A Christian Library, Part 1 · Chapter 28
CHAP. XXVIII. Because they will not take Gods office out of his hand.
5. Reasons in regard of God are three. The
1 hath respect to his Office.
2 hath respect to his Commandement.
3 hath respect to his Glory.
Reason,
1. BEcause he will not take Gods Office out of his hand, who saith, Avenge not your selves but give place unto wrath, for vengeance is mine and I will repay it, Rom. 12.19. Peter speaking of our Saviour Christ, saith, When he was reviled, he reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatned not, but committed it to him that judgeth righteously, 1 Pet. 2.23. And the Prophet David of himself, I return not reviling for reviling, for on thee O Lord do I wait, thou wilt hear me my Lord my God; meaning, If I call to thee for a just revenge Psal. 38.13, 14, 15. If the Lord see it meet that our wrongs should be revenged instantly, he will do it himself; as he revenged the Israelites upon the Aegyptians: and so that all standers by shall see their fault in their punishment, with admiration. Now I know, saith Iethro, that the Lord is greater than all the gods; for as they have dealt proudly with them, so are they recompensed, Exod. 18.11. And as once he revenged Davids cause upon Nabal; For about ten dayes after, the Lord smote Nabal that he died. saith the Text: and it followes, when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, Blessed be the Lord, that hath judged the cause of my rebuke at the hand of Nabal, and hath kept his servant from evill; for the Lord hath recompenced the wickednesse of Nabal upon his own head, 1 Sam. 25.38, 39. And that insolent and intolerable wrong of railing Shimei, being left to the Lord, he did revenge it; in giving Shimei up to such a stupidity, that he ran himself wilfully upon his own deserved and shamefull death.
Or if God do it not himself by some immediate judgement, nor by the hand of the Magistrate, yet he will see that some other shall do it, though the wronged party be willing to put it up; as for example, Sampsons Father in Law, for taking away his Wife, and she for her falshood, though they were not punished by him that received the wrong, yet the Philistims burnt both her and her Father, Judg. 15. Again, though the Philistims were not punished by the Timnite, or his daughter, whom they burnt with fire; yet they were by Sampson, who smote them hip and thigh with a mighty plague, Iudg. 15. From which examples we may draw this argument, If the Lord thus revenge the cause of mens particular and personall wrongs, much more will he revenge his own cause: for in this case I may say to every childe of God which suffereth for Religion sake, as Iehaziel by the Spirit of God said unto all Iudah, the inhabitants of Ierusalem, and King Iehosaphat; The battell is not yours, but Gods, wherefore you shall not need to fight in this battell, stand still, move not, and behold the salvation of the Lord towards you, 2 Chron. 20.15, 17. Yea; it stands upon Christs honour to maintain those that are in his work; And Gods too, to defend such as suffer for his sake; and he that traduceth, or any way wrongs thee, for thy goodnesse; his envy strikes at the Image of God in thee, because he hath no other way to extend his malice to the Deity it self: as is apparent by these Scriptures, which will be worth thy turning to: Psal. 44.22. & 69.7. & 83.2, to 10. Prov. 19.3. Rom. 1.30. Matth. 10.22. & 25.45. Luk. 21.17. Zach. 2.8. 1 Sam. 17.45. Psal. 74.22, 23. Acts 5.39. Psal. 139 20. Isa. 54.17. 1 Thes. 4.8. Ioh. 15.18, to 26. Numb. 16.11. Saul, Saul, saith Christ, seeing him make havock of the Church, why persecutest thou me? I am Iesus whom thou persecutest, Acts 9.4, 5. and Iesus was then in Heaven. Cain imbrews his hands in the blood of his own brother, because he was better, and better accepted than himself: God takes upon him the quarrell, and indeed it was for his sake that Abell suffered.
Now if we may safely commit our cause, and our selves to God, in the greater matters: much more in petty things, as are, evill words.
I but, saith the weak Christian, I am so wronged, reviled and slandered, that it would make a man speak, like Aeagles that famous wrestler, that never spake before in his life. Answer, There is no such necessity.
