There are indeed two cases wherein wicked men cease troubling, while they live. One is, when they are desperate in their designs, and see they cannot by troubling themselves, trouble others sufficiently, when they cannot have their will nor compass their ends fully; they being in despair of doing the mischief they would, will do no more: So the Historian notes concerning Diocletian, 1the most bloody persecutor that ever the Church had, at the last he gave over the Empire, and declined the government (not because he was weary of persecuting, but he was weary of being disappointed,) Because he saw he could not hatch that which he had long brooded, or bring forth those designs he had contrived for the utter extirpation of the Christians: Being thus out of hope to do all the mischief he intended, he puts himself out of power to do that mischief, resigns the Empire. A second case, wherein wicked men cease troubling, is, when they have fully attained their ends in this life; sometimes they bring their work to such perfection, to such a period, that they think they have attained all, all their plots have taken, all's theirs; and when they have fully done the Devils work, then he gives them a play day, they have some cessation: But otherwise except in these two cases, they never cease from troubling; therefore the Apostle Paul, Gal. 5.12. prayeth, that they which trouble them, might even be cut off: As if he had said, they are such a kind of men,2 there is no curing of them, they will never have done doing mischief, until they be cut off by death. As God threatens death to debtor men from sin, so sometimes he is (as it were) constrained to send death to keep or take men off from sin; A godly man saith, If God kill me, yet will trust I in him: and some wicked men say (in effect, if not in the letter) Till God kills us we will sin against him. The Psalmist asks the question, Psal. 94.4, 5. How long shall the wicked? how long shall the wicked triumph? How long shall they utter and speak hard things? and all the workers of iniquity boast themselves? They break in pieces thy people O Lord. What answer shall we give, what date shall we put to this, How long? The answer is given, ver. 23. The Lord shall bring upon them their own iniquity, and cut them off in their own wickedness: yea, the Lord our God shall cut them off.
There are indeed two cases wherein wicked men cease troubling, while they live. One is, when they are desperate in their designes, and see they cannot by troubling themselves, trouble others sufficiently, when they cannot have their will nor compasse their ends fully; they being in despaire of doing the mischiefe they would, will doe no more: So the Historian notes concerning Dioclesian, 1the most bloody persecutour that ever the Church had, at the last he gave over the Empire, and declined the governement (not because he was weary of persecuting, but he was weary of being disappointed,) Because he saw he could not hatch that which he had long brooded, or bring forth those designes he had contrived for the utter extirpation of the Christians: Being thus out of hope to doe all the mischiefe he intended, he puts himselfe out of power to doe that mischiefe, resignes the Empire. A second case, wherein wicked men cease troubling, is, when they have fully attained their ends in this life; sometimes they bring their worke to such perfection, to such a period, that they thinke they have attained all, all their plots have taken, all's theirs; and when they have fully done the Devils work, then he gives them a play day, they have some cessation: But otherwise except in these two cases, they never cease from troubling; therefore the Apostle Paul, Gal. 5.12. prayeth, that they which trouble them, might even be cut off: As if he had said, they are such a kind of men,2 there is no curing of them, they will never have done doing mischiefe, untill they be cut off by death. As God threatens death to deterre men from sin, so sometimes he is (as it were) constrained to send death to keepe or take men off from sin; A godly man saith, If God kill mee, yet will trust I in him: and some wicked men say (in effect, if not in the letter) Till God kills us we will sinne against him. The Psalmist askes the question, Psal. 94.4, 5. How long shall the wicked? how long shall the wicked triumph? How long shall they utter and speake hard things? and all the workers of iniquity boast themselves? They breake in pieces thy people O Lord. What answer shall we give, what date shall we put to this, How long? The answer is given, ver. 23. The Lord shall bring upon them their own iniquity, and cut them off in their own wickednesse: yea, the Lord our God shall cut them off.
- 1Existimant aliqui Dioclesianū etiam dolore motum fuisse, ut imperium deponeret, cum perficere se no• posse videret ea, quae contra Christian•s molitus fuerat. Christ. ••z. Mellif. Histor. Par. 2.Existimant aliqui Dioclesianū etiam dolore motum fuisse, ut imperium deponeret, cum perficere se no• posse videret ea, quae contra Christian•s molitus fuerat. Christ. ••z. Mellif. Histor. Par. 2.
- 2Quam mortem cominatus est Deus homini ut a peccando illum deterreat, eandem ipsam▪ insert ut a peccando cesset.
