which is a horrible and feareful curse euen esteeme them foolishnes The third reason shall be taken from the example of Nicodemus Iohn 3. Nicodemus I am perswaded was an honest and an ingenuous man I am sure he was a great man and a teacher of Israel yet when he comes out of his ciuill honestie and naturall wisdome to reason and confer with Christ about the saluation of his soule and eternall happinesse hee is strangely childish and a meere infant For when Christ tels him Except a man be borne againe he cannot see the kingdome of God he replies How can a man be borne which is old can he enter into his mothers wombe againe and be borne A replie which may breed an astonishment in all that shall euer reade this story vnderstandingly vnto the worlds end nay it seemes to seeme strange to Christ himselfe by his interrogatiue admiration afterward Art thou a teacher of Israel and knowest not these things And no maruell for who would think that one of the best of the Pharises a ruler of the Iews a profest Doctor in the Law and the Prophets and one carefull to saue his soule should be so grossely and palpably ignorant in a most materiall and necessarie point of saluation especially hauing many times no doubt read it in Moses and the Prophts Amongst many places he might see Ezech. 36.26.27 most cleerely laid downe the great and glorious worke of our new birth A new heart also will I giue you and a new spirit will I put within you and I will take the stony hart out of your body and I will giue you a heart of flesh c. But when he comes from teaching and reading of this and the like places to be examined in the practise and experimentall feeling of these graces of regeneration vpon his owne soule why hee talkes of a man that is old entring againe into his mothers wombe from whence he should certainely returne with a doubled pollution and corruption of nature and once more the child of Satan then he was before But so it is where the hart is not seasoned with sauing grace let the vnderstanding be neuer so great with swelling knowledge the practicall powers of the soule neuer so pregnant with wisdome and policie and perfected with morall vertues yet there is nothing to be expected from that man in matters and mysteries of saluation but darkenes and blindnesse childishnesse and stupiditie Fourthly the young man in the Gospell may be a fit instance for our present purpose He was vnreprooueable in the externall iustice and outward obseruances of the second table wherein ciuill honesty doth principally consist but how farre hee was from inward sanctification the state of grace and happinesse of Gods children appeares in the story For when the sacred and powerfull words of our blessed Sauior had insinuated into the secrets of his soule and strucke at his sweet sinne of couetousnesse the young man is presently cast into a fit of melancholie Christ is too precise a preacher for him he cannot digest such a strict and seuere course he will not abandon his pleasures of worldlinesse his palaces his possessions to follow Christ the Lord of heauen and earth in this life though he assure him of the rich treasures of eternall blessednes in the life to come When the young man heard that saying he went away sorrowfull for he had great possessions Whereby we may see that a man may be ciuilly honest and vncensurable in outward workes of iustice and yet harbour and nourish some close corruptions and sweet sinne in his heart from which rather then he will part he will lose his part in Christ the bottomlesse fountaine of endlesse ioies and comforts and his portion of vnualuable glory in the new Ierusalem This point being thus manifest for conclusion I will lay downe certaine differences betwixt the righteousnesse of faith and sanctification and the righteousnesse of ciuil honestie that a man may haue some directions to examine his soule and conscience in this respect First the fountaine and originall of righteousnesse of faith is the sanctifying Spirit of God I call it the sanctifying spirit because the spirit of God may by a generall influence concur to the illumination of the vnderstanding with knowledge and a ciuill reformation of the wil euen in the vnregenerate but the sanctifying spirit by the miraculous operatiue of sauing grace doth purge and mortifie the inmost affections plant iustifying faith in the heart renew al the powers of the soule and reinuest them in some good measure with the blessed image of holinesse and integritie which they lost in Adam But the cause and fountaine of righteousnesse of ciuill honesty may bee goodnesse of constitution and ingenuousnesse whereby a man may not be so apt and inclinable to notorious sinnes or want of trials and prouocations or feare of lawes and temporall punishments or desire of reputation and rising or a vaine hope to stay Gods iudgements for inward corruptions by ciuill outwardnesse or at best the restraining Spirit of God by which hee doth onely represse the furies and outrages of the wicked and reduce them to some moderation and honestie for the quiet of his Elect and conseruation of Kingdomes For if God did not put his hooke into the nostrils of prophane men and his