The house that was only swept and garnished Satan entred into Luke 11. 26. This was the emblem of a moral man who is swept by civility and garnished with common gifts but is not washed by true Repentance the unclean spirit enters into such an one If civility were sufficient to salvation Christ needed not to have died The Civilian hath a fair Lamp but it wants the oyl of grace 5. Repentance is needful for Hypocrites I mean such as allow themselves in the sin Hypocrisie is the counterfeiting of sanctity The Hypocrite or stage-player is gotten a step beyond the moralist and doth dress himself in the gâ—…rb of Religion he pretends to a form of godliness but denies the power 2 Tim. 3. 5. The Hypocrite is a Saint in jest he makes a majestick shew like an Ape clothed in Ermyn or Purple The Hypocrite is like an house with a beautiful frontispiece but every room within is dark he is a rotten post fairly gilded under his mask of profession he hides his plague-sores The Hypocrite is against painting of faces but he paints holiness he is seemingly good that he may be really bad In Samuels mantle he plaies the Devil therefore the same word in the original signifies to use Hypocrisie and to be prophane * The Hypocrite seems to have his eyes nailed to Heaven but his heart is full of impure lustings he lives in secret sin against his conscience he can be as his company is and act both the Dove and the Vulture he hears the word but is all ear he is for Temple-devotion where others may look upon him and admire him but he neglects family and closet prayer Indeed if prayer doth not make a man leave sin sin will make him leave prayer The Hypocrite feigns humility but it is that he may rise in the world he is a pretender to faith but he makes use of it rather for a cloak than a shield he carries his Bible under his arm but not in his heart his whole Religion is a demure lye Hos. 11. 12. But is there such a generation of men to be found the Lord forgive them their holiness Hypocrites are in the gall of bitterness Act. 8. 23. O how had they need humble themselves in the dust they are far gone with the rot and if any thing cure them it must be feeding upon the salt Marshes of Repentance Let me speak my mind freely none will find it more difficult to repent than Hypocrites they have so jugled in Religion that their treacherous hearts know not how to repent Hypocrisie is harder to cure than Phrensie The Hypocrites Imposthume in his heart seldom breaks If it be not too late seek yet to God for mercy Such as are guilty of prevailing Hypocrisie let them fear and tremble their condition is sinful and sad 1. Sinful because they do not embrace Religion out of choice but design they do not love it only paint it 2. Sad and that upon a double account 1. Because this art of deceit cannot hold long He who hangs out a sign but hath not the commodity of grace in his heart must needs break at last 2. Because Gods anger will fall heavier upon Hypocrites they dishonour God more and take away the Gospels good name therefore the Lord reserves the most deadly Arrows in his quiver to shoot at them If Heathens be damned Hypocrites shall be double-damned Hell is called the place of Hypocrites Mat. 14. 5. 1. As if it were chiefly prepared for them and were to be settled upon them in feâ—…simple 6. Repentance is necessary for Gods own people who have a real work of grace and are Israelites indeed they must offer up a daily sacrifice of tears The Antinomians hold that when any come to be Believers they have a Writ of Ease and there remains nothing for them now to do but to rejoyce Yes they have something else to do and that is to repent Repentance is a continued act The issue of godly sorrow must not be quite stopp'd till death Hierom writing in an Epistle to Laeta tells her that her life must be a life of Repentance Repentance is called a crucifying the old man which is not done on a sudden but leisurely it will be doing all our life And is there not a great deal of cause why Gods own people should go into the weeping bath 2 Chron. 28. 10. Are there not with you even with you sins against the Lord Have not you sins of daily incursion Though you are Diamonds have you no flaws Do we not read of the spots of Gods children Search with the Candle of the Word into your hearts and see if you can find no matter of Repentance there 1. Repent of your rash censuring instead of praying for others you are ready to passe a Verdict upon them 'T is true the Saints shall judge the world 1 Cor. 6. 2. But stay your time remember the Apostles caution 1 Cor. 4. 5. Iudge nothing before the time till the Lord come 2. Repent of your vain thoughts These swarm in your minds as the Flies did in King Pharaohs Court What beweildrings are there in the imagination If Satan doth not possess your bodies he doth your fancies Ier. 4. 