malice most sauage and vile that is discharged vpon the body or good name of the dead so I would haue also a charitable conceit follow the soule of the departed so farre as spirituall wisdome a good conscience diuine truth the glory of God the safetie of the soules of the liuing will giue leaue But no further Thirdly neither doe I mislike or condemne Funerall Sermons I could rather wish that as the death of his Saints is precious in the sight of God so that it might be glorious in the eyes of men I could rather desire that the iust prayses and true sincerity of the child of God were published euen by some Seraphicall tongue that both the glory of his graces might passe along and shine bright to all posterity and that such a fire of zeale for imitation might be enkindled in the hearts of all the hearers especially the present occasion making their minds more capable of persuasion that they passing thorow the same course of holinesse might at length be made partakers of the same happinesse with the Saints of God Only in these cases I would haue that spirituall discretion truth and conscience vsed that neither the godly be iustly grieued and offended the wicked heartned and hardened in their courses false conceit of happines nor the faithfulnes and sincerity of the ministery disgraced and scandalized Thus farre I haue laid open vnto you the state of formall hypocrisie in which may concurre immunity from notorious sinnes all naturall and morall perfections admirable variety of learning policy and all other acquired ornaments of the mind an outward performance of all duties of religion some measure of inward illumination a resemblance and shadow of the whole body of true regeneration and a persuasion as you haue now last heard of being in state of grace Euen thus farre a man may goe in the profession of Christian religion and yet be a stranger from the power of faith and from the life of godlinesse I now come by reasons and arguments to disable it in those points which haue not beene touched for challenging any interest in the true happinesse of a man And first to proue that a performance of outward duties of religion without the power of grace vpon the soule and an vniuersall sanctification in all the faculties thereof cannot produce any sound comfort in the heart or acceptation with God My first reason is that Principle generally receiued with all schoole Diuines and very sound and Orthodox in true Diuinity The iniquitie defect or exorbitancie of any particular of one circumstance maketh an action euill but an absolute integritie of all concurrents is required to make a good worke acceptable to God comfortable and profitable to a Christian The end must be good the glory of God the action it selfe in it owne nature must be iust warrantable the circumstances honest and seasonable the meanes direct and lawfull the fountaine the hart sincere and sanctified If this last be wanting especially though otherwise it be neuer so gloriously conucied neuer so wisely managed of neuer so goodly a shew to the eyes of the world yet it is not only mard and defaced and no action of grace but odious and abominable in the sight of God The Moralists by the light of nature saw a truth proportionable to this euen in the actions of vertue The truth and worth wherof they did censure and esteeme not by the bare outward action but by the inward free and independent vprightnesse of the mind And therefore to an action truely vertuous they required a resolued knowledge an irrespectiue and aduised freedome of spirit a constant and easie habit of the mind an entire loue to the fairenesse of vertue So that whatsoeuer honest actions sprung from passion humour scare respect ambition or the like they accounted vertuous and good onely by accident and occasion not inwardly and essentially whereupon they hold that many great and honourable atchieuements of ancient Worthies amongst the Heathens howsoeuer they were admirable in the eyes of men and beneficiall to the publicke State for sometimes out of some sudden eleuation of spirit or pang of vaine-glorie they were euen prodigall of their liues and blood for the good and deliuerance of their countrie yet to the authours and actors themselues they were not the true workes of vertue but of ambition and a desire of immortall fame It is euen so in the higher actions of grace and religion Besides the outward performance God requires sinceritie of heart and truth in the inward parts to make them gratious and acceptable And howsoeuer otherwise they may purchase them a name amongst men prosperity in the world some lesse torment in hell and procure good vnto others yet except they proceed from a faith vnfained and a pure conscience to the Christians themselues in respect of all heauenly happinesse they are fruitles and vnprofitable My second proofe is out of the 5. of Matth. Except your righteousnesse exceed the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisies ye shall not enter into the kingdome of heauen The outward righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisies was famous in those times and much admired So that if God did not principally respect the heart if that were not true in the 16. of Luke That which is highly esteemed amongst men is abomination in the sight of God they might not onely haue carried away the garland for piety on earth but haue iustly seemed to haue beene the onely heires to a crowne of immortality in the heauens For besides their forbearance and protestation against grosser sinnes Murther Theft Adulterie Idolatrie and the like they were frequent and solemne in prayers fastings almes-deeds and that with farre greater strictnesse and deuotion then the religious actions of formall hypocrisie are performed in these times of the Gospell Besides I doubt not but many of them were persuaded that their way was the way of life and that they were in the state of true happinesse And yet for all this except wee exceede their righteousnesse the speech is peremptorie we shall not enter into the kingdome of heauen For we see in the 23. of Mat. what a chaine of curses out of the mouth of our blessed Sauiour did iustly draw them into the bottome of hell Thirdly this truth is manifest out of the Doctrine of the Prophets Esai 1 Mich. 6. Hag. 2. Psal. 50. and many other places Whence ariseth this conclusion That the principall and holiest exercises the most solemne and sacred actions of religion without sinceritie and sanctification of heart are but as the cutting off a Dogs necke and the offering of swines blood Their sacrifices oblations and incense Their nâ—w Moonâ—s their Sabbaths and solemne feasts were things commanded by Gods ownâ— mouth yeâ— where they were performed with impure and propâ—ane hearts he telâ— them that his soule hated them that they were a burthen vnto him and that he was wearie of them For if the Lords contentment had finally rested in
of all controlement and contradiction So that morall honesty and outward religiousnesse being in themselues good and necessarie and a good step to Christianity yet by accident are many times a strong barre to keepe men from the power of godlinesse and vnfained sincerity Because when they consider their present course is in good acceptance with the world and that it may well consist with the free enioyment of their honours and pleasures at least arising from their beloued and secret sinnes they willingly and peremptorily rest and repose vpon it contented with a probable error of being in the state of grace and with a plausible passage vnto eternal death And the rather because they know full well if they should step forward vnto forwardnesse in religion and that inward holinesse without which they shall neuer see the face of God they should not onely raise vp against themselues many thundring tempests of the worlds insolent false and spitefull censures but also euen from the bottome of hell many disturbances and fearefull tentations For I am perswaded while a man lies secure in the course of vnregeneration if the diuell can procure it he shall enioy his hearts desire he shall bring his enterprises to passe and not fall into trouble like other men He onely then begins to bestirre himselfe when a man begins to stirre towards grace or that by his traines he hath brought him to some point of aduantage to some dead lift to his death-bed that he may haue a full stroke at his destruction that he may suddenly and certainely swallow him vp body and soule and then he paies him home with a witnesse for either through senselesnesse or despaire hee sinkes him downe irrecouerably into the bottome of hell These two obiections thus preuented I come to the proofe of the point in hand And first these reasons following may demonstrate that he which reaches but to ciuill honesty comes farre short of being in Christ and consequently of true happinesse First some of the heathens out of those weake notions and inclinations to vertuousnesse which corrupted nature confusedly imprinted in their minds attained a great measure of morall perfection This Elogie the Historian giues of the Romane Cato Cato was a man which did animate the faire speculatiue image of vertue with liuely executions and practise Goodnesse was so habitually incorporated into his honest mind that he did good not for respects and reseruedly but because he could possibly doe no otherwise Impartiall indifferency was the rule of his actions and being free from the corruptions of the time he was the same man and had a free command ouer his passions both in time of acceptation and disgrace It is further reported of Fabricius that a man might sooner turne the sun from his course then to sway Fabricius by respects from honest and ingenuous dealing And yet all these excellencies of morality are iustly and truely censured by Diuinity to be but glorious sinnes Austin that great disputer and worthie father confirmes it vnanswerable especially froÌ„ that ground in the Epistle to the Hebrues Without faith it is impossible to please God Let a mans workes bee in shew neuer so good so magnificent so charitable except the heart be purged from dead workes by a liuely faith and pure from an euill conscience hee is but a painted sepulchre or whited wall But yet take this by the way if these Heathens in the twilight of reason