A53702:62
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.
1. The observation is here confined and limited, unto such a Season as that under consideration; namely a time of provoking Sins in the generality of the People, and approaching Judgments. In such a season no assignation of especial Guilt ought to be made on especial Calamitous Sufferings.
2. Some Persons may be guilty of such daring presumptuous Sins, that if they are overtaken with especial Judgements in this World, it is the height of Impiety not to own the especial revenging hand of God, in their destruction; such was the Death of Herod, Acts 12, 22, 23.
2. Some Persons may be guilty of such daring presumptous Sins, that if they are overtaken with especial Judgements in this VVorld, it is the height of Impiety not to own the especial revenging hand of God, in their destruction; such was the Death of Herod, Acts 12, 22, 23.
2. Judgments on private men in such a season are warnings to the public. This is intimated by our Saviour in this place; Namely, that God uses a Sovereignty herein, by singling out whom he pleaseth to make them Examples unto others; this saith he, was the sole reason, as far as you are concerned to judge or know, why God brought these sore destructions upon them; namely, that by these Warnings he might call you to Repentance. Yet I judge God doth not ordinarily exercise his Sovereignty in this kind, unless it be when all have deserved to be destroyed; and then, as in the Sedition and Mutiny of Military Legions, they decimated them, or slew some for an example and terror unto others; so God calls out of a guilty multitude whom he pleaseth, to make previous Instances of approaching Judgments.