Casuistical morning-exercises the fourth volume /

But sure I am, it is the Duty of all, specially the concernment of those, who are by God invested with Power, to reckon it, and accordingly to mind it as a very considerable part of their work, to look to it, that this noisome Plague be stayed. And to that purpose, I desire them to consider what was the Resolution of David the man after Gods own Heart, Psalm 101.8. I will early destroy all the wicked of the Land; it should be one of the first things he did, to destroy them, not corporally by taking away their Lives, but civilly by a due and strict Discipline, and so cut off all evil doers from the City of the Lord. Where this is not attended to, sad and doleful experience hath made it evident to the World, that Hell will immediately break loose, the Flood-gates of Wickedness will be all drawn up, and an inundation of the blackest villainies will follow and drown a Land, Judg. 17.6. In those days there was no King in Israel. None that could Effectually hinder Idolatry or any thing else, none that had a sufficient coercive Power, for the Judges did deal with the People rather by Counsel and Persuasion than by Commands and Punishments; and then saith the Text, Every man did that which was right in his own Eyes, and you need not doubt but a great deal of that was wrong and odious in Gods Eyes.

But sure I am, it is the Duty of all, specially the concernment of those, who are by God invested with Power, to reckon it, and accordingly to mind it as a very considerable part of their work, to look to it, that this noisom Plague be stay'd. And to that purpose, I desire them to consider what was the Resolution of David the man after Gods own Heart, Psalm 101.8. I will early destroy all the wicked of the Land; it should be one of the first things he did, to destroy them, not corporally by taking away their Lives, but civilly by a due and strict Discipline, and so cut off all evil doers from the City of the Lord. Where this is not attended to, sad and doleful experience hath made it evident to the World, that Hell will immediately break loose, the Flood-gates of Wickedness will be all drawn up, and an inundation of the blackest villanies will follow and drown a Land, Judg. 17.6. In those days there was no King in Israel. None that could Effectually hinder Idolatry or any thing else, none that had a sufficient coercive Power, for the Judges did deal with the People rather by Counsel and Perswasion than by Commands and Punishments; and then saith the Text, Every man did that which was right in his own Eyes, and you need not doubt but a great deal of that was wrong and odious in Gods Eyes.