became such admirable lights of vprightnesse and honesty and yet Christians in these daies when all the beames of Christs blessed Gospell are shining and shed round about them continue still in darkenesse cold and frozen in prophannesse and security certainely as it shall be easier for Tyrus and Sidon at the day of iudgement then for Chorazin and Bethsaida so it shall be easier for many Heathens though to them impossible then for those Christians that passe not them in vertue and integrity Cato and Fabricius at that day shall rise vp against many luke warme professors of our times to their eternall shame confusion and condemnation The second reason is grounded vpon the words of saint Paul 1. Cor 2.14 The naturall man perceiueth not the things of the spirit of God for they are foolishnesse vnto him neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned In this place by natural man is not ment only the carnal and sensuall man swinishly wallowing in vanities and pleasures but as the best and soundest interpreters conceiue it euen a man considered with the whole compasse of the reasonable soules possibility And maÌ„s reasonable soule by that strength it yet retains since it was by God iustly disinherited of alspirituall patrimonie for Adams rebellion may purchase some kind of perfections First in it selfe it may be excellent if endowed with a sharp wit a quick apprehension a strong mind a piercing iudgement a faithful memory a more moderate wil and milder affections But if by industry and art it furnish and fil euery seueral faculty with those ornaments and qualities of which they are naturally capable the perfection is much more admirable And yet besides these excellencies in it self it may shine gloriously to others it may go further and inable it self by action experience obseruation with such an vniuersal wisdom that it may not only be fit and qualified for notable offices of society and entercourse in politick Bodies but also reach vnto y â— depth of foresight and large comprehension of circumstances that it may be worthie imploiment in affaires of State and in the direction and guidance of whole kingdomes All these perfections may concurre vpon the soule and yet it remaine starke blind in the mysteries of saluation Imagine them all iointly in one man and in the highest degree of perfection of which vnsanctified mortalitie is capable and let them bee neuer so much admired and flattered of the world yet without the salt of grace to season them and the life of faith to animate them they are but as gay and rich attire vpon a leprous bodie as iewels chaines and bracelets vpon a dead and rotten carcasse Let no man then deceiue his owne heart he may be enriched with singular pregnancie of all the faculties of the soule hee may be stored with varietie of the choisest and profoundest learning he may expresse in action and ciuill honestie the absolute portraiture of Aristotles moral vertues he may be as politike as Ahitophel Whose counsell which he counselled in those daies was like as one â—ad asked counsell at the Oracle of God and yet without supernaturall illumination and the diuine graces of faith loue zeale sinceritie spirituall wisedome a sanctified contention of spirit in making towards God in all kind of duties which onely put a man into possession of true happinesse and sit him for a blessed association with God Angels and holy men I say without these supernaturall graces he cannot onely not perceiue the things of the spirit of God but
the worke wrought and not chieflie respected the inward affection of the worker had he required onely the ceremoniall action of sacrificing and not the spirituall conformitie of the heart to his will why he had not need to desire sacrifices of them nor expected supplie from their hands as appeareth in that sacred anti royall contestation of God with his people about the question of his worship Psal. 50. I will not reproue thee for thy sacrifices sâ—ith God or thy burnt offerings that haue not beene continually before me I will take no Bullocke out of thine house or Goates out of thy folds For all the beasts of the forrest are mine and the beasts on a thousand â—ils I know all the sowlâ—s on the Mountaiâ—es and the wâ—ld bâ—asts of the fiâ—ld are mine If I be hungrie I will not tell theâ— for the world is mine and all that therein iâ— Will I â—ate the flesh of Bâ—ls or drinke the blood of Goatâ—s Nay if we consider God in his absolute soueraignty and essentiall glory euen that is true of the most sanctified works of Gods child which is in Iob. 35.7 If thou bâ—â— righteous whâ—t 〈…〉 or what receiueâ—h heâ— at thine hand and that of Dauid Psal. 16.2 My weâ—doing extendeth not vnto thâ— For what can that little sparke of holinesse in vs which doth first too proceed from him and is onely darkened in ouâ— corruptions adde vnto that infinite Gâ—ory and 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 that no man can attainâ— vnto with which he hath incomprehensiblie liâ—n â—ncompassed froÌ„ alâ—terniâ—y Only iâ—pleâ—seth him of his infinit goodnesse and out of a gratious desire of our saluation to accept our sincerity though mixâ— with imperfections and to crown his owne graâ—â—â— in vs 〈◊〉 then shall appeare the bare outwardnes of hollowhearted Christians If the heart bee wanting what magnificence or glory of outward seruices shall be able to dazle his sight whose eyes are ten thousand times brighter then the Sunne and sees cleaâ—ely our inmost thoughts Wherewith shall we come bâ—foâ—â— th◠〈◊〉 or what shall we offer vnto him Will the Lord be pleased with ten thousands of rams or with ten thousand riuers of Oilâ— Shall we giue our first borne for our transgression euen the fruite of our bodie for the â—inne of our soule No though weâ— gaue all that wee had to the poore and our owne bodieâ— to bee burnt nay if it were possible that by our meanes we could vindicate the soules of all men now liuing from the iawes of eternall death yet all would profit vs nothing except our harts be first purged by faith pure from an euill conscience and possest of a sound and constant loue to God his word his honour his truth and seruants Let this then be the conclusion to this point Though a man were a moral Saint an Angell amongst the Phrisees absolute in all other perfections yet without the inward power of grace to giue them life he is but a spectacle of commisâ—ration to Angels to meÌ„ euen as that body is which adorned with sundry other exquisite beauties wanteth eye-sight the chiefest grace that nature hath in that kind to bestow Or as a cunning Organist skilful in the outward touch of his instrument yet without wind inspired cannot possibly strike the care or please the heart with any mâ—lodious noise so though his actions be flourished ouer with a faire tincture of outward religiousnesse and he exact in morall honesty yet without the breath and life of grace infused there can be no true spiritual harmony in his affections woâ—ds or conuersation thâ—t either will beget sound ioy and spirituall delight in the soule or be pleasing in the â—ares of almightie God You see then beloued in Christ Iesus that the performances of outward duties of religion euen the best sâ—â—h as are Prayers hearing the word of God recâ—iuing the Sacraments almes-deeds and the like though they bee good in themselues commanded of God necessarie to be done of euerie Christian yet if they be diuided from inward sanctification and sinceritie of heart are so farâ—e from putting vs into possession of true happines that they are odious and abominable in the sight of God I told you in the beginning if you remember that besides outward righteousnesse the formall hypocrite may beleeue for a time and therefore by the inward though more generall and infeâ—iour working of the Spirit may haue a temporarie faith begot in him and this faith may bring forth some fruits and some kinds of inward graces But that all this comes short of saluation appeares in the parable For there the hearer compared to the stonie ground which I call the formall hypocrite is one of the reprobate hearers vpon whom the word is not the power of God to saluation As for those fiue degrees added out of the sixth to the Hebrues of which I told you the formall hypocrite may be partaker it is manifest out of the same Chapter that they come short of the state of grace For a man but so furnished may not onely fall bâ—cke to a worse and more ordinarie state of a râ—probate but euen to the depth of all impietie and apostasie He may not onely haue his measure of inward illumination all his lighter ioy and comfort in Gods word quite extinguisht but become a wilfull and malicious scorner of true godlinesse He may not onely grieue and quench the spirit but hee may tread vnder foot the Sonne of God count the bloud of the Testament as an vnholy thing and despite the very Spirit of grace so that it may be impossible that hee should be renewed againe by repentance In the last place I told you that besides all these the formall hypoâ—rite might entertaine a perswasion of his being in the state of true happinesse and so with contentment and securitie walke in the path that leads to eternall death but how weak and false the reasons and motiues to this perswasion were I haue before largely deliuered It remaines therfore that I should now lay downe certaine markes and properties of difference betwixt the state of formall hypocrisie and sauing grace but I must referre a large prosecution and distinct treatise of them to some other place and time Yet at this time by the grace of God I shall deliuer so much that any man that will deale faithfully with his owne conscience and follow me with attention to the end may in some good measure be informed whether hee lie yet in the shadow of death or liue in the light of grace Some difference then first may arise out of the distinction of the degrees and workings of faith Which that you may better conceiue you must remember three sorts of faith Historicall Temporarie Sauing or Iustifying faith Historicall faith is not only a knowledge of the word of God but also an assent of the heart to the truth of it And this is of two sorts either Infused which is wrought in vs by the illightning spirit of
