Had he studied a thousand years for a name he could not have called it by a worse name then its own sinful sin Luther saith that could a man but see perfectly the evil of his sins on earth it would be an hell to him such a frightful ugly monster is sin Look on sin which way thou wilt and it is exceeding sinful the evil of evils Take it in its nature it is a deviation from Gods Law a wandring from his word a casting his Law behinde the back the Law is strait sin is crookedness Psal 125.5 The Law is holy sin is defilement Rom. 7.12 2 Cor. 7.1 The Law is just sin is unrighteousness 1 John 1.7 The Law is liberty sin is bondage Jam. 2.8 12. 2 Tim. 2.26 Sin is a defacing of Gods image it blots and blurs that fair and beautiful writing not onely meritoriously as it provokes God to withdraw his Grace but physically Numb 15.30 Rom. 2.23 24. 2 Sam. 12.12 as one contrary expels another Hereby it dishonours Gods name and reproacheth his Majesty for what greater disgrace can be done to a Prince then to tread his orders under foot and tear and scratch and deface his picture Nay Lev. 22.26 Zec. 11.8 Rom. 8.7 Rom. 1.30 1 Sa. 15.23 Isa 1.2 Rom. 6 16. Psal 14.1 it s a defying and fighting against God a walking contrary to him a daring of him it is enmity against him loathing him hatred of him contrariety to him it is against his Soveraignity and so is rebellion against his mercy and so is unkindness against his justice and so is unrighteousness against his wisdom and so is folly against his will Omne seccatu est deicidium and so is stubbornness Were it strong enough it would ungod him were the sinners power according to his corrupt heart he would pluck God out of Heaven I would I were above God saith Spira When the body of sin is nailed as a thief on the Cross yet even then it will rage as he and spit out poison against Heaven Reader Canst thou finde in thine heart to hug and embrace such a Traytor against the gracious and blessed God! To stretch out thine hand against God as every sinner doth and strengthen thy self against the Almighty Vid. Car. in loc 10 this purpose Job 15.25 Stretch out thine hand against God! No man should lift up a word against God our mouthes should shew forth his praise Stretch out thine hand against God! no man should lift up a thought against God our meditations of him should be for him Stretch out thine hand against God every man should bow down and worship before God and be satisfied in what ever he saith and doth Stretch out thine hand against God! thou art bound to stretch out thine heart and hand and tongue to think and speak and act and all for God and all little enough Take sin in its effect and what evil is like it Eccl. 1.3 it is the cause of all other evils Dost thou consider the emptiness vanity and vexation in the creatures the heavens fighting against man the earth bearing thorns and briars the diseases in mens bodies the burning Feavor watery Dropsie aking teeth running Gout wracking Stone renting Collick the quivering lips trembling loins gastly looks of dying men The horrors of conscience flashes of the infernal fire curses of the Law wrath of God torments of Hell all these are the fruits of sin All misery calleth sin mother this is the root of bitterness upon which they grow the wages of sin is death Rom. 6.21 ult and 5.12 that big-bellied word Death hath all these woful brats in its belly and Sin is the father that begat them Sin turned Adam out of Paradise Angels into Devils Sodom and Gomorah into ashes flourishing Families Cities Kingdoms into ruinous heaps Sin shuts heaven against man laid the foundation of that dark vault of hell Sin kindled the fire of hell Sin feeds it with fuel and will keep it burning for ever Oh what an evil is sin who would not hate it more then hell Is it good to play with such fire as sin is didst thou believe sin to be the cause of all this thou wouldst never open thy heart or mouth more for it Dost thou know that as where the effect is good the cause is better so where the effect is bad the cause is worse Can there be worse effects then eternal separation from God and suffering the vengeance of eternal fire how bad is sin then which is the cause of them Take sin as a punishment and 't is the evil the only evil there is no suffering like to this to be given up to a course of sining Reader take heed of continuing an hour longer in thine ungodly practices it may be thou hast been ready to think it a great happiness to sin without controle to run in the road of the flesh and to meet with no rubs to prosper though thou art wicked I tell thee and think of it the longest day thou livest for it highly concerneth thee that the infinite God never claps a more dreadful curse on any man or woman on this side hell then to give them up to sin If God should give thee up to the sword famine most painful diseases to thy most cruel potent and malicious enemies to be wrackt by them at pleasure these were nothing to this to be given up to one sin When God hath used his rods scourging men and they will not reform then he takes this ax and presently execution followeth to be delivered up to the power of men may be the lot of Gods sons but