Thirdly, in that the officers, unto whom these tares are referred, are
the angels, the heavenly reapers at the last day, it is clear as the
light that, as before, these tares cannot signify hypocrites in the
church; who, when they are discovered and seen to be tares, opposite to
the good fruit of the good seed, are not to be let alone to the angels
at harvest, or end of the world, but purged out by the governors of
the church, and the whole church of Christ.[114] Again, they cannot be
offenders against the civil state and common welfare, whose dealing with
is not suspended unto the coming of the angels, but [permitted] unto
men, who, although they know not the Lord Jesus Christ, yet are lawful
governors and rulers in civil things.
Accordingly, in the fourth and last place, in that the plucking up of
these tares out of this field must be let alone unto the very harvest or
end of the world, it is apparent from thence, that, as before, they could
not signify hypocrites in the church, who, when they are discovered to be
so, as these tares were discovered to be tares, are not to be suffered,
after the first and second admonition, but to be rejected, and every
brother that walketh disorderly to be withdrawn or separated from.[115]
So likewise no offender against the civil state, by robbery, murder,
adultery, oppression, sedition, mutiny, is for ever to be connived at,
and to enjoy a perpetual toleration unto the world’s end, as these tares
must.
[Sidenote: The tares to be tolerated the longest of any sinners.]
Moses for a while held his peace against the sedition of Korah, Dathan,
and Abiram. David for a season tolerated Shimei, Joab, Adonijah. But till
the harvest, or end of the world, the Lord never intended that any but
these spiritual and mystical tares should be so permitted.
CHAP. XXVI.
[Sidenote: The danger of infection by these tares assoiled.]
_Truth._ Now if any imagine that the time or date is long, that in the
mean season they may do a world of mischief before the world’s end, as by
infection, &c.
[Sidenote: Lamentable experience hath proved this true of late in Europe,
and lamentably true in the slaughter of some hundred thousands of the
English.]
First, I answer, that as the civil state keeps itself with a civil guard,
in case these tares shall attempt aught against the peace and welfare of
it let such civil offences be punished; and yet, as tares opposite to
Christ’s kingdom, let their worship and consciences be tolerated.[116]
Secondly, the church, or spiritual state, city, or kingdom, hath laws,
and orders, and armories, _whereon there hang a thousand bucklers_, Cant.
iv. 4, weapons and ammunition, able to break down the strongest holds,
2 Cor. x. 4, and so to defend itself against the very gates of earth or
hell.[117]
Thirdly, the Lord himself knows who are his, and his foundation remaineth
sure; his elect or chosen cannot perish nor be finally deceived.[118]
Lastly, the Lord Jesus here, in this parable, lays down two reasons,
able to content and satisfy our hearts to bear patiently this their
contradiction and anti-christianity, and to permit or let them alone.
First, lest the good wheat be plucked up and rooted up also out of this
field of the world. If such combustions and fightings were as to pluck up
all the false professors of the name of Christ, the good wheat also would
enjoy little peace, but be in danger to be plucked up and torn out of
this world by such bloody storms and tempests.[119]
And, therefore, as God’s people are commanded, Jer. xxix. 7, to pray for
the peace of material Babel, wherein they were captivated, and 1 Tim.
ii. 1, 2, to pray for all men, and specially [for] kings and governors,
that in the peace of the civil state they may have peace: so, contrary
to the opinion and practice of most, drunk with the cup of the whore’s
fornication, yea, and of God’s own people, fast asleep in anti-christian
Delilah’s lap, obedience to the command of Christ to let the tares alone
will prove the only means to preserve their civil peace, and that without
obedience to this command of Christ, it is impossible (without great
transgression against the Lord in carnal policy, which will not long hold
out) to preserve the civil peace.
Beside, God’s people, the good wheat, are generally plucked up
and persecuted, as well as the vilest idolaters, whether Jews or
anti-christians: which the Lord Jesus seems in this parable to foretell.
[Sidenote: The great and dreadful harvest.]
