Inquiry for a Suitable Return for Continued Life In and After Time of Plague, Part 2 · Section 9 – Section 10
SECT. IX.
III. Deliverances make wicked men worſe.WIcked men are oftentimes worſe by Gods delivering them from Judgements and calamitous diſtreſſes. Take a wicked man upon his ſick bed, when God is ſhaking him over the Grave, and threatning him with death, and affrighting him with the terrours of Hell, you ſhall hear him acknowledge his ſin, confeſſing his drunkenneſs, his neglect of his ſoul, and you ſhall hear him, it may be, with tears in his eyes promiſing, if God will raiſe him from his ſickneſs, and truſt him with life and time a little longer, he will forſake his wicked company, and prophane the Sabbath no more; If God will but try me (ſaith the ſick, dying man) how will I live, and what will I doe, and how obedient will I be to the Commands of God: And when God anſwereth his deſires in his reſtoration, he performeth not his Promiſe in his reformation, but is more wicked and more vile than before. You might ſee this in Pharaoh, when the Plagues were upon him, Oh then ſend for Moſes, and let him entreat the Lord for me, and then I will let Iſrael goe: then he confeſſeth, I and my people have ſinned, but the Lord is righteous. Though many wicked men, will not acknowledge nor confeſs their ſin in times of Judgement, ſo much as an hardened Pharaoh did. But yet when the Plagues were removed he hardened himſelf more againſt God ſtill. Read Exod. 8.8.15.24.28.32. and 9.23.27. So Nehem. 9.27, 28, 29, 30. And the Reaſons are,
1. Becauſe after Judgements removed, they are more ſecure, and think the bitterneſs of death is paſt.
2. Becauſe they break their promiſes made to God in time of Judgements, and ſo their ſin is greater, and their guilt is greater, and therefore they the worſer, of this more under another Direction.
3. Becauſe Judgement is removed from them before they are purged from their ſin. When the Plaiſter is taken off before the ſore is healed, it will be worſe: the courſe of phyſick is not continued, till the vitious humours are diſperſed and purged away; but Gods people deſire the cure may be wrought, before the Affliction be removed. But Pharaoh was for the removing of the Plagues, but not the hardneſs of his heart.
4. Becauſe they adde Incorrigibleneſs unto all their former ſins, and muſt anſwer for all thoſe Judgements that were loſt upon them. Wicked men ſhall not only anſwer for their Mercies, but for the Judgements God ſent upon them to reclaim them; Sinner, God ſent the Plague into thy houſe, and then he looked thou ſhouldeſt have haſtened to have thrown ſin out of thy heart; but thou haſt not done it: God did caſt thee upon a bed of ſickneſs, but thy bed of ſickneſs was not to thee a bed of ſorrow for thy ſin, thou howledſt, and cryedſt our of thy loathſom running-ſores, but not of thy filthy heart, and more loathſome ſins; thy body was pained, but thy heart not broken; thou haſt been puniſhed and delivered, but art not reformed: but know, the more thou haſt ſinned, and the more thou haſt been puniſhed here, and yet ſin ſtill, the more ſhalt thou be tormented in hell. For theſe thou ſhouldeſt look upon as means, which God doth uſe to bring thee to himſelf, and the more means thou hardeneſt thy ſelf againſt, the more is thy ſin, and the more ſhal be thy miſery.
Thus wicked men are oftentimes the worſe by Gods Providences. But if this be thy caſe that readeſt theſe Lines, that waſt a drunkard before, and wilt be drunk more frequently now; that waſt a lukewarm Formaliſt before the Plague begun, but now thou art quite cold in the matters of Religion; I charge thee in the Name and fear of the Eternal God, that thou preſently bethink thy ſelf, what an aggravation this will be of thy continued and increaſed wickedneſs, and that thou turn from it, leaſt God turn thy body into the grave by ſome other diſtemper, as an Ague, or Feaver, or Conſumption, though he did not by the Plague. Oh think with thy ſelf, God hath taken away ſome of thy ſinful Companions, that were wont to be drunk and ſwear with thee, who if God ſhould bring them back again from the dead, would tell thee that they are damned for their Drunkenneſs, and that they have been in Hell among Devils, and have felt the wrath of God to be heavy and intolerable, for thoſe very ſins they have committed in thy company, and thou with them: Would not they tell thee, if they had thy time, they would pray, but ſwear prophanely no more, if God had ſuffered them to out-live the Plague; or would after death and tryal of the torments of Hell, entruſt them with life again, they would be better. Remember, ſome of them that the other day were drinking unto drunkenneſs in the Ale-houſe, dying in final impenitency, are now damned with the Devils; that ſome of them that the other day thou hadſt by the hand, and drunkeſt unto in the Tavern, and did ſing and roar together at your Cups, are now howling and roaring amongſt the damned, and are ſcorched in thoſe flames, and rowling in that Lake of brimſtone, where there ſhall