sense of his integrity and the evidence he had of his own uprightness his own righteousness Job 27.5 Till I die I will not remove my integrity from me Ver. 6. My righteousness I hold fast and will not let it go my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live Job was under great afflictions sore temptations and deep desertions now that which was his cordial his bulwark in those sad times was the sense and feeling of his own uprightness his own righteousness the sense and feeling of the grace of God in him kept him from fainting and sinking under all his troubles So 1 Joh. 2.3 Hereby we know that we know him if we keep his commandments c. In these words two things are observable First that where there is a true knowledge of Christ there is an observation of his commandements Secondly that by this observation of his royal Law we may know that our knowledge is sound and sincere He speaks not of a legal but of an evangelical keeping of his commandements A conscionable and serious endeavour to walk in a holy course of life according to God's will revealed in his Word is a most certain mark or evidence that we have a saving knowledge of God and that we are his children and heirs of glory Such who sincerely desire and unfeignedly purpose and firmly resolve and faithfully endeavour to keep the commandements of God these do keep the commandements of God evangelically and acceptably in the eye of God the account of God So ver 6. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk even as he walked Here you may observe two things First that by faith we are implanted into Christ Secondly that we discover our implantation into Christ by our imitation of Christ Such as plead for sanctification a an evidence of justification don't make their graces causes of their implantation into Christ or of their justification before the throne of Christ but they make them testimonies and witnesses to declare the truth of their real implantation into Christ and of their being justified before the throne of Christ So 1 Joh. 3.14 We know we are translated from death to life because we love the brethren The Apostle makes this a great sign of godliness to love another godly man for godliness sake and the more godly he is the more to love him and to delight in him Now mark this love of our brethren is not a cause of our translation from death to life for the very word translated supposeth such a grace such a favour of God as is without us but a sign of our translation from death to life But of this I have said enough already as you may see if you will but read from page 189. to page 200. of this Book But The most ordinary and safe way of coming to assurance is the discoursive way in which a believer from the fruits and effects of grace infers he hath the habit and from the habit concludes his jâ—stification adoption and as this is a way least subject to delusion so it is also most suited to a rational creature whose way of acting is by discourse and argumentation The sixth Proposition is this There are many scores of precious promises made over to them that believe to them that trust in the Lord to them that set him up as the great object of their fear to them that love him to them that delight in him to them that obey him to them that walk with him to them that thirst after him to them that suffer for him to them that follow after him c. Now all these scores of promises are made for the support comfort and encouragement of all such Christians whose souls are bespangled with grace But now if we may not lawfully come to the knowledge of our faith love fear delight obedience c. in a discoursive way arguing from the effect to the cause What support what comfort what advantage shall a sincere Christian have by all those scores of promissory places of Scripture Doubtless all those scores of promises would be as so many Suns without light as so many springs without water as so many breasts without milk and as so many bodies without souls to all gracious Christians were it not lawful for them to form up such a practical syllogism as this is viz. The Scripture doth plainly and fully declare that he that believeth feareth loveth obeyeth c. is blessed and shall be happy for ever But I am such a one that doth believe fear love obey c. therefore I am blessed and shall be happy for ever Now although it must be granted that the major of this Proposition is Scripture yet the assumption is from experience and therefore a godly man being assisted therein by the holy Ghost may safely draw the conclusion as undeniable O that you would seriously consider how little would be the difference should you shut out this discoursive way betwixt a man and a beast if a man should assent to a thing unknown through an instinct and impression and should to one who asks him a reason of his perswasion be able to return no other answer but this I am perswaded because I am perswaded But The seventh Proposition is this That the Scripture giveth many signs and symptoms of grace so that if a man cannot find all yet if he discover some yea but one he may safely conclude that all the rest are there he who hath but one in truth of the forementioned characters in this book hath seminally all he who hath one link of the golden chain hath the whole chain Look as he who hath one grace in truth hath every grace in truth though he doth not see every grace shining in his soul so he that hath in truth any one evidence of grace in his soul he hath virtually all And O that all weak dark doubting Christians would seriously and frequently ponder upon this Proposition for it may be a staff to uphold them and a cordial to comfort them under all their fears and faintings But The eighth Proposition is this Without the light of the holy Ghost our graces shine not our graces are only the means by which our condition is known to us Rom. 9.2 the efficient cause of this knowledge is the Spirit illustrating our graces and making them visible and so helping us to conclude from them 1 Cor. 2.12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world but the spirit which is of God that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God Our graces our sanctification as well as our election vocation justification and glorification are freely given to us of God and the Spirit of God is given as well to discover the one as the other to us Mark the things freely given us may be received by us and yet the receit of them not known to us therefore the Spirit for our further
