from thy self 4 Thou art not like to hold out Also two Answers to an Objection of those that think they avoid sin for fear of Hell 1. Thy Sensitive part may be most stirr'd by fear but yet thy rational part may be most carried against sin as sin 2. Those that avoid sin meerly for fear never come to love the Command that forbid the sin 3 They are willingly ignorant of many sins 4. Those that avoid sin and not out of fear even when they fear God will destroy them then they desire God may be glorified 5. Those that avoid sin out of fear do not see the excellency of Godliness so as to be inamored with it Thirdly It reprehends those that will sin to avoid affliction Fourthly It rebukes such as when they are under affliction they be more sensible of affliction than of sin Also there is five Discoveries whether mens affliction or sin trouble them Fifthly It reprehends those that get out of Affliction by sinful courses and yet think they do well Sixthly It reprehends those that after deliverance from affliction can bless themselves in their sins Use XVII COme we now to the last thing The last Use is this I wil but shew what might have been said and so wind up all There are six sorts of People that from this Point are reprehended You shall see all Naturally follow from the Point in hand that there is greater Evil in Sin than in Affliction First Such kind of people as be more afraid of Affliction than of sin There be many people very â—hy of Affliction and solicitous to prevent Affliction but not to prevent Sin Many reason thus I had need be a good Husband and lay up somwhat I know not what I may meet withal before I die I may want before I die many are penurious and covetous and will not enlarge themselves to good uses when God calls because they be afraid they and their Children may want before they die who knows what we may meet withal and thus they are careful to prevent Affliction But for Sin they do not lay up to prevent that whereas we should be very solicitous least we should be drawn into temptation and therefore we are taught to pray Lead us not into temptation as well as Forgive us our trespasses True God keeps me from such and such sins but what if God should leave me to temptation what a wretched Creature should I be if ever this corrupt heart of mine should prevail against me as I have cause to fear I find such wickedness boyling and bubling up and such pronenesse to such and such sin if the Lord be not infinitely merciful to me I shall break out to the dishonor of his Name scandal of Religion and wounding of my Conscience and this God knows causes the most solicitous care that I ever had least my heart should break out against God to the scandal of that holy Profession I have taken upon me Oh is it thus with you Oh this were a happy thing indeed As when men hear of one that is broke they wil inquire what is the reason he had such an Estate what is the reason he broke One may be saith he trusted Servants too much and that caused him to break Oh this will cause him to look so to it that he will never trust his Servants too much Another may be saith Because he lived above his means and this makes him that he will not live above his means And another He will have his Country House and his Servants riot at home when he is abroad And another He trusted too much and such like Reasons Now we will be wise to take heed of that which brings others to afflictions So it should be with us when we see any fall into sin Professors that made a shew of Religion and afterwards fall foully inquire now what is the matter this man broke he broke his Conscience what is the matter one that had such admirable gifts and made such a Profession Oh may be all the time he had a proud heart therefore I will keep my heart humble Oh he had Excellent Gifts and enlargements in Prayer but he had a slight vain Spirit Oh let me take heed of this root of bit ternesse in my Soul He is broke now but what is the matter Oh he began to be sluggish and cold in Closet work and such duties in his Family Oh let me take heed and keep up communion with God in secret in my Closet and in my Family He broke indeed but how Oh some secret sin he kept in his bosom there was some secret sin he let his heart hanker after and now God hath left him to it now by Gods grace I will look to my self I will by the grace of God take heed of secret sins Thus Brethren if we were sensible of the evil of Sin we would be thus careful to prevent the evil of sin as well as the evil of affliction And so many for their Children Oh they will be providing for their Children that they may live like men and have somwhat to take to but if you were apprehensive of the evil of sin you would provid for their Souls as well as their Bodies and therefore Oh let me put him in a good Family and there he may learn to prevent sin This is the First To reprove those that labor to prevent Affliction but not Sin Secondly It serves to reprove those that be careful to keep themselves from sin but 't is meerly for fear of affliction only upon that ground as if there were not evil enough in sin it self but all the evil were in affliction Certainly these men and women understand not this That there is more evil in Sin than in Affliction if thou didest understand and wert sensible of this Point I have treated upon thou wouldest find Arguments enough from sin it self to keep thee from sin though no affliction should follow Thou abstainest from sin what is the reason not because of any great evil thou seest in sin but because of affliction thy Conscience tells thee it will bring thee to trouble and into affliction and this keeps away sin 'T is true it is good for men and women to avoid sin upon any terms and this is one motive God propounds to avoid sin by but this is not all or the chief motive because of affliction and trouble Conscience tells thee God will be even with thee and the wrath of God pursues thee very few come so far to have such apprehensions of the evil consequences of sin and to avoid sin upon them grounds But you should labor not only to avoid sin from the evil consequences of sin but for the evil of sin it self for if thou avoid sin only from the evil consequences of sin Know 1 This may be without change of Nature a man or a woman may be in such an estate as they may not dare to commit some sin out of fear
submission unto him in thy Patience under his mighty hand thou hast behaved thy self stubbornly and stoutly and hast denyed to give God the glory of his Soveraignty Majesty Holiness Justice and Purity and this thou hast Chosen rather than to be content to lie under the Afflicting hand of God which way so ever it be taken it was a heavie Charge had it been true So for it to be alleadged against any Souls That they Chuse Iniquity rather than Affliction is a great and heavy Charge The Doctrinal truth which ariseth from the words thus opened is this That it is a very â—vâ— Choice for any soul under heaven to choose the least Sin rather then the greatest Affliction Better be under the greatest Affliction then be under the guilt or power of any Sin it is true that neither Sin nor Affliction is to be Chosen Affliction in it self is an Evil and Sin is an Evil but the object of the Will is good and choice is of the Will therfore neither barely considered as in themselves can be chosen but because of some Evils the less in comparison of the greater may come under a notion of good and so may be somtimes chosen the Will cannot chuse any thing but under the notion of good either real or in appearance and though Affliction be in it self an evil yet in regard of Sin it may come under the notion of good and that 's to be chosen rather than Sin Now this is the work I have to do to make out this Conclusion to you That any Affliction is to be chosen rather than any Sin that there is more evil in any Sin the least sin than in the greatest Affliction My principal business is To charge mens Consciences with the evil of their sin and shew to them how much evil there is in sin all men are a raid of afflictions and troubled at affliction but wher 's the man or woman that fears sin and â—â—yes from it as from a Serâ—ent and is troubled at sin more then any affliction That there is more vil in sin than in affliction in the General I suppose is granted of all none dare deny it but because they do not see how this is they have not convincing Arguments to bring this truth with power unto their Souls but I hope before I have done with this Point that I shal make it clear to every ones Conscience That there is more evil in sin than in affliction not only more evil in sin than in outward trouble in the world but more evil in sin than in al the miseries and torments of Hel it self Suppose that God should bring any of you to the very brink of that bottomless Gulf and open it to you and there you should see those damned Creatures lie sweltring under the wrath of the infinite God and there you should hear the dreadful and hideous cryes and shreeks of those that are under such soul amazing and soul-sinking torments through the wrath of the Almighty yet I say there is more evil in one sinful thought than there is in all these everlasting burnings and that is that which I shal endeavor to clear and prove to every mans Conscience that we shal not only see it an ill Choice that we chuse sin rather than affliction but if it come in competition to chuse sin rather than al the tortures and torments of Hell howsoever many of you admit of sin upon very easie terms yet the truth is That if it should come into competition whether we would endure al the torments that there are in Hell to all eternity rather than to commit one sin I say if our Spirits were as they should be we would rather be willing to endure al these torments than commit the least sin And Brethren do not think this is a high strain for that com to speak in the Name of God come not to speak Hyperbollically to raise Expressions higher than the things are in their reality no I come not for that end and I should take the Name of God in vain if I should do so therfore I dare not raise things beyond that which they are in reality in themselves Therfore know Whatsoever I shal say unto you in this thing that they are not Words or Expressions but I speak as in the name of God as I would take it upon mine own Conscience having to deal between God and you in this great work and in this place to deliver this truth That there is more evil in the least Sin than in al the miseries that possible a Creature is capable of either here or in Hel besides I hope if I shal make out this to you you wil then beleeve that sure you have not yet understood the sinfulness of Sin that yet the burthen of Sin hath not lain upon you to be felt as the burthen of sin Now then that I may fully convince you That there is more Evil in the least Sin than in any Affliction CHAP. II. The Servants of God have Chose the most dreadful Afflictions rather than the least Sin FIrst Those Servants of God that have been guided by the Wisdom of God to make their Choice they have rather chose the sorest and most dreadful Afflictions in this world than willingly to commit the least sin as now if you would but turn your thoughts to what you have read or heard of the Martyrs what hideous and grievous torments did they suffer the boyling of their bodies in scalding Lead laying of their naked backs upon hot Gridirons and â—ending and tearing their Members a pieces with Horses the pulling of their flesh off from their Bodies with Pinchers and others by red hot burning Tongs their enduring their flesh to be scorched with broyling of it first on the one side and afterward on the other side Yea weak Women have endured this To have their flesh harrowed with stones and sharp irons to have their bodies flayed and then thrown into rivers of cold ice and a thousand more whatsoever Hel and wicked men could devise they were content to endure al this and certainly could they have devised ten thousand times more exquisite torments then they did they would have been content to have endured that and whatsoever else rather than to act against their Consciences the least sin and they accounted this to be a good Choice when as they saw Sin against their Consciences on the one hand and al their torments on the other they did rather embrace these tortures then embrace that sin and for this their Choice they are renowned in the hearts of the Saints to al generations yea the holy Ghost doth witness That they have a good Report Heb. 11. Those that suffered sawing asunder and scourging and went up and down in Sheeps-skins and Goats skins in leather Breeches and Doublets and suffered the spoyling of their goods and of al that they had these had a good Report and the Holy Ghost commends them for
