Gods Call to England, Proposition 3
PROPOSITION 3.
Sinning after Deliverance, is the most hainous sinning. It renders sin exceeding great, to commit it after great mercies. It is a great sin, to count any sin small, that is committed against a great God: yet sin hath its aggravations, and admits of degrees, according to the circumstances under which 'tis committed. There are two things which render a sin most abominable; when sin is committed against light, and against love. They are no little nor light sins, that are aggravated with convictions by light: nor are sins against love of an inferiour nature; nothing more intolerable to Man or God, than to have ill will for good deeds. 'Tis sinful to render evil for evil to man, much more to render evil for good to God. What more provoking sight can be beheld, than a man impudent in evil under judgment, and barren in good under mercies? Affronts to love, are more unsufferable than Rebellion under displays of wrath. The highest unkindness, is the highest sinfulness. The sin of David is aggravated by the recording Gods kindness to him, 2 Sam. 12.7, 8, 9. I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul, and I gave thee thy masters house—And if that had been too little, I would moreover have given thee such and such things. Wherefore then hast thou despised the command of the Lord, to do this evil in his sight? To sin in the face of God when smiling upon us with unmerited mercy, is one of the greatest contempts can be cast upon God. To manifest our sinfulness, when we enjoy the greatest testimonies of goodness, is the height of madness. To withdraw our necks from an uneasie galling yoak, to rebel under the severities of a cruel Tyrant, to cast off the service of an imperious Master, may admit some excuse; but to wax wanton under mercies, to despise the clemency of Heaven, to deny obedience to a loving Father, is an offence indefendible, a crime unpardonable. When God would lay a people under a conviction of the hainousness of their crimes, he repeats his gracious dealings to them. Ierem. 2.20. Of old time I have broken thy yoke, i.e. When thou wert in Egyptian bondage under intolerable slavery, I set thee free: And thou saidst thou wouldst not transgress, yet thou hast slighted my favours, and broken thy vows; and under every green tree thou wandrest playing the harlot. And v. 22. this is noted for an indelible sin; such sins as these are not foreign, not written, but engraven: they are of the deepest die, and most permanent stain: Hos. 7.15. Though I have bound and strengthened their arms, yet do they imagine mischief against me. It hath an allusion to men with broken bones; Oh what would they give for a healing Chirurgion? what price would they give to be free from pain? so these in distress would promise any thing to God for deliverance: but, says the Lord, though I bound them up and cased them, though I strengthened them against the destructive assaults of their enemies, yet still with the highest wickedness and unkindness they imagine mischief against me: the more I did to engage them, the more they have done to dishonour me.
The people of Israel were charged with their sinning at Gilgal above all other places, Hos. 9.15. All their iniquity is in Gilgal. The Hebr. word foreign which we render all, signifies summum, praecipuum, i.e. their highest, chiefest, most notorious si… was at Gilgal; why there? because there it was they received abundance of mercies. Here was the great circumcision, when the reproach was rolled away, after they had past over Iordan, and arrived to the Land of Canaan, Iosh. 5.7. here Ioshua pitcht the twelve stones, the everlasting memorial of their wonderful deliverance out of Iordan, Iosh. 4.20. here was the beginning of the rest promised to them in the Land of Canaan. Now to be involved in sin, when encompast with so many mercies; to be forsaking God after such late experience of his goodness, this was the highest crime imaginable.
Now I shall lay down some particular aggravations of sins after deliverances, that so you may lament those you have committed, and labour to prevent them for the future.
1. Such sins most wretchedly cast a blot upon the most Holy God, as if he were a countenancer of sin, and a patron to persons Impieties, rather than a severe avenger of them. Christ was accounted a friend to Publicans and sinners, for shewing duplicate page duplicate page kindness unto them: and will not Atheistical wretches be ready to asperse the glorious God as a friend to sin, for improving his power to deliver such persons as improve his deliverance onelyonly for sin? 'Tis reported of one prophane Dionysius, that when by his covetous pilfering he had preyed on a Temples glory, and enricht himself with its Sacred Treasure, and after transporting his Treasures, escaping a fatal Shipwrack of which he was in danger, with the greatest impudence cryes out, How do the Gods love Sacriledge! Because he presumed they delivered him a Robber, he imagined they loved Robbery: Psal. 50.21. Because I kept silence, thou thoughtst me altogether such an one as thy self, i. e. Quod tuis maleficiis delector, Muis. Gods patient forbearance, made him reckon God unrighteous as himself. To go on in sin when delivered from ruine, is practically to say, I am delivered to sin. Such an Impiety was charged on the Jews, Ierem. 7.10. Will ye steal, and murder, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations? They were not come to that height of profaneness, to declare it in so many words; but by their ungodly courses after his gracious deliverances, they did as much as say it. What is this but to make God an unholy God? What greater aggravations of our sins can there be, than to cast dirt on the holiness of God, which is the aggravation of all his glory? Certainly, if God suffers dishonour by his exercising goodness to us, we shall suffer destruction for our abusing of it. God will shew no favour to those, who make him a favourer of sin.