to be delivered up to the power of sin is the portion of Rebels of Reprobates This is the stinging whip with which God punisheth Ephrahim 2 Tim. 3.13 2 â—hess 2.10 11. Ephraim is joyned to Idols there is his impiety but what grievous punishment shall he have for his God-provoking Idolatry Let him alone Hos 4.17 It is not I will send the raging pestilence or cruel famine or bloody sword but he is joyned to idols let him alone I will not have him disturbed or molested but he shall have his will though it prove his everlasting woe Rom. 1.21 22. Psal 81.11 12. Hos 8.11 It is a woe with a witness 1 Cor 5. comp with 2 Cor. 7. for God to let thy lusts like so many ravenous Lions loose upon thee and to lay the reins of thy sins upon thy own neck We read of one delivered up to Satan yet he was saved but never of any delivered up to their sins but they were damned It was a sad sight which Abraham saw when he beheld flakes of fire rained from heaven upon the Sodomites but it was a sadder which Lot beheld when he saw the fire of hell burning in their hearts and breaking out in their lives and his righteous soul was vexed therewith Reader have a care that thou never in thy heart plead more for
things exceedingly injure thee Is not God a hard Master to desire such things of thee Ah didst thou but know the worth of them hadst thou ever beheld their excellency or tasted the comforts which is in them thou wouldst scorn this lower world with all its pomp and pride and pleasures for them and befool thy self to purpose for ever refusing or neglecting them I shall endeavour in some few particulars to shew thee the worth and excellency of that to which thou art so unwilling and possibly thou mayest thereby be convinced of thy madness and folly in sticking at that which would be thine honour and felicity Pliny saith that an exact face can never be drawn but with much disadvantage Without doubt Regeneration or the new Creation can neither be admired nor declared by any no nor by all the Saints on earth according to its worth It is the beauty glory and wonder of Saints and Angels in Heaven First Regeneration is the image of God who is an infinite and most perfect good Vide p. 36 37. Here friend at first flight I soar high One would think if I should speak no more in commendation of it here is enough to ravish thine heart with admiring it for ever it is the picture of Gods own perfections Put on the new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness Eph 4.24 As it is the same light that shineth forth in the morning which shineth in the body of the Sun in its Meridian so it s the same holiness that shineth in its degrees in the Christian which shineth in perfection in God Regeneration would make thee pure as God is pure Gods will is the rule and his nature the pattern of the Saints holiness Heb. 1.3 Rom. 8. The coin hath the image and impressions of the King Christ is the express image of his fathers person and the Saints are conformable to the image of his Son The Church is Christ unfolded Christ is not a monster Mr Ball of faith p. 285. the head and members are homogeneal like to each other By Reason man excelleth beasts by holiness he excelleth himself inferiour onely to the Angels in degree and made like unto the Lord as far as a creature may be to his creatour Now how excellent is the image of God! the picture of a King is esteemed and valued at an high rate but what is the picture of a God! Some say that the naked body of man was so glorious in his estate of innocency that all the beasts of the field admired it and thereupon did homage to him O how beautiful and glorious is his soul become by Regeneration the image of God that both Saints Angels and Jesus Christ are taken with it and wonder at it He that would not hear when the disciples were speaking and wondring at the buildings of the material temple but contemned it did both hear see and admire at one piece of this spiritual temple when Jesus heard the Centurions words he marvelled and said to them that followed him I have not found so great faith no not in Israel Mat. 8.10 15 and 28. Nay Christ is so taken with it that his heart is ravished and lost with it he he is behearted with it Cant. 4.9 10. It is observable that the blessed God after every days work in the creation of the world Gen. 1. takes a view of what he had made he saw it was good but when he had made man the sixth day after his own image and then took a review of his works and saw every thing that he had made behold it was very good or extream good So good that it caused delight and complacency in God and called for wonder and contemplation from man Behold it was very good no doubt but the making of man so noble and holy did above all the visible creatures so affect the heart of God that he liked the house much the better because of so rare an inhabitant which he had made to dwell in it Therefore when he had made man he made no more man being so fair a peice such curious workmanship that the infinite God resolved to rest and delight in him So when he createth a soul in Christ Jesus unto good works Eph. 2.10 he rejoyceth over his new workmanship with exceeding joy