broken heart comes not to flout at the minister nay that is a sturdy heart but a broken heart shakes at the word of God if there come a promise a broken heart trembles lest he hath no share in it and if there be any command he trembles lest he should not be able to obey it but if the Lord meet with some maine lust as secret malice against the Saints of God and secret uncleannesse or the like if the Lord give a wipe at these things in the word thē this broken heart hath enough he hath his load and longs to be private he remembers that truth and the wound being fresh bleeds againe and he mournes againe and laies hold on his heart and saith Good Lord I was this malicious wretch I intended this mischiefe to thy Saints and if it had beene in my power I could have sucked their blood I was that uncleane wretch shall all these sinnes be pardoned and shall all these cursed abominations be removed Can these corruptions be subdued Brethren yee cannot be ignorant how a wounded heart is affected with every touch you that have broken hearts you know it I shall not need to tell you Therefore when ever the Lord comes to rake in those filthy and drunken hearts of yours they will shake within you and you will say this is my sinne and these are my abominations whereby God hath beene so much dishonored The third use is for exhortation if you know these things as I am perswaded you doe then be intreated in the name of the Lord Jesus to walke in that way which God hath revealed this is the basenesse of our hearts we are loath to unbuckle our vile and secret distempers they are shamefull themselves and yet we are loath to take shame for them Therefore deale openly freely with your soules confesse your sins freely that God may deale comfortably with you hath the Lord at any time let in this horrour into thy soule and is thy heart now troubled at the word and after all thy teares and paines and meanes using with uprightnesse doe thy corruptions still remaine are they not yet subdued as they might be canst thou not get any assurance of the pardon of them I say then cast away thy shamefull hiding and concealing of sinne and do not say what will the world and ministers say of me away with these shifts God cals thee to confession the Saints have done it and thou must nay thou wilt doe it if ever thy heart be kindly broken as it should be in some measure pleasing unto God and profitable to thy selfe Object But some will say how may we doe it Answ. For answere thereunto I will first give some direction how to doe it Secondly I will give some motives to worke our hearts to the same First be wise in chusing the party to whom you must confesse your sinnes for every wide mouthed vessel is not fit to receive pretious liquor so this confession is not to be opened to every carnall wretch that will blaze it abroad the minister to whom you confesse ought to have these three graces First hee must be a skilfull and able Minister of God one that is trained up and is master of his Art and so experienced that hee may be able in some measure to finde out the nature of the disease Not that any Minister under heaven can be so wife and holy as to give pardon to a poore sinner but onely hee is able ministerially to doe it under God Hee must be able to approve himselfe the Minister of God hee must have the tongue of the learned and be able to breake the heart and prepare the soule for Christ and then to apply the cooling promises of the Gospell to him There are many who in stead of curing of the soule kill it and by popping the Sacrament into a mans mouth thinke to send him to heaven but in conclusion send him to hell Secondly hee must be a mercifull Physitian one that will pitty a poore soule they that have experience of trouble and misery in themselves are most compassionate to others in distresse he that hath beene tossed in the sea will pitty others that have beene in the same danger If these people had gone to the Scribes and Pharisies they had beene well holpen No but they went to Peter and therefore found helpe when Iudas had sinned and betrayed his Master and his soule was full of horrour he went to the Pharisies and confessed his sinnes but what succour found he they answered him what is that to us Hast thou sinned then beare it and looke to it thy selfe so it is with carnall wretches what comfort yeild they to a poore distressed conscience they adde sorrow to sorrow and say it is nothing but melancholy he hath gotten this by hearing some fiery hot minister or by reading too much in some bookes of election and reprobation Lastly he must be a faithfull minister one that will not fit mens humors nor answere the desires of their hearts in speaking what they would have him but his faithfulnesse must appeare in two things First in dealing plainely with every one though a man be his patron or of what place or condition soever he be if he have a proud heart he must labour to humble him And Secondly as he must apply a salve fitting for the sore so he must be faithfull in keeping secret the sinne that is laid open to him that nothing may fly abroad no not after his death except it be in some cases Now what remaines but that you all be moved to take up this duty and provoke your hearts freely to confesse your evill waies to which purpose let me give you three motives First because it is a very honourable thing will exceedingly promote the cause of a Christian you will hardly yeild to this on the sudden a man doth thinke that if the