Sin Stigmatized, Part 2 · Section 196
§ 196.
BUt leaſt this ſhould not ſuffice: Five reaſons of breaking off ſociety with our vicious conſorts.ſee ſome reaſons to enforce thee thereunto, 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 Jnfected by them, nor partake of their ſinnes.
3. That We may not be Jnfeoffed in their puniſhments.
4. 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 looke into themſelvesthat 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 Timothy 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: dut 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 fober, 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.