bridle into their lippes euery one of them sith euery man hath in his corrupt nature the seedes of all sinnes that euer haue are or may be committed I say euery one of them might become a cruell Senacherib a railing Shemei a traiterous Iudas a bloodie Bonner an hellish Fawkes fierce Woolues and Lions against the sillie and innocent Lambes of Christs fold Secondly righteousnesse of ciuill honestie in outward actions may make a colourable pretence of pietie and vprightnes but indeed hath many secret relations to pleasures to friends to profit to preferments to reuengement to passions partialities and euents and such like by-respects not easilie discernable but by him whose eies are tenne thousand times brighter then the Sunne But righteousnesse of faith hath in all actions for the maine scope and principall end the glory and honour of God and if infirmitie doe sometimes distaine them with some mixture and adherence of respects for who can say my heart is cleane euen the purest actions are mixt with some spice of corruptions it workes in the faithfull soule much griefe sorrow striuing against repentance and humiliation Thirdly righteousnesse of faith doth labour watchfully religiously and conscionably in that particular calling wherein Gods prouidence hath placed a man and in all the parts and speciall duties of godlinesse and obedience But ciuill honesty wanders in the generalities of religion and many times in impertinent vnsetled and vnlimited courses Fourthly righteousnesse of faith doth striue with greatest earnestnesse and contention of spirit for spirituall comfort and a good conscience before God But ciuill honestie is fully and finally satisfied with credit and plausiblenesse amongst men Fifthly
ciuill honestie makes no great conscience of smaller sinnes as lying lesser oathes gaming prophane iesting idlenesse and pastime on the Sabbath day and the like But righteousnesse of faith hauing a sensible feeling of the heauie weight of sinne from those anguishes which the conscience felt before the infusion of faith and being still stung with a checke and smart for all kind of transgressions doth seasonably and proportionablie hate and make resistance to all knowne sinnes Sixthly ciuill honestie doth not vse to make opposition against the sinnes of the time but is euen willing to be caried with the streame onely vpon more faire and probable tearmes then notorious sinfulnesse and therefore will goe on and encourage a man in godly courses and good causes vntill he meet with either a wound to his state a disgrace to his person a disturbance to his pleasures an imputation to his forwardnesse a stop to his preferments losse of friends imminencie of danger or any such crosse and discouragement and then it teacheth him to step backe as a man ready to tread vpon a serpent and to start aside like a broken â—ow But righteousnesse of faith doth stand out for the honour of God and ordinarily goes thorow stitch in good causes come what come can crosses or calumniations good report or euill report men or diuels For it is compleatly armed with confidence of future happinesse and hath sixt the eye vpon the crowne of immortality which if heauen and earth conspired they were not able to pull it out of his hand that reserues it in the heauens for all those that sight a good fight that keepe the faith and run with constancie the race of sanctification The next point of the negatiue part of my doctrine is formall hypocrisie Which that you may more cleerely vnderstand consider with me three kinds of hypocrisie priuy hypocrisie grosse hypocrisie formal hypocrisie Priuie hypocrisie is that by which a man makes profession of more then is in his hart And this somtimes doth mixe it self euen with the fairest and most sanctified actions of Gods dearest children and doth soonest insinuate into a hart stored with the rich treasures of true godlines For Satan if he cannot detain a mans soule in notorious sinfulnes in meere ciuil honestie or formality but that by the sacred inspirations of Gods good spirit it is pulled out of the mouth of hell from the slauery of sin and courses of darkenes into the glorious light liberty of Christs kingdom he is inraged with fierce and implacable furie doth euer certainly with eager pursuit persecute that soule both by his owne immediate malice and by the cruell agencie of prophane men And if so be he cannot procure a scandalous relapse into grâ—sse sins yet that he may in some measure worke the dishonour of God and the discomfort of his noblest creature the two maine ends of all the policies of hell hee doth labour to distaine the pure streames of diuine grace in the soule puddle of our corrupted nature and at least to fasten the spots of priuie hypocrisie vpon the best actions and the very face of innocency This hypocrisie as I take it ariseth from spirituall pride For when a godly man by the great worke of regeneration is become more excellent then his neighbour as indeed he incomparablie is howsoeuer the worlds estimation be otherwise Because the one is as yet a limme of Satan receiuing from him the cursed influence of scule pollutions of vncleannes and lying of malice and reuenge