which is a horrible and feareful curse euen esteeme them foolishnes The third reason shall be taken from the example of Nicodemus Iohn 3. Nicodemus I am perswaded was an honest and an ingenuous man I am sure he was a great man and a teacher of Israel yet when he comes out of his ciuill honestie and naturall wisdome to reason and confer with Christ about the saluation of his soule and eternall happinesse hee is strangely childish and a meere infant For when Christ tels him Except a man be borne againe he cannot see the kingdome of God he replies How can a man be borne which is old can he enter into his mothers wombe againe and be borne A replie which may breed an astonishment in all that shall euer reade this story vnderstandingly vnto the worlds end nay it seemes to seeme strange to Christ himselfe by his interrogatiue admiration afterward Art thou a teacher of Israel and knowest not these things And no maruell for who would think that one of the best of the Pharises a ruler of the Iews a profest Doctor in the Law and the Prophets and one carefull to saue his soule should be so grossely and palpably ignorant in a most materiall and necessarie point of saluation especially hauing many times no doubt read it in Moses and the Prophts Amongst many places he might see Ezech. 36.26.27 most cleerely laid downe the great and glorious worke of our new birth A new heart also will I giue you and a new spirit will I put within you and I will take the stony hart out of your body and I will giue you a heart of flesh c. But when he comes from teaching and reading of this and the like places to be examined in the practise and experimentall feeling of these graces of regeneration vpon his owne soule why hee talkes of a man that is old entring againe into his mothers wombe from whence he should certainely returne with a doubled pollution and corruption of nature and once more the child of Satan then he was before But so it is where the hart is not seasoned with sauing grace let the vnderstanding be neuer so great with swelling knowledge the practicall powers of the soule neuer so pregnant with wisdome and policie and perfected with morall vertues yet there is nothing to be expected from that man in matters and mysteries of saluation but darkenes and blindnesse childishnesse and stupiditie Fourthly the young man in the Gospell may be a fit instance for our present purpose He was vnreprooueable in the externall iustice and outward obseruances of the second table wherein ciuill honesty doth principally consist but how farre hee was from inward sanctification the state of grace and happinesse of Gods children appeares in the story For when the sacred and powerfull words of our blessed Sauior had insinuated into the secrets of his soule and strucke at his sweet sinne of couetousnesse the young man is presently cast into a fit of melancholie Christ is too precise a preacher for him he cannot digest such a strict and seuere course he will not abandon his pleasures of worldlinesse his palaces his possessions to follow Christ the Lord of heauen and earth in this life though he assure him of the rich treasures of eternall blessednes in the life to come When the young man heard that saying he went away sorrowfull for he had great possessions Whereby we may see that a man may be ciuilly honest and vncensurable in outward workes of iustice and yet harbour and nourish some close corruptions and sweet sinne in his heart from which rather then he will part he will lose his part in Christ the bottomlesse fountaine of endlesse ioies and comforts and his portion of vnualuable glory in the new Ierusalem This point being thus manifest for conclusion I will lay downe certaine differences betwixt the righteousnesse of faith and sanctification and the righteousnesse of ciuil honestie that a man may haue some directions to examine his soule and conscience in this respect First the fountaine and originall of righteousnesse of faith is the sanctifying Spirit of God I call it the sanctifying spirit because the spirit of God may by a generall influence concur to the illumination of the vnderstanding with knowledge and a ciuill reformation of the wil euen in the vnregenerate but the sanctifying spirit by the miraculous operatiue of sauing grace doth purge and mortifie the inmost affections plant iustifying faith in the heart renew al the powers of the soule and reinuest them in some good measure with the blessed image of holinesse and integritie which they lost in Adam But the cause and fountaine of righteousnesse of ciuill honesty may bee goodnesse of constitution and ingenuousnesse whereby a man may not be so apt and inclinable to notorious sinnes or want of trials and prouocations or feare of lawes and temporall punishments or desire of reputation and rising or a vaine hope to stay Gods iudgements for inward corruptions by ciuill outwardnesse or at best the restraining Spirit of God by which hee doth onely represse the furies and outrages of the wicked and reduce them to some moderation and honestie for the quiet of his Elect and conseruation of Kingdomes For if God did not put his hooke into the nostrils of prophane men and his bridle into their lippes euery one of them sith euery man hath in his corrupt nature the seedes of all sinnes that euer haue are or may be committed I say euery one of them might become a cruell Senacherib a railing Shemei a traiterous Iudas a bloodie Bonner an hellish Fawkes fierce Woolues and Lions against the sillie and innocent Lambes of Christs fold Secondly righteousnesse of ciuill honestie in outward actions may make a colourable pretence of pietie and vprightnes but indeed hath many secret relations to pleasures to friends to profit to preferments to reuengement to passions partialities and euents and such like by-respects not easilie discernable but by him whose eies are tenne thousand times brighter then the Sunne But righteousnesse of faith hath in all actions for the maine scope and principall end the glory and honour of God and if infirmitie doe sometimes distaine them with some mixture and adherence of respects for who can say my heart is cleane euen the purest actions are mixt with some spice of corruptions it workes in the faithfull soule much griefe sorrow striuing against repentance and humiliation Thirdly righteousnesse of faith doth labour watchfully religiously and conscionably in that particular calling wherein Gods prouidence hath placed a man and in all the parts and speciall duties of godlinesse and obedience But ciuill honesty wanders in the generalities of religion and many times in impertinent vnsetled and vnlimited courses Fourthly righteousnesse of faith doth striue with greatest earnestnesse and contention of spirit for spirituall comfort and a good conscience before God But ciuill honestie is fully and finally satisfied with credit and plausiblenesse amongst men Fifthly
ciuill honestie makes no great conscience of smaller sinnes as lying lesser oathes gaming prophane iesting idlenesse and pastime on the Sabbath day and the like But righteousnesse of faith hauing a sensible feeling of the heauie weight of sinne from those anguishes which the conscience felt before the infusion of faith and being still stung with a checke and smart for all kind of transgressions doth seasonably and proportionablie hate and make resistance to all knowne sinnes Sixthly ciuill honestie doth not vse to make opposition against the sinnes of the time but is euen willing to be caried with the streame onely vpon more faire and probable tearmes then notorious sinfulnesse and therefore will goe on and encourage a man in godly courses and good causes vntill he meet with either a wound to his state a disgrace to his person a disturbance to his pleasures an imputation to his forwardnesse a stop to his preferments losse of friends imminencie of danger or any such crosse and discouragement and then it teacheth him to step backe as a man ready to tread vpon a serpent and to start aside like a broken â—ow But righteousnesse of faith doth stand out for the honour of God and ordinarily goes thorow stitch in good causes come what come can crosses or calumniations good report or euill report men or diuels For it is compleatly armed with confidence of future happinesse and hath sixt the eye vpon the crowne of immortality which if heauen and earth conspired they were not able to pull it out of his hand that reserues it in the heauens for all those that sight a good fight that keepe the faith and run with constancie the race of sanctification The next point of the negatiue part of my doctrine is formall hypocrisie Which that you may more cleerely vnderstand consider with me three kinds of hypocrisie priuy hypocrisie grosse hypocrisie formal hypocrisie Priuie hypocrisie is that by which a man makes profession of more then is in his hart And this somtimes doth mixe it self euen with the fairest and most sanctified actions of Gods dearest children and doth soonest insinuate into a hart stored with the rich treasures of true godlines For Satan if he cannot detain a mans soule in notorious sinfulnes in meere ciuil honestie or formality but that by the sacred inspirations of Gods good spirit it is pulled out of the mouth of hell from the slauery of sin and courses of darkenes into the glorious light liberty of Christs kingdom he is inraged with fierce and implacable furie doth euer certainly with eager pursuit persecute that soule both by his owne immediate malice and by the cruell agencie of prophane men And if so be he cannot procure a scandalous relapse into grâ—sse sins yet that he may in some measure worke the dishonour of God and the discomfort of his noblest creature the two maine ends of all the policies of hell hee doth labour to distaine the pure streames of diuine grace in the soule puddle of our corrupted nature and at least to fasten the spots of priuie hypocrisie vpon the best actions and the very face of innocency This hypocrisie as I take it ariseth from spirituall pride For when a godly man by the great worke of regeneration is become more excellent then his neighbour as indeed he incomparablie is howsoeuer the worlds estimation be otherwise Because the one is as yet a limme of Satan receiuing from him the cursed influence of scule pollutions of vncleannes and lying of malice and reuenge of pride and