Section 4. Showing That the Evil of Sin Works for Good to the Godly

4. The evil of sin works for good; not in its own nature (for it is damnable), but God in his infinite wisdom over-ruling it. This is Saint Austin's gloss upon the Text. I may now say, as the Apostle in another sense, 1 Corinthians 15:51. Behold, I show you a Mystery: Sin itself to the Godly works for good. Indeed 'tis matter of wonder, that any honey should come out of this Lion. — We may understand it in a double sense.

1. The sins of others work for good to the Godly. 'Tis no small trouble to a gracious heart to live among the wicked, Psalm 120:5. Woe is me that I dwell in Meshech: Yet even this the Lord turns to good.

1. The sins of others work for good, as they breed holy sorrow. God's people weep for what they cannot reform: Psalm 119:136. Rivers of tears run down mine eyes, because they keep not thy Law. David was a mourner for the sins of the times; his heart was turned into a Spring, and his eyes into Rivers. Wicked men make merry with sin, Jeremiah 11:15. When thou dost evil, then thou rejoicest. But the Godly are weeping Doves, they grieve for the oaths and blasphemies of the Age, they take the sins of others, and make them spears to pierce their own souls. This grieving for the sins of others is good. 1. It shows a Child-like heart. 'Tis ingenuity to resent with sorrow the injuries done to our Heavenly Father. 2. It shows a Christ-like heart, Mark 3:5. He was grieved for the hardness of their hearts. 3. The Lord takes special notice of these tears; he likes it well that we should weep when his glory suffers. It argues more grace to grieve for the sins of others, than for our own. We may grieve for our own sins, out of fear of Hell, but to grieve for the sins of others, is from a principle of love to God: These tears drop as water from the Roses, they are sweet and fragrant, and God puts them in his Bottle.

2. The sins of others work for good to the Godly, as they set them the more a praying against sin. If there were not such a spirit of wickedness abroad, perhaps there would not be such a spirit of prayer. Crying Sins cause Crying Prayers: The people of God pray against the iniquity of the times, that God will give a check to sin, that he will put sin to the blush; if they cannot pray down sin, they pray against it; and this God takes kindly; these prayers shall be both recorded and rewarded. Though we do not prevail in prayer, we shall not lose our prayers, Psalm 35:13. My prayer returned into my own bosom.

3. The sins of others work for good, as they make us the more in love with grace. The sins of others are a foil to set off the lustre of grace the more. One contrary sets off another: Deformity sets off beauty. The sins of the wicked do much disfigure them: Pride is a disfiguring sin; an ambitious man is but a Bladder whom the Devil has blown up; now, the beholding another's pride, makes us the more in love with humility. Malice is a disfiguring sin, it is the Devil's picture; the more of this we see in others, the more we fall in love with meekness and charity. Drunkenness is a disfiguring sin, like Circe's Cup, it turns men into Beasts, it deprives of the use of reason; the more intemperate we see others, the more we fall in love with sobriety. The black face of sin sets off the beauty of holiness so much the more.

4. The sins of others work for good, as they work in us the stronger opposition against sin, Psalm 119:126. The wicked have made void thy Law; therefore I love thy Law. David had never loved God's Law so much, if the wicked had not set themselves so much against it. The more violent others are against the truth, the more valiant the Saints are for it. Living fish swim against the stream; the more the Tide of sin comes in, the more the Godly swim against it. The impieties of the times, provoke holy passion in the Saints: that anger is without sin, which is against sin. The sins of others are as a Whetstone to set the sharper edge upon us, they whet our zeal and indignation against sin the more.

5. The sins of others work for good, as they make us more earnest in working out our salvation. When we see wicked men take such pains for Hell, this makes us more industrious for Heaven. The wicked have nothing to encourage them, yet they sin; they venture shame and disgrace, they break through all oppositions; Scripture is against them, and Conscience is against them, there is a flaming sword in their way, yet they sin. Lamentations 5:9. We gat our bread with the peril of our lives. Sinners eat the bread of wickedness with the peril of their souls. Godly hearts seeing the wicked thus mad for the forbidden fruit, and hackneying out themselves in the Devil's service, are the more emboldened and quickened in the ways of God, they will take Heaven as it were by storm. The wicked are swift Dromedaries in sin, Jeremiah 2:23. and do we creep like Snails in Religion? Shall impure sinners do the Devil more service, than we do Christ? Shall they make more haste to a Prison, than we do to a Kingdom? Are they never weary of sinning, and are we weary of praying? Have not we a better Master than they? Are not the paths of virtue pleasant? Is not there joy in the way of duty, and Heaven at the end? The activity of the sons of Belial in sin, is a spur to the Godly to make them mend their pace, and run the faster to Heaven.

