Gospel Truth Stated and Vindicated, Chapter 18
CHAP. XVIII. Of God's Displeasure for Sin▪ in the Afflictions of his People.
TRUTH. THough God is not so angry with his People for their Sins, as to cast them out of his Covenant-Favour; yet by their Sins he is so displeased, as for them to correct his Children, though he speaks Instructions by his Rebukes.
ERROUR. None of the Afflictions of Believers have in them the least of God's Displeasure against their Persons, for their Sins.
Proved that this is Dr. Crisp's Opinion.
He affirmeth, P. 15. Except God will be offended where there is no cause to be offended, he will not be offended with Believers: For, I say, he hath no cause to be offended with the Believer; because he doth not find the Sin of the Believer to be his own Sin, but he finds it the Sin of Christ. P. 19, 10. But are not the Afflictions of Believers, for their Sins? I answer, No: Afflictions are unto Believers from Sin, not for Sin; that is, God doth not intend to punish them, as now laying on them the desert of their Sin, for that's laid upon Christ; but he doth afflict them, to preserve them from sin, &c. So God afflicting a Believer, hath no respect unto sin, as if he did afflict for sin, &c. I say, in respect of the sins committed, which he thus suspects, there is not the least drop of the Displeasure of God, nor the fruit of such Displeasure comes near him. Which he endeavours to prove. The like you'll oft find, P. 170. At that instant God brings Afflictions on thee, he doth not remember any Sin of thine, they are not in his Thoughts. P. 561. Christ being chastized for our sins, there is nothing but peace belongs to us, &c. P. 559. If we tell Believers, &c. Except they perform such and such Duties; Except they walk thus and thus Holily, and do these and these good Works, they shall come under Wrath; at least, God will be Angry with them; What do we in this but abuse the Scriptures? We undo all that Christ hath done, we injure Believers, we tell God Lies to his Face.
Wherein the Difference is not.
1. It is not: Whether God ceaseth to love a Believer when he sinneth. 2. Nor, whether the Afflictions that befall a Believer, proceed from the Vindictive Justice of God, as an Enemy. These I deny. 3. Nor, whether God can bless the sorest Judgments for Sins, to the future good of a Believer. This I affirm; though were it not for our Sins, God would effect that Good a milder way: And I doubt whether every good Man may be said to get profit by all sorts of Affliction; for every degree of Good is not equivalent to the Hurt; and sometimes God punisheth Sin with Sin. 4. Nor, whether some sensible Calamities may fall on a good Man; not so much in a way of Rebuke for Sin, as to try his Graces, prevent Sin, or bring Glory to God by a Testimony to the Truth. This I affirm: Yet I believe the very Martyrs did not so glory in the joyful Cause of their Sufferings, as always to neglect an humble Reflexion on what Sin of theirs might then Justifie God, as a hidden cause of their Hardships.
The Real Difference.
1. Whether God be at all displeased with Believers, for their Abominations. This I affirm, and the Doctor denies. 2. Whether God at any time or by any Afflictions, expresseth his Displeasure against his People for their Sins. This I affirm, and the Doctor denies.
The Truth Confirmed.
Reader, Know that there's none of all this but Dr. Crisp meaneth it of the Unconverted Elect: For their Sins are on Christ, and off from themselves as much as Believers. Their Sins do them no hurt; nor is God angry with them, though God saith he is angry with the wicked every day.
But let us consider the Points, as they referr to Believers.