2. Such sinning is so abominable, because 'tis a justification of all our former sins. This is in effect to say, We have done well enough in sinning; God is not angry with us, therefore we will still go on in our former courses, and follow our old wickednesses. How provoking must this needs be to God? when instead of a humiliation for sins, he sees a justification of them: instead of a contrite lamentation for our evils, he finds an audacious approbation of them. How can a holy God bear this at our hands? We cannot justifie the best of our actions before the Lord, how abominable then to justifie those that are apparent evils? It was very displeasing to God for Ionah to say, I do well to be angry. And shall we say, We did well to be proud and profane, to be drunkards and swearers? and what else is our persistence in sin, but a testimony of our allowance of it?
3. Such sinning, implies a daring provocation of God to destroy us. To despise God sparing and delivering, is to dare him to smite and destroy us. Not to care for deliverance, is as much as to say, we do not fear destruction, Isa. 5.19. Let him hasten his work that we may see it. This impudent expression either respects Gods power, q. d. let him do his worst, we fear not, as men that had over-grown Divine Justice, and become too big and too strong for the Almighties arm; or it may be spoken in respect of the Truths and threatnings declared by the Prophets challenging God to the accomplishment o… them. But will God suffer himself to b… dared by worms? can you daunt his unalterable courage? can you hold the Almighties hands, or lay bonds on his judgments, that they shall not destroy you Will God suffer his creatures to insult ove… him? are we out of his reach, that we fea… no ruine? can we match him with equa… forces? sure we are nothing to him. How then can he indure a challenge from us How can he suffer our sins after mercies? By these sins we are like those, Iob 15.25, 26. Who stretch out their hands against God, and strengthen themselves against the Almighty, &c. But who ever contended with him, and prospered? It will be dreadful to fall into the hands of a living God. And this will certainly be the portion of those that affront him with such daring provocations.
4. These sins are so hainous, as by them the delivering mercy of God is horribly undervalued. What is our Rebellion after the reception of such mercies, but to declare we account not our selves obliged to God for them? What is this but to disown the greatness of the favours God bestows upon us? What greater dis-ingenuity can be exprest, than to diminish the greatest favours of God, in love to our devillish lusts? Every mercy that comes from so great a God, must needs be great: but to undervalue the choicest blessings and highest mercies, must needs be a point of the highest wickedness. VVas it a small mercy, that by our late deliverance so many thousand lives have been continued, such multitudes of Souls have been kept out of Hell? Is it nothing in your eyes to be delivered from Popish slavery? to have the glorious Gospel continued amongst us? Is the security of Church and State, the miraculous preservation of Priviledges and Liberties a contemptible kindness? shall all these things have no notice taken of them? shall they all be dis-regarded? will you say 'tis not worth while to leave sinning for these? dare you declare they deserve no obedience? let your Conscience speak, would not this be horrid Blasphemy? could you bear such undervaluing of kindness from fellow-Creatures? how then can God from you?
5. Those Sins are the testimonies of the highest Ingratitude conceivable. Ingratitude is the worst of Sins; and sinning after Deliverance is the worst Ingratitude. This is unkindness that pierces the heart of God, to rebel against him, dealing with us as the dearly beloved of his Soul. How ungrateful is't to assassinate a Prince, to whose care we owe our Lives and Fortunes? To rip open the bowels of her, to whom we owe our being? So is it to dishonour a God, that is both our Protector and Benefactor, our Preserver and Deliverer. David was greatly incens'd at the Ingratitude of churlish Nabal, 1 Sam. 25.21. Surely in vain have I kept all this fellow had in the wilderness, and he requites me evil for good. Will not the Almighty thus complain of an ungrateful people; Surely in vain have I kept them from the hands of their bloody Enemies, in vain I have delay'd the execution of Judgment, since all my return is Dishonour for Deliverance, sinning for saving of them? May not God speak to us, after the manner our blessed Saviour spoke to the Jews? For which of my good works do you stone me? For which of my good Works do you sin against me? Will you oppose me, because I appear so often for you? Will you hate me, because I help you? Will you rebel, because I relieve you? Is this the fruit of my Goodness? The Lord was greatly offended with his Vineyard, Isai. 5. because after all his care to make it fruitful, it brought forth wild grapes. I looked it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes. When God bestows any Mercies upon us, his eye is upon us to see what improvement we are making of them: He looks to see what …hou dost with thy Time, thy Talent; His eye is upon thee, to see what use thou makest of