The Balance of the Sanctuary, Treatise · Chapter 1 – Chapter 2
CHAP. 1. An Introduction to the Diſcourſe of the Doctrine handled in the Treatiſe.
MAny men beholding the proſperity of the vngodly, and the enemies of the Goſpell, and perceiuing with what violence and crueltie, they oppreſſe thoſe that fight for and ſtriue to defend the truth, are thereby more hardned, and become crueller, euen in the higheſt degree. And ſome of them thereupon take occaſion, with the foole, to ſay in their hearts, There is no God, Pſal. 14. 1. Making account that thoſe who moſt truſt and relie vponupon God, are leaſt regarded of God: others take occaſion to murmur againſt God, becauſe he ruleth not, neither directeth things here on earth, according to their wills and deſires, and with the Iſraelites, ſay in their hearts; The way of the Lord is not equall, Ezech. 18. 25. And others there are who begin thereupon to ſuſpect and call in queſtion, the truth of Gods word, yea, to forſake it, to reiect it, and to cleaue vntounto lies; ſaying with Gedeon, though in another ſence, If the Lord be with vsus, why then is all this befallen vsus, Iudg. 6. 13. Therein doing, and yet they will be eſteemed Chriſtians, like certaine blind Indians whereof we read, who when at any time they are ouerthrowne and deſtroyed by their enemies, are wont to pray vntounto and call vponupon the Sunne for pardon and forgiueneſſe, and to acknowledge the cauſe of their proceedings to be vniuſt.
And all this hapneth vntounto theſe blind men by the iuſt iudgement of God, becauſe they refuſe to take paynes, and to ſpend ſome time to read and looke into Gods booke, which he himſelfe hath made, touching the proceedings and courſe that he hath determined to vſe & hold with the Children of men here on earth. For if they had done ſo, they ſhould ſoone ſee and know, That there is not any thing done here in the world, nor that happneth vntounto the people of God, which God himſelfe hath not foreſhewed ſhould come to paſſe, and which with his owne hand long before he ſet downe in the ſeuerall Regiſter of thoſe things that are to fall out in the world, that when they come to paſſe, wee might know and vnderſtand that he had foretold it vntounto vsus, Deut. 31. 19. Iere. 16. 4. Therefore in all ſuch accidents and occaſions we muſt with the Pſalmiſt goe into the Sanctuary of God, Pſal. 73. 17. that in the true Ballance of the Sanctuary, which is Gods word, diligently pondering and examining all the tribulations, troubles, and miſeries that happen to Gods people, wee may truely iudge and aright conceiue therof, and ſo we may continue ſincere and without offence till the day of Chriſt, Phillip. 1. 10. For it is written, Great peace hauehave they which louelove thy Law, and nothing ſhall offend them, Pſal. 119. 165. And this in the Treatiſe following, wee will endeuour ſo to declare, that whoſoeuer he bee that readeth and marketh the ſame with a true and vpright heart, he may ſurely & effectually find that to be true which the Prophet witneſſeth, where he ſayth, that the wayes of the Lord are right, and the iuſt ſhall walke in them, but the tranſgreſſors ſhall fall therein, Hoſ. 14. 9.
CHAP. II. That the outward and externall euents of this life happen and fall out almoſt, and in a manner alike both vntounto the godly and vngodly.
SALOMON ſayth, all things come alike to all, there is one euent to the righteous and to the wicked, to the good and to the cleane, and to the vncleane, to him that ſacrificeth, and to him that ſacrificeth not, as is the good ſo is the ſinner, and he that ſweareth, as he that feareth an oath, Eccl. 9. 2. And to the ſame end where the Scripture in one place ſayth, many ſorrowes ſhall be to the wicked, Pſal. 32. 10. in another place it ſayth, many are the afflictions of the righteous, Pſal. 34. 19. This Iob alledged to his friends, who therewith concluded vponupon and by the miſeries and troubles that had hapned vntounto him, that he was hated of God; Arguing that wee cannot truely iudge of the good will and fauour of God towards men here on earth, nor yet of their ſtate in regard of God, by that which hapneth vntounto them in this tranſitorie world, becauſe that the Lord as Elihu acknowledgeth, giueth no account of any of his matters, Iob 33. 13. and dealeth moſt wonderfully with the children of men, ſometime in one manner, ſometime in another, obſeruing no certaine methode: and yet doth all thinges righteouſly; yet as it is teſtified vntounto vsus that it fareth with the righteous euen as with the wicked, and with the ſinner as the godly man: ſo it is not to bee vnderſtood, as if eueryevery godly, and eueryevery vngodly man ſhould hauehave alwaies one and the ſame portion and ſtate of weale and woe heere in this world; for that many godly men heere on earth are ſubiect to great afflictions, and many godleſſe men liue in abundance of pleaſures; and ſo on the contrarie: But the meaning thereof is this, that weale and woe ſhall not onelyonly bee incident to the wicked crew, or vntounto the little number of the godly, but that proſperitie and aduerſitie, may both of them be fonnd to happen, and to be giuen, both vntounto the vngodly whereſoeuer they bee, and the like againe to the righteous, whereſoeuer they remaine: which both the word of God, and experience teacheth vsus to bee true: for in the word of God, doe wee not finde a righteous Abraham, and an vngodly Nabal, and both of them were rich; A righteous Lazarus, and an vngodly ſort of men, Iob 30. 1. 2. 3. 4. that were poore, yea beggars. Againe, are wee not taught this by experience? goe into the tents of Sem, looke into the houſes of the righteous; there you ſhall finde ſome in proſperitie, and ſome in aduerſitie: one houſe rich, another miſerable. Goe into the tents of Kedar, looke into the houſes of the vngodly, and you ſhall finde them in the like manner. All theſe things the Lord doth according to his free will and mightie power, and dealeth with the children of men, according to the abſolute, vnlimitted, and ſoueraigne pleaſure of his will.