crooked a good signe of a right heart is to descrie and discouer but not without true sorrow and griefe the crookednesse and hypocrisie of it and to labour to correct and reforme it Psal. 119. 80. Let my heart be vpright in thy statutes that I bee not ashamed a right line shames a crooked crooked legges are ashamed to bee seene when a man feares and is ashamed of his hypocrisie and crookednesse and euer tendeth to straightnesse it is a good note of some rightnesse of heart Thirdly consider the things which flow from the heart if they be single and pure warrantable and right then a man may know his heart is vpright for such as the fruit is such is the tree if thou feedest on forbidden fruit thou art a bad tree and thy heart farre from vprightnesse an vpright heart suffereth not rotten speeches in the mouth idlenesse in the hand iniustice in the life drunkennesse in the braine and disorder in the course Fourthly consider the ends and aimes of our actions the vpright heart aimeth directly at Gods glory in all things but the crooked heart propoundeth euer some crooked end and sinister respect vnto good actions as many come to Church get knowledge and professe Religion for vaine glorie and vaine ends some thrust among godly persons and into good companie not because they are good or would be good but because they would be thought so Fiftly consider if thy heart be the same in priuate as it would be thought in publike Psal. 101. Dauid will walke wisely in the perfect way in the midst of his house and the conuersation of the Saints hath beene alwayes like it selfe Abraham walked in vprightnesse before God according to the Commandement Gen. 17. 1. how did he reforme his house teach his familie instruct his seruants and take God with him in prouiding a wife for Isaac and in all things Gen. 24. 63. Isaac was the same in the field as he was in the house he went out into the field to pray saith the Text. Daniel was the same after the dangerous Law that he was before he opened his windowes thrice a day as he was accustomed So vpright was Paul in his whole course as he knew nothing by himselfe 1. Cor. 4. 4. A good heart sets God often in sight as well in the Chamber as in the Church Dauid set the Lord euer in his sight and at his right hand It is as seuere and zealous against his owne crookednesse as any other and will not swallow small sinnes no more then great seeing Gods pure eyes are set vpon and against both Vprightnesse is in euery thing alike without and within it is not worse in substance then in shew nay it is better It seekes to approue it selfe before God and al men first to God whose eye is more respected then if all the world looked on and then to all men but so as if none but God looked on them It desireth to purge it selfe from all filthinesse of flesh and spirit and to grow vp to full holinesse in the feare of God That man that findes these notes in him may be a glad man nay he must be a glad man according as it followes in the Text Be glad yee righteous from the connexion of the persons to this duetie we may note that Only the godly man can truely reioyce with sound and lasting ioy Isa. 65. 13. My seruants shall reioyce and yee shall be ashamed my seruants shall sing for ioy of heart and yee shall crie for sorrow of heart and howle for vexation of spirit The stranger shall not enter into his ioy Prou. 14. 10. and it is called the ioy of Gods people Thus the Scriptures euer limit this ioy to the faithfull Psal. 40. 16. Let them that seeke the Lord reioyce and Prou. 29. 6. In the transgression of an euill man is his snare but the righteous doth sing and reioyce The reasons of this doctrine are these First because none else are commanded to ioy but the godly none else haue warrant to reioyce where doe we reade that a wicked man is bid to ioy and indeed what cause is there that he should be so bid What troubles him his sinne troubles him not it is his hearts delight not temptations for he swallowes them all not his conscience for it is asleepe not the world for it is his Darling not the Deuill for he is not cruell in his owne house not outward afflictions for he will not endure any al things are at peace with him he mournes not and therefore needes not be called to comfort the promise is Blessed are they that mourne and are troubled and persecuted for the name of Christ for they shall be comforted Nay he is called from ioy to howling Iam. 5. 1. he is alreadie glutted and drowned in worldly delights and carnall ioy from which he is euerywhere called yea a woe is pronounced on him Luc. 6. 