that he looked for no comfort Therefore is this oft mentioned as the justest and soundest ground of all true comfort Comfort yee comfort yee my people saith your God it is the Lords speech to his servants and messengers Esa. 40.1 2. speake ye comfortably to Ierusalem How should we do that may Gods servants say Cry unto her that her warrefare is accomplished that her iniquity is pardoned No sound comfort can be had till then and when once that is knowne nothing can make a mans state uncomfortable So speaketh our Saviour to the poore man that had the palsie when he saw him dejected in mind and uncomfortable he saith not sonne be of good comfort thy palsie hath left thee thou that couldst not have come hither if foure men had not brought thee Marke 2.3 shalt be able to take up thy bed and walke home without any helpe but how doth he comfort him Matth. 9.2 Sonne be of good comfort thy sinnes are forgiven thee So when he would comfort Mary Magdalene that was so full of trouble of mind and sorrow that she was able with her teares to wash his feet Luke 7.38 he saith unto her vers 48. Thy sinnes are forgiven thee As if he had said thou hast no such cause to weep so thou hast cause to be comfortable and cheerefull for thy sins are forgiven This peace of God that is the comfort and joy that riseth from the knowledge of the pardon of our sins and reconciliation with him is said Phil. 4.7 to passe all understanding No heart can conceive how comfortable and blessed a thing that is but that which hath felt and enjoyed it Thirdly The man that truly knoweth what sin is desireth and longeth after nothing so much as the pardon of his sin is not so earnest and importunate with God in any suit as in this If God should now have said to David as after he did unto his sonne Solomon 1. Kings 3.5 Aske what I shall give thee Certainly this should have beene his petition Lord that my sins may be forgiven yea see how earnest he is here with God for this To such men Christ who is our propitiation and only meanes to procure and purchase our pardon is pretious as the Apostle speaketh 1. Pet. 2.7 To you that beleeve he is precious yea so precious that in comparison of him and of Gods favour through him they esteeme basely of every thing else Phil 3.8 I do count all things but dung that I may win Christ. Fourthly and lastly The man that truly knoweth what sin is thinks he hath even enough when he hath gotten his pardon though God should deny him all things else and saith of it as Iacob when he was sure Ioseph was still living Gen. 45.28 It is enough Yea he counts himselfe to be a happy man if once he have obtained this So we see David here maketh this his only suit and saith in another place that this is enough even to make a man happy Psalm 32.1 2. Blessed is the man whose transgression is forgiven whose sinne is covered blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity Nothing can make that man miserable whose sins are forgiven Now the reasons and grounds of this Doctrine are principally two being taken from the true and sound consideration of the nature of sinne And for the nature of it we will goe no further then to that description that David maketh of it in these two verses and to those two comparisons whereby he doth here resemble it First he compareth sin to debt in these words verse 1. Blot out my transgressions Our sins are our debts as our Saviour teacheth us to call them and account of them in the fift petition of the Lords prayer Matth. 6.12 Forgive us our debts First The obedience God requireth of us in his Law is no more but just and due debt we are bound and ought to performe it and in case we performe it not the penalty and curse which the law inflicteth is most justly due unto us We stand bound to performe either the one or the other To this obligation every mans conscience hath set his hand and seale and will acknowledge it and say Amen unto it one day God requireth in his Law that so soone as his people should come into the land of Canaan the curses of this law this bond and obligation should be read in the hearing of them all men women children and that all of them should say Amen to it Deut. 27.26 Cursed is he that confirmeth not all the words of this Law to doe them and all the people shall say Amen The copy and counterpane of this bond betweene God and us every man hath in his owne conscience which will acknowledge it to be most true and just as the Apostle speaking even of heathen men saith Rom. 2.15 which shew the worke of the Law written in their hearts Secondly These debts of ours though we be apt to forget yet the Lord will never forget The Lord hath sworne by the excellency of Iacob saith the Prophet Amos 8.7 Surely I will never forget any of their works Hee keepeth a debt booke wherein he hath set downe in writing every one of them Esa. 65.6 Behold it is written before me And our owne conscience also scores up every one of our sinnes and sets downe the time and place when and where we committed them and so came into Gods debt further and further And though it be like a sealed and clasped booke for a time that we cannot looke into it which maketh us thinke wee are little or nothing in Gods debt yet these bookes will one day bee opened Revelation 20.12 I saw the dead small and great stand before God and the bookes were opened and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the Bookes according to their workes and then it will appeare our debt bookes agree fully with Gods debt bookes our scores with his scores According as the Apostle saith Rom. â—15 â—6 that the consciences of men shall beare witnesse with God in the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Iesus Christ. Thirdly These debts of ours if we get not in time a discharge and Quiâ—â— est from them will be exaâ—tâ—d every one oâ— them at our hands The Lord I tell you is such a creditor as will looke to have his owne Eccles. 1.9 Know thou that for all these things God will bring thee to judgement And 1â— 14 The Lord shall bring every worke into judgement with every secret thing whether it be good or evill Fourthly these debts of ours are growne to such a huge summe as we are never able to satisfie and pay them and therefore they are compared to a debt of ten thousand talentâ— Matth. 18.24 a summe which there was never any merchant or King in the World so rich as was able to pay it Fiftly Now consider well of this reason To an honest
and filthinesse we must declare 1. In our speech Col. 4.6 Let your speech be alway with grace seasoned with â—â—lt Even Ministers tho they may lawfully speake of womens matters and even of those marriage duties that are most secret Levit. 12. 1 Cor 7 â— 4 yet may they not speake of these things broadly nor rudely but with great gravity and purity 1 Tim. 5.2 2. In lookes and countenance for even therein a filthy and immodest heart is oft discovered 2 Pet. 2.14 Having eyes full of adultery 3. In our apparell and attire 1 Tim. 2.9 Let womâ—n adorne themselves in modest apparell with shamefastnesse and sobriety 4. In the conscience we make even of our very thoughts Iob 31.1 I made a covenant with mine eyes why then should I thinke of a maide Secondly this Doctrine serves to reprove the extreame immodesty of these times and that liberty men take to speake filthily And surely in respect of this all that feare God have cause to bewaile and complaine with the Prophet Esa. 6.5 I dwell in the midst of a people of uncleane lips I know the excuses men make for this sin First that though they speake so they meane no hurt but their hearts are as good as theirs that are most precise but for this I say that it is not possible the heart should be cleane when the mouth is so filthy Matth. 15.18 Those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart and they defile the man And 12.34 Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh Secondly that they do it but in mirth and will you not say they allow men to be merry To whom I answer that this will be found a poore excuse one day For 1. Such mirth is expresly forbidden The Apostle having condemned among other sins foolish talking and jesting which are not convenient Ephes. 5.4 concludes his speech thus in the 6. verse Let no man deceive you with vaine words for because of these things commeth the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience 2. Our mirth extenuateth not our sins but aggravateth them rather and those sins are usually most outragious that we commit in our merriment Eccle. 2.2 Iâ—â—ia of laughter it is mad 3. If thou hadst grace in thee thou wouldst finde that such mirth would end in heavinesse as Salomon speaketh Pro. 14.13 and grieve Gods spirit in thee Ephes. 4.30 Thirdly that if they do no worse but speake a little idly and vainely in their mirth they doubt not but they shall do well enough But to these I say that they are fouly deceived in thinking it so small a matter to offend in their speech as they shall perceive if they would consider well what our blessed Saviour saith Matth. 12.37 By thy words thou shalt be justified and by thy words thou shalt be condemned Hitherto we have heard in what termes this sin of David is expressed Followeth now that we consider the sin it selfe that was committed and the heinousnesse of it First in respect of the kinde and nature of his sins they were 1. Adultery of which Iob faith 31.11 12. This is an heinous crime yea it is an iniquity to be punished by the judges for it is a fire that consumeth to destruction and would root out all mine increase 2. He to cloake his filthy whordome committed murder also A sin that defileth the land where it is committed and the land cannot be cleansed of the bloud that is shed therein but by the bloud of him that shed it Num. 35.33 Yea what manner of person murdered he Not an innocent onely but him that was one of his worthies as appeareth 2 Sam. 23.39 yea he murdered with him sundry others of Gods people 2 Sam. 11.17 and that by the sword of Gods enemies giving occasion of insultation thereby 2 Sam. 12.9 Secondly in respect of the circumstances whereby it was aggravated greatly that is First in respect of the person that committed these sins 1. He was a man that had the remedy that God hath sanctified to keepe men from uncleannesse as Nathan telleth him 2 Sam. 12.2.11 2. These sins were not committed by him in the heate of his youth but when he was now ancient and had many children as appeareth by 2 Sam. 3.2 5. compared with 2 Sam. 5.13 14. 3. These sins were not committed by one before his conversion or that was a novice in religion but by a man that had attained to a rare degree of knowledge as himselfe professeth Psal. 119.99.100 and one that was of great note for the profession of the truth and had most solemnely bound and devoted himselfe to God Psal. 119.106 by one that had attained to a great sense of Gods favour as appeareth by that prayer of his Psal. 51 12. by one that had beene exercised with manifold tentations and so had had great experience in cases of conscience as appeareth by that he saith Psal. 40.12 The second circumstance that aggravateth his sin was the time when this whoredome was committed even when Gods host was gone out against his enemies 2 Sam. 11.1 that greatly increased his sin Deut. 23.9 When the host goeth forth against thine enemies then keepe thee from every wicked thing This may appeare also by Vriahs example 2 Sam. 11.11 Tho he was not with the host in person now yet should he have beene so much the more earnest with God in prayer for them as Moses was Exod. 17.9.11 This sin is therefore counted his chiefe sin and such wherein he sinned in a more presumptuous manner then in any other 1 King 15.5 And yet the man that did thus heinously sin was certainly a regenerate man and upright in heart a man of whom the Lord gives testimony 1 Sam. 13.14 that he was a man according to his owne heart From all which laid together this Doctrine will arise That the man that is truly regenerate and hath attained to a great measure of saving grace may fall fearefully into most odious sins For first admit the regenerate use not to fall into the same grosse sins againe that they have formerly repented of As it is said of Iudah that after he saw his sin that he had committed with Tamar Gen. 38.26 He knew her againe no more I do not deny but the regenerate may and do fall oft into the same smaller sins and infirmities that they have oft beene humbled for and repented of Yea it is also possible that they may fall into the same grosse and scandalous sins againe that they have formerly repented of But this I can say that they use not so to do and that we cannot in all the Scripture finde an example of any regenerate person that hath done so Iehosaphat sinned greatly in joyning in league with Ahaziah an enemy of God but after his sin was effectually discovered unto him 2 Chron. â—0 37 he could not be drawne to do so againe 1 King 22 4â— The like we see in â—oah that fell
I may use to you the words of the Prophet Esa. 42.23 Who among you will give eare to this who will hearken and heare for the time to come Thirdly and lastly Admit there were but one or two among you that had present need of comfort and none of the rest of you either needed it now or were like to stand in need of it hereafter yet stand I more bound to respect the two poore afflicted soules then al the rest of you though you were as many more as you are and rather let you all go without that portion that belongeth to you then those two And I have three reasons to move me to it First the example of the Prophet Elisha 2 King 4.27 who had tender respect to the Shunamite when her soule was vexed within her Yea of Christ who is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the chiefe shepheard and pastour who professeth this to be his chiefe care Ezek. 34.16 I will bind up that which was broken and will strengthen that that was sicke And that this was the chiefe worke God appointed him to when he sent him to preach Esa. 61.1 2. He hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted and to comfort all that mourne in Zion And gave an experiment of this in Peter and Mary whom because they were afflicted in conscience he shewed more care of after his resurrection then of all the rest of the Disciples Mar 16 9. 1 Cor. 15.5 Ioh. 21.15 Secondly the charge and commandement of Christ which he hath given all his Ministers concerning these as appeareth Esa. 40.1 2. Comfort ye comfort ye my people saith your God speake ye comfortably to Ierusalem And in that charge to Peter Ioh. 21.15 Feed my lambes Thirdly as these poore soules have need to be comforted and have this evill usually accompanying their other misery that it is a hard thing to fasten any comfort upon them their soulâ— usually refuseth comfort when they are in this case as David speaketh Psal 77.2 So the ministery of the Word being ordained to this very end 1 Cor. 4.3 hath more force and God sheweth his power more in it this way then in any private meanes According to that Esa 57.19 I create the fruit of the lips peace peace to him that is farre off and to him that is neere saith the Lord and I will heale him Now therefore hearken unto me so many of you as feare the Lord and yet are much subject to trouble of mind and heavinesse of heart and to use the words of the Evangelicall Prophet Esa. 51.1 hearkâ—n unto me ye that folow aâ—â—â—r righteousnesse ye that seeke the Lord. Stirre up your hearts to admit of the word of consolation Foure things I have to say to you for your comfort First It is the will of God that such as you are should be cheerefull and comfortable in your spirits He hath oft charged you in his Word to be so yea as oft and as earnestly as ever he charged you to feare him and to lead a godly life Psal. 32.11 Be glad in the Lord and rejoyce ye righteous so I would wilt thou say if I were so but marke what followeth and shout for joy all ye that are upright in heart Yea Psalme 105.3 Let the heart of them rejoyce that seeke the Lord. Yea Phil. 4.4 Rejoyce in the Lord alway and againe I say rejoyce To omit many other places as Psalme 2.11.33.1.48.11.68.4.97.12.149.2.5 Matth. 5.12 Luke 10.20 Rom. 12.13 Phil. 3.1 1 Thess. 5.26 By all which you may perceive this that God greatly delighteth to see you cheerefull and comfortable Secondly I must intreat you to consider the mischiefe that commeth by your giving so much way to your heavinesse and feares 1. You give occasion to wicked men to blaspheme and speake evill of the good waies of God as if this preaching and profession made men mad or mopish that follow it and so yee alienate their hearts from religion and make them hate preaching As the spies that brought an evill report of the land of promise and said Numb 1â— 32 It was a land that devoured the inhabitants of it alienated the hearts of the people from it and made them murmur against Moses and Aaron Numb 14.2 It is said Acts 9.31 that while the faithfull walked in the feare of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost they multiplied That is the way to add to the Church and gaine others to it when Christians walke cheerefully and comfortably and so the contrary is a stumbling blocke to keepe men from it 2. By yeelding to this heavinesse you give advantage to Sathan and make your selves lesse able to resist his tentations Neh. 8.10 Be not so sorrowfull for the joy of the Lord is your strength 3. By yeelding to this heavinesse and feare ye make the duties and services ye do to God lesse acceptable unto him For as God loveth a cheerefull giver 2 Cor. 9.7 so doth he a cheerefull worshipper Psalme 100.2 Serve the Lord with gladnesse The Lord would have us call the Sabbath a delight Esa. 58.13 And threatneth captivity even for this Deut. 28.47 Because they served him not with joyfullnesse and with gladnesse of heart Thirdly I must desire you to consider how just cause such as you are have to be comfortable and cheerfull in the Lord what cause soever you have of humbling in your selves For certainly yeare in a blessed state Psal. 128.1 Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord. 1. You are the people to whom the kingdome of heaven doth belong Mat. 5.3 Blessed are the poore in spirit for theirs is the kingdome of heaven And all things that befall you shall certainely tend to the fitting of you for it and therefore you have just cause of joy Feare not little flock saith our Saviour Luk. 12 3â— it is your fathers good pleasure to give you the kingdome Rom. 8.28 All things worke together for good to them that feare God Rom. 5.2 We rejoyce in hope of the glory of God Yea we glory in tribulation also verse 3..2 You are the people whose sins are forgiven and for whom Christ hath fully satisfyed the justice of his father so as though you may be chastised sharply for them punished you shall never be In that day there shall be a fountaine opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Ierusalem for sinne and for uncleannesse Zach. 13.1 In what day See that Zach. 12.10 when God shall poure upon them the spirit of grace and supplications so as they should looke upon him whom they had pierced and mourne for him And therefore thou hast just cause of joy Esa. 40.2 Speake ye comfortably to Ierusalem and cry unto her that her warfare is accomplished the battell is fought and victory obtained against all her enemies that her iniquity is pardoned for she hath received of the Lords hand double for all her sinnes 3. You are the people that how ever men esteeme you or you thinke of