4. How long shall vain thoughts lodge within thee A man may think himself into Hell O ye Saints be humbled for this lightness in your head 3. Repent of your vain fashions 'T is strange that the garments which God hath given to cover shame should discover pride The godly are bid not to be conformed to this world Rom. 12. 2. People of the world are garish and light in their dresses It is in fashion now adaies to go to Hell but whatever others do yet let not Iudah offend Hos. 4. 15. The Apostle hath set down what upper garment Christians must wear 1 Tim. 2. 9. Modest apparel and what under-garment 1 Pet. 5. 5. Be ye clothed with humility 4. Repent of your decaies in grace Rev. 2. 4. Thou hast left thy first love Christians how often is it Low-water in your souls how often doth your cold fit come upon you where are those flames of affection those sweet meltings of spirit as once you had I fear they are melted away O repent for leaving your first love 5. Repent of your non-improvement of Talents Health is a talent estate is a talent wit and parts are talents and these God hath intrusted you with to improve for his glory He hath sent you into the world as a Merchant sends his Factor beyond the Seas to trade for his Masters advantage But you have not done the good you might Can you say Lord thy pound hath gained five pounds Luk. 19. 18. Oh mourn at the burial of your talents Let it grieve you that so much of your age hath not been time lived but time lost that you have fill'd up
more that we have fetched no more vertue from him and brought no more glory to him It should be our grief on our death-bed that our lives have had so many blanks and blots in them that our duties have been so fly-blown with sin that our obedience hath been so imperfect and we have gone so lame in the waies of God When the soul is going out of the body it should swim to Heaven in a Sea of tears CHAP. XIV The removing the Impediments of Repentance BEfore I lay down the Expedients and Means conducing to Repentance I shall first remove the Impediments In this great City when you want water you search the cause whether the Pipes are broken or stopped that the current of water is hindered So when no water of Repentance comes though we have the Conduit-pipes of Ordinances see what the cause is where is the stop that these penitential waters do not run There are ten Impediments of Repentance 1. Men do not apprehend that they need Repentance they thank God all is well with them and they know nothing they should repent of Rev. 3. 17. Thou sayest I am rich and have need of nothing He who apprehends not any distemper in his body will not take the Physick prescribed This is the mischief sin hath done it hath not only made us sick but senseless When the Lord bade the people return to him they answered stubbornly Wherein should we return Mal. 3. 7. So when God bids men repent they say wherefore should they repent they know nothing they have done amiss Surely no disease worse than that which is Apoplectical 2. People conceit it an easie thing to repent It is but saying a few prayers a sigh or a Lord have mercy and the work is done This conceit of the easiness of Repentance is a great hinderance to it That which makes a person bold and adventrous in sin must needs obstruct Repentance but this opinion doth make a person bold in sin The Angler can let out his line as far as he will and then pull it in again So when a man thinks he can lash out in sin as far as he will and then pull in by Repentance when he list this must needs imbolden him in wickedness But to take away this false conceit of the easiness of Repentance consider 1. A wicked man hath a mountain of guilt upon him and is it easie to rise up under such a weight Is salvation per saltum Can a man jump out of sin into Heaven Can he leap out of the Devils arms into Abrahams bosom 2. If all the power in a sinner be employed against Repentance then it is not easie All the faculties of a natural man joyn issue with sin Ier. 2. 25. I have loved strangers and after them will I go A sinner will rather lose Christ and Heaven than his lusts death which parts man and wife will not part a wicked man and his sins and is it so easie to repent The Angel rolled away the stone from the Sepulchre but no Angel only God himself can roll away the stone from the the heart 3. Presuming thoughts of Gods mercy Many suck poison from this sweet flower Christ who came into the world to save sinners 1 Tim. 1. 15. is accidentally the occasion of many a mans perishing Though to the Elect he is the bread of life yet to the wicked he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a stone of stumbling 1 Pet. 2. 