Means, Deliverances, and all thy Enjoyments: And when he uses good means, he looks for good fruit; and if we ungratefully bring forth wild Grapes, we shall highly provoke him, and to our disadvantage displease him. How intolerable a Sin must it needs be, to fight against God with his Goodness? to mischief his Honour with his Mercies? Should you be an instrument of raising a decayed Friend, and he turn your Enemy, and use the estate procured by you, to manage mischievous designs against you, would you not count it intolerable baseness? Now what less, yea how infinitely more is your abusing the Mercies of God, to the disadvantage of his Glory, and dishonour of his Name? Should a… neighbourly Physician freely endeavour the relief of a helpless Beggar, and after his cost and care, when this man is restor'd, he should make it his work to study the death of this worthy Friend, how intolerable Ingratitude would this be accounted? What else is our sinning against God, on his sparing of us? What is it but the destroying the Honour of him, who saved us from destruction? Deut. 32.6. Do ye thus requite the Lord, ye foolish people and unwise? When ungrateful Brutus was among those that came to destroy Caesar, he pathetically cryed out, Etiam tu Brute! What, thou my Son Brutus! Wilt thou stab me? May not God cry out upon us, What ye, oh People of England, will ye still be enemies? You whom I have so deliver'd? You whom I have so often preserved, shall I meet with these dealings from you? Of all people you are obliged to love and serve me, and will you improve all my Mercies against me?
6. By sinning after Deliverance, we most unjustly deny to Go… that which is …is Right and due fo… …livering of us. Deliverance is the price of God for our Lives and Services. God redeeming of us, we remain no longer our own, but are especially obliged to be his. What can we give to God for preserving our Lives, less than … and that's an unanswerabl… … for the exercise of …is Wisdome and Power … delivering of us. Can we then rob God of his due, without … height of Injustice? Is not this the most …tolerable Sacrilege? The Mercies of God are to hire us to Obedience. Will a Master suffer a Servant to be engag'd in the work of another, when he hath hired him for his own? Is it not a provoking sin, for you to be employ'd in the service of the Devil, when God hath hired you into his? The Apostle pressing the Corinthians to Obedience tells them, They are not their own, but are bought with a price. Thus may we be perswaded to Obedience, by considering, God hath bought our Lives, by saving us from Death.
7. Sinning now is so heinous, as hereby God is frustrated of his designs in granting such favours. What may God expect, when stretching out his hand to help us, but tha… then we will inclin… our hearts to honour him? What are th… designs of God in displays of Mercy, bu… to raise up Glory to himself? He exerciseth Goodness to promote his own Interest in the world, not the Devils. Wi… God exercis… Mercy to his own disadvantage? Will a …ational man put Weapons into the hands of those would slay him with them? Would you deliver … man to destroy you? Surely the Lord may justly expect Love for his Kindness Duty for his Mercy, Obedience for hi… Deliverance. Isai. 63.8, 9, 10. He said, Surely, they are my people, children that will not lye; so he became their Saviour. This verse contains a kinde of Expostulation that might be in God; Why should I save such a people as this? I have enough against them to destroy them. I have found their unfaithfulness to their promises, their unanswerableness to my gracious Providences, why should I deliver them? Then God comes to a Resolution, Mercy turns the scale, Goodness prevails; I will try them once more; they are my people, children that will not lye; I hope they will not frustrate me any more: I may take this opportunity to cut them off, but I will make experiment once more. But proving unfaithful, he became their enemy, and fought against them. How heinous a sin …s it to cross Gods ends, to walk contrary to him!
8. Sinning now is so heinous, as 'tis not only a neglecting Duty, but despising Remedy. There are Peccata contra officia, and contra remedia; Sins against Duties in omitting things commanded, and sins against remedy, slighting and opposing …he means which are designed for recovery from former evils. And now what sin can be greater, than to despise the means that are used to cure our bleeding wounds? what aggravates the sin of unbelief, and makes it the destroying sin, but because 'tis the contemning of that blessed Remedy which is provided for miserable sinners? Hence this sin binds on the sinners guilt with an eternal bond, and makes Salvation impossible. Thus also slighting deliverance is the highest sin, as thereby we bid open defiance to all means of recovering of us from sin & destruction. Neglecting Salvation hath a most provoking influence on the wrath of God: Heb. 2.3. How shall we escape, if we neglect so great Salvation? VVill the Lord bear this affront to his mercy, that when he is willing to save, we declare we regard no Salvation? This will be an unpardonable crime, there will be no escaping for us. To sin with deliverance, is no less than to throw away the healing balm that mercy provides, and resolve to make our wounds incurable.