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A09364	The first part of The cases of conscience Wherein specially, three maine questions concerning man, simply considered in himselfe, are propounded and resolued, according to the word of God. Taught and deliuered, by M. William Perkins in his Holy-day lectures, by himselfe revised before his death, and now published for the benefit of the Church.; Cases of conscience. Part 1	Perkins, William, 1558-1602.; Pickering, Thomas, d. 1625.	1604 (1604)	STC 19668; ESTC S114413	95,900	200

Lawe which commandes perfect obedience no man can possibly doe a good worke Furthermore the Ends of a good worke are manifold first the honour and glory of God Whether ye eate or drinke or what soeuer ye doe doe all to the glory of God Secondly the testification of our thankefulnes vnto God that hath redeemed vs by Christ. The third is to edifie our neighbour and to further him in the way to life euerlasting The fourth is to exercise confirme our faith and repentance both which be much strengthned by the practise of good workes Fiftly that we may escape the punnishment of sinne the destruction of the wicked and obtaine the reward of the righteous life euerlasting Sixtly that we may be answerable to our calling in dooing the duties thereof and in walking as children of light redeemed by Christ Iesus Seuenthly that we may pay the debt which we owe vnto God For we are debters to him in sundry regardes as we are his creatures as we are his seruants as we are his children In a word as we are redeemed by Christ and our whole debt is our duty of praise and thanksgeuing After the worke is done then comes the acception of it God acceptes of our workes diuers waies First in that he pardoneth the fault which comes from vs and secondly in that he approoues his owne good worke in vs. We then after we haue done the worke must humble our selues and intreat the Lord to pardon the wantes of our workes say with Dauid Lord enter not into iudgement with thy seruant and with Daniel Lord vnto vs belongeth open shame cōfusion but to thee righteousnes compassion and forgiuenes And the reason is plaine because in vs there is no goodnesse no holines no righteousnes nor any thing that may present vs acceptable in his sight and for this cause Paul saith I know nothing by my selfe yet am I not thereby iustified Great reason then that we should humble our selues before God for our wants and pray vnto him that he will in mercie accept our indeauour and confirme the good worke begunne in vs by his holy spirit II. Question THe next generall Question touching man as he is a Christian is How a man may be in conscience assured of his owne saluation For answer to this Question diuers places of scripture are to be skanned wherein this case of conscience is fully answered and resolued The first place is Rom. 8. 16. And the spirit of God testifieth together with our spirits that we are the sonnes of God In these words are two testimonies of our adoption set downe the Spirit of God dwelling in vs testifying vnto vs that we are Gods children and our Spirit that is our conscience sanctified and renewed by the holy Ghost Here put the case that the testimonie of the spirit be wanting then I answer that the other testimonie the sanctification of the heart will suffice to assure vs. VVe know it sufficiētly to be true and not painted fire if there be heare though there be no flame Put the case againe that the testimonie of the spirit be wanting and our sanctification be vncertaine vnto vs how then may we be assured The answer is that we must then haue recourse to the first beginnings and motions of sanctification which are these First to feele our inward corruptions Secondly to be displeased with our selues for them Thirdly to begin to hate sinne Fourthly to grieue so oft as we fall and offend God Fiftly to auoid the occasions of sinne Sixtly to endeauour to doe our dutie and to vse good meanes Seuenthly to desire to sinne no more And lastly to pray to God for his grace Where these and the like motions are there is the spirit of God whence they proceede and sanctification is begunne One apple is sufficient to manifest the life of the tree and one good and constant motion of grace is sufficient to manifest sanctification Againe it may be demaunded what must be done if both be wanting Answ. Men must not dispaire but vse good meanes and in time they shall be assured The Second place is the 15. Psalme In the first verse whereof this question is propounded namely VVho of all the mēbers of the Church shall haue his habitation in heauen The answer is made in the verses following and in the second verse he sets downe three generall notes of the said person One is to walke vprightly in sinceritie approouing his heart and life to God the secōd is to deale iustly in all his doings the third is for speech to speake the truth from the heart without guile or flatterie And because we are easily deceiued in generall signes in the 3 4 and 5. verses there are set downe seauen more euident and sensible notes of sinceritie iustice and trueth One is in speech not to take vp or carrie abroad false reports and slanders The second is in our dealings not to doe wrong to our neighbour more then to our selues The third is in our companie to contemne wicked persons worthy to be contemned The fourth is in our estimation we haue of others that is to honour thē that feare God The fift is in our wordes to sweare and not to change that is to make conscience of our word and promise especially if it be confirmed by oath The sixt is in taking of gaine not to giue money to vsurie that is not to take increase for bare lending and to lend freely to the poore The last is to giue testimonie without briberie or partialitie In the fift verse is added a reason of the answer he that in his indeauour doeth all these things shall neuer be mooued that is cut off frō the Church as an hypocrite The Third place of scripture is the first Epistle of Iohn the principall scope whereof is to giue a full resolution to the conscience of man touching the certainty of his saluation And the principall grounds of assurance which are there laid down may be reduced to three heads The first is this He that hath communion or fellowship with God in Christ may be vndoubtedly assured of his saluation This conclusion is propounded Chap. 1. v. 3. 