Moses Choice, Treatise · Part 1 · Chapter 10
CHAP. X. Wicked men have pleaſures in ways of ſin, while Gods people endure much hardſhip in ways of holineſs.
THe ſecond point is, that God ſometimes gives wicked men pleaſure in the ways of ſin, whileſt Doct. 2.he ſuffers his own people to endure much affliction. The Iſraelites make the brick, and are under ſore bondage, and the Egyptians dwell in houſes, living in jollity and mirth. Thus it was with Elijah, he muſt flye for his life, and live in caves, and be fed by ravens, whileſt four hundred falſe prophets are fed deliciouſly at Jezabels table. While the King and Haman ſits drinking in the city, Shuſhan is in perplexity, Eſther 3. 15. Job ſays of the wicked, That Iob 21. 10. 13.they take the timbrel and harp, and rejoyce at the ſound of the Organ, they ſpend their time in wealth; but of himſelf he ſaith, that his calamity was heavier then the ſand of the ſea, that the arrows of the Almighty were within him, that the poyſon of them drank up his ſpirit, that the terrors of God did ſet themſelves in battle array againſt him. Chap. 6. 1, 2, 3. And David ſays of the wicked, that they are not in trouble as other men, their eyes ſtands out with fatneſs, they have more then their heart could wiſh; but for himſelf, all the day long he was plagued, and chaſtened every morning, Pſal. 73. Chriſt tells his Diſciples, the world ſhall rejoyce, but they ſhall have trouble.
But why does God thus ſuffer wicked men, to enjoy their pleaſure thus in the ways of ſin?Queſt.
Firſt, here is their portion, they are never like to have any other conſolation, but that they have here, Anſw. 1. Why the wicked proſper in this worldhere is their All. This is as it were their Kingdom; They are upon their own dunghil.
Secondly, God hath time enough hereafter to torment them, to make ſin bitter unto them, and 2.therefore he does not care though they have their pleaſure, and go on for a while in the enjoyment of their delights: And God hath time enough to glorifie his Saints, to give them everlaſting conſolation, and therefore although here they be cut ſhort of the pleaſures of the fleſh, God does not regard that.
Thirdly, God hereby would ſhew to all the world, his own fulneſs, and how little he eſteems of theſe 3.carnal things; they are but bones, therefore he gives them to dogs; they are but ſwill, even the very cream of them, therefore he lets ſwine have them. Luther in his Comment upon Geneſis, cap. 21. hath a notable vilifying expreſſion of the great things of the Turcicum Imperium quantum quantū eſt nihil est niſi panis mica quam dives pater familias projicit ca nibus.world, which God gives to wicked men; The Turkiſh Empire, ſays he, as great as it is, it is but a cruſt of bread, which the rich maſter of the family caſts to dogs: When retainers, when dogs have ſuch allowance, it is a ſign of a great deal of plenty in the houſe.
Fourthly, God grants pleaſure and proſperity in juſt judgement to them, to ripen their ſin, to harden them in it. The Sun-ſhine of proſperity ripens the Luth. in Gen. cap. 21.ſins of the wicked apace, and ſo fits them for deſtruction; this hardens them againſt the ways of God, it makes them bleſs themſelves in their way, They ſpend their days in wealth, therefore they ſay to God, depart from us, we deſire not the knowledge of thy ways; What is the Almighty, that we ſhould ſerve Iob 21. 13, 14. Nulla verior miſeriae quàm falſa laetitia. Bern. Tract. de gratia & lib. Arbit.him? There is no truer miſery, then falſe joy, ſays Bernard. There is a great difference between the proſperity of the wicked, and that which the godly have; God carries his people when he exalts them, as the Eagle her yong upon her wings, he exalts them to ſafety, according to that expreſſion that we have, Job 5. 11. that thoſe which mourn, may be exalted to ſafety; but when God exalts the wicked, he lifts them up as the Eagle lifts up her prey in her talons, he lifts them up to deſtroy them. It was a ſpeech of Auguſtine upon the 26 Pſalm; Many are Multi amando res noxias ſuni miſeri, habendo miſeriores.miſerable, by loving hurtful things, but they are more miſerable by having them; it is not what men enjoy, but the principle from whence it comes, that makes them happy.Auguſt in Pſal. 26.
