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
I speake the truth I vse no Hyperbole the Spirit of all comfort and consciences of all true Christians bearing me witnesse Good Sir let me humbly entreate you with a proportionable zeale and feruencie to encline and enlarge your affections to the pursuit and practise of so excellent and glorious an happinesse Which that you may doe I will continuallie prostrate and powre out my soule in prayer before the throne of Grace and mercie And rest Your Worships to be commanded euer in the Lord Iesus Robert Bolton AN ADVERTISEMENT TO THE READER CHristian This Discourse which now stands so close together was deliuered in fiue seuerall sermons but all to a most iudicious and intelligent auditorie therfore there is a continuance of matter coherence and stile I must entreat thee out of thine â—ngenuous discretion to distinguish the places where they were preacht as thou shalt find the direction of my speech and some particular applications more naturally and necessarilie with indiuiduall reference appropriated thereunto The reasons why I spent the most of my meditations and sticke so long in descrying and desciphering the state of formall hypocrisie for therein I haue trod a something vncouth and vnusuall path are these First I considered that in this full light of the Gospell a great number of men applâ—â—d and content themselues with a superficiall glistering of a formall profession outward conformitie to the Ministrie of the word and some false flashes of an vnsound persuasion that they are in the ready and right way to heauen when as indeed it hath not inwardly illightned their vnderstandings with sauing knowledge heated their affections with true zeale subdued their sinfull thoughts and noisome lusts with the power of grace nor softned and sanctifiâ—d their hearts to yeeld a cheerfull sincere and vniuersall obedience thereunto And so after a few miserable daies spent in a prosperous securitie they fall into the iawes of hell before they mistrust any such matter and the pit of destruction shuts her mouth vpon them before they know and acknowledge their broken and bankrout state in spirituall things I therefore desire and endeauour to awake them out of their golden dreame of imaginarie future happines that with open eyes they may see their present spirituall pouerty and so betimes preuent the anger to come I hope in the Lord and wish hartily that by a dispassionate and thorow perusall of this Treatise they may take some scantling of their owne estate with God and entring a serious and impartiall search and examination of their consciences discouer and reueale themselues vnto themselues and so if they belong vnto the euerlasting couenant of grace sâ—ep forward into the state of grace the paradise of true Christianitie and practise of holinesse that their deare and pretious soules may be saued in the day of the Lord Iesâ—s Secondly I did conceiue that there is a threefold cord three maine and capitall causes that violently hale downe vpon vs from heauen many both corporall and spirituall plagues and bind them fast to the bowels and principall parts of this kingdome and doe daily more and more ripen the iust wrath of God for the powring out of his last vengeance vpon this sinfull nation They are those 1. The ouerflowing torrent and vnbridledrage of many crying sinnes fearefull abominations and desperate prophanenes 2. A sensible declination from their first loue and decay of zeale euen in Christians 3. A luke-warmenes and want of thorownes and sinceritie in formall professors As for the first By our horrible sins and hatefull ingratitude for mercies without measure and miraculous deliuerances wee grow so heauie vpon the Lord that we presse him and the bowels of his tenderest compassions as a caâ—t is pressed that is full of sheaues so that it is impossible but that shortly without great humiliation and generall repâ—ntance wee should wrest out of his hands the vials of his last wrath and force him to come against vs with the beesome of vtter desolation It is to bee feared so grieuous and endlesse is the impietie and impâ—nitencie of this land that his forbearance in the meane time is not for any hope he hath of vs for what good hath a durable and extraordinarie plague done vpon vs but onely by reason of the cruell and implacable insolencie of our enemies because â—ee is loth to make vs a prey to the Wolues of Rome and matter of triumph to such a mercilesse and murderous generation Who knowes but that the Match had reached vnto the Powder had not the Lord out of the bottomlesse depth of his vnlimited mercies laid hold vpon his owne argument Deut. 32.26.27 I haue said I would scatter them abrode I would make their remembrance to cease from amongst men saue that I feared the furie of the enemy lest their aduersaries should waxe proud Left his and our aduersaries those breathing diuels the Gunpowder Papists should too proudly and barbarously haue insulted in the ruines of his people and the banishment of his glorious Gospell The Lord giue vs vnderstanding hearts to consider these things in time lest he come vpon vs with his wrath neuer more to bee appeased and teare vs in peâ—ces when there is none to hâ—lpe May any man driue away an hungry Lion in the wood or quench the fire in stubble when it hath once begun to burne may one turne againe the arrow that is shot of a strong archer If the Lord once whet his glittering sword and his hand take hold on iudgement with purpose to roote out a sinfull and rebellious nation there is no power or policie no multitude of men or magnificence of State no armour of the mightie or arme of flesh shall euer bee able to giue any succour reliefe or deliuerance Concerning the second Certaine it is that our blessings of peace and strength of State breed by accident much