Sin Stigmatized, Part 1 · Section 133 – Section 135
§ 133.
NOw the reaſon why God puniſheth this ſinne ſo ſeverely, VVhat is done to the godly, Chriſt takes as done to himſelfe. And well h… may, for their hatred is againſt God and Chriſt.is this. What wrongs and contumelies are done to his children, he accounts as done to himſelfe; as we may plainely perceive, by, Pſal. 83.2.5.6. Pro. 19.3. Pſal. 44.22. and 69.7. Rom. 1.30. and 9.20. Math. 10.22. and 25.45. Luk. 21.17. Zach. 2.8. 1 Sam. 17.45. Iſa. 37.4.22.23.28. Pſal. 74.4.10.18.22.23. Pſal. 89.50.51. Acts, 5.39. and 9.4.5. Pſal. 139.20. Iſa. 45.9. Iob. 9.4. Iſa. 54.17. 1 The. 4.8. Io. 15.18.20.21.24.25.23. Num. 16.11. 1 Sa. 8.7. And well he may, for they that hate and revile the Godly, becauſe they are godly, as theſe doe, hate and revile God himſelfe; and they that fight againſt the grace of the Spirit, fight againſt the Spirit, whoſe grace it is; and whatſoever wrong is done to one of Chriſt's little ones, is done unto him, Math. 25.45. It is an idle miſpriſion, to ſever the ſenſe of an injury, done to any of the Members, from the Head: there is that ſtraite conjunction betweene Chriſt and beleevers, that the good, or evill offered them, redowndes to him; Chriſt is both ſuffering, and triumphing in his Saints; in Abel, he was ſlaine of his Brother; he was ſcoft at by his Sonne, in Noah; he wandred to and fro, in Abraham; in Iſaac, he was offered; ſold, in Ioſeph; driven away, in Moſes; in the Prophets, he was ſtoned; in the Apoſtles, toſſed up and downe by Sea and Land. What did Ioſeph's brethren, in going about to kill him, but in effect, and ſo farre as they could, they kild their father in him: Ioab ſmot Abſalom's body, but therein David's heart. The Rebell ſaith, he meanes no hurt to the perſon of the King, but becauſe he doth it to the Subjects, he is therfore a Traytor: thus when the proud Philiſtine defied the Army of Iſrael, David ſaid directly, that he had blaſphemed God himſelfe, 1 Sam. 17.45. and Rabſheka defying the Iewes, is ſaid, by Hezekiah, to have rayled on the living God, Iſa, 37.4.23.24. as eager Wolves will houle againſt the Moone, though they cannot reach it. Saul, Saul, ſaith Chriſt, ſeeing him make havocke of the Church, why perſecutest thou me? I am Ieſus whom thou perſecuteſt, Act. 9.4.5. and Ieſus was then in Heaven, but we know, the head will ſay, and that properly, when the foote is trod upon, why tread you upon me?
Wicked men are like that great Dragon, that old Serpent, called the Devill, and Sathan, Rev. 12. who when he could not prevaile againſt Michael himſelfe, nor purſue that man child, Chriſt, he being taken up to God, and to his Throne; waged ſpitefull and perpetuall warre with the Woman, who had brought forth the man Child, that is, with the Church, and the remnant of her ſeede, which keepe the Commandements of God, and have the teſtimony of Ieſus Chriſt.
Hiſtory reports, how one being to fight with a Duke in a Duel, or ſingle combat; that he might be more expert, and doe it with the greater courage, got his picture, and every day thruſt at it with his ſword: and onelyonly to deface the picture of an enemy, when we cannot come at his perſon, hath a little eaſed the ſpleene of ſome. It contents the Dog, to gnaw the ſtone, when he cannot reach the thrower. It was well pleaſing to Saul, ſince he could not catch David, that he might have the blood of Ahimelech, who uſed him ſo friendly, and relieved him in his great diſtreſſe, 1 Sam. 21. ſo though theſe men cannot wreake their malice upon God, he being out of their power and reach, yet, that they may doe him all the miſchiefe they can, have at his Image, they will wreake it upon his children, in whom his Spirit dwells: as Mithridates kild his Sonne Siphares, to be revenged of the mother: or as Progne ſlew her Sonne Itys, to ſpite her husband Tereus; or as the Panther, that will fiercely aſſault the picture, for the inveterate and deadly hatred which he beareth to man: or as Caligula cauſed a very faire houſe to be defaced, for the pleaſure his Mother had received in the ſame; it being as true of malice, as it is of love, that it will creepe, where it cannot goe.
Which being ſo, ſhewes that this thy ſinne is not ſmall: for if one revile or ſlander his equall, it is an offence, and may beare an Action of the caſe; but if a Noble man, it is Scandalum Magnatum, deſerving ſharper puniſhment; and if the King, it is Treaſon, and worthy of death: then how foule muſt that ſinne be, which is a treſpaſſe committed directly againſt God, the King of Kings, 1 Sam. 2.25. and how fearefull the puniſhment?
Wherefore take heede what thou doſt, for as verily as Chriſt is King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, ſo will he daſh all thoſe peeces of earth, which riſe up againſt him, as a potters veſſell.
§ 134.
