Observations Natural and Moral, Chapter 1
CHAP. I. Of two evils, the leaſt is to be choſen.
2 Sam. 24.14. And David ſaid, let me fall into the hands of the Lord rather than in the hands of men.
DAvid made choiſe here rather to fall into the hands of God then man. Malum Culp… pana.In evils of ſinne there is no choiſe to be made, as Lot who choſe rather to proſtitue his daughters than to hazard his gueſts, In evils of ſinne there is no choiſe.and ſo did Pilat. When Dionyſius the tyrant preſented three whores before Ariſtippus bidding him make choiſe of one of them, he ſaid, that Paris had ſuch bad ſucceſſe for chooſing one of that kind that he would never make choiſe of one of the three.
Revel. 3.15. I would yee were eyther hot or cold, Object. but becauſe yee are lukewarme, therefore I will ſpue you out of my mouth, here it may ſeeme that the holy Ghoſt would have made choiſe rather that they were cold, than to be lukewarme, which are both ſinne.
He willeth them not here to make choiſe of the leſſer ſinne, Anſw. What is meant by being lukewarme.but ſheweth them onelyonly which is the leſſer ſinne, and that it is more tolerable to be cold than lukewarme.
But in evils of ſinne, Object. it may ſeeme that one of them may be choſen, for Moſes choſe rather that the husbands ſhould give their wives a bill of divorce, than that they ſhould kill them.
Moſes tolerated this for the hardneſſe of their hearts, Anſw. but he made no choiſe of this, Why Moſes gave the bill of divorce.but ſuffered it becauſe he could not helpe it.
An Idolater is charged by the Law to goe to the Church, Object. if he goe to the Church he ſinneth againſt his conſcience, if he abſent himſelfe from the Church then he ſinneth againſt the Law; here it may ſeeme that he is to make choiſe of one of the two evils which are ſinnes.
He is to make choiſe of neither of the two, Anſw. but to ſeeke that his conſcience may be reformed, and ſo give obedience to the Law.
Whether did the man of Gibea, Queſt. Iud. 19. ſinne or not, in offering his daughter and the wife of the Levite to the men of Benjamin to be abuſed, rather than the Levite who was his gueſt?
Wee muſt not doe evill that good may come of it, Anſw. Rom. 3.8.
But might not this man rather have made choiſe of death than offered his daughter, Queſt. for an honorable death is to be preferred to any ſinne?
It is one thing to be a patient, Anſw. and another thing to be an agent; if he had made choiſe of death rather, then he had beene an agent and not a patient: and if he had died in withſtanding this villanie, his death had beene honourable; herein hee was to be blamed that hee brought forth his concubine and gave her to them, verſ. 25. and hee made choiſe of one evill to eſchew another.
There is one ſort of evill which is evill in it ſelfe, Malum perſe per accidens.and another which is but evill by accident onelyonly: a man may chuſe that which is but accidentally evill, but never that which is evill in it ſelfe. Example, 1 Cor. 7. it is not good for a man to touch a woman, When a man may chuſe that which is accidentally evill.and it is not good for a man to commit whoredome; It is not good for a man to touch a woman, that is, to marry her: accidentally it was not good at that time for the preſent trouble that was upon the Church, yet he might chuſe this remedie to marry rather than to commit whoredome, becauſe it was but accidentally evill to marry, evill at all that time when the Church was underperſecution, but that which is evill in it ſelfe hee may no wayes chuſe.
When two evils are ſet before the will, a greater evill and a leſſer evill, the will cannot but chuſe the leſſer evill, which is eyther leſſer indeed or apparent-leſſe, Non habet libertatem qu…ad ſpecification…m ſ…d qu…ad enitium.it is ſo determinate by the underſtanding, but yet it hath this freedome to chuſe the media for this end. So when two good things are ſet before it, it cannot but chuſe the better good, eyther in appearance or ſimply beſt.
The greateſt evill of puniſhment is to be choſen rather than the leaſt evill of ſinne: Therefore the martyres would chuſe rather to ſuffer the greateſt puniſhment than to commit the ſinne.
But here an innocent man is to take heed when theſe two are put in his choiſe, The greateſt puniſhment rather to be choſen then the leaſt ſinnewhether to ſinne or to ſuffer puniſhment; hee is not to make choiſe of the puniſhment, although he refuſe to make choiſe of the ſinne, but he is to ſuffer the puniſhment inflicted upon him, An in no ceat perſon it not to make choiſe of the puniſhment.but not to make choiſe of it. Charles the ninth the French King, offered to the Prince of Condie his choiſe, whether he would goe to the Maffe or chuſe perpetuall baniſhment or imptiſonment, what replied he? to goe to the Maſſe is ſimplie ſinne, therefore I will never chuſe that: but to chuſe either perpetuall impriſonment or perpetuall baniſhment, that I cannot doe, for then I ſhould imply a certaine guiltineſſe in my ſelfe; but it is in your power ô King to inflict which you pleaſe, and I am ready to ſuffer. A man is condemned to die, the magiſtrate putteth it in his choiſe what ſort of death he would die, he may lawfully now chuſe the eaſieſt ſort of death, he implieth now no guiltineſſe upon himſelfe, for the Iudge hath now already found him guiltie.