you That Sin is worse than Affliction First I have shewed that there is no good at all in Sin and there is good in Affliction Now Secondly There is more Evil in the least Sin than there is in the greatest Affliction This I am now to make out unto you in these Six Particulars First Sin is most opposite unto God himself the chiefest Good Secondly Sin is most opposite unto Mans good Affliction is not so opposite to the good of the Creature as Sin is Thirdly Sin is opposite unto all Good in General and so will be discovered to be an Vniversal Evil. Fourthly Sin it is the Evil of all other Evils it is that which is the very venom and poyson of all other Evils whatsoever therefore greatest Fifthly There is a kind of Infinitness in sin though not properly Infinite it cannot be so yet in the Nature of it it hath a kind of infinitness Sixtly The Evil of it is discovered In the conformity sin hath with the Devil there is no Creature that conspires against God but only Devils and Sinful Men. These be the Six things to be opened for the discovery of the evil of sin And I beseech you seriously attend to what shall be delivered in these for I hope before I have done to make it appear to every ones Conscience that shall vouchsafe to read attend and consider what I say that sin is another manner of business than the World thinks it to be Oh that your hearts might come to see your selves to be as you are in an ill Case in a worse condition than you imagin and 〈◊〉 beseech you give way to this and be willing to hear it for though it seem a hard Doctrine yet it is a Soul saving Doctrine and for want of this many thousand thousands of Souls perish because they never understood what sin meant Many thousands in â—ell if they had known what sin had been it might have delivered them from everlaâ—â—ing flames God hath reserved you alive and who knows but for this end To understand what sin is that so your hearts may be humbled and so everlastingly saved through Christ Brethren but that the way to understand sin is the way to be humbled for sin and to be humbled for sin is the way to have sin pardoned and the Soul saved I should never treat upon such a Doctrine as this is therefore I beseech you mark what I say and see whether I do not make out these things I undertake CHAP. VI. Sin most opposite to God the chiefest Good opened in four Heads 1. Sin most opposite to Gods Nature 2. Sin opposite in its working against God 3. Sin wrong God more than any thing else 4. Sin strikes at Gods Being FIrst It is most opposite to God who is the chiefest Good The meanest Capacity may easily understand That which is most opposite to the chiefest good that must needs be the chiefest evil I suppose the weakest in this Congregation will understand this way of Reasoning that evil that is most opposit to the chiefest good that must needs be the chiefest evil but sin is that which is most opposite to God who is the chiefest good and therfore must needs be the chiefest evil That then is that I must make good Quest How doth it appear that sin is most opposite to the chiefest good Answ Brethren When I have made out this I shal shew sin to be very sinful and the greatest venom of sin lies in this one thing I am now opening Should I tel you never so much of the evil of sin in the danger that comes by it Hell that follows it should I write a Book about Hel and Damnation for sin it hath not so much to humble the Soul in a saving manner as this I now treat about perhaps I might scare you in preaching of Hell and Damnation but discovering this I now speak of the opposition sin hath unto God it hath more in it to humble the Soul in a saving manner and to cause the Soul to feel sin to be most evil where it is most evil to be the greatest burden where it is most waighty This Point I say hath more power in it than any other therefore let me set upon this and see how I make this good That sin is most opposite to God the chiefest good There be these four things discover the truth of this First Sin in its own Nature is most opposite to the Nature of God Secondly Sin in the Working of it is a continual working against God The Nature of sin is opposite to Gods Nature and the working of sin is most opposite to God Thirdly Sin it doth wrong God more than any thing else Fourthly Yea Sin strikes at the very Being of God so far as it can do So then let us sum it up again That which in its own Nature is most opposite to God 2 ly That which in its working is continually working against God 3 ly That w ch doth most wrong God and 4 ly That which strikes at the very Being of God Himself that must needs be the greatest evil but so doth sin CHAP. VII Sin in it self opposite to God shewed in five things 1. Nothing directly contrary to God but sin 2. God would cease to be God if but one drop of sin in Him 3. Sin so opposite to God that he cease to be God if He did but cause sin to be in another 4. He should cease to be God if he should but approve it in others 5. Sin would cause God to cease to be if he did not hate sin as much as he doth FIrst That sin in it self is most opposite to God To understand this take these five things and they rightly understood will make it as cleer as the Sun at noon day 1 The Nature of sin is so opposite to God that there is nothing so contrary to Him as sin God hath nothing but sin contrary to him take it soâ— therfore it must needs be opposite for God hath nothing contrary to His own Nature but sin it is the only contrary the only opposit to God There is nothing perfectly contrary to another but it is so contrary as there is nothing but that which is so contrary as that is for that is the rule of Contraries that there must be one to one there may be diversity and difference of many things to one but an absolute perfect Contrariety can be only of one to one Now there is nothing contrary to Gods Nature but only sin God hath no object that he can look upon contrary to himself in all the World but only sin For there is nothing else except sin but it is from God and by God and for God Now that which is from Him and by Him and for Him cannot have contrarity to Him but Sin is neither from Him nor by Him nor for Him but that is directly contrary unto Him therfore there is more evil in Sin than in any
night and he had nothing else upon him to make him sweat but the burden of sin and the weight of the wrath of God being upon him he being under that burden sweat and such a sweat as made the very blood break through his very Veins and run to Clodders and so run down upon the ground Clodders of Blood and all this but upon the apprehension of the wrath of God his Father against him for our Sin Now you know when Porters be under great Burdens somtimes they sweat but never did any sweat like this sweat of Christ being under the weight of mans Sin sweat so as Clodders of Blood should fall from him One would think fear should rather draw in the Blood fear naturally draws in the blood to the heart therefore it is that men and women when they are skar'd and are afraid they are so pale in their Countenance fear causeth paleness in the outward parts because the blood retires to the heart when they be afraid But such was the amazement upon Christ upon the apprehension of the wrath of his Father for Sin that it sends out blood in Clodders trickling down his sides 3 And then a third expression which shew the effect of Gods wrath on Christ is the Prayer of Christ Christ doth as it were shrink under this weight and burden of sin and cries to God if it be possible let this Cup pass from me When we cry with vehemency we say if it be possible let it be thus or thus but Christ cries out so three times We may apprehend Christ taking as it were the Cup of the wrath of his Father in his hand and because he knew it was the end wherefore he came into the world that he must drink of it for satisfaction for mans Sin and being willing to save Man-kind that he knew could not be saved but he must drink the Cup he takes it in his hand readie to drink it but beholding the hidiousness and dreadfulness of this Cup and knowing what was in it he puts it away and cries Father if it be possible let this Cup pass but now he sees if he did not drink it all the Children of men must be eternally damned for such was our miserie if Christ had not drunk this Cup we had all eternally perish't therefore Christ puts it to his mouth again as it were the second time but yet seeing what dreadfulness was in this Cup and he knowing it he takes it away again and cries If it be possible let this Cup pass but yet having love to Man-kind being loth to see so many thousands of poor Creatures perish eternally he puts it to his mouth again a third time and yet seeing the dreadfulness of it puts it away again and yet saith If it be possible let it pass This might make a man tremble to think that he shall as Job saith 21. Job drink of the wrath of God Thus it was with Christ and all this while he did not drink it But afterwards when he comes to the Cross there he drunk the Cup of Gods wrath and there he cries out with another cry more bitter than all the other and that is My God my God why hast thou forsaken me so that he apprehends himself forsaken Oh the wrath of the Almighty that then was upon the Spirit of Jesus Christ at that time What! for the son of God blessed for evermore thus to cry out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Oh you Heavens how could you be able to behold such a Spectacle as this was or the Earth be able to bear it Truly neither Heaven nor Earth were able for the Scripture saith that the Sun withdrew his light and was darkened so many hours it was from twelve to three that the Sun withdrew his light and did not shine but there was dismal darkness in the world as not being able to behold such a Spectacle as this and the Earth shook and trembled and the Graves opened and the Rocks clove in sunder the very stones themselves were affected with such a work as this and the vale of the Temple rent asunder these things were done upon Christs bearing of the Wrath of his Father for Sin Here you have the fruits of Gods displeasure for sin and in this you may see surely sin must needs be a vile thing that causeth God the Father thus to deal with his own Son when he had mans sin upon him Thirdly Consider yet further for there is much in it and if this do not shew the evil of sin and cause you to fear and tremble those that be guilty of sin and their consciences tell them so if their hearts tremble not certainly their hearts be hard and their minds be blinded and little hopes can they have for the present of ever having their parts in these sufferings of Christ what shall Christ suffer such sufferings and wilt thou go away and have slight thoughts of sin shall sin be so great a burden to Christ and wilt thou be so merry under it Certainly you see it is more than you were aware of for you to say I trust in Jesus Christ and hope to be saved by Jesus Christ you see how Christ felt sin the Scripture saith he was made a Curse Were it not we had it from the holy Ghost no man or Angel durst say so that Christ should be made a Curse in the abstract not Cursed but made a Curse What! he that was God and Man by the sin of man was made a Curse Oh the displeasure of God against sin But yet to give it you a little more fully see these Aggravations and you will say certainly the displeasure of God was great against his Son 1 As first All that Christ suffered he perfectly knew it long before he suffered and yet it was so dreadful unto him Oh Brethren there be many men and women understand nothing at all of the wrath of God against sin these think there is no great matter in it Of all the men and women in the world when they come to suffer this wrath it will be dreadful to them because it come unexpectedly they that went on merrily and cheerfully in the waies of sin and for the wrath of God never thought of it now then when the wrath of God comes on them it will be more dangerous and intollerable This is the reason why many people when their consciences are awakened upon their sick Beds then they despair crying and roaring under Gods wrath and rage with despair Why Because they never in their lives came to understand the danger of sin and of Gods wrath for sin and because it comes now suddenly upon them they be not able to bear it But it was not so with Christ Christ understood this long before he knew what it would be before he took our Nature and he knew what it would be when he came in humane Nature to undertake it Those men and women that know
of Gods working towards him 'T is thus with man There is no wise man that doth any great work manifests any great skill or layes out great cost but will do it for such an end as that end if ever it be attained shall be worth all his cost and skill and pains For a wise man to bestow much cost skill and pains upon a mean thing is absurd and ridiculous And no wise man but if he bestow much cost and pains and manifest much skill but he will be sure it shall be for that which if he attain to that he aims at it shall be worth all If a man be at a great deal of Charge in a Voyage he aims at such an end as may be worth his Charge So when God above all things layes out his wisdom power and mercy goodness faithfulness and sets at work all his Counsels to be laid out upon such a business as to get man to attain to his last end then certainly mans end and happiness must be worth it all And it must needs be a glorious thing God intends for the Children of men to make them happy withal when the great Counsels of God and wayes of Gods wisdom and power be so about this business of bringing man to happiness Now if there be such a glorious happiness for mankind then that which is most opposite to this great happiness must be very evil Now sin directly opposeth mans happiness the end man was made for and thus you see the evil of sin When God comes to awaken mans Conscience and inlighten mans Soul to see how sin crosseth their happiness more than any affliction they will chuse rather to be under the greatest affliction than the least sin Object I but it may be you will say it doth not sâ— cross mans happiness but that he may come to be happie for all sin Answ I Answer Of its own nature it directly crosseth mans happiness quite undoes man and if God by his Power fetch it about another way this is no thank to sin but to God CHAP. XXVIII Fifthly Sin is more opposite to mans good than Affliction because t is a defilement of the Soul 1 It defiles all a man medleth with 2 Sin is the matter the worm shall gnaw upon to all eternity FIfthly The evil of Sin against a mans good appeareth in this In that it is the defilement and corruption of the Soul a rottenness in the Soul Affliction is not the filth and corruption of the Soul the Soul may be as clear from filth and corruption notwithstanding Affliction as it was before man sinned Sin it is the rottenness of the Soul and therefore such a kind of defilement As 1 It defiles all things a man medles withal and al his actions it makes a man vile and defiles every thing that comes from him To the unclean all things are unclean and impure Tit. 1. 