4. Where the Apostle tels the Church that the end of the preaching of the Gospel vnto them was that they might haue fellowship not onely mutually among themselues but also with God the father and with his Son Iesus Christ. And further that hauing both knowledge and assurance of this heauenly communion to be begun in this life and perfected in the life to come their ioy might be full that is they might thence reape matter of true ioy and sound comfort vnto their soules and consciences Now whereas it might be haply demaunded by some beleeuers how they should come to this assurance S. Iohn answers in this Epistle that the certainty thereof may be gathered by foure infallible notes The first is Remissiō of sins For though God be in himselfe most holy

due time to him that is wearie IN that part of the Prophecie which goes before the Holy Ghost setteth downe foretelleth the Calling of the Gentiles which was to begin at the death of Christ and from thence to continue vnto this day and so consequently to the ende of the world In the former verses of this Chapter there is mention made of the rejection of the Iewes I meane not a generall but a particular rejection namely then when they were in affliction in the daies of Isaiah Now in this and so in all other prophecies of the like kind which intreat of this point Christ himselfe is brought in speaking in his owne person and the words of this Chapter from the beginning to this present verse and the rest that follow are the words of Christ the Mediatour In the verses going before he disputes the case of their reiection and the summe of the whole disputation is that either he or they themselues were the causes thereof but he was not the cause and therefore they themselues by their sinnes The reason whereby he prooues that they themselues were the cause is framed in this sort You Iewes cannot bring any writing or bill of diuorce to shew that I reiected you therefore I appeale euen to your owne consciences whether you haue not brought this iudgement vpon your selues by your iniquities vers 1. On the other side the reason why God was not the cause is because he for his part called them in great mercie and loue but when he called they would not obey ver 2. Now in the ende of the second verse is contained an answer to a secret reply that some obstinate Iewe might make after this manner God hath no● nowe the like power in sauing and deliuering vs as he hath had in former times therefore we cannot hope or expect any deliuerance from him and howe then shall we doe in the meane while To this the Lord himselfe makes answere ver 2 3 4. that his hand is not shortned not his power lessened in regard of greater workes much lesse in respect of their deliuerance and though the present affliction which they indured was great and tedious yet they were not to be ouermuch dismaied in themselues but rather to be comforted because God had giuen him the tongue of the learned to minister a word in season to the wearie and distressed and consequently that he had power to ease refresh that their wearines and affliction In this text then there is set downe one principall dutie of Christs propheticall office by allusion to the practises of the Prophets in the olde Testament especially those which belonged to the schooles of Elias and Elizeus who are here tearmed the learned And out of the words thereof one speciall point of instruction may be gathered namely That there is a certaine knowledge or doctrine reuealed in the word of God whereby the consciences of the weake may be rectified and pacified I gather it thus It was one speciall dutie of Christs propheticall office to giue comfort to the consciences of those that were distressed as the Prophet here recordeth Now as Christ had this power to execute and performe such a dutie so he hath committed the dispensation thereof to the Ministers of the Gospell For we may not thinke that Christ in his owne person ministred and spake words of comfort to the wearie in the times of the Prophets because he was not then exhibited in our nature and yet he did then speake but how in the persons of the Prophets So likewise because Christ nowe in the new Testament speaks not vnto the afflicted in his owne proper person it remaineth therefore that he performes this great work in the Ministerie of Pastours and Teachers vpon earth to whome he hath giuen knowledge and other gifts to this ende and purpose There must needs therefore be a certaine and infallible doctrine propounded taught in the Scriptures whereby the consciences of men distressed may be quieted and releeued And this doctrine is not attained vnto by extraordinarie reuelation but must be drawne out of the written word of God The point therefore to be handled is What this doctrine should be It is not a matter easie and at hand but full of labour and difficultie yea very large