in them hath heretofore rightly vnderstood this meaning of God. God doth not meerly afflict, as Elihu truly teacheth, but by affliction doth instruct vsus, his Rods doe giuegive vsus knowledge, and open the Eares that were sealed. Gods chastisements are like Samsons Lion, which thogh at first they come terribly vponupon vsus, and with a shew of deuouring, yet after they yeeld vsus the Hony of Instruction and Reformation if wee looke neerely into them. The Apostle puts thisHeb. 12. difference between the Father of Regeneration, and the Father of Generation; Our spirituall Father doth punish vsus for our profit, the carnall Fathers sometimes for their pleasure; God delighteth not in torments or death, no not in the death of a sinner, but in the death of his sinnes. What remayneth, but that as God intends his chastisements, and as holy Men; yea, Heathens hauehave truly construed them, so wee also rightly consider, receiue, and apply them. Let vsus heare Gods voyce in his punishments, let vsus vnderstand and obey it, and let his Correction bring foorth Conuersion. But I deferre the Exhortation vntounto the Conclusion.