The True Doctrine of Justification Asserted and Vindicated, Lecture 10
LECTURE X.
JEREMIAH 50.20.
In thoſe daies, and at that time, the iniquity of Iudah ſhall be ſought for, &c.
LEt us in the next place conſider the particulars wherein Gods eye of anger doth manifeſt it ſelf upon his own children, How Gods anger manif…ſts it …elf upon his own children ſinning.if ſinning againſt him. The effect of his wrath may be conſidered in that which is temporal, or ſpiritual, or eternal; in all theſe Gods anger doth bring forth in one reſpect or other. For the temporal objects, take notice of theſe particulars; firſt,In temporals, 1. By involving them in common and ordinary afflictions When they ſin againſt God, they are involved in the common and ordinary afflictions, which do uſually accompany ſin in the wicked: Thus 1 Cor. 11.30. for their unworthy receiving of the Sacrament (and ſome even of thoſe were godly, as appeareth v. 32.) many were weak and ſickly: weak, were ſuch as did languiſh, and ſickly is more, ſuch as had diſeaſes on them; now theſe were foreign, ſtrokes from God, and therefore came from his anger for their ſins. Though the Lords Supper conſiſt of a twofold bread, the one earthly for the body, the other heavenly the bread of life for the ſoul, yet both body and ſoul did miſerably decay, becauſe of unworthy receiving; This Table being as Chryſoſtom ſaid, menſa Aquilarum, not Graculorum, food for Eagles, not Jaies. As therefore thoſe children, who have fainting diſeaſes upon them, and do ſecretly eat ſalt, oatmeal, &c. though they have never ſuch excellent food at their fathers table, yet thrive not, but look pale, and conſuming; ſo it was with the Corinthians by reaſon of their corruptions, they inclined to death, though they fed on the bread of life. Now that theſe bodily diſeaſes are the common iſſue and fruit of ſin, appeareth Lev. 26.16. Deut. 28.22. grace therefore of juſtification can give no Supeſedeas to any diſeaſe that ſhall arreſt a believer offending; but are the wicked in Conſumptions, Agues, Feavers for their ſins? ſo are the godly; yea, the people of God are in theſe calamities before the wicked, Amos 3.2. You only have I known of all the Families of the earth; therefore I will puniſh you for all your iniquities. I have known you, that is, acknowledged ye for mine, ſee what that is, Exod. 19.5. A peculiar treaſure unto me above all people: The Hebrew word ſignifieth that which is dear and pretious, and to be deſired of all. This is aggravated by what followeth, for all the earth is mine, that is, ſeeing there are ſo many nations in the world, over whom I have full power and dominion; how great is Gods goodneſſe in taking you for his above others? now mark the Prophets reaſon, becauſe I have done this, therefore I will viſit you for your iniquities, for to all your other wickedneſſes you adde an ingratefull heart. So there is another place, 1 Pet. 4.17. where God is ſaid to judge them before others, and this hath been a great offence to the godly; It is time, that is, a ſeaſonable opportunity by the decree and appointment of God, for judgement, that is, chaſtiſements for former ſins, which are called judgements, becauſe they are publique teſtimonies and manifeſtations of Gods anger againſt ſins, and are to put the godly in minde of their ſins (only it is foreign not foreign in the original) The word is uſed even of the godly, 1 Cor. 11.31, 32. 1 Pet. 4.6. By the houſe of God he meaneth the true Members of the Church, and whereas he ſaith it begins in them, he thereby intimates, that the godly in this life are more expoſed to afflictions for ſin, then the wicked are, and this made David and Jeremy ſo expoſtulate with God in this matter, ſo that the godly in their afflictions ought to ſay, as that widow of Sarepta, 2 Kin. 17.18. This is to call my ſin to remembrance.
It is thought the Apoſtle, though he doth not expreſly mention a place, yet he takes this out of the Doctrine of the old Teſtament, for ſo God did begin firſt with his people, Iſa. 10.12. Jer. 25.17, 18. Ezek. 9.6. begin at my Sanctuary, Ezek. 21.4. There God in publique calamities maketh no difference between the righteous and the ungodly; now this is ſo great, that the Apoſtle ſaith, the righteous is hardly ſaved: The word foreign is uſed of thoſe things that with much labour are brought about, Act. 14.18. Act. 27.7. Theſe tribulations are ſo great, that they almoſt deſtroy the godly themſelves: ſee alſo Jam. 5.13. Is any ſick, where the godly man is ſuppoſed to be ſick, and the cauſe (if he hath committed ſin) that is, ſuch ſins as were the cauſes of that diſeaſe, they ſhall be forgiven him; ſo that even juſtified perſons afflicted by diſeaſes, are to inquire what ſins the Lord would humble them for, and to labour that the ſickneſſe of the body, be the ſanctified occaſion of the health of the ſoul.