Promises of God are a Christians Magna Charta his chiefest evidences for heaven Page 9 10 Q. How may a person come to know whether he has a real and saving interest in the promises or no. This great Question receives nine Answers Page 10 11 12 13 14 15 16. All great Promises are made over to faith and repentance Page 26 27 The promises prove an inseparable connexion between true faith and eternal glory Page 48 49 50 51 52 Many scores of promises will be of no use to a Christian if he may not lawfully come to the knowledge of his gracious estate in a discoursive way arguing from the effect to the cause Page 346 347 Of being poor in spirit To such who are poor in spirit the kingdom of heaven belongs Page 30 31 32 Of prizing grace No man can really prize grace above a thousand worlds but he that has true grace in him Page 200 Of purity of heart They that are pure in heart are blessed and shall see God Page 36 37 38 39 R Of Relapses A true child of God may relapse into the same sin again and again Page 278 279 280 281 That a child of God does not relapse into the same sin in such a manner as wicked men do relapse is made good seven wayes Page 281 282 About receiving of Christ Such as receive Christ aright are the Sons of God Page 26 About Repentance There is a Repentance that does accomcompany salvation Page 217 See sorrow for sin see confession of sin and see turning from sin Of Christ's Righteousness When a Christians evidences are either clear or clouded it highly concerns him to have his heart fixed upon the Mediatory righteousness of Christ Page 359 360 361 Five admirable comforts the Mediatory righteousness of Christ will afford to every gracious soul Page 361 362 363 Remedies against fears Two Remedies against those fears that many times rise in a gracious soul Page 388 389 390 S Of Satan Satan is a grand enemy to the peace joy comfort settlement and satisfaction of every poor Christian Page 340 341 Of Scripture All men and women that are desirous to know how it will go with them in another world they must peremptorily resolve to be determined by Scripture in the great matters of their interest in Christ Page 20 21 22 23 24 Of sin many weighty things about it A universal willingness to be rid of all sin is an infallible evidence of the truth of grace in a mans heart Page 88 89 90 91 92 A constant habitual willingness to be rid of all sin is an infallible evidence of the truth of grace in the soul Page 92 93 A transcendent willingness a superlative willingness to be rid of sin is an infallible evidence of the truth of grace in the soul Page 93 94 95 96 97 That soul that does not allow himself or indulge himself in a course of sin or in the common practice of any known sin that soul is certainly a gracious soul Page 97 98 99 That soul that conflicts most with heart-sins and is mâ—st affected and afflicted with spiritual sins he is certainly a gracious soul Page 99 100 101 102 That soul that abstains from sin and whose heart rises against sin because of the evil nature of it c. that soul has certainly a principle of grace a seed of God in him Page 102 103 104 105 106 Where there is an irreconcileable opposition in the soul against sin there is a saving work of God upon that mans heart Page 106 107 108 Where the very prevailings of sin are ordinarily made serviceable to high and holy ends there certainly is a saving work of God upon that mans soul Page 108 109 110 Where a bare naked command of God is commonly of that power force and authority with the soul as to curb sin and restrain the soul from sin and to fence the soul against the encroachments and commands of sin there is certainly a saving work of God upon that mans soul Page 111 112 113 Constant desires and earnest and constant endeavours to avoid and shun all known appearances of sin evidences the truth and reality of grace in the soul Page 114 115 116 He that sets himself mostly resolutely habitually against his bosom sins his constitution sins c. he has certainly a powerful a saving work of God upon his soul Page 126 127 That soul that would not willingly wilfully resolutely maliciously wickedly habitually c. sin against the Lord to gain a world that soul is certainly a gracious soul Page 201 202 Paul layes down eight aggravations of his sins and all to greaten and heighten them Page 244 245 246 247 Many indulge their lusts Page 338 339 Of sorrow for sin When a mans sorrow for sin is sinful shewed in six particulars Page 87 Sorrow and grief of heart for sin committed is that first part of repentance to which the promise of forgiveness of sin is made Page 218 219 Eight ways whereby men may know that their sorrow is true godly sorrow that it is that very sorrow that is a part of true repentance Page 219 to 229 There are seven concomitants or companions that attend and wait on godly sorrow Page 229 