minister knowes his vilenesse he will abhorre him for it But I assure you brethren there is nothing that doth more set forth the honour of a Christian and winne the love of a minister then this Indeed it is a shame to commit sinne but no shame to confesse it upon good grounds Nay when the heart comes kindly off it is admirable to see how a faithfull minister will approve of such persons his love is so great towards them O saith the minister it did me good to heare that man confesse so freely I hope the Lord hath wrought kindly in him certainely now he is in the way to life and happinesse oh how I love him I could even be content to put that man in my bosome Whereas this overly and loose dealing of yours is loathsome to us doe you thinke we perceive it not Yes we may feele it with our fingers and when you are gone I tell you what we thinke surely that man is an hypocrite he hath a hollow heart he is not willing to
day of accompts there was never sâ—nner broken hearted but God did bind him up and there was never any truly wounded for sinne but God did ever heale and comfort him and therefore labour to looke your face in the glasse of Gods Law and so see your owne spots I confesse this is tedious to your sinnes the plagues due to them but looke thou on them that God may not If an adversary offer meanes of agreement we use to say suffer it not to come to the publike triall for the case is naught I say it will be so with every wicked mans case the Lord hath a controversie with every wicked man and it must be tryed in the publike day of judgment or else you must make a private agreement betweene God and your owne soules If there be any drunkard or adulterer or unjust person that is guiltie of any sinne you had better take up the matter in private Doe not feare to looke upon your sins but bring theÌ„ all out before the Lord and see the ugly face of them and intreate the Lord to seale up unto you the pardon of them that you may never be called to an accompt for them I tell you it is the most comfortable course in the world The last use for instruction to all my fellow brethren let me speake a word to them and to my selfe too let us all take that course in dealing with the people and Gods ordinances which God himselfe takes up As the steward disposeth of every thing at his masters will and the Apothecary orders drugges as the Physitian appoints so let it be with us to we are but stewards and Apothecaries let us take that course and use those meanes that God hath appointed for his peoples good God saith you must see your sinnes and be humbled for them and therefore let us labour to make men see them as the Apostle saith I hope we were made manifest to your Consciences Did not your Consciences say so that you could not gaine-say it we must take up that course the Scripture hath revealed and which the faithfull servants of God have ever used and which God hath ever blessed nay it is our wisdome so to doe Mathew the seventh and the last Christ taught the people with authority not as the Scribes there is a kind of commanding power which the word ought to have upon mens Consciences if a man be a sinner it will reprove him and command reproofes to sease upon him and if he be in distresse of Conscience it will command comfort to take place in his heart Give me leave to speake my thoughts and it is my judgement too What doth it profit a man to scrape up a little Greek and Latine together and to leave the sense of the Scripture undiscovered and the Conscience no whit touched nor the heart stirred He that knowes any thing this way though he were but an ordinary schoole-boy that had but any skill in the tongues if he could not doe it he should be scourged by my consenâ— But let it be in case of Conscience a poore soule comes to anguish of spirit the onely way to â—et this man on foote againe is to answer all his objections and questions and resolve all his doubts and to make the way good and the case cleare Alas this course is not knowne amongst us And in the way of examination if a man come to examine a sinner he takes away all his cavils and all his carnall shifts that he hath to hinder the word and forces the soule to say It is Gods word though he will not entertaine it Let a man try this course and he shall finde a marvellous difficulty this is the reason why our ministery thrives not and the hearts of men are not wrought upon because we labour not the right way to shew men their sinnes and to convince their conscience that they may not flinch out from the ordinances of God Nay I take it to be the speciall cause why after all the pretious promises that God makes knowne no man receives good by them We offer salves to them that know not whether they have any sores or no And we offer Physicke to those that we know not whether they have any disease or no we speake of grace Christ but people thinke they have no need of theÌ„ suffer me to speake my mind herein freely That ministery which doth not ordinarily humble the soule breake the heart doth not convert and draw to Christ but that ministery that doth not inlighten the mind and convince the soule of sinne that never humbles ordinarily and therefore never doth draw home to Christ Now we come to shew the causes why and the meanes how sinners come to see their sinnes The Apostle speakes it to their faces You are they that have committed this sinne you have crucified the Lord of life this is your sinne The Doctrine from hence is this A speciall application