7. * To some his blood is sweet wine to others the water of Marah Some are softned by this Sun of Righteousness others are hardned Oh saith one Christ hath died he hath done all for me therefore I may sit still and do nothing Thus they suck death from the Tree of Life and perish by a Saviour So I may say of Gods mercy it is accidentally the cause of many a ones ruine Because of mercy men presume and think they may go on in sin But should a Kings clemency make his subjects rebel The Psalmist saith there is mercy with God that he may be feared Psal. 130. 4. but not that we may sin Can men expect mercy by provoking justice God will hardly shew them mercy who sin because mercy abounds 4. A supine sluggish temper Repentance is looked upon as a tedious thing and such as requires much industry and men are settled upon their lees and care not to stir They had rather go sleeping to Hell than weeping to Heaven Prov. 19. 24. A slothful man hideth his hands in his bosom he will not be at the labour of smiting on his breast Many will rather lose Heaven than ply the oar and row thither upon the waters of Repentance We cannot have the world citra pulverem without labour and diligence and would we have that which is more excellent Sloth is the canker of the soul Prov. 19. 15. Slothfulness casts into a deep sleep It was a witty fiction of the Poets when Mercury had cast Argus into a sleep and with an inchanted Rod closed his eyes then he killed him When Satan hath by his witcheries lull'd men asleep in sloth then he destroyes them Some report while the Crockadil sleeps with his mouth open the Indian Rat gets into his belly and eats up his entrails So while men sleep in security they are devoured 5. Another obstruction of Repentance is the tickling pleasure of sin â—… Thes. 2. 12. Who take pleasure in unrighteousness Sin is a sugred draught but mixed with poison The sinner thinks there is danger in sin but there is delight and the danger doth not so terrifie him as the delight bewitcheth him Plato calls love of sin a great Devil Delighting in sin hardens the heart In true Repentance there must be a grieving for sin but how can one grieve for that which he loves He who delights in sin can hardly pray against it his heart is so inveagled with sin that he is afraid of leaving it too soon Sampson doted on Dalilahs beauty and her lap proved his grave When a man rolls iniquity as a Sugared lump under his tongue it infatuates him and is his death at last Delight in sin is a silken halter 2 Sam. 2. 26. Will it not be bitterness in the latter end 6. An opinion that Repentance will take away our joy but that is a mistake it doth not crucifie but clarifie our joy and take it off from the fulsom lees of sin What is all earthly joy it is but Hilaris insania a pleasant phrensy Falsa inter gaudia noctem 〈◊〉 Worldly mirth is but like a feigned laugh it hath sorrow following at the heels As the Magitians Rod it is instantly turned into a Serpent But divine Repentance like Sampsons Lion hath an hony-comb in it Gods Kingdom consists as well in joy as in righteousness Rom. 4. 17. None are so truly chearful as penitent ones Est quaedam flere
away the heart from God The sinner takes his leave of God he bids farewel to Christ and mercy Every step forward in sin is a step backward from God Isa. 1. 4. They have forsaken the Lord they are gone away backward The further one goes from the Sun the nearer he approacheth to darkness the further the soul goes from God the nearer it approach to misery 2. Sin is a walking contrary to God Levit. 26. 27. The same word in the Hebrew * signifies both to commit sin and to rebel Sin is Gods opposite If God be of one mind sin will be of another If God saith sanctifie the Sabbath sin saith prophane it Sin strikes at Gods very being If sin could help it God should be no longer God Isa. 30. 11. Cause the holy One of Israel to cease from before us What an horrible thing is this for a piece of proud dust to rise up in defiance against its maker 3. Sin is an injury to God For 1. It violates his Laws here is crimen laesae majestatis What greater injury can be offered to a Prince than to trample upon his royal edicts A sinner offers contempt to the Statute-Laws of Heaven Nehem. 9. 26. They have cast thy Law behind their back as if they scorned to look upon it 2. Sin robs God of his due You injure a man when you do not give him his due The soul belongs to God he laies a double claim to it it is his by creation and purchase now sin steals the soul from God and gives the Devil that which of right belongs to God 4. Sin is profound ignorance The School-men say All sin is founded in ignorance did men know God in his purity and justice they durst not go on in a course of sinning Ier. 9. 