be no mercy, no mitigation, no ceſſation of their torments: And know thou, whoever thou art, that if thou doſt not ſpeedily return to God, if thou doſt not mend thy life, and that quickly too, if thou doſt not repent and reform, and that quickly too, thou ſhalt be a companion with them in torments, with whom thou waſt companion in ſinning: It was but a few dayes ſince, that they were with thee upon the earth, and if thou art not changed, it will be but a few dayes hence, and thou ſhalt be with them in Hell, and when thou art there remember, once thou readeſt ſuch lines that told thee ſo. Therefore, if thou art not reſolved for Hell, be perſwaded to be better after ſuch an awakening Judgement; if thou valueſt thy ſoul, if thou haſt any fear of Hell and Wrath yet left in thee, let it work to a ſpeedy Reformation. Tell me, what if God had ſet thee in ſome place, when five, ſix, ſeven thouſand dyed in a Week of the dreadful Plague (amongſt whom no doubt but many went to Heaven, and are now viewing the Son of God, &c.) that thou mighteſt have ſeen, impenitent Drunkards, and impenitent Worldlings, and impenitent Swearers, ſeized upon by Devils, and carried into torments, gone crouding in at the broad gate into pains eternal and unſpeakable, and couldſt but have heard their words, or perceive their apprehenſions of their manner of life upon the earth, how would this have affected thee? after ſuch a ſight as this what wouldſt thou doe? Be drunk ſtill? wouldſt thou be a Sweater and a Worldling ſtill? a Formaliſt and Hypocrite ſtill? then, if thou wilt be damned, goe on, who can help it? But rather return, repent, that thou mighteſt have everlaſting cauſe to admire God, that thou dyedſt not in this Plague, till thou repenteſt of thy ſin, and waſt prepared for another World.
SECT. X.
Wicked men are worſe,Secondly, WIcked men will be worſe under the diſpenſations of Gods Ordinances. But here I ſhall be the ſhorter, becauſe it hath been the Providence of God in the late Plague that hath moved me to this work, to which I would have my words have more immediate reference. Many wicked men are oftentimes the worſe
1. By the Word.For the Word of God and the preaching thereof: Not that there is any thing in the Word to make men ſo, but it is *Sciendum est, Evangelium non perimere quenquam▪ ſed evangelii contemptum. Bez. in 2 Cor. 2.16.accidental to the Word; it may be occaſioned by the Word, but cauſed by their own corruptions. Miniſters might preach till they waſte their ſtrength, and yet they will be Whoremongers and Adulterers ſtill, they will be envious and malicious ſtill. The ſame Sun that ſoftens the Wax, doth harden the Clay: Obed-Edom was bleſſed for the Ark of God, but the Philiſtines were curſed for it. Ungodly men ſuck poyſon from the ſweet Flowers of Gods Word, which yields nouriſhment to the ſouls of Gods people. Weak eyes are the ſorer if they look upon the Sun. Naturaliſts obſerve, that the fragrancy of precious Oyntments is wholſom for the Dove, but it kills the Beetle; and that Vultures are killed with the Oyl of Roſes. And St. Paul, that the Word is to ſome, the ſavour of life unto life, and to others, the ſavour of death unto death, 2 Cor. 2.16, 17.
2. By the Sacrament.For the Sacrament of the Lords Supper. That which is to Believers, Calix Vitae, a cup of Life, is to Unbelievers Calix Mortis, a cup of Death. Wicked men call good evil,Grande id nefas, quando remedium, non modo, non proficit aegro ſed in venenum vertitur. Par. in 1 Cor. 11. ſo they turn that which is good in it ſelf, to be evil unto them. Donum male utentibus nocet. Good becomes evil to thoſe that uſe it not aright. St. Paul, treating of the Sacrament ſayes, Ye come together not for the better, but for the worſe, 1 Cor. 11.17. The red Sea ſaved the Iſraelites, but drowned the Egyptians. And the reaſon why the Devil maketh drunkards and profane ſwearers ſo eager after this Sacrament (as our firſt Parents after the forbidden Fruit) is, becauſe he knowes it will do them harm, not good; as a bad ſtomach full of crudities turn the food received not into the nouriſhment of the body, but for the feeding of their humours. As a mans Sea-ſickneſs is occaſioned by the waves, but the foulneſs of his ſtomach is the cauſe thereof. They muſt needs be worſe, For (1) the Devil takes fuller poſſeſſion of their hearts: When Judas had eaten the ſop, the Devil entred into him; that's a fatal morſel, when the Devil follows it, Joh. 13.26, 27. (2) Their preſumption and falſe hopes of heaven are hereby ſtrengthened; they think, if they doe but receive, their ſins ſhall be pardoned, and their ſouls ſaved. (3) Their guilt is more encreaſed, becauſe they are guilty of the body and blood of Chriſt. This is dreadful guilt, this is a … fact. (4) They prophane Gods Ordinance, and abuſe Chriſts Inſtitution. (5) They are thereby riper for temporal Plagues, 1 Cor. 11.30 (6) They eat and haſten their own damnation, 1 Cor. 11.29. But I dwell not upon this, becauſe I muſt purſue my deſign in reference to the late providence in the dreadful Plague.