15. It defiles the Creature and every thing he hath to do withal and every thing he medles withal 2 And especially it appeareth in this That it is no other than the matter for the worm to breed in that shall gnaw upon the Soul of the wicked to all eternity You reade in Scripture That the damned shall be punished with fire that shall never go out and the worm that shal never dye What is that worm that shall never dye The worm of Conscience that shall gnaw upon their Spirits to all eternity Now what breeds this worm and supplies it with matter No other but the corruption of sin in the soul For as with worms as the Holy Ghost makes use of that Meatopher that breed in the corruption and filth in a mans body there are some worms that breed in the body which are deadly But out of what do those worms breed Out of the filth and corruption of the Body and the corruption of the body supplies matter for the worm to gnaw upon And so in Trees and Timber there breeds worms upon what do they breed but upon the corruption of the Timber when it begins to rot So then worms breed out of corruption and live upon Corruption so that worm of Conscience that shall lye gnawing upon the souls of those that perish to al eternity is nothing else but that which breeds from the filth of their hearts while they live here the worm breeds Therefore you that live a long time in sin old sinners gray headed sinners though you do not feel the worm gnaw for the present yet ever since you were born the worm was breeding and it will be a great and a dreadful worm hereafter and know you supply abundance of Corruption for to feed that worm that will gnaw another day You feel it not now but the longer you be before you feel it the dreadfuller will it be then All those that have corrupt hearts and have this worm breed if God would make the worm gnaw now it would be wel for them for there be wayes to kill it here to kill the worm of Conscience If it gnaw there is a Soveraign Medicine the bloud of Christ And certainly there is no Medicine in the world to kill this worm but the bloud of Christ and those that God doth intend to kill this worm in and those that shall not have it gnaw to all eternity God lets it gnaw now the Ministery of the Word makes it gnaw and pain them and they feel such pain that wheresoever they go or whatsoever they do yet the worm lies gnawing upon their hearts they cannot sleep or eate their meat Alas what should I eat and have my worm gnaw there And they can never be at rest till God apply the bloud of Christ and then they void the worm as it were How will you rejoyce when your Children if the worms be great and put them to pain if the Physitian give them that which makes them void them how do you rejoyce to see the worm that would have been the death of your Child It might have grown bigger and bigger if it had not been taken away So I dare say there is never a Soul here before the Lord but hath or had a worm in their breasts I say There was a time you had this worm in your breasts that without it were cured would lie gnawing to all eternity it is that which breeds of the filth and corruption of your hearts Suppose a man had a little dirt on his face this endangers not the life of the body but when there is corruption within and defilement of the Body within that breeds diseases and will breed worms it may be it wil breed the wolf that lies gnawing at their breasts many women have had it in their breasts that lies gnawing upon their flesh but know your sins breed another manner of worm or wolf that will gnaw worse than ever that did And this is the evil of sin it is not only the defilement of the soul but such a defilement that
thee from it yea the guilt so remains that though thou feel it not now for the present it may stick terriblely many years after But Affliction is terrible only for the present not for afterward but guilt and sin laies a foundation of Mis◅ for many years after Nay many times it is grievous painful to the Soul long after it is committed as it was in Josephs Brethren we reade of them that they committed that great Sin against their Brother and it troubled them not a great while but twenty two years after when they were in an affliction then the guilt of their sin comes a fresh Oh then we sinned against our Brother when they were in prison there now it was twenty two years from the time they committed that sin to that time when they were in trouble there So you that have committed sin and think some slight sorrow may wash it away know the guilt may abide upon your spirits perhaps twenty may be forty years after And you that are yong take heed and know that sin is more evil than any affliction for the sin that you commit when you are yong in your Masters Families the guilt may abide upon you and youthful sins may prove ages terror It may be with you as with a man that gets a bruis when he is yong he feels it not but when he is old than it ach in his bones and puts him to terrible pain many times so many yong people feel not sin when their bloud is hot but afterward the guilt of sin abides upon them and is the torment of their souls when their bloud is cold Now what evil is there in sin that may do a man mischief perhaps twenty or forty years hence As it is with some poyson there are some poysons men have skill in that they can give poyson shall not work in three or four perhaps not till seven years afterward and yet they know certainly That if that man be not cut off before except God work extraordinarily he shall dye at the seven years end of that poison he took seven years before So sin is such a thing that it wil do a man a mischief many years after Again The guilt of sin hath this evil further in it which appears in that difference between men that come to suffer with guilt and those that come to suffer without guilt Take them that have come to the most grievous sufferings in the world and had not the guilt of sin upon their Consciences who had all cleer between God and their souls their sufferings be joyful and they can rejoice in tribulation and troubles as the Martyrs in Persecution how did they rejoyce and glory in their sufferings with what a Spirit of magnanimitie did they come to their sufferings But take those who suffer through guilt as Malefactors when they come to suffer what shame and confusion is upon them Thus Affliction is nothing to them that have no guilt but those that have the guilt of sin upon them when they come to suffer their guilt is a thousand times more than their affliction There is a great deal of difference between a man guilty of treason when he come to suffer for it there is shame and confusion and dismal darkness in the spirit where there is guilt but let one be accused for treason or any such horrible crime and no guilt upon the spirit such a one can go on with joy and comfort and peace whatsoever can be done to him is very little or nothing when guilt is removed The truth is there is no suffering can countervail the suffering that guilt makes The guilt makes the suffering evil otherwise not If one man come upon another man with suffering it is nothing without guilt so it is true when God comes it is nothing if God and we be at peace but now when God comes with any such affliction as the very affliction shall have the mark of the sin upon it and so shall stir up Conscience to accuse you for it then the heart is ready to sink when the affliction shall bear the name of the sin together with it I remember the difference of Davids Spirit at several times one time Though an Host incampe about me yet will I not fear and though I walk in the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil Psal 23. Another time he is afraid when he flies from Absolon and when there was a breach between God and his soul when he had brought guilt upon his spirit then David was quickly cooled and upon any occasion of trouble David was quickly frightened This is a seventh thing wherein sin appears to be a greater and more evil thing than Affliction because it makes the soul guiltie before God CHAP. XXXI Eighthly Sin is a greater evil to man than affliction because it 's that which put the Creature under the Sentence of Condemnation EIghthly Sin is a greater evil than Affliction Because it is that which puts the Creature under the Sentence of Condemnation and so makes more against the good of man than any affliction can do For a poor Creature to see himself stand before the great Judg of all the World and have the Sentence of Condemnation come out against him this is a greater evil than to have any affliction that all the Creatures of Heaven and Earth could bring upon him As now take a Malefactor that is to stand before Mans Judgment Seat and to receive Sentence of Condemnation is not this a greater evil unto him than if he should hear of loss in his estate than if he had sickness in his bodie any pain in his limbs to stand thus to receive the Sentence he looks upon it as a greater evil than possibly can befal him in this world otherwise But then when the soul shal see it self stand before the infinite glorious eternal first-Being of all things and looks upon God sitting upon his Tribunal passing Sentence of Eternal Death upon him this is another manner of evil than any affliction and suffering that can befal him But now know there is not any one sin that thou committest but if you look upon it as in it self God sits I say upon his Trone and passeth Sentence of death upon thee for it as really as ever he will do at the great day of Judgment it is done now as really and as truly in this world as ever it shall be at the day of Judgment only here is the difference then it is irrecoverable nay shall I say it cannot be recalled here no certainly it shall not only it may be transmitted to Christ he must bear it he must have the sentēce so that it is not properly recalled God doth not as a Judg that passeth Sentence and afterward nullifies it no but God passeth Sentence and condemns the sinner only Christ comes in and takes the Sentence upon himself so that the Sentence goeth on still only it is transferred from
which otherwise could not be No other Creature hath to do with infiniteness nor can have to do with it but men and Angels and upon that ground because God hath made them of such a nature so large that their Faculties should be of so large a nature Now hence it is that man being capable of the enjoyment of God in such a glorious manner We have these Expressions in Scripture He that is joyned to the Lord is one Spirit 1 Cor. 6. 17. Made one Spirit with God A most strange expression that the soul of a poor Creature should be made one Spirit with God and yet so it is And so John 17. 21. we have two or three notable expressions That they may be all one as thou Father art in me and I in thee and that they may be one in us Christ prayes that the Saints may be one in him and in the Father as the Father is in him and he in the Father so they may be one with them And Vers 22. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them that they may be one even as we are one Christ hath given the Saints the same glory God the Father gave him And to what end what was the effect of that glory Christ gave to the Saints It was that they may be one with the Father and one with the Son So that you see mankind is capable of a wonderful neer Union with God Oh consider this to raise your spirits You that look after such low things and think there is no higher good than to eat and drink and to have your pleasures in the Flesh know that the meanest and poorest in the Congregation are capable to receive that glory God gave his Son Christ that you may be one with God the Father and the Son as God the Father and the Son are one not every way but know there is a likeness Christ himself hath exprest it Therefore you that have your hearts so low that mind nothing but these things below know that you have more noble things to mind if your hearts consider it But here is the evil of Sin Sin breaks the union between God and the soul it separates between God and the Soul it keeps off God that infinite eternal glorious fountain of all good it keeps him off from you it makes you lose God and all the good in God By Sin you depart from God which is the Curse of the Damned at the day of Judgment Depart from me you Cursed you here for the present in every sin do begin to have that dreadful Sentence executed on you Depart from me ye Cursed You do it your selves while you live in sinful waies there is a real actual departing from God and executing of that dreadful Sentence Depart you Cursed You think there is little evil in sin but if you knew that God is an infinite Good and then knew the Union you are capable of with God and then see sin break this Union this would make you see sin the greatest evil in the world CHAP. XXXIII Tenthly Sin is more against mans good than Affliction for that it stirs up all in God to come against a sinner in way of Enmity TEnthly The Evil of sin as against our good consists in this It stirs up all in God to come in way of Enmity against a sinner and this is another manner of business than to suffer affliction A most dreadful place of Scripture we have for this Levit. 26. verse 24. 28. If you walk contrary to me I will walk contrary unto you What is that All my glorious Attributes shall work against you as if God should say Is there any thing in me can make you miserable you have it if all my Power or Wisdom can bring evil upon you you shall have it I will walk contrary in all the working of my Attributes and waies of my Providence And a most dreadful place we have Psalm 34. 16. there God saith The face of the Lord is against them that do evil Mark the face of the Lord What is Gods face The manifestation of himself and his glorious Attributes the face of the Lord is against them that do evil Oh that thou wouldest consider this thou that dost evil whose conscience cannot but tell thee thou dost evil know the face of God is against thee and is this nothing to have the face of God against thee The face of God is terrible in the world when he meets with a sinner one sight of the face of God against a soul cannot but overwhelm the soul and sinke it down to the bottomless Gulf of eternal despair if God hold him not by his mighty hand there is so much terror in it and yet the Scripture saith the face of God is against them that do evil Another Text very remarkable we have in the 2 Sam. 22. 27. With the pure thou wilt shew thy self pure and with the froward thou wilt shew thy self froward or unsavory But it may be translated With the perverse thou wilt wrastle so that those that be froward and perverse and will walk on in a sinful way God wrastles it out with them God puts forth his Power to wrastle and certainly if God wrastle with thee he will lay thee upon thy back It is a dreadful thing that God should use such a speech that he will wrastle with man for all men in sin as I shewed before they wrastle with God as if they would have the day God will have his will and thou shalt have the fall thou wrastlest and God wrastle you know Wrastlers put forth all their strength against one another and know God puts forth all his strength against every sinner And that I may bring it more full to your sences consider this From whence hath any Creature power to bring evil upon thee or to torment thee Surely it hath somwhat of God in it as thus Fire hath power to torment the Bodie and it is only one spark of God let out through the power of that Creature otherwise it had no power And again another Creature Swords and Weapons they have power to gash and wound the Body whence have these Instruments their power it is but some drop of Gods power through these Instruments So one Disease hath power to torment one way and another another way whence hath any Disease power to torment only there is some little of Gods power let out through that Disease Now if all Creatures tormenting hath only power through Gods letting out his power then what a dreadful thing will it be when Gods Power shal be infinitely let out against the Creature so that take all Creatures in their several powers to torment and put them all together one Creature in one kind and another in another and put them all together this would be great torture Now all the Power of God is the several powers of all the Creatures put together in one and infinitely more
