Chap. 3 There is some good in affliction, but none in sin
committed the least sin, Christ would have let al the world be Damned eternally rather than he would have done that, there is so much evil in it. afflictions taken in the strength and latitude of them, yet they have no greater evil in them then Christ is capable of.
I say, take them in the strength and latitude of them, certainly there was never any affliction since the world began endured like Christ's, and yet these be no other than Christ, God and man, is capable of; and it may stand with the blessedness of his Divinity, That that person, both God and man, could be under such afflictions: Christ was content with these, He made his soul an offering for sin: But sin is so great an evil, that Christ is not capable of it.
Christ never entertained the least thought of it, but cast it off if it came to him: therefore certainly there is more evil in the least sin, than there is in the greatest affliction: The afflictions that Christ endured, though they were not every way the same with the damned in hell, yet certainly there was the wrath of God as really and truly upon Christ, as truly as upon the damned in hell, as really though I say not in every kind in the same way and manner; and therefore see, Christ was capable of that evil, of the wrath of the Almighty upon his soul, and yet not capable of sin, he was willing to undergo that, and yet not to have the least guilt of sin applied to him; and therefore certainly there is more evil in the least sin, than in the greatest affliction.
CHAP. III.
There is some good in affliction, but none in sin:
First, no good of Entity: Secondly, No good of Causality: Thirdly, No good principle from whence sin can come: Fourthly, No Good
annexed as is to afflictions, viz. 1 Of Promise. 2 Of Evidence. 3 Of Blessing. Also Five different workings of the hearts of the Saints under sin and under affliction: Fifthly, It's not capable of any Good,
1 Add all the good to sin that all the creatures in heaven and earth have, yet it cannot make sin good. 2 Good ends though 1. to help against temptation, 2. to do good to others, 3. to glorify God cannot make sin good. 4 God can not make sin good. Sixthly, It's not comparatively good.
WEL, for further arguments, though this one thing were enough to stop all mouths in the world, and make e¦very Soul subscribe and acknowledge that there is greater evil in the least sin, than in any affliction: I shall be large in this argument, because it is of wonderful concernment, to stop men in their course of sin, and to humble them for sin, and make them resolve against sin, and to see their miserable estate in sin, and so see their need of Christ.
First, I shall fully make it out, That affliction is to be chosen rather than sin.
1 First, Because there is some good in affliction, but none in sin.
2 Because sin has more Evil in it, than affliction.
This Second I shall shew in the following Chapters.
First, affliction has some good in it, but sin has none: You know what David said, Ps. 119 71. It is good for me that I have been
Afflicted; thus he spoke of affliction: But when St. Paul speaks of sin, he said, In me (that is in my flesh) dwelleth no good, Rom. 7. as if he should say, So far as I am unregenerate, in my unregenerate part there is no good at all; he calls sin by the name of flesh; there is no good at all in sin.
First, There is no good of entity or being; all things that have a being, there is some good in them; for God has a being, and every thing that has a being has some good in it, because it is of God; but
sin is a non entity, a no being: Its rather the deprivation of a Being then any being at all; & here is a great mystery of iniquity, That that which is a non-entity in it self, yet should have such a mighty efficacy to trouble heaven and earth. This is a great mystery.
Secondly, It has no good of causality: that is, sin is so evil, as it can bring forth no good: afflictions bring forth good: sin is such an evil as it cannot be made good: not an instrument for good: afflictions are made instrumental for good.
Object. No, will you say, cannot God bring good out of sin? And does not God bring good out of sin?