Fifthly, God is a patient God, and in the day of his patience, even the wicked are ſuffered to enjoy their hearts deſire.
Obj. But it may be ſaid, God is patient towards his Obj.people, and yet they are afflicted.
Anſw. Thoſe afflictions that come upon Gods people, may better ſtand with the glory of patience, then Anſw.if the ſame things ſhould be upon the wicked, becauſe in the afflictions of the Saints, there is no revenge, there is no hatred in them, but if God ſhould inflict the ſame things upon the wicked, they would come out of revenge againſt them, and hatred of them, and ſo there would not be ſuch manifeſtation of that glory of patience, that God hath to manifeſt here in this world.
Hence let Gods people learn not to be greedy in Uſe 1. Ne magni pendamus terrenam faelicitatem quae malis etiam perun que conceditur. Auguſt. lib. 2. de civ. Dei. c. 23.their deſires after outward pleaſures; they are but the portion of dogs and reprobates. It is true, godly men may have them, but never as their portion, God hath afforded you better pleaſures, hath he not reſerved better things for you? As when we enjoy outward proſperity, we muſt not bleſs our ſelves in it, becauſe it is that which wicked men have; ſo when we are afflicted, our hearts muſt not be dejected, becauſe we are onelyonly deprived of that, which God gives moſt many times to thoſe that he hates moſt. God will keep his people from being prevailed againſt by this temptation. David was in this temptation, Pſal. 73. but he ſays, verſe 23. that God held him by his right hand: When men ſee how the world lives in pleaſure, and the Saints are afflicted, they are in danger of ſtumbling, but God holds his own by his right hand, that they fall not.
Secondly, let us learn, not to envy the men of the world, who live in pleaſures, who wallow in the ſenſual delights of this life. The reaſon why they take ſo much delight in ſuch things, is, becauſe they know no better, they ſeek after no better.
Ambroſe in his firſt Book de officiis, brings in Cur impi… letātur cur luxuriantur? cur etiam ipſi non mecum laborant? Non ſubſcripſerint ad coronam. Veni nobiſ. cum, &c. Laborate vos, ſine nobis coronae gloriā, ſi viceritis vindi cabitis. Ambroſ. li. 1. offic c. 16.godly men objecting thus, Why do the wicked rejoyce? why do they riot it out? why do not they labor as well as I? He anſwers, They have not put in for the crown; yea, ſays he, if you object thus, the wicked may anſwer you as the ſpectators in their Olympiack games, if thoſe that labor and wraſtle in them, ſhould call the ſpectators, and ſay, Come you, and labor, and ſtrive here as well as we; the ſpectators would anſwer, You without us ſhall get the glory of the crown, if you overcome.
Beſides, there is little cauſe we ſhould envy all their jollity, they muſt give an account for it, and dear. When a Soldier was to dye for taking a bunch of grapes againſt the Generals command, and going to execution he went eating his grapes, one of his fellows rebuked him, What, are you eating your grapes now? The poor man anſwers, I pray thee friend do not envy me theſe grapes, for they coſt me dear; ſo they did indeed, for they coſt him his life: and ſo will theſe vain delights of wicked men, they will coſt them their lives.
And yet further conſider, ere long things will turn, Gods people ſhall have pleaſure, and the world ſhall have afflictions: Affliction did I ſay? nay, Miſery with torment; time is at hand, when it ſhall be ſaid to every wicked man, Son, remember in thy life time thou hadſt pleaſure, and my ſervants who walked faithfully with me had affliction, but now thou art tormented, and they are comforted. Time is at hand when that Scripture ſhall be fulfilled, Eſay 65. 13, 14. Behold, my ſervants ſhall eat, and ye ſhall be hungry; my ſervants ſhall drink, and ye ſhall be thirſty; Uſe 3.my ſervants ſhall rejoyce, and ye ſhall be aſhamed; my ſervants ſhall ſing for joy of heart, and ye ſhall cry for ſorrow of heart, and ſhall howl for vexation of ſpirit.