continue in the waies of sin it is a thousand to one whether ever they be wrought upon afterward usually we find where the means of grace comes to any place it works for the most part at the first I do not nor will not limit God but for the most part at first it works upon men and women before they have by sin hardened themselves against it if once they have continued some little time under it and their hearts have followed their sin and so come to be hardened it is I say a most dangerous thing and manie times God for ever leaves them to their hardness yea such evil there may be in sin as if a man or woman hath an enlightened conscience and shal go against the light of their conscience when they live under the means of grace any one sin against the light of conscience may for ever harden them Thou that hast come to the Word and hast heard these things thou knowest hath come neer to thy soul and yet there hath been that violence of corruption to go against the light of thy conscience and that particular truth that hath been made known unto thee from God that one sin may be enough evil to harden thy heart that the means shall never do thee good therefore there is a great deal more evil in sin than in any affliction I beseech you consider of this one note further in it God comes manie times yea usually with abundance of grace to the souls of men and women in their affliction and that in the continuance of their afflictions and in the encrease of their afflictions yet the means of grace work but God can never come with grace while they sin except sin be decreased I say God never comes to make any means of grace effectual but it must be with the decrease and with the taking away of sin the means of grace may be effectual with the encrease of affliction but the means of grace can never be effectual but with the decrease of sin therefore there is more evil in sin than in affliction as against our selves CHAP. XXXVIII XV. Sin is worse to us than Affliction because Sin brings more shame than Affliction XV. THere is more evil in Sin than in Affliction as against our selves In regard of the shame that it doth bring Sin brings more shame than any Affliction brings Rom. 6. 20. What profit or what fruit had you in those things whereof you be now ashamed Sin it is that which brings shame not only to a man or woman in particular but likewise to a whol Nation when sin prevails Prov. 14. 34. Righteousness exalteth a Nation but sin is a reproach to any People Afflictions are not a reproach any further than as they be the fruit of sin and then there is shame in them but this we shall speak of afterward but sin is the proper cause of any reproach and shame and certainly this Scripture hath been fulfilled concerning us our sin hath been a reproach to this Nation there was a time this Nation was honored among other Nations and a terror to them but of late since we have sinned and grown Superstitious and come neerer unto Poperie since there hath been more wickedness among us This Nation hath been an exceeding reproach we may apply for that that in the 13 of Hosea according to the Interpretation of most When Ephraim spake trembling he exalted himself in Israel but when he offended in Baal he died thus Interpreters carrie it There was a time when Ephraim spake then was trembling in all Nations about him and he exalted himself above other Nations but when he sinned in Baal then he died his Honor died he was a dead Nation and no body regarded him True time was when England spake there was trembling and England exalted himself above other Nations but since we sinned in Baal and there hath been so much Idolatry and Superstition we have been a dead Nation in respect of what we have been before Sin is a reproach to any Nation a shame There is no such shame in Affliction as there is in sin that brings shame That which argues worthlesness in any that which argues there is little good or worth in any or if any one should do any thing unbeseeming either his own excellency or that supposed to be in him as to lie in the mire or to go naked or in their carriage or by any deportment to behave themselves besides that excellency supposed to be in him this brings shame Job 30. 7. Those that went up and down braying among the bushes it was contemptible and it was a shame So for any man to do any thing beneath the excellency of a man is a shame Now there is nothing so below the excellency of a man as sin no Affliction brings a man under his excellency as sin doth therefore no Affliction can be such a shame to man as sin Now the Rational Creature that is guided by Counsel in his actions is the proper subject of shame Bruit beasts cannot be capable of shame because they have no Counsel to be the cause of their Actions but the reasonable Creature failing in that which is his aim coming short of the rule of his work through his unskilfulness this causeth shame As now Take any workman if he do any work beneath the rule of the work through unskilfulness it causeth shame he comes to be ashamed of it Now sin must needs bring shame because it comes beneath the Rule of eternal Life and therefore must needs cause shame It is true in natural things to fail through ignorance is a greater shame than to fail through wilfulness but in spirituals the greater shame is to fail through wilfulness And the greater the Art the greater the shame to come short of the Rule of that Art As suppose a General it is a greater shame for him to fail and come short of the Rules of Military Art than for a Country-man to come short of his Rules of Husbandry because one is more noble than the other Now Brethren The Art of Divinity to guide to eternal Life is the most Noble of any Art and for any Creature to fail and come short of this Art is the greatest shame that can be Though men be ashamed of any thing else take a Painter or any Workman or a Husbandman if he come short of the Rule he is ashamed but if men fail of the Rule of eternal Life they are not ashamed then I Remember Augustine hath this Expression saith he A Scholler if he fail in pronouncing a word and pronounce it amiss if he pronounce Omer for Homer he instanceth in that he is ashamed of that but men be not ashamed of breaking the Rules of Divinity And there is more failings in the Breach of the Rule of Divinity and in failing there than in any Art whatsoever Now sin is the greatest shame and the Reason why sinners be not ashamed is Because they
is more pitiful than to hear the other roar out in the most grievous torture that any man or woman was ever in When we hear them in torture we have our hearts bleed and are not affected with their sinning this is a sign we know not the evil of sin Further if you should hear one in the anguish of Conscience crying out I am undone I am damned I am damned in the anguish of his Conscience thus crying out of hell and of the devil you look upon such with pity Now this I say Those that are in the greatest torment of Conscience for their sin they are in a better Case than those that go on most conceitedly and boasting in their sin Do you see one that is your neighbor or in your family or friend when he is rebuked or reproved for any sin that is careless and hardened in sin I say This man or woman servant or child is in a worse condition and a more lamentable object than if you should see another in the greatest horror and anguish and trouble of Conscience crying out most bitterly of sin For there is a great deal more hope of this man or woman that cryes out in anguish of Conscience for sin he may be saved and not eternally ruined by sin there is more hopes a great deal therefore learn who is to be pitied for sin is more against our own good than any affliction Vse 3. If Sin be so much against our selves Then learn to have sin hardly dealt withal For thus it follows That which we look upon as our own enemy we are willing should be hardly dealt withal Now nothing such an enemy to our good as sin is If you apprehend any one hath done you hurt or intends to do you hurt you think you may take liberty to let out your self to the utmost to revenge your self but this is sinful and the distemper of your hearts to do so But you men and women that have your hearts filled with revenge because you conceive others have done you hurt here is an object God gives you leave to let out your revenge to the full upon other men do you hurt therefore you think you may let out revenge that is your wickedness for vengeance belongs to God but sin doth you hurt more than any man can and in this God lets you have leave to revenge your selves upon sin Revenge your selves as much as you can look upon it as most mischievous There be some such spiteful and revengful men revengeful and spiteful dispositions that have it lie mouldring at their hearts because they cannot let it out upon objects so much as they would now here is an object you may let it out as much as you can to revenge your selves and to seek the ruine and destruction of sin and to labor to use it as hardly as possibly you can yea it is made in Scripture a sign of true Repentance to be willing to revenge ones self upon sin 2 Cor. 7. 11. when they had committed sin what revenge was there saith the Apostle they manifested their repentance by revenge upon sin follow thy sin with a deadly hatred if thou wilt thou hast a hateful disposition against others follow sin with as deadly a hatred as thou canst It was an Argument of Davids heart cleaving to Absalom when Joab was to go against him Vse the yong man kindly for my sake saith he this was an argument Davids heart was with him So when you would fain have sin used kindly gently it is an argument your hearts are not set against sin so much as they should No you should not say use sin kindly but roughly and hardly as the Prophet said of one that came to destroy him use him roughly when he comes at the door so when sin comes to the door when temptations be seeking to have entrance use them roughly at the door and say Let the righteous smiteme Oh that the Word might come as a two edged Sword to stab and slay my sin Oh that when I go to hear the Word I might meet with some hard thing against sin Thus we should come when we come to the Word and when sin hath got a blow by the Word of God bless God and say blessed be God my sins this day have got a blow this sin of mine that hath done me so much hurt and so pestered me and so hindred my peace and comfort blessed be God this day it hath got a blow thus we should do because Sin makes so much against our selves And thus we have finished the Two First Heads of Sins being against God and against our selves Now there be Four more THE THIRD PART OF THIS TREATISE CHAP. XL. Sin is opposite to all Good and therefore a greater evil than any Affliction opened in five things 1 Sin take away the Excellency of all things 2 It brings a Curse upon all 3 Sin is a burden to Heaven and Earth and all Creatures 4 Sin turn the greatest Good into the greatest Evil 5 Sin if let alone would bring all things to confusion THirdly Sin is opposite to all Good in General Sin is opposite to God and to our selves and I say in the third place It 's against all kind of Good and therefore a greater evil than any affliction Now for that there be five things to be opened only in the general take this sure Rule There must needs be more evil in Sin than in any Affliction because there is no other evil but is opposite to some particular good an Affliction is opposite to the particular good contrarie to that affliction but Sin is opposite to everie good not only is Sin opposite to the contrarie vertue but it is opposite to everie good so Divinitie teacheth us though Heathens in Moralitie teacheth that one Sin is opposite to the contrarie vertue but Divinitie teacheth that one Sin is opposite to everie Vertue and everie Good which appears in Five things First Sin spoils all Good takes away the Beauty and Excellency of all Good whatsoever It may be said of any thing that hath an Excellencie when Sin comes as it s said of Reuben Gen. 49. 4. His Excellency is gone is departed he shall not excel therefore Rom. 8. 20. it is said through the Sin of man All Creatures be subject to vanity the whol world is put under vanitie through mans Sin Now then it appears by that that the Lustre and Beautie and Excellencie of Glorie of all things in this world are spoiled by the Sin of man for all is put under vanitie by Sin and Sin not only makes the heart vain and so is against our selves but all things in the world is put under vanitie by Sin the Excellencie of thy Estate of thy Parts the Excellencie of any Creature thou doest enjoy all is spoiled through Sin therfore Tit. 1. 15. it is said All things be unclean to the sinner saith he To him that is unclean al things are unclean This