6. The sins of others work for good, as they are Glasses in which we may see our own hearts. Do we see a flagitious impious sinner? Behold a picture of our hearts, such should we be if God did leave us; what is in other men's practice, is in our nature. Sin in the wicked, is like fire on a Beacon that flames and blazes forth, sin in the Godly is like fire in the Embers. Christian, though you do not break forth into a flame of scandal, yet you have no cause to boast, for there is much sin raked up in the Embers of your nature; you have the root of bitterness in you, and would bear as hellish fruit as any, if God did not either curb you by his power, or change you by his grace.

7. The sins of others work for good, as they are a means to make the people of God more thankful. When you see another infected with the plague, how thankful are you, that God has preserved you from it? It is a good use that may be made even of the sins of others, to be more thankful; why might not God have left us to the same excess of riot? Think with yourself, O Christian, why should God be more propitious to you, than to another? Why should he take you out of the wild Olive of nature, and not him? How may this make you to adore free grace! What the Pharisee said boastingly, we may say thankfully, Luke 18:11. God, I thank thee that I am not as other men are, Extortioners, Unjust, Adulterers, etc. So we are to adore the riches of grace, that we are not as others, Drunkards, Swearers, Sabbath-breakers. Every time we see men ranting it in sin, we are to bless God we are not such. If we see a frantic person, we bless God it is not so with us: Much more when we see others under the power of Satan, we are to make our thankful acknowledgement that it is not our condition.

8. The sins of others work for good, as they are a means to make God's people better. Christian, God can make you a gainer by another's sin: The more unholy others are, the more holy you are. The Roses that grow near Garlic, are sweetest: So another's unsavoriness makes a Christian's graces send out a more fragrant perfume. The more a wicked man gives himself to sin, the more a godly man gives himself to prayer, Psalm 109:4. But I give myself to prayer.

9. The sins of others work for good, as they give an occasion to us of doing good: Were there no sinners, we could not be in such a capacity for service. The Godly are often a means to convert the wicked: their prudent advice, and pious example, is a lure and bait to draw sinners to the embracing of the Gospel. The disease of the Patient works for the good of the Physician; by emptying the Patient of noxious peccant humours, the Physician enriches himself: So by converting sinners from the error of their way, our Crown comes to be enlarged, Daniel 12:3. They that turn many to righteousness, shall shine as the Stars for ever and ever: Not as Lamps or Tapers, but sicut Stella, as the Stars for ever. Thus we see the sins of others work for our good.

2. Our own sins shall work for good: This must be understood warily, when I say the sins of the godly work for good, not that there is the least good in sin. Sin is like poison, which corrupts the blood, infects the heart, and without a Sovereign Antidote brings death: Such is the venomous nature of sin 'tis deadly and damning : Sin is worse than Hell, but yet, God by his mighty over-ruling power makes sin in the issue turn to the good of his people; God can make a Treacle of this poison: Hence, that golden saying of Saint Austin, God would never permit evil, if he could not bring good out of evil. The Relics and remains of corruption in the Saints, work for good several ways.

1. Sin makes them weary of this life. That sin is in the godly, is sad, but that it is a burden, is good. Saint Paul's afflictions (pardon the expression) were but a play to him in comparison of his sin; he rejoiced in tribulation, 2 Corinthians 7:4. But how did this bird of Paradise weep and bemoan himself under his sins! Romans 7:24. Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? A Believer carries his sins, as a Prisoner his shackles: Oh how does he long for a Jail-delivery! This sensibility of sin is good.

2. This in-being of corruption makes the Saints prize Christ more. He that feels his sin, as a sick man feels his sickness, how welcome is Christ the Physician to him! He that feels himself stung with sin, how precious is the brazen Serpent to him! When Paul had cried out of a body of death, how thankful was he for Christ! Romans 7:25. I thank God through Jesus Christ my Lord. Christ's blood saves from sin, and is the sacred ointment which kills this Quicksilver.