like vnto the maine sea I will onely as it were walke by the bankes of it and propound the heads of doctrine that thereby I may at least occasion others to consider and handle the same more at large That I may proceede in order First I am to lay downe certaine Grounds or Preambles which may giue light direction to the things that followe and in the next place I will propound and answer the maine principall Questions of Conscience The Grounds or Preambles are especially foure The first touching Confession The second touching the degrees of Goodnesse in things and actions The third touching the degrees of Sinne. The fourth and last concerning the Subiection and Power of conscience Of these in order The first Ground is That in the troubles of conscience it is meete and conuenient there should alwaies be vsed a priuate Confession For Iames saith Confesse your faults one to another and pray one for another thereby signifying that Confession in this case is to be vsed as a thing most requisite For in all reason the Physitian must first knowe the disease before he can apply the remedie and the griefe of the heart will not be discerned vnlesse it be manifested by the confession of the partie diseased and for this cause also in the griefe of conscience the scruple that is the thing that troubleth the conscience must be knowne Neuerthelesse in priuate confession these caueats must be obserued First priuate confession must not be vrged as a thing simply or absolutely necessarie without which there can be no saluation Againe it is not fit that confession should be of all sinnes but onely of the scruple it selfe that is of that or those sinnes alone which doe trouble and molest the conscience Thirdly though confession may be made to any kinde of man Confesse one to another saith Iames yet is it especially to be made to the Prophets and Ministers of the Gospel For they in likelyhood of all other men in respect of their places and gifts are the fittest and best able to instruct correct comfort and enforme the weake and the wounded conscience Lastly the person to whome it is made must be a man of trust and fidelitie able willing to keepe secret things that are reueiled yea to bu●ie them as it were in the graue of obliuion for Loue couereth amultitude of sinnes The next ground is touching the degrees of Goodnes in humane things and actions Goodnesse in things is twofold vncreated and created Vncreated is God himselfe who neuer had beginning and who is Goodnesse it selfe because his nature is absolutely and perfectly good and because he is the author and worker thereof in

but it is an ataxie or absence of goodnes and vprightnes in the thing that subsisteth therefore it is well and truly said in Schooles In sinne there is nothing positiue but it is a want of that which ought to be or subsist partly in the nature of man and partly in the actions of nature Thus we see what sinne is The second thing to be considered is what is a Sinner properly For the knowledge hereof we must consider in euery sinne foure things first the fault whereby God is offended then the guilt which bindeth ouer the conscience vnto punishment thirdly the punishment it selfe which is eternall death Of these three not the guilt or punishment but the fault or offence makes a man a sinner But here is a further difficultie Whē a man hath committed some offence and the saide offence is done and past it may be some twentie or thirtie yeares yet the partie offending doth not therefore cease to be a sinner Now then I demaund what is the very thing for which he is named and rearmed still a sinner in the time present the offence beeing past The answer is that euery actuall sinne beside the three former must be considered with a fourth thing to wit a certaine staine or blotte which it imprints and leaues in the offender as a fruite and that is an inclination or euill disposition of the heart whereby it becomes apter or pronener to the offence done or to any other sinne For looke as the dropsie man the more he drinks the drier he is and the more he still desires to drinke euen so a sinner the more he sinnes the apter is he to sinne and more desirous to keepe still a course in wickednesse And as a man that lookes vpon the Sunne if he turne his face away remaines turned vntill he turne himselfe againe so he that turnes from God by any sinne makes himselfe a sinner and so remaines vntill he turne himselfe againe by repentance Thus Dauid was a sinner not onely in the very acte of his adulterie and murther but euen when the acte was done and past he remained still a murtherer and an adulterer because a newe or rather a renewed pronenesse to these and all other sinnes tooke place in his heart by his fall and got strength till he turned to God by repentance vpon the admonition of the Prophet The thing then whereby a sinner is tearmed a sinner is the Fault together with the fruit thereof namely the blotte imprinted in the soule so oft as men doe actually offend The vse of this doctrine touching sinne is two fold First by it we learne and see what is Originall sinne whereby an Infant in the first conception and birth is indeed a sinner Euery Infant must be considered as a part of Adam proceeding of him and partaking of his nature and thereby it is made a sinner not onely by imputation of Adams offence but also by propagation of an aptnesse pronenesse vnto euery euil receiued together with nature from Adam And thus ought we to conceiue Originall sinne not to be the corruption of nature alone but Adams first offence imputed with the fruit thereof the corruption of nature which is an inclination