unto the minister because not the Papists onely but some others among our selves also blame us and note it as a great defect in our Churches that we use it not I will therefore shew you how farre forth wee hold it to be lawfull fit and necessary to be done And this order I will observe in speaking of it 1. I will shew you that it is not so necessary as the Papists and some others hold it to bee 2. That it is more necessary then most professours of the Gospell doe take it to bee The former of these will appeare in five points First Every man is not bound to confesse his secret sin in private unto any man as both Papists and some Protestant Churches also doe teach and practise but such onely as are in distresse of conscience as David was at that time when he went so to Nathan As a man will not need not discover the nakednes and shame of his body unto another unlesse some such infirmity in those parts as requireth the helpe of another that is more skilfull then himselfe compell him to it Secondly Every man that is in distres of conscience is not bound to confesse his secret sin unto any other but such only as cannot by their owne humiliation and prayers recover their comfort Many of Gods servants have found comfort sufficient by confessing their sins unto God alone without ever seeking the helpe of any man So did David at another time when he was in great distresse Psal 32.5 I acknowledged my sinne unto thee I said I will confesse my transgressions unto the Lord and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin Thirdly The man that is in distresse of conscience and cannot recover comfort by his private endeavours but is enforced to seeke helpe of some other man is not bound to discover and confesse unto that man all his sins but such only as doe burden and trouble his conscience As the man that is enforced to discover to the Surgeon the nakednesse and shame of his body will not need not discover any more of it then where the sore is that troubleth him And this difference is very observable in the holy Scripture betweene the confessions that are made to God and those that are made to men In them it is required that we should confesse all that wee can remember When Aaron was to make attonement for the people he was to confesse over their sacrifice all the iniquities of the children of Israel and all their transgressions in all their sins Levit. 16 21. In the confessions that were made to men no such exact search no such full examination of all their sins was either enjoyned by the Lord or practised of his people When the people in Samuels time were in great feare and distresse and came to him for comfort they confessed their sins to him but did not particularize all their sins but that speciall sin whereby they had most offended and which did most trouble their conscience 1 Sam. 12.19 Wee have added say they to all our sins this evill to aske us a King When Peter saw Gods people in great distresse for their sins and comming to him for comfort Acts 2.37 he saw what was the speciall sin that troubled them hee requireth not of them a particular acknowledgement of all their sins When the penitent Ephesians came to Paul for comfort Acts 19.18 they came and confessed and shewed their works all the sins of their thoughts and affections they discovered not The Papists therefore in pressing upon the people that upon paine of damnation they must discover every one of their mortall sins that they can possibly call to mind with aâ—l the circumstances therof unto the Priest yea urging the necessity of this particular numbring of sins much more in the confessions that are made to the Priest then in those that are made to the Lord himselfe have indeed provided most politikely for the strength of their owne Kingdome for by this meanes they cast a snare upon men as the Apostle speaketh 1 Cor. 7.35 they know the hearts and affections and dispositions of all men and know well how to make use thereof for their owne purpose but in this they have provided very ill for the comfort of the conscience of the poore sinner which must needs be cast into great perplexity when he beleeveth and considereth this that his confession is nothing worth but he is still in his sins and in the state of damnation unlesse he have confessed all his mortall sins with all the circumstances of them unto the Priest whereas no man is able to doe it according to that of the Prophet Psal. 19.12 Who can understand his errours Fourthly Every man is not bound to seeke the testimony of another man for the approving of his knowledge repentance or faith nor to make knowne to another his spirituall estate to that end for some are able to get sufficient assurance thereof by that examination and triall they can make of themselves Therefore the Apostle exhorting the faithfull to examine and finde out their spirituall estate before their going to the supper of the Lord enjoyneth them not to goe to others for helpe in this case but saith 1 Cor. 11.28 Let a man examine himselfe and so let him eate of that bread and drinke of that cup. and Gal. 6.4 Let every man prove his owne worke and then shall hee have rejoycing in himselfe alone and not in another Yea such as can resolve themselves sufficiently in their owne doubts if they would take a little paines with their owne hearts should make conscience of troubling their Pastours unnecessarily and to such a one it may be said as Mar. 5.35 he said to Iairus Why troublest thou the Master any further Fifthly and lastly Every man that hath need to goe unto another either for comfort and direction upon the confession of his sinne that troubleth his conscience or for testimony and approbation of his knowledge repentance or faith is not bound to goe to his Minister and Pastour onely in this case but some may finde sufficient helpe and comfort by the advice and prayers even of some private Christian that is experienced secret and faithfull as under the Law not the Priests onely but even private men might in some cases purifie them that were uncleane Numb 19.18 19. In which respect the Apostle directeth such as have need of comfort in this case not to the Elders of the Church onely but even to private men Iames 5.16 Confesse your faults one to another and pray for one another As we finde in the diseases of the body men run not alwayes to the Physitian but receive that counsell and medicine sometimes from a neighbour that hath had experience of the same infirmitie that doth him more good then he could have received from the most learned Doctour So in the wounds and distempers of the soule that helpe may sometimes bee found from a private Christian that hath had
out-casts bewray not him that wandereth What out-casts meaneth hee Let mine out-casts dwell with thee Moab be thou a covert to them from the face of the spoyler Let all men therefore take heede what oathes they take let no man thinke himselfe tyed in conscience to doe any thing that is evill because he hath bound himselfe by an oath to doe it but when a man hath bound himselfe by his oath to doe that that is lawfull as to detect to present to those in authority such as hee knowes to bee offendors let him take heed how hee breake that oath Every lawfull oath is a great bond unto the conscience Numb 30.2 If a man sweare an oath to binde his soule with a bond David maketh this one of the speciall markes to know him by that shall goe to heaven Psal. 15.4 He that sweareth to his owne hurt and changeth not Though after he hath taken his oath he shall perceive that the keeping of it will procure him such enemies as may doe him much hurt yet dareth he not change his minde but will keepe his oath And Solomon maketh this a speciall note of a godly man that he feareth an oath Eccles. 9.2 which words are not to be understood of private and voluntary oathes onely but chiefely of those oathes that are taken before a magistrate for they are the greatest and heaviest oathes a godly man is afraid of such oathes afraid to take them and afraid to breake them when he hath taken them See a notable example of this both in Abrahams servant who asmuch as he loved and respected his master before he would take the oath that his master ministred unto him is carefull first to know and consider with himselfe whether he might be able to keepe it or no Gen 24 5-9 And in those spies that Ioshuah sent to view Iericho who would not bind themselves by oath to Rahab rashly though shee had saved their lives till they got her consent to such an interpretation and to limit it with such conditions as they might bee able to keepe it Iosh. 2.17.21 See also an example of this feare to breake their oath after they had taken it Iosh. 9.20 And alas if this bee a note to know a godly man by how few godly men have we then in these dayes What cause have we to complaine with David Psalme 12.1 Helpe Lord for there is not a godly man left How many oathes are ministred daily to Churchwardens Constables jurors and witnesses at every Assise and Sessions in every Court Baron and Leet in every Commission whereby men bind themselves to doe things that are lawfull enough yea oft such as tend much to Gods glory and the good of the Common-wealth and no man regardeth them any more then the taking up of a straw they thinke it is no more then the laying on the hand and kissing of the booke Tush thinks every man the taking of these oathes is a matter of nothing all my neighbours have taken them before me and made no reckoning of them O but remember that the holy Ghost saith hee that hath any goodnesse in him will feare these oathes And there is great reason for it An oath is not to be estemed of according to the matteâ— wherein it is taken which in our account may seeme somtime triviall and small nor according to the person of the man unto whom or before whom it is taken though whatsoever the person be that ministreth the oath unto us the authority to minister an oath is derived to him from the supreame magistrate but according to the greatnesse and dreadfull majesty of God in whose name and before whom in a speciall manner for the magistrate is his Deputy and in his stead 2 Chron. 9.8.19 6. Rom. 13.4 and the judgement and course of justice is the Lords Deutero 1.17 the oath is given Therefore an oath specially taken by a magistrate is called an oath of the Lord Exodus 22.11 1 Kings 2.43 For every oath hath a curse implyed in it And the Hebrew word Alah that signifieth an oath signifieth a curse also an oath with a curse Therefore it is said of Gods people when they bound themselves by an oath Nehemiah 10.29 they entred into a curse and into an oath to walke in Gods Law So Iudges 21.18 The children of Israel had sworne saying Cursed bee hee that giveth a wife to Benjamin When you therefore take an oath specially before a magistrate you wish that if it bee not true which you speake in an oath assertory if you performe not that which you speake in an oath promissory Gods curse may light upon you and pursue you And bee you sure of this that if you performe not your part God will performe his if you doe not that which you bind your selves to do by your oath God will bring that curse upon you which you have wished to your selves as hee did bring upon the Iewes that curse which they wished to themselves Matthew 27.25 All the people said his bloud bee upon us and upon our children and his bloud wee see hath lyen heavy upon all that people and nation ever since When Zedekiah had broken his oath to the King of Babylon see what the Lord saith of him Ezekiel 17.15 Shall hee prosper Shall hee escape that doth such things Shall hee breake the covenant and bee delivered And verse 18. Seeing hee despised the oath hee shall not escape Know you therefore that these oathes which you make so light account of will lye heavy upon you one day They will bring Gods curse into your houses Zachary 5.4 I will bring foorth the curse saith the Lord of hostes and it shall enter into the house of him that sweareth falsely by my name and it shall remaine in the midst of his house and shall consume it with the timber thereof and the stones thereof Yea these oathes so commonly taken and broken in all places have brought and will further bring Gods curse upon the whole land Iere. 23.10 Because of swearing the land mourneth And thus have I finished the first part of my answer to this objection and shewed you that they that by office and oath are bound to enquire and present to the magistrate these lewd offendors and do it not are chiefly guilty of their sins But now for the second part of my answer I say that these are not only guilty of the blasphemies and whoredoms drunkennes wherby God is dayly dishonored provoked amongst us but this contagion is spread farther then so there are very few or none of you that have not this way drawn upon your selves the guiltines of these sins made them your own because you have neglected to do that that in you lieth to bring these offendors to open shame punishment Notable good lawes have beene made of late yeeres against swearing breach of the Sabbath and drunkennes but they do little or no good at all because nobody wil have any hand
faults they sin against the congregation and Church of God in depriving it of that right that by the ordinance of God is due unto it namely that they that have wronged given offence to it by their sin should give it satisfaction by their repentance This right these men spoile and rob the congregation of And as the Pharisees taught children to say to their parents that required any reliefe of them Marke 7.11 It is Corban that is to say a gift by whatsoever thou mayest bee profited by mee as if he should say I have given to the treasury and therfore looke for no duty from me so these men teach grosse sinners to say to the ministers and congregations that require satisfaction from them by their publike repentance I have satisfied the Court and to you I will give no satisfaction at all If in any other Court of justice it should bee said to any that were impleaded for wrong done to any one man in his body or goods or good name give somewhat to the Court and care not for the party that thou hast wronged hee shall have no satisfaction from thee all men would cry out and say this were extreame wrong and injustice and is it no sin thinke we for any man to wrong a whole Church and congregation thus Thirdly They sin against the soules of poore sinners whom by this means they deprive of a speciall means appointed of God to bring them to repentance and so unto salvation The corruption and injustice that is done in other courts toucheth but the goods or good names or bodies of men these are called and should bee indeed spirituall courts but if corruption be used in them there is merchandise made of the soules of men And of all covetousnesse of all filthy lucre that is most damnable that is gotten by the sale of the soules of men as the holy Ghost mentioneth it for the last and worst of all the commodities that Antichrist did traffique in Revelation 18.13 He made merchandise of the soules of men And thus have I done with the second sort of men that are to bee reproved by this Doctrine The third and last sort that by this Doctrine of publike confession are to be reproved are such as having sinned publikely scandalously refuse to make publike acknowledgement of their sin and profession of their repentance when they are required to do it It is strange to see what paines men will take yea what cost and charges they will be at to avoid this And that not the richer sort only but even the poorest and basest of the people Now these poore men in doing thus offend three wayes First and chiefly against the Lord in refusing to give glory unto his name and submitting themselves unto his ordinance For by confessing our sins even before men when God would have us to doe it wee give glory unto God as wee have heard in that speech of Ioshuah to Achan Ioshuah 7.19 And it is his ordinance that you should obey them that have the rule over you and submit your selves hee meaneth the ministers and governours of the Church Heb. 13.17 Secondly they sin against the Church and people of God in refusing to give them satisfaction by their repentance when they have given them offence by their sin When Gods people had but taken offence at Peter without any just cause of offence given unto them when hee had by the commandement of God gone to Cornelius and there conversed with the Gentiles see how that great Apostle doth not scornefully resolve them and aske them what had they to doe with his actions but is very carefull to give them satisfaction and to recover their good opinion by shewing them at large the reason why he did so Actes 11.4 It is a perilous signe of an ungracious heart to make no reckoning what Gods people thinke of him Do you not know saith the Apostle speaking of this very sin even of making light account of the judgement of Gods people 1 Cor. 6.2 that the Saints shall judge the world It is a great meanes of peace to our consciences when wee can approve our selves our repentance and conversion not unto God and our owne consciences onely but unto the Church and people of God Shew unto them saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 8 24. that is to Titus and the brethren that are with him and before the Churches the proofe of your love And on the other side it is a great trouble to the heart that hath grace in it to have the censure and hard opinion of Gods people So it was to Anna to be ill thought of by Ely ô how carefull was the poore soule to give him satisfaction 1 Sam. 1.15 16. And it was a great trouble to that good woman that powred the box of precious ointment on Christs head when she saw that the Apostles were much offended with her for it Why trouble yee the woman saith our Saviour Matth. 