prophanenes c The other is already a blessed member of Christs mysticall body continually inspired with holy motions and the life of grace The one lies polluted in his owne blood encompassed with the menstruous clouts of loathsome corruptions of all natures except onely the diuell and his angels the most wretched and woefull of the familie of hell heire of horrour and desolation The other by the immortall seed of the pure and powerfull word of God is made partaker of the diuine nature clothed with the rich and vnualuable robe of Christs iustice guarded with an inuincible troope of heauenly Angels iustly intituled to a kingdome of vnconceiueable glory and pleasures moe then the starres of the firmament in number The one is a wrongfull vsurper of the riches honours and preferments of this life for which hereafter hee must be condemned to chaines of eternall darkenes and a dungeon of endlesse miserie and confusion the other while he continues in this world is a rightfull owner and possessor of the earth and all the creatures and blessings of God and when hee departs hence he shall bee made a glorious inhabitant of those sacred mansions where constant peace vnmixed ioyes and blessed immortality euen for euer and euer doe dwell Which great difference when the godly man perceiues and his owne prerogatiues he is filled with a strange and ioyfull amazement and admiration at his owne happinesse which Satan seeing who is perfectly experienced in all aduantages and opportunities for spirituall assaults and working vpon the reliques of mans proud nature doth cunningly draw him to aduance aboue that which is meet within himselfe in his owne opinion the worth of his owne graces and vertues Which that he may conuey and reprâ—sent to the view of the world with an excellencie proportionable to his owne ouerweening conceite he is forced to admit the secret and insensible poyson of priuie hypocrisie which he doth more easily at the first entertaine because the pestilencie and bitternesse thereof is not discernable by reason of the predominancie and sweetnesse of the fresh present graces of Gods spirit in his soule But when by afflictions or disgraces by some extraordinary temptation or particular checkes from the Ministery of the word the vglinesse of it is discouered to his conscience hee for euer abhorres it as a consuming canker that would fret out the very heart of grace and extinguish the life of sincerity and therefore with much humiliation and feruencie doth pray against it striue against it and by the mercies of God preuaile against it This kind of Hypocrisie belongs not to my present purpose onely by the way let mee giue aduertisement to the child of God for to him onely I speake in this point to the end he may keepe his heart vnblameable in holinesse and preserue the true relish and sound ioy of good actions entire and vndistempered that he would strongly fence his heart with a gracious and vnfained humility against priuie pride the mother of this hypocrisie as against a close vndermining and a most dangerous enemie and the more seriously and watchfully for these reasons partly drawne from the nature of the sinne and partly from the state of his soule From the nature of the sinne First other sinnes grow from poysonous and pestilent roots as Adulterie from idlenesse Faction from discontent Murder from malice Iesting out of the word of God from a a prophane heart the
obiect of his reuenging iustice the most base and vnnaturall Opposite to so pure a Maiesty and the most notorious and transcendent instrument of Satans deepest malice This kind of hypocrite belongs not to my present purpose and therefore I leaue him without sound and timely repentance to some strange and markeable iudgement euen in this life Or if he passe these few daies honourably and prosperouslie as it is many times the lot of the wicked lot him expect vpon his deaths-bed the fierie darts of Satan empoysoned with hellish malice and cruelty to be fastned deepely in his soule and such pangs and anguish of conscience that will possesse him of hell before hand Or if he depart out of this world without sense of his sinne or else at the best with some formall and perfunctorie shew of penitencie yet let his heart tremble for the feares that it shall feare at the great and terrible day of the Lord when the vizard of his hypocrisie shall certainely be pulde off his face and he ashamed and confounded in the presence of the blessed Trinity of Angels and all the men that euer were and irrecouerably abandoned from the face of God and from the fruition of his ioyes to the most consuming flame of the fire of hell and the lothsomest dungeon of the bottomlesse pit The third kind of hypocrisie is Formall hypocrisie by which a man doth not onely deceiue others with a shew of piety and outward forme of religion but also his owne heart with a false conceit and persuasion that he is in a happie state when as in truth his soule was neuer yet seasoned with sauing grace and the power of religion And I beseech you marke me in this point it is of greatest consequence to euery one for a sound triall and examination of the state of his conscience whether he yet liue the life of God and stand in the state of grace or lie enthralled in the setters and slauerie of sinne and Satan For herein I must tell you how farre a man may proceed in outward profession of the truth in supernaturall decrease of sinfulnesse in some kinds and measure of inward graces and yet come vtterly short of true happinesse and without an addition of the truth of regeneration and a sound conuersion shall bee cut off for euer from all hope of immortality and shall neuer bee able to stand firme and sure in the day of the Lord Iesus For a more perspicuous explication of this point conceiue with me those perfections which may befall a man as yet vnregenerate and in state of damnation We may suppose in him first all those gifts which the possibility of nature can conferre vpon him all ornaments of Arts and knowledge of wisedome and policie not onely that which is purchased by experience obseruation and imployment in points of State but also the spirit of gouernment as Saul had To these wee may adde gentlenesse and fairenesse of conditions an exactnesse of ciuill honesty and morall iustice immunity from grosse and infamous sinnes And thus far the heathens may goe And thus far we proceeded in our last Discourse But in these times of Christianity a reprobate may goe farre further then euer the most innocent Heathen that euer liued could possibly though some of them were admirable for their mild and mercifull disposition some for their vertuous seueritie some for integritie of life some for constancie and resolution in goodnes some for preferring the vnspottednesse of their life before most exquisit tortures For to all these he may adde a glorious profession of the Gospell a performance of all outward duties and exercises of religion many workes of charity and monuments of his rich magnificence Nay besides all this he may be made partaker of some measure of inward illumination of a shadow of true regeneration there being no grace effectually wrought in the faithfull whereof a resemblance may not be sound in the vnregenerate This last point will more clearely appeare vnto you out of the 8. of Luke and the 6. to the Hebrewes In the 8. of Luke the hearer resembled vnto the stonie ground is the formall hypocrite who is there said to beleeue for a time and therefore by the inward though more generall and inferior working of the spirit may haue a temporarie faith begot in him In which faith we may consider these degrees First he may be endewed with vnderstanding and knowledge in the word of God He may be perswaded that it is diuinely inspired and that it is most true He may see clearely by the Law of God the grieuous intollerablenesse of his sinnes and the heauie iudgements due vnto them He may bee amazed and terrified with fearefull horror and remorse of conscience for his sinnes He may giue assent vnto the couenant of grace in Christ as most certaine and sure and may conceiue that Christs merits are of an inualuable price and a most pretious restoratiue to a languishing soule He may be perswaded in a generalitie and confused manner that the Lord will make good his couenant of grace vnto the members of his Church and that he will plentifully performe all the promises of happinesse vpon his children He may be troubled in mind with grudgings and distractions with reluctation and scruples before the commission of sinne out of the strength of naturall conscience seconded with a seruile apprehension of diuine vengeance but especially illightned with some glimmerings of this temporarie faith Much adoe was there euen with Pilate inward trouble and tergiuersation before he would bee brought to giue iudgement on Christ. Herod was sorie before he beheaded Iohn Baptist. And these men I hope were farre short of the perfections attaineable by the formall hypocrite After a sinne committed besides the outward formes of humiliation by the power of this temporarie faith he may bee inwardly touched and affected with some kind and degree of repentance and sorrow I meane not onely that which is a preparatiue to despaire and hellish horror but which may sometimes preuent temporall iudgements as in Achab and with a slumbering and superficiall quiet secure the conscience for a time And from this faith may spring fruits Some kind and measure of hope loue patience and other graces It is said in the Euangelists that that hearer which we call the formall hypocrite receiues the word with ioy Whence may be gathered First that with willingnesse and cheerefulnesse hee may submit himselfe to the ministerie of the word With forwardnesse and ioyfulnesse hee may follow and frequent Sermons With a discourse of the sufferings of Christ he may be moued euen vnto teares for compassionate indignation that so glorious and infinite innocencie should be vext with al manner of indignities and torments for the grosse and willfull impieties of sinfull men He may loue and reuerence giue countenance and patronage to the Ministers whom he heares with gladnesse For it is the nature of man to be kindly and louingly affected vnto him