TRue it is, Though they are ſo blind that they think they love Godthey are ſo blind that though they doe hate God, and his graces, where ever they finde them, and deſperately fight againſt the moſt high, yet they thinke they love God, or, at leaſt, doe not hate him; yea, what one is there of them, not ready to call for a Baſon, with Pilate, and to waſh his hands from this foule evill, with many faire pretences? yea, if they had no anſwer to frame, no falſe plea to put in, we might well ſay that Sathan were turned foole, and that his ſchollers had no braines left: but let the ſacred truth of holy Scripture be judge, and all the powers of their ſoules and bodies doe fight againſt him; not a finew, nor a veine, of theirs, but it wars againſt their Creator, Iohn, 15.23.24. which at laſt ſhall appeare, for (though they may diſſemble it for a time, yet) when vengeance ſhall ſeize upon them, then ſhall they openly and expreſſely blaſpheme him to his face, Revel. 16.9.11. common eyes may be cheated with eaſie pretexes, but he that lookes through the heart at the face, will one day anſwer their Apologies with ſcourages: yea, if a man could but feele the very pulſe of theſe mens ſoules, he ſhould find, that the foundation of their hatred and enmity to us, is their hatred againſt God, and Chriſt, the chiefe of the Womans ſeede: even as when Sathan ſlew Iob's ſervants, his malice was againſt Iob: or as when Saul darted a Speare at Ionathan, his ſpite was againſt David, 1 Sam. 20.33. or as when Sampſon burnt the corne, vineyards, and Olives of the Philiſtins, his quarrell was againſt his Father in Law, who was a Citizen of Timnah, Iudg. 15.
He that loves not the Members, was never a friend to the Head; he that wrongs the wife, is no friend to the husband; he loves neither, that vilifies either; lip-love, is but lying love; if thou lovedſt God heartily, thou wouldeſt love the things and perſons that he loves; vertue is the livery of the King of Heaven, and who would dare to arreſt one that weares his cloth, if he were not an Arch-Traytor and Rebell; if we loved him, we would love one another. When David could doe the Father Barzillay no good, by reaſon of his old age, he loved and honoured Chimham his Sonne, 2 Sam. 19.38. And to require the love of Ionathan, he ſhewed kindneſſe to Mephiboſheth: ſo if thou beareſt any good will to God, whom it is not in thy power to pleaſure, thou wilt ſhew thy thankefulneſſe to him, in his children, who are bone of his bone, and fleſh of his fleſh. Is our Ionathan gone? Yet we have many Mephiboſheths; and he that loves God, for his owne ſake, will love his Brother, for Gods ſake, eſpecially, when he hath loved us, as it were, on this condition, that we ſhould love one another; whereas thou hateſt the children of God, even for their very graces and vertues; for thou couldeſt love their perſons well enough, if they were not conſcionable. And ſo much of the eighth aggravation.
§ 135.
NInthly, 9 VVhom they wrong are their beſt friends to whom they owe their very lives.againe touching the party wronged, thy ſinne is incomparably greater, in as much as thou makeſt that the ſubject of thy deriſion, which is the onelyonly meanes of thy preſervation. Knoweſt thou not, or mayſt thou not know, how the wicked owe their lives unto thoſe few good, whom they hate and perſecute? It were bad enough to wrong enemies, but to wrong ſuch, by whom thou art preſerved alive, is abominable: but ſee it proved, for this may ſeeme incredible to thee,
The religious, whom thou perſecuteſt, keepe off judgements from thee, and the whole land.
1 By their innocency.
2 By their Prayers.
Firſt, 1 By their innocency.by their innocency. The Innocent (ſaith Eliphas) ſhall deliver the Iland, and it ſhall be preſerved, The religious keepe off judgements from them.by the pureneſſe of his hands, Iob. 22.30. Runne to and fro by the ſtreets of Hieruſalem, (ſaith God to Ieremiah) and behold now, and know, and enquire in the open places thereof, if ye can find a man, or if there be any that executeth judgment, and ſeeketh the truth, and I will ſpare it, Ier. 5.1. to which teſtimonies, I could add a world of examples, even all Noah's family, were preſerved from drowning in the generall Deluge, for Noah's ſake. In the deſtruction of Sodom, if ten righteous perſons could have beene found, the whole City had beene ſpared; ten, had ſaved ten thouſand, Gen. 18.29.32. yea, when there was no remedy, but deſtroyed it muſt be, the Angels promiſed Lot, whomſoever he brought forth ſhould eſcape for his ſake. Againe, God ſaved Zoar, a City belonging to Sodom, for Lot's ſake, Gen. 19.21. Now Zoar might happily be as bad as Sodom; but here was the difference, Zoar had a Lot within it; Sodome had none. Potiphar was a Heathen, yet his houſe ſhall be bleſſed, becauſe Ioſeph is in it: a whole family, yea, a whole Kingdome, ſhall fare the better for one deſpiſed, traduced, impriſoned Ioſeph, though he were ſold for a ſlave. Laban was cruell, churliſh, wicked, yet he ſhall be bleſſed for Iacob's ſake, Gen. 30.27. Among two hundred three ſcore and ſixteene ſoules, there was but one Paul; yet behold, ſaith the Angell, God hath given thee all that ſaile with thee, Acts, 27.24.44. Zacheus alone beleeved, yet this brought ſalvation to his whole houſe, Luk. 19. O the large bounty of God, which reacheth not to us onelyonly, but to ours!