The Bibles Abstract and Epitome, Part 56
Gods Justice Sinne of one punished in another.
Children punished for the Sin of their Father.
HOw can God in Justice punish the children for the Fathers fault? Seeing theOb. Ezech. 18. 20. Ier. 31. 29. Gal. 6. 3.Lord himselfe saith, The Sonne shall not heare the iniquity of the Father.
Ans. 1 Man consisteth of a bodie, which we have from our Parents, and a souleDeut 4. 16. 2 King. 14. 6. Gal. 6. 5. which is given us immediately from God, both subject to corporall and temporall, spirituall and eternall punishments: Of vvhichwhich spirituall and eternall punishment, thou a…t to understand that of the Prophet (saying) The soule that sinneth shall die: The Sonne shall not heare the iniquity of the Father: But for corporall and temporall punishments, God visiteth the iniquity of the father upon the children: And so God judged the house of Eli for ever, because his sonnes ran into a slander. And so the whole body of the people is punished for the sinne of one1 Kin. 2. 27. Iosh. 22. 20. Deut. 21. or many, unlesse the sinne be satisfied. So God plagued the Israelites for the sin of Achan: and so threatned to doe if any murtherer escaped.
2. To this we may answer, as the Lord doth in Hosea, speaking to the Jewes, he bids them plead with their mother, comparing himselfe to a husband, shewingHos. 2. 21. that there is no fault in him, but that all the blamelies on the adulterous mother. For as an husband may without any fault put away the wife that hath dealt treacherously, and her adulterous brood also, because they be none of his children▪ So may God justly plague and forsake both the Parents and the wicked children of w…ked Parents.
3. T… punishment is fullfilled on the wicked children, when the Lord withholdeth … meanes of grace and the spirit of grace from them; as also in letting the children … their fathers evill vvaies to imitate the same, as also in giving them up to blindnesse …f mind, and hardnesse of heart, and such like, whereupon nothing else can be looked for, but that the children being forsaken of God should live most wickedly, and so move God to take vengeance upon them So the posterity of wicked Ahab, and also of Cham, heare the curse upon them, for the iniquity of their wicked fathers.
4. God dealeth herein, as man dealeth with the Serpent, who destroyeth both young and old, because they are enemies unto him, as also because he seeth they can doe nothing else but evill. So the Lord cutteth off the children of the wicked, for that he seeth if he should suffer them to remaine, they would be as bad as their fathers before him.
5. The will of God is just of it selfe, and that because it is his will which is mostRom. 9. 14. Chap. 11. 33. just, and the Authour and Rule of all Justice: who then art thou, O man, which pladest with God, whose wayes are unsearchable?
Sinned
Adam In eating the forbidden fruit: All mankinde suffered.Gen. 3. Gen 20. 1 King. 2…. 2 Ki…g. 12. 2 King. 16. 2 Chron. 28. 1 Sam. 21. Amos 7. 10. Josh. 7. … King. 15. Chap. 12. 12. Gen. 9.
Abimelech Taking Abrahams wife: All his kingdome was punished.
Ahab, and Iezebel Concerning Naboth: and all his posteritie were cut off, with fortie & two other, brethren unto Ahaziah the king.
Ahaz And many of his subjects were slain by the Assyrian.
Ahimelech In hearkning to David: and fourscore and five were slain.
Amaziah Accusing Amos: and his wives, sons, and daughters suffered.
Achan Taking the execrable things: and all his were stoned.
Baasha And all his posteritie, like Ieroboams, were destroyed.
Cham Discovering his fahters nakednesse: and his posteritie was cursed.
Certain Benjamites Abusing the Levits wife: & twenty five thousands were slain.Iudg. 19. 1 Sam. 6. Numb. 14. Matth. 27. 1 Sam. 5. Gen. 6. 2 Sam. 24. 2 Sam. 12. Dan. 6. Hos. 4. 6. Exod. 20. 5. Chap. 34 4. Numb. 14. 18. Deut. 5. 9. 2 Chron. 34. …1. Numb. 14. 33. Is… 1. 14. 21. Ier. 32. 18. L…m. 5. 7. Iob 17. 5. Ezek. 18. 2.
Certain Bethshemits Looking into the Ark of God: & fiftie thousand died of thē.
Certain Israelites Murmuring against God: and six hundred thousand perished.
Certain Jewes Wishing Christs bloud on them: and all became accursed.
Certain Men Setting Gods Ark by Dagon▪ & many of them were plagued.
Certain People Of the old world: yet all save Noah dyed in the floud.
David Numbring the people; and seventie thousand were slaine: and caused Ʋriahs death & the sword followed after him.
Daniels Accus. And their wives and children were cast into the Lions den.
The fathers And their iniquities were visited on their children.
And the Lords wrath fell on their children.
And a slaughter was prepared for their children.
And their iniquities were rendered into the bosome of their children.
And the eyes failed of their children.
And the teeth were set on edge of their children.
And Israel and Jerusalem was a reproch among men.Isai 43. Dan 9. Judg. …. 2 King. 5. 1 King. 2. 27.
