Milk for Babes, Questions · Question 20
20. Q. What puniſhment is appointed for them that breake Gods commandements.
A. Gods curſe, which is the everlaſting deſtruction both of body, and ſoule.
Remember how farre thou haſt gone. Of Gods curſe upon ſinners.Thou wert made to ſerve God: thou ſhouldſt ſerve him according to his laws: thou breakeſt all theſe laws; and for this, by nature, thou doeſt lye under this curſe of God, of which thou here ſpeakeſt. Deut. 27.26. Deut. 28. Levit. 26.Moſes ſpeaks of this, Curſed is he that confirmeth not all the words of the Law to doe them: and, He ſhews the particulars of this curſe upon body, ſoule, and ſtate. Gal. 3.10.Paul expounds it more clearly, Curſed is every one that continueth not in all things that are written in the booke of the Law to doe them. And Chriſt ſpeaks of the height of it; Matth. 25.41.Depart from me, ye curſed, into everlaſting fire prepared for the devill and his angels. It is moſt miſerable to be in ſuch a caſe: yet thou art in it by nature, Eph. 2.as thou art born a child of wrath, an heire of hell.
God curſeth when he doth inflict puniſhment. Men curſe when they wiſh ill one to another, as poxe, plague, gallows, vengeance, and confuſion, or hurt any way to body, or ſoule. Theſe are kinds and formes of ſpeech, ſavouring of the belched-up froth of carnall, and devilliſh hearts. But God curſeth when he inflicteth puniſhments. Thou wouldſt thinke it a great curſe to have a father, mother, maſter, or miſtreſſe, who ſhould doe nothing but beat, bruiſe, and wound thee day and night. In ſtead of feeding thee, beat thee; in ſtead of cloathing thee, beat thee; in ſtead of refreſhing thee, beat thee; in ſtead of giving thee reſt and ſleep, beat thee: ſo is it a farre more miſerable eſtate to lye day and night under Gods flayles of puniſhments. The puniſhment which God inflicts is eternall deſtruction of body, and ſoule. To be deſtroyed in body, is a fearefull puniſhment: to be deſtroyed in ſoule, is more fearefull: to be deſtroyed in body, and ſoule is more fearefull yet: but to be deſtroyed in body and ſoule everlaſtingly is moſt fearfull; it cannot be expreſſed; it is endleſſe, eaſeleſſe, and remedileſſe. What the deſtruction of body and ſoule is.This deſtruction is double, the deſtruction of ſin, and the deſtruction of miſery. By this thou mayſt know that thou haſt the deſtruction of ſinne, when thou art not uſed to that end which God made thee for. God made thee to ſerve him; thou ſhouldſt ſerve him by keeping the law: thou breakeſt the law, and haſt this part of the curſe, the deſtruction of ſinne. If I had a piece of timber ſquared, fawed, and framed; if I uſe it not to this end, but let it lye and rot in the durt, it is deſtroyed. If thou hadſt good apparell, and ſhouldſt not weare it, but let it lye in the high way for horſe, and carriages to go over, for ſwine to rent, it is deſtroyed: ſo it is with thee when the world, fleſh, and devill abuſeth thee, and thou art not uſed to Gods end. By this thou mayſt know that thou haſt the deſtruction of miſery, when thou art ſubject to the miſeries of this life, and of the life to come. The miſeries of this life are all croſſes to thy perſon, comfort, credit, and ſtate, as ſickneſſes, ſorrows, diſgraces, diſcomforts both within, and without. The miſeries of the world to come are thy ſeparation from the Lord, and his Law (the two principles of life) for ever. As when thy ſoul is ſeparated from thy body, a naturall death is made up: ſo when thy perſon is ſeparated from God, and his word of comfort, a ſpirituall death is made up, which begins in this life, and is continued for ever, and ever.
Vſe. Oh (my child) feare, and tremble under this burthen. Thou art apt (as all others) to build up thy way to heaven with untempered morter, ſaying to thy own ſoule, that all is well, when all is amiſſe. This makes thee, with an hard, and impenitent heart, to goe on in thy accurſed courſes. But this doctrine of curſes will teach thee that thou wert in danger before thou waſt borne, and ever ſince. Thou mightſt juſtly have been caſt into hell before thou didſt breath in this open world. Thou haſt, all thy life, been under the deſtruction of ſinne, and this hath enwrapped thee in the deſtruction of miſery. Thou feeleſt many paines, and ſickneſſes, which are but the light flaſhes of hell fire. Thou art like a man condemned to a tormenting and dying death. As if a man had a Caldron of boyling lead hang over his head, and he ſtarke naked under it. Firſt one drop falls upon his head, another upon his ſhoulder, another upon his arme, another upon his hand, another upon his backe, another upon his belly, another upon his legge, upon his foot another, which makes him ſtart and ſhreeke: but at the laſt the whole ſhowre comes, which makes him roare, and tumble like a wild bull in a net. So thou, by this volley of curſes, art firſt nipt in one part, then in another, which makes thy joy to be interrupted, and thy mirth, many times, turned into mourning. But at laſt, in death, and Judgement comes an whole Sea of them, which makes weeping, howling, and gnaſhing of teeth. Weigh it ſeriouſly before it be too late. It may be that God will leave a bleſſing behind, to make thee ſearch after a deliverance, which is the next thing that comes to be skanned. But firſt let me try thy profiting. Thou toldeſt me that thou breakeſt all Gods commandements according to which thou ſhouldſt ſerve him.
Tell me therefore,
Q. How many wayes doeſt thou breake them?
A. Three wayes.
Q. Which be they?
A. Firſt, in Adam: ſecondly, in the proneneſſe of my nature: thirdly, in breaking one I breake them all.
Q. But the ſeventh part of time comes but once a weeke, how canſt thou break the commandement which concernes that, every day?
A. I breake it before it comes, and when it is gone.
Q. How before it comes?
A. By doing that, upon the week day, which makes me unfit to keep it when it comes.
Q. How when it is gone?
A. By not learning Gods wayes, and not walking in his pathes.
Q. Art thou in danger of Gods curſe?
A. Yes, both in my body, and in my ſoule.
Q. How doth God curſe?
A. By inflicting of puniſhment.
Q. What puniſhment doth he inflict?
A. A deſtruction of my body, and my ſoule.
Q. How doeſt thou know thy ſelfe to be deſtroyed?
A. When I am not uſed to that end, that God made me for.
Q. What follows upon this?
A. A ſubjection to the miſeries of this world, and of the world to come.
Doe not forget how farre thou art gone; God made thee: thou art made to doe him ſervice: thou ſhouldſt ſerve him as he commands: thou breakeſt all his commands; and therefore, thou art under the curſe, and ſo, a more miſerable creature then a toade or any ſerpent, if thou be not delivered. Tell me then