vnto euery euill deriued together with nature from our first parents Secondly by this we are taught to take heed of all and euery sinne whether it be in thought word or deed because the committing therof though in respect of the act it passeth away in the doing yet it breedeth and increaseth a wicked disposition in the heart as hath beene said to the offence done or any other sinne Men deceiue thēselues that thinke all the euill of sinne to be only in the act of sinning to go no further wheras indeed euery offence hath a certen blot going with it that corrupteth the heart and causeth man to delight and lie in his offence which lying in sinne is a greater cause of damnation then the very sinne it selfe This therefore must admonish vs to take heed least we continue in any sinne and if it fall out that through infirmitie we be ouertaken by any tentation wee must labour to rise againe and turne from our sinne to God by new and speedy repentance Thus much of Sinne it selfe Now follow the differences thereof which are manifold The first sort are to be gathered from the causes and beginnings of sinne in man which are threefold Reason Will and Affection The differences of sinne in respect of Reason are these First some are sinnes of knowledge some of ignorance A sinne of knowledge is when a man offends against his knowledge doing euill when he knoweth it to be euill and this is greater then a sinne of ignorance for he that knoweth his masters will and doth it not shall be beaten with many stripes A sinne of ignorance is when a man doth euill not knowing it to be euill Thus Paul was a blasphemer an oppressour and persecuted the Church of Christ ignorantly and in a blind zeale not knowing that which he did to be euill Nowe by ignorance here I meane an ignorance of those things which ought to be knowne and this is twofold simple or affected Simple ignorance is when a man after diligence and good paines taking still remaines ignorant this ignorance will not excuse any man if it be of such things as he is bound to know for it is faide He that doth not his masters will by reason he knew it not shall be beaten with stripes though fewer And in this regard euen the Heathen which knew not God are inexcusable because they were bound to haue knowne him for Adam had the perfect knowledge of God imprinted in his nature and lost the same through his own default for himselfe and his posteritie And it is the commandement of God whereunto euery man is bound to performe obedience that man should know him that is his will and word But some may demand how any man can be saued seeing euery man is ignorant of many things which he ought to know Ans. If we know the grounds of religion and be carefull to obey God according to our knowledge hauing withal a care and desire to increase in the knowledge of God and his will God will hold vs excused for our desire and indeauour to obey is accepted for obedience it selfe And the greater this simple ignorance is the lesser is the sinne and hereupon Peter lesseneth in some sort excuseth the sinne of the Iewes in crucifying Christ because they did it through ignorāce and so doth Paul his sin in persecuting the Church when he alleadgeth that it was done ignorantly in vnbeleefe But howsoeuer this sinne by such meanes may be lessened yet remaines it still a sinne worthie condemnation Affected ignorance is whē a man takes delight in his ignorāce and will of purpose be ignorant not vsing but contemning the meanes whereby to get and increase knowledge And that carelessely and negligently

vpon an erronious perswasion of Gods mercie and of his owne future repentance this is the sinne of most men The second is when a man sinneth wilfully in contempt of the law of God this is called by Moses a sinne with a high hand the punishment thereof was by present death to be cut off from among the people The third when a man sinneth not onely wilfully and contemptuously but of set malice spight against God himselfe and Christ Iesus And by this we may conceiue what is the sinne against the holy Ghost which is not euery sinne of presumption or against knowledge and conscience but such a kind of presumptuous offence in which true religion is renounced and that of set purpose and resolued malice against the very Maiestie of God himselfe and Christ. Heb. 10. 29. Now follow other differences of sinne in regard of the obiect thereof which is the Law In respect of the Law sinne is twofold either of commission or of omission I say in respect of the Law because God hath reuealed in his Law two sorts of precepts the one wherein some good thing is commanded to be done as to loue God with all our hearts and our neighbour as our selues the other wherein some euill is forbidden to be done as the making of a grauen Image the taking of the name of God in vaine c. Now a sinne of commission is when a man doth any thing that is flatly forbidden in the Law and word of God as when one man kills another contrarie to the Law which saith Thou shalt not kill A sinne of Omission is when a man leaueth vnperformed some dutie which the Law requireth as for example the preseruing of his neighbours life or good estate when it lieth in his power so to doe These also are truly sinnes and by them as well as by the other men shall be tried in the last iudgement Sinnes of Omission haue three degrees First when a man doth nothing at all but omits the dutie commanded both in whole and in part as when hauing opportunitie and abilitie he doth not mooue so much as one finger for the sauing of his neighbours life Secondly when a man performes the dutie inioyned but