It may be asked why David made choiſe rather of the plague than of the ſword of famine. Queſt. .
The reaſon was becauſe he would expoſe himſelfe to that danger of the plague as well as the ſubjects, Anſw. becauſe there were fewer meanes for him to eſcape the plague than the ſword or famine.Reaſons why David thoſe the plague rather than the ſvvord or famine.
Another reaſon why he made choiſe of the plague rather than of the ſword or famine, becauſe theſe two would have made the Lords people to have beene evill ſpoken of amongſt the heathen; for the enemie would have inſulted againſt God and his people if they ſhould have overcome them: and ſo would they have done, if they had beene enforced to ſeeke releife of them in time of famine; but in the plague they had no ſuch occaſion, and David had rather fall into the hands of God immediatly than into the hands of men.
Warre and famine are from God, Object. therefore he ſhould have fallen into the hands of God, this way alſo; for his inſtruments can doe nothing but that which hee willeth.
When they afflict us, Anſw. they can doe as much as God willeth them to doe, What the wicked doe in afflicting the children of God.but when they ſinne they can doe that likewiſe which God permitteth them to doe; the wicked when they are Gods ſcourges they adde their owne malice and miſchiefe, Zach. 1.15. I was angry but a little, and they helped forward the afflictions, I minded but to whip my children, but they flayed them, ſee Eſa. 10.7. When God uſeth the good Angels to puniſh, they doe nothing but that which the Lord commanded them, but the evill Angels adde their owne malice and wickedneſſe, the one is Angelus malt, foreign Angelus malt Pſal 78.49. eſt … non con…enientiae.and the other is Angelus malus; the Lord ſent Aſhur againſt his people to correct them; hee did not onelyonly permit them to goe but commanded them, Iere. 50.21. goe up againſt the land, doe according to all that I have commanded thee: yet the Lord is angrie with them for going againſt his people, why? becauſe their thoughts were not anſwerable to his thoughts, they had another intention and affection, and they added their owne malice.
David made choiſe here rather to fall into the hands of God than man. Simile. Moſes rod when it was laid upon the ground was a Serpent, but when Moſes tooke it in his hand, it became a rod; So theſe chaſtiſements and puniſhments which are fatherly corrections to us in the hand of God, in the hand of the wicked they are Serpents to ſting us. When Elias fled from Iezabel he deſired that the Lord would take his life, but ô Elia if thou be weary of thy life, goe but backe to Iezabel, and ſhe will quickly diſpatch thee: but Elias would none of that, for death out of her hand ſhould have beene ſtinging Serpent, but out of the hand of God it ſhould have beene a gentle rod. When the Lord reaſoned with Ionas, he ſaith, if thou who art an angrie and orabbed creature hadſt pitty upon the gound, how much more ſhould I have pittie upon Niuive who am a God of mercy? There is more mercy with God than with man, therefore it is better to fall in his hands then in the hands of man.
It is a fearefull thing to fall into the hands of the living God, Heb. 10. Object.
It is a fearefull thing for contumacious ſinners ſo remaining, Anſw. to fall into his hands, when he is an angrie God; then it is better to be corrected by the rod of men; but for penitent perſons that take the ready courſe to pacify his anger for their ſinnes, for ſuch it is a hopefull thing and farre better, to fall into Gods hands than into the hands of men.
The concluſion of this is: Concluſion 1 in evils of puniſhment wee are to chuſe the leſſe, therefore we muſt ſtudy in our election to know which is the leaſt evill; for if we make a wrong choiſe we ſhall fall in the evill of ſinne.
It is better to fall into the hands of God than men: Concluſion 2 therefore when God doth viſit us with ſickneſſe, let us take it in good part, becauſe we fall in the hands of a mercifull God.
When God puniſheth us by his inſtruments, Concluſion 3 let us paſſe by the ſecond cauſes in whom we ſhall ſee much malice and hatred, and lift up our eyes to God himſelfe in whom wee ſhall ſee much mercy. A man when hee would drinke of the water of the river, Simile. he drinketh not of it nere the ſea where it is brackiſh, but he goeth up to the fountaine where it is ſweet; ſo if wee would finde comfort in our afflictions, we muſt learne to take them out of Gods owne hand. So Iob looketh not to the Chaldeans who robbed him, but ſaith, The Lord hath given and the Lord hath taken, Iob. 1.21. So when Shimei curſed David, he ſaith, the Lord hath bidden him, a Sam. 16.11. So Ioſeph looked not to the malice of his brethren but to the Lord, Gen. 45.8.