of pride and prophanenes c The other is already a blessed member of Christs mysticall body continually inspired with holy motions and the life of grace The one lies polluted in his owne blood encompassed with the menstruous clouts of loathsome corruptions of all natures except onely the diuell and his angels the most wretched and woefull of the familie of hell heire of horrour and desolation The other by the immortall seed of the pure and powerfull word of God is made partaker of the diuine nature clothed with the rich and vnualuable robe of Christs iustice guarded with an inuincible troope of heauenly Angels iustly intituled to a kingdome of vnconceiueable glory and pleasures moe then the starres of the firmament in number The one is a wrongfull vsurper of the riches honours and preferments of this life for which hereafter hee must be condemned to chaines of eternall darkenes and a dungeon of endlesse miserie and confusion the other while he continues in this world is a rightfull owner and possessor of the earth and all the creatures and blessings of God and when hee departs hence he shall bee made a glorious inhabitant of those sacred mansions where constant peace vnmixed ioyes and blessed immortality euen for euer and euer doe dwell Which great difference when the godly man perceiues and his owne prerogatiues he is filled with a strange and ioyfull amazement and admiration at his owne happinesse which Satan seeing who is perfectly experienced in all aduantages and opportunities for spirituall assaults and working vpon the reliques of mans proud nature doth cunningly draw him to aduance aboue that which is meet within himselfe in his owne opinion the worth of his owne graces and vertues Which that he may conuey and reprâ—sent to the view of the world with an excellencie proportionable to his owne ouerweening conceite he is forced to admit the secret and insensible poyson of priuie hypocrisie which he doth more easily at the first entertaine because the pestilencie and bitternesse thereof is not discernable by reason of the predominancie and sweetnesse of the fresh present graces of Gods spirit in his soule But when by afflictions or disgraces by some extraordinary temptation or particular checkes from the Ministery of the word the vglinesse of it is discouered to his conscience hee for euer abhorres it as a consuming canker that would fret out the very heart of grace and extinguish the life of sincerity and therefore with much humiliation and feruencie doth pray against it striue against it and by the mercies of God preuaile against it This kind of Hypocrisie belongs not to my present purpose onely by the way let mee giue aduertisement to the child of God for to him onely I speake in this point to the end he may keepe his heart vnblameable in holinesse and preserue the true relish and sound ioy of good actions entire and vndistempered that he would strongly fence his heart with a gracious and vnfained humility against priuie pride the mother of this hypocrisie as against a close vndermining and a most dangerous enemie and the more seriously and watchfully for these reasons partly drawne from the nature of the sinne and partly from the state of his soule From the nature of the sinne First other sinnes grow from poysonous and pestilent roots as Adulterie from idlenesse Faction from discontent Murder from malice Iesting out of the word of God from a a prophane heart the
any other by-respect plunge themselues into such companies where perhaps they may enioy many pleasant passages of wit set and artificiall disports and passing the time direction in their worldly affaires combination against the power of religion and the true professors thereof but where they shall find no furtherance in the way to heauen no comfort in heauenly things no encouragement to piety no counsell in tentations no consolation vpon their deaths-bed O how much better were it for these few and wretched daies to sort and solacâ— themselues amongst the Saints of God with whom they might shine as glorious lights together in the earth and hereafter in the heauens aboue the brightnesse of the sun for euermore rather then prophanely to sport themselues in Meshech and for a season proudly to ruffle it in the tents of Kedar where there is no light of grace no ioynt expectation of eternity but darkenesse of sinne and shadow of death Mistake me not in this point I would not haue men goe out of the world or become Separists I would rather haue them if they will vnderstand Paul aright be made all things to all men that they might by all meanes saue some That is I would haue the children of God not be wanting in any offices of kindnesse or pietie but to yeeld and communicate themselues so far as dutie charity humanitie necessitie of their generall or particular calling vpon good warrant and iust occasion mâ—y challenge and exact at their hands But as for a free and full communication of the secrets of their soule of their dearest affections of their spirituall estate of their ioyfullest and best expence of time I would haue that onely vouchsafed and conueied into the faithfull bosome of a true Christian and confined to grace as it