and resteth in his love Eph. 3.17 But when he shall finish his new creation for he will print mans holiness in the second edition in a larger letter and fairer character then it was at first and bring it forth in the other world t will infinitely surpass the stately fabrick of heaven and earth And O how how will it take not onely perfect spirits but even the God of the spirits of all flesh Friend can that be less then eminently excellent which doth thus ravish the heart of God himself with admiration at it and affection to it Would this tend to thy dishonour or disadvantage to be made like unto him who is the foundation and ocean of all excellencies and perfections Secondly Contraria â—uxta se pâ—sita magis cluces cunt Regeneration is the destruction of sin the greatest evil therefore it must needs be excellent Contraries put together will illustrate one another the baseness and loathsomness of sin will be a good foil to set off the beauty and loveliness of Grace For which cause I shall speak the more to the filthiness of sin For as the better any good is the more excellent it is to be full of it So the worse any evil is the more excellent it is to be free from it Besides dying to sin being one essential part of Regeneration I shall not at all digress Now Sin is the greatest evil in the world there was none like it before it nor ever shall be after it This Brat of the Devil is so vile and abominable that it is very hard to finde out a name futable to its ugly nature Those terms by which it is called of leprofie spot plague vomit mire scum ulcers issues dead carkass exhalation from a grave the vessel into which nature emptieth it self filthiness superfluity of naughtiness the pollution of a new born Infant and many more these all come far short of shewing the poysonous evil which is in sin Therefore the Apostle when he christens this child of disobedience calls it by its sirname That sin by the commandment might appear exceeding sinful Rom. 7.13 The Apostle there doth discharge the Law and charge all upon his own lust which by the commandment takes occasion as water at a bridge that stops and hinders it to rage the more or possibly as a foul face by a glass so sin by the commandment appeared to be exceeding sinful Mark the Apostle doth not say that sin by the glass of the Law appeared to be exceeding foul and filthy or exceeding deformed and ugly or exceeding hellish or devilish but exceeding sinful this includes all them and much more
precious then the rattles and trifles of time and all by reason of the new sight bestowed on him Satan truly carrieth men hoodwinkt to hell as Higlers carry their fowls in Dorsers to the City where they are killed that they cannot see one foot of the way neither know they whether they are going but God doth not carry men blindfold to bliss but as in the old so in the new creation he beginneth with light The Undestanding in Regeneration is illuminated to see two things especially Sin to be the greatest evil and God in Christ to be the greatest good and I verily beleive the mistake of the man before about these two things were a principal cause of the many miscarriages in his heart and life Before he looked on sin through the Devils spectacles and beheld that strumpet drest in her gaudy attire of pleasure and profit whereby she was to him as the forbidden fruit to Eve pleasant to the eyes But now he beholdeth sin through the glass of the Law in its opposition to the blessed God and his own happiness stript naked of all those counterfeit and borrowed ornaments and it is the evil of evils sinful sin indeed He judgeth it worse then diseases or disgraces then losses or crosses yea then Serpents or Devils Rom 7.13 Heb 1.25 Dan. 3.17 and 6.10 Formerly he â—aw no such hurt in sin that Professors were so shie of it and Preachers so hot against it that the Son of God must die and the greatest part of the world be damned for it but now he hath other thoughts of it for he seeth its contrariety to the Lord and his precepts and subscribeth unfeignedly to the righteousness of the Law Before he saw little desireableness in the infinitely amiable God He saw no form nor comeliness in him that when he beheld him he should desire him Isa 53. He wondered what made others so much in love with him his voyce was to a Christian What is thy Beloved more then another Beloved that thou dost thus follow hard after him forsake all for him dedicate thy self wholly to him that thou prayest so fervently hearest so diligently servest him so chearfully art so careful to please him so fearful of offending him he judged him happier that had plenty of the creature then him that had God in Christ for his portion but now his mind is enlightned â—o know the only true God and Iesus Christ whom he hath sent John 17.3 He seeth such beauty in his being such equity in his laws such infinite excellency in the Divine nature such unspeakable felicity in the fruition of his favour through Jesus Christ that he esteemeth his very life yea all that he is worth for this and the other world as Iacobs in Benjamin to be bound up in the love and life of God Psal 73.25 and 63.3 Secondly The Conscience is