failes both in the manner and measure thereof Thus the heathen men failed in doing good workes in that the things which they did for substance and matter were good and commendable beeing done vpon ciuill and honest respects and referred to common good yet in truth their actions were no better then sinnes of omission in as much as they issued from corrupted fountaines hearts void of faith and aimed not at the maine end and scope of all humane actions the honour and glorie of God Thirdly when a man doth things in a right manner but faileth in the measure thereof And thus the children of God doe sinne in all the duties of the law For they doe the good things the law commandeth as loue God and their neighbour but they cannot attaine to that measure of loue which the law requireth And thus the best men liuing doe sinne in euery good worke they doe so as if God should enter into iudgement deale with them in the rigour of his iustice and examine them by the strict rule of the Law he might iustly condemne them euen for their best actions And in this regard when we pray daily for the pardon of our sinnes the best workes we doe must come in the number of them because we faile if not in substance and manner yet at the least in the measure of goodnes that ought to be in the doing of them We must also haue care to repent vs euen of these our sinnes of Omission as well as of the other of Commission because by leauing vndone our dutie we doe ofter offend then by sinnes committed and the least omission is enough to condemne vs i● it should be exacted at our hands The next differēce of Sinnes may be this Some are Crying sinnes some are sinnes of Toleration Crying sinnes I call those which are so hainous and in their kind so grieuous that they hasten Gods iudgements and call downe for speedie vēgeance vpon the sinner Of this kind there are sundrie exāples in the Scriptures principally foure First Cains sinne in murthering his innocent brother Abel whereof it was saide The voice of thy brothers blood crieth vnto me from the earth The next is the sinne of Sodome and Gomorrha which was pride fulnes of bread abundance of idlenesse vnmercifull dealing with the poore and all manner of vncleannesse Ezech 16. and of this the Lord said that the crie of Sodome and Gomorrha was great and their sinnes exceeding grieuous The third is the sinne of Oppressiō indured by the Israelites in Egypt at the hand of Pharao and his task-masters The fourth is mercilesse Iniustice in wrongful withholding and detaining the labourers hire Now they are called Crying sinnes for these causes First because they are now come to their full measure height beyond which God will not suffer them to passe without due punishment Againe the Lord takes more notice and inquires further into them thē into others by reason that they exceede and are most eminent where they be committed Thirdly they call for present helpe to the afflicted and wronged and consequently for speedie exequution of vengeance vpon the authors and committers of them And lastly because God is wont to giue eare vn to the cries of those that endure so heauie measure at the hands of others and accordingly to helpe them and reward the other with deserued punishment Next vnto these are sinnes of Toleration lesser then the former which though in themselues they deserue death yet God in his mercie shewes his patience and long sufferance vpon the committers thereof either deferring the temporall punishment or pardoning both temporall and eternall to his Elect. Such a sinne was the ignorance of the Gentiles before Christs comming which God deferred to punnish and as we may say winked at it More especially there be three sorts of sinnes of Toleration the first is Originall sinne or concupiscence in the regenerate after regeneration for it is not in our conuersion quite abolished but remaines more or lesse molesting and tempting vs till death And yet if we carrie a constant purpose not to sinne and indeauour our selues to resist all tentations this concupiscence of ours shall not be imputed vnto vs nor we condemned for it And to this purpose the holy Apostle saith There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ. Yet saith he not There is nothing worthie condemnation in them for Originall sinne remaines till death truly deseruing damnation though it be not imputed The second kind of sinnes of Toleration are vnknowne and hidden sinnes in the regenerate For who can tell how of the offendeth saith Dauid When a man that is the child of God shall examine his heart and humble himselfe euen for

doing of that which is vnlawfull to be done and that this is equall in all men that sinne and therfore by consequent offences are equall I answer that in euery sinne men must not consider the vnlawfulnesse thereof onely but the reason why it should be vnlawfull and that is properly because it a breach of Gods law and repugnant to his will reuealed in his word Nowe there is no breach of a diuine Law but it is more or lesse repugnant vnto the will of the Lawgiuer God himselfe And many transgressions are more repugnant thereunto then fewer for the more sin is increased the more is the wrath of God inflamed against the sinner vpon his due desert If it be said again that the nature of Sinne stands onely in this that the sinner makes an aberration from the scope or marke that is set before him and doth no more then passe the bondes of duty prescribed by God and that all are alike in this respect The answer is that it is a falshood to affirme that he which makes the lesse aberration from the dutie commanded is equall in offence to him