abatement of forwardnesse and zeale in godlines secret indeuotion and coldnes euen in many true Professours carelesnes in obseruing their waies wearinesse and vncheerefulnesse in doing good and performing holy duties vnpreparednesse in comming to diuine seruices religious exercises and the Lords Table sleightnesse and vnprofitablenesse in prayer meditation Christian conference and dailie examination of their consciences neglect of opportunitie in winning their brethren vnto the feare of God and of working vpon and preuailing with their kindred acquaintance familiars and families Thus wickedly and vnthankefully turne we the mercies of God into occasions of sinne and suffer our temporall happinesse to wast and consume our spirituall blessings And the more we are secured in our outward state the more heartlesse we are in the seruice of God and the affaires of the life to come But let vs looke vnto it for as the louder and crying sinnes of this land are the great and strong cartropes so vndoubtedly these as lesser cords haue their part and some power in drawing vpon vs heauie iudgements and in preparing further vengeance except wee amend and returne to
soules in the high point of saluation For men of greatest noblenes and pregnancie of spirit of most rich and vniuersall endowments of mind without the power of grace and a sanctified humilitie the fairest branch springing thence and the true crowne of Christianity are readiest to make an idoll of their great sufficiencie with a disdainefull preiudice to passe by the simplicitie of the Saints out of a flattering conceit of their owne hearts to thinke their spirituall state as good as the best and most blessed from God when as yet they haue no part in the first resurrection For when they find themselues far aboue others in all other excellencies and whatsoeuer remarkeable worth the world takes speciall notice of they conceiue also that in a proportionable congruitie as indeed it should be they are inferiour to none in those sacred apprehensions of heauen and taste of eternall life Vpon this consideration I was bold out of a Christian iealousie to treate on this argument being persuaded of their great wisedome and gratious humility to listen to any heauenly message which might either discouer or preuent spirituall danger Thine in Christ Iesus Robert Bolton A DISCOVRSE ABOVT THE STATE OF TRVE HAPPINESSE PSALM 1. 1 Blessed is the mâ—n that doth not walke in the counsell of the wicked nor stand in the way of sinners nor sit in the seat of the scornefull 2 But his delight is in the Law of the Lord and in his Law doth he meditate day and night THere is no greater encouragement or stronger motiue to stirre a man to an eager and earnest pursuite of the meanes then to purpose vnto him an end wherein at length his heart may repose as in a concurrence of all comforts and contentments To which there is no possibilitie of attainment but by purenesse of heart holinesse of life constancie in a course of sanctification which only leade vnto the face and presence of God where and with whom alone is the highest perfection of blisse a riuer of infinite pleasures the well of life and endlesse rest of all created desires For the capacitie of mans soule cannot possibly be filled with the sufficiencie of any creature no not with a world of creatures for they are all nothing to the worth of a mans soule Christ himselfe hauing preferred it in valuation What shall it profit a man though he should win the whole world if he lose his owne soule And therfore can neuer be free from motion and vexation vntill it reach vnto either in certaine hope or actuall fruition an obiect infinite as well in excellencie of nature as duration of time Blessed then was the wisdome of the disposer of these heauenly Songs of Dauid whether it was himselfe or Ezra or whomsoeuer in that he prefixed this excellent Psalme as a preface to all the rest wherein is proposed and comprised a matchlesse happines whereby the godly man may euen in this life flourisâ— like a Palme tree and grow like a Cedar in Lebanon refreshed continually with riuers of ioies and comforts shed into his heart by the spirit of God and may stand like mount Zion vnasâ—onished and vnremouâ—d at that great and fearefull day when the wicked shall call for the mountaines to couer them and wish they had neuer bin What ingenuous mind would not be inflamed with zeale to the prosequution of those meanes which leade vnto an end as full of happines as the Sunne is full of light and the Sea of waters What heart not possessed with an iron sâ—ew would not thirst and long after found and vndissembled sinceritie euen as the Hart brayeth after the riuers of water and as the drie ground gapeth for drops of raine sith by it alone wee purchase and put on an vnconquerable resolution issuing from an assurance of being in Christ and from the clearenesse of a good conscience whereby we may walke euen as bold as Lions thorow this valley of teares amid the mercilesle vexations of prophane men nay we may walke vpon the Lion and Aspe the young Lion and the Dragon we may tread vnder feet and hereafter be sure to be satisfied with the fulnesse of ioy in the presence of God and with pleasures at his right hand for euermore This happie man is here described vnto vs by many arguments First are laid downe his markes and properties negatiue and affirmatiue in the two first verses Secondly his happinesse is liuelily set out by a similitude in the third verse Illustrated by an opposition of the miserie and vnhappie condition of the wicked in the fourth and fifth verses Concluded with the causes of them both to wit of the happinesse of the godly and vengeance vpon the wicked in the last verse The negatiue properties in the first verse are three Hee doth not walke in the Counsell of the wicked He doth not stand