Chap. 47 The Fourth Corollary. It's worse to be given up to any way of sin, than to be given up to t
Now art thou haunted by any wicked lust and sin, certainly thou art in a worse condition than any man or woman haunted by devils, or house haunted by the devil. Is there any house in your parish where there is Blaspheming, and Oaths, and railing at goodness, and Sabbath breaking, and such things? this house is worse than any house haunted by devils: For sin is worse a great deal, than the mere presence of the devil.
I remember I have read of a tyrant, one Maxensius in Hetrusia, he invented this torment to put men to death, he would have a dead mans Carcass tied about their bodies and so let them go wheresoever he would, but he still carried the dead Carcass about him, and at length the stench put them to death: this was his tyranny.
If you should have a dead man or woman tied about your bodies; may be the face of a dead man is hideous to you, but if they should be tied about you, so that when you lie in bed, and when you rise, when you sit at meat, it should be always with you, and you should endure the stink and putrefaction; what a sore evil would this be?
Now if in the presence of a dead Carcass there is so much evil, than in the presence of the devil there is much more. Now sin, any one sin, tied close to your hearts, that you carry about with you, wheresoever you go; know there is in that a greater evil upon you, than if a dead Carcass should be tied to you; yea, than if the devil should haunt you wheresoever you go: because the presence of the devil, is not so much, as turning of the souls of men and women into the nature of the devil; and making the Souls of men and women so like to him.
CHAP. XLVII.
The Fourth Corollary. Its worse to be given up to any way of sin, than to be given up to the Devil:
Quest. How the Delivering up to Satan, can be for the saving the Soul?
A Fourth Corollary hence is this, That for any man or woman to be left to one sin, it is worse than to be given up to the Devil. I say, it is a greater evil, a greater judgement for any man or woman to be left to any way of sin, than to be given up to Satan: is thy soul given up to the power of any one sin? I dare here as I stand in the presence of God, To speak the truths of God, I dare avow it; you are in a worse condition than if you should be given up to the devil.
I make that good thus, In Scripture, 1 Cor 5. 5. we have an example of one that was given up to the Devil, and that in a right way, there is an Incestuous person that committed that horrible wickedness, not named among the Gentiles, that had his fathers wife and committed Incest with her: the Apostle commands him to be delivered to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit might be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus: He was delivered to Satan; but for the destruction of the flesh; but to the end that he might have his Spirit saved in the day of the Lord Jesus: So that the delivering up to Satan was a means appointed by God to save his soul.
But to deliver up any one to the power of sin, is no means to save his soul, that is a means to damn the soul, and not to save it. So then, you see the reason grounded clearly upon Scripture, That it is worse to be delivered up unto any sin than to be delivered to the Devil; for he that was delivered to Satan, it was for the saving of the soul; but he that is delivered to sin, it is for the damning of his soul.
This requires a little opening.
Quest. You will say, How can the delivering up to Satan be for the saving of the soul?
Answ. It will be needful for clearing of this, to tell you what this delivering up to Satan was; and the truth is, this delivering up to Satan, or excommunication from the Church, this was a most dreadful thing when done in a right way; it was done when the Church was gathered together by the power of Jesus Christ: As certainly where there are a company of Saints, that at least outwardly so appear; a Church, that in a solemn manner is gathered together, through the power of Jesus Christ, having their Elder going before them the Officer of the Church.
When they in a solemn manner, in the power of Christ, shall cast out any one deservedly from Church Communion; this is a delivering a man or woman to Satan (this is another manner of business than ordinarily we were wont to have, by the Ordinary, or Commisary, and Dean, in the Prelates Courts; certainly they were but wooden Daggers in comparison of this dreadful Sword, to cut off from the Communion of the Church).
It was when the Church was Assembled, not the Commissary and Officers, but when the Church was gathered together, to cut such a one from the Church of Christ, for some vile act; not for not paying of their Fees, or the like, these things only scared people; but if this
Censure of Excommunication were in a right way executed, it were the most dreadful thing in the world: it is that which has awed and terrified the most proud and stout sinners; the very sight of another's Excommunicating, it has terrified the conscience of those that have been by: It is a delivering them to Satan, and putting them from under the protection of God, giving them up to the devil, to take power over them, except they come in, and repent.
And this is a way to save the soul, because if there be any way in the world to cause men to see their sin, and repent, and be humbled,