3. They proceed from evil to evil and know not me saith the Lord. Therefore ignorance and lust are joyned together 1 Pet. 1. 14. Ignorance is the womb of lust Vapours arise most in the night The black vapours of sin arise most in a dark ignorant soul. Satan casts a mist before a sinner that he sees not the flaming sword of Gods wrath The Eagle first rolls himself in the sand and then flies at the Stagg and by fluttering his wings so bedusts the Staggs eyes that he cannot see and then he strikes him with his tallons So Satan that Eagle or Prince of the Air first blinds men with ignorance and then wounds them with his darts of temptation Is sin ignorance there 's great cause to repent of ignorance 5. Sin is a piece of desperateness In every transgression a man runs an apparent hazard of his soul he treads upon the brink of the bottomless pit Foolish sinner thou never committest a sin but thou dost that which may undo thy soul for ever He who drinks poison it is a wonder if it doth not cost him his life One taste of the forbidden tree lost Adam Paradise One sin of the Angels lost them Heaven One sin of Saul lost him his Kingdom The next sin thou committest God may clap thee up prisoner among the damned Thou that gallopest on in sin it is a question whether God will spare thy life a day longer or give thee an heart to repent so that thou art desperate even to phrensy 6. Sin is a befilthying thing it is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 filthiness Iam. 1. 21. The Greek word signifies the putrid matter of ulcers Sin is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an abomination Deut. 7. 25. Nay in the plural abominations* Deut. 20. 18. This filthiness in sin is inward a spot in the face may easily be wiped off but to have the liver and lungs tainted is far worse Such a pollution is sin it hath gotten into the mind and conscience Tit. 1. 15. 'T is compared to a menstruous cloth Isa. 30. 22. The most unclean thing under the Law A sinners heart is like a field spread with dung Some think sin an ornament it is rather an excrement So doth sin befilthy a person that God cannot abide the sight of him Zach. 11. 8. My soul loathed them 7. In sin is odious ingratitude God hath â—…ed thee O sinner with Angels food he hath crowned thee with variety of mercies yet dost thou go on in sin As David said of Nabal in vain have I kept this mans sheep 1 Sam. 25. 21 So in vain hath God done so much for the sinner All Gods mercies may upbraid yea accuse the ungrateful person May God say I gave thee wit health riches and thou hast imployed all these against me Hos. 2. 8. I gave them corn and wine and oyl and multiplied their silver and gold which they prepared for Baal I sent in provisions and they served their Idols with them The Snake in the fable which was frozen stung him that brought it to the fire and gave it warmth So a sinner goes about to sting God with his own mercies Is this thy kindness to thy friend Did God give thee life to sin Did he give thee wages to serve the Devil 8. Sin is a debasing thing it degrades a person of his honour Nahum 1. 14. I will make thy grave for thou art vile This was spoken of a King he was not vile by birth but by sin Sin blots our name taints our blood nothing doth so change a mans glory into shame as sin doth 'T is said of Naaman He was a great man and honourable but he was a leper 2 Kin. 5. 1. Let a man be never so great with worldly Pomp yet if he be wicked he is a leper in Gods eye To boast of sin is to boast of that which is our infamy as if a Prisoner should boast of his fetters or be proud of his halter 9. Sin is a damage In every sin there is infinite loss Never did any thrive by grazing on this Common What doth one lose he loseth God he loseth his peace he loseth his soul. The soul is a divine spark lighted from Heaven it is the glory of the Creation and what can countervail this loss Matth. 16. 26. If the soul be gone the treasure is gone so that in sin there is infinite loss Sin is such a trade that whosoever follows it is sure to break 10. Sin is a burthen Psal. 38. 4. My iniquities are gone over my head as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me The sinner goes with his weights and fetters on him The burden of sin is ever worst when it is least felt Sin is a burden where-ever it comes Sin burdens God Amos 2. 3. I am pressed with your sins as a Cart is pressed under the sheaves Sin burdens the soul what a weight did Spira feel how was Iudas his conscience burdened insomuch that he hanged himself to quiet his conscience They that know what sin is will repent that they carry such