peculiar and principall Object Let their goodnesse and good deeds spread without limit but their delight and intimatenes is to bee restrained and appropriated to the Saints that are on the earth and to the truely excellent which are onely the godly Hence it is that Gods children are many times censured for morositie vnsociablenes disdainefulnesse of spirit and opposition to good fellowship when God knowes they can find no taste in the white of an egge no strength in a broken staffe of reed no comfort in the men of the world who haue their portion in this life and therefore they would not part with their Paradise of communion of Saints or comfortable communication with God in their solitarines for the companie of kings and a world of carnall contentments Fourthly Satan doth sometime worke a soule decay of grace and exercise of godlinesse by putting into our heads some inordinate plot and forecast for preferment and greatnes For if he can once set our thoughts busily on foot for proiecting and contriuing with excessiue desire ambition and greedinesse some honour office or high place why then farwell zeale farwell taking part with Gods children farwell an vnshaken resolution in standing for the honour truth and seruice of God and a Christian courage in reprouing sins For then we must liue reseruedly we must be content to part with our libertie and be depriued of our selues We must labour to satisâ—ie and accommodate our selues to the humours pleasures and passions of men In a word our whole cariage must hold a necessarie and exact correspondence with the men and meanes that are able to promote vs for so vâ—certaine and irregular are the reuolutions of mens fauours that many times if a man but misse or mistime one ceremony or circumstantiall obseruance it is enough to cast him off and vtterly cashire him from his hopes ends Most miserable and seruile is their life that thus forsake the strong tower of their saluation and claspe their hand of faith about the arme of flesh For they do not onely bereaue themselues of that worthie freedome of spirit which an honest Heathen would not exchange for his life but also as they grow into a habit of seruitude and base engagements vnto men so they grow into a flauerie vnto sinne and bondage vnto the corruptions of the time And the higher they rise into fauor with prophane greatnes and policie the deeper they sinke into the miseries of basenes and flatterie and the high displeasure of almightie God And at length if they attaine their ends for sometimes they die in the tedious prosecution of some vndeserued dignitie they double their discomforts and encrease their account For commonly where the pursuit and purchase of any honour and preferment hath beene base and indirect there the discharge and execution is formall vaineglorious and vnconscionable Thus you see a second method of Satan whereby he goes about to kill the fruits of faith and to cause if not an vtter cessation yet much weakenes and interruptions in the operations of grace Many moe such depths and proceedings hee hath in his tentations As for example If he meet with notoriously wicked men as Drunkards Swearers vncleane persons and the like he tempts them to Atheisme a reprobate sense contempt of Gods worship and seruice and to the great offence To defend their leaud and gracelesse courses to glorie in their sinnes and in their dexterity of making others drunke with the same iniquitie He stickles strikes the bargaine betwixt them and death and hell and enters as it were bond for the performance of the couenant Hee tempts them to scorning and by their scoffings and railings in some fort to the despiting of the spirit of grace in the children of light which is a soule signe of a feared conscience and a fearefull preparatiue to sinne against the holy Ghost These are Satans standard-bearers and theâ—fore he inspires them with extraordinarie boldnes and desperatenesse in sinning and teacheth them to march furiouslie in variety of rebellions against the Maiestie of heauen If he meete with honest ciuill men heelabours to perswade them that iust and vpright dealing with their neighbours good meanings and intentions in matters of religion are the verie life of the seruice of God and a sufficient way to heauen And to conceiue sinne and sinceritie to be nothing else but morall vertues and vices the power of sanctification to be nothing but good education the practise of godlinesse to be nothing but sober and honest behauiour and the whole mysterie of Christianity to be onely a graue and stayed ciuilitie And the much adoe about faithfull and conscionable preaching to bee onely the humor of some odde fellowes that would be accounted singular and seraphicall If he meete with formall hypocrites who besides immunitie from grosse sinnes and their ciuill honestie are carefull and fashionable in the outward duties of religion yet short of a sound conuersion hee labours might and maine to settle in them an opinion that the state of regeneration is nothing but precisenesse and puritanisme that sauing sincerity and a true practise of holines is onely a transcendent Idea consisting in pure abstraction conceiued in the