also renewed to this Faculty the Spirit makes its address in the next place the Conscience of the man naturally was so hard and obdurate that as ice through the extremity and continuance of a great frost you might have driveâ—â—carts heavy laden over it and it would not break though mountains of lusts more heavy then lead lay upon him he complained not Ier. 8.6 But now his Conscience is as the water which hath such a tender film of ice upon it that yeildeth at the least touch a small stroak of sin maketh an impression upon it before it was seared with a red hot iron 1 Tim. 4.2 and past feeling Ephes 4 17 18 19. as that member which the Chyrurgeon intendeth to cut off is so mortified by means applied to it for that end that it feeleth not the Saw or Instrument which parts it from the body so the conscience was by custom in sin so cauterised that it felt not the sword of the Spirit neither Ministry nor Misery nor Miracle nor Mercy could prevail with it but now it becomes tender and flexible a little prick with a pin is painful to it as the eye it is offended with the smallest dust 2 Chron. 22.19 it is void of offence towards God and man Acts 24.16 Before it like Micaiah to Ahab never spake good to the man but frighted him with fears and terrified him with the pre-apprehensions of his eternal torments it followed him to bed and board and dog'd him day and night like a Sergeant to arrest him at the suit of the most High for the vaste debts which he owed to the Divine Majesty The man and his conscience were like fire and water they never met if the hands of conscience were not tied down by force but they fought Like some contentious couple they were always scolding one with another and striving for the mastery The endeavor of conscience was as the Angel to Balaam to stand in the sinners way with a drawn sword and stop him in his cursed course the care of the sinner was to serve conscience as Herod did the Baptist even to cut off its head for having a tongue in it so bold as to check him for his crimes Heb. 2.15 Rom. 2.15 Heb. 9.14 But now conscience being sprinkled with the blood of Jesus is purged from dead works and so being purified is pacified The creditor now is satisfied by the payment which the surety hath made and thereby the debtor is discharged Conscience now waits on the Christian not as a Sergeant to molest him but as a Servant to assist him to its utmost power The Convert and his conscience are now like two in consort that keep tune and time together or as some loving Husbands and Wives who strive most which shall please the other best Conscience strives to please the Christian by asking the Law at Godâ—s lips and making Scripture its Counsellor the Christian strives to please his conscience by yielding hearty subjection to its holy counsels Heb. 9.14 1 Tim 1.5 Rom 5.1 The renewed conscience giveth the new creature more solid comfort in one duty then the natural man though he equal Methuselah's age hath all his days Phil. 4.4 Thirdly The Will is also renewed the Will before was carnal crooked stubborn rebellious against God and his will the works of the Devil he will do Joh. 8.44 And as for the word which thou hast spoken to us in the name of the Lord we will not do it Jer. 44.16 It is resolved for evil and against good Ephes 2.3 John 5.40 This is Satans Fort-Royal wherein he continually secures himself in the unregenerate when he is in a skirmish beaken out of the out-works by some sudden conviction and in this as Samsons in his hair his whole strength lieth Take away Will and you take away Hell But this faculty is now made pliable and flexible to the Divine Majesty It is made so spiritual regular and consonant to the will of God that the Convert may safely if humbly say with Luther Lord let my will be done because it is thy will God and the godly man do
much pleasure so when a man is a young sinner conscience is tender like a a queasie stomach troubled much with the least thing that offends it but continuance in sin makes conscience seared and brawny that afterwards the sinner like the Ostrich can digest iron and like the Turkish slaves feed on Opium and his stomach not at all recoil or complain It is reported of the Cretians that when they cursed their enemies they did not wish fire in their houses nor a dagger at their hearts but that which would bring greater wo ut mala consuetudine delectentur that they might delight in an evil custom for custom is not another nurture but another nature and that which is natural is not easily reduced Some say there is no transplanting trees after seven years rooting I am sure it is hard to transplant them out of a state of nature into a state of grace who have been seventy years rooting in the earth old servants will not easily leave their masters they will many times have their ears boared and be everlasting slaves rather then be made free T is with old sinners saith one as with them who have lived long under a Government Gurnals Armour they like to be as they are though but ill rather then to think of a change or like those who in a journey have gone out of their way all day such will rather take a new path over hedge and