Answ. To this I answer, true, God brings good out of sin, that is occasionally, but not instrumentally: He may take occasion to bring good out of sin committed: but (mark) God never makes sin an instrument for good; for an instrument comes under somewhat as an efficiency: for an instrument gives some power towards the effect; but thus God never useth sin, God never made sin an instrument of any good; that is, that sin should have any power any influence into that good effect that God brings out of it as afflictions have; God does not only take occasion by afflictions to do his people good, but he makes them channels to convey the mercies to their souls: And thus afflictions have an instrumental efficacy in them, to do men good: Therefore said the Holy Ghost in Heb. 12. He chastens them for their profit, that they might be partakers of his holiness:
The greatest good the creature is capable of, affliction is made oftentimes the instrument to convey: And in Isa. 27. By this the iniquity of Jacob shall be purged: That is, by this as an instrument; but sin is never thus: sin is never sanctified by God to do good to any soul: afflictions are sanctified by God to do good; therefore sin is a greater evil than affliction: sin is so evil that it is not capable of any work of God to sanctify it for good; but no afflictions are so evil but that they are capable of a work of God to sanctify them for abundance of good. This is the second.
Thirdly, sin has greater evil than affliction in the rise of it; there is no good principle whence sin comes, but there are good principles from whence afflictions arise: as thus, Whom he loves he chastens, he chastens every son whom he receives; so that cchastisement has a principle of love, but it cannot be said whom God loves he suffers to fall into sin, that this can be a fruit of his Love: it can never be said that it is a fruit of God's love that such a man or woman commits sin; but it may be said it is a fruit of God's love that such a man or woman is afflicted, therefore there is more good in afflictions than there is in sin.
Nay, observe this, many times God does not afflict a man or woman because he does not love them, but it can never be said God suffers not a man or woman to sin because he does not love them: I say, there is many a man or woman goeth on in a prosperous condition, and they meet not with such afflictions as others meet withal; and the reason is, Because God has not such a love to them as to other men, but it cannot be said thus, That there be such men that keep them selves from such sins that others do wallow in, & therefore they do it because God has not such a love to them as to others, it cannot be said so; but it may be said such be not afflicted so much as others because God does not love them as well as others.
It is a dreadful fruit of God's hatred that he does not afflict them, but it is not a fruit of his hatred to let them fall into sin. I remember a Speech an Ancient has upon that place of Hosea, I will not punish their Daughters when they commit adultery, Hos. 4. 14. said he, Oh dismal wrath of God that God will not afflict them and punish them! But now if this be so that want of afflictions may come from God's wrath and the being put into affliction may come from God's love, certainly then there is not so much evil in affliction as is in sin; for it can never be said so of sin.
Fourthly, There is no good annexed to sin as is to affliction: as thus, 1 Not the good of promise: 2ly Not the good of Evidence: Not the good of blessing annexed to sin as is to affliction.
As now afflictions has abundance of promises, I will be with you in the fire and in the water: And by this shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged: and I could spend the remainder of the book to open the many great promises God has annexed to afflictions: but God has not annexed any promise of good to sin; when God afflicts then you may challenge God's promise, Psal. 119. 75. said David, In very faithfulness hast thou afflicted me, O Lord: this is but a fruit of thy promise afflictions: and thou art faithful in afflicting, but sin has no promise annexed to it.
Yet it may be you will say that all shall work together for the good of them that love God: But this does not go in way of a promise; this
Scripture will not beat it, though it be true God may occasionally work good to his people by sin; but this Scripture cannot bear it, that there is any promise for it in that place: For, First it is against the scope of that text, for the scope of that place is to uphold the hearts of God's people in afflictions: For he said, all things: but sin is no thing; and all things work together: and so he speaks of that which has an efficacy in it, that will together with God, work for good; but sin has not any efficacy to work on, for God will not work by that. That is one thing then, affliction has the good of promise annexed to it, but so has not sin: therefore there is some good in affliction, but none in sin.
Secondly. affliction has the good of evidence: God makes our afflictions signs of our sonship and adoption; If you be not afflicted then are you bastards, and not sons: And Phil. 1. Be not troubled, or terrified: trouble of the saints is an evidence of salvation to them, but a token of their perdition who are the terrifiers or troublers of them, but a sign of your salvation: But it is not so of sin.