The second reason noted in the parable, which may satisfy any man from
wondering at the patience of God, is this: when the world is ripe in
sin, in the sins of anti-christianism (as the Lord spake of the sins of
the Amorites, Gen. xv. 16), then those holy and mighty officers and
executioners, the angels, with their sharp and cutting sickles of eternal
vengeance, shall down with them, and bundle them up for the everlasting
burnings.[120]
Then shall that man of sin, 2 Thess. ii. [8], be consumed by the breath
of the mouth of the Lord Jesus; and all that worship the beast and his
picture, and receive his mark into their forehead or their hands, _shall
drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without
mixture into the cup of his indignation, and he shall be tormented
with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the
presence of the Lamb, and the smoke of their torment shall ascend up for
ever and ever_, Rev. xiv. 10, 11.
CHAP. XXVII.
_Peace._ You have been larger in vindicating this scripture from the
violence offered unto it, because, as I said before, it is of such
great consequence; as also, because so many excellent hands have not
rightly divided it, to the great misguiding of many precious feet, which
otherwise might have been turned into the paths of more peaceableness in
themselves and towards others.
_Truth._ I shall be briefer in the scriptures following.
[Sidenote: The charge of Christ Jesus, _Let alone the tares_, was not
spoken to magistrates, ministers of the civil state, but to ministers of
the gospel.]
_Peace._ Yet before you depart from this, I must crave your patience
to satisfy one objection, and that is: These servants to whom the
householder answereth, seem to be the ministers or messengers of the
gospel, not the magistrates of the civil state, and therefore this charge
of the Lord Jesus is not given to magistrates, to let alone false
worshippers and idolaters.
Again, being spoken by the Lord Jesus to his messengers, it seems to
concern hypocrites in the church, as before was spoken, and not false
worshippers in the state, or world.
_Truth._ I answer, first, I believe I have sufficiently and abundantly
proved, that these tares are not offenders in the civil state. Nor,
secondly, hypocrites in the church, when once discovered so to be; and
that therefore the Lord Jesus intends a grosser kind of hypocrites,
professing the name of churches and Christians in the field of the world,
or commonwealth.
[Sidenote: The civil magistrate not so particularly spoken to as fathers
and masters, in the New Testament, and why, Eph. v. 6; Col. iii. 4, &c.]
Secondly, I acknowledge this command, _Let them alone_, was expressly
spoken to the messengers or ministers of the gospel, who have no civil
power or authority in their hand, and therefore not to the civil
magistrate, king, or governor, to whom it pleased not the Lord Jesus,
by himself or by his apostles, to give particular rules or directions
concerning their behaviour and carriage in civil magistracy, as they
have done expressly concerning the duty of fathers, mothers, children,
masters, servants, yea, and of subjects towards magistrates, Ephes. v.
and vi.; Colos. iii. and iv. &c.
[Sidenote: A twofold state of Christianity the persecuted under the Roman
emperors, and the apostate ever since.]
I conceive not the reason of this to be, as some weakly have done,
because the Lord Jesus would not have any followers of his to hold the
place of civil magistracy, but rather that he foresaw, and the Holy
Spirit in the apostles foresaw, how few magistrates, either in the first
persecuted or apostated state of Christianity, would embrace his yoke.
In the persecuted state, magistrates hated the very name of Christ, or
Christianity. In the state apostate, some few magistrates, in their
persons holy and precious, yet as concerning their places, as they have
professed to have been governors or heads of the church, have been so
many false heads, and have constituted so many false visible Christs.
Thirdly, I conceive this charge of the Lord Jesus to his messengers, the
preachers and proclaimers of his mind, is a sufficient declaration of the
mind of the Lord Jesus, if any civil magistrate should make question what
were his duty concerning spiritual things.
[Sidenote: Christ’s messengers receive a threefold charge in that
prohibition of Christ, _Let them alone_.]
The apostles, and in them all that succeed them, being commanded not to
pluck up the tares, but let them alone, received from the Lord Jesus a
threefold charge.
First, to let them alone, and not to pluck them up by prayer to God for
their present temporal destruction.[121]
[Sidenote: God’s people not to pray for the present ruin and destruction
of idolaters, although their persecutors, but for their peace and
salvation.]
Jeremy had a commission to plant and build, to pluck up and destroy
kingdoms, Jer. i. 10; therefore he is commanded not to pray for that
people whom God had a purpose to pluck up, Jer. xiv. 11, and he plucks
up the whole nation by prayer, Lament, iii. 66. Thus Elijah brought fire
from heaven to consume the captains and the fifties, 2 Kings i. And the
apostles desired also so to practise against the Samaritans, Luke ix. 54,
but were reproved by the Lord Jesus. For, contrarily, the saints, and
servants, and churches of Christ, are to pray for all men, especially for
all magistrates, of what sort or religions soever, and to seek the peace
of the city, whatever city it be, because in the peace of the place God’s
people have peace also, Jer. xxix. 7; 2 Tim. ii., &c.