of particular sinnes is a chiefe meanes to bring people to a sight of their sinnes and to a true sorrow for them The Apostle doth not generally propound their sins but he comes home to their hearts and it is not onely done in this place but it hath beene the practice of all Gods faithfull ministers heretofore As Iohn Baptist he goes not cunningly to worke secretly to intimate some truths but he deales roundly with them and saith O generation of vipers who fore warned you to flie from the wrath to come And he shewes them their sinnes in particular And when the publicans came to be baptised he saith Receive no more then is appointed for you and he saith to the souldiers Doe violence to no man and be content with your wages he was the minister of humiliation and preparation and therefore he deales thus plainely with them When Ahab had slaine Naboth the Prophet Elias came to him and sayes In the place where dogs lickt the blood of Naboth shall dogges licke thy blood Ahab said Hast thou found me out ô my emenie And he said I have found thee out because thou hast sould thy selfe to worke wickednesse in the sight of the Lord and the text saith When he heard this he put on sacke-cloth and went softly This was the power of a particular reproofe though he were a miserable wicked man Thus did Paul deale with Peter wheÌ„ he halted before the Jewes he did plainly reprove him to his face and that not secretly but because he had sinned openly therefore he reproves him openly so also our Saviour Christ shakes up the Scribes and Pharisees And this is the rule in generall as the Apostle saith Reprove theÌ„ sharply that they may be sound in the faith Oh! but some will say If I doe thus plainly deale with them I shall discourage them altogether Answ. Nay it will make them sound Christians indeed see what the Lord saith Plead with your mother the word
the text saith The Ship was tossed with the waves So meditation doth tosse the soule with vexation It was the practice of the Church remembring mine affliction the wormewood and the Gall my soule hath them in remembrance and is humbled in me In remembring I remembred for so the originall hath it I remembred all my miseries and afflictions and my sinnes that were the cause thereof that is I still mused meditated thereof And what follows the heart was buckled and bowed thereby and was broken in the consideration thereof But you will say what doe you meane by this musing and meditating what is this meditation Answ. I answere meditation is nothing else but a setled exercise of the mind for the further inquiry of a truth and so the affection of the heart therewith There are foure things to be considered in it First it is an exercise of the mind it doth not barely close with a truth and apprehend it and see it and assent unto it and there rest but it lookes on every side of the truth It is a fine phrase of Davids I thought upon my waies and turned my feet into thy testimonies The originall carryeth it I looked upon my waies on both sides it is taken from curious workes which are the same on both sides they that work thē must oftē turn them on every side so it was with the prophet David I turned my waies upside downe and looked every way on them And so againe Many shall runne too and fro and knowledge shall be increased Runne too and fro what is that It is not the bodily removing of the man so much as the busie stirring of the mind from one truth to another it propounds one and gathers another so that it sees the whole silvage of the truth I use to compare meditation to perambulation when men goe the bounds of the parish they goe over every part of it and see how farre it goes so meditation is the perambulation of the soule when the soule lookes how far sinne goeth and considers the punishment of it and the plagues that are threatned against it and the vilenesse in it Secondly it is setled exercise of the minde it is not a sudden flash of a mans conceit upon the sudden But it dwels and staies upon a truth it setles againe and againe that it hath bestowed it selfe upon When a man is deepe in meditation upon a thing he neither seeth nor heareth any other thing else the streame of the heart is setled upon the truth conceived A man that hath beene offered an injury by another when he eares and walkes still he thinkes of his injury his heart is setled on it So your hearts ought to be on the truth The Apostle to Timothy saith Continue in the things thou hast learned the word in the originall is Be in them that is let a mans mind be moulded into the truth Thirdly it is a setled exercise for two ends first to make a further inquiry of the truth and secondly to make the heart affected therewith for this is the nature of meditation not to settle it selfe upon a thing knowne but it would either know more in those truthes that are subjected to it or else labours to gather something from them It is with the truth as it is with a man which goeth into the house and puls the latch when he was without he might see the outside of the house but he could not see the roomes within unlesse he drawes the latch and comes in and goe about the house meditation puls the latch of the truth and sees this is my sinne this is the cause here is the misery this is the plague and thus meditation searcheth into every corner of the truth Lastly meditation labours to affect the heart not only to know a thing but to bring it home to the soule these things are so know it for thy good So when a