230 231 232 233 234 Of the Spirit Without the light of the Spirit our graces shine not Page 347 348 349 T Of thirsting They which truly hunger and thirst after righteousness are blessed Page 32 33 34 Of time and times Christians should take the mâ—st compendious time for the casting up of their spiritual accounts Page 69 70 There are seven times seasons or cases where a Christian should not cast up his spiritual accounts Page 70 to 74 Of turning from all sin to God The third part of true repentance lyes in turning from all sin to God Page 254 255 256 First that turning from sin which brings a man within the compass of the promise of forgiveness of sin is a cordial turning from sin Page 256 257 Secondly a true penitential turning is an universal turning a turning not from some sins but from all sins Page 257 258 Eight great Reasons why the true penitent turns from sin universally Page 258 to 269 In answer to an Objection it is declared that a true penitential turning from all sin consists in six things Page 269 to 274 Thirdly a true penitential turning is a constant a continued turning from sin Page 274 275 276 277 Q. But in what respects is a true penitential turning from sin such a turning from sin as never to return to sin any more in what respects is the penitents turning from sin a continued and stedfast turning from sin Sol. This is a very sober serious weighty Question and bespeaks a very sober serious and satisfactory Answer and therefore 't is answered First Negatively from 277 to 282. And Secondly Affirmatively from Page 282 to 284 A true penitential turning from sin includes a returning to God sin is an aversion from God
fear O to what a height of holy boldness and familiarity with God had this man of God arrived to But Ninethly a godly man may argue thus To such who are poor in spirit the Kingdom of heaven belongs Mat. 5.3 By poor in spirit is not meant poor in substance that not being a thing praise worthy in it self Chrysost in loc but the broken and humble in heart who hath no high thoughts or conceits of himself but is lowly in his own eyes as a young child Blessed are the poor in spirit that is non habentes inflantem spiritum who hath no lofty or puffed up spirit Augustin Hilar. Tertullian The poor in spirit are those that are lowly being truly conscious of their own unworthiness Nulli pauperes spiritu nisi humiles none are poor in spirit but the humble Blessed are the poor in spirit that is blessed are they whose spirits are brought into such an humble gracious frame as willingly quietly and contentedly to lye down in a poor low condition when it is the pleasure of the Lord to bring them into such a condition Blessed are the poor in spirit that is blessed are they who are truly and kindly apprehensive and sensible of their spiritual wants poverty and misery There are some that are poor in estate and others that are poor in spirit and there are some that are poor spirited in the cause of God Christ the Gospel and their own souls and there are others that are poor in spirit there are some that are spiritually poor as all are that are destitute of grace and others that are poor in spirit there are some that are Evangelically poor and others that are superstitiously poor as those Papists who renounce their estates and vow a voluntary poverty The poverty that hath blessedness annexed to it is only an Evangelical poverty that see their need of God's free grace to pardon them that see their need of Christs righteousness to cloath them that see their need of the Spirit of Christ to purge change and sanctifie them that see their need of more heavenly wisdom to counsel them that see their need of more of the power of God to support them and of the goodness of God to supply them and of the mercy of God to comfort them and of the presence of God to refresh them and of the patience of God to bear with them c. that see their need of greater measures of faith to conquer their fears and of greater measures of wisdom to walk holily harmlesly blâ—mlesly and exemplarily in the midst of temptations snares and dangers and that see their need of greater measures of patience to bear their burdens without fretting or fainting and that see their need of greater measures of zeal and courage to bear up bravely against all sorts of opposition both from within and from without and that see their need of greater measures of love to cleave to the Lamb and to follow the Lamb whither ever he goes and that see their need of living in a continual dependance upon God and Christ for fresh influences in-comes and supplies of grace of comfort of strength whereby they may be inabled to act for God and walk with God and glorifie God and bring forth fruit to God and withstand all temptations that tend to lead the heart from God and that see nothing in themselves upon which they dare venture their everlasting estates and therefore flie to the free rich sovereign and glorious grace of God in Christ as to their sure and only sanctuary Luke 18.13 Phil. 3.9 Blessed are the poor in spirit that is blessed are they that are truly apprehensive and sensible of their spiritual poverty that see themselves fallen in the first Adam from all their primitive purity excellency and glory There are five things we lost in our fall 1. Our holy Image and became vile 2. Our Sonship and became slaves 3. Our Friendship and became enemies 4. Our Communion and became strangers 5. Our Glory and became miserable And that see an utter inability and insufficiency in themselves and in all other creatures to deliver them out of their fallen estate But I am poor in spirit therefore the Kingdom of heaven belongs to me Tenthly a godly man may argue thus Such as are true mourners are blessed shall be comforted Mat. 5.3 That is such as mourn for sin with an exceeding great mourning that mourn for sin with a funeral sorrow as the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies that mourn for sin 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Beati lugentes Blessed are they that mourn The way to Paradise is through the valley of tears Some report of Mary Magdalen that she spent thirty years in Galba weeping forâ—er sins as a man mourneth for the loss of his only Son Zech. 12.10 or as Jacob mourned for Joseph or as David mourned for Absalom or as the people mourned for the loss of good Josiah 2 Chron. 