other men are extortioners vniust adulterers or as this Publican There is his exemption from common prophanenes I fast twice in the weeke I giue tithe of all that I possesse There is his outward iustice and religious solennities But you must not conceiue that the formall hypocrite doth proclaime this in publicke with such grosse and palpable ostentation Nay perhaps when it arises hee lets it not rest long in his owne thoughts left by this vanity his vertues lose their grace and he his comfort But certaine it is a consciousnes of his being free from infamous impieties of his morall honestie performance of outward duties of religion and some inward in some measure though not vniuersally nor to the degree of the children of God is one of the best grounds he hath for his assurance of being in state of saluation Parallel to this of Luke is that Prou. 30. vers 12. There is a generation that are pure in their owne conceit and yet are not washed from their filthinesse That is they imagine their temper of religion their pitch of holinesse their formall Christianity to bee the very right path to heauen when indeed they were neuer truely humbled with a sense and sight of their sinnes out of the law and iudgements of God They were neuer acquainted with the pangs of conscience in a new birth or the mysteries of saluation But within are full of hollowheartednesse lukewarmenesse and much bitternes against true godlinesse and the power thereof The second reason whereby the formall hypocrite is moued to thinke his state to be good and the way of his life to be right is a preiudice which he conceiues from the imputations which the world layeth vpon the children of God such as are Pride Hypocrisie Singularity Melancholie Simplicitie and the like But before I descend to these particulars giue me leaue to propose vnto you the fountaine and ground of them which I take to bee that great and eternall opposition which is naturally betwixt light and darkenesse the life of grace and a death in sinne sincerity and prophanenesse the children of God and the wicked Gods children you know in this world liue as sheepe amongst wolues In the stormie times of the Church their persecutors are indeed euen wolues in the euening for their insatiable crueltie and vnquenchable thirst in drinking vp the blood of the Saints And in the Halcyon daies and fairest times of the Church yet they haue those which will bee pricks in their eyes and thornes in their sides If they cannot vexe them in a higher degree yet they will bee sure to lay on loade with base indignities disgraces slanders and lying imputations And their hatred is of that strange nature and quality that it is discharged euen against the goodnesse of the godly their zeale their forwardnesse in religion their faithfulnesse in their calling and the like as against it proper obiect This is plaine in Ieremie Ieremie neither borrowed on vsurie nor lent on vsurie hee was free from all colour of giuing offence or doing wrong Nay his gratious heart was so wholly melted in compassion that he wished that his head were full of water and his eyes a fountaine of teares that he might weepe day and night for the destructions of his people And yet of that people euery one contended against him there was not a man but hee cursed him The onely reason was because whatsoeuer the Lord said that he faithfully spoke and kept nothing backe but shewed them all the counsell of God It is yet more plaine in Dauid Psal. 38.20 They also that reward euill for Good are mine aduersaries because I follow goodnesse The word there in the originall insinuateth such an extreme and deadly hatred that from thence comes the diuels name Satan So that howsoeuer this enmitie betwixt the world and the children of light be many times bridled by the restraining spirit of God sometimes by the ingenuousnesse of the wicked or their morall vertue or policie or some by-respect or by accident bee turned into loue because by the presence and praiers of the godly they many times escape iudgements and receiue blessings Yet I say howsoeuer it be thus bridled in it selfe it is more then ordinary or naturall and hath in it some degree and mixture of hellish virulencie Ordinarie hatred expires in the downe-fall of his aduersarie Nay any one of generous mind out of the interest he challengeth in the common state of humanitie will commiserate the distresse and affliction euen of his greatest and basest enemie but much more of one of noble spirit and eminent worth and more then that of one that hath followed him with all offices of kindnes and loue yet the flame of this hatred is so fiâ—rce so set on fire by hell that it is not extinguished euen with the blood of his supposed Opposite but barbarously sports in his miseries with insoleÌ„cy tramples vpon his desolations This appeareth clearely in the example of Dauid Psal. 35.15 But in mine aduersity they reioyced and gathered themselues together the abiects assembled themselues against me and I knew not they tare mee and ceased not Who without indignation can thinke vpon these leaud companions and base drunkards that with the false scoffers at bankets gnashed their teeth and cruelly insulted ouer the miserie and disgrace of that man that was a man after Gods owne heart of incomparable excellency and so kindly affected towards them that when they were sicke he clothed himselfe with a sacke he humbled his soule with fasting and mourned as one that mourneth for his mother You see then the fountaine both of the greater stoods of bloodie persecutions and the lesser streames of inferiour vexations as slanders railings and false imputations To some particulars whereof I now come First for Pride It is most certaine that Pride truely so called is the most pesâ—lent and incompatible Opposite that Grace hath and therefore hee that is most sanctified most fights against it For besides that this fiery dart is deepely impoysoned in our corrupted nature Satan knowes out of his owne experience how to manage it with notable cunning and he followes this weapon with such eagernesse and confidence that after it is broken vpon the shield of faith yet he labours with might and maine to fasten some splinter or other euen in the soule humbled for sinne and vowed vnto the seruice of God as I told you in the first part of priuie hypocrisie But I appeale vnto the consciences of the children of God whether many times the world doth not interpret that to be pride in their actions and cariage which is nothing else but a gracious freedome of spirit arising from a consciousnesse of their innocencie and independancy whereby they are inabled to stand with courage against corruptions and the sinnes of the time to follow good causes with boldnesse and with resolution to defend a knowne and warrantable truth and indeed to prefer the saluation of
pleasingly to themselues and more plausiblie to the world compasse their ends and desires No maruell then though they haue the wicked world at will The third reason of the flourishing of the wicked is because they are men of this world and therefore they haue onely their portion and full felicitie here Their heauen is vpon earth their pleasures in their life time with the rich man in the Gospell For as the euerlasting couenant of inward peace grace and glory is peculiarly confirmed to the children of the spirit so many times in great measure the temporall promises of outward happinesses are performed vpon the children of the flesh When God had established vpon Isaak the euerlasting promises of loue mercy and blessednesse yet he was content to make Ismael a great man vpon earth Concerning Ismael saith he to Abraham I haue heard thee loe I haue blessed him and will make him fruitfull and will multiplie him exceedingly Twelue Princes shall hee beget and I will make a great nation of him Fourthly and lastly the prosperitie of the wicked makes them more inexcusable and their damnation more iust before the Tribunall of God For it is iust with him to bring a greater measure of tribulation and anguish vpon them in whom his many fauors aâ—d louing kindnesses haue brought forth vnthankfulnes rebellion that wrath is most iustly returned vpon their heads which by despising the riches of his bountifulnesse and patience and long sufferance leading them to repentance they haue heapt vp as a treasure vnto themselues against the day of wrath and of the declaration of the iust iudgement of God You haue heard the reasons of the happinesse of the wicked in this life but it is not so with Gods children For they must mourn in this vale of teares while the world reioyceth And as the wicked are fild and fatted with worldly happinesse and plentie against the day of wrath so Gods children must bee prepared and fitted with afflictions for the glory which shall be reuealed They are shortly to become inhabitants of that great and glorious city whose foundations are pretious stones whose gates are Margarites whose streets are pure gold as the shining glasse they must bee companions of the blessed Angels and stand in the presence of that great and sacred Maiesty and therefore in this life they must be cast into the Lords furnace that in the fire of affliction they may be more and more purified from earthlines and corruption and so with holinesse and humilitie prepared for that high perfection of heauenly beautie glory and blisse Let euery godly man then with comfort and benefit vndergoe those crosses which the Lord layeth vpon him for they are vnto him as looking glasses wherein God sees his faith and dependance vpon his prouidence the world his patiâ—nce and constancie himselfe the spots of his soule his decayes of grace the breaches of his conscience his neglect of the duties of his calling his coldnes in religigious seruices his fall from his first loue So that by them God is pleased and glorified others edified and instructed himselfe humbled recouered by repentance and more sanctified I haue staied long vpon the third reason of the formall hypocrites false persuasion of being in state of grace The reason is because ciuill honesty performance of outward duties of religion and worldly prosperitie meeting together in an vnregenerate man many times breed a very strong conceit of his being the child of God and an obstinate impatiencie of hearkning stepping forward to grace or any further perfection I come now to the fourth reason wherby the formall hypocrite doth falsly persuade himselfe to be in the state of true happinesse and saluation and that is A misconceit of Gods iustice and a straining and racking of his mercy beyond his truth and promise so making the way to heauen broder then the Scripture hath made it and himselfe more blessed then he is indeed Mans heart is naturally empoysoned with pride and hypocrisie and therefore is hardly drawne hartily to acknowledge the horrible vglinesse of his sin or that Gods proceeding against it with such waight of vengeance is equall Hence comes much indulgence and partiall censuring of our owne sinnes transferring them vpon allurements occasions circumstances necessitie and the like much lessening and impairing Gods iustice but amplifying his mercies euen to the securing of vnwarrantable courses Adam immediately after his fall shifteth off his sin vpon his wife nay he is so blind in spirituall iudgement of diuine purity that rather then hee will crie guiltie he will fasten the fault by consequent vpon God himselfe The woman saith hee which thou gauest to bee with mee shee gaue mee of the tree and I did eate So gladly would sensuall men persuade themselues that either their sinnes deserue not so strict account and great iudgements or that God doth exercise too much rigour in inflicting them For out of their worldly wisedome they measure and esteeme the vnspotted and infinite Ocean of the iustice of God by the finite muddie and imperfect streame of humane iustice Lawes and constitutions of states and kingdomes are bridles to curbe and moderate our corruption that we become sociable and peaceable but they cut off only from the Body politique by finall execution those that are of notorious and desperate condition such as are Theeues Murtherers Traitors and the like A verie proportionable conceit I am persuaded of diuine iustice and comminations in the law of God lurkes in the hearts of many they thinke that those sinnes that arise ineuitably out of our corrupt nature or that are committed by strong temptation or that are lesse pernicious are I know not how naturally pardonable and that if they bee of the ciuiller sort if they bee outwardly conformable in their liues and harbour good meanings and intentions in matters of religion though they neuer trouble themselues with more strictnesse and a course of sanctification yet they thinke that God will bee mercifull in the end and that it will goe well enough with them and that onely fellowes of infamous note such as are swearers liers vsurers adulterers and the like shall be excluded finally out of heauen But I would haue these men know that though the sea of Gods mercie be bottomlesse though the promises of grace be many and pretious yet not one drop of all that great sea not one iot of all those gracious promises belongs to any saue onely vnto him that groanes and sighs vnder the heauie waight and burthen of his sins that is of a broken and contrite hart that trembles at his word that vndissembledly sorrowes and repents for al his sins forsakes them and resignes vp himselfe in holy obedience to all his commandements I would haue them know that he is as infinitely iust as hee is infinitely mercifull and will as certainelie powre all the plagues and curses in his booke vpon the impenitent sinner as he will performe all his promises of grace to
blessings were things so incredible and beyond all expectation You know a little before the Queenes death the wisest were at their wits ends and euery one stood amazed and astonished for the feares his heart did feare The Iesuites from beyond seas insolently insulted ouer vs and told vs in their bookes that this kingdome would shortly become a prey to the greedie ambition of all the neighbour nations that huge clouds of blood hung ouer our heads and would melt and dissolue at the Queenes death But it was neither so nor so They are the false prophets of the Beast in the Reuelation no maruell though they lied For he that dwels in the heauen laughed them to scorne our gratious God had them in derision And when diuels and Papists looked and wished that this land should haue beene clothed euen with blood and fire as with a garment out of the infinite depth of his vnsearchable mercies he couered it with peace ioy and happinesse euen as the seas are couered with water In the Gunpowder Treason the necke of our whole State both of Church and Common-wealth the glory of this famous and flourishing kingdome the hope of posterity was laid as it were vpon the blocke The instrument of death was lifted vp by the damned instrument of the Popes malice and cruelty he was euen ready to giue the mortall stroke and had not the Angell of the Lord stepped in in the verie nicke had not our mercifull God by his most miraculous and immediate prouidence put to his helping hand when our case was desperate and all hope past he had cut off from vs the roote and the branch the name and the remnant the son and the nephew Our land that before was as the garden of Eden had bin by this time a desolate wildernesse Our Church which was before a harbour of Saints had been by this time a poole of snakes I meane an habitation of Papists The faire body of this citie that before was enliued with matchlesse glory and worth should by this time haue bin a rent and dismembred carcase and that which is worst of al the neglected and forlorne lims inspired with the doctrine of diuels Let vs then examine our selues in this point Haue these incomparable blessings melted our hearts into teares of repentance thankfulnes Haue these cords of loue drawn vs neerer vnto our God in all knowledge loue and obedience Why then we may assure our selues of a good testimony that our soules are seasoned with grace But if it be quite otherwise If these great and vndeserued mercies haue bred in vs a more frozen coldnesse in the seruice of God a more presumptuous securitie and a sounder and sweeter sleepe in sin If since our miraculous deliuerance vnparalleld by all Nations times and stories there hath bin amongst vs no lesse prophaning of Gods Name and Sabbaths then before no lesse pride and drunkenesse no lesse oppression and vsurie no lesse vncleannesse and vnconscionablenes in our callings no lesse ignorance in the word of God and backwardnesse in the waies of holinesse no lesse contempt of godlinesse and godly men Nay if all these gather head and heart more ripenesse and readinesse to receiue the flame of Gods fierce and last wrath If there bee rather a sensible decay of the feare of God of zeale and true sinceritie amongst vs If Prophanenesse Atheisme Poperie and a luke-warmenesse in religion like a mightie Torrent rush in violently vpon vs daily more and more and fearefully preuaile and domineere in most places Why then you are a people of vnderstanding I leaue it to your owne consciences to consider what must needs shortly befall vs except we gather our selues before the decree come foorth vnlesse by speedy humiliation and vnfained repentance wee preuent so great and fearefull iudgements And the rather because wee may assure our selues while the Diuell is in hell and the Pope at Rome the Priests and Iesuits those notorious and transcendent instruments of blood and death will be working in the Vaults of darknes for the confusion of the children of light the subuersion of the Kingdome of Christ and by consequent the ruine of our Church and Common wealth Little know we what fearefull and hellish plot may be euen now in hatching and hammering or how neere it is to the birth while we are most secure And for vs in the meane time without repentance and rooting out Idolatrie to depend still vpon immediate and miraculous discoueries and deliuerances is at the least an vnhallowed and desperate presumption I cannot follow distinctly at this time any more differences betwixt the state of sauing grace and formall hypocrisie For conclusion therefore onely I will acquaint you more fullie with the effects of sauing grace and follow in few words the trace and steps of the Spirit of God in the great worke of regeneration that thereby euery man may examine his conscience iudge himselfe and trie what his state is The working and propertie of this sauing grace and true godlinesse vouchsafed peculiarly and onely to Gods children which doth translate them from darkenesse to light from the corruption of nature to a state of supernaturall blessednesse you may thus conceiue and vnderstand It is like leauen for so the power of Gods word is compared in the Gospell it is of a spreading nature First it seates it selfe in the heart after it is dispersed ouer all the powers and parts both of soule and body ouer all the actions and duties of a man whatsoeuer It softneth and changeth the heart It purgeth the inmost thoughts It awakes the conscience and makes it tender and sensible of the least sinne It sanctifies the affections It conformes the will vnto the will of God It illightnes the vnderstanding with sauing knowledge It stores the memory with many good lessons for comforts instructions and directions in a godly life It seasons the speech with grace It so rectifies and guides all a mans actions that they proceed from faith they are warrantable out of Gods word they are accomplisht by good meanes and wholly directed to the glory of God Nay yet it spreads further and kindles a desire and zeale for the saluation of the soules of others especially of all those that any way depend vpon vs So that the child of God doth euer embrace all meanes and opportunities for the communicating of his graces and comforts and the bringing of others to the same state of happinesse with himselfe Let then I beseech you euery mans conscience goe a little along with me and secretly but faithfully answere to these few interrogatories which I shall propose very briefly and plainely that euery man may easily-vnderstand Hast thou felt by thine owne experience this great worke of regeneration and change wrought vpon thy soule Hath the powerfull word of God by the inward speciall and effectuall working of his spirit broken and bruised thy hard and stonie heart Hath it pierced and purged the very closest and most
vnsearchable corners thereof Hath it humbled it with the sight of thy sinnes and sense of Gods iudgements Hath it filled it with fearefull terrours compunction remorse and true sorrow for thy life past Hath it after quieted and refreshed it with a sure faith in Christ Iesus and a delight in heauenly things Hath it mortified thy inward corruptions and broke the heart of thy sweet sinne Hath it planted a holy moderation in all thy affections that whereas heretofore they haue been enraged with lust with immoderate anger with ambition with insatiable desire for the enlargement of thy wealth possessions and greatnesse and with hatred of Gods dearest seruants and their holinesse are they now inflamed with zeale for Gods honour truth and seruice with a feruent loue vnto the Lord and his Saints with Christian courage to oppose against the sinnes of the time to defend goodnesse and good causes to contemne the lying slanders and prophane scoffes of worthlesse men Hath it begot in â—hy will an hunger and thirst after the spirituall food of thy soule the Word and Sacraments so that thou haddest rather part with any worldly good then not enioy the incomparable benefit of a conscionable and constant ministery Are thy thoughts of which heretofore thou hast made no great conscience but letten them wander vp and downe at rondom wickedly idely and wantonly are they now I say bounded within a sacred compasse and spent vpon holie things and the necessary affaires of thy honest and lawfull calling Is thy vnderstanding informed and acquainted with the mysterie of saluation which the world and the wise men thereof account nothing but madnesse and follie Is thy memorie which hath heretofore been stuffed with trash and toies vanities and follies now capable and greedy of diuine knowledge Are thy words which heretofore haue been full of prophanenesse and worldlinesse now directed to glorifie God and to giue grace vnto the hearers Nay yet further besides this inward renouation of the faculties of thy soule hath the power of grace sanctified all thy outward actions Dost thou now order in euery particular al the businesse of thy vocation religiously conscionably and by direction out of the word of God Art thou inwardly affected and faithfull in the performance of religious duties as in hearing the word of God in sanctifying the Sabbath in prayer and the rest Dost thou now heare the word of God not onely of course and custome but of zeale and conscience to reforme thy selfe by it and to liue after it Doe not the weeke daies duties and worldly cares drowne thy mind on the Sabbath but that thou dost the whole day entirely freely and cheerefully attend the worship of God Dost thou exercise daily with fruit and feeling prayer that precious comfort of the faithfull Christian Thou being conuerted dost thou labour the conuersion of others especially of those which are committed any way to thy charge and for whom thou must giue a more strict account as if thou be a master of a family dost thou pray with them and instruct them in the doctrine of saluation and waies of godlinesse Dost thou now not onely sticke at and forbeare great and grosse sinnes but dost thou euen hate the garment spotted of the flesh and al appearance of euill Doth the tendernes of thy conscience checke thee for the least sinnes and make thee fearefull to offend though it bee but in a wandring cogitation After euery fall into infirmities art thou carefull to renew thy repentance and learne wisedome and watchfulnesse to auoid them afterwards Doest thou feele thy selfe profit grow and encrease in these fruits and effects of grace And hast thou such a gratious tast of the glory of God and of eternall life that thou art euen willing and desirous to meet thy Sauiour in the clouds not so much for to be rid out of the miseries of this life as to be freed from the heauie burthen of sinne which hangs on so fast and to enioy his presence in the heauens for euer In a word as thy soule giues life spirit and motion to thy whole body and euery part thereof doth the spirit of God euen so inspire thy soule and body and all thy actions with the life of grace Why then thou hast past the perfections of the formal hypocrite and art possest of the state of true blessednesse thou art then happie that euer thou wast borne thy way is certainely the way of life And I can assure thee and I dare boldly pronounce it that thou art already vtterly out of the reach of all the powers of hell Satan is chained vp for euer doing thee any deadly hurt All the creatures are reconciled vnto thee and at league with thee Thou hast filled the Angels with joy at thy conuersion they will for euer guard thee Thou shalt neuer more be afraid for any euill tidings Though the earth be moued and though the mountaines fall into the midst of the sea thy heart shall abide strong vnshaken and comfortable When thou fallest downe vpon thy bed of sicknes thou shalt find no mortall poyson in thy flesh no sting in death no darkenes in the graue no amazement at that great and fearefull day For all the merits and sufferings of Christ are thine all the comforts of Gods children are thine all the blessings in the booke of God are thine all the ioyes of heauen are thine euen all things are thine and thou art Christs and Christ is Gods Onely stand fast in the faith quit thy selfe like a man and be strong gird thy sword vpon thy thigh buckle fast vnto thee the whole armour of God ride on because of the word of truth and the Lord thy God be with thee Breake thorow for a while with vndaunted courage the bitternesse of the worlds malice the keene razours of empoysoned tongues thâ— teares and tediousnesse of a few wretched daies for thou art nearer the price of the high calling then when thou first beleeuedst Shine more and more in faith in patience in loue in knowledge obedience and all other Christian graces vntill the perfect day vntill thou reach the height of heauen and the full glory of the Saints of God I now proceed more distinctly to other markes of difference betwixt the state of grace and formall hypocrisie Some notes of distinction for my purpose may be raised out of those places of Scripture which I proposed for to acquaint you with the kinds of perfection and degrees of goodnesse whereof a man as yet vnregenerate is capable and may bee partaker In the 8. of Luke the hearer resembled vnto the stonie ground is the formall hypocrite Hee receiues the word of God with ioy as doth the faithfull Christian though â—ot in the same measure But here is the speciall point and marke that differenceth the one from the other The word and faith in the formall hypocrite haue no roots They are not deepely and soundly rooted and planted in his vnderstanding conscience thoughts
the practise and actions of true and sound regeneration and therefore it is transcendent to his most happie naturall capacitie to the depth of his worldly wisedome and to the greatest height of his speculations though otherwise neuer so vniuersall and profound Now as concerning other parts of diuine knowledge and other points of religion hee may be furnished with store of rare and excellent learning in Fathers Schoolemen Commentaries Cōtrouersies he may be endewed with suttletie in disputing and defending the truth of God yea and in resoluing cases of cōscience too so far as a formal obseruatiō and Popish Doctors can leade him For their resolutions in that kind are only busied about cases incident to their Antichristian Hierarchy about perplexities arising out of their wil-worship and bloudy superstition and determination of some particulars in the Commandements which may fall within the capacitie of an vnregenerate man but their profession I meane the Papacie cannot possibly reach vnto the heart of godlines the mysterie of regeneration and the sauing power of the life to come Nay yet besides this the formall hypocrite may be made partaker of some degrees of the spirit of illumination in vnderstanding and interpreting the book of God for the good of his Church and children For I doubt not but many haue much light of iudgement that haue little integritie of conscience and are inspired with the spirit of illumination for the good of others that haue no part in the spirit of sanctification and sound conuersion for their owne happinesse But yet me thinks there may be conceiued some differences betwixt the child of God and the formall hypocrite in the very speculation and knowledge of Gods truth and in apprehension of things diuine in the vnderstanding Which I take to be such as these First the light of diuine knowledge in the formall hypocrite doth onely discharge his beames and brightnes vpon others but neuer returnes and reflect◠on his owne soule to an exact discouerie of the darkenesse of his owne vnderstanding the disorder of his affections the slumber of his conscience the deadnesse of his heart but euery child of God is euer in some measure both a burning and shining Lampe he is both illightned and inflamed inwardly in his owne vnderstanding heart and affections and also the brightnesse of his Christian vertues are euer dispersed and working vpon others Wheresoeuer hee liues he shines as a light amid a naughtie and crooked generation in the sight and censure of God the blessed Angels and good men though to the iudgement of the world and eye of prophanenesse his glorious graces euer did and euer will appeare to bee nothing but darkenesse and dissembling You may conceiue this difference thus The sun beames you know are not onely cast and shed into the inferior Orbs and aire but are first rooted in the sunne and doe inwardly and vniuersally fill with light that faire and glorious body It is otherwise in the moone for howsoeuer she receiue light for the cheering and comforting other bodies yet she remaines darke within and in respect of her selfe it serues onely to make her spots more conspicuous It is iust so in the point wee haue in hand The light of diuine knowledge in the child of God doth not onely shine vpon the soules of others for their instruction and refreshing but doth first fully illuminate his owne though not to an excellencie of degree for that is reserued for heauen yet to a perfection of parts of which only our mortalitie is capable But in the formall hypocrite howsoeuer it may sometimes dispell ignorance and errors from the minds of others yet within he is darkenesse in the Abstract in respect of sauing light as is euery vnregenerate man Ephes. 5.8 And his light of knowledge in respect of himselfe serues onely to make his sinnes more soule and sinfull his damnation more iust and himselfe more inexcusable For he that knowes his masters will and doth it not shall be beaten with many stripes Secondly the knowledge of diuine mysteries in Gods child is entertained and enioyed with a peculiar kind of sweetnes with an impression of incomparable ioy and pleasure It is far sweeter vnto him then hony and the hony combe Hee hath more delight in it then in all manner of riches It is more precious vnto him then gold yea then much fine gold It begets and stirres in him flagrant desires and affections correspondent to it pretiousnesse and excellencie But it is not so with the formall hypocrite for his earthly-mindednesse by which his affections are as it were glued vnto the fashions of the world if he were sensible of it would tell him that it is many times not so sweete vnto him as his pleasures His close couetousnes or other vnconscionablenes in his calling if his conscience were illightned would informe him that many times it is not so deare vnto him as gold Thirdly the child of God hath an humble and gratious resolution a sweet and willing submission euer mixt with his diuine knowledge of being mastered guided and gouerned by it though against the violent bent of his owne inclination and the current of the time but the formall hypocrite if he deale faithfully with his owne heart may feele in himselfe a secret subordination and subiection of his vnderstanding therein to his wealth honours and worldly preferments Fourthly in apprehension of diuine truth in the formall hypocrite the power of naturall discourse and light of reason beares the chiefest sway and therefore hee stickes as it were in the bone and barke in generalities and vncertainties but in the child of God the sacred illustration of Gods spirit doth plentifully concurre and therefore hee is able to prie into and pierce the marrow and pith of Gods holy truth the particular veines and the sauing sense thereof I come now to the other habit which the Apostle calleth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 spirituall prudence by which the word and faith take no root in the vnderstanding of the formall hypocrite This habit I told you is a spirituall prudence or a sanctified vnderstanding in the practicall affaires of the soule by which a regenerate man is inabled with a iudicious sinceritie to deliberate and determine in cases of conscience in the perplexities of tentations in all straites ambiguities and difficulties incident to the consideration and cariage of a Christian and with spirituall discretion to guide and conduct all the actions of grace and euery particular both in his generall and speciall calling This wisedome as I take it is an attendant vpon iustifying faith and onely and inseparablie annexed vnto sauing grace and therefore the formall hypocrite though I place him in the highest perfection that is attaineable in the state of vnregeneration is vtterly vncapable of it and a meere stranger vnto it as he is vnto the life of God By this holy wisedome Dauid Psalm 119. vers 99. is said to be wiser then his aduersaries that is then Saul and
repentance and humiliation for some former sinne not thorowly repented of or in part resumed is to be renewed Perhaps the Lord hath thereby an holy purpose to reueale vnto him the omission of some duties in his calling or some smaller faults yet scandalous whereof before he was not sensible Or it may be to preuent some sinne to come either that with which he is falsly charged or some other to which his fraile nature is more inclining Or lastly by this experience to prepare him with courage and furnish him with wisdome to comfort others in the like case or to glorifie his name by patience in some more publicke and notorious disgrace and vexation to bee indured in this kind Hereupon the child of God doth presently make a priuie search into his soule doth narrowly fift the state of his conscience and after due and impartiall examination feelingly and faithfully addresse himself to prayer practise of these considerations and reformation of what he finds amisse Secondly this outward crosse vpon his good name by false surmises and suspicions makes him retire into himselfe and more fruitfully and cheerefully to enjoy all his inward comforts his hope and delight in heauenly things the assurance that his name is written in the booke of life which no malice of men or policie of hell is euer able to blot out It makes him with more feruent and greedy attention to listen for the trumpet of that last and fearefull day more longingly and with fixed eies to wait for the Lord Iesus in the cloudes who as he will punish all prophane Opposites to holinesse with euerlasting perdition from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power so vndoubtedly with the brightnesse of his comming hee will then at the furthest before men and Angels bring forth his righteousnesse as the light and his iudgement as the nooneday Thirdly by the mercies of God for any such wretched and lying slander he is not so cast downe with worldly sorrow he doth not so farre gratifie Satan and malicious men as to ioyne hands with them for the afflicting of his owne soule with needlesse discomforts or discouraging himselfe in his calling but rather he raiseth matter of comfort encouragement and reioycing For thereby he is made more like and conformable to his head Christ Iesus who endured the crosse and such speaking against of sinners and despised the shame for the ioy that was set before him Hee hath thereby more waight and degrees added to his blessednesse more massines and brightnesse to his crowne of immortalitie Blessed are ye faith Christ when men reuile you and say all manner of euill against you for my sake falslie reioyce and be glad for great is your reward in heauen And therfore in despite of malice and falshood he runnes on ioyfully in his race and hauing the attestation of a cleare conscience the acclamations of Saints and Angels hee little cares for the barking of dogs by the way bu◠followes hard towards the marke for the price of the high calling of God in Christ Iesus Such as these are the thoughts and behauiour spirituall wisdome acquaints the child of God with when his good name is wronged wounded with slanders false reports I conclude the whole point The knowledge and practicall wisdome about heauenly matters in the formall hypocrite are dull cold plodding formall seruiceable and subordinate to his worldly happinesse His knowledge is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a forme of knowledge Rom. 2.20 His practise is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a forme of godlinesse 2. Tim. 3.5 All is forme and outwardnesse they are not deeply and soundly rooted in them by sanctifying grace nor inwardly inspired with supernaturall and spirituall life But diuine knowledge in the child of God is called the Spirit of reuelation Ephes. 1.17 his practicall wisdome is spirituall Colos. 1.9 that is quick actiue feruent zealous stirring not into irregularities and exorbitancies as worldly wisdom many times misconstrues but against the corruptions of the times and working out of all actions occasions and occurrents euen out of miseries slanders and infirmities some glory vnto God some good vnto his children some comfort vnto his owne soule I now proceed to tell you that the word of God is not rooted in the conscience of the formall hypocrite which is the hearer resembled vnto the stony ground The whole and entire worke of conscience as you well know out of the Schooles consisteth in a practicall syllogisine The proposition ariseth out of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an habit of practicall principles and generall fountaines of our actions The assumption is properlie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 conscientia an actuall application of our knowledge to this or that particular act or obiect Whence followes the immediate and necessarie issue and office of conscience to testifie in respect of things simplie done or not done In respect of things to bee done either to excite and encourage or to restraine and bridle In respect of things done well o◠wickedly to excuse and comfort or accuse and terrific For example The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is as it were a treasurie of rules and lessons for direction in our actions proposeth the iniquitie of a lie euen out of nature Aristotle condemnes it Eth. 4.7 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A lie is starke naught and discommendable The sounder Schoolemen demonstrate euery lie though it be officious for a greater good to be against nature and indispensable Natures purpose is frustrated and her law transgrest when speech and words which she intends to be euer the true messengers of the conceits and apprehensions of the mind are abused to falshood and equiuocation But this practicall principle of not lying howsoeuer it be cleere in nature yet it receiues further illustration from the booke of God Therefore the proposition may be thus framed Euery liar shall be banished from the holy mountaine of the Lord Psalm 15. and shall be barred out of the new Ierusalem for euermore Reuel 22.15 The conscience of the liar doth assume and tell him But I haue thus and thus lied for aduantage and greater good Then it followes Therefore I must be banished from the holy mountaine of the Lord and barred out of the new Ierusalem for euermore A conclusion of condemnation and terror Such is the arguing of conscience for things past But thus it worketh about things to be done Let vs imagine a man to deliberate with himselfe whether he should be Non-resident or no. His habit of practicall principles if he will deale faithfully with his owne soule especially by the helpe of the honester Casists may yeeld him matter enough out of nature against Non-residencie as might easilie appeare if the point were incident But sith the case is cleere Ezech. 33. he may thus frame his practicall syllogisme The Non-resident must answere for the blood of those soules which by his vnconscionable and vnwarrantable absence negligence in his charge haue perished