Thirdly. Further, There is a blessing propounded to afflictions, blessed be those that mourn, and blessed be the man whom thou chastisest and teachest in thy Law; but there is no blessing allowed to sin, it is not capable of it: there is not that good annexed to sin
that is to affliction; and therefore affliction is to be chosen rather than sin.
And from hence see the different working of the hearts of the saints under their sin, and under their affliction; That follows from this head, That there is some good annexed to affliction that is not to sin.
First, hence it follows, that the saints can cry to God with liberty of spirit under affliction, but they cannot under sin: They can go to God, and tell God their afflictions, and challenge God with a holy boldness in afflictions; but who can go to God and challenge God because he has told a Lie, or the like? does this make them go with a holy boldness to God, and challenge God's promise, because I have committed such and such a sin?
Secondly, When affliction does come, a gracious heart can kiss the rod and accept of the punishment of his sin, but now a gracious heart can never be well pleased with his sin, can never accept of sin, though God punish one sin with another sometimes, yet I say, there cannot be a well pleasedness with sin, and a kissing of that.
Thirdly, A gracious heart may rejoice in affliction, and have abundance of comfort in afflictions, account it all joy (said the Holy
Ghost) when you fall into trials and afflictions, but now he can never rejoice in sin, no man can rejoice in sin though God should turn sin to never so much good: one cannot rejoice in sin, and have that comfort he may in affliction.
Fourthly, A gracious heart may bless God for afflictions, bless God that ever he did cast him into an afflicted estate; but he can never bless God for putting him into a sinful estate, though God do work good out of it: Nay further, That good a gracious heart has sometimes by afflictions may encourage him to be more willing to go into affliction again when God calls him to it, but if a gracious heart should get good occasionally by sin, yet this good cannot
encourage him to fall into sin again, this were a desperate wickedness if he should.
Fifthly, A gracious heart may desire of God that he would not take away affliction till it be sanctified, and that he would continue it till it be sanctified; but no man may or ought to pray thus, Lord, continue me in this sin till I am humbled: therefore you see there is abundance of difference between affliction and sin, one has a great deal of good annexed to it, and the other has none at all.
Sin it is so evil that it is not capable of any good at all; the air though it be dark, yet it is capable of light; that were a dismal darkness that were not capable of light to come to it: and that which is bitter, though never so bitter, yet it is capable of receiving that which will sweeten it: that which is never so venomous, yet is capable of such things as will make it wholesome; but sin is so dark that it is incapable of light; so bitter, as there is no way to make it sweet; so venomous as it is no way capable of any wholesomeness: now for the clearing of this, consider these three Things:
Put all the good in heaven and earth, and in all the creatures in heaven and earth together: suppose the quintessence of all the good of all the creatures of heaven and earth were put together, and bring that to sin, and ad it to it, it would not make it good: no, sin would remain still as evil as before it was. Now that must needs be poison indeed, that bring all the sovereign things in the world and put to it, yet there would not be a dimension of the least strength of that poison, and so it is with sin: therefore (I beseech you brethren observe it) those men and women be mightily mistaken, that think
(I have been a sinful creature indeed, but now I will amend and reform and be better) that by adding some good to their former sinful Lives, it will make all good: Oh! know that there is so much evil in sin, that the addition of all the good of all the creatures in heaven and earth cannot make it less evil than before; so that you must not only now think to live better & ad good unto your former evil, but you must take a course for the taking away of the former
evil, for the delivering you from the guilt and stain and filth of your former sin.
Sin is not capable of good; All those good ends that any men have in the commission of sin, yet do not make their sin the better: that cannot make sin good, because they have good ends: as thus,
There may be three good ends some may think they have in the commission of sin.