35.24 25. That mourn for secret sins as well as open for sins against grace as well as for sins against the Law that mourn for sin as the greatest evil in the world that mourns for his own sins Ezek. 7.16 as David did Psal 51. or as Ephraim did Jer. 31.18 19. or as Peter did Mat. 26.75 or as Mary Magdalen did Luke 7.38 And that mourns for the sins of others as well as for his own as David did Psa 119.136 158. and as Jeremiah did Jer. 13.17 or as Lot did 2 Pet. 2.7 8. or as they did in that Ezek. 9.4 That mourns under the sense of his spiritual wants that mourns under the sense of his spiritual losses as loss of communion with God loss of the favour of God loss of the presence of God loss of the exercise of grace loss of the joyes of the Spirit loss of inward peace c. or that mourn not only for their own afflictions and miseries but also for the afflictions and miseries of Joseph as Nehemiah did Neh. 1.2 3 4 or as Ieremiah did Ier. 9.1.2 or as Christ did when he wept over Ierusalem Luke 19.41 42. or that mourns because he cannot mourn for these things or that mourns because he can mourn no more or that mourns because God has so little honour in his heart in his house in his life in the world in the Churches But I am a true mourner therefore I am blessed and shall be comforted Eleventhly a godly man may argue thus They which truly hunger and thirst after righteousness are blessed and shall be filled Mat. 5.6 They are not therefore blessed because they hunger and thirst but because they shall be filled blessedness will be in fulness not in hunger but hunger must go before filling that we may not loath the loaves Aug. de verbis Domini Serm. 5. Or they that are hungring and thirsting as the Greek runs being the participle of the present tense intimating that where ever this is the present disposition of
A graceless heart is more abundantly willing to be freed from punishment the effect of sin than 't is willing to be freed from sin the cause of punishment A gracious heart sees more filthiness in sin than in Frogs and had rather be rid of his sins than of all the Frogs or Toads that be in the World See what a sad spirit was upon the children of Israel in that Numb 21.6 7. Heb. Burning Serpents thus they are called from the effect of their biting which caused a mortal burning and consequently such an excessive thirst as killed them And the Lord sent Fiery Serpents among the people and they bite the people and much people of Israel dyed Therefore the people came to Moses and said We have sinned for we have spoken against the Lord and against thee pray unto the Lord that he take away the Serpents from us Now mark in the fifth verse you have them murmuring against God and Moses and divine dispensations and nauseating of the Wheat of Heaven as light meat because they came lightly by it they distrust the Providence of God they let fly at God their spirit swels against the holy one of Israel and they scorn deride revile and contumeliously and despitefully speak against Moses and though they had often smarted for these sins yet they are at them again upon this God sends an Army of Fiery Serpents among them and they bite and devour many of them And now they run to Moses who but a little before they had despised and are very importunate with him to pray to the Lord to take away the Serpents from them They do not desire Moses to improve his interest in Heaven that God would take away their proud hearts their distrustful hearts their murmuring hearts c. but that God would take away the Serpents they were much more desirous to be rid of their Serpents than they were to be rid of their sins So those in Jer. 30.15 Why cryest thou for thine affliction thy sorrow is incurable for the multitude of thine iniquity because thy sins were encreased I have done these things unto thee They do not cry out of their sins but they cry out of their afflictions Why cryest thou for thine affliction unsound hearts are more ready and willing to be rid of their afflictions than they are willing to have their Souls bettered or their lives mended or their lusts subdued by them Pilate was unwilling to condemn Jesus witness his seeking to release him and his washing his hands and his pleading his innocency c. Matth. 