Sin is another manner of business than Melancholly or timerousness Use I. HEnce follows this plainly from all that have been spoken if sin be worse than any affliction and not to be chosen rather than Affliction Hence it follows Then that trouble of Conscience for Sin certainly is another manner of business than meerly Melancholly distemper it comes not from Melancholly nor foolish timerousness and the like There is another manner of business in trouble of Conscience for Sin then the world thinks for this is the First Use that followes from all that hath been delivered Me thinks all of you should yeild to the strength of this Consequence If you have heard or read what I have opened you that have heard al or read it it should take this effect in you all Well then by what I have heard now I come to understand what the meaning of trouble of Conscience for sin is I have heard heretofore of many men and women troubled for sin and I wondered what it meant I wondered what it was that troubled them many yong people may be heirs of great estates and excellent good friends of healthful bodies in good trades all well about them and yet mightily troubled for sin yea perhaps some that to the view of the world lived very civilly yet had in secret been guilty of some notorious profane course and yet when God shall but settle any one sin upon their hearts and trouble their Consciences for any one sin they could not bear the horror of their Conscience for this one sin Well this I have heard of the evil of sin tells me I have had mistaken thoughts about it I thought all was melancholliness and even madness and the Physitian must be sent for and merry company sent for because men and women have such poor and mean apprehensions of the evil of sin and therefore when any are troubled in Conscience for Sin Oh then get him into merry company get a pair of cards make them play a fit of Musick go to some business in the world put themselves upon business one thing or other drink down their trouble play down their trouble thus many have slight thoughts of trouble of Conscience And therefore when in their Children they cry out Oh! my Child will certainly run mad is grown mad many carnal men and women when their Children begin to think of sin they think verilie they begin to run mad I remember in the storie of Erancis Spira he saith thus because his friends thought it a kind of Frenzie and that it was not trouble of Conscience for sin Oh saith he to his friends I would to God it were Frenzie either feigned or real if it were feigned Frenzie then I could put it off when I pleased if it were a real Frenzie there were a great deal more hope of Gods mercy I should not apprehend Gods wrath as I do but it is otherwise with me Brethren those that have felt trouble of Conscience for sin upon whose hearts God hath setled but the guilt of any one sin what do you think of trouble of Conscience for sin they feel reallitie they find that there is reallie unto them that which is a greater burthen and grief and trouble than all the miseries of the world Dreadful expressions are many of them that Francis Spirâ—â— hath which is a most dreadful example of horror of Conscience for sin Oh! saith he I feel the very torments of hell within me and this afflicts my Conscience with intolleroble pain Oh! that some body would let out this tyred soul out of my body Oh! that I were in the place of the damned that I might be but free from FEARING any thing that is yet WORSE to come For though he did acknowledg there was greater torments in hell yet he professed he did desire to be in hell that he might be freed from the torture of his Spirit that was still in fear of worse that was to come And verily a most hidious story it is that shews the dreadfulness of a wounded and troubled Conscience for Sin Certainly if Sin be all that which you have heard or read well might the Holy Ghost say A wounded spirit who can bear A man may sustain his infirmities whatsoever his infirmities and troubles are in the world it is no great matter to sustain them but a wounded spirit who can bear for a wounded spirit seeth it hath to deal with the Infinite God the Glorious Eternal Deity and you must not tell such a one of Melancholliness and such grounds of trouble for such a one knows the Arrows of the Almighty stick in his heart and it is another manner of business than so I might here have enlarged my self and have spoken much to those that have such mean apprehensions of trouble of conscience for sin and have shewed the difference between melancholly and trouble of conscience for sin but I shall not at present only I shall wind up all now briefly and prosecute it further in the next Chapter Certainly it is not melancholliness it is another manner of business than melancholliness What think you of the Lord Christ himself in his Agony that sweat drops of water and blood which you see was the fruit of Sin was that melancholly certainly that was of the same nature that the troubled in conscience feel for sin The Angels that sinned against God the Devils themselves they are not capable of melancholiness they have no bodies and yet none have such horrors for sin as they have And so the souls of wicked men many times they have horrid apprehensions of the wrath of God for sin But certainly if the souls of wicked men and women go out of their bodies without pardon the very first instant the soul is departed from the body it hath other manner of horrid dreadful and dismal apprehensions of the wrath of God for sin then ever it had before I remember further Luther had such a Speech concerning trouble of Conscience for Sin in his Comment upon Genesis It is a harder matter to Comfort an Afflicted Conscience for Sin than to raise one from the Dead This was a Speech of Luther he saw what was in an Afflicted Conscience for sin Further Surely Melancholly 't is not no nor timerousness nor folly do but take an example or two and so I shall conclude â—hat of David you shall find in David that he was a man most free from melancholly for the temper of his body it was a most cheerful disposition and a warlike spirit and very wise And yet there is none in the Book of God more troubled in spirit â—or Sin than he was First I will shew you what manner of man David was and then what his troubles of Conscience were for sin Sure he was no melancholly man For First you shall find it in 1 Sam. 16 12. that he for his bodily Constitution was sanguine and not melanchollie he was of a ruddy and beautiful Countinance
wiser than their Teachers rhan their Fore-fathers and to bring them to the wisdom even of the most wise CHAP. LI. The former Vse further prosecuted First Against those that have slight thoughts of trouble of Conscience which ariseth either from gross Ignorance or Atheism or desperate slighting of God Secondly Trouble of Conscience is the beginning of Eternal death Thirdly Those that have slight thoughts of trouble of Conscience can never prize Christ Fourthly Those that have slight thoughts of trouble of Conscience now shall one day alter their opinion Fifthly It were just with God to let those sink under the burden of Conscience that have slight thoughts of it now Sixtly Those that have slight thoughts of trouble of Conscience those very thoughts do take away a chief restraint from sin Seventhly Slight thoughts of trouble of Conscience for sin are 1 A high degree of Blasphemy 2 And a degree towards the unpardonable sin WE have entred upon the Application of all that hath been said concerning the evil of Sin And you may remember I have only named one Use that do arise from all that hath been said about the evil of Sin and that we shall now prosecute The Use is this If there be so much evil in sin as you have heard opened unto you beyond all the evil of any affliction Hence then we see that the wounds and trouble of Conscience for sin certainly it is no melancholly conceit it is not a fancy or imagination as many in the world think of it Many men have very slight thoughts about the trouble of Conscience for sin and when they hear of men or women troubled for their sin they think it is nothing but melancholly or temptation or some kind of frenzy or madness or folly or weakness of spirit or timerousness These be the thoughts men have of trouble of conscience and according to their thoughts that they have of it such are their Cures that they seek for it I spake som what of it in the last Chapter but now certainly if these things be true as verily they are the Truths of God that have been delivered concerning the evil of sin then we are not to wonder at men and women that have troubles of conscience for sin I shewed by some examples that trouble of conscience was not melancholly especially in the example of Christ himself that had the burden of sin troubles of spirit I cannot so properly cal it trouble of conscience for there is a substantial difference between the wrath upon his soul that he felt and the wrath of God that others feel upon their consciences but in effect the wrath of God is the same that was upon him by imputation of sin and upon others by reason of their own proper guilt and it was not melancholliness in him nor in David as I shewed in the last Chapter Now to proceed There be two things I desire to proceed in And First I have many things to say unto those that have slight thoughts of trouble of Conscience for sin somwhat to say to those and if there be any in this place that have wondred at men and women that have been troubled in their conscience for sin let them attend to what they read I have divers things to say unto them Secondly I am to shew you some difference between melancholly distempers and trouble of Conscience for sin First These thoughts of thine they certainly eome from either abundance of Ignorance or Atheism or Desperate slighting of God One of these three Causes 1 Ordinarily these thoughts that men have of trouble of Conscience to be no greater matter than such melanchoby conceits they do come from gross Ignorance thou knowest not God thou knowest not what it is for a soul to have to deal with an infinite Deity thou never yet hadest a real sight of an infinite Deity with whom thou hast to deal And it is a sad thing to think that men and women should live a long time and never in all their lives come to have a real sight of that infinite Majestie and Deitie with whom we have to do It comes from ignorance of the nature of sin thou dost not know what sin is God hath yet blinded thine eyes that thou shouldest sin but not know what sin is Certainly thou dost not know the Law of God the Spiritualness of it and the dâ—eadfulness of the wrath of God revealed against sin thou dost not know what Eternty means thou dost not apprehend what it is for a soul to be in hazard of miscarrying to all Eternity It was the Speech of Francis Spirâ— as I opened in the former Chapter I shall make use of that example further because a notable ezample Oh saith he If I might endure the heavy wrath of God but for twenty thousand years I should not think it much but it must be Eternally Eternally I must endure the Eternal wrath of God that lay heavy upon his spirit Let any man or woman in the world the stoutest proudest spirit that lives upon the face of the Earth think what it is to miscarry to Eternity and this will make his spirit be troubled Therefore its gross Ignorance in men that makes many have such slight thoughts of trouble of conscience for sin 2 Again If not from Ignorance yet from Atheism For many men that seem to have excellent Parts and are not ignorant Sots and yet have slight thoughts of trouble of conscience for sin It is not so much to be wondred at to see a company of ignorant Sots that know nothing of God and the Principles of Religion that they should have such slight thoughts and wonder what men mean to be troubled for sin But men that have good Parts perhaps men of great Gifts and pregnant Wit and great Schollers and yet they have slight thoughts of trouble of Conscience for sin Now in them Vsually the cause is Atheism or slighting of God Woful desperate Atheism is in the hearts of many great Schollers many pregnant Wits many that wâ—ll speak much of Religion yet they are desperate Atheists in their hearts therfore from thence it comes Therefore when you see learned men understanding men go on in such and such sinful waies and slight all that is said concerning the evil of sin do not wonder at it for woful desperate Atheism lies under abundance of Knowledg a great deal of knowledg learning wit and parts and yet slight sin this is the Cause the Atheism in their spirits Compare these two Scriptures together Psalm 14. 1. The fool hath said in his heart there is no God and in Prov. 14. 9. Fools make a mock of sin that is those fools that do say in their hearts there is no God those fools make a mock of sin and they think lightly of all that hath been said of the evil of sin and what need so much ado about the evil of sin they can slight it and make light of it well it is such
