Chap. 10 sin is a striking against God.
CHAP. X.
Sin is a Striking Against God.
1 The sinner wishes God were not so Holy, &c. 2 It seek the destruction of God. Also sin is a wronging of God.
Thirdly, sin is a striking against God. I told you sin was an opposing of God, and all his ways: but now I say, sin is a striking at God; at the very life of God. A man may fight with another, and yet not seek to take away his life, to destroy him; but sin strikes at the very being of God. I remember an expression in the 24 of Leviticus 16. speaking of the blasphemer that blasphemed the name of God; the words are translated in the Latin, He did strike through the name of God: Certainly sin is a striking of God.
Indeed God is not a Body that we can strike through him with our hands; but God is a Spirit, and so the Spirits of men may by their sins strike through God Himself: so strike at God (observe it) as for the maintenance of thy sin, thou dost wish God might cease to be
God; this is horrible wickedness you will say indeed.
What will you say to such a wickedness as this, that it should enter into the heart of any creature, Oh that I might have my lust, and rather than I will part with my lust, I had rather God should cease to be God; rather than I would leave my lust, I had rather God should be no more; this is horrible wickedness.
But what will you say if I convince your consciences that this is in your bosoms, that you have been guilty of this sin? yea in some measure, every sin may justly be charged with this, that rather than the sin should not be committed, thou wouldst rather have God to cease to be. You will say, Lord, have mercy upon us, though you
have told us some other things hard, and strict, and yet they seem to be true; but you shall never make me believe this, all the men in the world shall never make me to believe this; that I should be guilty of so much wickedness, as to be set upon my lusts so, as to desire rather God not to be God at all, rather than I lose my lust; I hope there is not such wickedness in me.
I beseech you hearken, and I hope to convince you that there is so much wickedness in the heart of man; that they be set upon their sins so, that they had rather God were not God at all, than they lose their lusts; and to this end, observe these two things.
First, Do you not think it in the nature of a sinner, so far as sin prevails in his heart, to come to this (so far as sin prevails I say) that he could wish God were not so holy as he is: hated not sin so much as he does; that he were not so just, and so strict, and severe against sin as he is: Is not this in every sinners heart in the world' Certainly you deceive yourselves if you do not own this.
I say so far as sin prevails in your hearts, could not you wish that God were not so holy, to hate those sins you love, and not so just, to be so severe against sin as he is, is not this in your hearts? It is impossible for any creature to love any thing, and yet not wish that another did not hate it so much as he does. Well, if there be this in thee, that thou lovest such a sin, that thou couldest wish God did not hate it so much as he does, that he were not so just, holy, and severe against sin as he is; this is to wish in thy heart that God were no God at al, that the Life of God, and Being of God were gone.
So that thy heart in this sinful frame and disposition of it, it is no other but to strike at the very Being of God: For it is the work of the heart wishing that God were not God, for if he did not (as I told you) hate sin as much as he does, he could not be a God at al. Now this is plain, and there is scarce any one bosom, but is guilty of this, scarce any of you, but may lay your hand upon your hearts and say, This
Breast of mine is guilty of this, that when my heart is set upon any
evil way, I could wish that God were not so holy to hate this; I had rather God should like of this: I hear of God's Justice, but does not my heart rise against God's Justice? and I could wish that God were not so just as he is.
Certainly there is this in some degree or other; therefore charge your hearts with this; and know, That so far as you have been guilty of this, you have struck at the Being of God; and this horrible wickedness is charged upon you, That your hearts have been set so far upon sin, that you could wish God had not been God rather than you lose your sin. You would think it a horrible wickedness for any man to be so far in lust with another woman, as to wish his Wife dead, that he might have his fill of lust with that woman; this were a horrible wickedness; and yet this is in your hearts, to wish God had no Being, so that you might have your sin: especially those that be profane ones, they, if they could have their wish, would desire there were no God at al. The Scripture said, That the fool said in his heart, that there is no God at all. That man or woman that could wish that there were no God at all, so he might have his lust; and to wish God were not so holy, and did not hate sin so much as he does, so he might have his lust; this is a horrible wickedness.
Oh that God would make thee fall down and think, Oh the horrible wickedness and abomination of my heart, that I should be set so far upon any base lust, as to wish that God were not God rather than I not be satisfied with my lust; and yet this is in sin, I and in every sin, so far as it prevails in thy heart.
Secondly, It must needs be thus, because it it is the nature of Contraries, to seek the destruction of one another, as it is the nature of fire to seek the destruction of water; so of any thing contrary to another it is the Nature of it to seek the destruction of the contrary.
But now you have heard there is nothing contrary to God (to speak properly) but only sin; and if sin be the only contrary that God has, then certainly sin does seek the destruction of God, so much as it can.
Though it be true, a sinner can never do God hurt, nor cannot hinder God's working, or Being at al: whatsoever become of this wretch, though he be destroyed, and perish to al Eternity, God will remain blessed for ever. But this is the Nature of sin, to seek the destruction of the Eternal God of glory. Oh charge your hearts with this; do not stay till God come at the day of Judgment to charge you with this; for many poor sinners that went on blind-fold all their days, and never saw sin what it was, then comes God upon their death bed, and chargeth them with this, and then their hearts are full of horror. And so at the day of Judgment, when God comes to charge them with this, then they will be amazed, and will see the truth of this. Therefore, seeing God does it now before the day of Judgment, do you now charge it upon your own hearts, that so you may be humbled. This is the third particular, It strikes at God.
Fourthly, sin wrongs God exceedingly. It does that wrong unto God, that all the angels in Heaven, and men in the world cannot make up again. Any one sin, take but the least sin that thou dost commit, I say it does that wrong unto God, that all the angels in Heaven, and men in the world can never make up for.
If all the angels in Heaven, and men in the world, should come and say, Lord God, this poor wretched creature has committed this sin this day, O Lord we are content to suffer ten thousand years torment in Hell, to satisfy for that wrong that is done to thee by this man or woman's sin; God would say, it cannot be done by all men and angels, they can never make up this wrong: and yet (as I shall shew hereafter) God will have this wrong made up, or thou must perish Eternally. Many men plead thus, Who can challenge me and say, I have wronged them in al my life; they think this enough: well, suppose thou hast lived so, that thou hast not wronged man, either in word or deed; Oh but thou hast wronged God, the living eternal
God can charge thee (though man cannot) that thou hast done him that wrong that all the creatures in the world cannot make it good.