The Drunkards Character, Section 196
§ 196.
BUt least this should not suffice: see some reasons to enforce thee thereunto, Five reasons of breaking off society with our vicious consor….which all Gods people propound to themselves, when they bid adue to their old associates in the broad way, and purpose to pledge them no more in their wicked customes. The reasons are principally 5. and they are weighty. 1. That they may come to the sight of their errors. 2. That we may not be Infected by them nor partake of their sinnes. 3. That we may not be infeoffed in their punishments. 4. That So farre as is possible we may be at peace with all men. 5. Because their company would bereave us of comfort, which otherwise we should enjoy, being alone.
First,First that they may …oke into themselves that thereby they may come to the sight of their errors, and consequently, be reclaimed. S. Paul, when hee commands the Corinthians to shut the incestuous person out of their society and fellowship, gives this reason, that his Spirit might bee saved in the day of the Lord, 1 Corinth. 5. 5. Againe, when he writ to Timothy, that he had done the same, touching Hymeneus and Alexander, he yeeldeth this to be the reason, that they might learn not to blaspheme, 1 Tu…othy 1. 20. And in another place. If any man obey not our saying, note him by a letter, and have no company with him, that hee may bee ashamed, 2 Thes. 3. 14.
It was the practise of the primitive Church, in her first love, that shee might shine in beauty and fairenes above alother Synagogues, not to admit any scandalous person, or open offender into the Communion of Saints; untill their foule spots were carefully washt off, and taken away by the teares of repentance. The bread of the children was not given unto dogs; neither, by an equall bounty, to the godly and the wicked, was there an equall encouragement to godlinesse and iniquity, but a separation was made betweene the sick and the whole; and this separation had no other intent, but edification; even an edification of the spirit, by the destruction of the flesh: so that men could find no fault with the dispensers of this power, having nothing to complaine of, but that their lives thereby were sought to be amended, and their soules to be saved. I confesse, that was a separation of a higher nature, the power of the keyes being added, they were delivered up to Sathan, shut out of heaven; herein it is not so, but this serves to the same end, and is done only in cases of like fact.
The cause was weighty, for which the gates of heaven, were to be locked; great, in the thing done; or great, in the wilfulnesse of the doer; and this not without reason: for the doome was heavie, and fit for the back of a strong and mighty evil: it was a short damnation, a temporall hell, a shutting out of heaven upon earth, yea, heaven in heaven, even the joyes, and comforts of the spirit of consolation. Neither could it be but an excellent remedy, for, besides that it was Gods institution, the remedy was fitted to the disease: a degree of presumption, was encountered with a degree of despaire; the Scorpion was made a medicine, against the sting of the Scorpion; Sathan was set on worke, to take him downe by terror unto salvation; whom before hee animated and puffed up to destruction; he, that said at first, sin boldly, for ye shall not dye at all; now hee changeth his voyce, and saith, thy sinne is greater then can be forgiven thee. But the wisdom of dispensation suffered this roring Lion no longer to terrifie, but untill his terror did mollifie: hee aimed indeed at despaire and destruction; but the Church aimed at humiliation, and conversion, yea, at consolation and salvation. And indeed humiliation for sinne, is the only way to conversion from sinne; conversion from sin, the only way to the consolations of the Spirit; and the comfortable spirit is both the guide and the way to life eternall: therefore, when the man is humbled, Sathan is casheired; the horseleech is taken away, when he hath sufficiently abated the vicious and superfluous blood.
Thus were men healed, by wounding; exalted by humbling: O admirable use and command of Sathan! hee is an enemy to God, and yet doth him service; he is an adversary to man, and yet helpes him. A strange thing, that Sathan should help the incestuous Corinthian, to the destruction of his flesh, his concupiscence, and the edification of his soule. A strange thing that Sathan should teach Hymeneus and Alexander not to blaspheme: he is the author of blasphemies, and yet he teacheth not to blaspheme.
But is Sathan contrary to himselfe, and is his kingdome divided in it selfe? no surely: …ut one that is stronger then hee both in wisdome and power, manageth both his craft and malice, to ends, which himselfe intendeth not. The divell is one and the same still, even purely malicious; but God suffers him to go on in his temptations, just so farre as temptation is profitable, and no further: therefore while Sathan is driving the offender to despaire, God stops his course, when the sinner is come to due humiliation: and then, as it was with Christ in the wildernesse, so is it with the humbled sinner, Sathan is dismissed, and the Angels come and minister unto him.
This was the nature, manner, and end of publike excommunication: private hath relation to it; both touching cause and end. First, publike had respect to the cause; that it was to be used, only in case of scandalous, open, and notorious impiety: so hath the private; wee do not breake off society with any for weaknesses, and sinnes of infirmity. Secondly, that did only aime at their amendment, conversion, and salvation: so doth this; we desire only to have them looke into themselves, where the fault lyes, and seeke to amend their course: and certainly nothing will sooner make the adulteresse or drunkard bethink themselves, then when they see, all that are honest and sober, even their neighbours and old associates, shun their company and despise them, as if they were not worthy of humane society: and if they have the least desire to be reputed honest and sober againe, and admitted their familiar converse, (without which, they are, as it were, banished into exile) they will do what possibly lyes in them to redeeme their credit, and merit their good opinion, by a more sober, honest, and holy demeanour: the disparity lyeth only in the power and severity of the agents; we cannot, we doe not, we desire not to deliver them up to Sathan; but heartily pray that they may bee delivered from him, and all evill.