25. Woe be to you that reioyce now for yee shall mourne and weepe Secondly onely the godly haue cause to reioyce for First they only haue the presence and fruition of the chiefe good which is God himselfe and are in couenant with God by vertue whereof they are interessed in all the good things of heauen and earth as a wife in the goods of her husband Here is a great cause of ioy indeede a godly man hath gotten this cause of ioy and therefore he may lawfully reioyce Secondly they only know that their names are written in the booke of Life which is a truer cause of ioy by our Sauiours testimonie then if by the gift of miracles they were able to subdue the Deuills Luc. 10. 20. Reioyce not in this but that your names are written in the booke of Life And then the godly know their names to be written in that booke when they write their owne names in Gods booke by becomming beleeuers for faith giues them priuiledge to be the sons of God Ioh. 1. 12. Thirdly they only haue escaped and are set free from the infinite euills and sorrowes of sinne with which all other besides themselues are beset and bound ouer to damnation And therefore as Israel hauing escaped the Sea the Mountaynes and Egyptians and gotten out of Egypt it selfe sang and reioyced Exod. 15. 1. so haue all the Israel of God being set free from hell and sinne and sinners and the curse of sinne iust cause of ioy and gladnesse which all but they want Fourthly only they haue the Spirit of God the Author and Preseruer of this ioy which is therefore called the ioy of the Holy Ghost only they are anointed with the oyle of gladnesse and clothed with the garment of gladnesse and haue the Spirit of comfort sent into their soules who is the Moouer of this ioy and not so much maketh our Spirits reioyce as himselfe reioyceth in vs as he is said not to make vs make requests but to make requests in vs
to Gods iustice and wrath like prodigall ding-thrifts that neuer regard how much they runne vpon the score and neuer think that a day of reckoning and payment will come If wee see a man who is a borrower of euery man and takes no care to pay any man wee vvill conclude he must needs breake one day And many vvho scorne shame at such courses with men are bold with the Lord and runne in with him still but let the Creditor care for his debts they will not torment themselues with them Many deceiue themselues and thinke GOD respects not their sinnes especially if they bee small ones but small or great they be vvritten vp and stand in Gods debt-booke or inuentorie till they bee wiped away the least debt imputed casts thee into perpetuall prison Besides seest thou not what a fearefull debt one sinne of ADAM hath brought vpon vs all Secondly considerest thou not how the LORD enquires to punish sinne in the third and fourth generation euen as the fathers debt is required of his sonne and posteritie Thirdly thou that owest the least doest thou not owe too much already and if thou summe vp thy Debt-booke thou shalt see thou hadst neede runne in no farther for thou art so farre in as thou must be sold for it or else CHRIST must for thee Fourthly thou that thinkest sinne a small thing and a trifling or dribbling debt consider of the blood of Christ and the merit of it which must wash away small sinnes as well as great Consider the forfeit in the exquisitenesse and eternitie of the torments of hell and then tell me how small a mote sinne is Thirdly seek to come out of debt and that is by seeking pardon of our debt Math. 5. 25. Agree with thine Aduersarie while thou art in the way The aduersarie is the Lord who will prosecute and put his bond in suite against vs and the greater the Creditor the more heauie is the debt it will be our wisedome to agree with him in the way whilest hee friendly reasoneth with vs in the Ministrie lest Death the Lords Sergeant arrest vs and we be cast into perpetuall prison into hell neuer to bee released Pray and intreat him as Christ hath taught to remit our debts not to impute not to require them not to exact our forfeits not to sue our bond nor cast vs into prison but to pardon our faults and punishment and accept of Christs satisfaction whereby hee hath cancelled that handwriting which was to bee layed against vs and by fasting it to his crosse did crosse out all our reckoning and seeing he must be satisfied pray him to take it out of his Sonnes coffers who is become suretie for vs. Fourthly acknowledge a wonderfull mercie of God to forgiue and not impute so great a debt for a rich man to forgiue a poore man a debt of a pound or two would be thankefully taken our God rich in mercie forgiues our debt not by pieces and not because he cannot get it from vs but freely and fully forgiues the whole debt Luk. 12. Did not I forgiue thee all yes the good Samaritane will discharge all for vs. Now in way of thankefulnesse what remaines for vs to doe but First beware of running into further debt A man that hath felt the burden of debt and hath bin in bonds will make hard shift to keepe out and doe not thou heape vp wrath against thy selfe Secondly though we shall daily by corruption runne vpon scores yet wee must take heed our debts stand not too long in Gods Booke vnraysed but daily renew our repentance and so wipe them away As they be daily written let them bee daily blotted out let them not bee like the sinnes of Iudah written with a penne of iron and with the point of a Diamond Thirdly if thy Creditor forgiue thee all Luk. 12. goe thou and doe the like bee mercifull as thy heauenly Father is mercifull In wrongs and iniuries offered abstaine from malice and reuenge count the wrong and iniurie as if it were not impute it not for thus thy heauenly Father doth with thee and thus thou desirest hee should doe for thee Wouldest thou haue an Ocean of mercie fall vpon thee and wilt not thou let a drop fall on thy brother Thus shalt thou testifie thy thankefulnesse and thus as Rom. 3. 