27.17 18 22 23 24. but yet the prevailing part of his will carryed him forth to deliver up Jesus to be scourged and Crucified v. 26. So Herod was unwilling to behead John Baptist witness that word The King was exceeding sorry Mark 6.26 But yet the prevailing part of his will carried him forth to cut off John's head v. 27. whose head was more worth than Herods Kingdom So Darius was very unwilling to cast Daniel into the Lyons Den witness his being sore displeased with himself and witness his setting his heart on Daniel to deliver him and witness his great unquietness of spirit for he could neither eat nor drink nor sleep the night after he was cast into the Lyons Den and witness his great joy at Daniels safety Dan. 6.14 18 19 20. All which did clearly argue a very great unwillingness that Daniel should suffer and yet the prevailing part of Darius his will carried him forth to sacrifice Daniel to the Lyons yea to that which was worse viz. the lusts of his enemies v. 16 17. By all these instances 't is most evident that the prevalent part of a wicked mans will stands most strongly byafs'd towards sin But now the prevalent part of a Christians will is to be rid of sin If the Lord should say to a gracious Christian Ask what thou wilt O Christian and it shall be granted to thee the Answer would be Lord rid me of my sins Lord take away mine iniquities Lord mortify my corruptions Lord whoever lives let these lust dye Lord drown these Egyptians in the Sea of thy Sons blood who have so violently and unweariedly pursued after the Blood of my precious Soul Lord kill and crucify all these sinful evils that have killed and Crucified the Lord of life and glory Psal 5.2 7. Lord wash me throughly from mine iniquity and cleanse me from my sin Lord purge me with Hysop and I shall be clean wash me and I shall be whiter than Snow Lord carnal reason and flesh and bloud would fain have such and such pleasurable sins and such and such profitable sins indulged and spared but Lord the earnest the ardent desires of my soul are that I may be rid of them and that Justice to the heighth may be done upon them Lord be but the death of my sins and my soul shall say My lot is fallen in a pleasant place and verily I have a goodly heritage Lord cleanse me but from all filthiness both of flesh and spirit and I shall cry Hâ—sanna to thee Matth. 21.9 Psal 16.6 2 Cor. 7.1 Lord let me but out live my lusts and follow them to the Grave before others follow me to my Grave and I shall say it is enough And thus every gracious Soul is more willing to be rid of his sins than he is to keep his sins A Porter cannot be more willing to be rid of his burden nor a sick man to be rid of his disease nor a Beggar of his nasty louzy rags nor a Prisoner of his chains than a gracious Soul is willing to be rid of his lusts c. Fourthly That Soul that does not nor through Grace assisting will not allow himself or indulge himself in a course of sin or in the common practise of any known sin that Soul is certainly a gracious soul The evil that I do Rom. 7.15 I allow not So Psal 119.1 3. Blessed are the undefiled in the way that walk in the Law of the Lord they also do no iniquity that is they allow not themselves in the practice of any iniquity Blessed souls live not in the service of sin they live not in an ordinary practice of any iniquity 1 John 3.9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin for his seed remaineth in him and he cannot sin because he is born of God He that has the seed of God the seed of Grace and Regeneration in him he cannot allow himself in away of sin he cannot give himself over to a voluntary serving of sin he cannot make a Trade of sin So Prov. 16.17 The highway of the upripht is to depart from evil that is it is the ordinary usual constant course of an upright man to depart from evâ—l An honest Traveller may step out of the Kings Highway into a house a Wood a Close but his work his business is to go on in the Kings Highway So the business the work
Oppressor no Defrauder c. A formal Professors obedience to Divine Commands does principally lye in negatives he considers not so much what the Command requires as what it prohibits and he pleases himself rather in abstaining from evil than in doing of good in being outwardly reformed than in being inwardly renewed he thinks it enough that he turns from sin though he makes no Conscience of turning to God If you ask him concerning affirmative Commands there you will find him speechless Ask him art thou holy art thou humble art thou heavenly art thou sincere art thou a Believer dost thou set up God as the great object o thy fear dost thou love God with a superlative love is the Sabbath of the Lord a delight unto thee c. Now here you strike him dumb he looks upon the neglect of these things as no sins Isa 8.13 Psal 18.1 Isa 58 1â— because they are not such scandalous sins as the others are Remember Sirs sinful omissions many times leads to sinful commissions as you may see in the Angels thaâ— fell from Heaven to Hell and as you may see in Adam who fell from his highest glory into a woful gulf of sin and misery But Fourthly If your obedience spring from Faith then you will endeavour to obey God in the Spirit of the Command as well as in the letter of the Command In every Command of God there is an intra and an extra one part of Christs Law binds the Flesh and another part binds the Spirit Thou shalt do no Murther Matth. 5.21.22 Verse 27 28. there is the letter of the Command Thou shalt not be angry with thy Brother without a cause there is the Spirit of the Command Thou shalt not commit Adultery there is the letter of the Command Thou shalt not look upon a Woman to lust after her there is the Spirit of the Command The Pharisees of old did not look to the Spiritâ—ality of the Law but only to the Letter of the Law they rested wholly upon an outward conformity to the Law when their hearts were full of Hellish lusts they were all for the outside of the Law they regarded not the inside of the Law they were all for washing of Platters and Cups and for beautifying of Tombs like an Adulteress Matth. 