3. Sin works for good, as it is an occasion of putting the soul upon six rare Duties.

1. It puts the soul upon self-searching. A child of God being conscious to himself of sin, takes the Candle and Lantern of the Word, and searches into his heart: he desires to know the worst by himself; as a man who is distempered in body, desires to know the worst of his disease. Though our joy lies in the knowledge of our graces, yet there is some benefit in the knowledge of our corruptions: Therefore Job prays, Make me to know my transgressions, Job 13:23. 'Tis good to know our sins, that we may not flatter ourselves, or take our condition to be better than it is. 'Tis good to find out our sins, lest they find us out.

2. The inherency of sin puts a child of God upon self-abasing. Sin is left in a godly man, as a Cancer in the breast, or a bunch upon the back, to keep him from being proud. Gravel and Dung are good to ballast a Ship, and keep it from overturning: The Dung of sin helps to ballast the soul, that it be not overturned with vain-glory. We read of the spots of God's children, Deuteronomy 32:5. When a godly man looks at his face in the glass of Scripture, and sees the spots of infidelity and hypocrisy, this makes the plumes of Pride fall; they are humbling spots. 'Tis a good use may be made even of our sins, when they occasion low thoughts of ourselves: Better is that sin which humbles me, than that duty which makes me proud. Holy Bradford uttered these words of himself, I am (says he) a painted hypocrite; and Hooper, Lord, I am Hell, and thou art Heaven. From the Thorn of sin, the Saints have gathered the Grape of Humility.

3. Sin puts a child of God upon self-judging; he is sui Judex, he passes a Sentence upon himself, Proverbs 30.2. I am more brutish than any man. It is dangerous to judge others, but it is good to judge ourselves, 1 Corinthians 11.31. If we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. When a man has judged himself, now Satan is put out of Office: When he lays anything to a Saint's charge, he is able to retort and say, It is true Satan, I am guilty of these sins, but I have judged myself already for them; and having condemned myself in the lower Court of Conscience, God will acquit me in the upper Court of Heaven.

4. Sin puts a Child of God upon self-conflicting. Spiritual-self conflicts with carnal-self, Galatians 5.17. The Spirit lusts against the flesh. Our life is a wayfaring life, and a warfaring life; there is a duel fought every day between the two Seeds: A Believer will not let sin have peaceable possession: If he cannot keep sin out, he will keep sin under; though he cannot quite overcome, yet he is overcoming, Revelation 2.7. to him that is overcoming.

5. Sin puts a Child of God upon self-observing: He knows sin is a Bosom-Traitor, therefore narrowly observes himself. A subtle heart needs a watchful eye. The heart is like a Castle that is in danger every hour to be assaulted; this makes a Child of God lie always Sentinel, and keep a Guard about his heart. A Believer has a strict eye over himself, lest he fall into any scandalous enormity, and so open a sluice to let all his comfort run out.

6. Sin puts the soul upon self-reforming. A child of God does not only find out sin, but drive out sin; one foot he sets upon the neck of his sins, and the other foot he turns to God's Testimonies, Psalm 119.59. Thus the sins of the Godly work for good; God makes the Saints' Maladies their Medicines.

But let none abuse this Doctrine; I do not say that to an impenitent person sin works for good, no it works for his damnation; but it is to them that love God: And for you that are Godly, I know you will not draw a wrong conclusion from this, either to make light of sin, or to make bold with sin; if you should do so, God will make it cost you dear. Remember David, he ventured presumptuously on sin, and what got he? He lost his peace, he felt the terrors of the Almighty in his soul: Though he had all helps to cheerfulness, he was a King, he was of a ruddy sanguine complexion, he had skill in Music, yet nothing could administer comfort to him, he complains of his broken bones, Psalm 15.8. And though he did at last come out of that dark Cloud, yet some Divines are of Opinion, that he never recovered his full joy to his dying day. If any of God's people should be tampering with sin because God can turn it to good; though the Lord does not damn them, he may send them to Hell in this life, he may put them into such bitter agonies, and soul-Convulsions, as may fill them full of horror, and make them draw near to despair: Let this be a Flaming Sword to keep them from coming near the forbidden Tree.

And thus I have shown, that both the best things, and the worst things, by the overruling hand of the great God, do work together for the good of the Saints.