2. Gods anger is ſeen in bringing extraordinary and unuſual calamities upon them becauſe of their ſins;2. In bringing extraordinary and unuſuall calamities. ſo that they have ſtrange puniſhments, which even the wicked do many times eſcape: Jonah who endeavoured to flie from Gods face (and that he might eaſily have done by Antinomian Doctrine) with what a prodigious judgement was he overtaken? Jonah 2. The Prophet cals it the belly of hell; and how deeply his ſoul was afflicted under that puniſhment, appeareth, in that he ſaith, his ſoul fainted within him, and he concluded, he was caſt out of Gods ſight.
He that voluntarily ran from Gods preſence, doth now bewail that he is caſt from it. He makes the Whales belly an houſe of praier, and this came up to God, in his holy Temple, that is Heaven. You ſee by this, that God prepareth ſtrange judgements ſometimes for thoſe that offend him, though his children: ſo in that 1 Cor. 11.30. when he ſaith, that many of the Corinthians were dead for their unworthy receiving, it is to be underſtood of an immature and untimely death; they did not live out to the term of thoſe daies, that according to natural cauſes they might have done, ſo that it is the ſame with being [cut off] in the old Teſtament, Exod. 12.15. Whoſoever did eat the Paſſeover with leaven was to be cut off from Iſrael: Therefore even godly men may procure to themſelves untimely deaths, and may provoke God to cut them off in the midſt of their years.
3. Yea further,3. By ſtriking with ſudden d…ath. God may not only afflict them in an extraordinary manner, but even ſtrike them with ſudden death, and that while their ſins are upon them. I will not inſtance in Ananias and Saphira, nor in Nadab and Abihu, though ſome have thought charitably of them; we have a clear inſtance in Ʋzzah wherein Gods anger was ſo apparent, by ſtriking him ſuddenly dead, that the thing is ſaid to diſpleaſe David, 2 Sam. 6.7. The anger of God was kindled againſt Ʋzzah, and he ſmote him for his error. His error was not, becauſe he was not a Levite, for its plain he was, but becauſe they put the Ark upon a new cart, whereas they ſhould have carried it upon their ſhoulders; although its thought the carrying of the Ark was limited only to the Levites that were the ſons of Kohath, and that no other Levite might touch the Ark, which if ſo, then it was a ſecond offence againſt the Law, becauſe he touched it; and indeed this ſeemeth to be the proper cauſe, becauſe it was a perſonal fault of Ʋzzah, whereas the putting of it on a new cart, was the error of others beſides him.
Thus Ʋzzah in his very ſins is ſtricken dead; you have likewiſe another ſad example of Ely, Lege hiſtoriam, ne fias hiſtoria, 1 Sam 4.18. Becauſe he failed in the meaſure of zeal about the reproof of his ſons, therefore he fell backward and broke his neck; Ely manifeſted his pious affections, in ſubmitting to the hand of God puniſhing, and in being more affected with the publique calamity, then his own private, yet this is his ſad Tragical end.
4. Gods anger reaches to t…eir children, and what is dear to them.4. Gods anger doth not limit it ſelf to them only, but it reacheth even to their children, and to thoſe that are dear to them. Thus Davids childe is ſtricken dead, for his ſin; and thus Flies daughter gives up the ghoſt with ſad grief. The family both of David and Ely, have remarkable calamities following them, and all becauſe of their ſins. When any of Elies poſterity ſhall be forced to crouch for a morſell of bread, this is a Memento of Elies ſin.
Here a man may ſee the ſeed of the righteous begging bread, but for their Parents ſins; Therefore that of David▪ Pſal. 36. muſt not be underſtood univerſally. That this calamity may the more wound his heart, God telleth him what he will do to his houſe after his death; if any were left alive, it ſhould be like that indulgence to Cain, to carry up and down a token of Gods diſpleaſure; and if you ask for how long ſhould this anger of God endure, 1 Sam. 3.14. His iniquity muſt not be purged away from that houſe for ever. Well may the Scripture ſay, that whoſoever heareth this judgement of God, his ears ſhall tingle. By this inſtance, how watchfull ſhould godly parents be, leſt for their ſins committed, a curſe ſhould cleave to the family for many generations? I acknowledge theſe calamities as they fel upon Ely a godly man, ſo they were wholſome medicines, and fatherly corrections, but as they came on his wicked children, or poſterity continuing in wickedneſſe, ſo they were ſtrictly, and properly, puniſhments.
Laſtly,5. Theſe temporal evils wil r…ach to the publike Church and State wherein they live. Theſe temporal evils will reach even to the publique Church and State wherein they live, ſo that the ſins of godly men may help to pull down publique judgements. Thus it was with Hezekiah, for his unthankfulnes and pride, there was wrath upon Judah and Jeruſalem, 2 Chron. 32.25. ſo Davids ſin in numbring the people, it was the death of many thouſand in Iſrael; for Elies ſin, the Iſraelites are ſlain in the Army, and the Ark is taken. Hence you have Eſay, Daniel and Ezra joining themſelves in the number with others, who made publike confeſſions of their ſins upon daies of humiliation. It is therefore a curſed and ſecure opinion, that faith, the godly when they keep Faſt-daies, do it not, becauſe they have any ſins that God puniſheth, b…t becauſe of wicked men. The Scripture doth manife…t the contrary, and the holieſt men living do bring ſome ſparks and fire-brands to increaſe the wrath of God, and therefore they ought to bring their buckets for the quenching of it.
The aggravation of this anger will appear, if you conſider,God is angry at the leaſt ſins. what kinde of ſins they have been for which God hath been ſo ſore diſpleaſed, and in them enumerated, or inſtanced in, you may perceive they were the Belzebub-ſins, the firſt-born of iniquities: Ʋzzah failed only in the order God had appointed, what he did was out of care, and a good intention; yet the Lord ſmiteth him; ſo Moſes was denied entring into the land of Canaan▪ which was an heavy affliction to him, becauſe he ſpake unadviſedly with his lips: Commentators are at loſs to finde out what his ſin was. So Davids ſin in numbring the people, its diſputed wherein the tranſgreſſion lay. Elies heavy judgements that came ſo frequently one upon another, were for a want of that meaſure of zeal which ſhould have burnt within him. Oh therefore conſider that God doth not only ſee ſins, that are mountains▪ but that are mole-hils comparatively: He doth not only ſee the beams, but the motes that are in us; he doth not only take notice of our mire and vomit, if we return to that, but of the leaſt ſpot and wrinkle; how deeply maieſt thou humble thy ſelf under every Religious duty performed by thee. How often do we fail in the manner of a command, as Ʋzzah in the order? How often out of pride and ſelf-confidence do we number our earthly props, and refuges, relying upon them? How unadviſed are our thoughts and words? now theſe hairs of ſins (as I may ſo call them, both for number and ſeeming littleneſſe) are all numbred before God.
God angry at errors in judgements and falſe opinions.As the Lord is angry with theſe leſſer ſins and defects in graces; ſo alſo for Errors in Judgements, and falſe opinions: How well would it be for the Antinomian, if God did not ſee this ſin in them, that they hold, he ſeeth no ſin in Believers? I fear me God ſeeth, and taketh notice of their erroneous Sermons, of their corrupt Doctrines and ſeducing Books. There are indeed thoſe, who would make hereſie, almoſt innocency, and that it is more to be pitied then puniſhed, but the Apoſtle, Gal. 5. reckons hereſies among groſs ſins, ſuch as exclude from the Kingdom of heaven; and how ſevere Gods anger is to thoſe who do erre, though in leſs matters, and although they keep the foundation, appeareth in that notable place, 1 Cor. 3.12, 13, 14, 15.