23.23 Phil. 3.6 Rom. 7.9 Could a man come up to all affirmative and negative Precepts in his outward conversation yet if he were not spiritual in all these his obedience would be but as a body without a Soul The Pharisees rise high in their outward obedience and yet Christ clearly and fully convinces them that they were wretched Adulterers and Murderers though they were not guilty of any such outward crimes c. whose care is to paint and set a fair face upon a foul matter they were all for paying Tythe of Mint and Annise and Cummin but they regarded not the inside of the Law they omitted the weightier matters of the Law viz. Judgment Mercy and Faith While Paul walked by the letter of the Command he was blameless in his own account but when he came to walk by the Spirit of the Command then sin revived and he dyed Friends there are the more general duties of Religion as Hearing Praying Reading Receiving Fasting Repeating Discoursing c. Now these all lye in the very letter of the Command and there are the more inward and spiritual duties of Religion as the exercise of Faith fear love hope joy patience contentation humble submission and chusing of God and cleaving to God and delighting in God and admiring of God and exalting of God and following hard after God and holy Meditation and Self-examination c. Now all these lye in the very spirit of the Command Now in the exercise of these more spiritual duties our fellowship and communion with God mainly lyes In the more general duties of Religion an hypocrite may manifest the excellency of his gifts but in the more spiritual duties of Religion a sincere Christian doth manifest both the excellency and efficacy of grace Mark an unsound heart looks no further than to the bare letter of the command to bare hearing and bare praying and bare preaching and bare fasting and bare giving and bare receiving and bare suffering he looks no further than to that part of the command which only binds the flesh or outward man and if he does but observe that in the gross he thinks he hath done marvellous well like a melancholy man that matters not what melody and harmony he makes so he does but touch the strings of the instrument But now a found a sincere Christian he looks to the Spirit of the command and if he does not come up to that in sincere desires in gracious purposes in fixed resolutions and in cordial endeavours he can have no peace no rest no quiet no comfort O Sirs as ever you would see God and enjoy God another day you must labour not only to obey the letter of the command but also to bring your hearts to the sincere obedience of the Spirit of the command This is a very close piercing distinguishing and discovering sign But Fifthly If your obedience springs from faith then you will labour not only to obey God in the matter but also in the manner of the command not only in the substance of the command but also in the circumstance of the command God requires the manner as well as the matter and God looks upon that work as not done that is not done in a right manner Did not the Lord command sacrifice and did not Cain offer sacrifice Gen. 4.5 and yet God had no respect to him nor to his offering because his sacrifice was not offered up in a right manner his offering was not offered up by a hand of faith he offered his offering but because he did not offer himself as an offering to God his offering was rejected by God A work may be materially good Luther that is not formally and eventually good and this was Cain's curse How frequently did God command the Jews to pray Isa 1.15 and yet he plainly tells them When you spread forth your hands I will hide mine eyes from you yea when you make many prayers I will not hear He commanded them to sacrifice and yet he saith To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices Verse 11. and all because they did not manage their prayers nor sacrifices in a right manner their hands were full of bloud and their hearts were full of sins and their lives were full of lewdness and therefore all their services were vain oblations yea an abomination to God An unfound heart looks no further than to the substance of the command if he has heard and prayed and fasted and read and repeated and given alms and received the Lord's Supper he strokes himself and blesses himself and hugs himself and thinks all is well and so he looks no further But now a sound
God a lyar if we say we have not sinned he that says he has no sin he does no sin he does by consequence charge God with falshood who hath frequently told us in that word of grace that can't deceive us that all men are sinners and that they have all gone astray and that they all need pardoning and purging grace and that upon these very accounts he sent his beloved Son to lay down his dearest life Isa 53.3 Rom. 10.23 5.12 c. and to make himself an offering for sin Now from these Scriptures these two things are most evident First that sinful qualities do remain in the most sanctified persons Secondly that these sinful qualities are sometimes very prevalent over the most sanctified persons and therefore I shall answer the objection thus Ans viz. That a true penitential turning from all sin consists in these six things First In the alienation and inward aversation and drawing off of the soul from the love and liking of all sin and from all free and voluntary subjection unto sin the heart being filled with a loathing and detestation of all sin Psal 119.104 128. as that which is most contrary to all goodness and happiness Secondly In the wills detestation and hatred of all sin When the very bent and inclination of the will is set against all sin and opposes and crosses all sin and is set upon the ruin and destruction of all sin then the penitent is turned from all sin Rom. 7.15 19 21 23. Isa 30.20 Thou shalt cast them away as a menstrous cloth thou shalt say unto it get thee hence Hosea 14.8 Ephraim shall say what have I to do any more with Idols