5. our vnrighteousnesse shall commend the righteousnesse and glory of God which is not in the nature of our sinne so to doe for our sinne rather rewards him with shamefull contempt and dishonour but First both in respect of his admirable goodnesse in pardoning so great sinnes Secondly and our thankefull acknowledging of that grace in walking answerable and worthie of it The second thing in this phrase is The person that must not impute sinne is the Lord Isa. 43. 25. I euen I am he that putteth away thine iniquities for mine owne sake and will not remember thy sinnes So Chap. 48. 9. 11. For my Names sake will I deferre my wrath and for my prayse will I refraine it from thee that I cut thee not off For mine owne sake for mine owne sake will I doe it For first not all the Angels and Saints in the World whether in Heauen or Earth can forgiue the least sinne because they cannot satisfie the debt nor cancell the bond Secondly the Scribes and Pharises saw cleerly though blind in many other things that none but GOD could forgiue sinnes Luk. 5. 21. Thirdly the Lord is the father of mercies and the God of all comfort whereas there is no comfort without pardon of sinne And with thee is mercie Psal. 130. 3. that is with thee alone to whom it is proper to say I will forgiue sinne Fourthly who can forgiue sinne but he who is a God like thee that passest by the iniquitie of thy people who can remit a debt but he to whom it is due If another doe it he abuseth both the Creditor and debtor Whose sinnes yee remit they shal be remitted therefore Ministers can remit sinne and not God alone God onely remits sinne by his proper authoritie and power which is here meant the Minister onely ministerially declaring that which God doth Can Ministers remooue burdens giue a couer large enough and remit anothers debt Is my sinne against a Priest or against the Pope of Rome that he must bestow pardon on me Shall I hide me vnder the Saints wings or what bond of theirs haue I broken which they can release mee of Nay rather say First Against thee against thee haue I sinned and prayeth for mercie onely from him Secondly If I owe a man nothing I care not for his forgiuenesse and forbearance Thirdly There mercie is a poore mercy I need a rich mercy Eph. 2. 4. God rich in mercy 1. Pet. 1. 3. who of his great mercy hath begot vs. Theirs is too strait a mercy I need those large mercies of which Dauid speakes Ps. 119. 156. Thy compassions
the vnderstanding and the mind to the things that are offered and makes the minde intent vpon them it is a candle held to the minde to giue it light in the thing to be done and in the manner of doing it Secondly it informeth the iudgement the chiefe office whereof is to trie and compare things together which hath euer been the circumspection of the wise as Dauid compares his present estate with the former It is the definition of a mad man to bee without iudgement to follow his fancie and to be led by appearances without triall so the prodigall sonne when he began to consider is said to come to himselfe Luk. 15. 17. till which time he was as a mad man out of or besides himselfe therefore Elthu counselleth his friends Iob 34. 4. thus Let vs seeke iudgement amongst vs and know among our selues what is good that is Let vs trie Iobs speech how true and iust it is Thirdly sound consideration inclines and determines the will according to the light of the mind and the sound informing of the iudgement and accordingly perfecteth the action He were a mad man that knowing he hath apiece of poyson in his hand would incline his will to eate it Now when consideration hath soundly enlightned a mans minde informed his iudgement according to that light and determined his will according to that iudgement it must needs bring forth sound resolutions purposes and actions Againe see the truth of this doctrine in sundrie instances First a man that is to goe a small iourney will consider whether he be in his right way what time hee hath to go through in what places are most dangerous how neere he is to his iourneyes ende what is the vse of his iourney and accordingly hee resolues for his furniture and expedition