have slight thoughts of Sin and the troubl for it these thoughts of their hearts shall be altered You must come to know Sin in another manner than now you do you must come to feel what Sin is in another manner than now you do I remember I once heard a credible Relation of a Scholler that was in jovial Company and very merry and yet one that had some inlightnings of Conscience and being very prophane there was occasionally one in the Company speaking of a wounded Conscience he presently claps his hand upon his brest Well saith he One day this breast of mine must know what a wounded Conscience means He being Conscious to himself of abundance of guilt in him for he had light and yet was prophane and his Conscience told him though now he was merry yet one day that breast of mine must know what a wounded Spirit means So I say to you is there any prophane person this day before the Lord that hath had or stil hath slight thoughts of the evil of Sin and trouble of Conscience for Sin Well Go thy waies and lay thy hand upon thy breast and say to thy self One day this breast of mine must know what a wounded Spirit is and must have other manner of thoughts about a troubled Conscience for Sin If thy heart be not yet troubled for sin if thou feelest not the weight of sin now it is a dangerous sign that thou art reserved to feel the weight of sin in torment to know what the meaning of sin is in the burthen of it in torment If now thou hast slight thoughts concerning trouble for sin I say take it as from the Lord this day as spoken to thee it is a fearful sign a brand upon thee that thou art reserved to feel trouble for sin eternally God hath time enough to trouble you for Sin hereafter and therefore it may be he lets you go on in these slight thoughts for the present and you do bless your selves in your own conceits and God doth not now convince you because he hath time enough hereafter A Fifth thing I would say to those that have slight thoughts about trouble for sin is this That if ever God should in this world come to awaken your Conscience and lay the weight of sin upon your souls it were just with God then to let you sink under the burthen I say it were just with God so to wound you for sin as to see you sweltring in your wounds and deny compassion Why Because you have had slight thoughts of such a wound Certainlie brethren observe what I say unto you the very Reason why men and women are so long in anguish of Spirit for their sin and under such sore troubles and distress of Conscience by reason of their sin and can have no comfort it is because heretofore they have had such slight thoughts of trouble of Conscience Perhaps when they were in their jollitie and mirth they made a mock of it made nothing of it heard dreadful threats against sin and made light of it and thought people were troubled more than needs Well you once had such slight thoughts of trouble of Concience for sin now God comes upon you for it and this hand of God lies upon you and it is just with God you should feel it to purpose that you should have smart enough that God might instruct you and convince you of your error and might now come and teach you after another manner What do you think now of trouble of Conscience for sin you had such and such thoughts of it heretofore what be your thoughts of it now I remember there was one not far from the place where I ordinarily lived and it was a yong Maid hearing of many troubled in Conscience for Sin she in a kind of scorn and contempt of it would feign her self troubled in Conscience for sin and ô she was mightily troubled and in scorn of the Ministers Oh these and these Ministers must be sent for to comfort her meerly out of contempt and scorn but afterward God laid on in good earnest upon her Conscience and then she was troubled to purpose and so that she was at the very brink of making away her self and it was very much feared by al her friends indeed she would have made away her self and atempted it many ways if God had not wonderfully hindred it So those that have light thoughts of perplexities of conscience for sin when it comes indeed it may be just with God it should be so heavy that they should not be able to bear it but sink under it then it will be so strange a thing to such as have slight thoughts of it that the very strangness of trouble of Conscience for sin will amaze them that they wil not know what in the world to do This is a Fifth thing When trouble comes upon them God may justly leave them under trouble A Sixth thing I would say to such that have slight thoughts about trouble of Conscience for sin is this These thoughts of yours do take away a chief restraint of sin and causes you to disregard all the Authority of the Word There be these Two fearful Evils that do follow upon your slight thoughts of trouble of CONSCIENCE for SIN 1 They take away that which is the chief Restraint of Sin There are many outward restraints to keep men and women from sin but all outward restraints from sin are nothing to the restraints of Conscience a man that hath a tender Conscience hath the greatest restraint of sin that can be no restraint like to that but one that is so far from a tender Conscience that he thinks trouble of Conscience is a melancholly conceit such a man hath no restraint to purpose from sin he may have restraints from outward and gross sins but from close secret sins he hath none Now it is a great evil to a man that the hinderances to secret sins be taken away and he gives himself liberty in secret sins 2 And then for the Authority of the Word It is a great mercy for men and women to be in such a condition that their heart should be continually under the authority of the Word howsoever you think it a brave thing that you can get your hearts above the Word but certainly it is one of the greatest mercies of God upon the earth for God to keep the hearts of men and women under the authority of the Word But that man or woman that thinks lightly of troubles of Conscience such a one can slight the Word regards it not let what will be spoken he can easily put it off because the main hold that the Word hath upon the heart of a man or woman it is upon their Conscience the Word takes hold upon their Conscience and brings down the heart under the power of it but if the Word take not hold upon conscience it takes not hold at all But let a man or woman
fuel for their sin 2 When it gives men further liberty to sin 3 When it hardens in sin WE are yet upon the great Doctrine of the Evil of Sin shewing that there is more evil in Sin than in any affliction Many things you know have been delivered in the Explanatory part of it wherein I have endeavored to set before you the vileness of sin to paint it out unto you in the true colors of it as I was able And having set Sin before you in the vileness of it we have begun the Applicatory part of this Point to draw some Collections by way of Use from what hath been said concerning the dreadful Evil of Sin I have finished the first Use I shall now proceed to the Second Vse 2. And that is this If there be such dreadful evil in Sin above all Evils of Affliction Hence then it follows that a man or woman may be in a most miserable condition a miserable estate although they be delivered from affliction I say It is possible for a man or woman to be a most miserable creature though they have no outward affliction yet their condition may be very miserable because there is evil enough in Sin to make one miserable without affliction Most people in the world know no other miseries than that miserie that comes by affliction and they make afflictions to be the only rule and measure of a miserable condition so much afflicted so miserable is their estate and so little afflicted so happie is their estate They think that those people that are delivered from affliction are happie people and those people that are under affliction are miserable people Oh he hath lost his estete suffered shipwrack hath grievous diseases in his bodie is put in prison and so lives miserably all his daies thus people look upon men and women in affliction as if they were only miserable Before I have done with this Use I shall I hope convince you That it is not affliction yea all afflictions miseries troubles outwardly do not make us miserable but only sin where there is most sin there is most miserie though less affliction It is a great mistake in people to judg of happiness or unhappiness by these outward things You shall have many people when they see men and women very poor that have no houses nor clothes nor meat and drink that are fain to work hard for their livings that are sickly and weak Oh they be in a pitiful condition but when they see others provided of houses and land that have attendance and are gorgiously attired brave diet and good trades these be happy men Now the Point that hath been opened to you will serve to rectifie your Judgments in these things and not to make afflictions or no afflictions to be the rule of happiness but to make sin or no sin or less sin to be the rule of judging of the happiness of our condition It was the Speech of Luther One drop of an evil Conscience is enough to swallow up all the joyes in the world all the prosperity in the world There is so much evil in sin that though a man or woman had all the joyes and prosperitie that possibly the world can afford yet one drop of an evil conscience the guilt of one sin in an evil conscience is enough to swallow up all and make this man miserable in the height of all prosperitie Let a man be raised up as high as the world can raise him set upon a Throne having a Scepter in his hand and a Crown upon his head having all the Pomp and Glorie the world can afford yet if sinful yea if he have but the guilt of any one Sin upon his Spirit this man is a miserable man But let any one be as poor as Job and sitting upon the dunghil scraping his sores if delivered from the evil of sin this man is a happie man I remember a Speech of Anselm that I have read That he had rather be in Hell without sin than in Heaven with sin looking upon sin as so great an evil as if to be rid of sin would make a man happy under the torments of Hell and being under the guilt of sin it would make a man miserable though in Heaven Certainly then the guilt of Sin makes a man miserable in al outward prosperity and the deliverance from Sin will make a man happie under all outward afflictions and miseries So though a man be prosperous in his worldly estate yet if Sinful that hath enough in it to make a man miserable especially considered in this if there be these two Branches in it First If a mâ—n be prosperous by Sin Or Secondly Be sinful by his prosperity Then he is indeed a miserable Creature notwithstanding all his prosperity I beseech you observe it and it follows from the Point that hath been opened that there is so much evil in Sin As First If there be so much evil in Sin Let a man be never so prosperous if prosperity be furthered by sin or sin furthered by prosperity he must needs be a mâ—st wretched miserable Creature If prosperity be furthered by Sin as thus If any man raise himself to any outward prosperous estate in a sinful way although the world may judg such a man happy having his hearts desire satisfied yet it is most certain this man is a wretched man As suppose a man get preferment by a sinful way Oh his heart is eagerly desirous to get up to Preferment to get Livings and Estate in the world and he doth strain his Conscience for it and when there is a Sin between him and his Preferment he will get over the Sin he wil climb and scamble over this Sin to get the Preferment rather than lose the Preferment he will scamble over Sin and go through Sin unto his Preferment so eagerly desirous are men of Preferment that though Sin be between them and their Preferment they will break through they will break through the hedg but they will gain it Oh how many Schollers and others especially such whose Educations have been mean when they see any way of Preferment Livings or Estates though they have some Sin between them and Preferment how have they got it and think themselvssafe when they have got Livings and Preferment Oh these men be miserable and therefore miserable because preferred because prospered in their hearts desire And so for men that get riches and estates otherwise than by right by deceit and oppression in any sinful wicked way it may be now they have got fair houses and well furnished and means coming in and they bless themselves and think now they be happy yea and others also they think them happy and live bravely in the world but if you knew all you would look upon these men as most wretched cursed Creatures Certainly those men will one day curse the time that ever they had such an estate and will wish rather that they had begged their
and lay the burden of it upon your spirits then to let you sink under the burden of it for God to behold you sweltring under the burden of it without pittie and compassion and your own Conscience will be readie to tell you so yea now the weight of Sin is upon me but is forced whether I will or no now God may justlie let it lie This is a sad and a sinking thought and if anie thing let sin lie upon the soul that it shall never be purged it will be this When the Spirit would have brought Sin in the weight of it upon my Conscience I put it off and now God puts it upon me and therefore it troubles me thus Therefore be willing to be humbled and know if you be willing Jesus Christ is appointed for that end to raise you up and there is as much power in the Gospel to raise your heart as there is in sin to press down your heart if you be rightlie burdened with it CHAP. LX. Use 9 If there be so much evil in sin this should be a loud cry to stop men and turn them from sin Use IX ANother Use is this If there be so much evil in Sin Then the consideration and meditation of all that hath been said should be a mighty cry unto all to turn back and stop in the waies of sin Oh thou Sinner whosoever thou art in whatsoever place of the Congregation thou art God hath brought thee by his providence to hear or reade these Sermons concerning the evil of Sin know that all these Sermons that have been preached unto thee they be all but as one loud loud crie to thy soul stop stop Oh Sinner in thy sinful courses stop here turn turn Oh Sinner out of thy sinful waies turn turn why wilt thou die why wilt thou die Oh wretched sinful soul thou art lost cursed undone and wilt perish eternally in that way thou art in turn turn while thou hast time God cries his Word cries his Ministers cries Conscience cries all those that have known what the evil of sin means cry to thee unless thou wilt destroy thy self undo thy self eternallie stop in that way for it is a dangerous desperate way thou goest in the verie road way to the Chambers of eternal Death As ever thou wouldest be willing God shall hear thy crie upon thy sick bed in the anguish of thy soul thou wilt then crie now Lord have mercie upon a poor wretched sinful soul Thou wouldest be glad I say that the Lord should hear thy crie upon thy sick bed and death bed Now then as ever you would have God hear your crie when you are in the greatest anguish of your souls upon your sick bed and see death before you be willing to hear the crie of God to your souls at this present and know if you do not hear the crie of God that cries to you to stop you in sinful waies then these verie words I have spoken to you at this present may come in your mind when you crie for mercie and then you may think Oh wretch now I crie to God for mercy but do I not remember such a time was there not a loud crie in my Ears and Conscience as from God that I should stop in my sinful waies and courses and was not I then charged as in the Name of God and as ever I expected God should hear