man hath viewed all and considered all then meditation brings all to the heart and labours to affect the heart therewith this is that which brings sorrow and compunction for sinne a setled exercise of the heart that meditates on sinnes that makes inquiry after them and the grounds are two and very remarkeable they are The first is this meditation makes all a mans sinnes and any truth belonging thereunto more powerfully and plainly to be brought home unto the heart It is the action of the understanding when a man doth gather all reasons and musters up force of arguments and labours to presse the soule and lay them heavy upon the heart and bring it under the power of the truth It is with meditation as it is with usurers that will grate upon men and grinde the faces of the poore and sucke the blood of the needy they will exact upon men and take use upon use they will not be contented to take the principall but they will have consideration for all the time until they have sucked the blood of a poore man that is under such a muckworme A poore man could be content to pay the principall but to exact use upon use this killes him So doth meditation it exacts and slayeth the soule of a poore sinner you have committed adultery in a corner but you shall not so carry it away This you did against the knowledge of God revealed against many mercies received against many Judgements threatned against checks of conscience against many vowes and promises remembred and Item for this and Item for that and thus meditation oppresseth the soule But then the soule will say happily it is but a trick of youth or it is my infirmity No no saith meditation this hath been your course from time to time continually that hath beene your haunt it hath beene a riveted corruption that hath fastened upon your bones and will goe to your graves with you and it will bring you to hell But then the soule saith I will repent No no saith meditation your heart is hardened in this sinne you have a heart that cannot repent nor yeeld the word of God workes not it prevaileth not the minister hath flung hell fire in your face and told you that no drunkard nor adulterer shall goe to heaven and yet you goe away no more moved then the seat whereupon you sate you have continued in sin and are hardened in sinne Thus marke how meditation exacts use upon use But then the soule replies I will goe to the word and wait upon the meanes and it may be the word will provaile No saith meditation you have despised the word and God will take away his word from you or you from his word or his blessing from both What is it a matter of infirmity No it is your continuall course And you repent No you cannot you cannot you are hardened And you hope the word will worke upon you No no it is cursed unto you Thus meditation exacts use upon use until the blood
in the originall is Call her into the Court call her by her name and say that shee is not my wife and I am not her husband And the Lord saith by Ezechiel Son of man cause Ierusalem to know her abominations he doth not say cause the country to know her abominations or the country to know the sins of the court but make Jerusalem know her owne abominations The reasons are these First because the word thus applyed hits sooner then otherwise it would A master commands a servant to do such a thing because he names him not one thinkes it is not he and another it is not he only because he is not named So when a minister saith in many things we sinne all he hits no man and so none are affected with it But now particular application brings every mans part and portion and not only sets the dish afore him but cuts him meat and carves for him and we doe in this cause as the nurse doth with the child she not onely sets the meat before it but she minceth it and puts it into the childs mouth the steward doth no◠onely say There is meat enough in the market but he buyes it and brings it home and sees it prepared and gives direction what is for every one The words of a faithfull minister are like arrowes which if they be shot a cocke height they fall down againe and do nothing but when a man levels at a marke then if ever he wil hit it So many ministers can tell a grave faire tale and speake of sinnes in generall and these common reproofes these intimations of sinne are like arrowes shot a cocke height they touch no man but when a minister makes application of sin in particular and saith O all you drunkards and adulterers this is your portion and let this be as venome in your hearts to purge out your lusts When our Saviour Christ lapped up the Pharises all in one speech it is said that they heard the parable and knew that he meant them Overly discourses that they are sinners and great sinners in other countries and you should doe well to looke to your wayes and the like These are like the confused noise that was in the ship when Ionah was asleep in it which never troubled him at last the Master commeth and saith Arise O Sleeper and call upon thy God And as a father observes they came about him and every man had a blow at him and then he did awake So because of generall reproofes of sin termes a farre off men come here and sit and sleepe and are not touched nor troubled at 〈◊〉 But when particular application commeth 〈◊〉 to the heart and a minister saith this is thy drunkennesse and thy adulterie and prophanenesse and this will breake thy necke one day what assurance hast thou got of Gods mercy and what canst thou say for