that makes the greater For the same sinne for substance hath sundrie steppes and degrees in respect whereof one man becommeth a more heinous offender then another for example in the seauenth commandement when God forbiddes the committing of Adulterie he forbiddeth three degrees of the same sinne to wit adulterie of the heart consisting of inordinate and vncleane affections adulterie of the tongue in corrupt dishonest and vnseemely speeches and the very act of vncleannesse and filthinesse committed by the bodie Nowe it cannot be said that he which breakes this commandement onely in the first degree is as great a transgressour as he that hath proceeded to the second and so to the third And therefore it remaines for an vndoubred trueth that Sinnes committed against the Law of God are not equall but some lesser some greater The second way to aggrauate sinne is by addition of sinne to sinne and that is done sundry waies first by committing one sinne in the necke of another as Dauid sinned when he added murther to adulterie Secondly by doubling and multiplying of sinne that is by falling often into the same sinne Thirdly by lying in sinne without repentance And here it must be remembred that men of yeares liuing in the Church are not simply condemned for their particular sinnes but for their continuance and residence in them Sinnes committed make men worthie of damnation but liuing and abiding in them without repentance is the thing that brings damnation For as in the militant Church men are excommunicate not so much for their offence as for their obstinacie so shall it be in the Church triumphant the kingdome of heauen shall be barred against men not so much for their sinne committed as for their lying therein without repentance And this is the manner of Gods dealing with those that haue liued within the precincts of the Church they shall be condemned for the very want of true faith and repentance This should admonish euery one of vs to take heed least we lie in any sin● and that beeing any way ouertaken we should speedily repent least we aggrauate our sinne by continuance therein and so bring vpon our selues swift damnation Thirdly the same sinne is made greater or lesser 4. waies according to the number of degrees in the committing of a sinne noted by S. Iames Temptation Conception Birth and Perfection Actuall sinne in the first degree of tentation is when the minde vpon some sudden motion is drawne away to thinke euill and withall is tick led with some delight therein For a bad motiō cast into the minde by the flesh and the deuill is like vnto the baite cast into the water that allureth and delighteth the fish and causeth it to bite Sinne in conception is when with the delight of the minde there goes consent of will to doe the euill thought on Sinne in birth is when it comes forth into action or execution Sinne in perfection when men are growne to a custome and habit in sinne vpon long practise For the often committing of one and the same sinne leaues an euill impression in the heart that is a strong or violent inclination to that or any other euill as hath bin taught before And sinne thus made perfect brings forth death for custome in sinning brings hardnes of heart hardnes of heart impenitencie and impenitencie cōdemnation Now of these degrees the first is the least and the last is the greatest One and the same sinne is lesser in tentation then in conception and les●e in conception then in birth and greater in perfection then in all the former Sundry other Distinctions there are of sinnes as namely That the maine sinnes of the first Table are greater then the maine sinnes of the second Table And yet the maine sinnes of the second are greater then the breach of ceremoniall duties against the first table But this which hath beene said shall suffice The vse of this doctrine is manifold First by it we learne what the heart of man is by nature namely a corrupt and vncleane fountaine out of which issueth in the course of this life the streams of corruptions infinite in number noysome in qualities hainous in degrees dāgerous in effects For from thence doe flow all the differences of sins before named with their seuerall branches and infinit many more that cannot be rehearsed This must mooue vs humbly to sue vnto God earnestly to intreat him to wash vs throughly from our wickednes clense vs frō our sins yea to purge and to rinse the fountaine thereof our vncleane and polluted hearts And when by Gods mercy in Christ apprehēded by faith our hearts shal be purified then to set watch ward ouer them and to keep them with all diligence Secondly it teacheth vs that miserable mortall man is not guiltie of one or more sins but of many sundrie corruptions both of heart and life Who can vnderstād his faults saith Dauid Now the alowāce of sin being death by gods ordināce God being iustice it selfe answerably to the number of our offences must we needs be lyable to many punishments yea to death it selfe both of the bodie and of the soule This beeing our wofull estate litle cause is there that any man should thinke himselfe to be in good case or presume of Gods mercie in regard of the small number of his sinnes And much lesse cause hath he falsely to imagine with the Popish sort that he can merit the fauour of God by any worke done by him aboue that which the Law requireth considering that it is impossible for him to knowe either the number or the nature or the measure of his sinnes Lastly the consideration of this point must be a barre to keepe vs in that we be not too secure or presumptuous of our owne estate for as much as we learne out of