Secondly, God’s messengers are herein commanded not to prophecy, or
denounce, a present destruction or extirpation of all false professors
of the name of Christ, which are whole towns, cities, and kingdoms
full.[122]
[Sidenote: The word of God rightly denounced plucks up kingdoms.]
Jeremy did thus pluck up kingdoms, in those fearful prophecies he poured
forth against all the nations of the world, throughout his chaps. xxiv.,
xxv., xxvi., &c.; as did also the other prophets in a measure, though
none comparably to Jeremy and Ezekiel.
Such denunciations of present temporal judgments, are not the messengers
of the Lord Jesus to pour forth. It is true, many sore and fearful
plagues are poured forth upon the Roman emperors and Roman popes in the
Revelation, yet not to their utter extirpation or plucking up until the
harvest.
[Sidenote: God’s ministers are not to provoke magistrates to persecute
anti-christians. 1 Pet. ii. 9. 1 Cor. v.]
Thirdly, I conceive God’s messengers are charged to let them alone, and
not pluck them up, by exciting and stirring up civil magistrates, kings,
emperors, governors, parliaments, or general courts, or assemblies,
to punish and persecute all such persons out of their dominions and
territories as worship not the true God, according to the revealed will
of God in Christ Jesus. It is true, Elijah thus stirred up Ahab to kill
all the priests and prophets of Baal; but that was in that figurative
state of the land of Canaan, as I have already and shall further
manifest, not to be matched or paralleled by any other state, but the
spiritual state or church of Christ in all the world, putting the false
prophets and idolaters spiritually to death by the two-edged sword and
power of the Lord Jesus, as that church of Israel did corporally.[123]
[Sidenote: Companying with idolaters, 1 Cor. v., discussed.]
And therefore saith Paul expressly, 1 Cor. v. 10, we must go out of the
world, in case we may not company in civil converse with idolaters, &c.
_Peace._ It may be said, some sorts of sinners are there mentioned, as
drunkards, railers, extortioners, who are to be punished by the civil
sword—why not idolaters also? for although the subject may lawfully
converse, buy and sell, and live with such, yet the civil magistrates
shall nevertheless be justly blamed in suffering of them.
[Sidenote: Lawful converse with idolaters in civil, but not in spiritual
things.]
_Truth._ I answer, the apostle, in this scripture, speaks not of
permission of either, but expressly shows the difference between the
church and the world, and the lawfulness of conversation with such
persons in civil things, with whom it is not lawful to have converse in
spirituals: secretly withal foretelling, that magistrates and people,
whole states and kingdoms, should be idolatrous and anti-christian, yet
with whom, notwithstanding, the saints and churches of God might lawfully
cohabit, and hold civil converse and conversation.
Concerning their permission of what they judge idolatrous, I have and
shall speak at large.
[Sidenote: Dangerous and ungrounded zeal.]
_Peace._ Oh! how contrary unto this command of the Lord Jesus have such,
as have conceived themselves the true messengers of the Lord Jesus, in
all ages, not let such professors and prophets alone, whom they have
judged tares; but have provoked kings and kingdoms (and some out of good
intentions and zeal to God) to prosecute and persecute such even unto
death! Amongst whom God’s people, the good wheat, hath also been plucked
up, as all ages and histories testify, and too, too oft the world laid
upon bloody heaps in civil and intestine desolations on this occasion.
All which would be prevented, and the greatest breaches made up in the
peace of our own or other countries, were this command of the Lord Jesus
obeyed, to wit, to let them alone until the harvest.
CHAP. XXVIII.
[_Truth._] I shall conclude this controversy about this parable, in this
brief sum and recapitulation of what hath been said. I hope, by the
evident demonstration of God’s Spirit to the conscience, I have proved,
negatively,
First. That the tares in this parable cannot signify doctrines or
practices, as was affirmed, but persons.
Secondly. The tares cannot signify hypocrites in the church, either
undiscovered or discovered.