For first: Who ever was, that was not slandered?
Secondly, Let him speak evill of thee, yet others shall not beleeve him; or if the evill and ignorant do, yet report from wise and good men shall speak thee vertuous.
Yea, thirdly: Though of some the slanderer be beleeved for a while; yet at last thy actions will outweigh his words: and the disgrace shall rest with the intender of the ill. The constancy of a mans good behaviour, vindicates him from ill report.
Fourthly, There's no cause of thy answering; innocency needs not stand upon its own justification; for God hath undertaken to vindicate it, either by friends, as when Ionathan and Michol, both son and daughter, opposed their own Father in his evill intents to take Davids part, and vindicate his reputation, 1 Sam. 19▪ 4, 5, 11, 12. Or by enemies, as when Pilate pronounced him innocent, whom he condemned to die: which shewes that innocency cannot want abetters: and when Caiaphas was forc't to approve that Christ in the Chair, whom he condemned on the Bench. And when Iulian was compelled to cry out, O Galilean, thou hast overcome. And when Balaam was forc't to blesse those for nothing, whom he was hired to curse. They that will speak the evill they should not, shall be driven to speak the good they would not.
Or by strangers that stand by; as when young Daniel stept up to clear Susanna of that foul aspersion.
Or lastly, by himself, as he often vindicated Mary: O holy Mary, I admire thy patient silence: thy Sister blames thee for thy piety; the Disciples (afterwards) blame thee for thy bounty and cost, not a word falls from thy lips in a just vindication of thine honour and innocency; but in an humble taciturnity, thou leavest thine answer to thy Saviour: How should we learn of thee, when we are complained of for well doing; to seal up our lipps, and expect our righ…ing from above! And how sure, how ready art thou O Saviour to speak in the cause of the dumb! Martha, Martha, thou art carefull, and troubled about many things; but one thing is needfull, and Mary hath chosen the better part. What needed Mary to speak for her self, when she had such an Advocate? she gave Christ an unction of thankefullnesse, he gave her an unction of a good Name; a thing better then oyntment, Eccles. 7.1. Again, the L…per praiseth God, Christ praiseth the L…per.
True, ill tongues will be walking, but we need not repine at their insolency; why should we answer every dog that barks, with barking again?
But admit God should omit to revenge thy cause, yet, revenge not thy self in any case; for by revenging thine own quarrell, thou makest thy self, both the Iudge, the Witnesse, the Accuser, and the Executioner: only use for thy rescue, Prayer to God, and say as Christ hath enjoyned, Lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from evil, Matth. 6.13. and it sufficeth. Yet if thou wilt see what God hath done, and what he can and will do, if there be like need; hear what Ruffinus and Socrates write of Theodosius, in his wars against Eugenius.
When this good Christian Emperour saw the huge multitude that was coming against him; and that in the sight of man there was apparent overthrow at hand, he gets him up into a place eminent, and in the sight of all the Army, falls down prostrate upon the earth, beseeching God, if ever he would look upon a sinfull creature, to help him at this time of greatest need: whereupon there arose suddenly such a mighty wind, that it blow the Darts of the enemies back upon themselves, in such a wonderfull manner, that Eugenius with all his Host, was clean discomfited; and seeing the power of Christ so fight for his people, was forced in effect to cry out, as the Egyptians did, God is in the cloud, and he fighteth for them.
No forces are so strong as the spirituall; the prayers of an Eliah, are more powerfull than all the Armies of flesh: which made the Queen-mother of Scotland confesse, That she feared more the prayers and fasting of Mr Knox and his assistants, than an Army of twenty thousand men.
Thus God either preventeth our enemies, as here he did; or delivereth his servants out of persecution, as he did Peter; or else, if he crowneth them with Martyrdom, as he did Stephen; he will in his Kingdom of glory, give them in stead of this bitter, a better inheritance; pro veritate morientes, cum veritate viventes.
Wherefore in this and all other cases, cast thy burden upon the Lord, and say with the Kingly Prophet, I will lay me down in peace, for it is thou Lord only that makest me dwell in safety, Psal. 4.8.