heaven Then men beginne to looke about them There was never any convicting Ministery nor any man that did in plainnes apply the word home but their people would be reformed by it or else their consciences would be troubled and desperately provoked to oppose God and his ordinances that they may be plagued by it The word of God is like a sword the explanation of the text is like the drawing out of this sword and the florishing of it and so long it never hits But when a man strikes a full blow at a man it either woūds or puts him to his fēce so the application of the word is like the striking with the sword it will worke one way or other if a man can fence the blow so it is I confesse it is beyond our power to awaken the heart but ordinarily this way doth good Secondly as the word of God particularly applyed hits soonest so it sinckes deepest the words of the wise are compared to nailes fastened by the masters of assemblies the doctrine delivered is like the nailes pointed but when it is cleare and then particularly applyed it is like the setting on the nailes fast upon the hearts and consciences of men And this I take to be the reason why many that have come many times to oppose the ministers of the Gospell yet God hath broken in upon them and humbled their hearts made them see their miserable condition Gather up all then if a plaine and particular application of the word hits the heart soonest sincks deepest into the heart then it is a speciall meanes to worke a sight of sinne and affect the heart with sorrow for it But the former part is true Therefore the latter cannot be denied The first use is for instruction Here we finde the reason why plaine teaching findes such opposition why it is so cavilled at by all ministers others because thereby the eye of the soule comes to be opened and all a mans abominations are discovered and his conscience is pinched by the same Our Saviour saith He that doth evil hates the light lest his deeds should be reproved as a theefe hates the light and the lantorn-bearer because they shew his villany so they that are guilty of many sinfull courses and base practises hate the minister that brings the word with any power to their soules A malefactor at the Assises can be content to see an hundred men in the towne and is never troubled with them but if he sees one man that comes to give in euidence against him and knowes his practises Oh how his heart riseth with desperate indignation against that man Oh saith he this is he that seekes my life he will make my necke cracke so it is with this soule saving ministery it is that which brings in a bill of inditement against a man Now a man can be content to come and heare though it be never so many sermons but if a minister comes in for a witnes against him and begins to arraigne him and to indite him for his pride and malice and covetousnesse and to convince him of them and to lay him flat before the Lord his conscience Oh then he is not able to beare it What is the reason of this He can heare others quietly and say oh they are sweet men they deale kindly and comfortably Why The masse bites not as the proverbe is such a kind of ministery workes not at all and this is the reason why they are not troubled but goe away so well contented I have sometime admired at this why a company of Gentlemen yeomen and poore women that are scarcely able to know their A. B. C. Yet they have a minister to speake Latine Greeke and Hebrew and to use the Fathers when it is certaine they know nothing at all The reason is because all this stings not they may sit and sleep in their sinnes and go to hell hoodwinckt never awakened and that is the reason they will wellcome such to their houses and say oh he is an excellent man I
punishable by the Law of man were abominable and God was incensed against them but what will every wicked thought sinke the soule into hell unlesse God pardon it and is God so just and so severe and will he punish all sinners and must I answere for all my petty oathes If I shall be condemned for my words and thoughts it is a strange thing well I will inquire further of the matter it is marvelous hard if it be true Many a man hath beene thus and goeth no further for the present Well then Secondly he resolves to heare the minister againe and he fals to reading and conferring with others to try if it be so as the minister before revealed unto him and commonly he goeth to heare the same minister againe and by this meanes what with hearing and reading conferring he seeth the thing he doubted of is too certaine and that the thing be questioned before is without all doubt the Law is just the word is plaine if God be true this is true The wages of sinne is death Yea of every sinful thought and He that beleeveth not is condemned already so that now the sinner beginnes to consider that the condemnation threatned sleepes not and that God hath him in chase and that punishment that God threatens shall be executed upon him sooner or latter thus the soule from a generall amazement comes to see that it is so and by this meanes he is surprised with a sudden feare of spirit in expectation and suspition of what is discovered left God should lay it upon him in so much that the soule saith What if God should damne me God may doe it and what if God should execute his vengeance upon me the soule feareth that the evill discovered will fall upon him the nature of his feare is this he knoweth there is cause of feare and he cannot beare