Thirdly. The tares here cannot signify scandalous offenders in the church.
Fourthly. Nor scandalous offenders, in life and conversation, against the
civil state.
Fifthly. The field in which these tares are sown, is not the church.
Again, affirmatively: First. The field is properly the world, the civil
state, or commonwealth.
Secondly. The tares here intended by the Lord Jesus, are anti-christian
idolaters, opposite to the good seed of the kingdom, true Christians.
Thirdly. The ministers or messengers of the Lord Jesus ought to let them
alone to live in the world, and neither seek by prayer, or prophecy, to
pluck them up before the harvest.
Fourthly. This permission or suffering of them in the field of the world,
is not for hurt, but for common good, even for the good of the good
wheat, the people of God.
Lastly. The patience of God is, that the patience of man ought to be
exercised toward them; and yet notwithstanding, their doom is fearful at
the harvest, even gathering, bundling, and everlasting burnings, by the
mighty hand of the angels in the end of the world.
CHAP. XXIX.
[Sidenote: Matt. xv. 14, the second scripture controverted in this cause.]
_Peace._ The second scripture brought against such persecution for cause
of conscience, is Matt. xv. 14; where the disciples being troubled at the
Pharisees’ carriage toward the Lord Jesus and his doctrines, and relating
how they were offended at him, the Lord Jesus commanded his disciples to
let them alone, and gives this reason—that the blind lead the blind, and
both should fall into the ditch.
Unto which, answer is made, “That it makes nothing to the cause, because
it was spoken to his private disciples, and not to public officers in
church or state: and also, because it was spoken in regard of troubling
themselves, or regarding the offence which the Pharisees took.”
[Sidenote: Christ Jesus never directed his disciples to the civil
magistrate for help in his cause.]
_Truth._ I answer,—to pass by his assertion of the privacy of the
apostles, in that the Lord Jesus commanding to let them alone, that is,
not only not to be offended themselves, but not to meddle with them—it
appears it was no ordinance of God, nor Christ, for the disciples to have
gone further, and have complained to, and excited, the civil magistrate
to his duty: which if it had been an ordinance of God and Christ, either
for the vindicating of Christ’s doctrine, or the recovering of the
Pharisees, or the preserving of others from infection, the Lord Jesus
would never have commanded them to omit that which should have tended to
these holy ends.[124]
CHAP. XXX.
_Peace._ It may be said, that neither the Roman Cæsar, nor Herod, nor
Pilate, knew aught of the true God, or of Christ; and it had been in
vain to have made complaint to them who were not fit and competent, but
ignorant and opposite judges.
[Sidenote: Paul’s appealing to Cæsar.]
_Truth._ I answer, first, this removes, by the way, that stumbling-block
which many fall at, to wit, Paul’s appealing to Cæsar; which since he
could not in common sense do unto Cæsar as a competent judge in such
cases, and wherein he should have also denied his own apostleship or
office, in which regard, to wit, in matters of Christ, he was higher than
Cæsar himself—it must needs follow, that his appeal was merely in respect
of his civil wrongs, and false accusations of sedition, &c.[125]
[Sidenote: Civil magistrates never appointed by God defenders of the
faith of Jesus. Every one is bound to put forth himself to his utmost
power in God’s business, and where it stops, the guilt will lie.]
Secondly, if it had been an ordinance of God, that all civil magistrates
were bound to judge in causes spiritual or Christian, as to suppress
heresies, defend the faith of Jesus, although that Cæsar, Herod, Pilate
were wicked, ignorant, and opposite, yet the disciples, and the Lord
Christ himself, had been bound to have performed the duty of faithful
subjects, for the preventing of further evil, and the clearing of
themselves, and so to have left the matter upon the magistrates’ care
and conscience, by complaining unto the magistrate against such evils.
For every person is bound to go as far as lies in his power for the
preventing and the redressing of evil; and where it stops in any, and
runs not clear, there the guilt, like filth or mud, will lie.
[Sidenote: Christ could easily have been furnished with godly
magistrates, if he had so appointed.]
Thirdly, had it been the holy purpose of God to have established the
doctrine and kingdom of his Son this way, since his coming he would have
furnished commonweals, kingdoms, cities, &c., then and since, with such
temporal powers and magistrates as should have been excellently fit
and competent: for he that could have had legions of angels, if he so
pleased, could as easily have been, and still be furnished with legions
of good and gracious magistrates to this end and purpose.[126]
CHAP. XXXI.