26.10 And should it not then trouble any such sinner as hath grieved all Gods people in the congregation by his sin and caused them to thinke ill of him Will he not desire if he have any grace in him to recover their good opinion by making knowne unto them his repentance If thou have given offence to any one of thy neighbours even the meanest of them thou art bound in conscience to make him satisfaction and to seeke reconciliation with him Matth. 5.24 Goe thy way first bee reconciled to thy brother c. Neither is he bound to thinke well of thee againe till thou hast professed thy repentance unto him Luke 17.4 If thy brother that hath trespassed against thee turne againe to thee saying I repent thou shalt forgive him And are not men much more bound to give satisfaction to a whole congregation whom they have offended and to seeke reconciliation with it then with any one man Is the congregation bound or can it thinke well of him that hath given publike offence unto it till hee turne againe unto it and professe his repentance This despising of the congregation and the people of God is a greater sin then most men are aware of Take heede saith our Saviour Mat. 18.10 that yee despise not one of these little ones What saith the Apostle speaking of a particular Congregation 1 Cor. 11.22 despise ye the Church of God for the contempt done to Gods people thus resteth not upon them but reacheth unto Christ himselfe as the Apostle plainely teacheth 1 Cor. 8.12 When ye sin so against the brethren ye sin against Christ. Thirdly and lastly These men that refuse to professe their repentance before the Congregation sin therein against their owne soules and as the Prophet speaketh in another case Ion. 2.8 forsake their owne mercie that is the meanes to assure them that notwithstanding their sins the mercy of the Lord belongeth unto them For 1. no man can ever obtaine the assurance of the pardon of his sin till he have repented
Nathan came to him and knocketh at his heart though he had lyen asleepe so long yet his conscience wakeneth presently and he crieth out 2 Sam. 12.13 I have sinned So soone as Gad came to him with a message from God about the numbring of the people his conscience awakened presently and smote him for it 2 Sam. 24.10 And so was it with Peter the very looke of Christ wakened his conscience Luke 22.60 61. And as the regenerate mans conscience is wakefull so it is quicke sighted and tender also and can see and bee troubled with that another man will not as we see also in David 1 Sam. 24 5. The second cause of it is that they are more subject to affliction then other men and it is an usuall effect of affliction to bring mens sins into their remembrance that they had forgotten before As we see in the brethren of Ioseph whose troubles in Egypt brought the sin which they had committed against him twenty yeeres before as fresh into their remembrance as if it had beene but newly committed as you shall finde Gen. 42.21 So it appeareth by our Saviours speech to the sicke of the palsie Mat. 9.2 Sonne be of good cheere thy sins bee forgiven theee that his sicknesse brought his sins to his remembrance The third and last cause of this is the Lord himselfe he hath the chiefe hand in this it is he that keepeth the sins of his people ever in their eye and remembrance and will not suffer them to forget them It was the Lord that awakened the conscience of David hereby sending Nathan unto him 2 Sam. 12.1 It was the Lord that awakened the conscience of Peter by looking backe upon him Luke 22.61 It was the Lord that made Iob to possesse the sins of his youth Iob 13.26 And why dealeth the Lord thus with those whom he most dearely loveth that of all the people in the world they see most sins in themselves and are most troubled with them he setteth their sins ever in their sight and putteth them in minde of them Surely he doth this in much love Psal. 25.10 All the pathes of the Lord are mercy and truth unto his owne people He seeth this to be good and profitable for them many wayes Sixe principall benefits there are that Gods people receive by it First It reneweth and encrreaseth their repentance David did unfainedly repent of his adulterie and murder so soone as ever Nathan had dealt plainly with him as wee have heard 2 Sam. 12.13 and yet after that for many yeeres God followed him with many grievous judgements as he threatned 2 Sam. 12.10 11. and thereby did ever and anon bring those sins into his remembrance and put him in mind of them that he might repent better and more deeply for them This reason the Lord giveth Ezek. 20.43 There shall yee remember your wayes and all your doings wherein yee have beene defiled and ye shall loath your selves in your owne sight for all your evils you have committed And this is certainely one great benefit that commeth to us by the remembring of our old sins For wee are all farre short in repenting of them in that measure as we ought and according to the measure of our repentance shall our comfort and the assurance of the pardon of our sins be in the end As they that sow in teares shall reape in joy Psal. 126.5 Sound repentance and sorrow for sin will bring sound joy so proportionable to a mans seednes shall his harvest be plentifull repentance will bring plentifull joy a scant repentance scantnesse of comfort Secondly By this meanes God keepeth us humble and low in our owne eyes and preserveth us from pride and too good a conceit of our selves Thus dealt the Lord with blessed Paul 2 Cor. 12.7 Left I should bee exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations there was given unto mee a thorne in the flesh the messenger of Satan to buffet me lest I should bee exalted above measure And what was this thorne in the flesh the messenger of Satan Surely some inward corruption that Paul felt in his owne heart which Satan stirred up in him And why did God discover this corruption of his heart vnto him why did God keepe him so long in the sight and sence of this his corruption he prayed thrice that is many times to get it removed and could not He telleth us and repeateth it twice in that verse as a thing worthy to be observed Lest I should be exalted above measure This use the Church professeth she made of it Lam. 2.19 20. Remembring mine affliction and my rebellions as Montanus and Leo Iudae render the word the wormewood and the gall that is the bitternesse and sorrow that I found in it my soule hath them still in remembrance and is humbled in mee And surely this is no small benefit we get by being well acquainted with our sins and thinking much of our owne corruptions We are all to apt if we be a little better in birth or in gifts or in riches or in beauty or in knowledge or in profession then others to be proud of it O what Lucifers would we be if the Lord should not now and then cast our owne dung into our faces and effectually discover to us our sins Surely God doth us in this a great favour as he did unto Paul for nothing would make our soules more odious unto God then pride nothing more amiable in his eyes then humilty will doe according to that of the Apostle Iames 4.6 God resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble Thirdly By this meanes God maketh his servants flye to the throne of grace and breedeth and nourisheth in them an appetite â—n hunger and thirst after Christ in the word and Sacraments and maketh them to prize his favour in Christ above any thing in the world The proofe of this we see heere in David what made him heere to flye to God and to cry to him so earnestly for mercy Why hee telleth us heere in the text his sin was ever before him This effect had the knowledge and sence of sin in Paul at his first conversion when Christ had discovered his sin unto him though it were in a most terrible manner it drave him to seeke mercy of God by prayer as Christ told Ananias Acts 9.11 Goe to him for behold he prayeth And indeed none but they that have an effectuall knowledge and sence of sin will goe to God with any constancy or fervency of spirit How few and how cold and formall will our prayers be if we have no sence of our sins When David had said Psal. â—4 17 The righteous crie and the Lord heareth them he telleth in the next words ver 18. who be those righteous ones that use thus to cry unto God in their prayers that is to say those that are of a broken heart and contrite spirit This hunger and thirst after righteousnesse our
also an offence against man I answer Ceatainely it was a grievous offence even against man and not against the Lord onely First Against himselfe against his owne body He that committeth fornication sinneth against his owne body 1 Cor. 6.18 Against his owne peace and the comfort of his life for because of these sins the sword neuer departed from his house God raised up evill against him out of his owne house as the Lord threatned by Nathan 2 Sam. 12.10 11. But chiefly against his owne soule Pro. 8.36 He that sinneth against me wrongeth his owne soule O what wounds did he give to his owne soule by these sins Secondly His sin was a grievous offence against his neighbour and that sundry wayes and not against the Lord onely 1. He wronged Vriah in an high degree by the adultery he committed with his wife He that committeth this sin doth his neighbour greater wrong then if he had robbed and spoiled him of all other his goods and possessions whatsoever In which respect the Lord hath in the Decalogue placed the commandement against adultery as a greater commandement before that against theft Exod. 20.14 15. And Solomon Pro. 6.30 35. maketh the adulterer a far worse man then a thiefe and giveth this reason for it among other that the thiefe may make satisfaction to a man for the wrong he hath done him so cannot the adulterer doe 2. He wronged the whole Common-wealth by endangering it and laying it open to the wrath of God by his foule sins For thus hath the Lord beene wont for the sins of Kings and Princes to plague all their subjects grievously See what a famine God brought upon the whole land for the sin of Saul 2 Sam. 21.1 So Ahaz by his sins is said to have brought Iudah low and to have made it naked because hee transgressed sore against the Lord 2 Chron. 28 19. So the evill that Manasseh did in Ierusalem is said to be a chiefe cause of the captivity Ier. 15 4. though Manasseh himselfe were dead and buried long before yea though he had unfeinedly repented before hee died But what need wee to seeke further for examples to cleere this point then to David himselfe What a plague did hee bring upon the whole land by a farre lesse sin of his then these were that he had now committed even by his commanding the people to be numbred 2 Sam. 24.15 And to these very sins that now he committed all the blood of his owne subjects that was shed and all the civill warre and sedition that was raised both in the rebellion of Absalom 2 Sam. 15.12 and 18.7 and of Sheba the son of Bichri 2 Sam. 20.2.14 was to bee imputed So great cause have all Gods people to pray heartily unto God for their Princes according to the example of the Church Ioh. 1.17 Psal. 20.1 4. and 72 1. and the expresse commandement of God 1 Tim. 2.1 2. And so great cause have we also to give hearty thankes unto God for giving us good Kings and governours that rule us in the feare of the Lord as Huram did for Solomon 2 Chron. 2.11 12. 3. Besides this he had by his murder in a higher degree wronged not Vriah onely and those that were slaine with him 2 Sam. 11.17 but all their friends also and kinsfolke that were left alive who were bound in conscience to esteeme this such a wrong as they might take no satisfaction for it as is plaine Numb 35.31 4 and lastly The sin that he committed reached not onely to the murdering of the bodies of many men but to the destruction of the precious soules of all them that were drawne into fearefull sins by his meanes 1. Of the soule of Bathsheba whom he drew to whordome 2 Sam. 11.4 2. Of the soules of all those servants of his whom he used as his panders and bawdes for the effecting of his lust 2 Sam. 11.4 3. Of the soule of Ioâ—b whom hee made his instrument for the murdering of Vriah and the rest 2 Sam. 11 15.16 4. Of the soules of those enemies of the Lord to whom he gave occasion to blaspheme his most holy name 2 Sam. 12.14 For though all these that by his meanes were drawne to these foule sins did not perish eternally for of Bathsheba it is certaine that shee repented yet was that no thanke to him who had given their soules a mortall wound and cut the throat of them though the mercy and skill of the heavenly Chirurgion kept them from perishing of those wounds Thirdly and lastly The sins that he committed were so farre from being an offence against the Lord onely that indeed they were not directly and immediately committed against the Lord but against man onely for they were sins not against the first but against the second table of the commandements of God Then the second question is this Did he then thinke that though by these sins if they had beene committed by an other person great offence had beene done unto men yet being done by him no man could complaine because a King hath that absolute power as whatsoever hee doth to men hee can doe them no wrong I answer No verily David was far from all such conceits Such thoughts might well beseeme such a Princesse as Iesabell was who though her husband Ahab was no King unlesse he might doe what he list unlesse he might by force contrary to law take away Naboths vineyard 1 King 21.7 Dost thou now governe the kingdome of Israel But David was not such a Prince He knew well enough the charge that God had given in his Law concerning the King that should raigne over his people Deut. 17.18 19 20. 1. He must have the booke of the Law ever with him and acquaint himselfe well with it 2. He must governe his subjects according to Law and not turne aside from it either to the right hand or to the left 3. He must take heede his heart be not lifted up above his brethren to despise them or thinke he might use them as hee listed He was not ignorant of that charge that God had given unto him in particular when that he was first made King which he mentioneth 2 Sam. 23.3 The God of Israel said the rocke of Israel spake to me he that ruleth over men must bee just ruling in the feare of God He knew therefore full well that notwithstanding any royall prerogative he had that which he had done to Vriah and the rest though they were his subjects was a shamefull wrong as Nathan also in his parable had shewed it to be 2 Sam. 12.4 The third question is How then if he knew his sin was a wrong and offence against man and not against the Lord onely did it not in that respect trouble him at all at this time now he seeketh pardon and peace with God or are these words thus to be understood as if he should say Against thee thee onely have I sinned as for