my crie in such a time that I should hear his voyce Oh it will be dreadful for you to hear such a voyce as this Because you would not hear me therfore I will not hear you Therfore behold I crie again in the Name of God stop stop turn thee Oh sinful soul alas whether art thou going from God from Comfort from Life from Happiness from all good whatsoever thou art going I call Heaven and Earth to record that these things that I have delivered to you concerning the evil of sin are the Truths of God and have been the Truths of God And certainlie what I have delivered and you read concerning the evil of sin it will come and rise up one day against everie sinful man and woman that doth go on in anie known way of Sin and it will prove as scalding lead in thy Conscience Everie Truth thou hast heard and everie Chapter thou hast read concerning the evil of Sin I say if yet thou goest on in any one known way of Sin it will one day be as scalding lead in thy Conscience the dropping of scalding lead in the eyes of a man will not be more terrible to him than the droppings in of these Truths will be in thy Conscience another day Now it will be a sad thing my Brethren if God should send me amongst you by his Providence onlie to aggravate anie of your Condemnations God forbid there should be this Errent sent amongst you that anie of his Messengers should be sent for this end to aggravate your condemnation this is that which is the prayers of my soul that this may not be the Errent I am sent for if possible not to seal the condemnation of anie one soul But this I know except there be great reformation among manie certainlie the verie Errand God intended in the conclusion though I do not say that is the primarie and first end but it is that which will prove so in the conclusion through the stubbornness of the hearts of sinners that will prove the Aggravation of their condemnation Wherefore yet let me labor with your souls who knows whether anie of you shall hear me preach anie one Sermon more whether ever God will call after you any more to stop or turn in the waies of Sin whether ever you shall hear the Word more Perhaps God will sear your conscience and say to him that is filthie let him be filthie God now speaks to you and cries after you if you harden your hearts now it is more than Angels or men know whether ever you will have one crie more Therefore let me abide here tell me Oh Sinner what is it thou gettest in waies of sin that thou wilt dwel here what is it the world hath to draw thy heart from the strength of all these Truths delivered in these Sermons Sure it must be some mightie thing when such Truths as these backed with Arguments from Scripture strength of Reason as all these be cannot restrain thee Sure it must be some wonderful thing that must over ballance all these Sermons and all these things what hast thou such a heart that is set upon any sinful way anie secret hant of Sin that thou findest such good in it that by it all these Truths are over ballanced Certainlie there is no such good in the world if all Creatures in the world should joyn together to give some comfort to ballance these Truths delivered concerning the evil of sin all the Creatures in Heaven and Earth could not give such things as would ballance it Therefore certainlie
you to Heaven there is use of Godliness to keep you away from Sin and Ungodliness and there is enough in that to countervail anie pleasure suppose you yong people abstain from some pleasure or joy that others have the truth is you have greater and better pleasures but suppose you had none but keeping of your souls from sin this meerlie were enough to countervail whatsoever you suffer in the waies of God There are manie converted when they were old and what would these give for to be delivered from the guilt of some sins committed when they were yong When they look back to their lives Oh this sin I committed in such a familie and when I was an Apprentise in such a place Oh that I were delivered from them Oh they lie upon my heart Oh that vanitie and wickedness Oh those oaths I swore in such a companie among yong men Oh those Sabbaths I brake Oh those lyes I told and the drunkennesse I was drawn to Oh I cannot look back to these but my thinks I could even tear my heart from my bellie to think what a heart I had to sin against God and multiplie Sin against Him Thus at the best when God awakens their hearts they would give ten thousand worlds to be delivered from the Sins of their Youth And therefore now you yong ones seeing there is such evil in Sin Oh prevent it You know how the Sins of Youth lay upon David Remember not against me the sins of my youth therefore now prevent those Sins that otherwise will lie so heavilie upon you as that you will be forced to crie out Oh remember not against me the Sins of my Youth Oh it is a happie thing to see yong ones good and it is the greatest hope that God will shew mercie to England in that God begins to draw yong ones on in the waies of Godliness so that we hope there will not be so manie Sins committed in the Age to come We have cried out of the Sins of yong ones and one Generation that hath followed another hath been but like the Kennel the lower and further it goeth the more filth it hath gathered and so the lower Generations have gone the more filthie they have been But we hope God intends to turn the course and to make Godliness as much honored as it hath been dishonored heretofore and that there should not be so much Sin in the next Generation Heretofore yong people when they had daies of Recreation what did they but multiplie Sin what abundance of wickedness was committed by Youth then and on Shrove-Tuesdaies abundance of wickedness committed by Youth then and so the Generation was filled with Sins of Youth But now God is pleased to stir up the hearts of yong ones that instead of multiplying of Sin they be got together on such daies to Fast and to Pray and make daies to attend upon the Word and so avoid Sin It is that certainlie that doth encourage the hearts of Gods People to pray to him and to seek him for mercie that God gives hearts to yong people that they multiplie not Sin as heretofore If there be anie here that have begun this Oh go on in that way and when others multiplie wickedness upon such daies get alone and attend upon the Word and recreate your Souls in the Word and holie conference true God gives libertie to recreate but let it he as it was wont to be with the Companies in London though they did recreate they would have their Sermons too So instead of horrible wickedness that was wont to be upon those daies as I suppose some of you can remember upon Shrove-Tuesdaies infinite wickednesses was committed in the Citie and thereabouts we hope instead of wickedness and joyning together in wickedness there will be joyning together in the Waies of God And thus doing you wil encourage us in the Waies of God and Peace and Mercie will be upon you CHAP. LXIII Use 13. If there be so much evil in sin Then it s a fearful thing for any to be instrumental to draw others to sin WEE are now to finish that Tractate about the greatness of the evil of Sin It hath been an Argument that hath much encreased in our hands like unto the bread the Loaves that Christ did break unto the People that in the verie breaking did multiplie and so hath this Argument done but we are now to put a period to it Manie Uses you know hath been made alreadie as Corollaries and Consequences from that great Doctrine of the evil of Sin that Sin is a greater evil than Affliction The last day the especial aim and intention of the Application was Therefore to drive Sinners to Jesus Christ seeing there is so much evil in Sin more than in all Affliction Oh what need have we who are such great Sinners of Jesus Christ that is the Propisiation for Sin I have only one Note to ad further on that and we shall proceed it is an Excellent Expression I find in Luther saith he There is a great deal of difference between the Consequencia Legis and Consequencia Evangelii There is a Consequence of the Law and that is this Thou hast sinned and therefore thou must be damned But the Consequence of the Gospel is this Thou hast sinned therefore go to Jesus Christ that is the Argument the Gospel uses from Sin But passing by all we have said concerning that Use we proceed to further Applications that are behind Four or Five Uses we are to speak of and then we shall have done with the Point I will be brief upon the first Two or Three and the Two last we shall stick most upon Vse XIII If there be such evil in Sin as you have heard Hence then it is a fearful thing for any one to be instrumental to draw others to sin All that hath been said in the opening of the evil of sin must needs speak very terribly unto all that ever have been any way instruments to draw others to sin in all their lives Now Oh that God would speak to every man and womans Conscience in this Congregation that are conscious to themselves that ever they have been any cause to draw others to sin Is there not one whose Conscience presently at the naming of this Use doth even tell you well now God speaks to me for certainlie there hath been some that I have drawn to sin that I have been a means to further sin in If any one of you have ever been a means by counsel or advise by approbation by perswasion by encouragement by abetting of any by joyning with any in anie sinful course to draw them to sin know that God speaks to you First God tells you this That if you had been born to do mischief you could not do a greater mischief than this is if you had been the means to undo men and women in their outward Estate it had been nothing so much but thou hast what in
do good to the souls of their Children for know according to the nature of the wrong must the Restitution be One text is observable for this to shew that according to the nature of the wrong must the restitution be to the utmost that can be Exod. 22. 5. If a man shall cause a Field or Vinyard to be eaten and shall put in his Beast and shall feed in another mans field of the best of his own field and of the best of his own vinyard shall he make restitution This is the scope of the holy Ghost in this text of Scripture That if anie one shall wrong another in his vinyard or his field he shall make restitution and mark what the text saith not in anie slight manner but of the best of his field and vinyard he must not say I warrant my Cattel did not do any hurt but eat a little of the worst and I will make restitution of the worst no but must make restitution of the best of his field and vinyard he must not think to get off with a barren peice of ground but with the best must he make restitution This shews what a full restitution God will have So then if a man hath wronged his neighbor in his vineyard t is not enough for him to say I will make restitution in my barren ground no but out of his vinyard must he make restitution so if he have wronged his neighbor in his field he must not go and say I will give a part of the Common but of the best of his field must he make restitution so if he have wronged another in his estate he must give of his estate and if the wrong be to the soul the restitution must be to the soul according to the wrong must be the restitution And I beseech you be convinced of this All the sorrow in the world is not sufficient without you make restitution this is so cleer out of the word and even by the light of nature and of Conscience that they may easilie convince themselves whosoever doubts of the thing nothing in Religion more cleer than this is therefore restitution is required by God of thee as ever thou wilt expect to find mercie This Argument if God be pleased to set it home will make many men and women who when they were yong were ring leaders to wickedness to others Oh how forward would they be to good now they would be ring-leaders to good to others now I pronounce it as in the name of God you can have no assurance of the truth of Repentance except there be some indeavor in some degree to be as forward for God now as thou hast been in the waies of sin before if you have been Ring-leaders to the sin of Sabbath breaking you must be Ring-leaders to draw others to keep the Sabbath and if you have been Ring-leaders to ungodlinesse you must be forward to draw others to godlinesse Oh take heed of this it is a woful thing to draw others to sin seeing there is so much evil in sin as there is CHAP. LXIV Use 14. If there be so much Evil in Sin than there ought to be no pleading for sin Use XIV IF there be so much Evil in Sin as you have heard hence then surely there ought to be no pleading for sin there is too much evil in it for any one in the world to plead for it to make any excuse or any Plea for it As if there be a notorious wicked house where there is much evil done in it we account it a great disgrace for any to Plead for it If it be in Question and any Justice of Peace plead for wicked Ale-houses it is a blot to him If there were no sin committed in it it were not much but if it be a notorious house for sin to Plead for it is accounted a great blot And now you that have heard of the great evil of sin will you ever open your mouths to deminish and excuse sin and yet how ordinarie is this in the world Some go to evil wicked company and when they spend their times in drinking Plead Why they must have recreation I pray what work do they tire themselves withal that needs so much recreation what service do they do for God wherein they spend their Spirits and the strength of their Souls in serving God that they need so much refreshing And so when they spend whole daies in drinking and eating why they do but rejoice in the use of the Creature and may they not keep Companie with such men that be honest men and so anie kind of sin wicked ribaldry talking is but mirth and notorious covetousnesse but providing for their Familie and horrible pride but handsomnesse somwhat they will have to say Pleas and Excuses for almost anie sin Certainlie brethren if we understood the nature of sin we would say as Jerubael Let Baal plead for himself So let sin plead for it self never be heard to open thy mouth to plead for sin in others excuse it in others much lesse in thy self Those that be so full of excuses and pleas for sin it is an evident argument God never discovered the evil of sin yet to them never caused the weight and burthen of sin to lie upon their Conscience nor what we have mentioned of the evil of it Oh! know thou hast to deal with the infinite God it is a matter of thy soul and eternal estate and think not to put it off with vain pleas and excuses but set thy self in the presence of the eternal infinite God Indeed if you have to deal with your Mothers or Friends you may put them off with excuses for sin but if you would set your selves as in the presence of God and there set sin before your eyes you would not so easilie put it off with excuses as you do CHAP. LXV Use 15. If there be so much Evil in Sin Then of all JVDGEMENTS spiritual Judgements are the greatest Use XV. IF there be so much Evil in Sin as hath been delivered then above all Judgements spiritual Judgements are the greatest Oh! what a dreadful thing then is it for God to give men or women up to sin this is the most fearful Judgement that can befal anie man or woman in the world except God should send them quick down to hell Yea it may be if God should send them quick down to Hell and cause Hells mouth to open presentlie it would not be so great a Judgement as to give them up to sin And yet this the Scripture speaks of much of Gods wrath burning this way God hardened the heart of Pharaoh God gives up to a Reprobate sence he that wil be filthie let him be filthie still he gives men up to their own Counsels I might shew you divers texts of Scripture for this but there are Two Things in this POINT that requires large discusion 1 How can God that is so infinitly good have a hand in