It is generally said, that God hath in former times, and doth still, and
will hereafter stir up kings and queens, &c.
I answer, that place of Isa. xlix. 23, will appear to be far from proving
such kings and queens judges of ecclesiastical causes: and if not judges,
they may not punish.
In spiritual things, themselves are subject to the church and censures of
it, although in civil respects superior. How shall those kings and queens
be supreme governors of the church, and yet lick the dust of the church’s
feet? as it is there expressed.[127]
[Sidenote: God’s Israel earnest with God for an arm of flesh, which God
gives in his anger, and takes away in his wrath.]
Thirdly, God’s Israel of old were earnest with God for a king, for an arm
of flesh, for a king to protect them, as other nations had: God’s Israel
still have ever been restless with God for an arm of flesh.
God gave them Saul in his anger, and took him away in his wrath: and God
hath given many a Saul in his anger, that is, an arm of flesh in the
way of his providence: though I judge not all persons whom Saul in his
calling typed out, to be of Saul’s spirit, for I speak of a state and
outward visible power only.
I add, God will take away such stays, on whom God’s people rest, in his
wrath: that king David, that is, Christ Jesus the antitype, in his own
spiritual power in the hands of the saints, may spiritually and for ever
be advanced.
And therefore I conclude, it was in one respect that the Lord Jesus said,
_Let them alone_; because it was no ordinance for any disciple of Jesus
to prosecute the Pharisees at Cæsar’s bar.
[Sidenote: The punishment of blind Pharisees, though let alone, yet is
greater than any corporal punishment in the world, in four respects.]
Beside, let it be seriously considered by such as plead for present
corporal punishments, as conceiving that such sinners, though they
break not civil peace, should not escape unpunished—I say, let it be
considered, though for the present their punishment is deferred, yet the
punishment inflicted on them will be found to amount to a higher pitch
than any corporal punishment in the world beside, and that in these four
respects:—
CHAP. XXXII.
[Sidenote: The eye of the soul struck out, is worse than for both right
and left eye of the body to be struck out ten thousand times.]
First, by just judgment from God, false teachers are stark blind.
God’s sword hath struck out the right eye of their mind and spiritual
understanding, ten thousand times a greater punishment than if the
magistrate should command both the right and left eye of their bodies
to be bored or plucked out; and that in so many fearful respects if
the blindness of the soul and of the body were a little compared
together—whether we look at that want of guidance, or the want of joy and
pleasure, which the light of the eye affordeth; or whether we look at
the damage, shame, deformity, and danger, which blindness brings to the
outward man; and much more true in the want of the former, and misery of
the latter, in spiritual and soul blindness to all eternity.
[Sidenote: Some souls incurable, whom not only corporal, but spiritual
physic can nothing avail.]
Secondly, how fearful is that wound that no balm in Gilead can cure! How
dreadful is that blindness which for ever to all eye-salve is incurable!
For if persons be wilfully and desperately obstinate, after light shining
forth, _Let them alone_, saith the Lord. So spake the Lord once of
Ephraim: _Ephraim is joined to idols, let him alone_, Hos. iv. 17. What
more lamentable condition, than when the Lord hath given a poor sinner
over as a hopeless patient, incurable, which we are wont to account a
sorer affliction, than if a man were torn and racked, &c.
And this I speak, not that I conceive that all whom the Lord Jesus
commands his servants to pass from and let alone, to permit and tolerate,
when it is in their power corporally to molest them, I say, that all are
thus incurable; yet that sometimes that word is spoken by Christ Jesus to
his servants to be patient, for neither can corporal or spiritual balm or
physic ever heal or cure them.
[Sidenote: The bottomless pit, or ditch, into which the spiritually blind
fall.]
Thirdly, their end is the ditch, that bottomless pit of everlasting
separation from the holy and sweet presence of the Father of lights,
goodness, and mercy itself—endless, easeless, in extremity, universality,
and eternity of torments; which most direful and lamentable downfall,
should strike a holy fear and trembling into all that see the pit whither
these blind Pharisees are tumbling, and cause us to strive, so far as
hope may be, by the spiritual eye-salve of the word of God, to heal and
cure them of this their soul-destroying blindness.