GOD HATES SIN ESPECIALLY IN SAINTS. G04) " You only have I known of all the families of the " earth, therefore l will not punish you for all your ini= " quities." As ifhe had said, I will not always take care to punish other nations when they areguilty of enormous crimes ; . I will not take so much pains to recover them, let them sink into destruction : this is the language of God to every one here, You only have I known, you have I favoured above the rest of the world, and you have rebelled against me, therefore I will punishyou for your iniquities. And this God doth to'shewhisownhatred of sin both before his own people and before the world. if those that are reconciled to God by the blood of his son, should commit iniquities from time to time, that are visible to the eyes of the world, and there should be no sensible animadversions upon them for them, the wicked would say that God ceases to love holiness, he punishes not his people when they sin. No,, saith God; my gos- pel shall; appear to be a holy gospel ; if those very saints that I have taken into my bosom should offend me, I will make it appear to the world that I hate sin in them .as well as I do in others, and I will punish it. There is a sort of governing justice, which Christ the kingof the church exercises for the honour of his own law, and his own gospel, for the sake of his.own and his Father's holi- ness; and though it be not revenging justice, yet it is sometimes very terrible and severe. 1 Cor. xi. so. There were several disorders practised by the Corin- thians in their participation of the holy ordinance of the Lord's supper : " They come together, not for the better, " but for the worse, one being hungry, and another " drunken," &c. Well, saith theLord, by the apostle, " Examine yourselves, lest ye corne together unto con- " demnation ; for whosoever shall eat of this bread, and " drink of this cup unworthily, shall be guilty of the " blood and body of the Lord ; yea, he eatèth and " drinketh damnation to himself:" which appears by the context to mean temporal judgments, viz. weakness; sickness, and death. Another design of God is to awaken bis children out of their security, and to reclaim them from sin'; for the design of afflictive providences upon the children of God, is to lead them back again to or dinances and obedience. isa. xxvii. 9. " By this shall " the iniquity of Jacob be purged, and his sin taken VOL. III. it
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=