sin it self they shall find this disposition in their souls At such a time as they be even afraid God will destroy them for sin they even then desire God may be glorified though I perish let God be glorified But those that avoid sin out of fear when they apprehend there is no hope they be ready to fly in Gods face nay if I must be damned I will be damned for somwhat if I must perish I will perish for somwhat But that soul that fears sin for the evil of it it saith well though I perish and am damned yet let God be glorified though I perish Certainly thou avoidest not sin meerly out of fear 5 Again Those that avoid sin out of fear they do not see the beauty and excellency of godliness in others so as to be enamored with it Some avoid sin out of dislike and hatred of sin and doest thou see a beauty in these and doest thou say Oh that I were in such a condition Those that can see the excellency of grace in others and prise and love it in others certainly there is some Seed of that grace in their souls So now they that have no grace envy others that have grace but they that have grace rejoyce in those that they see have any grace This is the second Particular rebuking those that avoid sin meerly out of fear of affliction together with satisfaction to that case of Conscience because I know it lies heavy upon men and womens Souls Thirdly The Consideration of this Point doth rebuke such as are so shy of affliction as that they will fall into sin to prevent affliction Certainly this is a foolish choise for any to be so afraid of affliction as to prevent affliction rather venture upon sin As if a man should see a Craggy way and he will rather turn into a puddlely way one all mire and dirt than endure one hard and craggy Thou seest the waies of God hard and craggy and thou turnest into the puddlely and dirty waies of sin to avoid that hard craggy way well if God have a love to thee he will bring thee back again and thou must go that way that thou wilt not now Augustine hath this Expression in his Confessions saith he When God first convinced me I was convinced of the rightness of Gods way but I saw the trouble in it and I cried out it pleaseth not me well to go in such troublesom waies So many men and women be convinced of Gods waies but they shall suffer such trouble in them and they must go through such traits and to prevent this they will chuse sin Certainly Brethren it was not long since there was a time that those that made conscience of sin were subject to many troubles and suffered much when we know if a man departed from evil it was enough to make him a prey I beseech you see if you did not to prevent some suffering commit some sin Some of you when brought to be sworn Vassals to those Courts that never were by Gods Institution had you not some remorse in conscience I mean the Church-Wardens as they stiled them and when you were put to such Oaths had you never inward regreet in your Consciences but yet you must be excommunicated if you did not take the Oath and if you did then you bound your selves not only to be their Vassals which were not of God but besides you bound your selves to be Persecutors of the Saints by it for certainly the fulfilling of all their Cannons it was meerly persecution and yet you were their sworn Vassals and yet because you were afraid of trouble you ventured and made bold with your Conscience Oh look back to these things If you will say now Ministers speak against such things you should have done so two or three yeers ago For my own part I did then two three four or five yeers ago and was of the same mind I am now and through the strength of Christ and Gods mercy to me I ventured somwhat and therefore I may the more freely and boldly speak now not because it was meerly to keep from danger that I have spoke no more for I did speak it hertofore But now look back what regreet of conscience you had and yet meerly for fear of affliction thou pasedst through that regreet of Conscience It were just with God to make affliction more sore and heavy and those that will avoid the affliction by sin God may justly bring back that affliction But this would be a large Argument to speak to those that will not venture upon suffering but run upon sin Fourthly This rebukes such that when they be under affliction yet they be a great deal more sensible of affliction than of sin This is against the Point that saith there is more evil in sin than in affliction and yet when you be under affliction you be more sensible of the evil of affliction than of sin There be divers sorts of these and divers things to be said to these 1 As some prophane wicked men that commit horrible wickednesse that it is a wonder their Conscience flies not in their faces and tears not their hearts out of their bosom for the woful guilt upon them and yet they are never stirred But when Gods hand is upon them in some grievous Sicknesse they cry out for pain but not one whit sensible of sin that never comes in their minds but their pains and disease and when their friends come they complain of grievous nights and what heat they be in with their Feaver and how they burn and have been tormented but not a word of sin all their guilt the Sabbath breaking oaths company keeping opposition of goodnesse this lies not upon their Conscience at all Oh! these be wretched creatures besotted guilty hard hearted left of God to the day of His Righteous Judgement 2 Others when they be under Gods hand they lie fretting and vexing and murmuring and repining As Solomon saith Prov. 19. 3. Man perverts his way and his heart frets against God First perverts his way and yet when Gods hand is upon them fret against Gods way thou shouldst fret against thine own heart for Sin but thou fretest against God for Affliction 3 A Third sort and these principally I intend and they be such that when they be in Affliction will complain much of sin and seem to put all the trouble upon Sin but in truth their trouble is more for affliction than sin Now I would find out these it will require time I suppose I might cull out a great many that it may be make a great complaint of sin and yet the truth is that which lies at the heart and pincheth there is Affliction rather than sin How do you know this If a man come and complain Oh this wretched heart of mine and pray help me against it how can you tell it is for Affliction and not for sin Perhaps they have had great losse by
breeds such a worm that will gnaw upon conscience to all eternity CHAP. XXIX Sixtly Sin is more opposite to mans good than affliction because sin is the object of Gods hatred but God hateth not any for affliction SIxtly Sin is the only object of the hatred of God nothing is the object of Gods hatred but sin God doth not hate a man or a woman because they are poor God may love them as wel as any Monarch or Prince in the world though they be poor God hates not a man because he is sick you hate not your Children because they be sick or weak all the afflictions in the world make not a man an object of Gods hatred but sin doth mark that expression in Scripture Psalm 5. 5. The Fool shall not stand in thy sight thou hatest all workers of iniquity so that sin makes the Creature the object of Gods hatred God saith not mark he hates the work of iniquity only but the worker of iniquity God hates not the Creature as he made them but through sin the Creature comeâ— to be hated even the workers of iniquity Now observe the strength of the Reason That which makes a man the object of Gods hatred must needs be a greater evil than that which can stand with Gods everlasting love for afflictions in the strength of them and bitterness of them may stand with Gods eternal love nay observe they may stand with the same love wherwithal God the Father loved his Son Jesus Christ for so in the 17. of John latter end there Christ praies to the Father that thou maiest love them with the very same love with which thou lovest me Now God the Father loved Christ and yet God the Father afflicted Christ and Christ was under sore afflictions and yet at that very time God the Father loved him So a man or a woman afflicted notwithstanding all their afflictions they may have the very same love of God the Father that Jesus Christ himself had in a manner the very same And my thinks this might be a mighty encouragement to afflicted souls are you afflicted with poverty bodily sickness persecution any thing Know for all this affliction God may love you with the same love he loved his Son but sin makes the Creature the object of the hatred of God But you will say Gods Children have sin Of its own nature it would make them objects of Gods hatred but there comes in the blood of Christ and the purchase of his blood procures peace between God and man but I speak of it in its own Nature and those that God looks upon in a sinful condition he cannot look upon them but he hates them Now that which makes a man the object of Gods hatred must needs be very evil as thus when any affection runs in one Current it must needs run very strongly as in the Sea suppose there were many Arms and Rivers to break the strength of the Current it would not run so powerfully but when there is but one Current the Current of the Ocean there runs very strongly So in the Affections when the Affections be only set upon one object then they be strong when Love is scattered upon this and the other thing then 't is not strong but when it is upon one then it is strong When Parents have many Children and they love this and this then it may be they love not any so strongly but when they have but one there is great love So in hatred where there is a hatred of many there is not so much hatred against one but where it runs in one Current only there it is strong So here there is no object that Gods hatred runs out against but only sin therefore the hatred mustneeds be very powerful Oh for a man or woman to live to be the object of the hatred of the eternal God how dreadful an evil is this We desire to be beloved where we are of every one what a sad thing is it to live in a Family or a Town and no body love them men desire to be beloved though it be of a dog and they will boast somtimes such a dog or a horse loved such an one loved his Master when he doth but come home they will leap and skip and faun on him Do we take delight to have our neighbors or the family love us nay for the dog to love us Oh what is the love of an infinite eternal glorious God! A man accounts it an evil if the dog only snarl and bark at him this we account an evil Oh what an evil is it then to have the infinite eternal only wise God to be an enemy and I the object of his hatred Oh think of these things And Brethren in these times it is to be feared you contract abundance of sin you will have more to answer for before these twelve daies be gone than you had before Oh let this stop the course of some sin that otherwise might be committed in these times of sensuallity therefore when you see some go on in sinful waies do you stop and say God forbid I should do as they do I have been in such a place and heard what sin is heard how it is against God and this might stop me but this day I have heard how it is against me and my own soul and how it destroyes my own soul therefore I will hate sin everlastingly CHAP. XXX Seventhly Sin is more opposite to mans good than Affliction because sin brings guilt upon the soul SEventhly There is more evil in sin than in affliction Because sin is more opposite against our own good than affliction and that in this seventh respect Sin brings guilt upon the soul it makes the Creature stand guilty in the presence of God Now guilt upon the soul is a greater evil than any affliction can be that is the thing I am now to open Guilt what is that it is the binding over of the sinner to Gods Justice and to the Law to answer and be liable unto what the Law requires as punishment due to the sinner so that then for a Creature to stand bound over to Gods infinite Justice and the Law hath more evil in it against mans good than all the afflictions and miseries in the world this is the thing I am to make good A sinner goeth up and down with the chains of guilt upon him Iron chains grating upon the sore flesh of a man is not so tedious and grievous as the chains of guilt upon conseience Certainly this is one especial reason why many wicked men and women are so froward as they are because they have much guilt upon their spirits that as Iron châ—ins would grate the raw flesh so doth that guilt lie upon Conscience and that makes them so froward peevish as they are froward against God and against man Many men that you are to deal withal you shal find them against the Word extream froward