It is a difficult place, and thoſe that would build Purgatory out of it, they are the Architects of that hay and ſtubble the text ſpeaks of. Not to join with that expoſition of ſome, who by hay and ſtubble, do underſtand evil works; nor with Beza, who denieth it to be meant of falſe doctrine, but only of the manner of preaching: He makes the building of gold and ſilver, &c. to be the pure and ſincere doctrine of Chriſt; the hay and ſtubble to be the vain affecting of eloquence and words; but I rather go along with thoſe that interpret the place of falſe doctrines, but not ſuch as do overthrow the foundation; only they build ſuperfluous & unſound doctrine, upon the true foundation, which is as uncomely, as if you ſhould ſee a royall palace, which hath gold for the foundation, and precious ſtones for the wals, yet have the covering of ſtraw and ſtubble; what deformity would this be? yet ſo it is with the beſt preachers that are, who yet adde ſome errors to the ſound Doctrine they deliver. Now for the opening of the place, it is wholly Allegorical; The preachers of Gods word are builders, and they are to raiſe up a ſtately palace; the materials are compared to gold and ſilver, to precious ſtones. The place is an alluſion to Iſa. 54.12. I will make thy windows of Agats, and thy gates of Carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleaſant ſtones; it is a deſcription of the precious Graces and Doctrines which the Miniſters of God are cloathed with; and this ſheweth with what eſteem and high price all the truths of Chriſt ought to be received by you. The Ark, Ex. 25.3, 4, 5, 6. was to be made of gold, ſilver, and other precious materials; this is the nature of true Doctrine. Now falſe Doctrine, though it be not in fundamentals, but in meer acceſſories, is called hay and ſtubble, and he that preacheth theſe ſhall come to a ſevere trial. Every mans work, ſaith the Text, ſhall be made manifeſt; where you ſee the ſpreading of falſe Doctrine, is called the work of a man, as in the ſecond Epiſt. of John, its called evil deeds; and this evil work hath a two-fold effect; Firſt, it makes the owner to ſuffer loſſe, that is, all that labour and pains he hath taken ſhall bring him no profit, whereas if he had imployed himſelf in the truth, his reward would have been great. The lucrum ceſſans is as great a loſſe, as the damnum emergens. Oh! what a fearfull thing will it be for falſe teachers, who have made it their whole buſineſs to ſpread new opinions, to loſe all their labour! The other effect is, that though he be ſaved, yet it ſhall be ſo as by fire, that is, he ſhall be in extream danger, and he ſhall have ſad tribulations and miſeries falling upon him; ſee the like phraſe Jude 23. pulling them out of the fire. That which thou comforteſt thy ſelf with, and glorieſt in, as if it were perſecution, it may be is nothing but part of the fire in the Text, which is to afflict thee, that thy droſſe may be purged out: let therefore all falſe teachers (though belonging to God) expect a fire of burning, great afflictions and tribulations. And if Antinomians have trouble for their Doctrine, they are bound to believe God chaſtiſeth them for this very opinion, that he doth not chaſtiſe for ſin. I have bin the longer on this place, becauſe of the multitude of hay and ſtubble that is built every where. God will have his day, when a fire ſhall riſe to conſume it all, and the true Doctrine will only continue. The Apoſtle ſpeaks as terribly afterwards, v. 17. If any man defile the temple of God, him ſhall God deſtroy, where the Apoſtle calleth the Corinthians, The temple of God: now this is not ſo much true of every ſingle Chriſtian, as when collected together in a Church or body; and the Spirit dwelling among them, is much more admirable then his preſence in the Ark; and he defileth this Temple, who by any falſe Doctrine and error, corrupts that ſociety; now the greatneſs of this ſin is ſeen by the words following, The Lord will deſtroy him, for ſo foreign is the ſame with foreign, ſo that as God deſtroyed Athaliah, and Beltaſhazzar for prophaning the Temple, and the offerings or gifts of the Temple, no leſſe puniſhment (unleſſe they repent) ſhall fall upon thoſe who pervert the Doctrines of Chriſt.
Manifeſ…ation of Gods anger to believers ſinning in ſpiritual and internal things. 1. In matter of conſol…tion.I come to the ſecond demonſtration of Gods anger to believers when ſinning, and that is in ſpiritual and internal things; now they are of two ſorts; firſt, the conſolations of the holy Ghoſt, with the light of Gods favour; ſecondly, the flouriſhing and ſprouting of the graces of ſanctification; In both theſe you ſhall finde the godly man after ſin much withered. What anger in the firſt ſenſe, after ſin, the godly may feel, David will abundantly tell you, Pſ. 11. he cals it the breaking of his bones; you know how terrible and grievous that is, and in the godly this muſt be the more terrible, becauſe they are of a more tender apprehenſion: As they ſay, Chriſts bodily pain was more then other mens could be, becauſe of the excellent temper and tender conſtitution of his body; ſo it is with the godly, every expreſſion of Gods anger, fals like a drop of ſcalding lead into