Tropes and Figures, Treatise 1 · Head 8 · Part 31 · Subpart 20
Wicked Men compared to Thieves.
Jer. 7.11. Mat. 21.13. Iſa. 1.23. Rev. 9.21.
A Thief foreign, Fur, Mat. 6.19, 20. & 24.43. Joh. 10.8, 10. & 12.6. he that ſtealeth cunningly, foreign, ſo a Thief was named of old, or as if it were foreign, of carrying or taking away, foreign, Latro, Mat. 21.13. & 26.65. & 27.38, 44. a Robber.
In what reſpect Wicked Men may be fitly compared to Thieves, take as followeth.
Parallels.
SOme are Thieves from their Childhood, they begin betimes to ſteal and rob: So the Ungodly begin betimes to be Wicked, they are ſaid to go aſtray from the Womb, telling Lies, and are by Nature prone to all manner of Sin and Wickedneſs; hereby depriving God of that Honour, Fear, and Reverence, that belongs to him.
II. Thieves love not the day, leſt they ſhould be diſcovered, but are buſy and active in the Night: So Wicked Men hate the Light, They love Darkneſs rather than Light, Joh 3.19.becauſe their Deeds are Evil.
III. Thieves run many Hazards and Dangers, venture their Lives to accompliſh their Deſigns: So Wicked Men run great Hazards and Dangers, venture not only the Life of their Bodies, but of their Souls alſo, to fulfil their Deſigns and wicked Purpoſes.
IV. Thieves are a great Terrour to honeſt Men, they put many in fear: So ſome Wicked and Ungodly Men are a great Trouble, Grief and Terrour to thoſe who are Godly; how was the Soul of righteous Lot vexed with the filthy Converſation of the Sodomites? 1 Pet. 2.7.
V. Thieves greatly abuſe, rob and wrong others, not only ſuch as are of their own Rank and Quality; but ſometimes ſet upon, and rob Perſons in Authority; the Judg, nay and Prince himſelf, hath been ſometimes robbed and abuſed by Thieves: Did not Tho. Blood but few Years ſince, ſteal the King's Crown? So Wicked Men greatly abuſe their Neighbours, they do often take away the good Name of ſuch who truly fear God, and ſometimes attempt their Chaſtity, &c. This is not all, they do not only thus endeavour to rob Men, ſuch who are poor Mortals like themſelves; but they rob God: and that many ways. (1.) They rob him of his Glory. And (2.) Of their own Strength and Flower of their Age, which belongs to him. (3.) They rob him of their Hearts and Affections, and place it upon the World and their own baſe Luſts. (4.) They rob him of their precious Time, and ſquander it away in a fooliſh and idle manner, upon their Luſts; nay, hath not that Man of Blood (I mean the Pope) robbed Jeſus Chriſt of his Crown and Royal Diadem? doth he not aſſume that Power and Head-ſhip to himſelf, that only belongs to the Prince of the Kings of the Earth?
VI. Thieves oft-times Kill as well as Steal, and Kill in Stealing, ſo that they make th…mſelves guilty of Murder as well as of Theft: So Wicked and Ungodly Men, by their Ungodly and Sinful Lives, makes themſelves guilty of the breach of the whole Law of God, by adding Sin to Sin, and multiplying their Wickedneſs, and ſo tranſgreſs not only in one, but in every Point, and thereby wilfully murder their own Souls, and many times kill and deſtroy their innocent Neighbours too.
VII. Thieves are ſometimes taken in the Fact, or by Purſuit are apprehended, and laid Hands on, that they may anſwer the Law in that Caſe made and provided: So Wicked Men are ſometimes taken in their Wickedneſs, by the Hand of God; or if they eſcape an immediate Stroak in the very Act of Sin, yet they are purſued by God's juſt Judgment that followeth them, and will overtake them at laſt.
VIII. Thieves, when taken, would fain make an eſcape; nay, if they are not held by ſtrong Hand's, they will get looſe and run away: So Wicked Men when God's Hand is upon them how fain would they make an eſcape? when Adam fell in with the Tempter to rob God of his Honour, it is ſaid, he hid himſelf among the Trees of the Garden, Guilt made him fly; and what pitiful Shifts do all old Adam's Children make, to ex…uſe their Sins? Or if they cannot make excuſe, then they ſeek out ways to eſcape if poſſible: Some ſay, their Sins are not ſo great as others; others ſay, they were drawn in and inticed; others, that God is merciful, and they doubt not but he will pardon them; others fly to the goodneſs of their Hearts; ſome to ſeeming Repentance, ſaying, God forgive me, &c. But what ever way they take, till they are truly converted, they are holden by the Cords of their own Sins, and they ſhall not eſcape, nor can get out of God's Hand, but muſt anſwer for all their Wickedneſs at their utmoſt peril.
IX. Some Thieves are ſo impudent, that they will adventure to rob in the day time, let who will look on, being too ſtrong for the Standers-by: So ſome Wicked Men are ſo impudent, that they will adventure to rob their innocent Neighbours of their Goods in a publick manner in the day-time; as many of the Papiſts have ſerved the poor Proteſtants in former times, in divers Nations, and pretended they had Law for what they did.