1 They may perhaps think that by commission of some sin they may further some grace, do good to others, or glorify God; there may be such deceit in the heart: as thus, 1 They may think such a sin will help such a grace, and help against such a temptation, and such a sin may help my humility; and it is ordinary this temptation (when in trouble of conscience) make away thy self, and then thou wilt sin no more; for so long as I live I shall sin against God, & therefore make away thy self and so cease to sin: But know, if thou lay violent hands upon thy self, and think thou shalt have this good by it to sin no more; yet thy sin is wicked and abominable, though thou put this good end upon it, though it were possible to in crease grace never so much by the least sinful thought, we must not commit this least sinful thought for never so good an end, as to help forward such a grace.
2 A Second end may be to do good to others, and I say if it were possible, if a man might be a means to save the whole world if he would commit one sin, if he could save the whole world from eternal torments by the commission of one sin, you should suffer the whole world to perish rather than commit one sin, there is so much evil in sin.
It is the expression of Augustine in a tractate of his concerning an officious lie, a friend of his wrote to him to answer this question about telling of a lie, Whether he might not tell a lie, to do good to another man?
Many think, What though I do tell a lie so I do another good; indeed if I may do hurt then I must not, but if I may do good, may I not tell a lie, (well) this Question was brought to Augustine, and said he,
Thou must not tell a lie to save the whole world: this was his answer.
Suppose that the soul of thy father, mother, or child, (this is but a supposition) or the like, should lie upon it to be saved, or damned if thou wilt commit one sin, suppose such a temptation should come, thou must not commit one sin, though the soul of thy father or mother, or all the world lay upon it.
Now it is another manner of thing to commit a sin to gain a coin; Oh now by a deceitful word I may have this gain, if it were twenty shillings, thou must not venture upon sin to save the world; therefore not to gain six pence or a shilling: Certainly these be the truths of God, and for one to come and speak these things in a solemn manner in the presence of God if it were not upon deliberation and good search, it were a great boldness; and therefore certainly believe there is such evil in sin: and though you pass by a thousand idle thoughts and evil actions and they be gone with you and you make little of them: but if you did know what the evil of sin were, you would look upon them with amazement, and cry out, Lord what have I done!
Men and women go abroad, and before they come home meet with Company, and there swear many oaths commit lewdness, have told lies, and done wickedness; Oh did they but know what they have done that day, they would come home wringing their hands and ready to tear their hair, and lie tumbling upon the very ground for the evil that they have done.
3. Further, We must not commit sin though for the glory of God: for many put this end upon it: as the papists, this is their principle, to advance the Catholic cause they think they may do any wickedness, murder princes, blow up parliaments, keep no faith, promises,
oaths: take liberty to rise in rebellion, to commit all outrages, and cut all the Protestants throats; and to advance the Catholic cause take the sacrament upon it, and yet think because tis for so good an end (as they conceive) therefore they may commit any wickedness.
It is certain God needs not the Devil to help his cause: but suppose by sin God's glory might be furthered in some particular, yet we must not commit the least sin for the greatest glory of God that can be imagined: so much evil there is in sin. And therefore, for such that many times strain their conscience to do that which their consciences have regret upon, and their conscience told them they should not do it, yet merely upon this pretence, that they might do service in the Church.
Oh their ministry is dear, to do good to souls, to preach to so many souls, by this means God may have glory, and hereupon they venture to strain their consciences to have liberty to preach; this certainly is a great evil, we must not strain our consciences in any thing to commit the least sin upon imagination of the greatest glory that can be brought to God. Good ends put upon sins, cannot make them better. This is the second thing.
Fourthly, All the good that God himself can bring from sin, can never make sin good: such evil there is in it, that the infinite power and goodness of God can never make sin good: true, God may destroy sin, Yet that which is sin all the power of God cannot make that good: Such evil there is in sin. This is a fifth thing.
6. There is no good in sin, not comparatively. That is, though it be true one sin is less than another; yet no sin is good in comparison of another. In affliction, as one affliction is less than another, so one affliction is good in comparison of another: a less affliction is good in comparison of a greater; and all affliction is good in comparison of sin. But in sin, though one sin be less than another, yet the least sin is not good in comparison of the greatest: and take the least sin