Sin Stigmatized, Part 1 · Section 145 – Section 146
§ 145.
FOr though mercy rejoyceth against justice, Iames 2.13. His mercy rejoyceth againſt justice, but deſtroyeth not his justice.yet it destroyeth 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 bleſſings to thoſe which keepe his commande ments, and threatned all manner of judgements to thoſe that break themyet 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? Iſa. 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, VVicked men believe no part of Gods word really and in deed.which is flint, 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.