When the will stands upon such terms of defiance with all sin as that it will never enter into a league of friendship with any sin then is the soul turned from every sin When the will is set upon avenging it self upon all sin and upon daily endeavours to mortifie and crucifie all sin then is the penitent turned from all his sins when those sins that were once to the will as Dalilah to Sampson are now to the will as Tamar to Amnon then is the soul turned from sin with a witness Thirdly In the judgments turning away from all sin by disapproving disallowing and condemning of it Rom. 7.15 For that which I do I allow not for what I would that do I not but what I hate that do I. O saith the judgment of a Christian sin is the greatest evil in all the world 't is the only thing that God abhors and that brought Jesus Christ to the Cross that damns souls that shuts heaven and that has laid the foundations of hell O it is the pricking thorn in my eye the deadly arrow in my side the two-edged sword that hath wounded my conscience and slain my comforts and separated between God and my soul O it is that which hath hindred my prayers and imbittered my mercies and put a sting into all my crosses and therefore I can't but disapprove of it and disallow of it and condemn it to death yea to hell fâ—om whence it came I thus preach and thus think saith Chrysostom that it is more bitter to sin against Christ than to suffer the torments of hell Plutarch reports of Marcus Cato that he never declared his opinion in any matter in the Senate but he would close it with this passage Methinks still Carthage should be destroyed So when ever a penitent looks upon his sins in his judgment he is still saying Methinks these sins should be destroyed methinks this pride this unbelief this earthly-mindedness this hypocrisie this vain glory c. should be destroyed Fourthly In the purpose and resolution of the soul the soul sincerely purposing and resolving never willingly wilfully or wickedly to transgress any more The true penitent holds up his purposes and resolutions to keep off from sin and to keep closs with God though he be not able in every thing and at all times to make good his purposes and resolutions c. Psal 17.3 I have purposed that my mouth shall not transgress The general purpose and resolution of my heart is not to transgress though particular failings may attend me yet my resolutions and purposes are firmly fixt against evil Psal 39.1 I said I will take heed to my wayes that I sin not with my tongue I will keep my mouth with a bridle while the wicked are before me David highly resolves so to bridle and muzzle up his mouth that he would not break out into any impatient or unbeseeming speeches that might give the wicked any advantage to reproach Religion or to blaspheme the holy One of Israel c. Anselme was a man of a holy resolution I had rather saith he go to hell pure from sin than to heaven polluted with that filth And saith another I will rather leap into a bonfire than wilfully to sin against God When Valens the Emperor threatned Basil with imprisonment banishment death Threaten sayes he your Boyes with such fray-bugs and your purple Gallants that give themselves to their pleasures I am resolved neither menaces nor flatteries shall silence me or draw me to betray a good cause or a good conscience c. Fifthly In the earnest and unfeigned desires and careful endeavours of the soul to abandon all sin to forsake all sin to be rid of all sin Rom. 7.22 23. Now where God sees this frame of spirit there he will certainly pardon the failings and pass by the imperfections of his people and he will spare them as a man spareth his son that serveth him Mal. 3.17 Now you know when a prudent tender indulgent father sees his child to fail and come short in that which he enjoyns him to do yet knowing that his desires and endeavours is to please him and serve him he will not be harsh rigid sowre or severe towards him but will spare him and exercise much tenderness and indulgence towards him and will God will God whose mercies reach above the heavens and whose compassions are infinite and whose love is like himself carry it worse towards his children than men do carry it towards theirs surely no. God's fatherly indulgence accepts of the will for the work Heb. 13.18 2 Cor. 8.12 As a father will accept in his child the desire for the deed and if there be a blemish in his child he will pity it and cast a mantle of love over it A sick man is not more desirous to be rid of all his diseases nor a prisoner to be freed from all his bolts and chains than the true penitent is desirous to be rid of all his sins c. Sixthly and lastly In the ordinary declining shunning and avoiding of all known occasions temptations provocations inducements and inticements to sin c. That royal Law 1 Thes 5.22 Abstain from all appearance of evil is a Law that is very precious in a penitent man's eye See Jude 23.
