The Drunkards Character, Section 145 – Section 146
§ 145.
FOr though mercy rejoyceth against justice, His mercy rejorceth against justice, but destroyeth not his justice.Iames 2. 13. yet it de…troyeth not Gods justice: though hee is a boundlesse Ocean, flowing with mercy; yet he doth not overflow; he is just as well as mercifull; yea, saith Bernard, Mercy and Truth are the two feet of God, by which he walketh in all his wayes: his mercy, is a just mercy: and his justice, is a mercifull justice; he is infinite in both; hee is just, even to those humble soules that shall be saved; and he will be merciful, while presumptuous sinners go to hell: and therefore in his word, hee hath equally promised all blessings, unto those which keepe his Commandements; and threatned all manner of judgments, to those which break them; with their severall extreames, according to the measure and degree of every sin, Deut. 28
Neither is salvation more promised to the godly, then eternall death and destruction is threatned to the wicked: His mercy is a just mercy.and as Christ is a Saviour, so Moses is an accuser, Iohn 5. 45.
Alasse! though to all repentant sinners, he is a most mercifull God;And therefore hath equally promised all blessi…gs to thosewhich keepe his commande ments, and threatned all manner of judgements to those that break them yet to wilfull and impenitent sinners, hee is a consuming fire, Heb. 12. 29. Deut. 4. 24. doth not the Apostle say, that neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor buggerers, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor railers, nor extortioners, to which number S. Iohn, Revelation 21. 8. addeth, the fearefull, and unbeliveing, and murtherers, and sorcerers, and all lyers, shall not inherit the Kingdome of God, 1 Corinth. 6. 9. 10. Galathians 5. 21. but shall have their part in the Lake, which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death? And doth he not likewise affirme, that all they shall be damned, which believe not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousnes? 2 Thes. 2, 12. doth not the Lord say, Ier. 16. 13. that he will have no mercy, for such as are desperately wicked? And again, Deut. 29. 19. 20. that if any man blesse himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, although I walke according to the stubbornnesse of mine owne heart, that he mill not be mercifull to him? &c.
Doth not our Saviour himself say, that the gate of heaven is so strait, that few find it? Mat. 7. 13. 14. and will hee not at his comming to judgement, as well say unto the disobedient, Depart from me ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the Divell and his Angels: as to the obedient, Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdome, &c. Yes, they are his owne words, Matth. 25. 34. 41. and S. Iames saith, that he shal have judgement, without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy, Iames. 2. 13.
In fine, he that believeth in the Son, hath everlasting life; but he that obeyeth not the Sonne, shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him, Ioh. 3. 36. For, as mercy, in the second Commandement, is entailed only to believers, and to those which love God, and keepe his Commandements: so God, at the last day will reward every man according to his righteousnesse. 1 Sam. 26. 23. as hee did David, 2 Sam. 22. 21. though not for his righteousnesse, Deut. 9. 4. 5. 6. which is as a menstruous cloth, Esay. 64. 6.
Yea, hee hath sufficiently manifested his justice and severity already in punishing sinne, and powring vengeance, upon others that have provoked him: as, (1.) upon the Angels, (2.) upon our first Parents, and all the race of mankind, (3.) upon the old World, (4.) upon whole Monarchs and Empires, (5.) upon whole Nations, (6.) upon whole Cities, (7.) upon whole Families, (8.) upon divers particular persons, and (9.) upon his owne Sonne, that no sinne might goe unpunished; which may make all impenitent persons tremble, for
As the Locrians might once argue; if our King is so just, to his owne onelyonly son, in punishing adultery, that he caused one of his eyes to be pul'd out, and another of his owne, how can wee his subjects expect to be dispensed withall? so may I argue; if God was so just and severe, to his own Son, that nothing would appease him, but his death on the crosse; how can the wicked, his enemies, looke to be spared? If he spared not a good and gracious Sonne, saith S. Bernard, will he spare thee, a wicked and ungracious servant, one that never did him a peece of good service all thy daies? If he punished David's adultery and murther so sharply, (a man after his own heart, yea, and that after his sinne was remitted) what will hee doe to his enemies, but send them to that devouring fire, that everlasting burning? If a. 33. 14. If Gods own children (who are as deare and neer to him as the aple of his eye, or Signet on his right hand) suffer so many and grievous afflictions here; what shall his adversaries suffer in Hell? if Sampson be thus punished; shall the Philistims escape? Yea, if judgement begin at the house of God; where shall the ungodly and wicked appeare? If many shall seeke to enter in at the strait gate, and shall not be able; how shall they be able, who seek not at all? Luk. 13. 24. And if the righteous scarcely be saved; where shal the ungodly and sinner appeare? as the Scripture speakes, 1 Pet. 4. 18.
And thus you see, that mercy is for vessels of mercy, Mat. 5. and not for vessels of wrath: that he, which is truth it selfe, hath a like threatned the eternal death and destruction of the wicked; as promi sed the salvation of the godly.
§ 146.
BUt thy carnall heart, which is flint,VVicked men believe no part of Gods word really and in deed. unto God; wax, to the divell; will believe the promises, let goe the threatnings: you shall dye, saith God, is heard; but you shall not dye, saith the divell, is believed; as it fared with Eve, when she eate the forbidden fruit: yea, thou believest his promises, that thou shalt have them; but thou believest not his precepts, to doe them; nor his threatnings, that thou shalt suffer them, for thy not believing and disodedience: which sheweth, that thou truly believest neither: yea, this makes it apparant, that either thou believest there is no God at al, or else that God is not just and true, nor speakes as hee meanes in his Word, which is worse; or if thou doest believe that hee is a just and true God, thou believest also, that thou shalt bee punished, (as hee threatens) for thy provoking of him; and thou provokest him, that thou mayest be punished, which is worst of all: so that take thee in the best sense, thou art but one of David's fooles, which say in their heart, there is no God, and livest therafter; which is never a whit strange, for it is usuall with them to thinke there is no God, for whom it would make that there were none; what we would have to bee, we are apt to believe.
I confesse, it is hard for men to believe their owne unbeliefe, in this case; much more hard to make them confesse it: for he, whose heart speakes Atheisme, will professe with his tongue, that he believes there is a God, and that hee is just and true, and that every tittle of his word is equally true; which being but granted, this must necessarily follow, that God will as well punish the impenitent, as pardon the repentant.
Wherefore bee no longer faithlesse, touching what is threatned against obstinate sinners, but faithfull: for he that will not believe these witnesses of Gods severity against sin, shall everlastingly perish.
But, suppose the Scriptures were lesse expresse and cleare in this point: the Law must not be interpreted according to the delinquents judgement, but after the will and meaning of the Law-giver, which made the same.
Indeed, a world of men believe, with Origen, that God is so mercifull, that al in the end shall bee saved, both reprobate men, and Divells: they presume that God must needs save them, because hee made them, without any other ground; though in another fit, they are as apt to despaire, and to say with the same Origen, should all other sinners obtain mercy, yet not I: yea, it is to be feared, that many die with this fond presumption of mercy in their minds, as the Israelites with meat in their mouths; but shall they therefore be saved, because they think they shal be saved? no, no more then Esau had the blessing, and Agag his life given him, because they confidently thought they should.