Gideon Making the Ephod; and his posteritie was destroyed.
Gebazi Taking Naamans gifts, and his posteritie were leprous.
…li the Priest And his sons▪ & God tooke the priesthood from his posterity.
Haman Seeking to cut off the Jews: and many suffred for his villany.Esth. 7. 2 King. 10. 1 King 1…. 1 Ki. 2. 2 Sam. 3. 1 Sam. 14. Ionah 1. Gen 21. Numb. 16. 22.
Hezekiah Shewing his treasures: and his children went into captivitie.2 King. 9. 26. 2 Chro. 32. 25.
Ieroboam Setting up the golden calves▪ & his posterity were destroyed.
Ioab Killing Abner: and his bloud was of his seed required.
Ionathan Tasting hony: and the Lord was with all Israel displeased.
Ionah Flying to Ta…shish: and all the Marriners were tosted.
Ishmael Deriding Isaac: and his mother was with him banished.
Korah With his Confederates; and their wives & children perished.
Kain Murthering Abel; and all his posterity with the …arth was cursed.Gen. 4. Deut. 4. 21. Psal. 106. 32. 2 Ki. 18. Gen. 19. Ier. 14. 4. Isai. 43. 17. Micah 3. 11. Amos 6. 12. Jer. 6. 13. Ier. 9. 10.
Israelites And the Lord was with his faithful servant Moses displeased.Hos. 4. 6. 2 Chr. 34. 21. Num. 14. 13 Lam. 5. 7. Ezek. 18. 2.
King Ashur And fourescore and five thousand of his were destroyed.
Lots daughters Lying with their father: and their issue was accursed.
Manasseb Filling Jerusalem with bloud: and all his posteritie suffered.
The And Iacob and Israel was reproached, and accursed.
Magistrates They turned Judgement into gall, and the fruits of righteousnesse1 Sam. 5. 6. into Hemlock: and the Lord threatned to bring a nation against the people, by whom they should be afflicted.
Nimrod With his companies, and all languages were confounded.Gen. 11. Exo. 11. Hos. 4. 6 Gen. 12. Gen 49. Gen. 3. Gen. 34. Iudg. 15.
Pharaoh In detaining the Israelites; and all his people were plagued.
Pharaoh In taking Abrahams wife; & all his houshold was plagued.
Reuben Lying with Iacobs Concubine; his posteritie lost the dignity.
Satan Using the Serpent: and all the serpents brood was cursed.
Shechem Ravishing Dinah: and all the Shechemites were murthered.
Samson Burning the Philistine… corne: his wife and father were burned.
Saul Slaying the Gibeonites; and divers of his sons were hanged:1 Sā. 13. 13. & 31 as also the whole land was with three yeares famine punished.2 Sam. 21.
Sinned
Salomon Taking outlandish women, &c. And yet ten tribes were1 King. 11. Chap. 12. Ier. …9. 32. Numb. 11. & 14. 28. & 32. 9. Ier. 43. 27. 1 King. 24. rent from his posteritie, and given to his adversarie.
Shemaiah Prophesying falsly▪ and the Lord visited all his posteritie.
Ten Spies Bringing up an evil report on the land of Canaan; and the Lord was wroth with all Israels children.
Teachers Transgressingly; & the Princes of the Sanctuary were slain.
Zedekiah And the wrath of the Lord was against all Jerusalem.
Mankinde And yet all creatures were thereby punished: yea, and Christ himself, to make satisfaction for the same, suffered the shamefull death of the crosse; the just for the unjust, doing1 Pet. 2. 22, 23. no sinne, neither was there guile found in his mouth; who in his own body bare our sinnes, that we being dead to sin, should live unto righteousnesse, and being freed from death, should at the last be raised by him to eternall life.
Oppressours And the whole land was punished.Ez…k. 12. 19. Ier. 14. 16.
Prophets Prophesying falsly▪ and men, women, and children perished.
The Lord saith If ye doe wickedly, ye shall perish, both ye and the king.1 S…. 1…. 25. Levit. 20. 5. & 26 …9 …. 2… 3. I…r. 13. 14. & 32. …. I… …. 5. & 2… …. Exod. 3…. Luk. 11. 51.
He will set his face against that man, and against his familie that goeth a whoring after other gods: He will visit the iniquities of the father upon the children to the third & fourth generation of them that hat… him: He will lay up the sorrows of their fathers for them,Isai. …5▪ 7. Iob 17. 5. and will measure their old work into their bosome.
Use.
Seeing God punisheth the child en the father sinning: This serves to rebuke those paren…s that by oppression, &c. goe about to better the estate of their children,Dan. 9. 16. Read Psal. 109. 14. thereby bringing Gods curse upon them.
This should teach us to pray God not to impute the sinnes of our fathers untoProv. 28. 2. Syr. 10. …. Dan. 9. 16. Syr. 10. 8. us: So did Daniel, who confessed his own sinnes, the sinnes of the people, and the sinnes of their Ancestou…s.