So if a man consider of his iourney to heauen of the difficultie of the way the danger by theeues or robbers of the shortnesse of his time how neere his waies end is c. he would speedily resolue of repentance and amendment of life which without this consideration is not onely deferred but also vtterly neglected Secondly a man that considers of the haruest of the returne and profit of his husbandrie will also consider of the seed-time and of the sowing of his ground he wil not spare his seede as distrusting the haruest or fearing to lose it So whereas many are bad husbands because they neuer consider of the haruest others expecting an happy haruest in the Kingdome of heauen sow to the spirit consider this their seede-time and while they haue time will sow their seede cast it liberally on the ground or waters distribute to the necessities of the Saints and after many daies they finde it with increase an hundreth thousand fold Thirdly wise men thinke theeues and fellons to bee mad men that seeing euery Assises so many hanged for theft yet will steale and rob and this is because they consider not the ende but hee that considers the vnauoidable danger of the law the seueritie of it the eye of the Iudge vpon him the irreuocable sentence of death and the shamefull execution of it resolues to depart out of the way of such danger So what makes the wicked to be accounted mad men in wise mens eyes but their foole-hardy rushing into a thousand rebellions and treasons against God they know that one sinne is able to damne them had they ten thousand soules and bodies and yet they rush into thousands of sinnes it being with them as it is with him that knowes one or two graines of poison will kill him and yet eates a pound of it because he considers not the ende Whereas if men did consider the danger of sinne the curse of the Law the torment of conscience here and of hell hereafter durst they so aduenture vpon sinne But I speake of a sound consideration for it is true that most men in grosse beleeue an heauen an hell a iudgement an account and a punishment but not not digesting it with due meditation and application to their owne soules it doth them no more good then Phisicke put into a mans pocket can helpe him to his health all this knowledge is lockt vp in the braine and brest and is as insensible as fire in a flint-stone if it bee not beaten out by sound consideration All this serues to stirre vs vp to consider of our waies and of our estates and of the actions that wee doe for these respects First inasmuch as without it no state of life can bee rightly ordered the Mariner if hee consider not his compasse continually and his course by it runnes into remedilesse dangers and so it with vs in our voyage to our hauen of Heauen The Marchant if he consider not his affaires by his count-count-booke of gaines or losses his debts and wares will soone proue banquerupt so we in our spirituall traffique without sound consideration shall soone be blowne vp If Eue had considered of the Serpents words had she and had we by her been such losers Had Adam considered of Eues gift had hee been so deceiued If Abraham had considered the counsell of Sarah would hee haue taken Agar into his bosome What doth all this proue but that if we were as rich as Adam in innocencie yet wants of considering our estate would lay vs to spoile Secondly it is a prerogatiue that man hath aboue all creatures to haue a facultie of examining his actions by consideration and yet how little doth man respect this priuiledge without which hee were to be sorted with beasts or mad men especially in sound consideration for the good of his soule the beast liues by things present man should consider the end before he beginne Thirdly without consideration no action can bee done well or succeed happily no spirituall action because it is not in faith if it be done without consideration as for example First we can neuer heare the Word well if first before-hand we consider not whom we come to heare and to what ende namely to further our saluation without this we come but as to a play Secondly in hearing if wee consider not our selues to bee in Gods presence Thirdly after hearing if wee consider not of what wee haue heard and that God will iudge vs by it Secondly in prayer we are commanded first to consider and then to pray as Eccles. 5. 2. Be not rash with thy mouth and let not thine heart be hastie to vtter any thing before God For this consideration must offer both matter of prayer and also stirre vp affection and desire else it will be but a dead and cold prayer Thirdly in the Sacraments we must first examine and consider our selues of the Couenant of the seales of it of our faith worthinesse and repentance and afterward we must consider the fruite of it else all is but hypocrisie and vnsound By all which we see that it is onely sound consideration that brings