47° T%JC,NATURE andPow>;lz (2. This alfo flows from the former, that whereas conceived fin con- tains the whole nature of it, as our Saviour at large declares. Math. v. and to be cut off under theguilt of it, to prevent its farther progrefs, argues a continuance in the purpofe of it without repentance ; it cannotbe but they muff perifh for ever who are fo judicially cut off. But God deals not fo with his, hecalls not off the people whom he did fore-know. And thence Davidprays for the patience of God before mentioned, that it might not be fo with him, Pfal. xxxix. 03. 0 fpare me that I may recover ftrength, before Igo hence and be nomore. But yet, a.) There are fome cafes wherein God may, and doth take away the lives of his own to prevent the guilt that otherwife they would be involved in; as, (r. In the coming of Tome great temptation and trial upon the world. God knowing that fuch and fuch of his would not be able to withftand it, andhold out againft it, butwould dithonour him and defile themfelves, he may, and doubtlefs oftendoth, take them out of the world, to take them out ofthe way of it, Ifa. lvii. T. The Righteous is taken away from the evil to come; not only the evil of punifhment and judgment, but the evil of temptationsand trials, whichoftentimesproves much the worfeof the two. Thus a captain in war will call offa fouldier from his watch and guard, when he knows that he io not able, through fome infirmity, to bear the ftrefsand force ofthe enemy that is coming upon him. 2. In cafe of their engagement into any waynot acceptable to him, thro' ignorance, or not knowingof his mind and will. This feems to have been the cafe of Jofiah. And doubtlefs the Lord doth oftentimes thus proceed with his. When any of his own are engaged in ways that pleafe him not, thro' thedarknefs and ignoranceof their minds, that they maynot proceed tofarther evil or mifchief, he calls them off from their ftation and employ- ment, and takes them to himfelf, where they Ihall erre and miftake no more. But in ordinary cafes, God bath other ways of diverting his own from fin, than by killing of them, as we fha11 fee afterwards. 2. God providentially hinders the bringing forth of conceived fin, by ta- king away, andcutting fhort thepower ofthem that hadconceived it ; fo that though their lives continue, they fhall have that power, without whichit is impoffiblefor them to execute what they had intended, or tobring forth what they had conceived. Hereofalfo we have fundry inflances. Thus was the cafe with the builders of Babel, Gen. xi. Whatever it were in particular that they aimed at, it was in the purfuit of a- deign of the apoftacy from God. One thing reduifite to the accomplifhing of what they aimed at, was theone- nefs of their language ; fo God fays, ver. 6. They have all one language, andthis they begin to do, andnow nothing will be re/erained from them that they have imagined to do. In an ordinary way theywill accomplifh their wick- ed defign. What courfe doth God now take to obviate their conceived fin? Dothhe bring a flood upon them to deftroy them, asin the old world fome- time before? Doth he fend his angelto cut them off, like thearmy of Sena- cherib afterwards? Doth-he by any means take away their lives ? No their lives are continued, but he confounds their language, fo thatthey cannot go onwith their work,ver. 7: takes awaythat wherein theirpower confifted. In like manner did heproceed with the Sodomites. Gen. xix. t i. theywere en- gaged in, and fet upon the purfuit of their filthy tufts. God finites them with blindnefs, fo that they couldnot find the door where they thought to hayeufed violencefor the compaffingof their ends; their lives were conti- nued, and theirwill of fining, but their power is cut Mort and abridged. His dealingwith Jeroboam, t Kings xiii. 4. was of the fame nature. He ffretcb-
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=