that is in reputation for wisedome and honour And this must needs be so 1. Because in giving our selves liberty in the least thing that we know God hath forbidden we break the bond cord that should restraine us from any sin namely the conscience of the commandement of the Lord against it If this yoke be once shaken off if once this bond be of no force with us but we grow in the least thing to say as Psal. 2.3 Let us breake their hands asunder and cast their cords from us what can be of force to hold us fast to the Lord or to bind or restraine us from the foulest and grossest sins 2. Because it is the naturall effect of sin specially being wittingly committed to make a man apter to sin to go further in sin Rom. 6.19 You have yeelded your members servants to uncleannes and to iniquity unto iniquity 3. Because God in his just judgement is wont to punish sin by sin to punish mens carelesnes and loosenes and security in smaller sins by leaving them to themselves giving them up to grosser sins 2 Thess. 2.10 11. Because men received not the love of the truth professed it formally but joyed not tooke no comfort in it a common sin God knoweth in these dayes and such as most men count a very small sin if any sin at all for this cause God shall send them strong delusion that they should beleeve a lie For this God giveth men up to popery The surest way then for a man to keepe himselfe from falling into grosse sins is to be afraid of and make conscience of the smallest sins This is plaine in that prayer of David Psal. 19.12 13. Cleanse thou me from secret faults keepe back thy servant also from presumptuous sins let them not have dominion over me then shall I be upright and I shall be innocent from the great transgression So Iob to preserve himselfe from fornication and adultery made a covenant with his eye and with his thought also bound them to the good abearing Iob 31.1 resolved with himselfe to make conscience of and to abstaine from all wanton lookes and thoughts also and so long as he did so hee was safe enough from falling into those grosse sins On the contrary David giving himselfe liberty in idlenesse and wanton lookes 2. Sam. 11.1 2. was left to himselfe to fall to those foule sins he so much bewaileth and complaineth of in this psalme This is then the first motive to perswade us to make conscience even of the smallest sins because else we shall bee in danger to fall into grosse and most hainous sins The second motive unto it is this that by these small sins we bring our selves into greater danger in some respects then by committing of those that we do account greater For great sins are more easily discerned and felt and repented of and consequently pardoned then these smaller sins are These without great circumspection and watchfulnesse we shall hardly take notice of or be troubled at all for them but go on in them without repentance and consequently without any assurance of the forgivenesse of them In this respect we find that the civill honest and morall man that hath lived unblamably in respct of any grosse sin all his life time is in farre worse case then many a one that hath bin a notorious evil liver as our Saviour telleth the Pharisees Mat. 21.31 Verily I say unto you that the Publicans and the harlots go into the kingdome of God before you The third and last motive is this that hee that giveth liberty to himselfe in the least sin doth not abstaine from the grossest out of conscience towards God because God forbiddeth it and is offended with it but out of some hie respects Thus the Apostle proveth that he that giveth himselfe liberty to offend against any one point of the law though he seeme to keepe all the rest is guilty of all and doth not indeed with any uprightnes of heart keep any one of the commandements of God Iam. 2.10 11. Because he that said do not commit adultery said also do not kill He that said Levit. 24.16 Hee that blasphemeth the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death sweare not great oathes hath said also Matt. 5.34 Sweare not at all He that hath said Levit. 19.17 Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart hath said also Col. 3.8 Put away anger yeeld not unto please not thy selfe in this that thou art so apt to be angry He that hath said Exo. 20.10 on the Sabbath thou shalt doe no manner of worke hath said also Esay 58.13 Thou mayest not follow thy pleasures on my holy day nor speake thine owne words He that hath said we must use to pray and God will powre out his wrath upon the families that call not on his name Ieremy 10.25 hath said also Iohn 4.24 God is a spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth and Exodus 20.17 The Lord will not hold him guiltlesse that taketh his name in vaine He that hath sayd Esay 1.16 Cease to do evill do nothing that is evill do no hurt to any hath said also in the next verse Esay 1.17 Learne to do well and Matthew 25.30 Cast the unprofitable servant him that hath done no good whose life hath beene no way usefull nor profitable unto others into utter darkenesse and Ephes. 5.16 Redeeme the time make conscience of spending it unfruitfully Lastly He that hath said 1 Pet 1.15 Bee ye holy in all manner of conversation that is in all outward actions and words hath said also Prov. 2.23 Keepe thy heart with all diligence So that if a man make no conscience of his thoughts how vaine wanton malicious worldly they bee that never troubleth him certainly he is not restrained from any wicked speeches or actions out of conscience to Gods commandement but out of some other respects and consequently there is no truth of heart in him One thing there is that our foolsh hearts art apt to object against this exhortation We are apt to thinke that this precisenesse this strictnesse to watch and take heed to our selves that wee offend not in the least thing putteth such a yoke upon a Christians necke as no man is able to beare maketh the life of a Christian a meere drudgery a most painfull and uncomfortable life Wee have an old proverb Qui medicè vivit miserè vivit If a man have so crazy a stomack that if in eating or drinking he swerve never so little from the rules of Physicke or from his ordinary dyet hee will straight be much out of temper surely that mans life must needs be very uncomfortable unto him And so many men thinke it is with them whose consciences are so tender and nice that the least sin will trouble them To this I answer 1. That a Christian life is certainly very painfull to flesh and blood and if we will
flesh is flesh And that is Iobs meaning Iob 14.4 No man can beget a child that is cleane from sin himselfe being uncleane Secondly Though many parents be themselves holy and have their hearts purified by faith yet do they also infect their children and derive unto them this corruption of nature as Isaac was borne with his fore-skin though his father were circumcised when he begat him and as the corne that groweth from the cleanest and purest seed riseth not without straw and chaffe Because we can derive nothing to our children in their naturall birth but that that was our owne and was naturall unto us as we heard of Adam Gen. 5.3 Hee begat a son in his own likenesse after his image Now that grace that is in us is not our owne not naturall unto us but wholly from God and supernaturall Iam. 1.17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and commeth downe from the father of lights Now before I come to the use that this doctrine serveth for I must first prevent the abuse that may be made of it For from this Doctrine it may seeme to follow 1. That such as are children of what age soever they bee are not much to bee blamed for any of their sins seeing their parents have bin the first authours of them 2. That they have no great cause to reverence and respect their parents that have done them so much wrong as to poison and infect them with so corrupt a nature But they that gather such conclusions from the Doctrine do not make a right use of it but abuse it rather For first Wicked children may not extenuate their sins nor lay all the blame of their lewdnesse and damnation upon their parents because they did receive from them this corruption of nature or say as Ezek. 18.2 The fathers have eaten soure grapes and the childrens teeth are set on edge nor say to their parents when they reprove them for any of their sins I pray whence had I this corruption of my nature may I not thanke you for it Woe be to him â—aith the Lord Esa. 45.10 that saith unto his father what begettest thou or to the woman what hast thou brought sorth For 1. they are themselves the authors of their owne destruction Hosea 13.9 O Israel thou hast destroyed thy selfe And Ezekiel 18.20 The soule that sinneth it shall dye the father shall not beare the iniquitie of the son The sins for which they perish and are plagued of God are their own nothing is so properly their own as their sins are Pro. 1.31 They shall eat the fruit of their owne way Yea this very originall sin and corruption of nature that is in them though they received it from their parents is their owne Iam. 1.14 Every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his owne lust 2 They have by their actuall sins made themselves much worse then they were when they came from their parents Mat. 23.15 Secondly Children may not take occasion hereby to despise their parents because they received from them this corruption of nature which is the cause of all their misery but they are bound to honour and reverence them in their hearts and to be every way dutifull unto them for all this Foure examples I will give you for this 1. Solomon shewed a great deale of duty and reverence to his mother 1 King 2.19 1. He rose up to meet her 2. He bowed himselfe unto her 3. He set her upon his right hand And yet he knew well what she had done when she was Vriahs wife It is no disparagement to the greatest that is to shew reverence to their parents though they be never so much inferiours in estate and degree unto themselves 2. Sem and Iaphet are blessed for this because they would not behold the nakednesse of their father when he lay like a drunken beast uncovered in his tent and Ham their brother is cursed of God because he did otherwise Gen. 9.22 23. A child is bound upon paine of Gods curse to be unwilling to heare or see or know any thing by his parents that may diminish that reverent opinion he ought to beare them in his heart 3. Iudah was extreamely importunate to have his brother Benjamin back againe out of Egypt upon this ground especially Gen. 44.31 that else he should bring his fathers gray haires with sorrow to the grave which he protesteth verse 34. he could not endure to see It should trouble a child to do any thing that might grieve his parents and he is bound in conscience to doe what he can to keepe his parents from sorrow and griefe 4 Though David complaine here of the corruption of nature he received from his parents yet yet did not that minish at all his dutifull respect unto them but in the time of his owne greatest distresses he had alwaies a great care to relieve and provide for them as we shall see 1 Sam. 22.3 Let my father and my mother I pray thee saith he to the King of Moab come forth and be with you till I know what God will do for me Every child is bound to relieve and provide for his parents if they stand in need and to account them worthy of double honour even that way also And no marvell for children have received such benefits from their parents as by all the duty they can performe to them they are never able to requite Let children saith the Apostle 1 Tim. 5.4 learne first to shew piety at home and to requite their parents for that is good and acceptable before God Marke 1 kindnesse and bounty is to be shewed to our parents first before all others 2 Hee calleth this piety religion a service done to God 3. This is a chiefe good worke that God delighteth in 4 This is but a requitall of the good we have received from them Yea certainely it is a requitall farre short of the benefits we have received from them Let me shew you in a word or two the benefits that every one of you have received from your parents even you whose parents have beene never so poore First If thy parents be godly and religious as through their meanes by nature thou didst inherit corruption and wert made the child of wrath so by their meanes through grace thou shalt be sure to inherit a blessing if the fault be not in thy selfe it is thy patrimony thou art borne to it thou maist challenge it at the Lords hands for thou hast his promise for it Psal. 112.2 The generation of the upright shall be blessed And Pro. 20.7 The just man walketh in his integrity his children are blessed after him Psal. 103.17 The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that feare him and his righteousnesse unto childrens children And this blessing that thou art borne to by being the child of Godly parents reacheth not onely to temporall and outward things according to that speech of David
his mother and 17.25 A foolish son is a griefe to his father and bitternesse to her that bare him Yea certainely it ought to be so we should bewaile it before God 1. In respect to our children themselves For the root from whence all this their lewdnesse springeth they had it from us We were they that first infected and poisoned them If any parents should see their child loathsomely consumed with the French disease which he had received from them in his birth would it not thinke you be a matter of much shame and humbling to them to behold it If any of us in the time of the great plague should at unawares have brought the infection into our house and set it upon all our children would not this have beene a marvellous affliction unto us And yet we have all done worse to our children then so we have set upon them a farre worse more dangerous more deadly infection we know then either the French disease or the pestilence They endanger but the body and this mortall life these the soules of our children everlastingly And shall not this then be a matter of shame and humbling before God 2. In respect unto God The Lord was angry with the Serpent and laid his curse upon it because it was but an instrument used by Satan for the corrupting of our first parents though it were no cause at all of it Gen. 3.14 And may not the Lord much more be angry with us and lay his curse upon us that have not onely beene the instruments to convey this cursed poison and corruption of nature into our children but the principall agents and causes of it Lecture LVIII On Psalme 51.5 May 22. 1627. FOlloweth the second use that this Doctrine serveth unto which is the use of exhortation to exhort and stirre us up that are parents to do the uttermost of our endeavour to worke grace in our children and so to cure that deadly wound that we have given them and to preserve them from perishing by that poison and infection that we have conveyed into them Now for the better enforcing of this so necessary an exhortation 1. I will give you certaine motives that may provoke us all to this care 2 I will shew you the meanes that we must use to this purpose And for the motives they are of three sorts 1. Some of them respect our children and our duty towards them 2. Some of them our selves and our owne comfort 3. Some of them concerne our duty towards God and the respect we should have unto his glory Of the first sort of motives there are two principally First Our love to our children bindeth us to it Nature moveth us to love them and hath given bowels of pity and compassion towards them when we see them in any misery Insomuch as the Lord hath beene pleased to set forth his mercy and compassion towards his children by this By the compassion of a mother Esa. 49.15 Can a woman forget her sucking child that she should not have compassion on the son of her wombe And by the compassion of a father Psal. 103.13 Like as a father pittieth his children so the Lord pittieth them that feare him He is worse then a beast that loveth not his children and grieveth not to see them in misery Lam. 4.3 Even the sea monsters draw out the breast they give sucke to their young ones And the Apostle teacheth us Rom. 1.31 that they that are without this naturall affection have extinguished in themselves the very light of nature and are in Gods just judgement given up unto a reprobate mind And what love can we beare to our children if we have no care of their soules the nature of true Christianity is to seeke the good of their soules whom we love Charity edifieth 1 Cor. 8.1 See how Abraham expressed his love to Ishmael Gen. 17.18 O that Ishmael might live in thy sight Thus did Solomons parents Pro. 4.3 4. I was my fathers sonne tender and onely beloved in the sight of my mother He taught me and said unto me Let thine heart retaine my words keepe my commandements and live Nay this is the onely way to expresse true love to their bodies and their outward estate also No lands or possessions we can leave thâ—â— can give us that assurance that they shall live comfortably even in this life as this will do if we can be a mean to breed saving grace in their hearts For 1 Tim. 4.8 Godlinesse hath the promises even of this life Secondly Admit we were not bound to love them above others yet are we bound in justice to make them amends for the wrong we have done them There is no man whom we have hurt in his body or goods or good name but we are bound in conscience to do what we can to make him satisfaction See the equity of Gods law in this point Exod. 21.19 He that smote him shall pay for the losse of his time and shall cause him to be throughly healed How much more are we bound to take care that our owne children may be throughly healed of that wound that we have given them in their soules of that filthy disease that wee have infected them with Now for the motives that concerne our selves and our owne comfort they are three principally First It will be a matter of singular comfort unto us to see the corruption of their nature healed and saving grace wrought in them specially if it be by our meanes A great comfort it is to a Minister to see any of his people reformed and woon to God by his labours Ye are our glory and joy saith Paul 1 Thess. 2 20. I have not greater joy saith the Apostle 3 Ioh. 4. then to heare that my children walke in the truth But this must needs be much more comfort to a parent to see this in his owne child A wise son saith Solomon Prov. 10.1 maketh a glad father And 23.24 25. The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoyce and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him thy father and thy mother shall be glad and she that bare thee shall rejoyce Secondly When grace is wrought in them specially if it be by our meanes they will be farre more loving and dutifull unto us then otherwise they can be A wise son saith Solomon Prov. 15.20 maketh a glad father How by his dutifull and respectfull carriage towards him this is his meaning there as appeareth by the last words of the verse but a foolish man despiseth his mother Se this in the sons of Isaack Esau cared not for grieving his parents by matching with the daughters of Heth but Iacob did Gen. 26.34 35. and 27.46 See it also in the sons of Iacob of all his sons Ioseph that had most grace was also the most loving and dutifull child unto him Genesis 45.11 This will make a man love him dearely that otherwise was a meere stranger unto him if hee
