Some think it strange that any men should be called Haters of God; And I believe you will find it hard to meet with that man that will confess it by himself, till converting Grace or Hell constrain him▪ ⟨p. 16⟩And indeed if God himself had not charged men with that sin, and called them by that name, we should scarce have found belief or patience when we had endeavoured to convince the world of it. Entreat but the worst of men to repent of Hating God, and try how they will take it. Yet they may read that name in Scripture, Rom. 1. 30. Psal. 81. 15. Luke 19. 14. Did not the Jews hate Christ think you, when they murdered him? and when they hated all his followers for his sake? Matth. 10. 22. Mar. 13. 13. And doth not Christ say, that they shall be hated for his sake, not only of the Jews, but also of all Nations, and all men, Matth. 24. 9. & 10. 22. Even by the world, John 17. 14. & 15, 17, 18, 19, &c. And this was a hating both Christ and his Father, John 15. 23, 24. But you will say, It is not possible that any man can hate God? I answer, How then come the Devils to hate him? Yea, every ungodly man hateth God: Indeed no man hateth him as Good, or as Merciful to them: But they hate him as Holy and Just, as one that will not let them have the pleasure of sin, without damning them: as one engaged in justice to cast them into Hell, if they dye without conversion: and as one that hath made so pure and precise a Law to govern them, and convinceth them of sin, and calls them to that repentance and Holiness which they hate. Why did the world hate Christ himself? He tells you, John 7. 7. The world cannot hate you, but me it hateth, because I testify against it, that the works thereof are evil. John 3. 19. This is the condemnation that Light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. Nay, it is a wonder of blindness, that this God-hating world and age, should not perceive that they are God-haters, while they hate his servants to the death, and implacably rage against them, and hate his holy ways and Kingdom, and bend all their power and interest in most of the Kingdoms of the world, against his interest and his people upon earth: While the Devil fighteth his battles against Christ through the world, by their hands, they will yet confess the Devils malice against God, but deny their own;
Some think it strange that any men should be called Haters of God; And I believe you will find it hard to meet with that man that will confess it by himself, till converting Grace or Hell constrain him▪ ⟨p. 16⟩And indeed if God himself had not charged men with that sin, and called them by that name, we should scarce have found belief or patience when we had endeavoured to convince the world of it. Intreat but the worst of men to repent of Hating God, and try how they will take it. Yet they may read that name in Scripture, Rom. 1. 30. Psal. 81. 15. Luke 19. 14. Did not the Iews hate Christ think you, when they murdered him? and when they hated all his followers for his sake? Matth. 10. 22. Mar. 13. 13. And doth not Christ say, that they shall be hated for his sake, not only of the Jews, but also of all Nations, and all men, Matth. 24. 9. & 10. 22. Even by the world, Iohn 17. 14. & 15, 17, 18, 19, &c. And this was a hating both Christ and his Father, Iohn 15. 23, 24. But you will say, It is not possible that any man can hate God? I answer, How then come the Devils to hate him? Yea, every ungodly man hateth God: Indeed no man hateth him as Good, or as Merciful to them: But they hate him as Holy and Iust, as one that will not let them have the pleasure of sin, without damning them: as one engaged in justice to cast them into Hell, if they dye without conversion: and as one that hath made so pure and precise a Law to govern them, and convinceth them of sin, and calls them to that repentance and Holiness which they hate. Why did the world hate Christ himself? He tells you, John 7. 7. The world cannot hate you, but me it hateth, because I testifie against it, that the works thereof are evil. John 3. 19
