First, As here, ' It is just with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you ; ' that the troublers should be troubled. You will say, How can this tribulation which is recompensed imply the ruin of the soul, when they afflicted only the bodies of the saints ?
I answer — Two ways —
1. Because they can go no further : Luke xii. 4, ' Fear not them that only can kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.' Implying they would do more if it were in their power, so great is their malice against the saints.
2. This trouble they occasion to the saints is their soul's sin ; not
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only the fruit of the violence of their hands, but of the enmity of their souls against the power of godliness, 1 John iii. 12. With their souls they sinned, and they are punished in their souls as well as their bodies. So that argueth this judgment of counter-passion, that as they do to others it shall be done unto themselves. God threateneth it in his word : Exod. xxii. 22, 24, ' Ye shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child.' But what would come of it if they did ? God threateneth that he ' will kill you by the sword, and your wives shall be widows, and your children shall be fatherless.' It should be returned and paid home in the same coin.. So Kev. xvi. 5, 6, ' Righteous art thou, 0 Lord, for they have shed the blood of the saints, and thou hast given them blood to drink, for they are worthy.' There the angel of the waters applauds the suitableness of the judgment ; they had made God's saints a prey by their rigorous laws, and God would make them a prey to the destroyer. There is a proportionableness between the sin and the judgment ; bloody men shall drink their fill of blood. Now this pro- phetical scheme and draught is a threatening. So James ii. 13, ' He shall have judgment without mercy that showed no mercy/ God will meet men in their own way of sinning, that his judgment may be the more conspicuous.
Secondly, God observeth this course in his providence : Judges i. 7, ' Threescore and ten kings having their thumbs and great toes cut off gathered their meat under my table: as I have done, so God hath requited me.' Affliction, which is the most trusty counsellor to princes of all their retinue, for it knoweth not how to flatter, taught him to see his cruelty, and the justice of God in his punishment. The like justice God used to Pharaoh, who appointed the children of Israel to be drowned in the waters, and at length he and all his host were drowned in a branch of the Eed Sea. So God showed himself the patron of oppressed infants. Indeed, what more usual than that male- factors are dealt with according to their own wicked ways ? As God threateneth Edom, Obad. 5, ■ As thou hast dealt, so shall it be done to thee ; thy reward shall return upon thine own head.' Ahab's blood was lapped up by dogs in the place where they had shed the blood of Naboth. Jezebel was more guilty than he : Ahab permitted, Jezebel contrived. Ahab humbled himself, therefore Ahab was buried with honour, but Jezebel was entombed in the bellies of the dogs. Haman was executed on the gallows set up for Mordecai, Esther vii. 10. Henry the Third of France was killed in the chamber where the massacre was contrived, and Charles the Ninth died flowing in his blood in his bed. In the parable, desideravit guttam, qui non dedit micam — He wanted a drop who gave not a crumb. But is it so with good men also ? Yes ; Jacob, that got the blessing by a wile, and came to Isaac, the younger for the elder, after seven years' hard service was put off with Leah, the blear-eyed elder sister, instead of Rachel, the beautiful younger sister. Asa, that put the prophet in the stocks, was diseased in his feet. Joseph was not flexible to his brethren's requests, as they were inexor- able to him in his extremity : Gen. xlii. 21, 22, ' We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul when he besought us, and we would not hear ; therefore is this distress come upon us.' Thio was many years after the fact committed ; they knew
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not Joseph. David, Absalom, 2 Sam. xii. 10-12. Paul consented to the stoning of Stephen ; yea, assisted at his execution, for they laid down their garments at Paul's feet ; and therefore Paul was afterward stoned and left for dead, Acts xiv. 19, 20. Stephen prayed for him among the rest, ' Lay it not to their charge ; ' yet God gave him some remem- brance of this sin. Barnabas was not stoned, who was assistant to Paul, but Paul was stoned ; both had been alike offensive for preaching the gospel at Iconium. Paul was sensible of this crying sin, Acts xxii. 20. Well, then, if men will do to others what they should not, God will do to them what they would not. But here eternal vengeance is threatened.