The Scripture directory for church-officers and people, or, A practical commentary upon the whole…

If any man defile the Temple of God, him shall God destroy.

We have dispatched the sin supposed, we come to the punishment proposed; Him shall God destroy. A terrible sentence, and that which may make all those who grow wanton in the matters of Religion like Belshazzar, to quake and tremble. In the Greek, it is [Greek or Hebrew], the same word with defiling the Temple: They defile Gods Temple, and God will defile them. This is the same with [Greek or Hebrew], in other places, God will destroy: Now this is meant of eternal destruction without repentance. The Scripture calls eternal punishment, destruction; not in the sense of the Socinians heresy, as if both body and soul were totally annihilated, for that cannot be called a torment, but rather a freedom from torment; but because both body and soul are deprived of all comfort and happiness, and so are exposed to all the curses, and the tormenting wrath of God without ceasing. So that this Text doth represent corruptions in the Doctrine and Worship of God,¹ under as terrible a consideration as any great sins committed. For look upon the threatenings against the vilest monsters of sinners, they can be no more then this, Those will God destroy. And so it is here of such as defile the Truths of God with errors; even as Nadab and Abihu were wonderfully and terribly destroyed for offering strange fire upon Gods Altar, though men may suffer them. Though the parties themselves may bless their condition, yet God will destroy them, if they do not recover out of these snares of the Devil.

We have dispatched the sinne supposed, we come to the punishment proposed; Him shall God destroy. A terrible sentence, and that which may make all those who grow wanton in the matters of Religion like Belshazer, to quake and tremble. In the Greek, it is 〈non-Latin alphabet〉, the same word with defiling the Temple: They defile Gods Temple, and God will defile them. This is the same with 〈non-Latin alphabet〉, in other places, God will destroy: Now this is meant of eternal destruction without repentance. The Scripture cals eternal punishment, destruction; not in the sense of the Socinians heresie, as if both body and soul were totally annihilated, for that cannot be called a torment, but rather a freedom from torment; but because both body and soul are deprived of all comfort and happiness, and so are exposed to all the curses, and the tormenting wrath of God without ceasing. So that this Text doth represent corruptions in the Doctrine and Worship of God,