should have said ô what a wretch am I that have in me so cursed a nature so apt to offend God Certainly where there is truth of grace the heart will rise against our own corruptions The righteous soule as we see in the example of Lot 2 Pet. 2.8 will vex it selfe even for the sins of others therfore much more for his own And where this anger indignation against sin is nourished there sin cannot reigne That which Solomon saith of a backbiter Pro. 25.23 may be said of our lusts An angry countenance will drive them away They will soon grow out of heart if they be not much made of Thirdly and lastly We must be unfeignedly sorry and grieved in our selves for our corruption Even our spirituall poverty the consideration of this that in us that is in our flesh dwelleth no good thing Rom. 7.18 but an utter unaptnesse and untowardnesse to that that is good should be a just cause of mourning unto us upon poverty of spirit followeth mourning Mat. 5.3 4. how much more these strong inclinations we find continually in our selves unto that that is evill And even this grieving for our sins hath great force to weaken the strength of sin and to mortifie it in us By the sadnesse of the countenance saith the Holy Ghost Eccle. 7.3 the heart is made better And 2 Cor. 7.10 Godly sorrow worketh repentance unto salvation not to be repented of Certainely if we could thus resist our lusts and be displeased and mourne heartily for them our corruptions would not be so strong in us as they are On the other side how can it be avoided but they must needs grow headstrong in us and carry us whither they list when we are so farre from killing and crucifying them that we cannot abide to be at any trouble with them at all to put our selves to any paine for the subduing of them we never set our selves in opposition unto them nor are vexed or grieved in our selves for them but make them our best playfellowes and as Zophar speaketh Iob 20.12 13. wickednesse is sweet in our mouth wee hide it under our tongue we spare it and forsake it not Thirdly He that desireth to mortifie the corruption of his nature and keepe it from reigning in him must carefully shun all occasions and provocations unto it and be content to weane and abridge himselfe of all such things as he findeth do feed and increase it though the things be in themselves never so lawfull We must lay aside saith the Apostle Heb. 12.1 not onely every sinne that hindreth us in our spirituall race but every weight also every clogg though it be no sin The overmuch liberty that men have given to themselves in such things as are in their owne nature lawfull hath marvellously strengthened and increased the naturall corruption of their hearts and made it out of measure sinfull Looke into the description that our Saviour maketh Luk. 17.27 28. of the behaviour of the old world and of Sodom at those very times when Gods vengeance fell upon them What were they doing then They did eate and drinke saith our Saviour and marry and buy and sell and plant and build Why what hurt was there in all this Were not all these things most lawfull for them to do Ye◠verily But by overu-sing of these lawfull things and setting their hearts upon them they choaked all grace and care of heavenly things they fed and increased the pride and covetousnesse and cruelty and lust of their evill hearts and so drowned themselves in perdition All things are lawfull saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 6.12 but all things are not profitable And a Christian must have respect to this whether the thing that he useth be profitable for him and will doe him good as well as to that whether it be lawfull or no. When the Apostle Peter exhorteth the faithfull to take heed of their adversary the divell that he prevaile not over them nor overcome them 1 Pet. 5.8 he bids them be sober and watch The same may be said to them that desire to be preserved from the power of their owne corruptions and to overcome it they must not take too much of these outward comforts not more then will do them good not so much as will overcome them See the necessity of this in two particulars First To keepe company and to refresh and make our selves merry by eating and drinking liberally and using of recreations as shooting or bowling or hawking or hunting is in it selfe a thing very lawfull It is spoken of as blessing of God upon his people in Solomons time 1 King 4.20 that they did eate and drinke and make merry together But a man may easily surfet of this and take more then will doe him good as they did Amos 6.5 6. who by their drinking together their recreation and their mirth were made unsensible of the afflictions of Ioseph Nay it is not possible but the corruption of the heart must needs grow and increase in the best man that is if he keepe not a measure in these things When Solomon himselfe as strong a man as he was gave himselfe too much liberty this way that Whatsoever his eyes desired he kept not from them as he saith Eccle. 2.10 he withheld not his heart from any joy he corrupted himselfe fearefully And certainly of those men whereof the world now is full that give their nature the full swing in these matters of delight that are never well but when they are in the ale-house and in good company as they call it never well but when they are at one sport or other make every day a festivall day as Dives did Luk. 16.19 as if they had no other calling or were borne for nothing els of such men we may be bold to say there is no mortification in them no care at all to subdue the corruption of their nature such men care not how strong it grow how much it increase in them A Christian therefore is bound in the use of these things to enquire whether he be made the better or the worse by them and to say as Eccl. 2.2 I said of mirth what dost thou To use them with feare lest he should take hurt by them Iude 12. And when a man findeth that his weaknesse is such that he cannot use recreations nor keepe company as he hath done but he is made the worse by it apt to exceed and be overcome more unapt to the service of God and the duties of his calling he is bound in conscience to abstaine and weane himselfe from them The Apostle give thus in his own example two notable rules for this The first is 1 Cor. 6.12 All things are lawfull for me but I will not be brought under the power of any thing The other is in 1 Cor. 8.13 If meat make my brother to offend I will never eat flesh while the world standeth lest I make my brother to offend And much more
of Gods servants their very sins that they have fallen into have made them better servants unto God then ever they were before or then ever they would have beene if they had not so fallen Because Mary Magdalene had bin so great a sinner therefore she shewed more love to Christ then any other did who had not fallen so grievously as she had done Her sinnes which were many are forgiven saith our Saviour Luke 7.47 for shee loved much As if he had said Shee could not love me so much if shee had not had so many and so foule sinnes forgiven her Certainely it was so with Peter whose fall by denying Christ made him to love Christ more dearely then any other of the Apostles did as is plaine by Christs asking of him Iohn 21.15 not onely whether he loved him but whether he loved him more then his fellowes did And therefore also we shall find that hee was more bold and zealous ever after more void of feare in the confession of Christ then any other of the Apostles were Thirdly and lastly By this meanes the Lord maketh his children more meeke and humble and compassionate towards others more free from despising and insulting over others for their frailties and infirmities This is a disease that is hardly cured by any other medicine When the Apostle chargeth Titus to put his hearers in mind to speake evill of no man to bee no brawlers but gentle shewing all meekenesse unto all men Titus 3.2 He prescribeth that as a preservative against that corruption verse 3. For wee our selves also were sometimes foolish disobedient deceived serving divers lusts and pleasures living in malice and envy hatefull and hating one another If God had not let Paul feele the thorne that was in his owne flesh whereby as by a messenger of Satan hee was buffeted and abased he was in danger to have beene exalted above measure and to have growne proud and insolent with the aboundance of revelations he had received and therefore twice in one verse 2 Cor. 12.7 he saith this thorne in the flesh was given him least hee should bee exalted above measure And this good Peter also got by his fearefull fall that whereas before he was conceited and proud and stood upon tearmes of comparison Matth. 26.33 Though all men shall be offended because of thee yet will I never bee offended He thought better of himselfe then of any other man After his fall he was of another temper For when Christ asked him Iohn 21.15 Simon sonne of Ionas lovest thou mee more then chese which Christ knew well that he did hee durst not answere Yes Lord unto that demand but onely thus Lord thou knowest that I love thee As if he had said I dare not say more then any other not more then the meanest of thy servants but yet Lord thou knowest that I love thee though it bee poorely and wearkely yet I love thee And thus have I shewed you that the sins of the regenerate are not nor can bee in all respects either so hainous in themselves or so dangerous in respect of the consequents and punishment of them as the sinnes of wicked and unregenerate men are or may be Now should I come to the confirmation of the Doctrine and shew you that the sinnes that a man committeth who is truly regenerate are in sundry respects much more hainous and dangerous then the same sinnes are being committed by another man But this because the time is past I must deferre till the next day Lecture CVIII On Psalme 51.6 Ianu. 20. 1628. IT followeth now that we proceed unto the proofe and confirmation of the Doctrine and shew you That the sins of a man that is truly regenerat are in sundry respects much more hainous and dangerous then the same sins are being committed by another man Two sorts of witnesses there are to confirme this 1. The conscience of the regenerate themselves 2. The Lord who is greater then the conscience of any man For the first David and Peter may serve in stead of a thousand For as it is evident they were truly regenerated before they fell so is it as evident that they judged their sins to be so much the more hainous and damnable even for this cause because they were regenerate and in the state of grace before they committed them How David judged of his sin you may see in these words wherein he aggravateth his sinne by this argument And in the hidden part thou hadst made me to know wisedome As if he had said This this is that that maketh my sinnes intollerably heavy to my conscience that thou hadst given me saving knowledge I was in the state of grace when I yeelded to these tentations when I fell into these sins And see how neere hee was unto despaire how much adoe hee had to get assurance of pardon and to receive his comfort in God how oft he repeateth his suit and petition for pardon verse 1.2.7 8 9.12.14 And how Peter judged of his sin so soone as the violence of the tentation was past and God was pleased to open his eyes and let him see what he had done how deepe he sanke in sorrow how neere he was unto despaire how much a doe he had to recover his comfort and assurance of Gods favour it is evident not only by his weeping so bitterly for it Matth. 26.75 but specially by that great care Christ had to raise him up againe to comfort him more then for all the rest of the Apostles He appointed an Angell to send word to Peter by name of his resurrection Marke 16.7 Tell his disciples and Peter And he shewed himselfe first to him 1 Cor. 15.5 He was seene of Cephas then of the twelve And by encouraging him so earnestly and so pathetically Iohn 21.15.17 not to give over his ministery but to feed his lambs to feed his sheepe for all that But to these two I will adde one example more and that is of that poore Corinthian that fell into incest For as we have no cause to doubt but that he was a regenerate man before he fell into that sinne for he was a member of that Church of whom the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 1.2 that they were sanctified in Iesus Christ they were called to bee Saints so it is evident that when he came to see what he had done he judged his sinne to be so hainous and intolerable that he was brought even to the brinke of desperation Insomuch as the Apostle was faine to write unto the Church earnestly 2 Cor 2.7 8. that they would comfort him and confirme their love toward him for feare he were even swallowed up with over-much sorrow See by these three examples how the regenerate themselves have judged of their falls Now least any man should object against the strength of this proofe and say Alas it was the weakenesse of these men to grieve as they did and to be so troubled in their minds for their falls
they were distempered in their braines either with melancholy or Satans tentations as experience sheweth us dayly that many good soules are which made them judge worse of their estate then they had just cause to doe If they had beene their owne men and in their right minds they would easily have discerned they have no reason to be so troubled seeing they being once regenerate were not under the law but under grace and consequently their sinne whatsoever it were how hainous soever could not have dominion over them Rom. 6.14 They had not sinned nor could possibly sinne as other men did with the full sway of their soule the full consent of their will For the seed of God remaineth still in them as the Apostle speaketh 1 Iohn 3.9 They should not be damned for any sinne that they had committed or could commit For there is no condemnation to them that are once in Christ Rom. 8.1 It is not possible they should dye in their sinnes but they shall certainely be renewed by repentance No sin they can commit is able to separate them from the love of God or cast them out of his favour For whom Christ ever loved he loveth to the end Iohn 13.1 To these men that shall thus object as doubtlesse too many are apt to doe too many are apt to thinke that all Gods people whom they see humbled and much perplexed in mind for their sinnes are distempered in their braines or at least are but silly weake creatures voyd of all judgement to these men I say that those three persons whom I have brought for witnesses to confirme this truth were all in their right minds they were not mad they were not distempered in their braines either through melancholy oâ— tentation though I confesse many of Gods people are so often times they judged not otherwise of their falls then they had just cause to doe they were no more troubled for their sinnes then they had just cause to be And to prove this I will produce my second witnesse that I told you I would bring for proofe of this truth The Lord himselfe who is greater then the conscience doth thus judge of the foule sins that regenerate men fall into For notwithstanding all that hath bin sayd or can possibly be said out of Gods word touching the unchangeablenesse of Gods love to all that are in Christ or touching the perpetuity of their happy estate that are once truly regenerate yet the Lord hath both by his word and works given two testimonies in this case whereby he hath clearely declared how hee judgeth and esteemeth of the sins that his owne people fall into And the two testimonies God hath given concerning this matter are these 1. That he can no better brooke the sins of the regenerate then of other men but hateth sin as much in them as in any other person 2. That he hateth sin more in them then in any other Observe the proofe of the first of these two testimonies in three points First Of the sins of the regenerate of Gods owne people it is said that God will not pardon them Hee is an holy God hee is a jealous God saith Ioshua to Gods owne people Iosh. 24.19 hee will not forgive your transgressions nor your sinnes And even of Christ Iesus the Angel of the Covenant the Lord saith to his people Exod. 23.21 Obey his voice provoke him not for he will not pardon your transgressions and marke the reason God giveth for it For my name is in him As if he should say Because he is God therefore he will not pardon your transgressions he were not God if he should doe it What will you say cannot the sins that a regenerate man falleth into be pardoned Are all their falls impardonable sins No verily for I proved to you the last day that no Elect child of God can possibly commit the unpardonable sin that all their sins shall upon their repentance certainly be forgiven The blood of Iesus Christ his sonne cleanseth us from all sinne as the Apostle saith 1 Iohn 1.7 But in those fearefull sentences that I mentioned to you two things are to be understood 1. That God will not winke at Christ himselfe because he is God cannot brooke nor beare with the sins of his people he cannot count them innocent nor thinke well of them till they have repented 2. That though ever since they first beleeved and were converted they have had a pardon upon record in heaven that can never be revoked nor cancelled yet if they fall againe into grosse sins they shall haue no comfort at all of that pardon but be as if they had no pardon till by renewing their repentance and faith they have sued out their pardon and be able to shew and plead it in the Court of their owne conscience Secondly Of the regenerate of Gods owne people it is said that though they be not eternally damned for their sins yet the Lord will take uengeance of them and plague them for them in this life as grievouslly and sharply as any other men in all the world The Lord our God knoweth well how to love the person of his child and yet to hate his sin neverthelesse how to continue his fatherly affection towards him and yet to shew extreame detestation to his sin If they breake my statutes and keepe not my commandements saith the Lord Psalme 89.31 34. then will I visite their transgression with the rod and their iniquitie with stripes neverthelesse my loving kindnesse I will not utterly take from him nor suffer my faithfulnesse to faile my covenant will I not breake nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips And againe Psalme 99.8 Thou wast a God that forgavest them though thou didst take vengeance of their inventions Though the regenerate man hath a generall pardon and all his sins be so forgiven him as they shall never be imputed to his condemnation yet if he give himselfe liberty to sin he cannot hope to be exempted from any of Gods judgements and plagues that ever fell upon sinner in this life He may be plagued as much as ever man was in his estate in his name in his posterity in his body yea in his mind and conscience also And who can tell in what kind and in what measure God will plague him how heavy and sharpe or of how long continuance the judgement shall be wherewith he will afflict him The Lord we know hath great store and variety of judgements to punish sinners with He hath an armoury full of the weapons of his indignations as the Prophet speaketh Ieremy 50.25 O how terrible hath the Lord shewed himselfe to many of his deare servants this way He is apt indeed as we heard the last day to passe by the frailties and infirmities of his servants such as they discerne and bewaile in themselves but wilfull sins scandalous sins nay sins of negligence and carelesnesse such as themselves make no conscience of he is
not wont to winke at in them he is wont to correct them sharply for such sins Shall I instance in some few examples for this And indeed how should I spend the time more profitably in so secure an age as this First I will not stand upon the example of David how sharply God scourged him for those sins which he bewaileth in this Psalme with what changes and armies of sorrowes and plagues as Iob speaketh cap. 10.17 he followed him ever after all the dayes of his life For you may say his were most presumptuous and notorious sins such as few that were ever truly regenerate have fallen into I will therefore come to the second example wherein I will couple him and good Hezechiah together What say you to that foolish pride they shewed the one in numbring the people the other in shewing all his treasures to the Embassadours of the King of Babell O how severe was God in his judgments against them both even for this sin Of David it is said 1 Chron 21.14 that God slew of his subjects for that seventy thousand men And of Hezechiah it is said â— Chron 32.25 that for that sinne there was wrath upon him and upon Iudah and Ierusalem But you will say also that this was a presumptuous sin O that we would learne yet from this example how unable God is to brooke or beare with presumptuous sinne though it be but in heart in his deerest children But let us come to a third example What say you then to the sin of Aaron and Moses when they being bidden to speake onely to the rocke and promised that it should yeeld water enough for all the campe did but doubt a little and stagger at that promise and instead of speaking onely to the rocke smote it twice you shall see the story Numb 20.8 1â— and Moses in a passion spake unadvisedly with his lips as the Psalmist speaketh Psalme 106.33 Certainly this was but a frailtie in them no presumptuous sin and therefore you shall find the Prophet there Psalme 136.32 33. layeth that fault on the people rather then on them and so doth Moses himselfe also Deut 1.37 And yet see how angry the Lord was with them even for this sin Because of this he would by no meanes be intreated to let them goe into the land of promise though Moses earnestly besought him he would not heare him The Lord was wroth with mee saith he Deut. 3.26 and would not heare me but charged him to speake no more unto him of that matter O but you will say though this was but a sin of frailtie yet it was a scandalous sin True it was so indeed And the Lord alledgeth that for the cause why he was so provoked by it because it was done openly to the scandall of the people Numb 20.12 Then learne by this example how severe God will be in his judgements upon his people for scandalous sins But what say you then to Moses his delaying of the circumcision of his sonne to old Elyes bearing too much with his lewd sonnes and the faithfull Corinthians going to the Communion without care to prepare and examine themselves before Certainly these were but sins of carelesnesse and negligence And yet see how severe God was in his judgements against them even for these sins The Lord met Moses in the Inne and sought to kill him saith the text Exod. 4.24 The Lord did not only bring old Ely to a violent and strange death he brake his necke 1 Sam. 4 18. but he plagued his whole house and posteritie for ever for that sin in a most fearefull manner 1 Sam. 2.31 33 and cap. 3.11.14 The Lord sent a pestilence and mortality among the faithfull Corinthians even for this sin For this cause many are weake and sickly among you and many sleepe saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 11.30 Behold how God hateth and will punish his owne people even for their negligences and carelesnesse if they judge not themselves for it and make conscience of it But yet there is a third degree that sheweth much more how odious the sins of his owne people are unto the Lord. For of the regenerate of Gods owne people it is said that they may so sin as they may make their very persons odious and hatefull unto God they may make their God their enemy They rebelled and vexed his holy spirit saith the Prophet Esa. 6â— 10 speaking of the Church of God in the wildernesse therefore hee was turned to bee their enemy When God heard this that is when he understood this that they fell into idolatry for that was the sin that so provoked him then as you may see vers 58. hee was wroth saith the Psalmist Psalme 78.59 and greatly abhorred Israel Though the Lord can beare with many sins in his people or though he beare not with them yet can correct them only for them and love them never the worse as you know parents oft-times doe yet may Gods children fall into such sins as will even make them odious unto their father These are things which defile a man and will make him loathsome saith our Saviour Mat. 15.20 What are those things That he telleth us verse 19. Murders adulteries fornications thefts false witnesse blasphemies How can that be will you say Whom the Lord once loveth in Christ he loveth for ever I have loved thee saith the Lord to his people Ier. 31.3 with an everlasting love I answer That is most true Yet may his children so provoke him that though he doe not quite disinherite them or cease to be a father to them yet will he shew them no countenance or fatherly affection at all As David so loathed Absalom for murthering his brother that though he continued a fatherly affection towards him still yea and after that too when he had done far worse yet he could not abide to see him Let him turne to his owne house and let him not see my face saith he 2 Sam. 14 â—4 A Christian may by his sin cause his father so to loath him as it may be he shall never have good countenance of him againe he shall never see his face with comfort while he liveth His adoption the right and title he hath thereby to the word and Sacraments to Christ and vnto heaven the comfort I say of all these and of all the priviledges the 〈◊〉 he might make of them he shall loose As Vzzia when he fell into a leprosie lost not his kingdome the right title he had unto it therby but he lost the use and execution of his regall authoritie to the very day of his death as we read â— Chron. 26.21 Of Asa we read that though he dyed the child of God as appeareth both by that which is said of him in his life time 1 Kin. 15.14 that his heart was perfect with the Lord all his dayes and also by the testimonie is given of him twice after his death 2 Chron. 20.32 and 21.12
kingdome Feare not little flocke saith our Saviour Luke 12.32 For it is your fathers good pleasure to give you the kingdome Yea which addeth much to all his former favours he giveth them to know that he hath done all this for them Wee have received saith the Apostle in the name of the faithfull 1 Cor. 2.12 the spirit which is of God that wee might know the things that are freely given us of God Hee hath given them the comfortable sense of this his speciall love that he beareth to them above any other in the world They have tasted that the Lord is gracious as the Apostle speaketh 1 Pet. 2.3 Now proportionable to the goodnesse and bounty that the Lord hath shewed unto any must the greatnesse and hâ—inousnes of his sin needs be If a man be treacherous and unfaithfull to his dearest friend to his master to his owne father this we know will make him odious unto all men To whomsoever much is given saith our Saviour Luke 12 4â— of him shall much bee required and to whom men have committed much of him they will aske the more And thus doth the Lord aggravate the sin of his people Deut. 32.6 yea thus will the conscience of every child of God when it shall be awakened aggravate his owne sin Doe ye thus requite thâ— Lord ô yee foolish people and unwise Is not hee thy father that hath bought thee Hath he not made thee and established thee Fourthly and lastly The sins of the regenerate do more hurt then the sins of other men and therfore their sins are greater and more heinous then the sins of other men First The evill example of one Christian of note doth more encourage and harden wicked men in their sinnes then twenty examples of lewd men can doe If any man see thee that hast knowledge sit at meate in the idols temple saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 8.10 and that which he saith of that one sin may bee said of others shall not the conscience of him that is weake be emboldened to eat of meates offered unto Idols So the Lord saith Ezekiel 16.54 that the Iewes were a comfort to them of Sodom and Samaria As if hee should say It is a comfort to lewd men to see professours as bad as themselves And this is that that greatly aggravateth their sin will make it lye heavier on their conscience even when they have repented that they have beene the meanes of the damnation of others And thus God aggravateth the sin of the Iewes Iere. 6.28 They are all corrupters Secondly There redoundeth more dishonour to God from the sinnes of the regenerate then from the sins of any other man Yee shall keepe my commandements and doe them saith the Lord Levit 22.31 32. neither shall yee profuse my holy name As if hee had sayd If yee doe not my Holy Name will bee profaned All the sinnes of professours specially of men of chiefe note for piety will bee imputed by lewd men unto the Lord and cast as dirt upon his Holy Name and religion If but a woman that professeth religion be an idâ—e huswife or unquiet with her husband the word of God will be blasphenied saith the Apostle Titus 2.5 Nay if but a servant that professeth religion faile any way in his duty to his master the name of God and his doctrine will bee blasphemed saith he 1 Timothy 6.1 When Simeon and Levy had dealt so lewdly against the Shechemites Iacob telleth them Genes 34 30. they had made him to stinke among the inhabitants of the land Alas hee had no hand in their sinne hee did shew his utmost detestation to it so soone as hee knew of it True but the world is wont for the sinne of one or two of Gods people to open their mouthes against all of their profession yea to loath and abhorre them all and Gods holy religion it selfe for it In which respect it may bee sayd of Gods owne people as our Saviour speaketh of the Scribes and Pharisees Matth. 23.13 that by their foule and scandalous sinnes they doe even shut up the kingdome of heaven against men they doe utterly alienate the hearts of men from entring into the way that should bring them to heaven And this this is that that above all other things doth make their sinnes out of measure sinfull The sinne of Elies sonnes was very great before the Lord 1 Sam. 2.17 for men abhorred the offering of the Lord they loathed the worship and religion of God for their sin And this was that that the Prophet laid so heavily to Davids charge even after he had repented 2 Sam. 12.14 By this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme O that is an heavie thing Lecture CXI On Psalme 51.6 February 24. 1628. IT followeth now that we proceed unto the uses that this doctrine may serve us unto And they are to be referred all unto three heads principally For 1. Some of them have relation unto the fitnes and falls of other of Gods people which we see or heare of 2. Some of them have relation unto the judgements of God executed upon the Church and people of God 3. Lastly Some of them have relatâ—on unto our owne sinnes who professe our selves to bee the people of God and in the state of grace For the first The Doctrine wee have heard teacheth us how wee should judge of and bee affected with the foule and scandalous sinnes that wee see or heare that the professours of the Gospell and servants of God doe fall into And reprooveth three sorts of men that offend much this way The first are such as rejoyce in the falls of Gods children 1. Most wicked men are of this humour they have no better sport nothing that they do so heartily rejoyce in as in seeing or hearing or talking of the falls of such as have beene of note for piety and religion Heare me saith David Psal. 38.16 lest they should rejoyce over me when my foot flippeth and I catch a fall they magnifie themselves against me 2. Yea they rejoyce not onely in the sinnes that Gods people doe indeed fall into but out of the pleasure they take in it and that they may not want matter of rejoycing this way they devise slanders against them and charge them with such crimes as they were never guilty of They cast iniquity upon me saith David Psal. 55.3 and 35.11 They laid to my charge things that I knew not 3. And the most odious slanders that can bee devised against such men will goe for currant every where and be beleeved as Gospell The words of a tale-bearer of a slanderer in this kind especially are as flatterings saith Solomon Pro. 18.8 as your old translation readeth it that is please a man as much as it doth to heare himselfe flattered and they goe downe to the bowells of the belly that is they are received with such delight that they are perfectly digested In these three
so much the more and to take up Davids cry and resolution Psal. 119.126 128. It is time for thee Lord to worke and to shew thy power for the maintaining of thy truth and Gospell for they have made void thy law thy word and truth is of no reckoning and account with men therefore even for this very cause Oh happy man that can say so therefore love I thy Commandements above gold yea above fine gold therefore I esteeme all thy precepts concerning all things to bee right and I hate every false way And now that I have thus shewed you how much need we have of this exhortation to constancy in our Religion I will for the better enforcing of it first give you some motives to perswade and provoke you to it and then shew you the meanes how it may be obtained And the Motives I will give you shall be but two First take heed how you suffer your selves to be corrupted in judgement how you approve in your judgement of any erroneous Doctrine for corruption in judgement is the most dangerous corruption of all others worse then corruption in manners is specially in a man that hath beene formerly inlightned with the knowledge of the truth To allow of any evill we doe in our judgement and to defend it as lawfull is a greater sin and argues a man to be more under the power and dominion of sinne then the committing of sinne doth Therefore the Apostle in the person not of a naturall but of a regenerate man comforts himselfe in this Rom. 7.15 That which I doe I allow not and Verse 16. I consent to the Law that it is good and Verse 25. With my minde I serve the Law of God The Leprosie in the head was of all kinde of Leprosies most dangerous The Priest shall pronounce him utterly uncleane saith the Lord Leviticus 13.44 his plague is in his head As the soule is the excellency of a man so is the spirit and judgement the excellency of the soule and that that God hath set in a man to guide and governe all other the powers and facultyes of it The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord saith Salomon Prov. 20.27 a divine light set in the soule to direct the whole man And if the light that is in thee be darkenesse saith our Saviour Matth. 6.23 if thy minde and judgement be once corrupted how great how dangerous is that darkenesse Take heed therefore saith he Luke 11.35 that the light that is in thee be not darkenesse take heed that thy judgement be not corrupted Most men are of opinion that if a mans life and conversation be honest and good it is no great matter what his opinion in Religion be But they are much deceived An unsound and corrupt judgement in Religion will make a man more odious unto God then many foule corruptions in life and conversation will doe To the unbeleeving saith the Apostle Tit. 1.15 Nothing is pure for even their minde and conscience is defiled Even their minde is defiled saith he The corruption of the minde is the highest degree of corruption that can be Nay it is not only an high degree of corruption to be corrupt in judgement but it is also a grievous punishment of God when a man through want of judgement to discerne betweene truth and falshood shall receive errour and forsake the truth This is said to be the judgement that God did make choice of to punish the Gentiles for their most hainous sins God gave them over saith the Apostle Rom. 1.28 to a reprobate minde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to a minde void of judgement as your margin well renders it When thou once losest thy judgement that thou canst not discerne betweene truth and errour in the matters of thy faith and salvation know that thou art under a most heavy curse of God Secondly If any of you shall change your judgement in Religion and be apt to embrace errour and forsake the truth you shall thereby declare your selves never to have beene taught of God never to have had any truth of grace or goodnesse in you What will you say is every one that holdeth any errour in Religion utterly void of all grace For answer unto this you must understand that there is great difference in the errours that men hold and in the manner of their holding them also As in the law of God which is the rule of our practice there are some more weighty matters as our Saviour speaketh Matth. 23.23 and some that are lesse weighty So among those truths in Religion that are to be knowne and beleeved there are some that are more fundamentall of more absolute necessity to salvation to be knowne and beleeved then some others are As in the body of man some wounds are mortall Viz. such as touch the braine or heart or other vitall parts some others though they be very deepe and grievous yet are not mortall so it is in the errours of the minde some of them touch the head not holding the head saith the Apostle Col. 2.19 and destroy the faith as he speaketh 2 Tim. 2.18 they overthrow the Doctrine of justification only by faith in Christ which is the very life of a Christians soule but some of them doe not so To answer therefore more distinctly unto the question I say That errours of this latter kinde that doe not touch upon the foundation may doubtlesse be in the man that is in the state of grace He that held himselfe bound in conscience in the Apostles time to observe all those dayes that God in Moses dayes had made holy and to abstaine from all those meates that by that law were made uncleane did out of doubt hold an arrour in Religion and yet the Apostle Rom. 14.1 6. speakes of such a man as of the deare child of God and saith plainly of him Verse 3. That God had received him into favour yea hee shall bee holden up saith he Verse 4. he shall persevere in the state of grace for all the errour that he holds Yea he forbids Gods people that were sounder in judgement than he to despise him or judge him to be void of grace nay he commands them to receive him converse with him think well of him love him notwithstanding this errour of his As every errour of judgement doth not separate a man from Christ so neither should it separate the members of Christ in love and affection one from another When any two of us differ in judgement in any matter of religion whatsoever the one of us certainly must needs be in an errour And he that is in the errour so it be but an errour of this kind may be every whit as holy a man yea and holier too than he that holdeth the truth For the dearest of Gods children in this life may be subject unto such errours The best may say of themselves as the Apostle doth 1 Cor. 13.9 We know but in part And
faithfull Iewes that had beene before much offended with Peter for going unto Cornelius heard of the fruit and successe of his Ministery there it is said Acts 11.18 That they hâ—ld their peace and glorified God saying then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life Though we know that the Iewes naturally fretted at nothing so much as this to heare that the Gentiles should become Gods people as every naturall man doth to see others more Religious then him selfe yet the Iewes that were converted joyed greatly in this When Paul and Barnabas Acts 15.3 declared to them the conversion of the Gentiles they caused great joy unto all the brethren He that hath any grace in his owne heart will joy in the conversion of others And on the other side he that hath the spirit of Christ in him cannot choose but grieve to see how unfruitful the Gospel is in most places how little power it hath in the hearts of men This the Prophet foretold Esa. 53.1 should be the complaint and lamentation of the Ministers of the Gospell and daily experience proves it to be so Who hath beleeved our report and to whom is the arme of the Lord revealed And of our blessed Saviour it is said Mar. 8.12 that when he saw the infidelity and hardnesse of heart that was in the Pharisees and Iewes who though they had seene so many miracles of his and heard so many of his gracious and powerfull Sermons could not beleeve but asked still for a signe from heaven that he sighed deepely in his spirit to see and thinke of this And so will every one in some measure doe that hath the spirit of Christ in him when hee seeth the marvellous senselessenesse of most men under the powerfull and excellent meanes of grace that they doe enjoy The reasons of this point and the application of it I must deferre till the next day Lecture CLI On Psalme 51.7 November 29. 1631. IT followeth now that we proceed to give you the grounds and reasons of this point and then make some application of it unto our selves The reasons then why we should thus take to heart the cause of God and of his holy Religion why we should joy in the liberty of the Gospell and in the fruitfulnesse and good successe of it and mourne for the contrary are three principally according to the respect we ought to have unto three severall persons that are interested in it in respect had 1. Vnto other men 2. Vnto our selves 3. And principally unto the Lord. The first reason I will for the helpe of your understanding and memory deliver distinctly unto you in three degrees First we are bound in conscience to love the persons of all men and we can have no comfort in our owne estate unlesse our hearts can beare us witnesse we doe so The Lord make you saith the Apostle 1 Thes. 3.12 to increase and abound in love one towards another and towards all men Secondly If we do not love their soules unfeignedly desire their salvation there is no true love to them in our hearts I know well the most of you thinke otherwise you thinke you love your neighbours your friends your Wives your children well and dearely though you have no care at all of their soules but leave the care of them to God alone Nay they are of all others accounted the most loving and kind natured men that have least care of all either of other mens or of their owne soules whose kindnesse and good fellowship shewes it selfe in nothing more then in poysoning and destroying one anothers soules But be not deceived beloved the holy Word of God by which thou must be judged at the day of thy appearing before the judgement seat of Christ defineth love otherwise then thou doest and saith thou bearest no true love at all to the person whose soule thou hast no care of Thus Paul expressed and proved his unfeigned love to the Iewes his country men Rom. 10.1 Brethren my hearts desire and prayer to GOD for Israel is that they might be saved Because we are bound to love all men we are bound to desire the salvation of all men that God would give to all places to all people the meanes of their salvation and make them effectuall in their hearts This is plaine by that prayer of the Church Psalm 67.2 3. That thy way may be knowne upon earth thy saving health among all nations let the people praise thee O God let all the people praise thee If we doe not grieve to see how people lye in ignorance and infidelity and profanenesse and so under the power of Satan we beare no true love to them at all The Apostle professeth his love this way also unto his country men Rom. 9.1 2. his conscience did beare him witnesse in the Holy Ghost that he had great heavinesse and continuall sorrow in his heart for their blindnesse and obstinacy Nay he hateth them in his heart that cannot grieve to see them live in this estate Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart saith the Lord Levit. 19.17 thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour and not suffer sinne upon him If we suffer men to live in any sinne were it in our power to helpe it if we be utterly carelesse of it and it never trouble us to see it the Lord you see saith plainly that we hate them in our hearts And whosoever hateth his brother is a murtherer saith the Apostle 1 Ioh. 3.15 and ye know that no murtherer hath eternall life abiding in him or is in the state of grace If this be so as doubtlesse it is alas how hainous a sin are we all guilty of that neither doe any thing to bring them out of this misery they lye in nor are at all grieved and troubled for it Thirdly If we doe truly desire the salvation of men and grieve to see them perish in ignorance and profanenesse then will we desire that sound preaching may abound and will grieve to see the preaching of the word hindred any way Because the meanes whereby the soules of men must be saved is preaching It hath pleased God by the foolishnesse of preaching to save them that beleeve saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 1.21 that is first by preaching hee workes faith in men according to that faith commeth by hearing Romans 10.17 and then by faith hee saveth them But why doth hee call it the foolishnesse of preaching Not that it is so indeed but that carnall men doe account it so for so he expoundeth himselfe Verse 18. The peeaching of the crosse is to them that perish foolishnesse they that perish and shall goe to hell account so of it But you will object and say cannot men be saved without preaching I answer that preaching is the meanes that he hath appointed to doe this worke by ordinarily Other sheepe I have saith our Saviour Iob. 10.16 which are not of this fould are not yet come
the Scriptures and bringing the Word unto their remembrance he should be their Comforter 2. And for a conclusion of my speech touching this third meanes of patience let me say to such as are despisers of the Word that have not so much as a Bible in their houses or if they have take no delight in the reading or hearing of it but say unto God in their hearts with the Atheist in Iob 21.14 Depart from us for we desire not the knowledge of thy waies if persecution should come and the sword of the enemy with what patience and comfort will you suffer that have no grounded knowledge out of the Word whether the religion you professe be the truth or no No man can with comfort suffer for the truth that is not certaine it is the truth When Paul prayeth for the Colossians that their hearts might be comforted Col. 2.2 he prayeth that God would give them all riches of the full assurance of understanding to the acknowledging of the mystery of God He that is fully assured with understanding that that is the truth of God that he suffereth for he may suffer with comfort and none but he Nay I will say more unto you what patience or comfort can such as you that make no more reckoning of the Word have on your death beds whensoever that houre shall come Certainely none at all for as you have heard there is no true patience nor comfort nor hope to be found but in the knowledge of the Scriptures And therefore it is spoken of as the very upshot of the misery of a wicked man Pro. 5.23 He shall die without instruction O they are in a miserable case that die without instruction and alasse how many thousands are miserable this way Let me therefore say to every one of you as Solomon doth Pro. 19.20 Heare counsell and receive instruction that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end If nothing else will cause you to esteeme of the Word yet let this do it that you may die with comfort that you may finish your course with joy Fourthly He that would be able patiently and meekely to beare afflictions and to submit himselfe obediently to the will of God in them must labour to get a true knowledge and sense of his owne sinnes Nothing hath more force to tame the heart of man and to breed patience in it under the crosse then this hath I will beare the indignation of the Lord saith the Church Mic. 7.9 Because I have sinned against him This is also plaine in the order of the three first Beatitudes Mat. 5.3 5. Blessed are the poore in spirit and then blessed are they that mourne and then blessed are the meeke Poverty of spirit sight and sense of sin will cause mourning and humiliation and these two will make us as meek as lambs under the corrections of the Lord. It is the privie pride of our hearts and the having too good a conceit of our selves that is the chiefe cause of all our impatiency and murmuring under the crosses that lye upon us If we knew our sins well and were truly humbled for them we would easily acknowledge that that which we endure is nothing to that that we have deserved at Gods hands we would say with David Psal. 103.10 He hath not dealt with us after our sins nor rewarded us according to our iniquities And with holy Ezra 10.13 Thou our God hast punished us lesse then our iniquities deserve It was the sense that David had of his sins that made him thus to cleare the Lord when he so sharply judge and corrected him and to beare it so patiently as we have heard he did Let us all therefore when Gods judgements lie heavie upon us hearken to that counsell which the Church in her extreame affliction from her owne experience doth give us Lam. 3.39 40. Wherefore doth a living man complaine a man for the punishment of his sins Let us search and try our waies and turne againe to the Lord. But some will object This is bad counsell certainely If when the Lord hath cast me downe by any of his judgements I should also cast downe my selfe by calling my sins to remembrance this were the way to bring me to despaire to make me utterly unable to beare any thing to make me to faint and to sinke under mine affliction And from this conceit it groweth that men cannot abide no not upon their death beds that either themselves or their friends should be put in mind of their sins But to these I answer that the sight of sin when it is joyned with true sorrow and humiliation of soule for it is not the way to despaire it is the onely way to bring us unto true comfort He is worthy to be beleeved that said so Mat. 5.4 Blessed are they that mourne for the poverty of their spirits he meaneth for that want of grace and aboundance of corruption they find in themselves for they shall be comforted God that comforteth those that are cast downe saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 7.6 comforted us Let me apply this in a word or two to you al that are now shortly to go to the Lords Table This holy Sacrament is a Feast wherein every Christian soule may receive more sound joy and comfort then by any meanes that God hath given us under heaven besides It is said that at the receiving of the Passeover in Hezekiahs time 2 Chron. 30.25 26. all the congregation rejoyced and there was great joy in Ierusalem And yet that Sacrament was not so effectuall a mean to breed joy and comfort in the hearts of Gods people as ours is It is also said of the noble Eunuch that he found great comfort in the Sacrament of Baptisme Acts 8.39 He went away rejoycing And yet there is not so much comfort to be received by that Sacrament neither as by this This is the Supper of the Lord wherein the Body and Bloud of our blessed Saviour is represented and exhibited by the elements of Bread and Wine creatures that God hath given above all things to strengthen and make glad the heart of man Ps. 104 15. But alasse how few are there that receive any sound comfort by this holy Sacrament or that go away rejoycing from it Would you know the true cause of it Certainely this it is we go not to it with soules humbled and mourning for our sins and how then should we go away comforted from it Christ was anointed and appointed of God to bind up the broken-hearted to comfort such as mourne Esa. 61.2 3. and not such senslesse creatures as we are He biddeth such to come to him as labour and are heavie laden Matth. 11.28 and promiseth to give them rest He never promised to give rest and comfort to such as we are that when we come to him never feele our sinnes to be any burden unto us In time of Popery at this time of the yeare all men held themselves bound in
conscience to confesse all their sinnes to the Priest and they had directions given them to helpe them in calling to mind their sins I know God required no such thing at their hands and it was but a counterfeit humiliation and repentance that was wrought that way But surely they did not so much offend in superstition then as we do in profanesse now No man holdeth himselfe bound now to call his sinnes to remembrance and make a particular confession of them unto the Lord before he goeth to the Sacrament and that is the cause why we find no more comfort in it I therefore heartily pray every one of you that desire to receive Christ in the Sacrament to the comfort of your soules that you would hearken unto and make conscience to do as the Apostle chargeth you to do 1 Cor. 11.28 Let every man examine himselfe And verse 31. If we would judge our selves we should not be judged of the Lord. If you would receive comfort by it you must examine your selves and finde out your speciall sinnes you must judge and afflict your owne soules for your sinnes if you will not doe this you shall be so farre from receiving comfort by the Sacrament as you shall become the worse by it God will judge and afflict you for comming unworthily unto it Lecture LIII On Psal. 51.4 April 3. 1627. FIftly He that would attaine unto this grace of true patience and be able to cleare the Lord as David doth heere when he shall judge him to beare patiently and comfortably whatsoever troubles and afflictions God shall bee pleased to exercise him withall must before that time commeth get a true and a lively faith even a comfortable assurance of his reconciliation with God through Iesus Christ. This power that there is in faith to make a man able patiently and comfortably to beare afflictions of what kind or degree soever they be is plentifully taught in the holy Scriptures and confirmed to us by the experience of the Saints of God The holy Apostle speaking of all the parts of the Christian armour and among the rest of that whereby the feet and legs are to be defended he calleth it Ephes. 6.15 The preparation of the Gospell of peace His meaning is that when once we are assured of our peace and reconciliation with God which is wrought by the Gospell then are we prepared to follow Christ through thicke and thin through the most hard and stony the most sharp and thorny way of any persecution and trouble whatsoever Being justified by faith saith the same Apostle Rom. 5.1 we have peace with God through our Lord Iesus And what followeth upon that Why when once we are justified from our sinnes and have peace with God then verse 3. We glory in tribulations And so doth the Apostle make this the ground of the strange patience of the Saints in the daies of the Maccabees when they were tortured and were tried with mockings and scourgings with bonds and imprisonment when they were some stoned and some sawne in sunder What made them able to endure such things and not to accept of deliverance when it was offered unto them if they would have yeelded a little Surely their faith as you shall find Heb. 11. 33.37 by faith they attained to this strength to this measure of patience I shewed you in the handling of the Doctrine that Gods servants and Martyrs could not be overcome nor made to yeeld unto adversaries when they endured such torments as were impossible for flesh and bloud to endure but became conquerours yea more then conquerours in them all as the Apostle speaketh Rom 8.37 But would you know how they came to this valour to this admirable strength to heare and to overcome such intollerable torments Surely it was their faith whereby they were assured of their peace with God that made them able to doe it as the Apostle speaketh in the same place and in the very next words For I am perswaded saith he verse 38 39. that neither death nor life nor Angels nor principalities nor any other creature shall bee able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Iesus our Lord. He that is so confidently perswaded of Gods unchangeable and everlasting love towards him in Christ no marvell though no affliction be ever able to overcome him though he become more then a conquerour in the greatest tribulations that can befall him So when it is said of the holy Martyrs Rev. 12.11 that they overcame the great Dragon in all the bloudy and extreame persecutions that he raised up against them under the cruell Emperours and Popes of Rome the meanes is also mentioned whereby they got such strength and patience to endure and overcome him They overcame him saith the holy Ghost by the bloud of the Lambe The faith they had in the bloud of Christ which was sprinkled upon their hearts made them able to beare and overcome so bitter torments as they did endure and so will it certainely doe any of us in the like case This is the victory that overcommeth the world even our faith saith the Apostle 1 Iohn 5.4 And this is the promise of God wee shall find Psal. 91.9 Because thou hast made the Lord which is my refuge thy habitation marke what followeth ver 13. thou shalt tread upon the Lyon and adder the yong Lyon and the Dragon thou shalt trample under thy feete You see what testimony the holy Scripture giveth to this fift meanes that is to say that faith will worke patience and make a man able to endure any thing consider also three effects of it and you will easily discerne it must needs â—ee so For first Faith worketh in the heart that hath it a light esteeme of all worldly things and he that is brought to that once will be easily able to suffer yea even to dye it is the over-much love we beare to these earthly things that maketh us so unwilling to dye or to endure any trouble By Christ saith the Apostle Galat. 6.14 the world is crucified unto mee They in whose hearts Christ dwelleth by faith the World becommeth base and contemptible unto them they feele the love and high esteeme of worldly things decayed in them Secondly Faith certifieth the heart that hath it of Gods love and he that is sure of that will bee able to endure any thing with patience from Gods hand Thus doth Iob stop the mouth of his impatient and foolish wife Iob. 2.10 What saith he shall we receive good at the hand of God and shall we not receive evill Shall we that have enjoyed so many moneths and yeeres of great prosperity and comfort thinke much to endure affliction and trouble for a few dayes We that have received so many demonstrations of Gods fatherly and unchangeable love shall we thinke much to receive correction from him Thus did our blessed Saviour confirme his owne heart in patience against those intollerable sufferings he was to
wicked men two wayes by the Examples of his severity towards his owne children 547 548 Iustification By Christ we are fully and perfectly delivered and freed from all our sinnes 315 316 All true believers are perfectly cleansed from their sinneâ— and pure in Gods eyes 655 The reasons of it 660 661 Foure maine differences betweene justification and sanctification 656 659 How perfectly a true believer is discharged of all his sinnes appeares in 5 points 659 We cannot be justified by inherent righteousnesse 669 670 Reasons of it 670 671 We are justified by Christs righteousnesse imputed to us 672 Objections answered 674 The knowledge of this that Christ hath purchased for us the pardon of our sinnes a sufficient ground of comfort 677. and so is the knowledge of this that Christs perfect obedience is imputed to us Ibid. K. Knowledge A Good signe to desire to know the whole will of God in all things that concerne us 423 786 794 Saving knowledge is the principall worke of Gods grace in the conversion of man 472 It is the foundation of other graces 473 It is the seed of other graces 475 All Gods people must seeke for saving knowledge 483 Signes of sanctified knowledge 485 c 1 The Word the onely object of it 2. Specially such parts of it as are most usefull and profitable for our selves 485. 3. It is cleare and certaine 4. There 's no fulnesse nor satiety in it 486 It works 1 humilitie 487. 2. Good affections 488. 3. Reformation of hearts and liâ—e 489 490. 4. Strengtheneth against tentations 491 Motives to seek knowledge 1. It concernes one as well as another to have knowledge in Religion and in the Scriptures 492 493. 2. It is a duty required of God Ibid. 494 3 It is a comfortable signe of Election and uprightnesse oâ— heart 495 4. It keepeth us constant in Religion and from danger of seducers 490 788 5. It makes us walke boldly and comfortably 497 Meanes 1. Be sensible of ignorance 2. Be truly humbled or sin 498. 3. Depend upon an ordinary and sound ministry 499. 4. Read the Word 5. Meditate 6. Conferre 7. Pray 501. Receive the Word with an honest heart 792 No man by naturall abilities can attaine saving knowledge without supernaturall grace 512 This cure not perfected in this life nor so perfectly in some as others but shall be perfected in heaven 514 Naturall mens knowledge not sufficient to salvation 515 The work of grace enlightning the understanding is extraordinarie and rare 516 This workes most free no reason of it but only Gods good pleasure Ibid. â—abour to understand every thing we do in Gods service 583 Danger of them that make light account of knowledge 598 L. Labour WE cannot performe any spirituall service unto God without labour 34 Love of God The love of God is the root of all true obedience 386 The true love of God a certaine signe of an upright heart 388 389 No wicked man doth indeed love God 390 c. There may bee true love of God in them that are much exercised with slavish feares 394 Love that is wrought in men towards God by his common savours is unsound 398 399 Faith the root of it 742 Every one that hath the Spirit of Christ loves God above all 798 Gods honour must be dearer unto us than any thing 809 M. Magistrates HAve great opportunity to honour God in their places 631 Maliciousnesse True faith will subdue it 733 734 Meanes God is the giver of all meanes and of the vertue in them to do us good 72 Meditation Meditate on that we heare 40 Memory We should be carefull to remember what we heare 39 And to keepe Gods favours in remembrance 646 Mercy of God The onely ground the best can have for hope of pardon is Gods mercy 102 c. Gods mercy most free 107 In him bowels of mercy 107 108 We must not rest in this to know that God is mercifull but labour to know that his mercy yea a speciall mercy belongs to us 126 Five differences between it and common mercies 126 127 Five notes to know whether it belong to us 127 128 Five notable effects that the assurance of Gods speciall mercy worketh in the conscience 129 130 The vilest sinner if he feele his sin and desire to turne to God need not doubt of finding mercy with him 130 c. Gods mercy to us in the things that concerne this life 224 225 In things that concerne our soules 225 c. Learne to be mercifull by example of Gods mercy 115 Ministers Why the faithfullest Ministers are so hated 46 47 What properties should be in the Minister that desires to do good specially in reproving sin 48 52 Ministers should not be given to suits and contentions 51 What manner of men Ministers had need to be 166.167 Ministers must chiefly labour to bring the people to knowledge to ground and stablish them in it 481 By what means he may do that 482 Ministers have great opportunity to honour God 631 Ministers teaching by warrant of Gods Word are to be obyed 724 A man that hath no truth of grace in himselfe may be a meanes to converâ— others 805 Ministry of the Word The means which God hath sanctified and by which he hath been wont to worke repentance and grace 18. and knowledge 499. and constancy in the truth 796 What mighty works it hath wrought and the reason it hath done so 18 21 We should resolve to live under it and why 23 24 48 To be accounted a chiefe blessing 25 478 800 804 That the best that applyeth the Word particularly and reproveth sin boldly 44 A principall work of mercy to procure or provide that for a people 479 It is Gods speciall and free favour that any of us enjoy the sound Ministry of the Word 503 507 That the Ministry of the Word is effectuall to conversion is to be ascribed onely to the Spirit 507 509 They are in a fearefull estate that enjoy not the Ministry of the Word 526 527 And also they that enjoy it and cannot profit by it 528 A great mercy to enjoy the Ministry of the Word but specially when we profit by it 531 532 We should rejoyce in this 802 803 Modesty The people of God dare not speake boldly nor immodestly of filthy actions 6 Mortification Seven meanes of it 317 c. We may with confidence go to Christ for helpe against our spirituall infirmities 331 Objections against that answered 335 Faith the onely means of mortification 732 Musicke Three things to be observed concerning the Musicke they had in the worship of God under the Law 3 N. Neighbours HOw we came to make our selves guilty of the sinnes of others 179 c. 219 We are bound to desire and procure so farre as in us lieth that all men may have the means of knowledge 477 478 O. Oath GReat care to be had in taking an oath and keeping it 183 The common sinne in taking an oath
so carelesly and making so little conscience in keeping it 184 Occasions of evill to be shunned 318 Officers Bound to present infamous and scandalous persons 182 They sin that keep men from publike pennance 187 188 Obedience Be willing to yeeld passive obedience unto God 245 249 Conscionable care to please God a sure note of uprightnesse 378 True obedience is universall 419 c. 724 726 Yet speciall care to be had of those things God hath given us speciall charge of 422 The onely rule of true righteousnesse is the Word 380 c. How the upright man sheweth equall respect to all the commandements 423 c. Forth the root of it 737 741 Five notes of Evangelicall obedience 754 Obedience must be done in a right manner 433 c. Oppression Against such as are undoers of others 124 Originall sinne Is derived from the parents and why 282 283 For this sinne above all others God may justly abâ—orre us and we have most cause to bee humbled in our selves 301 303 Three motives to perswade us to seek deliverance from it and two meanes 313 317 Consider Gods mercy and goodnesse towards us in that regard 336 P. Papists THeir errours touching originall sinne 305 c. Touching justification 662 c. Parents To be humbled for the corruption and sinne that appeares in their children 286 Parents should use their utmost indeavour to breed grace in their children 287 c. Diverse motives Ibid. Means Parents must use to save their childrens soules 291 c Parents must maintaine their authority over their children 291 How they come to lose it 292 Their sin in neglecting to keep them in awe 293 294 They must instruct their children 1. Instilling betimes the beginnings of knowledge 294. 2. Acquainting them with the practice of Religion 295. 3. Bringing them to the publike worship 4. Examining them how they profit Ibid. They must be carefull to give them good example 298 They must take heed how they place them at schoole in service in mariage 299 They must pray for them Ibid. Parents using these meanes need not doubt they shall lose their labour 300 Patience We have need of it 250 Seven notes of it 251 c. Motives to it 253 c. Meanes 260 c. Perseverance Study to persevere unto the end 12 The marvellous mercy of God to bee acknowledged in the perseverance of any in the state of grace 347 352 Take heed of declining and falling fâ—om grace 431 432 The regenerate elect child of God caâ—â—ot sin so hainously as every unregenerate man may do 533 c. Constancy in the true Religion is a signe a man hath the Spirit of Christ. 766 c. God hath given great testimony to this 76â— The faithfull have found much comfort in â—t 〈◊〉 They whom the Spirit hath taught 〈…〉 persevere in the truth 〈◊〉 Motives to constancy in the truth 7â—â— 7â—2 Meanes to it 782 Though it be ascribed to the Lord alone yet he worketh it by meanes and will have us to bee agents in this worke 783 Predestination Gods decree of Predestination is most righteous 248 249 Prayer Gods people in all distresse must seeke for comfort from God by prayer 59. c. Extremity of affliction should not keepe us from it 63 64 Nor sense of our owne vilenesse 64 65 Nor inability to pray 68 69 c Nor a conceit that it 's to no purpose to pray 69 c. Prescript and set formes of Prayer may bee used 68 Why God delayes to answer the prayers of his servants 75 76 What we must then do 78 c. God gives often a gracious answer to the prayers of his servants though they perceive it not 76 Five severall wayes God shewes respect unto and gives a gracious answer to his peoples prayers 76 77 Six principall faults that use to blemish and weaken our prayers 81 c. 637 Five notable encouragements to prayer specially in inward afflictions 153 Prayer a speciall meanes to get grace to beare afflictions comfortably and patiently 273 Long prayers not unlawfull so it be with foure cautions 310 Prayer a meanes to conquer corruptions 322 And to get assurance of Gods favour in Christ. 636 A singular good thing to keep a constant course in prayer 700 Faith eâ—ableth us to pray well 743 Practice Presently set upon the practice of what wee have learned 43 Making conscience to practise what we have learned meanes to establish us in the truth 792 Preaching of the Word Is a meanes to bring men to Christ. 19 The godly man will rejoyce in the plentifulnesse of it 801 for three reasons 803 809 Preaching necessary now 813 Obiections against it answered 810 c. Preparation To the hearing of the Word wherein it consists 30 c. Presumption Take heed we sin not presuming that we shall repent before we die 15 The vanity of those conceits which keepe many from being troubled with their 〈◊〉 89 93 Hypocrites use to be confident 377 Presume not to sin because of the fals of Gods people 554 c. The danger of Presumption 620 625 744 Signes of it 628 629 Private duties Secret confession of sinne most necessary convenient and beneficiall 193 195 Psalmes The titles of them not to be omitted as superfluous and impertinent 1 Why committed to the chiefe Musitian 4 Singing of Psalmes an ancient and excellent ordinance of God 4 How Psalmes should be sung 6 Punishment The consideration of punishment may cause a faithfull man to mourne and grieve for sinne and to be afraid of it 218 Christ hath satisfied as well for the temporall as eternall punishment due to our sinnes 662 663 Though the afflictions men induce be in their owne nature punishments yet are they not so to all men 664 665 Profanenesse In some respects the open profane persons case is worse than the hypocrites 718 Profession Live so as men may be witnesses of thy goodnesse 418 He that hath assurance that Christ is his will proâ—esse and declare himselfe openly to bee Gods servant 627 We may hate the sinnes of professors but not hate them for any goodnesse they professe Three notes whereby we may see many hate professors for their goodnesse 716 717 Prosperity He that hath not Christ can have no comfort in his prosperity 686 Great is their folly that preferre worldly things before Christ. 690 R. Regenerate THe sinnes the regenerate fall into are in sundry respects greater than the sinnes of others 539 542 548 552 God will plague sinne as much in them as in any other in the world 540 541 In this life he sheweth more hatred to the sinnes of such than to the sinnes of other men 542 c. The goodnesse in the regenerate man in three respects surpasseth the goodnesse in the morall man or hypocrite 729 730 Religion That 's the true Religion that gives the whole glory of mans salvation to the free grace and mercy of God 110 523 The truth we have received by warrant of