Sam. 13.15 And Amnon hated her exceedingly so that the hatred wherewith he hated her was greater than the love wherewith he had loved her and Amnon said unto her arise be gone And just thus doth the penitent soul carry it towards sin He that truly repents so turns from his sins that he never returns to the bondage and service of his sins any more Isa 1.16 Psal 85.8 Isa 30.22 Ye shall defile also the covering of thy graven images of silver and the ornament of thy molten images of gold thou shalt cast them away as a menstrous cloth thou shalt say unto it Get thee hence But now the repentance of hypocrites is not constant but inconstant 't is not stedfast but unstedfast 't is not permanent but transient 't is quickly on as quickly off Come say they in that Hosea 6.1 and let us return unto the Lord. But ver 4. O Ephraim what shall I do unto thee O Judah what shall I do unto thee for your goodness is as a morning cloud and as the early dew it goeth away The hypocrites repentance is like Jonah's Gourd which came up in a night and perished in a night Jonah 4.10 An hypocrites repentance springs from mutable grounds causes considerations and circumstances and therefore it is compared to a deceitful bow Hosea 7.16 't is as variable as the wind An hypocrite is only constant in inconstancy Psal 78.8 whose spirit was not stedfast with God Ver. 37. Neither were they stedfast in his Covenant c. An hypocrite puts off his sins in the day of adversity as he doth his garments when he goes to bed with an intent to put them on again in the morning of profperity Ver. 34 35 36. When he slew them then they sought him and they returned and enquired early after God and they remembred that God was their Rock and the high God their Redeemer Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth and they lyed unto him with their tongues In the language of the blessed Scripture he is a dog that returns to his vomit again and such a dog was Judas and he is a swine that returns to the wallowing in the mire again and such a swine was Demas 2 Pet. 2.20 21 22. and such dogs and swine are all hypocrites It is an extraordinary vanity in some men to lay aside their sins for a time but with a purpose to return to them again as they fable it of the Serpent that layeth aside his poyson when he goeth to drink and when he hath drank he returns to it again It is a sad and sore evil when men say to their lusts as Abraham said to his servants Abide you here and I will go and worship and return again unto you Gen. 22.5 doubtless such souls are as far off from sound repentance as light is from darkness or as hell is from heaven c. But in what respects is true penitential turning from sin Quest such a turning from sin as never to return to sin any more In what respects is the penitents turning from sin a continued and stedfast turning from sin c. Sol. This is a very sober serious weighty question Ans and bespeakes a very sober serious and satisfactory Answer and therefore I would answer the question 1. Negatively 2. Affirmatively c. Negatively It is not such a turning from sin as never to sin more 1 King 8.46 For there is no man that sinneth not Prov. 20.9 Who can say I have made my heart clean I am pure from my sin Prov. 24.16 A just man falleth seven times and riseth again Eccl. 7.20 For there is not a just man upon the earth that doth good and sinneth not Luke 17.4 If he trespass against thee seven times in a day and seven times in a day turn again unto thee saying I repent thou shalt forgive him Mat. 18.21 22. Then came Peter to him and said Lord how oft shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him till seven times Jesus saith unto him I say not unto thee until seven times but until seventy times seven James 3.2 For in many things we offend all or we stumble all as the Greek has it 1 John 1.8 If we say we have no sin we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us Ver. 10. If we say we have not sinned we make him a lyar and his word is not in us And what did the continual burnt-offering which was to be made day by day import but a daily sinning and expiating of it c. Num. 28.3 Such is the universal corruption of humane nature that the souls of the best of the purest and of the holiest men in the world do from day to day yea from moment to moment contract some filth and uncleanness The choicest Saints can never acquit themselves from sins of infirmity such as do inevitably and inseparably cleave unto the best of men especially considering the state and condition wherein they are carrying still about them corrupt flesh and bloud Methodius compares the inbred corruptions of man's heart to a wild Fig-tree growing upon the wall of some goodly Temple or stately Palace whereof although the main trunk of the stem be broke off and stump of the root be plucked up yet the fibrous strings of it piercing into the joynts of the stone work will not be utterly extracted but will be ever and anon shooting and sprouting out until the whole frame of the building be dissolved and the stone work thereof be disjoynted and pulled in pieces Secondly It is not such a turning from sin as that the true penitent shall never relapse into the same kind of sin any more for a true penitent may fall into the same sin again and again It was a sin for the disciples to sleep when Christ had commanded them to watch and pray Mat. 26.40 41 42 43 44 45. and yet they slept again and again The prophet Jonah was a holy man and yet he relapsed into passion and discontent with God again and again he was discontent with the work God set him about therefore he flieth to Tarshish Jonah 1.2 3. and sorrows for it and confesseth that they that trust upon lying vanities forsake their own mercies Chap. 2.8 and yet when God had shewed mercy to Niniveh he was exceedingly discontented with God again Jonah 4.1 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly and he was very angry And when the Lord who might have sent him to his grave or a frown'd him to hell reasons lovingly sweetly and mildly with him to take him off from his passion Chap. 4.3 4. and provides for him in his extremity yet upon a very small occasion viz. the taking away of a Gourd or shrub which God did to convince him of his folly and waspishness of spirit he breaks out again into the same passion or worse as if he had never seen the evil of it or been humbled for it Jonah 4.8 9. I am greatly angry or I