Thirdly, let not wicked men bleſs themſelves in the enjoyment of their pleaſures; you have no other then thouſands have had before you, who are now in Hell. If that you have were of any great worth, you might be ſure you ſhould not have it; if you knew how the Lord brings about your deſtruction by your pleaſures, you would have little cauſe to rejoyce in them; Haman rejoyced, when Eſther invited him rather then others to the banquet, but if he had known that in his banquet there was a ſnare laid for his life, his heart would have faln, it would have been but a ſad banquet to him: certainly there is a great deal of evil, and miſery, and wrath, in being ſuffered to go on with delight and pleaſure in a ſinful way.
*Parcitur virga quoniā invenitur iniquitas ejus ad odiū uti que non ad irā: he calls it miſericordiam omni indignatione crudeliorem. Ber. declamat. Ecce reliquim… omnia.Bernard ſays, when God ſpares men in a ſinful way, it is becauſe God is not onelyonly angry with men, but hates them, he calls his mercy more cruel then all indignation. Origen in his Sermon upon Ex. 20. quotes Vis audire indignātis dei terribi lem vocem? audi quod dicit per prophetam, Non viſitabo ſuper filias veſtras, &c. hoc eſt terribile, hoc eſt extremum, cum non corriprimur, propeccat is. Orig.that place, Hoſ. 4. 14. I will not puniſh your daughters when they commit whoredom; and he hath this pathetical expreſſion upon it, God chaſtiſeth every ſoul whom he loveth: but would you hear the terrible voyce of Gods indignation, hear him by the Prophet Hoſea, when he had reckoned up many wicked Hom. 8. in Exod. 20.things which the people had committed, and he adds this, I will not viſit your daughters when they commit whoredom; this is terrible, this is in the height. And O infoelices & miſeros quando relinquit Deus homines ſibi ipſis, nec reſiſtit eorū furori & cupidi. tatibus, ſed vae illis ad quorū peccata connivet Deus. Luther in Gen. c. 37. Infoelicitatis eſt adverſa neſeire; miſerū tejudico quod non fuiſti miſer Ierom ad amicum. aegrot.Bernard ſpeaking of the ſame thing, in the 42 Sermon upon the Canticles, At the hearing onelyonly of this, ſays he, I tremble, then God is moſt angry, when he ſhews no anger; God keep me from this mercy, this kinde of mercy is worſe then all anger.
Luther hath an expreſſion much like, upon the 37. of Geneſis, O unhappy, and miſerable men, whom God leaves to themſelves, not reſiſting their luſts; wo to them whoſe ſins God ſeems to wink at. And Jerome writing to a ſick friend, hath this expreſſion, I account it a part of unhappineſs, not to know adverſity, I judge you to be miſerable, becauſe you have not been miſerable. Bernard in his Book de conſolat. cap. 3. Freedom from puniſhment, is the mother of ſecurity, the ſtep-mother of vertue, the poyſon of Religion, the moth of holineſs. Yea, this was ſeen by the purblinde eyes of the Heathen. Seneca in his fourth Chapter of his Book of Providence, hath the ſame words, that before was ſaid of Jerome, I Impunitas …ecuritatis mater, virtutum noverca, religionis virus, tenia ſanctitatis. Ber. Nihil nihi videtur infilicias eo cui nihil unquam evenit adverſi. apud. Sen. de. Prov.judge him miſerable, that was never miſerable. And Demetrius, Nothing ſeems more unhappy to me, then he to whom no adverſity hath happened. It were eaſie to multiply abundance in this kinde; it may be, teſtimonies of men may have ſome force to prevail with ſuch, who are given up by God to their pleaſures, to the enjoyment of earthly proſperity, and ſenſual delights; certainly they are not ſo happy as they judge themſelves to be; that which God denies to another in mercy, he may give thee in wrath. And thus much for this. I come to that which is a main thing in Moſes choyce.