the evill when it is come He saith I am a sinfull wretch and God may damne me for ought I know and what if God should damne me this is the reason of those phrases of Scripture Wee have not received the spirit of bondage to feare againe the spirit that shewes our bondage and thence comes this feare Hence it is that the Apostle saith to Timothy God hath not given us the spirit of feare That is the spirit of bondage that workes feare therefore the Lord saith by Moses Thy life shall hang in doubt before thee and thou shalt feare day and night thou shalt have no assurance of thy life It is with a soule in this feare as it was with Belshazzar when he commanded the cups to be brought out of the house of the Lord that he and his nobles and his concubines might quaffe in them brave against the God of Israel then came a hand writing against him on the wall and when he saw it his thoughts troubled him and his face beganne to gather palenesse and his knees knocked one against another as if he should say surely there is some strange evill appointed for me and with that his heart began to tremble and shake Just so it is with this feare he that runnes ryot in the way of wickednesse aud thinkes to despise Gods Spirit to hate the Lord Almighty and to resist the work of his grace and saith within himselfe Let us goe heare the minister that we may cavill at him and persecute him Now it may be there comes this feare and hand-writing against him and who knowes but that it may be thus with thee whosoever thou art for this is a note of the child of the devill to hate Gods servants and ministers Now when a wicked man heares this he saith the word of God was profestly spoken against him and these are my sinnes and these are the Judgements and plagues threatned against them and therefore why may not I be damned and why may I not be plagued and thus his heart is full of feare he begins to reason with himselfe what is this the nature of sinne and are these the Judgmēts of God denounced against sinfull creatures why then what if God should lay these Judgemēts upon my soule and who knoweth but God will doe so to me this day plucke me out of the land of the living I am sure my sinnes are such and Gods Judgements are such threatned against them and therefore why may not this be and when he goeth to bed he reasoneth thus what if I never rise more and when he goeth from home what if I never returne more and God may take me with my meate in my mouth and cast me downe into hell fire for ever The soule being in this estate and the heart being thus pestered and plagued with the feare of Gods wrath that followeth a man like a Jailor he is hindred still that he cannot sinne so freely but still the wrath of God pursueth him and saith Do you not feare that God may take you away in the act of sinning and in the middest of your chambring and wantonnesse The heart being thus pestered with this feare it is not able to endure it he labours to drive away this trouble and dread from his mind and still he thinkes God is against him and he heares some behind him saying Thou must come to Judgement and be plagued Now the soule labours to drinke away and play away this Sorrow Another man haply that was a prodigall before riseth now early and will be exceedingly busied about his occasiōs all the day long that these things may take up his mind the reason is there lyeth something at the heart and he cannot tell which way to drive away his feare but he labours all in vaine For this is to make up walls with untempered morter which will presently fall downe it is as much as a man should labour to ease himself of sinne by sinning to give a man cold drinke in a hot burning feaver Thirdly in the third place the Lord pursueth the soule and when the heart cannot be rid of this feare the Lord beginnes to let fly against the soule of a sinner and discharges that evill upon him which was formerly feared and affliction enters into the heart The nature of feare is to feare an evill to come now the Lord makes the soule to see that it is not only great drunkards adulterers that are threatned but every sinfull thought and idle word The soule would faine have driven away this feare but the Lord will not let him but saith these curses shall kindle upon thee and shall continue for ever to thy perdition And hence comes this sorrow the Lord lets in some veine of his vengeance and some secret displeasure of his and makes sinne to stabbe the soule and then the curse lyeth upon him and the Lord as it were kindles the fire of his wrath upon him really and makes him see this is that which he feared Now his conscience is all on a flame within him and
the bottome And let me advise you to this when your soules are wrought upon by any reproofes or admonitions take that truth and labour to maintaine the power of it upon your hearts all the weeke after and let your soules be awed by it Thirdly consider what thy soule findes to be most evill and detestable whether it be poverty or disgrace or losse of liberty and then marke what I say get up thy heart higher in the very apprehension of sinne as it is sinne and let thy soule be more affected with the vilenesse of sin then of any other hardship whatsoever As thus suppose thy heart be vere proud if shame and disgrace befal thee oh how doth this heart shake in the apprehension of it he can live no longer except some honour come Now sinne is worse then shame therefore looke up to heaven say oh my heart did shake with shame