X. Some are great Thieves, and therefore called the Captains of the Thieves, under whoſe Conduct and Direction the leſſer Thieves do rob and ſteal: So ſome Wicked Men are ſo notorious in Wickedneſs, that they lead the Van as it were, and are not only examples to others of inventing new coined Oaths, and ſinful Faſhions, and Cuſtoms; but do command or lay ſome kind of force upon ſuch, who are under their Power, to be as Wicked as themſelves, elſe they turn them off as not fit to do them Service:Pro. 29.12. as it is written; If a Ruler hearken to Lies, all his Servants are wicked, (that is) he will ſo diſcountenance and diſcourage Truth and honeſt Dealing, that none but Lyers and Wicked Perſons can live with him.
XI. Some Thieves are ſo mercileſs, they ſteal and carry all away that People have: So ſome Perſecutors have been ſo void of pity and humanity, that they have took all away, which ſome Godly People had, even their very Beds from under them.
XII. There are ſome ſacrilegious Thieves, ſuch as rob Churches, and ſteal away thoſe things that are ſet a-part for Divine Worſhip: So ſome Wicked Men are Robbers of the Church of God, by taking away his holy Inſtitutions, and ſetting their Inventions in the room thereof; ſuch are the Romiſh Crew, &c. Chriſt tells us, that ſuch who come not in by the Door, but climb up ſome other way, are Thieves and Robbers: nay if it were poſſible, the Great Thief the Pope, and his Accomplices, would have robbed us of the Bible, and the true Religion, nay of the true Church it ſelf; however they (with all that adhere to them) have robbed many hundreds, nay thouſands, of her true and faithful Members, both of their Goods, Lives and Liberties, for the which they muſt giv… an account at the great Day.
XIII. Thieves are ſo oppoſite to honeſt Men, that they by all means avoid their Company and Society, if poſſible, when they know them: So Wicked Men, known and diſcovered to be ſo, are not at all fit Company for the Godly; nay the Godly are commanded to avoid them, and to have no fellowſhip with them, ſo far as poſſible they may; however if in Civil Things there be ſome kind of Neceſſity to buy and ſell with them, yet their Sin in that, or any other way, is to be hated and departed from; nay if a Man hath been a Profeſſor of Godlineſs, and turn to be a Wicked Man, with ſuch a one the Godly are to have no intimacy,1 Cor. 5. that he may be aſhamed.
XIV. Thieves know by-ways, and are acquainted with ſuch Places where they may accompliſh their Deſigns, not only as to Secrecy, but Security: So Wicked Men do acquaint themſelves with by-ways, and therefore called the way of the Wicked, Let the Wicked forſake his way, Iſa. 55.5. Pſal. 1.2.&c. Bleſſed is the Man that walketh not in the way of the Ʋngodly, &c. Joſeph's Miſtreſs made uſe of her Skill in the way of the Wicked, when ſhe attempted to rob him of his Chaſtity: for there was, (1.) Privacy, none ſaw. (2.) Secrecy, none knew, and (3.) Opportunity, which he might now (without fear of Shame) make uſe of; and there is not a Wicked Fornicator in the World, but would have owned it as his way, and have choſen it too as a fit Opportunity: But Bleſſed Joſeph walked not in this way, he knew that nothing could be ſo private, nor be kept ſo ſecret, but the All-ſeeing Eye of God can ſee it, and will bring it to Light.
XV. Thieves are ſometimes taken and committed to Priſon, there to be kept ſafe till the general Aſſize, or time of Trial, and then are brought forth, tryed, and condemned, many times to die, and ſoon after executed: So Wicked Men are taken by Death, and committed to the Grave, and there they are held faſt till the day of the Reſurrection, and laſt Judgment or great Aſſize, where they ſhall be tryed, and give an account of all their Wickedneſs done in the Body, againſt whom Jeſus Chriſt will proceed in a way of Juſtice; and being arraigned, and indicted for all their Wickedneſs, Thefts and Robberies, ſhall be found Guilty, by good Evidence, by the Law of God, Conſcience and Nature, and being ſo found Guilty,Mat. 25. ult. ſhall receive the juſt Sentence of Hell Fire, prepared for the Devil and his Angels, with a Go ye Curſed.
Diſparity.
THieves can but rob and ſteal ſuch things as are common to Men: But Wicked Men rob God, and cheat themſelves of their own immortal Souls, as hath been ſhewed.
II. Thieves endeavour to hide themſelves, and are not willing to be known: But Wicked Men commit their Wickedneſs publickly, and matter not who ſeeth them, they declare their Sin as Sodom, and hide it not, they are not aſhamed to commit their Wickedneſs in the very Face of the Sun.
III. Thieves oft-times ſpare the Poor, and let them paſs, but ſeize upon ſuch as are Rich: But Wicked Men regard neither Poor nor Rich, if they are Godly; nay the Poor of this World (tho Rich in Faith) are moſtly in their Eye, to be made a ſpoil, robbed and ruined by them.
IV. Some Thieves after they have received the juſt Sentence of Death, from which they cannot eſcape, yet do repent of their Wickedneſs and receive pardon of God, tho they die by the Law of Man: But Wicked Men, living and dying in Sin, after the laſt Judgment, and Sentence of Eternal Death, cannot repent, neither have they any time ſo to do, but muſt be damned without Remedy.
Inferences.
HEnce we may ſee, how eaſily Men may miſtake themſelves, by condemning others, when they are in as bad or a worſe ſtate themſelves; who is it but will readily cry out againſt a Thief, and uſe their utmoſt endeavour to apprehend him, but how few are there (of the ſame kind, viz. Thieves, as hath been ſhown) will lay Hands upon, or condemn themſelves; who are, as you have heard, worſe than Thieves?
2. How doth it warn the Godly to look to themſelves: for if the good Man of the Houſe had known at what time the Thief would have come, he would have watched.