a mans eye; the conſcience of the believer, when once awakened, feels every frown of God like an hell. Thus after the committing of groſs ſin, God hides his face, and then for the while, they are like ſo many Cains and Judas's, crying out, Their ſin is greater then they can bear; and truly this worm would never die, this fire would never be quenched in them, did not God again take them into favor; there is no difference between a man damned in hell, and a godly man troubled in conſcience, but the adjunct of time, one is perpetual, and the other is not. Now our Divines ſay, That eternity is not eſſential to the puniſhment of hell (for Chriſt ſuffered the torments of hell for us, which yet were not in time eternal) but accidental, becauſe thoſe in hell are not able to ſatisfie Gods juſtice, therefore they muſt continue there till they have paid the laſt farthing, which becauſe they cannot do to all eternity, therfore they are tormented for ever. Look upon David again in Pſal. 32.3, 4. How it fared with him, becauſe of his ſins; My bones waxed old, through my roaring all the day long, my moiſture is turned into the drought of Summer; Did David ſpeak theſe things hyperbolically and rhetorically only? Did he not finde ſuch anguiſh, and conſumption in his ſoul, that he thought no words could expreſs it? and all this he ſaith, was becauſe of ſin; O then believe this and tremble, leſt ſuch a whale of ſorrow and grief ſhould ſwallow thee up, as did David. Thus it was alſo with the inceſtuous perſon, the devil was ready to ſwallow him up; he was delivered to him to be tormented by him; and can all this be done, yet God take no notice of ſin? As the godly in this life time, may have that joy in the Goſpel, which paſſeth all underſtanding, and more then the heart can perceive; ſo they may have for ſin ſuch trouble, and ſpiritual deſertions, that ſhall make every thing, their chamber, the field, a very hell to them; and David in many Pſalms manifeſteth ſuch deſolation upon his ſoul; eſpecially this is ſeen in lapſes, when perſecutions do abound, and men through fear have denied that truth, which in their conſciences they were aſſured of. We may read in Eccleſiaſtical Hiſtories of the grievous wounds and gaſhes, Gods people through frailty have made upon their own ſouls. And as it is thus in matter of conſolation, ſo in the particular of ſanctification, …. In ſanctification.how may you obſerve ſome, who have been planted by Gods grace like a Paradiſe, through their negligence and corruptions become like a parched wilderneſs? was not David in his fall, till recovered, like a tree in winter? though the moiſture of grace was within, yet nothing did outwardly appear; Was he not like Samſon when his hair was cut off, not able to break the cords of ſin he was tied in? ſome have thought a godly man can no more fall from the degrees of grace, then the eſſence & ſtate of grace; but if ſin increaſe and grow, certainly grace muſt decreaſe, for whether ſin expel grace meritoriouſly only, or formally, ſtill the introduction of the one muſt be the expulſion of the other. Thus Rev. 2. the Church is reproved for abating in her firſt love; and the people of God complain, Why haſt thou hardened our hearts from thy fear? Iſa. 63.17. not that God doth infuſe hardneſs, but only he denieth mollifying grace. And certainly a gracious tender heart, muſt fear a deliverance up to hardneſſe more then up to Satan, Illud eſt cor durum, quod non trepidat ad nomen cordis duri, ſaid Bernard, That is an hard heart, which doth not tremble at the name of an hard heart. A godly man therefore may ſo provoké God, that he be left in a ſenſleſſe, ſtupid way, acting ſin without tender remorſe, and ſecurely lying down therein.
The manifeſtation of Gods anger Eternal.Laſtly, The anger of God eternal cannot indeed be in the event upon him, but yet it doth conditionally oblige him till he doth repent, ſo that you may ſuppoſe a Believer to be damned, if you ſuppoſe him not to repent. A conditional Propoſition, Nihil ponit in eſſe, but it doth in poſſe, and therefore the Scripture makes ſuch hypothetical Propoſitions, wherein a poſſibility of Apoſtacy is ſuppoſed in the godly, if left to themſelves; as in that famous place, Ezek. 18.14. When the righteous man turneth away from his righteouſneſſe, and committeth iniquity, all his righteouſneſſe ſhall not be mentioned, in his ſins he ſhall die. This place is not (as ſome do) to be underſtood of a righteous man in appearance only, for its oppoſed to a wicked man in reality; and it is ſuch a righteouſneſſe, that if continued in, he ſhould have lived eternally. Neither may we ſtretch it to an apoſtacy from the ſtate of Juſtification, as others do; but it is to be underſtood as comminatory, by way of threatning and ſuppoſition: for it is true, that if a godly man ſhould forſake his righteouſneſſe, it would not be remembred to him; and therefore if you ſuppoſe a juſtified perſon not to repent of his grievous ſins committed, you may alſo ſuppoſe him to die in the diſpleaſure and eternal wrath of God: but this is more exactly to be conſidered of, when we handle that Queſtion, Whether Remiſſion of ſin obtained, may be fruſtrated and made void by new ſubſequent actual ſins?