An exposition with practical observations continued upon the thirty-fifth, thirty-sixth, and thirty-seventh chapters of…

Secondly, I answer, When the lives of the wicked are preserved, they are not preserved for any love which God bears to their persons as such, but either, First, to bring them into a better state, that is, to turn them from their wickedness, that being converted, they may be saved at last, according to his purpose: Or, Secondly, they are preserved, to serve some ends and purposes of his in this World. For though God hath no pleasure in them, yet he makes some use of them, and doth his pleasure by them; Or, I may say, they are preserved to be Executioners of his displeasure, in chastening and correcting his own people. The King of Assyria was preserved in great Power; and to what end? I will send him against an hypocritical Nation, (Isa. 10.6.) He must go on my Errand, though he meaneth not so, nor doth his heart think so, (as the Lord spake, vers. 7.) He hath other matters and designs in his head, but I have this use of him, and of his power, even to punish the people of my wrath. The Lord made use also of Nebuchadnezzar, and his Army, to serve him in the destroying of Tyre, and of him and his Army he saith, They wrought for me, (Ezek. 29.20.) Thus the Lord doth some of his work, his strange work especially, his work of Judgment, by the hands of wicked men; and therefore he preserves their lives. Yea, he preserves them many a time to be a help and a defence to his people. ⟨p. 191⟩A Thorn Hedge keeps the Pasture, that strange Cattle break not in, and eat it up. Wicked men are as Briars and Thorns, and they are suffered to live, because the Lord can make use of them as a Fence to his people. When the Serpent cast out of his mouth water as a Flood after the woman (the Church) that he might cause her to be carried away of the Flood, then the Earth (that is, earthly, carnal men) helped the Woman (Rev. 12.15, 16,) The Lord used bad men to do that good work, the preservation of his distressed and persecuted Church.

Secondly, I answer, When the lives of the wicked are preserved, they are not preserved for any love which God bears to their persons as such, but either, First, to bring them into a better state, that is, to turn them from their wickedness, that being converted, they may be saved at last, according to his purpose: Or, Secondly, they are preserved, to serve some ends and purposes of his in this World. For though God hath no pleasure in them, yet he makes some use of them, and doth his pleasure by them; Or, I may say, they are preserved to be Executioners of his displeasure, in chastening and correcting his own people. The King of Assyria was preserved in great Power; and to what end? I will send him against an hypocritical Nation, (