1. I affirm, God is displeased with Believers, for their Abominations. If he is displeased at all with them, it must be for their Sins: And that he is displeased; yea, and chat for Sin, he oft affirms it; he forceth his People to own it, and they with bitterness bemoan and acknowlege it. Psal. 60. 1, 3. O God, thou hast cast us off! thou hast been displeased! O turn thy self to us again! Thou hast shewed thy people hard things! thou hast made us drink the wine of astonishment! 2. Sam. 11. 27. That David had done, displeased the Lord. And you may read how he threatned and punished him. Was not his Anger kindled against Moses? Exod. 4. 14. Against his People? Isa. 5. 25. & 12. 11. Moses saith, The Lord was angry with me, Deut. 4. 21. The Lord was very angry with Aaron, Deut. 9. 21. Christ was oft displeased with his Disciples. How oft is God's Anger said to be provoked by his People, and kindled against them? He is said to turn away from his fierce anger: Is it not his Anger against them, which is but for a moment, and to be turned away? I hope the Doctor would own, that it never ceaseth against Sin it self. Nay his very Fury and Wrath be oft mentioned against his own Servants. Read the Sixteenth of Ezekiel; a Verse or two whereof is so abused by the Doctor, Thou hast fretted me in all these things, &c. Cannot good Men grieve the Holy Ghost? What doth the Church intend, when she saith I ll bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against him? Mic. 7. 9.
2. God doth by many Afflictions express his Displeasure against his People for their Sins. I have in the last Chapter proved, that Sins do hurt a Believer; and all there spoken, proves this, as far as the Hand of God is in our Rebukes. Besides those things, Consider, God is oft said to rebuke and chastize his People for Sin: They are not the less Chastisements of a Father, if at present grievous, though afterwards they bring forth the peaceable Fruits of Righteousness. The Great Promise of the Covenant doth not prevent this. Psal. 89. 30, 31, 32, 33, 34. If his children for sake my law, &c. then will I visit their transgressions with a rod, and their iniquity with stripes; nevertheless, my loving-kindness will not I utterly take from them, &c. Are not these Stripes for Sin? Are not these Stripes Corrections? Yea, and so much from God's Displeasure, that it is but a not utterly that God will not take away his Loving-kindness; and that it riseth no higher, is for the Covenant sake How oft doth God tell us, that he punisheth his Church, because of their Sins committed; and gives this as the Therefore? What is God's visiting the transgressions of his people? Was it for an innocent thing that Christ rebuked Peter? Mark 8. 33. And was it not for luke-warmness that he rebuked and chastned those Laodiceans whom he loved? Rev. 3. 19. Was not that for Sin, which you find, 1 Cor. 11. 30. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep? What meaneth God, when he saith he'll be Sanctified in his offending Children? He cannot hide his Face for Sin, nor abate his gracious Influences for Sin, and not shew Displeasure for Sin against the Offenders whom he so deserts. How wickedly have most pious Persons been employed, while they have humbly owned their Sins to be the cause of God's Withdraws and Corrections, if what I assert be not a Truth? And how strange such Texts, You only have I known of all the Families of the Earth, and therefore I will punish you for your Iniquities, Amos 3. 2. Now who dare tell God Lyes to his Face? &c.
TESTIMONIES.
You have seen the Assembly and Elders in the Savoy, positively assert this Truth in my last Chapter, which again consult. And large Catech. Q How doth Christ execute the Office of a King? Ans. (among other things) I Rewarding their Obedience, and Correcting (his People) for their Sins. The Provincial Synod of London, p. 16. recite, as one of the dangerous Errours of that day, That God doth not chastize any of his Children for Sin; nor is it for the Sins of God's People the Land is punished.
The Grounds of the Doctor's Mistake.
Because God laid on our Sins on Christ, to make Atonement for the Forgiveness of the Elect, when they repent; therefore God cannot be offended with the Elect for them, before they repent. Because God doth not hate the Believer, as an unreconciled God, when he sins; therefore he is not at all displeased with him, because of the grossest Sins. Because the Refiner is not angry with his Gold (which never could offend him) when he casts it into the Fire; therefore a holy God is no way angry with rational Offenders, when he corrects them for their Reformation. Because God will not hate a Believer, so as to damn him; therefore he cannot be angry with his People, so as Fatherly to chastize them. Because God afflicts from Sin; therefore he doth not also afflict for Sin; as if he could not rebuke for what is past, if he resolve not against their amendment for time to come. It seems also that the Doctor was led into his Opinion, by not considering, that Anger or Displeasure be not Passions in God but a Will of Correcting; and are denominated from the kinds and degrees of Corrections.