but sinne is farre worse for what if the Lord take away my honour that he hath promised to such as feare his name and what if he blot my name out of the booke of life therefore sinne is worst of all this is certaine there is no evill the soule feares or finds but sinne is the cause of it but the separation of the soule from the Lord is the greatest evil and sinne is the cause of it and therefore rest not till thy soule shake in the apprehension of it This is the next way to be above punishment or any thing else Now I come to the fruits of godly sorrow which are from these words They said to Peter the other Apostles Men and brethren what shall wee do In these words there are three things presumed and three things plainly expressed First there are three things presumed they did see themselves in a miserable and damnable condition as if they had said hell is now gaping it is but turning of the ladder and we goe to hell for ever Men and brethren what shall we doe Secondly they themselves were ignorant and could not direct themselves what to doe to come out of this estate and therefore they said Men and brethren advise vs what to doe if there be any help yee know it Yet still there is a secret kinde of hope and the heart suspects that it may and will be otherwise with them they doe not say there is nothing to bee done no they say What shall we doe surely there is some way to finde helpe if wee could tell it Againe there are three things plainly expressed in these words they make an open and plaine confession of their sinnes when they were sicke at the hearâ— they could make open confession and lay the hand upon the sore and say If there be any vile wretches under heaven we are they Secondly a thorough resolution against their sinnes and a hatred of the same as if they had said We are resolved to doe any thing whatsoever it is we care not so we may thwart our sinnes The last thing expressed is a sequestration of the soule from this sinne the soule falles off from them and bids farewell to all cursed courses First I come to the three things presumed and because I shall have occasion afterward to handle the two former Therefore now I come to the last of the three which is this Men and brethren What shall we doe Surely there is some course to bee taken Is there not you that are Gods Prophets tell vs if there be any hope for such poore distressed sinners as we are So the Doctrine is this there is a secret hope of mercy wherewith God supports the hearts of those that are truly broken hearted for their sinnes howsoever these men did see themselves miserable yet they did not throw off all say Men and brethren there is no hope for vs therefore we will heare no more but seeing we must go to hell we wil take our pleasure while we live here in the world while we may and if we must bee damned we will be damned for some thing No these people had some hope that they should finde mercy the Lord bruised the heart but he did not breake it the Lord will not quench the smoking flaxe but kindles it further and the Lord drawes on the worke of the soule and pluckes it to himself and makes it looke vp to him and waite vpon him for helpe and mercy I confesse it is true that sometimes the soule in some desperate fit and in some horrour of heart when temptation growes violent long and the distempers of a mans heart stir exceedingly then a man may seeme to cast of all and resolve with Dauid when he had beene long persued by Saul I shall one day fall by the hand of Saul So the soule sayth God will one day leaue me and I shall perish And as Dauid sayth in another place All men are lyers that is they sayd I shall be King of Israel but they are all deceived They all lyers but it was in his haste in a proud impatient haughty humour of soule This is our nature if God buckle not to our bow and heare us not even when wee will then in a proud humor wee are apt to say oh my sins will never be pardoned and I shall never get ground against my corruptions a man that is in a swoune lies as if he were dead but yet he comes to himselfe againe and lookes up and speakes So how ever the soule in some unruly humor is driven to a swoune and thinkes it impossible to finde mercy or overcome his corruption yet still he recovers againe and the soule that is truly broken for sinne is upheld as Ionas said I am cast out of thy preseÌ„ce I am eveÌ„ sinking yet will I looke towards thy holy temple So howsoever the soule may be over-whelmed in a drunken fit of pride or impatience yet aftes the soule hath prayed it saith I will wait upon God for mercy God deales with poore sinnners in this case as men doe that pound pretious powder as Bezar stone or the like to make some potion withall they will breake it and pound it all to pieces yet they cover it up close and will not loose the least sand of it as they breake it so they keepe it close that none be lost So when God doth purpose to doe good to your soules he will breake you and melt you and then you thinke he hath cast you off in his anger No no he is pounding of you but he will preserve those soules notwithstanding and will not lose such poore sinners whom he purposeth to doe good unto As it is with pocket dyâ—ls a man may shake them this way and that way but they are still northward by vertue of the loadstone so there are many shakings in the soule sometime it feareth God will not be mercifull he sometimes hopes that he will thus it is tossed to and fro but still it is heaven-ward there is a