ditch then think of going so far back to be set right Old sinner for the sake of thy soul proceed no further knowest thou not that every step thou takest in thine unconverted state maketh thy condemnation more deep thy condition more dangerous and thy conversion more difficult Is it not high time for thee to begin to work out thy salvation when the sun of thy life is setting Ah 't is one of the saddest spectacles in the world to behold a man full of silver hoary hairs that is void of a golden sanctified heart surely of all men alive thou hast cause to abound in sorrow who doest to this day abide in thy sins THe second Use which I shall make of this doctrine shall be by way of Examination If without the second birth thou canst not escape the second death nor obtain eternal life Then Reader Try whether thou art new born or no commune with thy heart and see whether this work be done that thou mayst know how thou shalt fare in the other world Wherefore brethren give diligence to make your calling and election sure 2 Pet. 1.10 The first fountain of our felicity is election and the manifestation of this is our calling by vocation God bringeth to pass in time what he appointed from eternity As a word is an outward thought and a thought an inward word so vocation is outward election or election put into act and made visible and election is inward vocation or Gods intention to convert and save Election is eternal calling Calling is a temporal election so that by ensuring thy calling thou ensurest thy election make thy calling sure be not satisfied to let thy salvation hang in suspence to follow Christ as the people followed Saul trembling not knowing how it shall fare with thee but strive for full assurance that an abundant entrance may be ministred unto you into the kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ 2 Pet. 1.11 I have read of an old wicked Usurer who had nothing in his mouth but It is good to be sure if his servant went to receive money he would follow after him and being asked the reason would answer It is good to be sure If he had told his money once he would do it a second yea a third time saying It is good to be sure If he locked his door himself he would arise out of his bed to feel it locked still pleading for his reason It is good to be sure It came to pass that this man fell desperately sick his servant calleth to him desirous to make him sensible of his sins Master have you been at prayers yea John saith he Sir said the servant go to prayers again you know 'T is good to be sure That 's more then needs saith the Usurer I am sure enough of that Truly this mans heart is the resemblance of most men they are all for security in bargains sales and purchases if they buy an inheritance on earth how sure will they make it the tenure shall be as strong as the brawn of the Law or the brains of Lawyers can devise what Bonds Deeds Fines Recoveries Leases Evidences and if any scruple collateral security are there to ensure it but alas who ensures the inheritance above how few are there that take any pains to secure their right to those everliving pleasures Like Jacob though in another sense men put their right hand of care caution and diligence upon the younger Son the body and their left hand on the elder the soul How few make their calling and election sure But Reader if thou wouldest make sure thy predestination and fore-appointment to glory it must be done by making sure thy Regeneration and translation into a state of grace Thou canst not ascend into heaven and see thy name written in the Lambs book of life but thou mayst descend into thine own heart and see it by the seeds and principles of a spiritual life as if any man would know whether the sun shineth or no he need but look on the ground and see the reflection of its beams and not on the body of the Sun which will but the more dazzle his eyes the pattern is known by the picture the cause by the effect the original by the copy Election by regeneration the soul that is conformed to Gods Law may know that he is inrolled in Gods list If I have chosen God I may safely conclude that God hath chosen me The Historian reporteth how a Senator relating to his son the great honors decreed to a number of Souldiers Tacitus whose names were written in a book the Son was importunate to see the book the Father shewed him the out-side it seemed so glorious that the son desired him to open it by no means saith the Father it is sealed by the Council then saith the son Tell me if my name be there the Father saith The names are secret to the Senate the Son studying how he might get some satisfaction desired his Father to declare the merits of those inscribed Soldiers which the Father doing and the Son consulting with his own heart found himself to be none of them Reader though the Book of life which includeth the names of those whose heads are destined to glorious Diadems be secret yet the deserts of those inscribed there are open they are as a chosen generation a peculiar people so also an holy nation a royal Priesthood a called company a sanctified society a regenerated remnant they are culled out of the world called by the word