A53702:29
An humble testimony unto the goodness and severity of God in his dealing with…
An humble testimony unto the goodness and severity of God in his dealing with sinful churches and nations, or, The only way to deliver a sinful nation from utter ruin by impendent judgments, in a discourse on the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, Luk. 13, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 / by John Owen.An humble testimony unto the goodness and severity of God in his dealing with sinful churches and nations, or, The only way to deliver a sinful nation from utter ruine by impendent judgments, in a discourse on the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, Luk. 13, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 / by John Owen.
London: printed for Nathanael Ponder, 1681
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Something in our passage may be spoken for the Vindication of Divine Justice herein, seeing we may be more concerned in that Divine Commination than the most are aware.
1. The Case here is particular. That in the Commandment respects the Common Case of all false Worshippers, and their Posterity; but this respects Persecution unto Blood and Death of the true Worshippers of God. Now though God be very much provoked with the Sins of false Worshippers, yet he can either bear with them, or pass over their Sins with lesser Punishments, or at least for a long season; but when they come to Persecution and the Blood of them who worship him in Spirit and in Truth, in his appointed season he will not spare them; their own, and the Iniquities of their Predecessors, shall be avenged on them which will be ⟨p. 5⟩the end of the Antichristian Church-State, after all its present Triumph.
1. The Case here is particular. That in the Commandmont respects the Common Case of all false Worshippers, and their Posterity; but this respects Persecution unto Blood and Death of the true Worshippers of God. Now though God be very much provoked with the Sins of false Worshippers, yet he can either bear with them, or pass over their Sins with lesser Punishments, or at least for a long season; but when they come to Persecution and the Blood of them who worship him in Spirit and in Truth, in his appointed season he will not spare them; their own, and the Iniquities of their Predecessors, shall be avenged on them which will be ⟨p. 5⟩the end of the Antichristian Church-State, after all its present Triumph.
2. All those who from the beginning of the World suffered unto Blood, on the account of Religion, suffered in the Cause of Christ, for their Faith in him, and Confession of him, namely, as he was promised unto the Church. Unto him and his Office did Abel, by Faith, bear Testimony in the Bloody Sacrifice that he offered. So it is said that Moses, in his danger for killing the Egyptian, hare the Reproach of Christ, because he did it in Faith of the Promised Seed, which was Christ. They were therefore all slain in the Cause of Christ: And whereas this Generation was to slay Christ himself, and did so, they did therein approve of, and justify all the Blood that was shed in the same Cause from the Foundation of the World; and made themselves justly liable unto the Punishment due unto it. Hence our Saviour tells them.