The Dead Saint Speaking to Saints and Sinners Living, Treatise 6 · Argument 4
4. Arguments from our enemies.
4 From our enemies.4 The fourth head of Arguments is taken from our enemies: which may induce us to Hope, that God will do a wonder for us. Conſider then,
1 Their former wickedneſs, which ſhall hunt them, and finde them out.
2 Their preſent ſinfulneſs, ſuch as theſe
1. Their Pride.
2. Their Prophaneneſs.
3. Their ſcorn and contempt of God and his wayes.
4. Their Cruelty.
5. Their Blaſphemies and Bloody-hell-born-Oathes.
All which induce mee to hope, That God will never give a bleſſing to the means, nor yet to the men. They have but eſcaped the hand of man, that they may fall into the hand of God: The Juſtice of men, that the Juſtice of God, who is a puniſher of ſin, a conſuming fire, might at once bee revenged of them. But I ſhall only give you two things to conſider of. Conſider then
1 The Perſons againſt whom they are.
2 The Perſons, who are againſt us.
1 The Perſons againſt whom they ſet themſelves. And that is, againſt his Church, his People, his Saints, his Mourners, his Sighers, his Prayers, his Members, his Treaſures, his Jewels: Such as are as dear to him as the apple of his eye: ſuch as hee hath ſaid, hee will give men for, and people for their life. — Yea, and therefore are they enemies to theſe, becauſe they are friends to God; becauſe they run not out with them in the ſame exceſs of Riot, as the Apoſtle ſaith.
2. Look upon the perſons who are againſt us. They are ſuch as are declared to bee Papiſts, Atheiſts, ſcorners and contemners of God and his waies: ſuch as are proud, prophane, cruel, and bloody-minded-men: haters of God, blaſphemers of his Name, by new and hel-born oathes; ſuch as have made themſelves obnoxious to the ſtroak of Juſtice. Many of whom have eſcaped the hand of man, that they may, I hope, fall into the hand of God, and the juſtice of man, that the juſtice of God might diſcover them, and finde them out, who will bee a ſad avenger of theſe things.
Thus doth the wickedneſs of the enemy ſpeak deliverance to the Church of God: when the Devil drives his ſervants ſo furiouſly, it is a ſign they will quickly bee at their journies end. VVhen Satans rage is violent, it is not long; Rev. 12.11. Woe bee to the Inhabitants of the Earth (that is, to the wicked, and the ungodly.) But rejoyce yee Heavens: (that is, yee Saints and People of God) why? For the Devil is come down, having great wrath. But can this bee a matter of rejoycing? Yea ſaith the Text, Becauſe hee hath but a ſhort time. VVhen the Devil comes down with great wrath, it prognoſticates his time is not long. VVhen men are grown ſo helliſh in their malice, their oathes and Blaſphemies, that they are become an abhorring and abomination to men: Then will God certainly eaſe himſelf, and unburden a Nation of them. You have ſomething to this, 2 Tim. 3.8, 9. when their wickedneſs, of whom the Apoſtle ſpeaks there, was abhorred of all men, Then (ſaith hee) they ſhall proceed no further.
Object. But you will tell mee, that this will not bee enough to perſwade with us, that God will do a wonder for us: For wee ſometimes read, that God hath given up the godly into the hands of wicked men, to bee puniſhed: as you read ordinarily in Scripture. And Habakkuk complains of the like, Hab. 1.17. Thou art of purer eyes, than to behold evil, and canſt not look on iniquity? Wherefore lookeſt thou upon them that deal treacherouſly, and holdeſt thy tongue, when the wicked devoureth the man, that is more righteous than himſelf?
Anſw. It is true. God hath ſometimes given up a people to others, who have been greater ſinners than themſelves. Hee hath given up one wicked Nation, to another that was more wicked than they. But wee do not read that God hath given up the good of one to the evil and wicked of the ſame Nation. But then
2. VVhen God hath done this; it hath been, when hee was highly diſpleaſed with his people, after hee hath ſent Prophets to warn them, to humble and reform them; and yet they would continue obſtinate in their evil wayes, and would not bee reformed: as hee tells us at large, 2 Chron. 36.15, 16.
3 VVhen God hath done this; it hath been, when his own people have been ſo involved, and inwrapped with them, that there was no ſeparating between them. And thus oftentimes the Saints may bee involved in the ſame general calamities with the bad, becauſe of that politick union and conjunction that is between the Members of a ſtate and Common-wealth. So in a Common-wealth univerſally ſinful, a few righteous men may as parts of that ſinful ſociety, bee juſtly ſubject to thoſe temporary evils, which the ſins of that ſociety have contracted upon them.
4 VVhen God hath done this, it hath been, when his own people have had communion with the ſins of them, with whom they live. VVhen there is a communion with the evill of ſin, wee muſt look for a communion with the evil of puniſhment. Oneneſs of ſin brings Oneneſs of ſufferings. But none of theſe are our caſe. For
1 VVee are not to bee delivered up to another Nation; but to thoſe, who are Vipers in our own: and the good to the bad.
2 Though wee were involved together; yet they have ſeparated themſelves from us; which if it had not been done, wee might ſuſpect, that ſuch Jona's would raiſe ſtorms.
Indeed, the way for wicked men to bee preſerved, is, to body themſelves with the Saints, is to abide by them; whiles the VVheat and …ares grew together, the Tares were preſerved. The Tares had not been preſerved, if they had not been in the field with the Wheat: But being there, God would not pluck up the Tares, leſt the Wheat alſo ſhould bee deſtroyed. But when the Wheat is gathered in; or if the Tares ſhall ſeparate themſelves from the Wheat, bundle themſelves together againſt the Saints: it is the ready way to their own deſtruction, that is the way to have no mercy; when God may deal with them ſingle, and there bee none with them to bear off the blow.
4. Gods People have not communion with them in their ſins.
1. They do not approve of them in their Judgements.
2. They do not conſent to them in their wills.
3. They do not act them in their lives. This is to have Communion.
No, but further,
1. They are grieved with them; as Lot was, his ſoul was grieved with the ſins of Sodom.
2. They are grieved for them; not only with them, but for them. They are matter of their mourning. Thus David ſhed rivers of tears, becauſe the wicked kept not Gods law, Ezek. 9.4. A mark was to bee ſet on the foreheads of them, who were Sighers and mourners for the ſins of Jeruſalem.
3. They are not only grieved with, and grieved for; but they Pray down, Preach down, mourn down, live down; the ſins of this ſinful Common-wealth; which may bee an argument to us, that God will preſerve us from that overflowing ſcourge, that devouring deluge, which he may bring upon wicked men.