N00729:47
Pillars of salt. An history of some criminals executed in this land, for capital…
Pillars of salt. An history of some criminals executed in this land, for capital crimes. : With some of their dying speeches; collected and published, for the warning of such as live in destructive courses of ungodliness. : Whereto is added, for the better improvement of this history, a brief discourse about the dreadful justice of God, in punishing of sin, with sin. : [Two lines from Deuteronomy]
printed by B. Green for Samuel Phillips, 1699
REFLECTIONS on the Dreadful CASE of Sin Punished With Sin. › Case 1 › Conclusion 5: Conclusion V.
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.
V. There is nothing that more Entraps a Sinner, in the punishment of Sin with Sin, than the Scandal of Sin committed by great Pretenders to Godliness: and it is not without the ordering of God, that this Trap is laid for ungodly men. The Sin of men, is, that they do not themselves Personally, and Seriously, and Sincerely, enter into Covenant with God in Christ, and Walk in His Blessed ways, according to His Covenant. Now, God will Punish this their Sin, by giving them up unto more Sin, and unto Obstinacy in all their Sin. How is it accomplished? Men are very ready to take up their Opinion of a Way, from the Character of them who walk in that way. But there will always be persons of a Bad Character & Carriage, among those, who profess the Christian Religion, which is the way of Truth. And So there follows that mischief, i• 2 Pet. 2 2 By reason of them the way of Truth shall be Evil spoken ⟨p. 21⟩of: Men take up unreasonable prejudices against the way of Truth, and so they go on in the way of Sin, until they die. Now, God Orders it, that when such Things Do fall out, as they must fall out, our ungodly people shall be acquainted with them. David, a professor of the way of Truth, did a very Scandalous Thing, upon which he received that Admonition, By this Deed, thou hast given great Occasion unto the Enemies of the Lord to Blaspheme. Now, the Lord ha's Ordered the Recording of This Deed, that men for the Sin of being the Enemies of the Lord, may be given up unto their Blasphemies. We find, in the writings of the Ancients, that about a Thousand years after this, namely, in the primitive Times of Christianity, many Pagans, would not be Christians ▪ and made this plea for it: The Christians tell us, that their Christianity, is a thing much better than what we profess: but it can't be as they say: for one David, was one of their greatest Saints, and by their own Confession, this David, was one who did as Damnable Things, as could be done by a mortal man! Oh! Lamentable Wretchedness! [compare, Ezek. 36.20. with Rom. 2.23, 24.] Sometimes, when a multitude of Sinners must be Given up to Sin, God Orders it, that they shall see the Scandalous Immoralities, that some Eminent Man falls into. There was once a Minister of God, that fell into a Sin, for which the Displeasure of God brought a very Tragical Thing upon hi: