of that comfortable provision and gracious strength which should support it in the day of sorrow and leaves it at last to the tempestuous winter-night of death and all those desperate terrours that attend it like a scorched heath-ground without so much as any drop of comfort either from Heaven or earth 2. A second sort worse then the former are such as are so farre from treasuring up in this time of light and mercifull visitation soundnesse of knowledge strength of saith purity of heart clearnesse of coÌ„science holinesse of life assurance of Gods favour contempt of the world many sanctified Sabbaths fervent prayers holy conferences heavenly meditations dayes of humiliation righteous dealings with their Brethren compassionate contributions to the necessities of the Saints workes of iustice mercy and truth a sincere respect to all Gods Commandements a carefull performance of all spirituall Duties a conscionable partaking of all Gods Ordinances a seasonable exercise of every grace hatred of all false wayes an hearty and invincible loue unto God and all things that He loues or any wayes belong unto Him His Word Sacraments Sabbaths Ministers Services Children Presence Corrections Comming c. which are the ordinary provision of Gods people against the evill Day I say they are so farre from prizing and preparing such spirituall store that they hoard up stings scourges and scorpions for their naked soules and guilty consciences against the Day of the Lords visitation I meane lies oathes blasphemies Adulteries whoredomes selfe-pollutions variety of strange fashions gaming 's revellings drunken matches good-fellow meetings wanton dancings usuries falshoods hypocrisies plurality of ill gotten goods Benefices Offices honours filthy iests much idle talke flanderous â—â—les scoffs raylings oppositions to the Holy way c. And that with a cursed greedinesse and delight For they cry One unto another out of a boysterous combination of good fellowship with much eagernesse and roaring Come on therefore Let us fill our selves with costly wine and ointments and let no flower of the Spring passe by us Let us crowne our selves with Rose buds before they be withered Let none of us goe without his part of our voluptuousnesse Let us leave tokens of our pleasure in every place For this is our portion and our lot is this Let us lie in waite for the righteous because hee is not for our turne and be is cleane contrary to our doings c. But alas what will bee the conclusion of all this or rather the horrible confusion Even all their ioviall revellings roaring Outrages and sinfull pleasures which are so sweete in their mouthes and they swallow downe so insatiably shall turne to gravell and the gall of Aspes in their bowels and to fiery enraged scorpions in their consciences Where lurking in the meane time in the mudde of sensuality and lust breede such a never dying worme which if God thinke fit to awake upon their last Bed is able to put them into Hell upon earth to damne them above ground to knaw upon their Soule and flesh with that unheard-of horrour which seizde upon Spir'as woefull heart Who protested being fully in his right minde that Hee would rather be in Cain's or Iudas his place in Hell then endure the present unspeakeable torment of His afflicted spirit To beate them from this bedlam desperate course of greedy hoarding up such horrible things unto themselves against their ending houre Let them consider 1. Besides the eternity of ioyes for the one and of torments to the other hereafter the vast and unvaluable difference in the meane time in respect of true sweetenesse and sound contentment betweene the life of a Saint and a Sensualist a Puritan as the World calls Him and a goodfellow as hee termes Himselfe Let us for the purpose peruse the different passages of one day as Chrysostome excellently delineats them and represents to the life Let us produce two men saith He the one drown'd in carnall loosenesse sensualities and riotous excesse the other crucified and starke dead to such sinfull courses and worldly delights Let us goe to their houses and behold their behaviour We shall find the One reading Scriptures and other good Bookes taking times for holy Duties and the service of God sober temperate abstemious diligent also in the necessary duties of His Calling having holy conference with God discoursing of Heavenly things bearing himselfe liker an Angell then a Man The other joviall a vassall of luxury and ease swaggering up and downe Ale-houses Tavernes or other such conventicles of good fellowship hunting after all the wayes meanes and men to passe the time merrily plying his pleasures with what variety hee can possibly all the day long rayling and roaring as tho He were enraged with a Devill tho He be starke dead while He is alive c. Which is accompanied with murmuring of the family discontent of the wife chiding of friends laughing to scorne of enemies c. Whether of these courses now doe you thinke were the more comfortable I know full well the former would bee cried downe by the greatest part as too precise and the latter would carry it by a world of men but heare the Puritane Fathers impartiall holy censure quite crosse to the common conceite and humour of flesh and blood It is excellent and emphaticall arguing His resolute abomination of the wayes of goodfellowship and infinite love and admiration of the holy Path. Having given to the Goodfellow His hearts desire all the day long in all kindes of voluptuousnesse and delight yet for all this Who is he saith He that is in his right minde and hath His braines in His head that would not chuse rather to die a thousand deaths then spend but one day so This peremptory passage would bee holden a strange Paradoxe from the mouth of any moderne Minister and so appeares to the carnall apprehension of all those miserable men who are blindfolded and baffled by the Devill to the eternal losse of their Soules But besides that it might bee made good many other wayes it is more then manifest by comparing that threefold sting that dogs every sinfull delight at the heeles c. See my Booke of Walking with God pag. 17â— with the comfortable contentment and secret sweetenesse which might and should attend all well-doing and every holy duty done with uprightnesse of heart The very Philosophers doe tell us of a congratulation a pleasing contentednesse and satisfaction in doing vertuously according to their morall Rules What true solid and singular comfort then doe you thinke may bee found in those godly actions which spring from faith are guided by Gods Word directed to his glory and whose bewailed defects and failings are most certainely pardoned by the bloud of his Son Now what an extreme madnesse is this for a Man to sell His salvation for a life of pleasures abhorring the wayes of Gods Childe as too precise and painefull whereas besides Hell for the one and Heaven for the
most compassionate and tender-hearted to others afflicted with the same wofull terrours and troubles of conscience A woman which hath herselfe with extraordinary paine tasted of that exquisite torture of child birth is wont to bee more tenderly and mercifully disposed towards another in the like torment then she that never knew what that miserie meant And is more ready willing and skillfull to relieve in such distresses It is proportionably so in the present Case But the Alien beeing tainted in some measure with the Divels hatefull disposition is by the heate of his slavish horrour rather enraged with malice then resolved into mercy Hee is rather tickled with a secret content then touched with true commiseration to see and heare of others plunged into the same gulphe of misery and plagued like Himselfe Hee is much troubled with his solenesse in suffering and the singularity of any sorrowfull Accident Companion-ship in crosses doth something allay the discomforts of carnall men So that sometimes they secretly but very sinfully reioyce such is their dogged divelish disposition even to see the hand of God upon their neighbours Neither can hee in such extremeties minister any meanes of helpe or true comfort at all either by prayer counsell or any experimentall skill because the evill spirit of his vexed conscience was not driven away by any well-grounded application of Gods mercies and Christs blood but as Saules was by Musicke worldly mirth carnall advise Soule-slaying flatteries of Man-pleasing Ministers plunging desperately into variety of sensuall pleasures c. 7. Hee which after the boisterous tempest of Legall terrours hath happily arrived at the Port of Peace I meane that blessed peace which passeth all understanding made with God himselfe in the blood of his Son enters presently thereupon into the good way takes upon Him the yoke of Christ and serues him afterward in holinesse and righteousnesse all the dayes of his life And ordinarily His deeper humiliation is an occasion of his more humble precise holy and strickt walking and of more watchfulnesse over his heart and tendernesse of conscience about lesser sinnes also all occasions of scandall appearances of evill even aberrations in his best actions holiest duties c. But Aliens whē once they bee taken off the Racke and their torture determine either become just the same men they were before or else reforme onely some one or other grosse sin which stuckē most upon their consciences but remaine unamended and unmortified in the rest or else which often comes to passe grow a great deale worse For they are as it were angry with God that hee should give them a taste of Hell fire before their time and therefore knowing their time but short fall upon earthly delights more furiously engrosse and graspe the pleasures of the World with more greedinesse and importunitie These things thus premised I come to tell you that for the rectifying of the fore-mentioned Errour and prevention of the danger of dawbing and undoing for ever in a matter of so weighty importance I would advise the Spirituall Physition to labour with the utmost improovement of all his divine skill heavenly wisedome best experience heartiest praiers most piercing persuasions prest out of the word for that purpose wisely to worke and watchfully to observe the season when hee may warrantably and upon good ground apply unto the woundedst soule of his spiritually-sicke Patient assured comfort in the promises of life and that soveraigne blood which was spilt for broken hearts and assure him in the Word of truth that all those rich compassions which lie within the compasse of that great Covenant of everlasting mercy and love sealed with the painefull sufferings of the Sonne of God belong unto Him Which is then when his troubled heart is soundly humbled under Gods mighty hand and brought at length to first a truly penitent sight sense and hatred of all sinne secondly a sincere and unsatiable thirst after Iesus Christ and righteousnesse both imputed and inherent thirdly an unfained and un-reserved resolution of an universall New-obedience for the time to come c. Here I had purposed to have been large but I am prevented by that which hath been said already and therefore to avoide repetition I must remit you to the consideration of those Legall and Evangelicall preparations for the entertainement of Christ and true comfort which I handled before which may give some good direction and satisfaction in the Point Yet take notice that in the meane time before such fitnesse bee fully effectuated I would have the Man of God ply his Patient with his best perswasions and Proofes seasonably mingled with motives to humiliation of the pardonablenesse of his sinnes possibility of pardon damnablenesse of despaire danger of ease by outward mirth c. And to hold out to the eye of the troubled conscience as a prize and Lure as it were the freenesse of Gods immeasurable mercy the generall Offer of Iesus Christ without any exception of persons times or sinnes the pretiousnesse and infallibilitie of the promises in as faire and lovely a fashion in as orient and alluring formes as Hee can possibly But it is One thing to say If these things bee so I can assure you in the Word of life of the promises of life and already-reall right and interest to all the riches of Gods free grace and glorious purchase of Christs meritorious blood Another thing to say If you will suffer your understandings to bee illightened your consciences to bee convinced your hearts to be wounded with sight sense and horrour of sin If you will come-in and take Iesus Christ His Person his Passion his yoke If you will entertaine these and these affections longings and resolutions c. Then most certainely our mercifull Lord will crowne your truly humbled soules with his dearest compassions and freest love Lastly bee informed that when all is done I meane when the Men of God have their desire That the Patient in their perswasion is soundly wrought upon and professeth understandingly and feelingly and as they verily thinke from His heart first that Hee is heavy laden with the grievous burden of all His sinnes secondly That Hee is come by his present spirituall terrour and trouble of minde to that resolution to doe any thing which wee find the Hearers of Iohn and Peter Luk. 3. Act. 2. Thirdly That Hee most highly prizeth Iesus Christ farre above the riches pleasures and glory of the whole earth thirsts and longs for Him infinitely Fourthly That Hee is most willing to sell all To part with all sinne with His right eye and right hand those lusts and delights which stucke closest to His bosome Not to leave so much as an hoofe behind Fifthly That hee is content with all his heart to take Christ as well for a Lord and Husband to serue love and obey Him as for a Saviour to deliver Him from the miseries of sinne To take upon Him His yoke To enter into the narrow
thine But being now happily rescued out of thy clutches by a mightier then Thou and having blessedly broke the Prison by the helpe of the holy Ghost Thou followes mee with this fierie malice and the most prodigious yellings of that infernall pit And I am perswaded it is a pestilent peece of thy deepest cunning very rarely to vexe civill worldlings those that lie in any grosse sinne or any which thou keepest fast and secure in thy snares with such affrighting and greisely temptations For thou craftily feares lest striking that horror into the heart of a naturall man which is woont to arise from such hellish fogs and blasphemous filth thou shouldest thereby give him occasion to renounce detest and drive him out of thine accursed slavery and cause him to cast about for a new Master 7. To take notice of some speciall corruption lust passion or spirituall distemper in one kinde or other over which I have not holden that hand hatred wakefull eie as it were meete For I am perswaded my God out of his mercifull goodnesse aimes at and intends some such good unto my soule by enlarging thy chaine and suffering thee at this time to afflict mee in this vncouth manner with this hell-empoison'd dart somthing extraordinarily I have not been so sensible of thy other temptations farre more ensnaring in sinne tho not so terrifying and therefore my gracious Lord may suffer thee at this time thus to thrust out thy hornes as they say in this most horrible and outragious encounter that I may bee throughly advertised what an Adversary I have and so more minde and marke him for feare of much secret and suddaine mischiefe by my security and neglect and more quickned to an universall watchfulnesse against all his Methods Devises and Depths as well his subtile and slie insinuations in the glory of an Angell as his impetuous and furious assaults in the shape of a foule Fiend Some trouble crosse heavie accident disgrace discontentment some great and waighty affaire on foote vnseasonable entertainements sad newes from abroad or something hath too often stolne my heart from that full and fruitfull attention to holy duties which was due and that even vpon the Lords day And I can now remember and my conscience tells mee vpon this occasion that I have not watched over the many idle impertinent wandrings and vagaries of my imagination as I ought but given so farre way vnto them that they have justly brought upon mee an uncomfortable deadnesse of affection barrennesse and indisposition in the use of the ordinances and conversing with God by Meditation Prayer hearing of the Word singing of Psalmes examination of the Conscience and other religious Exercises and I know not into what further spirituall miserie they may leade mee and therefore in great mercy the most wise God goes now graciously about to correct and mortifie the vanity worldlinesse distractions and mis-imploiment of my thoughts even by the terrours of these thy most horrible and hellish injections And by the helpe of God I will follow the meaning and conduct of his holy Hand for a right use of them and attaining that happy end which hee doth so mercifully intend 8. To gather skill experience and dexterity for the raising and reviving of others hereafter hanging down the head heavie-hearted and maliciously haunted in the same kinde By discovering unto them thy bootelesse malice the soveraigne medicines I have met with in the Ministry of the Word and the good I gained to my soule hereby By the helpe of that Almighty hand which can turne the darkest mid-night into the brightest morning and produce a Medicinable Potion out of the rankest poison Me thinks this heaven which by divine blessing I extract out of thy hell this healing vertue which I draw from thy vilest venome this spirituall good which I gather from thy divelish spite should make thee weary of this way and pull in thy hornes I trust in my God it will shortly cause thee to cast away this weapon and quit the field quite For thou ever infinitely hatest and hinders all thou canst the glory of God all exercise and increase of grace and the welfare of my poore soule which by accident and his sanctifying power who ever turnes all things to the best to them that love Him are all happily advanced furthered and enlarged by this raging and pestilent rancour of thine And who would not thinke were not the incredible depth of thy malice and madnesse equally unfathomable by the wit of Man But that thou shouldest the rather surcease because these Satanicall suggestions to mee that resists are but crosses and corrections but in thee most outragious and execrable blasphemies which will mightily hereafter adde to the heavinesse and horrour of thine everlasting chaines of darkenesse and damnation at the iudgement of the great Day FINIS * 1. Tim. 1.11 b But as for the holy truth professed by my selfe and those of the reformed Religion c. King Iames Remonst pag. 176. c Bellarmine Eudaeâ—ono-Iohannes Suarez Becanus Mariana with such Monsters teach the Doctrine of Parricides Ibid. pag. 5. If any except and say these are but private Doctors Heare King Iames afterward If the Pope doth not approove and like the practise of King killing wherefore hath not his Holinesse imposed some severe censure with a fearefull frowne upon the Booke of Mariana the Iesuite by whom Parricides are commended Nay highly extolled when his Holinesse hath been pleased to call-in some other of Mariana's bookes Againe wherefore did his Holinesse advise himselfe to censure the decree of the Court of Parliament in Paris against Iohn Chastell Wherefore did he suffer Garnet and Oldcorne my Powder-miners both by Bookes and Pictures vendible under his nose in Rome to bee inroâ—led in the Canon of holy Martyrs And when Hee saw two great Kings murdered one after another wherefore by some publike declaration did not his Holinesse testifie to all Christendome his inward sense and true apprehension of so great misfortune as all Europe had just cause to lament on the behalfe of France Wherefore did not his Holinesse publish some Law or Pontificiall Decree to provide for the security of Kings in time to come Ibid. pag. 222.223 See Histor. Iesuit put out by Lucius Wherein you may see their bloody behaviour in many Kingdomes d The mighty working of King Iames his Workes upon the Adversaries is intimated unto us to in the Preface before his Workes They looke upon His Maiesties Bookes as men looking upon Blazing 〈◊〉 with amazement feating they portend some strange thing and bring with them a certaine influence to worke great change and alteration in the World Neither is their expectatioÌ„ herein deceived For wee have seene with our eyes the OperatioÌ„ of His Majesties Works in the Consciences of their Men so farre as from their highest Conâ—lâ—ve to their lowest Cells there have been that have been converted by them Bishop of Winten e Revel 19.2 f Take policie as
observed the Winde to blow another way He followed the blast and set his sailes according to the weather Which made David after complaine But it was thou O Man even my Companion my Guide and Familiar We tooke sweet counsell together and walked unto the House of God in company Wherefore let Great Men without grace professe and pretend what they will and protest the impossibility of any such thing as Hazael did in an other Case yet ordinarily I know not what some One morall Puritan amongst a million might doe in such tumultuous times and of universall confusion for the securing of their temporall happinesse which without timely turning on Gods side is all the heaven they are like to have in this World or the World to come I say upon a Point of great advantage and advancement with safety they would flie from the declining State and downe-fall of their old Master tho formerly the mightiest Monarch upon earth as from the ruines of a falling house And it can bee no otherwise for they have no internall Principle or super-naturall power to illighten and enable them to set their shoulders against the Torrent of the times and to bee overflowne with it But now Hee that truly feares God would rather lose His high Place Nay his posterity As much hearts-blood if He had it as would animate a whole Kingdome then leave His lawfull Soveraigne Lord in such a Case upon any termes tho Hee might have even the Imperiall Crowne set upon His owne Head For conscience that poore neglected Thing Nay in these last and looser times even laughed at by men of the World yet a stronger tie of Subjects hearts unto their Soveraignes then Man or Divell is able to dissolve ever holds up his Royall heart erect and unshaken when all Shebnaes Hamans and Ahitophels would hide their heads and shrink in the wetting Which conscience of his if upon such occasion Hee should unhappily wound Hee knowes full well it would follow Him with guilty cries for his so base temporizing and traiterous slinking all the daies of his life Whereas gracelesse and selfe-seeking greatnesse can well enough in the meane time conquer such clamorous accusations of an ill conscience with the boisterous excesse of carnall contentments even as the Sacrificers of their Sonnes to Mâ—loch in the fire drowned their lamentable cries with the louder sound of Tabrets and Drummes Ambitious Nimrods are able by the inordinate heate after humane greatnesse to digest and drive away the after-stings of bribery basenesse if not close bloodshed their ordinary meanes of mounting with their delight in domineering and beeing adored above others It is a fit Passage therefore in our Common Prayer-Booke That it may please Thee to endue the Lords of the Counsell and all the Nobility with grace wisedome and understanding Grace is fitly put in the first place For understanding and wisdome without this heavenly Iewell doe but prepare their Owners to doe the greater mischiefe To oppresse innocency with finer tricks and more unobservedly to plague Opposites more plausibly to compasse their owne ends more exactly and at last for the abuse and mis-imploiment of their great Parts and Places in serving themselves and not seeking Gods glory to be damned more horribly Without sanctification by speciall grace the rarest endowments degenerate Wisedome into craft Power into private reuenge Valour into violence Prudence into plotting their owne ends Courage into foole-hardinesse to uphold a faction Policy into plastering over soule-businesses with faire colours All of them are basely and unworthily made subordinate and serviceable onely to the setting forward and safe-garding their owne outward felicity Without this celestiall Load-starre to steere aright in all affaires there will ever be some warping A great man a Friend an enemy feare cowardlinesse affection faction partiality covetousnesse malice or something will certainly sway and transport away But now a godly Man besides his presence exemplary precedency in piety and prayers which are ever pleasing and prevailing with God the discharge of his Place with integrity and truth improving industriously all opportunities high favours interest in great Ones and utmost possibility every way to advance Gods glory promote good causes protect good Men Hee may also by observing the calmnesse of a Royall countenance and openesse of a Princely eare unto Him wisely and humbly suggest some things and speake those words for the publike Good and good of religion wherby not only a Kingdome but the whole Christian World may fare the better Vpon these and the like grounds I hold it an high happinesse and great honor to have an hand in working spirituall good upon those excellent spirits which hold high Roomes or stand in neare attendance unto mighty Princes And by this time you easily discerne my drift and rightly apprehend the top of my ambition in this Dedication even to doe your Soule good Which is much more Worth then the Whole World and must never die To which I conceived a doore opened when it pleased you in more then ordinary manner to manifest your liking and allowance of my last Booke And therefore Sir I beseech you out of the generousnesse of your noble disposition to doe me that fâ—vour Nay that right Nay that honour for so I shall account it As not to conceive the least thought that hereby I goe about to seeke great things to my selfe or ever to come nearer the Court then by the continuance of my daylie heartiest praiers for the salvation and life of King Charles my dread and dearest Soveraigne I am drawing apace towards my long Home and must shortly appeare before that high and everlasting Iudge and therefore I desire to lose no time but to ply all I can the businesse God hath set me about for the short remainder of these few and evill daies that by the mercies of God I may finish my course with joy and give up that last and great account with favour and comfort in the Name of Iesus Christ. Mee thinkes besides many other and mighty divine Motives that one speech of Chrysostome who Himselfe many times preached every Day and gave a precept for it and yet professeth that the dreadfulnesse of those words Heb. 13.17 For they watch for your soules as they that must give account did strike a great terrour into his heart should make all Gods Ministers resolve to doe nothing else almost but reade meditate preach and pray Wherefore noble Sir I shall have my full desire and utmost end if you be but pleased to make me the happy Instrument of helping you towards Heaven and give me leave to gaine this advantage for your spirituall good by your love unto my Ministeriall Labours that they my thereby leave a more kindly and deeper impression in your apprehensions of heavenly things and worke with more life and power for a sound erection and sure settling of the Kingdome of Iesus Christ in your owne Soule You stand in a
of voluptuousnesse shalt most certainely very shortly lie upon thy Bed of death like a wilde bull in a net full of the fury of the Lord either sealing thee up finally in the desperate senselessenesse of thine owne dead heart with the spirit of slumber for everlasting vengeance even at the doore or else exemplarily enraging thy guilty conscience upon that thy last bed with hellish horrour even before hand For ordinarily the more notorious servants of Satan and Slaves of lust depart this life either like Nabal or Iudas Tho more by many thousands die like hard-hearted sots in security then in despaire of conscience If it bee so with thee then that thine heart when thou shalt have received the sentence of death against thy selfe die within thee as Naballs And most commonly saith a worthy Devine Conscience in many is secure at the time of death God in his iustice so plaguing an affected security in life with an inflicted security at death I say then thou wilt become as a stone most prodigiously blockish as tho there were no immortalitie of the Soule no losse of eternall blisse no Tribunall in Heaven no account to bee made after this life no burning in Hell for ever Which will make the never-dying fire more scorching and the ever-living worme more stinging by how much thou wast more senselesse and fearelesse of that fiery lake into which thou wast ready to fall Death it selfe saith the same Man cannot awaken some consciences but no sooner come they into hell but conscience is awakened to the full never to sleepe more and then she teareth with implacable fury and teacheth forlorne wretches to know that forbearance was no payment But if it please God to take the other course with thee and to let loose the cord of thy conscience upon thy dying Bed thou wilt be strangled even with Hellish horrour upon earth and damned above ground That Worme of Hell which is a continuall remorse and furious reflexion of the Soule upon its owne willfull folly whereby it hath lost everlasting ioyes and must now lie in endlesse easelesse and remedilesse torments is set on worke whilest thou art yet alive and with desperate rage and unspeakeable anguish will feede upon thy Soule and flesh The least twitch whereof not all the pleasures of ten thousand Worlds would ever bee able to countervaile For as the peace of a good so the pangs of a guilty conscience are unspeakable So that at that time thou maist iustly take unto thy selfe Pashur's terrible name Magor-Missabib Feare round about Thou wilt be a terrour to thy selfe and to all thy friends And that which in this wofull case will sting extremely No friends nor Physicke no gould nor silver no height of place nor favour of Prince not the glory and pleasures of the whole World not the crownes and command of all earthly kingdomes c. can possibly give any comfort deliverance or ease For when that time and terrour hath overtaken thee which is threatned Prou. 1.24 Et seq Because I have called and yee refused I have stretched out my hand and no man regarded But yee have set aâ— naught all my counsell and would none of my reproofe I also will laugh at your calamity and will mocke when your feare commeth When your feare commeth as desolation and your destruction commeth as a Whirlewinde when distresse and anguish commeth upon you Then shall they call upon Me but I will not answere they shall seeke mee earely but they shall not finde mee for that they hated knowledge and did not chuse the feare of the Lord. They would none of my counsell they despised all my reproofe Therefore shall they eate the fruitâ— of their owne way and be filled with their owne devises I say when this terrible time is come upon thee then will the mighty Lord of Heaven and earth come against thee as a Beare that is bereaved of her whelpes and will rent the caule of thy heart and will devoure thee like a Lion He will come with fire and with His charets like a Whirle-winde to render His anger with fury and His rebuke with flames of fire All his terrours at that houre will fight against Thee and that unâ—quenchable anger that burnes to the very bottome of Hell and sets on fire the foundations of the mountaines The empoysoned arrowes of His fiercest indignation shall be drunke with the bloud of thy Soule and sticke fast in it for ever In a word the fearefull armies of all the plagues and curses sorrowes and un-sufferable paines denounc'd in Gods Booke against finall Impenitents shall with un-resistable violence take hold upon thee at once and pursue thee with that fury which thou shalt never bee able either to avoide or abide And who is able to stand before this holy Lord God who can abide in His sight when He is angry who can deliver out of His hand what man or Angell what arme of flesh or force of Armes what creature or created power what Cherub or which of the Seraphins is able to free a guilty conscience from the ever-knawing Worme and an impenitent wretch from eternal flames Oh Me thinkes a sensible fore-thought of these horrible things even at hand should make the hardest heart of the most abominable Behall to tremble at the roote and fall asunder in His brest like drops of water To haue his end in his eye and seriously to remember the tribulation and anguish that shall shortly come upon His Soule the affliction the Worme wood and the gall should fright and fire Him out of all His filthy gracelesse good-fellow courses 3. Thirdly Let them consider what horrour it will bee in evill times I meane not onely at death and the last Day which are the most terrible of all but also In times of disgrace and contempt of common feare and confusions of the state of sickenesse crosses restraint banishment temptations or any other dayes of sorrow I say at such times to finde in stead of peace fiery scorpions in their consciences innumerable sins graven there with an iron pen un-repented of Heare how excellently Austin foretels forewarnes them into what a forlorne and fearefull state they shall most certainely fall when after a short gleame of worldly glory they fall into tempestuous and troublesome times Of all afflictions incident to the Soule of man there is none more grievous and transcendent then to have the Conscience enraged with the guilt of sinne If there bee no wound there if all bee safe and sound within if that bird of the bosome sing sweetely in a Mâ—â—s brest it is no matter what miseries be abroad in the World what stormes or 〈◊〉 be raised against Him What arme of flesh or rage of foes beset Him rouâ—d For Hee in this are hath presently recourse unto His conscience the safest Sanctuary and Paradise of sweetest repose and finding that sprinkled with the bloud of the Lambe filled with abundance of peace
of his pride vers 23. The Ecclesiasticall story reports that the loathsome and dreadfull end of Arrius that execrable enemie to Iesus Christ was hastned by the prayers of the good and orthodoxe Bishop Alexander who wrastled with God in earnest deprecations against him all the night before Doe you not thinke that Gardiner went sooner into his Grave for his cruelty towards Professours of the truth by their groanes against him and by the cry of the bloud of that glorious Paire of Martyrs at Oxford which hee so insatiably thirsted after Let all those then that tread in these mens paths tremble at their ends And if no better motive will mollifie their doggednesse yet at least let their love unto the world themselves and sensuall waies take them off and restraine them from this persecuting rage least it set on worke the prayers of Gods people and so they bee taken away before their time and cut off from a temporary supposed heaven of earthly pleasures to a true everlasting Hell of unspeakeable torments sooner then otherwise they should 13. The hearts and tongues of all good men and friends to the Gospell are fill'd with much glorious joy and heartiest songs of thankesgiving at the downefall of every raging incurable Opposite when the revenging hand of God hath at length to the singular advancement of the glory of his justice singled out and paide home remarkeably any impenitent Persecutour and implacable enemie See for this purpose The song of â—oses Exod. 15. Of Deborah Iudges 5. The Iewes feasting after the hanging of Haman Esther 9 17. Psa. 52.6.9 And 58.10 And 79.13 1. Macca 13.51 Onely let the heart of Gods childe be watchfull over it selfe with a godly jealousie in this Point That His reioycing bee because Gods justice is glorified His Church delivered Satans kingdome weakened c. not onely for his owne ease and end for any personall or particular by-respect Now it is an heavy case A man in His short abode upon earth to behave himselfe so like a dogged Curre and incarnate Divell that all good men are and ought to bee passingly glad when hee is gone In this Point I comprise and conclude all sorts of Persecutours Of which some are profest and open as Bonner and Gardiner and many such morning Wolues Some Politicke and reserved who many times are the more pernicious For of all manner of malice and ill will that is most execrable deadly and doth the most hurt which like a Serpent in the faire greene grasse lies lurking in the flatterings and fawnings of a sleering countenance Which kisses with Iudas and kills with Ioab entertaines a man with outward formes of complement and curtesie but would if it durst or might stabbe Him in at the fifth rib that hee should never rise againe When a mans words to thy face are as soft as oyle or butter but his thoughts towards thee composed all of bloud and bitternesse of gall and gunpowder Some are notorious villaines as many times in many places the most desperate blasphemers stigmaticall Drunkards rotten whore mongers cruell usurers and fellowes of such infamous ranke are as so many bloudy Goades in the sides of Gods servants and the onely Men to pursue all advantages against the faithfullest Ministers Some are of more sober carriage faire conditions and seeming devotion Act 13.50 Some are the basest fellowes the most abiect and contemptible vagabonds and the very refuse of all the Rascalls in a Countrey This we may see by Iobs complaint Cap 30. But now saith Hee they that are younger then I have mee in derision whose fathers I would have disdained to have set with the dogs of my flocke They were children of fooles yea children of base men they were viler then the earth And now am I their song yea I am their By Word And in Davids Psa. 35. Yea the Abiects gathered themselves against mee c. and I was the song of the drunkards Psal. 69.12 And in the Persecutours of Paul Act. 17. But the Iewes which belâ—eved not mooved with envie tooke unto them certaine lewde fellowes of the baser sort c. Some againe are men of place and parts As the same David complaines in the same place They that sit in the gate speake against mee That is men in high roomes and of great authoritie And as all sorts of Persecutours so I comprehend all kindes of persecution 1. By hand as did Herod Act. 12. Iulian Bonner c. 2. With tongue by mocking Galat. 4.24 compared with Gen. 21.9 See also Psal. 69.20 Hebr. 11.36 By slandering even in reporting true things maliciously to the prejudice of Gods children Psalm 52. By reproaching and reviling Zeph. 2.8 By insulting with insolent speeches Ezech. 36.2 and 26.2 3. In heart by hatred Ezech. 35.5 By rejoycing in the downefall or disgrace of the Saints Ezech. 35.6 4. In gesture Ezech. 25.6 Because thou hast clapped thy hands and stamped with the feete c. Behold therefore I will stretch out mine hand upon thee c. Take heede of so much as looking sowre upon or brow-beating a servant of Christ lest thou smart for it Looke upon the quoted Places and you shall see Offenders in any of these kindes plagued and paide home as Persecutours of Gods people And thus let such extremely Wicked men be frighted from persecuting any way those Men or Meanes which are appointed and sanctified to furnish us with spirituall store and strength against the dayes of evill Ob. But against that which hath beene said in this Point for the singularity and soveraignty of grace and good conscience to support the Spirit of a Man in evill times to keepe it calme in the most tempestuous assaults and conquering over all commers it may bee objected and some may thus cavill Men who never were or ever did desire to bee acquainted with Gods grace or good men expresse sometimes and represent to By-standers an invincible stoutnesse much boldnesse and bravenesse of minde in times of greatest extremitie and under most exquisite tortures and therefore it seemes not to be peculiar to the Saints and the priviledge of Gods Favourites alone to stand unshaken in stormy times undaunted in distresse and comfortable amidst the most desperate confusions Answ. I answere Such confidence is onely in the face not in the heart enforced not kindly affected not effectuall not springing from the sole Fountaine of all sound and lasting comfort in humane Soules sense of our reconciliation to God in Christ but from some other odde accidentall Motives from Weake and unworthy grounds 1. In some from an ambitious affectation of admiration and applause for extraordinary undauntednesse of spirit and high resolution It is reported of an Irish Traitour that lying in horrible anguish upon the Wheele an Engine of cruellest torture with his body bruis'd and his bones broken asked his friend standing by whether he changed countenance at all or no. Affecting more as it seemes an Opinion of prodigious manlinesse and
the covetous Dwell in a cruell and crafty worldling doth sucke out of the single-heartednesse plaine dealing un-suspiciousnesse of conscionable men for their rising enriching if God crosse it not 3. Hee drawes them by all the baites Hee can devise to all the incentives and preservatives of carnal contentment as to Tavernes Ale-houses Play-houses Whore-houses Gaming-houses to May-games Morrice-dances Church Ales to Cardes to Dice to Dancing to Feasts Wakes Mis-rules Drinking-matches revelliuâ—s and a world of such sinfull haunts Bedlam-fooleries and Good-fellow-meetings Wherein He is mightily furthered by Wicked Mens impatiency of solitarinesse and their enraged eagernesse of carrying with them to Hell as many as may bee For the first Tho a good man as Salomon sayes bee satisfied from Himselfe dare full well and desires full often to bee alone because the bird of the bosome sings sweetely to His Soule in solitarinesse yet all the Sonnes and Daughters of pleasure have no pleasure at all nay ordinarily are most loth to bee by themselves Solitarinesse puts them into their dumps makes them extremely melancholike and weary of themselves They would rather bee any where in any company any wayes imploide then alone Mistake mee not they can walke by themselves to feede upon contemplative filth speculative wantonnesse adulteries of the heart to plot revenge preferment enlargement of their estate to renew upon their sensuall hearts their youthfull pleasures c. But to bee alone purposely to deale with God and their owne 〈…〉 about their spirituall stare they abhorre 〈…〉 endure it is to them a torâ—ure a Racke the very beginning of Hell And that is the reason to decline the tings of guiltnesse and torment before their time why they have so often recourse unto the arme of flesh for refreshing to the mirth and madnesse of wine pleasures and many other fugitive follies That they cast themselves into such knots of good-fellowship appoint so many set-matches of joviall meetings and hunt after such variety of the times entertainment as they call it which they account the very life of their life and without which they would rather bee under ground then aboue it For the second Heare How swaggeâ—ingly they cry unto their companions in iniquity to make haste with them towards Hell Come with us let us lay waite for blood let us lurke prâ—vily for the innocent without causâ— Let us swallow them up alive as the grave and whole as those that goe downe into the pit wee shall finde all pretious substance wee shall fill our houses with spoile Cast in thy lot among us let us all have one purse Prov. 1.11 c. Come on therefore let us enjoy the good things that are present and let us speedily use the creatures as in youth Let us fill our selves with costly wine and ointments and let no flower of the Spring passe by us Let us crowne our selves with Rose buds before they bee withered Let none of us goe without His part of our voluptuousnesse let us leave tokens of our ioyfulnesse in every place for this is our portion and our lot is this c. 4. And in all these cursed conventicles of good-fellowship and furious combinations for prophanenesse and against Piety the Divell himselfe is ever present amongst them in His Pontificalibus as they say And there disposeth enclines manageth and accommodates all opportunities circumstaâ—◠〈…〉 mens severall corruptions and 〈…〉 wicked wits to make their meetings as merry as may bee and to put all possible sensuall sweetnesse into their carnall delights 5. Lastly That which is principally for my purpose Besides that like a crafty Iugler Hee casts a mist before the eyes of His slaves and like a false Merchant puts a counterfeite glosse upon the face of sinne Hee also hides away the sting from them and withholds the horrour untill afterward Every sin in it's own nature ever lookes fouler then the Divell Himselfe O that the ougly fearefull and filthy shape of it could bee seene with bodily eyes that thereby it might provoke all men to a mortall and immortall hate and detestation of it The sting is pointed with the keene unquenchable wrath of God the horror is heated with the very fire of Hell And yet ordinarily Satan takes an order by His craft and industry that these never appeare untill it appeare unto Him that in all probability the sight of them will sinke their Soules into irrecoverable woe The not feeling then of their spirituall misery is so farre from making them not miserable that it ministers occasion to the Divels malice mightily to aggravate their misery both present and future 2. An other reason why many are not troubled in the meane time tho there bee infinite cause and a world of woe to come is because their consciences by reason of surfet in sinne and beeing drunke with worldly delights as with sweet wine are cast into a dead sleep And there lulled still and lockt full fast in an imaginary Paradise of golden dreames and transitory fancies by the charmes and enchantments of earthly pleasures And if at any time any noyse of terrour sound in their eares from the Lords Trumpeters in the Ministry of the Word so that they begin to stirre then the Divell begins to be stirre Himselfe and to rocke them fast againe with His Syren-songs in the Cradle of security Here therefore wee may take notice of a fourefold conscience 1. That which is both good and quiet when it hath peace with God and with it selfe so that the happy Soule may sweetly sing in it's owne bosome My belovâ—d is mine and I am His. 2. That which is neither good nor quiet when it lyes forlorne under the sense of Gods wrath and full of horrour in it selfe As that of Iudas Latomus c. 3. That which is good but not quiâ—t when the pleased face of God doth shine upon it thorow the blood of Christ and yet it feeles not the comfort of that blessed reconciliation As in many new Converts who beeing truly humbled for all sinne cast themselves upon the Lord Iesus and his sure promises for spirituall and eternall life and yet are not as yet sensible of any assurance 4. That which is quiet but not good when it is as full of sinne as a Toade of venome as Hell of darkenesse and all those innumerable sinnes unrepented of unpardoned like so many mad Ban-dogs and fell Mastives tho asleepe for the present will in the evill day especially of sicknesse death iudgement flye in the face of the proudest Nimrod ready to plucke out his very throate and heart and to torment with unspeakeable horrour and yet for all this it is untroubled senselesse and secure This kind of conscience is to bee found I feare mee in the most that heare mee this day and so generally over the Kingdome It doth not in the meane time trouble and terrifie 1. A great number by reason of their ignorance in the
Booke of God and by consequent un-acquaintednesse with the sinfulnesse and cursednesse of their spirituall state revealed thereby This is the very case of a world of poore ignorant besotted Soules amongst us more is the pitty especially now when the glorious Sunne of Christs Gospell shines so faire and fully in many places For want of light in Gods Law they looke upon their sinnes as wee doe upon the Starres in a cloudy night see onely the great ones of the first magnitude and here one and there one But if they were further illightned and informed aright they might behold hem as those infinite ones in the fairest frosty winters Mid-night A worthy Divine sets out excellently the quietnesse of this ignorant conscience by a very fit resâ—mblance thus Men iudge of their ignorant consciences saith Hee as they doe of their blinde dumbe and ignorant Ministers Such neither doe nor can preach can neither tell men of their sinnes nor of their duties Aske such a blind-guides people what their conceite is of him and what a kind of Man their Minister is and you shall have Him magnified for a passing honest harmelesse man wondrous quiet amongst his neighbours They may doe what they will for Him Hee is none of these troublesome fellowes that will bee reproving their faults or complaining of their disorders in the Pulpit Oh such an one is a quiet good Man indeed Thus iudge many of their consciences If their consciences bee quiet and lye not grating upon them and telling them that their courses are sinfull and damnable and that thâ—ir persons are in a dangerous condition but rather by their silâ—nce ignorance and vaine pretences doe justifie them and tell them all will bee well enough Oh then what excellent consciences have these men They make no conscience of Family-duties once in the yeere to come to the Sacrament serues the turne they are common swearers in their ordinary communication make no conscience of sanctifying Sabbaths c. And their consciences let them alone in all these doe not give them one syllable of ill language Oh what gentle and good-natured consciences thinke these men they have But alas what evill consciences have they 2. Nor others by reason of a covenant with death and an agreement with Hell Such as those Isai. 28 15. who negotiate by their plausible Agents Ease pleasures prosperity and conclude some kind of concord and composition for a time with Satan sinne and their owne consciences But to tell you the truth it is no true peace but a politicke truce For these implacable desperate spirituall enemies of theirs are ever in the meane time preparing Armes Ord'nance and many fiery darts still levying of fresh forces whole armies of fiery Scorpions and flaming terrours with which as soone as the truce is ended they will set upon them with more violence fury and fiercenesse then ever before 3. Nor others By reason of an insensible Brawnednesse growne over and a desperate searednesse imprest upon their consciences by extraordinary villany and variety in sinne Such as those Isai. 5 19. By drawing iniquity a long time with cords of vanity and sinne as it were with a cart-rope by waving the glorious light of the Word under which they sit and which shines on their faces as a foolish thing by villanously trampling under foote the power of it with despite and scorne many times against that light which stands in their consciences like an armed man Nay and by treading out with custome in sinne the very notions that nature hath engraven in their hearts as Men doe the ingravings of Tombe-stones which they walke upon with foule shoes I say thus at length their consciences become so utterly remorselesse and past all feeling so brawned so seared so sealed up with a reprobate sense that with an audacious and Giant like insolency they challenge even God Almighty Himselfe to draw His sword of vengeance against them Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity and sinnes as it were with a cart-rope That say Let him make speede and hasten his worke that wee may see it and let the counsell of the holy one of Israel draw nigh and come that wee may know it These Roarers and swaggering Belials in this respect have consciences worse then the Divell himselfe For Hee beleeves and trembles Even those already desperate and damned spirits tremble at the fore-thought of that fuller wrath which is to come and yet further-deserved damnation 4. Nor others who when it begins ever and anon to grumble mutter and make a noise lull it asleepe agâ—ine with songs of pleasures and still the cries of it with outward mirth as Saul was wont to lay the evill spirit with Musicke These mens consciences are qujet not because they are savingly appeasde but because they are sensuâ—lly pleasâ—e Not because they want matter to trouble and terrifie but because they will give them no leasure to set their sinnes in order before them For this purpose and to keepe these furious Mastives musl'd in the meane time they have recourse unto and improove both variety of delights and multiplicity of imployments For the first This is the reason as one saith wittily that many are so eager in the pursuits of their pleasures because they would make Gods Sergeant their owne conscience that pursues them drunken with these pleasures just as many men use to doe getting the Sergeant that comes to arrest them into the Taverne and there making him drunke that so they may escape For the second How was it possible that Ahitophel should hold out so long from hanging himselfe and horrible confusion of spirit especially sith Hee harbour'd in His bosome such a false rotten abominable heart as appeared by that villanous counsell Hee gave Absalom to lye with His Fathers Concubines in the sight of all Israel except Hee had been a Counseller of State and so necessarily taken up continually with extraordinary variety vicissitude and succession of most waighty and important affaires which would wholly possesse His minde with an un-interrupted attention agitation and exercise and not give it any leave to reflect upon it selfe with those severer cogitations in cold blood which are woont to correct and condemne the enormity of exorbitant courses And thus in all ages many great Men of great wisedome beeing great offenders purposely put and plunge themselves into multitude of businesses that they may have no leasure to listen unto that which their consciences would secretly tell them in their eare of their Machivellian plots prodigious lusts and plausible cruelties The noise of attendants visitants Dependants and great imployments drowne the voyce of conscience in such Cases as the Drummes in the sacrifices to Moloch the Cry of the Infants But while the Men of the world are thus wholly detain'd and doe so greedily upon purpose entertaine the time with cares of this life and dealings in the world their consciences deale with them as Creditors with their
Debitors while they have any doings as they say and are in trading in policy let them alone and say nothing but if once downe the winde in sicknesse poverty disgrace c. Then comes Sergeant after Sergeant Arrest upon Arrest Action upon Action All their sinnes are set in order before them and fall full foule upon the now distressed Soule as Ravens upon the fallen Sheepe to picke out the very eyes and heart of it and to keepe it downe in the Dungeon of despaire for ever 5. Nor others because they cousen themselves with a formall false conceite of a comfortable spirituall state as did the Phariâ—ie Luk. 15.11 with a groundlesse presumption that they are in Gods favour as did those Matth. 7.22 And the five foolish Virgins Matth. 25. When as God knowes they are meere strangers to the Mysterie of Christ and farre enough from any sound Humiliation Thus the blindnesse security searednesse slumber Selfe-deceite or some other such distemper of the Conscience conceales and keepes in the stings of those sins in sensuall men which without turning unto the Lord in truth while it is called To Day will hereafter torment with intolerable and restlesse terrour thorow all eternity 3. A third reason why thy unlamented and unpardoned sinnes tho every one of them bee armed with a severall bloody and fiery sting and of their owne nature so heavy with horrour that they are able to sinke Thee into the bottome of Hell doe not as yet stirre nor presse upon thy Soule with the insupportable weight of divine vengeance is this They are in their native soyle where they were borne bred and brought up in their owne Element as they say I meane in a carnall heart soaking in sensualitie and not resolved to bee reformed Wee say in Philosophy An Element is not heavy in it's owne Place One Bucket full of water upon the Earth would bee burdensome to the Backe of that Man who were Hee in the bottome of the Sea would feele no weight at all from all the water there tho it were three miles high over His head A sensuall heart settled upon it's lees can beare without sense or complaint a world of wickednesse which out of it's Element and humour would bee crusht into Powder and tremble with horrour upon the sad apprehension of the least sinne especially set out by Gods just indignation While Belshazzar was in His Element revelling and rioting amongst His Lords His Wives and His Concubines drinking wine swaggeringly and contemptuously in the golden and silver Vessels of the Temple Hee felt no touch in point of conscience or terrour at all But put out of His humour by the hand-writing upon the plaister of the Wall His countenance was presently changed and his thoughts troubled him so that the joynts of His loynes were loosed and His knees smote one against another 4. Fourthly The never-dying worme that naturally breeds and growes bigge in every unregenerate conscience which beates backe still the searching power of the Word and secret warnings of the Spirit is like a Wolfe in the foot Feede it continually with fresh supply of raw flesh and it will let the Body alone but with-draw that and it devoures upward While the Sonnes and daughters of pleasure and all those who have their portion and Paradise in this life stoppe the mouth of this hellish worme with variety of carnall delights they doe well enough and finde pretty ease and exemption for a time from the rage and bitings thereof But they may assure themselves in evill times when the dayes are come upon them wherein there is no pleasure when the Play is done when all worldly comforts and comforters like run-away servants and drunken Serving-men are to seeke when they have most use and need of them I say that then the time and turne is come that the worme of conscience destitute now â—or ever of any further satisfaction from sensuall sweetnes will ragingly turne upon the Soule devoure like a Lion knaw like a Vulture vex eternally 5. Fifthly If the weight of the whole world were now laid upon any of these Bodies here lately buried it would not stirre or groane And why Because it is naturally dead Proportionably Tho the burthen of sinne farre heavier then a mountaine of Lead then this mighty and massie earth under our feete lyes upon every impenitent Soule ready every houre to presse and plunge it into the lowest Pit yet wretched and bewitched Thing it neither feeles any smart nor feares any hurt it is neither sensible of the present weight nor troubled for the future wrath And what is the reason It is spiritually dead It is starke dead in trespasses and sinnes The strong man is gone away with all And there is no stirring nor sense of this cursed Burden untill Either a stronger then Hee lay hands upon this Hellish Tyrant disarme Him and throw downe His Holds and a mightier voyce of the Sonne of God then that which made Lazarus come out of the Grave put life into it Or else that the dreadfull thunder of Gods fierce and finall wrath the Day of visitation beeing expired awake it to everlasting woe 6. Tho in the meane time thou bee extreamely miserable and if thou dyest in thine impenitent state this day thou must most certainely lodge this night in the Lake of fire and brimstone amongst the damned yet thy sinnes for the present doe not represent to the eye of thy conscience those formes of foulenesse and terrour of which they are naturally full and which without timely repentance thou wilt hereafter find and feele in them to thine endlesse griefe because thou lookest upon them in the false Glasse of vaine-glory ignorance selfe-love selfe-conceitednesse painted over by the Divels dawbing with whorish intising colours of pleasure profit preferment worldly applause and other such goodly and golden out-sides Whereas a true and effectuall beholding them in the cleare Christall of Gods pure Law hunted continually at the heeles with divine vengeance all the curses in this Booke and plagues innumerable internall externall eternall and in the bitter Passion of Iesus Christ without whose hearts-blood not the least sinne that ever was committed could ever have been remitted were able to â—right and fire a very Blackamore out of His blacke skinne and a Leopard from His spots And thou something easest thine heart also against the terrour of the Lord for thy sinnes by looking upon Gods mercy with false spectacles and so enlarging it beyond the limits of His Truth But heare what that excellent discoverer of the Depths of our Selfe-cousoning hearts tells thee in such a case As a man passing over a bridge saith Hee which his false spectacles make to seeme broader then in deed it is being thereby deceived goes besides the bridge and so is drowned so is it with those whose deceitfull hearts make the bridge of Gods mercy larger then it is they are in danger of falling beside it into
in that sweetest well-spring of life and immortality then enjoy the riches pleasures and glory of the whole World everlastingly For a bitter-sweet taste of which for an ynch of time Hee villanously trampleth under-foote as it were that blessed blood by wilfully cleaving to His owne wayes and furious following the swinge of His owne sensuall heart even against the check and contradiction of His grumbling conscience 3. Of the most blissefull presence freedome and communication of the Holy Ghost and all those divine illuminations spirituall feastings sudden and secret glimpses and glances of heavenly light sweeter then sweetnesse it selfe wherewith that good Spirit is woont to visit and refresh the humbled hearts of holy men 4. Of the fatherly providence and protection of the blessed Trinity the glorious guard of Angels the comfortable communion with the people of God and all the happy consequents of safety deliverance and delight that floweth thence 5. Of the unknowne pleasures of an appeased conscience a Iewell of dearest price to which all humane glory is but dust in the balance Not the most exquisite extraction of all manner of Musicke Sets or Consorts vocall or Instrumentall can possibly conveigh so delicious a touch and taste to the outward eare of a Man as the sound and sense of a Certificate brought from the Throne of mercy by the blessed Spirit seal'd with Christs blood to the eare of the Soule even amidst the most desperate confusions in the evill Day when Comfort will bee worth a World and a good Conscience ten thousand earthly Crownes 6. Of all true contentment in this life of all Christian right and religious interest to any of the Creatures For never was any sound ioy or sanctified enjoyment of any thing in the world found in that Mans heart which gives allowance to any lust or lyes delightfully in any sinne 7. Of an immortall Crowne the un-speakeable ioyes of Heaven that immeasurable and endlesse comfort which there shall be fully and for ever enioyed with all the children of God Patriarkes Prophets Apostles Martyrs Christian friends yea with the Lord Himselfe and all His Angels with Christ our Saviour that Lambe slaine for us the Prince of glory the glory of Heaven and Earth the brightnesse of the everlasting Light c. In a word of all those inexplicable nay unconceiveable excellencies pleasures perfections felicities sweetnesses beauties glories eternities above 2. It doth every houre expose Him to all those evils which a Man destitute of grace divine may commit and unprotected from above endure It brings all plagues 1. Internall Blindnesse of minde Hardnesse of heart deadnesse of affection searednesse of conscience a reprobate sense strong delusions the spirit of slumber slavery to lust estrangednesse from God bondage under the Divell desperate thoughts horrour of heart confusion of spirit c. And spirituall mischiefes in this kind moe and more dreadfull then either Tongue can tell or heart can thinke Least of which is farre worse then all the plagues of Egypt 2. Externall See Deut. 28.15 c. 3. Eternall See my Sermon of the foure last things 3. By it 's pestilent damning Property and poyson it turnes Heaven into Hell Angels into Divels Life into death Light into darknesse sight into blindnesse Faith into distrust hope into despaire Loue into hate humility into pride mercy into cruelty security into feare liberty into bondage health into sicknesse plenty into scarcenesse a Garden of Eden into a desolate Wildernesse a fruitfull Land into barrennesse Peace into war quietnesse into contention Obedience into rebellion Order into confusion vertues into vices blessings into curses c. In a word all kind of temporall and eternall felicities and blisse into all kinds of miseries and woe 7. What heart except it bee all Adamant and turn'd into a Rocke of flint but possessing it selfe with feeling thoughts and a sensible apprehension of the incomprehensible greatnesse excellency and dreadfulnesse of the mighty Lord of Heaven and Earth would not tremble and bee strangely confounded to transgresse and breake any one branch of His blessed Lawes especially purposely and with pleasure or to sinne against Him willingly but in the least ungodly thought For alas Who art thou that liftest up thy proud heart or whettest thy prophane tongue or bendest thy rebellious course against such a Majesty Thou art the vilest wretch that ever God made next unto the Divell and His damned Angels A base and an unworthy Worme of the Earth not worthy to licke the dust that lyeth under His feete A most weake and fraile creature Earth ashes or any thing that is naught the dreame of a shadow the very Picture of change worse then vanity lesse then nothing Who when thy breath is gone which may fall out many times in a moment thou turnest into dust nay rottennesse and filth much more loathsome then the Dung of the Earth and all thy thoughts perish But now on the other side if thou cast thine eyes seriously and with intention upon that thrice glorious and highest Majesty the eyes of whose glory thou so provokest with thy filth and folly thou mayest most justly upon the commission of every sinne cry out with the Prophet O Heavens bee astonished at this bee afraid and utterly confounded Nay thou mightest marvaile and it is Gods unspeakeable mercy that the whole frame of Heauen and Earth is not for one sinne fearefully finally dissolued and brought to nought For He against whom thou sinnest inhabiteth eternity and unapprochable light The Heauen is His Throne and the earth his footstoole Hee is the euerlasting God mighty and terrible the Creatour of the ends of the earth â—c The infinite splendour of his glory and maiesty so dazles the eyes of the most glorious Seraphims that they are glad to adore Him with couered faces The Diuell and all the damned spirits those stubborne Feinds tremble at the terrour of His countenance All the Nations before Him are but as the drop of a bucket but as the small dust of the balance nay they are nothing to Him saith the Prophet yea lesse then nothing Hee fitteth upon the circle of the earth and the inhabitants thereof are as grashoppers The Iudges and Princes when Hee blowes upon them are but as stubble before the Whirle-winde And Hee taketh vp the Iles as a very litle thing At His rebuke the Pillars of Heauen doe shake the Earth trembleth and the foundations of the hills are mooued His presence melts the mountaines His voice teares the Rocks in pieces The blast of the breath of His nostrils discouers the chanells of waters and foundations of the world when Hee is angry His Arrowes drinke bloud His sword deuoures flesh and the fire of his wrath burnes unto the lowest Hell The Heauen is but His span The Sea His handfull The wings of the wind His walke His garments are light His Pauilion darknes His way in the whirlewind and in the storme and
whole world and all the creatures in Heaven and Earth have offered themselves to bee annihilated before His angry face Had all the blessed Angels prostrated themselves at the foote of their Creator yet in the Point of redemption of Mankind and purgation of sin not any nor all of these could have done any good at all Nay if the Sonne of God Himselfe which lay in His bosome should have supplicated and solicited I meane without suffering and shedding His blood the Father of all mercies Hee could not have been heard in this case Either the Sonne of God must die or all Mankind be eternally damned Even then when thou art provoked to sinne thinke seriously and sensibly of the price that upon necessity must bee paied for it before it bee pardoned 11. Sinfull pleasures are attended with a threefold bitter sting Whereof see my Directions for walking with God pa. 171. Which though the Divell hides from them in the heate of temptation yet in His seasons to serve his owne turne Hee sets them on with a vengeance 12. Compare the vast and unvalu-able difference betweene yeelding to the entisement and conquering the temptation to sinne For which purpose looke upon Ioseph and David two of Gods dearest servants And consider the consequents what a deale of honour and comfort did afterward crowne the head and the heart of the one And what horrible mischiefes and miseries fell upon the family and grisly horrours upon the conscience of the other Survay also the distinct Stories of Galeacius Caracciolus and Franciscus Spira then which in their severall kinds there is nothing left to the memory of the latter times more remarkeable And you shall find in them as great a difference as betweene an Heaven and Hell upon earth The one withstanding unconquerably variety of mighty entisements to renounce the Gospell of Iesus Christ and returne to Popery besides the sweet peace of His Soule attained that honour in the Church of God that Hee is in some measure paralleld even with Moses and recommended to the admiration of Posterity by the Pen of that great and incomparable glory of the Christian World blessed Calvin The other conquered by an unhappy temptation to turne from the Truth of God and our true Religion to the Synagogue of Satan and abominations of the scarlet Whore besides the raging and desperate confusion hee brought upon His owne spirit became such a spectacle to the eye of Christendome as hath been hardly heard of 13. Compare the poore short vanishing delight of the choisest sensuall worldly contentment if thou wilt of thy sweetest sinne with the exquisitnesse and eternity of Hellish torments Out of which might an impenitent reprobate wretch bee assured of enlargement after Hee had endured them so many thousand thousand yeeres as there are sands on the Sea-shore haires upon His head starres in the firmament grasse piles upon the ground Creatures both in Heaven and Earth Hee would thinke Himselfe happy and as it were in Heaven already See before pag. 39. But when all that time is past and infinite millions of yeeres besides they are no neerer end then when they begun nor Hee neerer out then when Hee came in The torments of Hell are most horrible yet I know not whether this incessant desperate cry in the conscience of a damned Soule I must never come out doth not outgoe them all in horrour What an height of madnesse is it then to purchase a moment of fugitive follies and fading pleasures with extremity of never ending paines 14. When thou art stepping ouer the threshold towards any vile act lewd House dissolute company or to do the Divel service in any kinde which God forbid suppose thou seest Iesus Christ comming towards Thee as Hee lay in the armes of Ioseph of Arimathea newly taken downe from the Crosse wofully wounded wanne and pale His Body all gore-blood the beauty of His blessed and heavenly face darkned and disfigured by the stroke of death speaking thus unto Thee Oh! Goe not forward upon any termes Commit not this sinne by any meanes It was this and the like that drew mee downe out of the armes of my Father from the fulnesse of joy and Fountaine of all blisse to put on this corruptible and miserable flesh to hunger and thirst to watch and pray to groane and sigh to offer up strong cries and teares to the Father in the dayes of my flesh To drinke off the dregs of the bitter cup of His feirce wrath to wrastle with all the forces of infernall powers to lay downe my life in the gates of Hell with intolerable and saue by my selfe vnconquerable paine and thus now to lie in the armes of this mortall Man all torne and rent in peices with cruelty and spite as thou seest What an heart hast thou that darest goe on against this deare entreaty of Iesus Christ 15. When thou art unhappily mooued to breake any branch of Gods blessed Law let the excellency and variety of His incomparable mercies come presently into thy minde a most ingenuous sweet and mighty motive to hinder and hold off all gracious hearts from sin How is it possible but a serious survay of the riches of Gods goodnes forbearance long-suffering leading thee to repentance to more forwardnes and fruitfulnes in the good Way The publike miracles of mercy which God hath done in our daies for the preservatioÌ„ of the Gospel this kingdome ourselves and our posterity especially drowning the Spanish invincible Armado discouering and defeating the Powder-plot sheilding Q. Elizabeth the most glorious Princesse of the world from a world of Anti-christian cruelties saving us from the Papists bloudy expectations at Her death c. The particular and private Catalogve of thine owne personall favours from Gods bountifull hand which thine owne conscience can easily leade Thee unto and readily run over from thine infancy to the present wonderfull protections in thine unregenerate time that miracle of mercies thy conversion if thou be already in that happy state all the motions of Gods holy Spirit in thine heart many checks of conscience fatherly corrections excellent meanes of sanctification as worthy a ministry in many Places as ever the world enjoyde Sermon upon sermon Sabbath after Sabbath bearing with thee after so many times breaking thy covenants Oportunities to atâ—aine the highest degree of godlinesse that ever was c. I say how can it bee but that the reuise of these and innumerable mercies moe should so mollify thy heart that thou shouldest haue no heart at all nay infinitely abhorre to displease or any way dishonour that High and dreadfull Majesty whose free grace was the well-Head and first Fountaine of them all Let this meditation of Gods mercies to keepe from sinne bee quickned by considering 1. That thou art farre worthier to bee now burning with the most abominable Sodomite in the bottome of Hell then to bee crowned with any of these loving kindnesses That if
is the care of those Ministers which divide Gods Word aright say our great Divines of Great Britaine first fitly and wisely to wound the Consciences of their hearers with the terrours of the Law and after to raise them by the Promises of the Gospell c. The Spirit first terrifies those who are to bee justified with the Law breaking and humbling them with threats scourges and lashes of Conscience that thereby despairing of themselves they may flie unto Christ. Wee cannot learne out of the Gospell saith Chemmitius that wee are to bee blessed in Christ except by an anthithesis as Luther speakes we also acknowledge that wee are accursed by the Law The Doctrine of the Law saith Davenant is to be propounded to the impious and impenitent to strike terrour into their hearts and to demonstrate their just damnation except they repent and she to Iesus Christ. Perkins that great Light of our Church both for soundnesse of learnâ—ng sincerâ—ty of iudgement and insight into the Mystery of Christ teâ—ching How Repentance is wrought telâ— vs That first of all a Man must have knowledge oâ— foure things Of the Law of God Of sinne against the Law Of the guilt of sinne and of the Iudgement of God against sinne which is His eternall wrath In the second Place must follow an application of the former knowledge to a Mans selfe by the worke of the conscience assisted by the holy Ghost which for that cause is called the spirit of bondage in this manner The breaker of the Law is guilty of eternall wrath saith the Minde But I am a breaker of the Law of God saith the Conscience as a Witnesse and an Accuser Therefore I am guilty of eternall death saith the same Conscience as a Iudge Every Law shall have His part in the Lake which burneth with fire and brimstone Reuel 21.8 But I am a Liar Therefore I shall have my part in that everlasting fiery Lake And so of other sinnes Covetousnesse Cruelty Drunkennesse Whoredome Swearing Defrauding Temporizing Vsury Filthinesse Self-uncleannesse Foolish talking â—esting Ephes. 5.4 Revellings Galat. 5.21 Prophaning the Lords Day strange apparell Zeph. 1.8 And innumerable sinnes moe which beeing all severally prest upon the heart by a discourse of the guilty conscience as I have said must needs full sorely crush it with many cutting conclusions from which set on by the spirit of bondage is woont to arise much trouble of minde which saith Hee is commonly called the sting of the conscience or penitence and the compunction of heart And then succeedes seasonably and comfortably the worke of the Gospell The Soule beeing thus sensible of and groaning under the burden of all sinne is happily fitted for all the glorious revelations of the abundant riches of Gods dearest mercies for all the comforts graces and favours which shine from the face of Christ for all the expiations refreshings and exultations which spring out of that blessed Fountaine opened for sinne and for uncleannesse Never any of Gods Children saith Greeneham were comforted thorowly but they were first humbled for their Sinnes The course warranted unto us by the Scriptures saith Hieron is this First to endeavour the softning of our Hearers hearts by bringing them to the sight and sense of their owne wretchednes before we adventure to apply the riches of Gods mercy in Christ Iesus The preaching of the Gospell is coÌ„pared by our Saviour Himself unto the Sowing of seedes as therefore the ground is first torne up with the plâ—â—gh before the seede be committed unto it so the fâ—llow ground of our hearts must first bee broken up with the sharpenesse of the Law and the very terrour of the Lord before wee can bee fit to entertaine the sweete seed of the Gospell I would have a Preacher to preach peace and to aime at nothing more then the comfort of the Soules of Gods people yet I would have Him withall frame his course to the manner of Gods appearing to Elijah The Text saith that first a mighty strong winde rent the Mountaines and brake the rockes then after that came an earthquake and after the earthquake came fire and after all these then came a still and a soft voyce After the same manner I would not have the still and milde voyâ—e of the Gospell come till the strong tempest of the Law hath rent the stoâ—y hearts of men and have made theâ—â— beliâ—es to tremble and rottennesse to enter into their bones Or at least because our Auditories are mixt consisting of men of divers humours it shall bee good for Him to deliver His doctrine with that caution that neither the humbled soules may be affrighted with the severity of Gods judgements nor the prophane and unrepentant grow presumptuous by the abundance of Gods mercy The person that is full despiseth the hony-combe saith Salomon And what doth a proud Pharisie or a churlish Nabal or a Politicke Gallio or a scoffing Ishmael care to heare of the breadth and length and depth and height of the love of God in his Sonne Iesus Except it bee to settle them faster upon their lees The Doctrine of that nature is as unfitting such uncircumcised eares as the snow the Summer and the raine the Harvest Vnto the Horse belongs a whip to the Asse a bridle and a rod to the Fooles backe c. Hee that intendeth to doe any good in this frozen generation had need rather to bee Boanerges one of the sons of thunder then Bar-Ionah the Sonne of a Dove The Word of God saith Forbes hath three degrees of operation in the hearts of men For first it falleth to mens eares as the sound of many waters a mighty great and confused sound and which commonly bringeth neither terrour nor ioy but yet a wondering and acknowledgement of a strange force more then humane power This is that effect which many felt hearing Christ when they were astonished at His Doctrine as teaching with authority What manner doctrine is this Never man spake like this man This effect falleth even to the reprobate which wonder and vanish Haâ—ak 15. Act. 13.41 The next effect is the voice of thundâ—r Which bringeth not onely wonder but feare also not onely filleth the eares with sound and the heart with astonishment but moreover shaketh and terifyeth the conscience And this second effect may also befall a reprobate As Felix Act. 24. The third effect is proper to the elect the sound of harping while the word not onely ravishâ—th with admiration and striketh the Conscience with terrour but also lastly filleth it with sweete peace and ioy c. Now albeit the first two degrees may bee without the last yet none feele the last who have not in some degree felt both the first two God healeth none saith Gouge but such as are first wounded The whole need not a Physitian but they that are sicke Christ
there must bee a third thing To take them to our selves to beleeve they are ours and there needes a worke of the Spirit for this For tho the promises bee never so cleare yet having nothing but the promises you shall never bee able to apply them to your selves But when the holy Ghost shall say Christ is thine All these things belong to Thee and God is thy Father when that shall witnesse to our spirit by a worke of His owne Then shall wee beleeve c This is the order observed in our iustification 1. First There is a sight of our misery to which wee are brought by the Law 2. Secondly There is by the Gospell an holding forth of Christ as our redemption from sin and death 3. Thirdly there is a working of Faith in the heart to rest on Christ as the ransome from sinne and death Now when a man is come hither Hee is truly and really iust Wee teach that in trve conversion a man must bee wounded in his conscience by the sense of his sinnes His contrition must bee compungent and vehement bruising breaking renting the heart and feeling shee throwes as a woman labouring of Childe before the new-Creature bee brought forth or Christ truly formed in Him It is not done without bitternesse of the Soule without care indignation revenge 2. Cor. 7.11 But as some Infants are borne with lesse paine to the mother and some with more so may the new-man be regenerated in some with more in some with lesse anxiety of travell But surely grace is not infused into the heart of any sinner except there bee at least so great affliction of Spirit for sinne foregoing that He cannot but â—eele it c. This bruising is required before conversion 1. That so the Spirit may make way for it selfe into the heart by levelling all proud high thoughts c 2. To make vs set an high price upon Christs death This is the cause of relapses and Apostasies because men never smarted for sin at the first They were not long enough under the lash of the Law Hence this inferiour worke of the Spirit in bringing downe high thoughts is necessary before conversion By this time it doth most clearly and plentifully appeare what a foule and fearefull fault it is for men either in the managing of their Publike ministery or more private Passages of conference visitations of the sicke consultations about a good estate to Godward and other occasions of like nature to apply Iesus Christ and the promises to promise life and safety in the evill Day to Soules as yet not soundly illightned and afflicted with sight of sinne and sense of Gods wrath to consciences never truly wounded and awaked I insisted the longer upon this Point because I know it full well to bee a most universall and prevailing Policy of the Devill whereby hee keepes many thousands in His cursed slavery and from salvation To confirme as many Pastours as Hee can possibly willing enough to drive their Flocks before them to damnation in an ignorant or affected Preiudice and forbearance of that saving method of bringing Soules out of Hell mentioned before and made good with much variety of evidence And to nourish also in the hearts of naturall men a strong and sturdy disconceite opposition raging against downe-right dealing and those men of God able as they say but falsely and furiously against their owne Soules by their terrible teaching to drive their hearers to distraction Selfe-destruction or despaire who take the only right course to convert them and to bring them to Iesus Christ as Hee Himselfe invites them to wit labouring and heauy laden with their sinnes Matth. 11.28 Dawbers then who serue Satans craft in this kinde and all those who dispence their ministery without all spirituall discretion and good conscience of whom there are too many as great strangers to the right way of working grace in others as to the worke of grace in themselves I say they are a generation of dangerous men Old excellent as they say in an accursed Art of conducting poore blinded Soules merrily towards everlasting miserie and setting them downe in the very midst of Hell before they bee sensible of any danger or discovery of their damnable state Great men they are with the men of this world with al those wise fooles and sensuall great ones who are not willing to bee tormented before their time or rather who desire impossibly to live the life of pleasures in the meane time and yet at last to die the death of the righteous They have still ready at hand hand over head mercy and pardon Heaven and salvation for all commers and all they come neere without so much as a desire to put any difference or divide the pretious from the vile Which is a prodigâ—â—usly-arrogant folly pernicious in the highest degree both to their own soules and those they delude Heâ—â—e 〈◊〉 they are branded in the Booke of God calling them 〈◊〉 Sâ—wers under mens elboes Ezek. 1â— 1â— That 〈◊〉 laid soft and lockt fast in the Cradle of security thâ—â— may sinke suddenly into the Pit of destruction before they be aware Criers of peace peace when no peace is towards Ier. 6.14 but horrible stirs tumbling of garments in bloud burning and devouring of fire A â—â—n-pleasers â—alat 1.10 who chuse rather to tickle the itching eares of their carnall hearers with some fâ—othy Frier-like conceits out of Dung-hill 〈◊〉 And so smooth Great Ones in their humours by their cowardly flatteries especially if they any waies depend upon them for countenance rising and preferment rather then conscionably to discharge that trust 〈◊〉 upon them by their great Lord and Master in Heaven upon answerablenes for the bloud of those Soules which shal perish by their temporizing silence and flattering vnfaithfulnesse Healers of the hurt of their Hearers with 〈◊〉 words Ier. 6.14 while their Soules are 〈◊〉 by the wounds of sinne unto eternall death Preachers of smooth things Isa. 30.10 which kinde of Men the greatest part and all worldlings wonderfully affect and applaud tho to their owne everlasting vndoing They swell under such Teachers with a Pharisaicall conceite that they are as safe for salvation as the precisest of them all but alas their hope is but like a hollow wall which beeing put to any stresse when the tempest of Gods searching wrath begins to shake it in the time of a finall triall of it's truth and soundnesse it shatters into pieces and comes to naught Heare the Prophet Now go write it before them in a table and note it in a booke that it may bee for the time to come for ever and ever That this is a rebellious people lying children children that wil not heare the Law of the Lord which say to the Seers see not and to the Prophets prophesie not unto us right things speake unto us smooth things prophesie deceits Get you out of the way turne aside out
confession and repentance Davids Petition O cleanse thou mee from my secret faults did assuredly prevaile with God for the forgivenesse of all His unknowne sinnes and shall bee powerfull for that end to the worlds end to all those that so pray with Davids spirit and sincerely Besides these two cases first want of knowledge and secondly want of remembrance in the sense I have said There is also a third and that is thirdly want of time which if truly so doth also sometimes excuse the omission of some particular sinnes As wee may see in the Thiefe upon the Crosse. For want of leisure Hee could not possibly punctually revise His vile abominable life nor peruse with remorse all the particulars of His former wicked and abhorred courses But He had infused into His Soule by Iesus Christ an habituall grace of true Repentance which if Hee had lived would have carried Him faithfully along over all the notorious Passages of His lewd and lothsome life with a truly contrite broken and bleeding Soule So that if Hee had had space I doubt not but Hee would have prooved a very eminent extraordinary and exemplary Penitent And therefore the Lord in mercy did gratiously accept the desire and purpose the inclination and preparation of His heart that way But to returne to the Point and give my advise in the Case proposed Let the Party who so takes on for some notorious sin only and there takes up His rest be told That tho He dwell with deepest sighes heaviest heart and saltest teares upon some of His greatest and most speciall sinnes yet the rest must by no meanes bee neglected That which is most crying and crimson must serve as a Cryer that I may so speake to summon the rest into the Court of Conscience and as a Remembrancer to bring them to minde and remorse As Davids murder and adultery brought even His Birth-sinne into His memory Psalm 51. And that sinne of strange wives many other sinnes to Ezra's minde Ezra 9. When a father beates His childe for some one speciall fault He is wont to remember unto Him and reckon with Him for many former mis-demeanours also When a Bankrout is once clapt up for one principall debt the rest of His Creditours ordinarily come thicke and threefold upon Him When once Thou begins to reckon with thy conscience for some one extraordinary rebellion never cease untill thou hast searcht thorowly and ransackt it to the bottome that it may smart soundly before Thou hast done with penitent anguish and true remorse for all thy other sinfull corruptions also When horror for some one hainous sinne hath seiz'd upon thy heart follow Gods blessed hand leading thee to conversion and thorow the Pangs of the New-birth to unspeakeable and glorious joy by giving way to all the rest to bring in their severall inditements against thy Soule And bee not afraid thus to arraigne cast and condemne thy Selfe as guilty of innumerable sinnes and worthy ten thousand Hells before Gods just Tribunall For then shalt thou there most certainely find a gracious Advocate at His right hand To whom if Thou make sute and seeke in truth Hee will by the plea and price of His owne pretious blood sue out a pardon for thine everlasting peace When the guilty rage of thy raigning corruption begins to presse upon thy conscience lay on loade and more weight still by a penitent addition and painefull apprehension of all thy other sinnes that growing very sensible of thy spirituall slavery weary of the Dungeon of lewdnesse and lust sensuality and death wherein the Divell hath kept Thee long and thine heart being happily broken and bruised to the bottome and scorch'd as it were in some measure with Hellish flames of guilty horrour Thou mayst see and feele the greater necessity of Iesus Christ set Him at an higher price with more eagernesse and impatiency thirst for His righteousnesse and blood long for spirituall enlargement more then for worlds of pleasures glory or wealth rellish the hidden Manna of the promises most kindlily and cast thy wounded and bleeding Soule with more delight and sweetnesse into His blessed armes of mercy and love For O how acceptable is the Fountaine of living waters saith a worthy Divine to the chased Hart panting and braying The blood of Christ to the weary and tired Soule To the thirsty conscience scorched with the sense of Gods wrath Hee that presents Him with it How welcome is Hee Even as a speciall choise man One of a thousand The deeper is the sense of misery the sweeter is the sense of mercy The Traytour laid downe upon the blocke is more sensible of His Soveraignes mercy in pardoning then Hee who is not yet attached In our dead security before conversion God is faine to let the Law Sinne Conscience Satan a deepe sense of our abominable and cursed state loose upon us and to kindle the very fire of Hell in our soules that so wee might bee rouzed and afterward more sweetly and soundly raised and refreshed For after the most toylesome labour is the sweetest sleepe after the greatest tempests the stillest calmes Sanctified troubles and terrours establish the surest peace And the shaking of these windes makes the trees of Gods Eden take the deeper roâ—ting I confesse that commonly true Converts at the first touch and turning and after too cry out most of and are extraordinarily troubled with some One capitall sin and that which in their dayes of darknesse and vanitie wasted their conscience most and detained them with strongest entisements and hold-fast in the Divels bondage Hence it was that Zacchaeus was so ready and willing to restore fourefold that so Hee might bee rid of the sting and horrour of His former raigning sinne Luk. 19.8 That blessed Paul as it seemes amongst other dreadfull apprehensions of His former unregenerate courses was so much vexed and wounded in heart for that Hee had been a Persecuter 1. Timoth. 1.13 1. Cor. 15.9 But yet should they take-on never so much houle and roare for that one sinne if besides they did not by the conduct of the blessed Spirit descend also to a more particular acknowledgement confession and repentance of all other knowne sinnes and they ought by clearing the eye of naturall conscience industrious inspection into the pure Cristall of Gods Law discover as many as they can possibly all were nothing Hee which is grieved say Divines for one sinne truly and unfainedly from His heart will proportionably bee grieved for all the sinnes that Hee knoweth to bee in Himselfe If wee favour any one sinne in our heart or life or calling wee cannot enjoy Gods favour If there bee any sensuall lust or secret corruption which a man purposely labours to cover and conceale from Gods pure eye the search of His Word and mortifying grace what hope can Hee have that it is covered with the blood of Christ from the wrath that is to come or warranted by any promise of grace from
penitently and resoluedly to bee reformed if Hee recover and yet His sorrow of minde but such onely as the terrours of an awaked guilty conscience produce and His resolution to cast away His sinnes onely such as a man hath in a storme to cast away His goods not because hee doth not love them but because hee feareth to loose his life if hee part not with them Or a meere civill Man or formall Professour may upon His Bed of death bee very confident and seeme to bee full of comfort and yet that confidence no other then the strong imaginary ioyfull conceit of a covetous man grasping a great deale of gold in his dreame but when Hee awaketh behold his hands are empty For a more full and cleare apprehension of my meaning and iudgement in the Point let us take a survay of the different and severall kinds of death which ordinarily befall the Godly and the wicked The death of Gods Children are divers 1. Some of their holy and zealous lives doe determine and expire sweetly fairely and gloriously even like a cleare Sunne in a Summers evening without any storme or cloud of temptation and discomfort The darkesome and painefull passages and pangs of death are illightened and sweetned with the shining beames of Gods glorious presence and fast embracement of Iesus Christ in the armes of their Faith So that to them the very ioyes of Heaven and exultations of everlasting rest mingle themselues with those last agonies and expirations of death Their heads are as it were crowned with immortality and endlesse peace upon their beds of death Luther that blessed Man of God died sweetly and triumphantly over Hell the Pope and the Divell My heavenly Father said Hee at his death eternall and mercifull God thou hast manifested unto me thy deare Son our Lord Iesus Christ. I have taught him I have knowne him I love him as my life my health and my redemption whom the wicked have persecâ—â—ed maligned and with iniury afflicted Draw my Soule to Thee After this Hee said as insued thrice I commend my spirit into thine hands thou hast redeemed mee O God of truth God so loved the world that hee gave his onely Sonne that all that beleeve in Him should have life everlasting Ioh. 3. Heare how another blessed Saint of God ended his dayes Having the day before hee died continued his meditation and exposition vpon Rom. 8. for the space of two houres or more on the sudden Hee said O stay your reading What brightnesse is this I see Have you light up any candles To which I answered No It is the Sun-shine for it was about five a clocke in a cleare Summers evening Sun-shine saith Hee nay my Saviour-shine Now farewell world welcome heaven The Day-starre from on high hath visited my heart O speake it when I am gone and preach it at my Funerall God dealeth familiarly with man I feele his mercy I see his Maiesty whether in the body or out of the body I cannot tell God hee knoweth but I see things that are un-utterable So ravished in spirit Hee roamed toward heaven with a chearefull looke and soft sweete voyce but what Hee said wee could not conceive With the Sunne in the morning following raising himselfe as Iacob did upon his staffe hee shut up his blessed life with these blessed words O what an happy change shall I make From night to day From darkenesse to light From death to life From sorrow to solace From a factious world to an heavenly beeing O my deare brethren sisters and friends It pittieth mee to leave you behind yet remember my death when I am gone and what I now feele I hope you shall finde ere you die that God doth and will deale familiarly with men And now thou fiery Chariot that came downe to feth up Eliah carry mee to my happy Hold And all yee blessed Angels who attended the Soule of Lazarus to bring it up to heaven beare mee O beare mee into the bosome of my Best beloved Amen Amen come Lord Iesus come quickly And so hee fell asleepe That this is true the reporter and By-stander that ancient learned reverend Minister of God Master Leygh addeth I say the truth my Brethren I lie not my conscience bearing mee witnesse in the holy Ghost c. 2. Others may end their dayes very uncomfortably in ravings impatiencies and other strange behaviours Nay the fiery distempers of their hot diseases may sometimes even in the Saints of God produce furlous carriages fearefull distractions and some despairefull speeches But these being the naturall effects and issues of melancholike excesses Phrensies and burning Fevers are sins of infirmity in sanctified men For which if they come againe to themselves they actually repent if not they are all undoubtedly by a generall habituall repentance and Gods gratious acceptation thereof pardoned by the Passion of Christ and buried for ever in his bloody death That last and unreversable doome at the dreadfull Tribunall of the ever-living God must passe upon us not according to the violent and unvoluntary distempers at our last houre but according to the former Passages of our life the sinfull or sanctified expense of the daies of health Heare that other great Artist in the Mysterie of dealing with trouble consciences The common opinion is that if a man die quietly and goe away like a Lambe which in some diseases as consumptions and such like any Man may doe then hee goes straight to heaven but if the violence of the disease stirre up impatience and cause franticke behaviours then men use to say there is a judgement of God serving either to discover an Hypocrite or to plague a wicked man But the truth is otherwise For indeede a man may die like a lambe and yet goe to Hell and one dying in exceeding torments and strange behauiours of the body may goe to heaven 3. The death of some others is mixt to wit of fearefull tempestuous stormes and almost if not altogether despairefull agonies in the beginning of their last sicknesse and a faire refreshing glorious calme and ioyfull triumphs over temptations and feare towards the conclusion of their life For some secret end and holy purpose seeming good to his heavenly wisedome God suffers sometimes even his dearest servants to taste as it were of the fire of Hell and for a while to feele in their consciences those damned flames as a preparative to drinke more sweetly of the Well of life and Rivers of endlesse pleasures So himselfe is most honoured by helping when all hope is past The heart of his Child more ravisht with the first sight of those un-utterable joyes beeing suddenly rais'd to the height of happinesse from the depth of horrour The enemies to the narrow way dasht and confounded by observing his deliverance whom out of prophane blindnesse they deemed an Hypocrite Godly Christians gratiously reviv'd when they see That tho the Lord hide His face from his Childe for a moment yet
mighty Lord of Heaven and Earth to have Hee offers to us in the Ministry His owne blessed Sonne to be our deare and everlasting Husband His Person with all the rich and royall endowments thereof the glory and endlesse felicities above His owne thrice glorious and ever-blessed Selfe to bee enjoyed thorow all eternity which is the very soule of heavenly Blisse and life of eternall life c. Doe you thinke it then reasonable or likely that Hee will ever accept at our hands an heartlesse formall outwardnesse a cold rotten carcasse of religion That wee should serve our selves in the first Place and Him in the second That wee should spend the prime and flower of our loues ioyes services upon some abominable bosome-sinne and then proportion-out to the everlasting God mighty and terrible Creator and Commander of Heaven and Earth only some outward religious formes and conformities and those also so farre onely as they hurt not our temporall happinesse but may consist with the entier enjoyment of some inordinate lust pleasure profit or preferment Prodigious folly nay fury to their owne soules This very one most base and unworthy conceit of so great a God and His due attributions meriteth justly exclusion from the Kingdome of Heaven with the foolish Virgins for ever My Counsell therefore is when the spirituall Patient hath passed the tempestuous Sea of a troubled conscience and is now upon termes of taking a new course That by all meanes Hee take heed that Hee runne not upon this Rocke It is better to bee key-cold then luke-warme and that the milke boile over then bee raw 7. Tho it bee an ordinary yet it is a dangerous and utterly un-doing errour and deceite To conceive that all is ended when the afflicted Party is mended and hath received ease and enlargement from the terrible pressures of his troubled conscience To thinke that after the tempest of present terrour and rage of guiltinesse bee allayed and over-blowne there needes no more to bee done As tho the New-birth were not ever infallibly and inseparably attended with new-obedience As tho when once the soule is soundly and savingly strucke thorow humbled and prepared for Christ by the terrifying power of the Law revealing the foulenesse of sinne and fiercenesse of divine wrath which set on by the spirit of bondage is able like a mighty thunder to breake and teare in pieces the iron synewes of the most stubborne and stony-heart there followed not hearty shewers of repentant teares never to bee dried up untill our ending houre as I taught before when all teares shall bee everlastingly wiped away with Gods mercifull hand And that the Sunne of righteousnesse did not presently breake forth upon that happy Soule to dispell the Hellish clouds of sensuality lust lying in sinne c. and to illighten inflame and fill it with the serenity and cleare sky as it were of sanctification and purity a kindly fervour of Zeale for Gods glory good causes good men keeping a good conscience and fruitfull influence of sobriety righteousnesse and holinesse for ever after And therefore if upon recovery out of trouble of conscience there follow not a continued exercise of Repentance both for sinnes past present and to come as you heard before an universall change in every power and part both of Soule and Body tho not in perfection of degrees as the Schooles speake yet of Parts an heart-rising hatred and opposition against all sinne a shaking-off old companions brethren in iniquity all Satans good-fellow Reuellers a delight in the word waies services Sabbaths and Saints of God a conscionable and constant endeavour to expresse the truth of protestations and promises made in time of terrour as I told you before c. In a Word if there follow not a new life if all things doe not become new there is no New-birth in truth all is naught and to no purpose in the Point of salvation They are then miserable Comforters Physicions of no value nay of notorious spirituall blood-shed who having neither acquaintance with nor much caring for the manner meanes methode any heavenly wisedome spirituall discretion or experimentall skill in managing aright such an important businesse if any waies they can asswage the rage and still the cries of a vexed guilty Conscience they thinke they have done a worthy worke Tho after their dawbing there bee nothing left behind in it but a senselesse skarre Nay and perhaps more brawnednesse benummednesse brought upon it because it was not kindlily wrought-upon in the furnace of spirituall affliction and rightly cured I feare mee many poore soules are fearefully deluded who beeing recovered out of terrours of Conscience too suddenly unseasonably or one way or other unsoundly conceive presently they are truly converted tho afterward they bee the very same men of the same company and conditions they were before or at best blesse themselves in the seeming happinesse of an halfe conversion For a more full discovery of this mischiefe and prevention of those miseries which may ensue upon this last miscarriage Let mee acquaint you with foure or five Passages out of Pangs of Conscience which still leade amisse and leave a man the Divel 's still And for all his faire warning by the smart of a wounded spirit drowne Him in the workes of darkenesse and waies of death 1. Some when by the piercing power and application of the Law their consciences are prest with the terrible and intolerable waight of their sinnes and the worme that neuer dies which hath been all this while dead-drunke with sensuall pleasures is now awaked by the hand of divine justice and begins to sting They presently with unspeakeable rage and horrour fall into the most abhorred and irrecoverable Dungeon of despaire The flames of eternall fire seize upon them even in this life They are in Hell upon Earth and damned as it were above ground Such they are commonly who all their life long have been contemners of the conscionable Ministry Scorners of the good way Quenchers of the Spirit Revolters from good beginnings and Profession of grace Harbourers of some secret vile abominable lusts in their hearts against the light of their conscience close Agents for Popery and Prophanenesse plausible Tyrants against the power of godlinesse and such other like notorious Champions of the Divell infamous Rebels to the highest Majestie Whom sith they have bin such and have so desperately and so long despised the riches of His goodnes and forbearance and long-suffering leading them to Repentance God most justly leaves now in the evill day when once the hot transitory gleame of worldly pleasures is past and His judgements begin to grow upō their thoughts like a tempestuous storme and death to stand before them unresistable like an armed Man and sinne to lie at the doore like a Bloodhound and the guilty conscience to gnaw upon the heart like a Vulture c. I say then Hee leaves them in His righteous iudgement
to sinke or swimme to eate the fruit of their owne waies to the fulnesse of that unquenchable wrath which by their innumerable sinfull provocations impenitency and unbeliefe they have treasured up against this Day and wrath That raging worme which never dies in the damned and naturally breeds in every gracelesse conscience by their insatiable surfet in sinne and greedy drinking-in iniquitie like water growes so strong and to such a strange bignesse that taking advantage especially in the time of terrour of their weakenesse and confusion of spirit upon the Bed of death at some dead lift and irrecoverable danger it surprises them upon the sudden with unexpected Hellish armies of guiltinesse and horror and over-throwes them quite horse and man never to rise againe in this world or the world to come Then would those wofull wretches who would never bee warned betime give tenne thousand Worlds if they had them for one moment of that mercifull time of grace which they have cursedly long abused for the benefit of the Ministry which they have insolently scorned for a drop of that precious blood which by their desperate villanies and hatred to bee reformed they have trampled under foote But alas no mercy no blessing no comfort will then bee had tho with prophane Esau they seeke it with teares and throw their rufull and piercing cries into the aire with hideous groanes and yelling And therefore turning their eye upon their torments will roare out like those sinfull Hypocrites Isai. 33.14 with un-utterable angvish of spirit Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire Who amongstus shall dwell with everlasting burnings In the Morning they shall say Would God it were Even and at Even they shall say Would God it were Morning for the feare of their hearts wherewith they shall feare and for the sight of their eyes which they shall see In their life-time they behaved themselves like cruell Beasts and bloody Goades in the sides of the Saints and against their syncerity and how at last themselves are caught with a witnesse and lie upon their Beds of extremity and terrour like wilde Bulls and Beasts in a net full of the fury of the Lord. 2. Others there are who finding their sinnes discovered and their consciences wounded by the light and power of the Word and now feeling sadnesse heavy-heartednesse uncouth terrours much perplexity and anxiety of spirit comming upon them addresse themselves presently and have speedy recourse to the Arme of flesh outward mirth carnall contentments and such other miserable comforters They falsely suppose and to their owne utter and everlasting overthrow that these spirituall pangs that are now upon them which if rightly managed might proove an happy preparative and Legall Petard as it were to breake the iron barres and open the everlasting doores of their Soules that the King of glory might come in bee nothing but fits of Melancholy or sowre and unseasonable effects and compressions of some Puritanicall Ministry dangerous temptations to despaire And therefore they hie out of them as fast as they can by posting after worldly pleasures Pastimes Plaies Musicke Gaming merry Company Ioviall meetings of good-fellowship Tavernes Ale-houses Visites Entertainements improovement of their chiefe carnall contentment c. If not to Wisards and even to light a candle at the Divâ—â—â— for lightsonmesse of heart Thus I know not whether with more sinne or folly they endeavour to come unto themselves againe by the mirth and madnesse of wine earthly joy carnall counsell c. Wherein they are not unlike those bloody Israelites who while they burnt up their children in sacrifice to Molech filled their eares with noise of Instruments lest by the rufull cries of their little Babes they should bee moved to pitie and so staied in the cruell service of that blood-sucking Idoll Iust so these Men of pleasure and perdition doe sinfully seeke to stop the guilty clamours of their vexed consciences with the comforts of this life and sensuall joy while their soules are sacrificing to Satan and making fit fewell for the fire of Hell lest by listning to their cryes and controlements they should bee stirred up to take compassion of their owne poore immortall Soules and stopt in the pursuite of their fugitive follies and delights of sense But alas in so doing they are also like a Man in a burning â—ever who lets downe cold drinke eagerly and mâ—rrily because in the extremity of thirst it cooles Him a little But after a while Hee shall finde the heat the paine and the danger all doubled upon Him Earthly pleasures may for the presens still the noyse of in accusing conscience and seeme somewhat to allay it's guilty â—â—ge but assuredly they will afterward kindle such a fire in the Bowels of these miserable men that will burne even to the very bottome of Hell and blow them up Body and Soule with irrecoverable ruine for ever Hee that goes about to cure the wound of his conscience for sinne with sensuall delight is as if to helpe the tooth-ake Hee should knocke out his braines or when hee is stung with a Waspe should rub with a Nettle the smarting place or finding no good by Physicke should runne 〈◊〉 Wise-men as if in extremity of thirst hee should drinke ranke poyson to quench it apply a venemous plaister to his sore and prop up his falling Roofe with burning fire-brands Remedies farre worse and more pestilentiall then the Malady For they either plunge them deeper into the Dungeon of Melancholy and heavy-heartednesse or else draw a skinne onely over the spirituall wound whereby it festers and rankles underneath more dangerously For thus stopping the mouth of that never-dying worme that insatiable Wolfe in the meane time doth make it when there is no more supply of carnall pleasures whereupon it feeds for a while to fall more furiously upon the conscience that bred it and to gnaw more ragingly by reason of it's former restraint and enforced diversion I know full well Satan is right-well pleased and doth much applaud this pestilent course of theirs and therefore Hee helpes forward this accursed businesse all hee can of abandoning and banishing all trouble of minde for sinne with worldly toyes For ordinarily out of his cruell cunning thus He proceeds in these Cases 1. In the first Place and above all hee labours might and maine to detaine men in that height of hard-heartednesse that they may not bee mooved at all with the Ministry or suffer the Sword of the Spirit to pierce And then like a strong man armed Hee possesseth their Bodies and Soules which are his Palace with much peace and disposeth them wholly in any hellish service at his pleasure Thus Hee prevailes with a world of men amongst us They heare Sermon after Sermon Iudgement upon Iudgement and yet are no more stirr'd with any penitent astonishment for sinne or saving worke of the Word then the very Seates whereon they sit the Pillars to which they leane or
desert to what Christ hath done for thee and to the Almightinesse and All-mercifullnesse of him that promiseth consider with all that God is also abundant in truth Every promise in his Booke is as sure as Himselfe sealed with his Sons Blood and confirmed with his owne Oath Hee must sooner cease to bee God and deny himselfe which is more then infinitely impossible and prodigious blasphemie to imagine then faile in the least circumstance or syllable of his immeasurable love and promises of life to any one that heartily loves him and is true of heart And therefore when thy thirsty soule makes towards the Well of life by vertue of that promise Rev. 21.6 I will give to him that is athirst of the fountaine of the water of life freely And upon survey of the overflowing Rivers of pleasures and blisse which everlastingly spring thence begins to retire from it as too-good newes to bee true I say then steele thy Faith and comfort thy selfe gloriously by consideration of that abundant truth with which hee hath crowned every word of His stronger then a Rocke of brasse far surer then the Pillars of the Earth or Poles of Heaven Nay I speake an admirable thing and of unutterable consolation which cannot bee violated without Destruction of the Deity most blessed and glorious for evermore And let this ever banish and beat backe all scruples doubtes seares which at any time offer themselves and oppose thy unspeakeable joy and peace in believing 6. Well saith an other I easily acknowledge the incomprehensible goodnesse in this Name of God and hold them most blessed who have their part and portion therein But for my part I am affraid I come too late For I have observed the course of the Ministery amongst us and the dispensation of Gods mercy in it At first comming our Towne being full of Ignorance prophanesse and much superstitious follies having never before injoyed the Word with any life or power wee all stood amazed a good whle at the Majesty and Mysterie of this new heavenly Light The first messages of the Ministry sounded in our eares as the voyce of many waters mighty and great but confused not working in us either joy or terrour but onely an extraordinary wonder and secret acknowledgement of a strange force and more then humane power But afterwards when our Watchman was better acquainted with our waies and had more fully discovered the state of our soules the Word was unto us as a voice of a great thunder more distinct and particular breeding not only admiration but feare also not filling our eares onely with an uncouth sound but our hearts also with a terrible searching For the Sermons of every Sabbath came-home to our consciences singling out our severall reigning corruptions beating punctually upon our bosome-sinnes manifesting clearely our spirituall misery and certaine liablenesse to the extremest wrath of God and endlesse woe Whereupon wee were all at our wits end what to doe grew weary of our lives wished with all our hearts that such a Puritane-Preacher had never come amongst us told every man almost wee met that wee had a Fellow at our Towne would drive us all to despaire distraction selfe-destruction or some mischiefe or other That wee heard nothing from him but of damnation and hell and such horrible things c. Now in this second worke of the Word there was a good number even some out of that cursed crue and knot of Good-fellowship wherein I have been insnared so long wonne unto Iesus Christ. For beeing illightned convinced and terrified in conscience for their former sinfull courses the continued piercing of the Word and worke of the spirit of bondage keeping them upon the Racke under the dreadfull sense of divine wrath and their damnable state a good while at last they happily resolved without any more delay diversion by-path or plunging againe into worldly pleasures to passe on directly by the light and guidance of the Gospell into the holy path And so undertooke and hitherto have holden out in Profession and a blessed conformity to the better side But I and the greater part a great deale more was the pitty hating heartily to bee reformed and abhorring that precise way so much spoken against every where into which woe conceived such severe Ministeriall counsell would have conducted us I say wee wickedly wrested out of our vexed consciences those keene arrowes of truth and terrour with great indignation wee unhappily hardned our hearts and foreheads against the power of the Word which particularly pursued us every Sabbath Nay alas we persecuted the very meanes which should sanctifie us and men which would have saved us Here then is my Case and complaint neglecting that blessed season when I was first terrified and troubled in minde when the Angell from Heaven as it were troubled the water and when some even of mine owne Companions in iniquity were converted I am affraid I now come too late that the mercy of God to doe mee spirituall good is already expired and that the Ministry which I have so wretchedly opposed is the very same to mee that it was to the obstinate Iewes Isa. 6.9.10 Nay but yet say not so though it bee with thee as thou hast sayd For our gracious God keepeth mercy for thousands Here you must know that a finite number is put Synecdochecally for an infinite and an infinite indeed And therefore if thou now bee in earnest and willing to come-in in truth and those thine other brethren in Good fellowship and hundreds thousands millions moe or any whosoever to the worlds end God hath mercy in store for you all and being all weary of all your sinnes unfainedly thirsting for the Well of life resolving for the time to come upon new courses company and conversation you shall all be most welcome to Iesus Christ. Even the last man upon earth bringing a truly broken heart to the Throne of grace shall bee crowned as richly and with as large a portion of Gods infinite mercy and Christs un-valew able merit as Adam and Eve or whosoever layd first hold of that first promise The seed of the woman shall bruise the Serpents head 7. Yea but alas I have been no ordinary sinner My corruptions have carried mee beyond the villanies of the vilest you can name Not only variety but the notoriousnesse also and enormity of my wicked waies have set an infamous brand upon mee even in the sight of the world beside those secret pollutions and sinfull practices which no eie but that which is ten thousand times brighter then the Sun ever beheld Had I not been extremely outragious stayned with abominations of deepest die and gone on thus with a high hand I might have had some hope But now I know not what to say Take notice then to the end that nothing at all may possibly hinder or any way discourage any poore soule that syncerely seekes for mercy desires to turne truly on Gods side from assurance of
confidence as it was woont So that for a time Thou mayst lie under the torture of an heavy heart uncheerfullnesse in all thy waies and some degree of horrour because thou canst get no better hold-fast But more is thy fault For never did dearest Father so lovingly entertaine into His greedy armes a penitent Sonne returning from going astray then our mercifull God upon thy renewed humiliation is willing to shine upon thee againe with the refreshing beames and blessings of his woonted favour Yet tell mee true deare Heart Tho for the present that precious and happy prayer of Paul for the Romanes The God of hope fill you with all ioy and peace in beleeving be not fulfilled upon thy Soule Tho thy former joyfull feelings bee turned into distrustfull feares yet doth not that heavy heart of thine desire farre more to bee re-comforted with the presence and pleased face of thy Beloved then crowned with the glory and pleasures of many worlds Wouldest thou not much rather feele the hand of thy Faith fastned againe with peace and full perswasion upon the Person Passion and promises of the Lord Iesus then graspe in thy bodily hand the richest Imperiall Crowne that ever sate upon any Caesars head If Satans spitefull craft taking a cruell advantage of thy present dejection of spirit doe not hinder thy trembling heart from telling the truth I know thou canst not deny this And then I must tell Thee These hearty longings and longing desires in the meane time untill God give more strength be right deare to that tender-hearted Father of thine which doth infinitely more esteeme one groane or sigh from a broken spirit then a thousand rammes or tenne thousand rivers of oyle and are most pretious and piercing to that compassionate heart that poured out it's warmest and dearest blood to purchase the salvation and refresh the sadnesse of every truly-humbled Soule Ground upon it then and bee of good cheere If thy troubled spirit fild with the sense of the want of it's former sweet and joyfull feelings finde in it selfe a true and hearty longing after the supply of that want a constant and conscionable pursuite of all holy meanes for the procurement of that supply I can assure Thee in the Word of life and truth in Gods season Thou shalt bee satisfyed Hee will fullfill the desires of them that feare Him Hee also will heare their cry and will save them And this blessed promise for the accomplishment of thy desire is as surely thine as the breath in thy Body Hee must sooner cease to bee God and deny Himselfe which is more then infinitely impossible and prodigious blasphemy to imagine then faile in the least circumstance or syllable of all His love and promises of life to any One that heartily loves Him All the sacred Sayings in His holy Booke and all those promises of salvation are signed with the hand of Truth it selfe and sealed with the blood of His beloved Sonne And so are farre surer then the Pillars of the Earth or Poles of Heaven For Heaven and Earth must passe away before any title of His Word fall unto the ground And therefore as Hee will most certainly poure upon the hairy Pate of every One which hates to bee reformed all the plagues and curses threatned there even to the least sparke of the flames of Hell and the last drop of the full vials of His infinite endlesse unquenchable wrath so will Hee abundantly make good to every upright Soule syncerely thirsting after Iesus Christ in the best time all the promised good in His blessed Booke and that aboue all expectation expression conceit 4. Fourthly Thou mayst bee diversly distressed upon thy Bed of death 1. Casting thine eye backe upon thy whole life all thy sinnes from Adam to that houre and willing as thou must now take thy farewell so to take thy fill of repentance They appeare to the eie of thy conscience farre moe in number and more ougly then ever before And no marvaile for beeing now sequestred for ever from all worldly comforts and company distractions and diversions and the cloudes of naturall feare raised by the dreadfull circumstances of approaching dissolution uniting as it were and collecting the sight of thy Soule which imploiments in the world commerce amongst men and Sunne-shine of outward prosperity did before too much disperse dazle and divert they are represented farre more to the life and in their true colours Whereupon comparing the poore weake nothingnesse as thou now apprehends of thy godly sorrow hatred and opposition against them with thy present apprehension of their hainousnesse hatefulnesse and horrible number Thou begins to bee dejected and knowest not well what to thinke of thy Selfe I say then for thy comfort consult with thy sanctified heart and thou shalt finde and feele an infinite hearty desire that thy repentance for them detestatiō of them and heart-rising against them had been and now were as thorow sound and resolute as ever was in any penitent Soule that breathed the life of grace upon earth 2. Secondly Revising now thy whole Christian conversation spending of Sabbaths pouring out prayers reading Scriptures hearing the Word love of the Brethren dayes of humiliation workes of mercy receiving the Sacrament godly conference living by Faith in all estates c. Thou mayst see them in this last impartiall cleare retired examination of thy conscience to have been pestered with so many failings imperfections deadnesse of spirit distractions distempers that thou begins to feare and conceive As well never a whit as never the better as they say c. In this case also reflect upon the holy habituall disposition of thy heart and thou shalt feele it thirsting and longing unfainedly that all the holy duties and good deeds that ever passed thorow thy heart and hands had been done in answerable exactnesse to the rules of divine Truth and if it had so pleased God with absolute freedome from all infirmities 3. Thirdly Thou mayst bee troubled at that time because beeing perhaps as yet but of little standing in Profession thou hast done God so little service and in that short time hast not stood on Gods side with that courage and life nor walked in his holy wayes with that watchfulnesse and Zeale as thou mightest And it cuts thy heart the more because thou spent so much of thy time in serving thy selfe and Satan and expectest now to enjoy immortall joyes and a Crowne of endlesse blisse But here is thy comfort It is the unfained desire and resolution of thine heart If the Lord would bee pleased to allow Thee a longer time in this life and adde many moe yeeres unto it Thou wouldest double thy diligence and improove all oportunities to doe thy God every way farre more glorious service then heretofore all the daies of thine appointed time Oh! then thou wouldest doe so and so c. Assure now thy selfe in these three cases and troubles upon thy last Bed this syncere desire of thine
as in a royall Throne Hee hath as it were two Thrones One in the Empyrean Heaven the other in a broken heart Isa. 57.15 But my heart lies groveling in the dust humbled under the mighty hand of God and trembling at his feete c. Therefore it is the mansion of Iehova blessed for ever Whosoever confesseth and forsaketh his sinnes shall have mercy Prov. 28.13 But I confesse and abominate all sinne resolved never to turne againe to folly Therefore mercy is most certainely mine Hee in whose heart the holy Ghost hath enkindled a kindly heate of affection to the Brethren hath passed from death to life 1. Ioh. 3.14 But by the mercy of God my heart is wholy set upon the Brother-hood which I heartily hated heeretofore Therefore I have passed from death to life These and the like Conclusions are in themselves as full of sound joy and true comfort as the Sunne of light or Sea of waters Open but the eye of thine humbled soule and thou maist see many glorious things in them Crush them but a little with the hand of Faith and much delicious sweetnesse of spirituall peace may distill upon thy Soule Lastly such considerations as these may contribute some matter of comfort and support to Him of weakest apprehension in this Case 1. If Hee consult with His owne Conscience Hee shall happily finde in His present syncere resolution an impossibility to turne backe againe to His former sinnefull life pleasures goodfellow-ship sensuall courses company Hee sayes and thinkes it that Hee will rather die then lie sweare prophane the Sabbaths put to usury doe wrong keepe any ill-gotten goods in his hands Haunt Ale-houses Play-houses Gaming-houses or willingly put His heart or hand to any kind of iniquity as Hee was formerly wont And doth nature thinke you keepe Him backe or grace and Gods Spirit 2. If Hee should now heare and have his eares fill'd with oathes blasphemies ribald talke rotten speeches filthy songs railing at Gods people scoffing at religion jesting out of Scriptures c. His heart would rise Hee would either reproove them or bee rid of them as soone as Hee could whereas heretofore Hee hath been perhaps a delightfull Hearer of them if not a notorious Actour Himselfe And whence doe you thinke doth this arise but from the seede of God remaining in Him 3. Thirdly If when you heare Him complaine That howsoever Hee hath cast Himselfe upon Christ as the Prophets have counselled Him yet sith thereupon Hee feeles no such comfort and peace in Believing as other Christians doe Hee begins to doubt whether Hee hath done well or no and to conceive that Hee hath layd hold upon the Promises too soone Nay and it may bee upon this discontent doth thus further enlarge His complaint Alas my sinnes have formerly been so great my heart is at this present so hard my sorrow so scant my failings so many c. that I know not what to say to my Selfe Mee thinkes I can neither pray conferre love the Brethren sanctifie the Sabbath rejoyce in the Lord c. as I see other of Gods Children doe And therefore I am affraid all is naught What heart can I have to hold on I say if to such a speech thou shouldest for triall give this reply Well then if it bee so even give over all strive no more against the streame trouble thy selfe no longer with reading prayer following sermons forbearing good fellowship and thine old companions And sith no comfort comes by casting thy selfe upon Christ cast thy selfe againe into the current of the times course of the world and merry company For there yet is there some little poore pleasure to bee had at least Oh! No No No would Hee say That will I never doe whatsoever comes of mee I will trust in my Christ tho Hee should kill mee for all these discouragements I will by no meanes cast away my confidence I have been so freshly stung with their guilt that I will rather be pull'd in peeces with wild horses then plunge againe into carnall pleasures I will put my hand to all holy duties in obedience to God tho I performe them never so weakely I will by the mercy of God keepe my face towards Heaven and backe to Sodome so long as I breath come what come will c. And whence doe you thinke springs this resolution but from a secret saving power supporting Him in the most desperate temptations and assaults of distrust Now this first secret saving power by which an humble Soule leaning upon Christ is supported when it is at the lowest secondly The seed of God and thirdly presence of grace doe every one of them argue a blessed state in which thou shalt bee certainely saved and therefore thou mayst lift up thine heart and head with comfort unspeakeable and glorious 3. Thirdly Many there are who much complaine of the great disproportion betweene the notorious wickednesse of their former life and their lamentable weakenesse of an answerable be wailing it Betweene the number of their sinnes and fewnesse of their teares the hainousnesse of their rebellions and little measure of their humiliation And thereupon because they did not finde and feele those terrours and extraordinary troubles of mind in their turning unto God those violent passions and pangs in their New-birth which they have seene heard or read of or knowne in others perhaps farre lesse sinners then themselves they are much troubled with distractions and doubts about the truth and soundnesse of their conversion Whereby they receive a great deale of hurt and hindrance in their spirituall state For Satan gaines very much by such a suggestion and grounds many times a manifold mischiefe upon it For by keeping this temptation on foot these doubts and troubles in their mindes whether they bee truly converted or no Hee labours and too often prevailes 1. To hinder the Christian in His spirituall Building With what heart can Hee hold on who doubts of the soundnesse and sure-laying of the foundation What progresse is Hee like to make in Christianity who continually terrifies Himselfe with fearefull exceptions and oppositions about the truth of His conversion A man in a long journey would jogge on but very heavily if Hee doubted whether Hee were in the right way or no. 2. To abate lessen and abridge His courage in standing on Gods side patience under the Crosse spirituall mirth in good company To keepe Him in dulnesse of heart deadnesse of affections distractions at holy exercises and under the raigne of almost a continuall sadnesse and uncomfortable walking To make Him quite neglect and never looke towards those sweete commands of the blessed Spirit Reioyce evermore Reioyce and I say againe Reioyce Bee glad in the Lord reioyce and shout for ioy all yee that are upright in heart 3. To fasten a great deale of dishonour upon God when He can make the Christian dis-avow as it were and nullifie in conceit so great a worke of mercy and grace
stampt upon His Soule by an Almighty hand A worke for wonder and power answerable if not transcendent to the Creation of the World To the production whereof the infinite mercies of the Father of all mercy the warmest hearts-blood of His onely Sonne the mightiest Moouing of the blessed Spirit were required Now what an indignity and disparagement is offered unto so glorious a Workeman and blessed a worke to assent and subscribe unto the Divell a knowne Liar that there is no such Thing 4. To double and aggravate upon the Christian the grievous sinne of unbeliefe Not to believe the Promises as they lie in His Booke is an unworthy and wicked wrong unto the Truth of God But for a Man to draw backe and deny when they are all made good upon His Soule makes Him worse then Thomas the Apostle For when He had thrust His hand into Christs side Hee believed But in the present Case a Man is ready to renounce and disclaime Tho Hee have already graspt in the armes of His Faith the crucified bleeding Body of His blessed Redeemer The sacred and saving vertue whereof hath inspired into the whole Man a new spirituall sanctifying life and a sensible un-deniable change from what it was 5. To discontinue or detaine the heart lock't up as it were in a perpetuall barrennes from giving of thanks which is one of the noblest and most acceptable Sacrifice and service that is offered unto God Now what a mischiefe is this that an upright heart should bee laced up and His Tong tied by the Divels temptation from magnifying heartily the glory of Gods free grace for such a worke I meane the New-Creation at which Heaven and Earth Angels and Men and all Creatures may stand everlastingly amazed So sweet it is and admirable and makes an immortall Soule for ever But to keepe my selfe to the Point Those who complaine as I have said That because the pangs of their New-birth were not in that proportion they desire answerable to the hainousnesse of their former pestilent courses and abominablenesse of their beastly life before many times suspect themselves and are much troubled about the truth of their conversion may have their doubts and scruples encreased by taking notice of such propositions as these which Divines both ancient and moderne let fall sometimes in their Penitentiall Discourses Ordinarily men are wounded in their Consciences at their conversion answerably to the wickednesse of their former conversation Contrition in true Converts is for the most part proportionable to the hainousnesse of Their former courses The more wicked that thy former life hath been the more fervent and earnest let thy Repentance or returning bee Sorrow must bee proportionable to our sinnes The greater our sinne the fuller must bee our sorrow According to the waight of sinne upon the conscience ought penitent sorrow to bee waighty He that hath exceeded in sinne let Him exceede also in sorrow Looke how great our sinnes are let us so greatly lament them Let the minde of every One drinke up so much of the teares of penitent compunction as Hee remembers Himselfe to have withered from God by wickednesse Grievous sinnes require most grievous lamentations The measure of your mourning must bee agreeable and proportionable to the sinne And wee may see these rules represented unto us in the practise of Manasses who beeing a most grievous sinner 2. Chron. 33.6 Humbled Himselfe greatly before the God of His Fathers vers 12. In the Woman who is called a Sinner Luk. 7.37 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as they say by a kinde of singularity and therefore takes on extraordinarily vers 38. So that she wipes Christs feete with teares In the idolatrous Israelites upon their turning unto the Lord 1. Sam. 7.4.6 who drew water and poured it out before the Lord. In the Hearers of Peter who having their consciences all bloody with the horrible guilt of crucifying the Lord of life Act 2.33.36 were pricked in their hearts vers 37. with such horrour and raging angvish as tho so many empoisoned daggers and Scorpions stings stucke and were fastned in them punctually In Paul who having been an hainous offender a grievous Persecuter Act. 9. whereas the other Apostles as One sayes had been honest and sober fisher-men tasted deeper of this cup then they For Hee tells us Rom. 7.11 That the Law slew Him Hee was strangely amazed with a voyce from Heaven strucke downe to the earth and starke blinde He trembled and was astonished For three daies Hee did neither eate nor drink c. Act. 9. And there is good reason for it For ordinarily the newly-illightened eye of a fresh-bleeding Conscience is very sharpe and cleare piercing and sightfull greedy to discover every staine and spot of the Soule To dive even to the heart-roote to the blackest bottome and ougliest nooke of a Mans former Hellish courses to looke backe with a curious survay thorow the pure Perspective of Gods righteous Law over his whole life to His very Birth-sinne and Adams rebellion And in this sad and heavy search it is very inquisitive after and apprehensive of all circumstances which may adde to the hainousnesse of sin and horrour to his heart It is quick-sighted into all aggravating considerations and quickly learnes and lookes upon all those wayes degrees and circumstances by which sins are made more notorious and hatefull And what the spirit of bondage in a fearefull heart may inferre hereupon you may easily iudge Now to the Case proposed I say first 1. That betweene sinne and sorrow wee cannot expect a precise adequation not an Arithmeticall but a Geometricall proportion Great sinnes should bee greatly lamented yet no sinne can bee sufficiently sorrowed for Tho it may bee savingly When wee say the pangs of the New-birth must bee answerable to our former sinnefull provocations wee meane not that wee can mourne for sinne according to it's merit that is impossible But great sinnes require a great deale of sorrow Wee must not thinke that wee have sorrowed enough for any sinne tho wee can never sorrow sufficiently Before I proceede to a further and fuller satisfaction in the Point let mee tell you by the way how discomfortable and doubtfull the Popish doctrine is here about that the truth of our Tenet may appeare the more pretious and taste more sweet Their Attrition and Contrition as I take it differ as our Legall and Evangelicall repentance 1. In respect of the object Contrition as they say is sorrow for sinne as an offence to God Attrition is a griefe for sinne as liable to punishment 2. In respect of the cause Contrition ariseth from sonne-like Attrition from servile feare See Valent. Disp. 7. Q. 8. De contrit punct 2. This Contrition is the cause of the remission of sinnes Bellar. lib. 2. de poenit cap. 12. Arb. At Catholici alij passim Well then thou art a Papist and troubled inconscience Thou knowest well that without
alwayes observed for a speciall difference betwixt good and bad men that the one hated sinne for the love of vertue the other only for the feare of punishment The like difference doe our Adversaries make betwixt Contrition and Attrition That the hatred of sin in the one proceedeth from the love of God and of righteousnesse in the other from the feare of punishment And yet teach for all this that Attrition which they confesse would not otherwise suffice to iustifie a man being ioyned with the Priests absolution is sufficient for that purpose Hee that was attâ—ite being by vertue of this Absolution made contrite and iustified that is to say hee that was led only by a servile feare and consequently was to bee ranked among disordered and evill persons being by this meanes put in as good a Case for the matter of the forgivenesse of his sinnes as hee that loveth God syncerely For they themselves doe grant that such as have this servile feare from whence Attrition issueth are to bee accounted evill and disordered men c. But leaving these blind Pharisies in the endlesse Maze of their inextricable errours untill it please the Lord to illighten them and by a strong hand pull them out which I heartily desire and will ever pray I come to prosecute mine owne Point 2. Secondly If you aske mee when trouble for sinne is saving I would answer when it is true If you further demand when it is true I would say when it drives Thee utterly out of thy Selfe and to sell all in the sense I have said before and brings thee with a syncere thirst and setled resolution to Iesus Christ to live and die with Him as a Saviour and a Lord and is accompanied with an universall change in Body Soule and Spirit 3. Thirdly take notice of such considerations as these 1. God beeing a most free Agent doth not tie Himself constantly unvariably to ordinary expected set and the same formes measures times proportions of his waies and workings upon his Children For Hee is wise without limit and above measure and therfore hath many secret and glorious ends and aimes which according to His good pleasure much diversifie the meanes serviceable and subordinate thereunto From whence may spring these three Conclusions 1. Hee may for the most part create in the heart of the true Convert terrours and troubles of Conscience amazements and mourning answerable in some good measure to the varietie vanity and villany of His former wicked waies and lewd life As appeares before in Manasses the sinnefull Woman Idolatrous Israelites Hearers of Peter and many in these dayes if it were convenient to name them For the most part saith a great Divine the violence of humiliation in the Calling of a sinner is according to the continuance and greatnesse of His actuall transgressions According to the same is the rent in the conscience and Soule Therefore if there bee any who hath been a great and grievous sinner and hath not with violence been pulled from his sinne Hee may doe well to suspect and search Himselfe soundly 2. Hee may sometimes suffer a notorious sinner â—â— passe something more easily and unterribly thorow thâ— Pangs of the New-birth But then such a One is woont to walke more humbly before God all His life after for that Hee was not humbled with more remarkeablenesse of penitent remorse and spirituall angvish in His conversion And so extension and continuance of Godly griefe that Hee was not more grieved makes up as it were that desired intension and extremity of pangs which might justly have pained Him in His passing from death to life Every hearty and sensible complaint that the Pangs of the New-birth were not more painefull and proportionable to the pollutions of His youth is as it were and in the sense I have said a Pang of the New-birth Or else upon some occasion afterward in His Christian course Hee may bee revisited and vexed afresh with more terrour and trouble of conscience then in His first change As in such Cases as these first If Hee should which God forbid by some volent enticement and snaring opportunity bee entangled againe and re-infected with any former sensuall pleasure of His unregenerate time or by neglect of His care and watchfulnesse over His waies bee suddenly surprised with some new scandalous sin Secondly upoÌ„ the assault of some extraordinary frighting temptation or pressing of hideous thoughts upon his melancholick imagination Thirdly when some heavy crosse or sicknesse after many prosperous daies shall seize upon Him which may lye sore and long Fourthly upon His Bed of death especially if Hee fall upon it immediately after some relapse backsliding or new wound of Conscience There is a kinde of naturall power besides Gods speciall hand in sicknesse sorrow darknesse melancholy the night extraordinary crosses the Bed of death to represent the true number and hainousnesse of sinnes with greater horror and more unto the life Whereas prosperity health and daies of peace doe rather delude the eyes of the conscience and like false and flattering glasses make those foule Fiends seeme fairer then they are indeede And therefore the christian especially that I speake of beeing outwardly distressed cast upon His Bed of death or any waies extraordinarily visited by Gods hand seeing his sinnes upon the sudden marshalled and marching against Him moe in number and more fiercely then heretofore may for the while bee surprised and exercised with unexpected terrour untill by meditation upon Gods former speciall mercy unto Him in spirituall things upon the markes and effects of His Change upon the uprightnesse of His heart towards God in the daies of health upon those testimonies and assurances which His ChristiaÌ„ friends can give Him of His beeing in a gracious state with such like holy helpes And so in cold blood and above all resolving to sack so ever fast to the Lord Iesus tho He kill Him Hee bee raised againe from such dejections of spirit to the â—oonteâ— confidence and comfort of His interest in Christ and salvation of His Soule Here by the way let none think it strange that even the dearest servants of Christ may bee re-visited with more horrour of conscience afterward then at their first turning on Gods side As appeares in Iob Ezechiah David in Miâ—â— Brettergh Mr. Peacock c. See before pag. 84. l 21. 31. Besides the proposed Cases this revisitation may befall them also Fifthly For their owne triall This was the end as it may seeme why Iob was set up as a marke for the envenomed Arrowes of the Almighty to aime at and whole armies of terrours to fight against Hee approoved Himselfe to be steele to the backe as they say by that victorious ejaculation Cap. 13.15 Though He slay mee yet will I trust in Him Whereby God was mightily honoured Satan utterly confounded that controversie whether Iob feared God for nought or no gloriously ended on Gods
recovery of our soule-sickenesses distempers and declinations How wisely to proportion and mercifully moderate in respect of measure time and working and when His hand is heavie upon us in one kinde tenderly to take care that wee bee not opprest with other extremities also As appeares by that sweet observation of Master Foxe in the story of the two Glovers God in his holy providence seeing his old and trusty servant so many yeeres with so extreme and many torments broken and dried up would in no wise heape too many sorrowes upon one poore silly wretch neither would commit him to the flames of fire who had been already baked and scorched with the sharpe fires of inward affliction and had sustained so many burning darts and conflicts of Satan so many yeeres God therefore of his divine providence thinking it too much that one man should bee so much over-charged with so many plagves and torments did graciously provide that Robert his brother being both stronger of body and also better furnished with helpes of learning to answer the Adversaries should sustaine the conflict It may bee our onely wise God purposeth to exercise us extraordinarily with spirituall conflicts and troubles of conscience and therefore doth mercifully give us more prosperity and comfort in our outward state Or perhaps to afflict us with variety of worldly crosses and therefore doth sweetly and compassionately give us more peace and comfort at home in our owne hearts Or it may bee Hee meanes to make us ominent Objects of disgrace reproach and slander in the World and even from those who sit in the gate for our forwardnesse and excellency of zeale and therefore out of a gracious tender-heartednesse gives us both more calmenesse in conscience and contentment in outward things Or perhaps Hee may lay all these upon us suffer us to bee tried with ill tongues with troubles without and terrours within why then undoubtedly his grace shall bee sufficient for us So wise and so mercifull is our blessed God Only first let us take heed tho in our owne apprehensions and misdeeming wee may pretend and except never so plausibly that wee never prescribe unto him How in what kind or measure hee should afflict us Secondly That wee never ward or put off any blow from his owne heavenly hand Men or Creatures with the wound of Conscience never decline any ill by ill meanes Thirdly That wee learne and labour to profit by and make the right use of all his corrections Fourthly And ever magnifie the glory of his mercy and wisdome in sparing us any way his tender-hearted taking notice where wee are weakest and not so able to beare his severer visitations but specially that hee ever pitches upon that affliction which doth our soules most good and serves most punctually to procure protect and promote the soundnesse safety and flourishing of our spirituall state Well then for my purpose and thy support sith our most holy God deales thus with all that are not damned to wit sorts out unto them those severall crosses and corrections which out of his unsearchable wisdome and spirituall necessity of their soules hee sees most fit to keepe them humble obedient and in awe Take thou up and in good part this crosse of thine while it pleaseth God to exercise thee with it as thy portion Others tho free from this yet have their proportion and proper Potion and that perhaps in a bitterer Cup and from a more smarting Rod. It may bee it goes well with thee in other respects in which were thou yet crossed the physicke would not take nor work so kindlily Our all-wise heavenly Physition knowes this dreadfull dart will onely doe it Who knowes whether if thou wert not haunted with these foule Furies I meane furious injections of the Divels owne Forge thou mightest grow worldly luke-warme too passionate proude secure or something which God would not have thee and would bee infinitely for thy hurt Be Thou therefore patient under them humbled by them make a holy and profitable use of them comfort thy selfe in them by these considerations commended unto thee for that purpose and learne how to behave thy selfe about them by the following counsels 4. As at their first approach and offer thou oughtest to stirre up and steele thy heart to improve the strength and stoutnesse of all the powers of thy soule to make a mighty and forcible resistance lifting up at the same instant thy heart in a bitter complaint against the cruelty and malice of the adversary a strong cry for the rebuking of him and restraint of his hellish spight with extreme detestation of all such divellish filth so take heede that thou never revolve in thy mind or muse upon those his blasphemous temptations But say with Luther a Kite or Cormorant may fly over my house but sure shall never rooust or nestle there Or as another a ravenous and hatefull Bird may begin to build in mine Arbour I cannot hinder it but I will never faile to pull it downe as often as shee beginnes The Divell will inject whether thou wilt or no But resolve to suffer them by no meanes to have any rest or residence in thine imagination If thou bee a Minister and the holiest men are Satans speciall marke that hee would gladliest hit with his fierie darts take advise which hath proved soveraigne and helpefull to beat backe and banish these temptations of blasphemie The minde of every man of God instructed to the Kingdome of heaven is as I suppose still digging into the rich Mines of divine truth diving into the great mystery of Christ ever discoursing in it selfe for or doing something for the advancement of the worke of the Lord their Ministeriall affaires and welfare of Soules Temporizers indeed seldome and selfe-Preachers are not much troubled this way neither take these things so to heart They seeke more to advance themselves then save soules their chiefe study is if they be not downe-right Good fellowes as they call them either to grow rich or rise and so they are still negotiating industriously about the one or plotting ambitiously for the other But were they of Pauls minds Woe is unto mee if I preach not the Gospell of Chrysostom's temper who was woont to tremble when hee tooke into consideration those words Hebr. 13.17 For they watch over your soules as they that must give account Of Austins resolution for not meddling in worldly matters wherein to deale he deemed a very tiring and tedious vexation and was never wel but when he was wading in the depths of Christian Religion and busied about the things of God I say if they were thus affected they would bee such as they ought and as I now suppose to wit have many webs as it were of their holy work in their heads all at once many in Misteriall Taskes in agitation and on foote still Some part of the day they would perhaps search and pierce into the
pith and marrow of some Scripture-text at another time wraflle with the difficulties and knotty distinctions of some Popish or Neo-pelagian controversie At another discusse and drive unto a resolution some perplexed and intricate Case of Conscience c. Well then for my purpose this supposed Vpon the very first Proposall of these monstrous and hideous thoughts presently divert and resort to the hardest of all those irons thou hast in the fire if I may so speake and that which hath neede of most hammering I meane to the most difficult and waighty Points of all those severall spirituall businesses thou hadst last in thy braine and single out that particular which did most puzzle and put thy understanding to it Where-abouts when the strength heat and intension of thy whole soule is spent and improoved not onely other impertinent wandrings and vagaries but these idle and irkesome injections also will more easily vanish and bee gone Let others also proportionably upon such occasions besides other helpes have recourse to the most troublesome and over-mastering part of their honest imploiments to the chiefest and needefullest affaire of their lawfull Callings 5. In temptations of this nature never set thy selfe to dispute with the Divell hee is an old Sophister of above five thousand yeares standing in the Schoole of hideous temptations and hellish policies and thou art but a Novice Hee hath many Methods Devices and Depths which thy shallow fore-cast cannot possibly fathome Direct opposition by reasons and replies stirreth up the out-ragious Blasphemour to grow more furious And hereby we give him greater advantage more matter of molestation and mischiefe and may so plunge our selves further into an intricate maze of horrour and confused distractions Our blessed Captaine Christ Iesus may bee a patterne for us in this Point When hee was tempted to fall downe and worship Satan hee reasoneth not the Case but repells him with vehement extraordinary detestation and disdaine Avoid Satan It will therefore bee our best wisedome at such a time to turne from him and as Hezekiah spread his blasphemous letter so to lay open his fury before the Lord crying mightily unto him and intreating him even for his owne honours sake to vindicate the purity of his great Majesty and excellency of his unspotted glory from this hellish filth and horrible villany of his damned vilest Creature That he would cast it as dung upon the Tempters face and in the Passion and Blood of Christ free fully and for ever our poore soules trembling under the hideousnesse of his malice and cruelty from the guilt staine terrour and assault of all such abhorred and pâ—â—odigeous blasphemie In that other terrible temptation also to Selfe-murther many much wrong themselves this way In managing this fierie dart the Adversary deales by way of argument too and presses reasons such as they are upon the temted sometimes extremely absurd especially if the party bee something more simple and ignorant sometimes exceedingly suttle if hee bee of better understanding and capacity As thus It is soone done and the paine quickely past Thou art like thus to languish and lie in misery all thy life long The longer thou livest the larger will bee the score of thy sinnes and so thy torments in hell more horrible hereafter If it be once done it will appeare to have bin Gods decree and I hope thou wilt not oppose the accomplishment of that Do what thou canst thou wilt bee damned when all is done c. Now in this Case if thou debate the matter with the Divell and begin to confer thou art like enough to be more and more confounded and intangled with inextricable astonishments and danger to bee utterly undone and suddenly blowne up by the mine of his soule-murdering sophistry But if according to the precedency and practise of thy Lord Master who hath begun unto thee in this bitter Cup is afflicted in all thy afflictions and ever stands by thee as a victorious commander and conquerour in all such assaults first abominate and beate backe this base and bloody motion with infinite indignation and loathing Avant Satan And then immediately lay hold on the sword of the Spirit and keepe him at the point of it and then assuredly all the Divells in Hell cannot hurt thee Tell him that against his vile and villanous suggestion and all the subtilties and sophistry with which hee seconds it this is thy onely answere even the precise holy and everlasting countermand of his and thy Creatour the mighty Lord of heaven and earth Thou shalt not kill Now if it bee a crimson and crying sinne the most deadly opposite and desperate cut-throate of charity to kill an other and fastneth such a deepe and inexpiable staine upon the face of a whole Kingdome that it cannot bee razed out but by the blood of him that shed it How execrable and hainous then is this and what depth of Hell and height of horrour doth that abhorred Miscreant deserve and may expect who makes away himselfe For the Rule of charity whereby wee love one another is proportioned by that charity whereby a man loues himselfe If the Divell bee able to dissolve and disanull the most absolute perfect and just Law of the most High who tho all other things besides are something in possibilitie which as yet they are not in act yet himselfe is actually and everlastingly whatsoever hee may bee and cannot hereafter be that which now hee is not and so by consequent is with out all variablenesse or shadow of turning I say if the Prince of darkenesse can reverse this Law of the Father of Lights Thou shalt not murder thou maist well say thou wilt then thinke of an other answer But till that bee which is more then infinitely impossible ever to come to passe thou wilt rather lie in the miseries of Hell upon earth which indeed were incomparably better then breaking Gods blessed Law goe downe into the grave in a bloody coffin made by thy owne hands onely at the Divels bidding Can this madnesse ever bee matched for a man besides Selfe-severing the soule from his body before the time by a more hainous and un-naturall villany then murthering of his owne father for every man is naturally next unto himself and sending it suddenly all goare-blood by becomming his owne Butcher and hangman unto the dreadfull Tribunall of the all-powerfull God the most certaine and severe Revenger of all bloodshed to bring also abundance of unnecessary shame griefe and hopelesse mourning upon Friends Kindred Husband ChildreÌ„ Parents a reproachfull staine and brand upon House Name Buriall Posterity c. And that meerely at the instance and upon the most absurd ridiculous and senselesse suggestion of the Arch-murtherer thy mortall and immortall enemy against sense reason nature religion Scripture Gods direct command to the contrary even Heathen Philosophy Heaven and Earth 6. Avoid idlenesse solitarinesse and too much secrecy three maine advantages for the adversary which