in the way of sinners He doth not sit in the seat of the scornofull amplified with a threefold gradation in the persons actions and obiects of the actions The gradation in the persons the wicked sinners and scornefull implies all forts of vngodlie men The gradation in the actions walke stand and sit all manner of commerce and correspondence with them The gradation in the obiects the counsell way and feare all kind of iniquitie inward corruptions or outward impieties The whole verse laboureth with an emphaticall exaggeration to set downe hiâ— blessed forbearance of sinne and communicating with sinfull men The second verse containing his imploiment in pietie seemeth to answer in opposition the three negatiues with three affirmatiues His delighting in the Law of the Lord is opposed to the counsell of the wicked His mediation and exercise in that Law to the way of sinners Day and night there is his constancie and habit oppos'de to the seate of the scornefull Why then let the prophane and flattering world say what it will let sensuall and vnsanctified men iudge as they lift That man and that man alone is truly and euerlasting happie That walketh not in the counsell of the wicked that is that doth not delight in their vaine imaginations sinfull affections lustfull desires speculatiue wantonnesse In their proud and swelling thoughts which conceiue mischiefe and bring forth a lie chaffe bring forth stubble the wind and bring foorth the whirlewind That doth not partake with their impotent passions vnhallowed policies their exorbitant and indirect proiects for their pleasures honours and profits Whose soules desire not to come into the secret of their cruell consultations and malicious designments In a word whose heart hateth and abominateth all venome of inward pollution that hath either fountaine or seate in any power of the soule That standeth not in the way of sinners That is that breaketh not into open prophanenesse that imitateth not their actions and conuersation Whose mouth is not full of bitternesse and lying whose lippes aâ—e not infected with the poison of Aspes whose hands are not ful of bribes
and falshood whose fâ—et are not swift to run after mischiefe vanitie and leaud companions That â—itteth not in the seate of the scornefull That is that confineth not himselfe to the chaire of iniquitie that confirmeth not himselfe in his malice and hardnesse of heart that doth not make a mooke of sinne and iest with the sacred word of God that doth not direct the poisonous arrow of a spiâ—â—full tongue euen at the apple of Gods own cie his dearest Saints and seruants That with the scorner doth not dare the highest maiestie of the Almightie to whet his glittering sword and take hold on iudgement to put on his habergeon of righteousnesse and the garments of vengeance for clothing saying as it is Isai. 5.19 Let him make speed let him hasten his worke that we may see it and let the counsell of the holy one of Israel draw neere come that we may know it Thus farre his forbearance of sinfull actions Now followes his practise in actions of pietie But his delight is in the Law of the Lord. That is the whole doctrine diuinely inspired is the very ioy of his heart and delight of his soule It is sweeter vnto him then hony the hony combe It is more pretious vnto him theÌ„ gold yea then much fine gold It is more worth vnto him then heauen and earth And when the heart is once enkindled with loue there the imagination embraceth with dearest apprehension the thoughts are impatient of any other obiect all the powers of the soule are vnited in a strong endeauour for the attainment The whole mind must needs be possest with meditation If he delight in the Law of the Lord hee must needs meditate therein And this feruencie of the heart cannot possible be enclosed within the compasse of the breast it will spread it selfe in speech and actions As is plaine Psalm 37.30 The mouth of the righteous will speake of wisedome and his tongue will talke of iudgement The reason followes For the Law of his God is in his heart And Psalm 119 167. My soule hath kept thy testimonies for I loue them exceedingly And this loue delight meditation and exercise in the Law of God of this happie man is not as a morning cloud and as the morning dew before the Sunne but like the light of the Sunne that shineth more and more vnto the perfect day It is not for a start for feare for restraint for reputation for aduantage or to couer the terrors of conscience for a while with a few flashes of deceiueable comforts out of some misapplied promises in the word of God but it is out of a free resolution and with vndaunted constancie day and night But giue me leaue I beseech you before I proceed to the explication of the rest or deduction of Doctrines from these particulars to propose vnto you this generall Doctrine which hath his strength from the body of the Psalme and the maine scope of the spirit of God There is in the booke of God proposed and offored vnto vs an happinesse standing in opposition to all the vaine felicities which ancieÌ„t Philosophers deuisde out of their deep speculations or prophane men frame out of their corrupt affections not consisting in pleasures riches honours greatnes in ciuill honesty formall hypocrisie or the whole possibility of nature but in supernaturall grace and the blessed consequents The whole book of Ecclesiastes Salomons sacred retractations is a large and sound demonstration of this Doctrine Salomon was sonne vnto the worthiest king that euer swayed scepter vpon earth and he was predecessor in the royall line vnto the Sonne of God and so matchlesse for nobility if true happinesse had consisted therein He was king of Ierusalem the lady of the world the perfection of beauty and the ioy of the whole earth Hee gaue siluer as stones and gaue cedars as the wild figtrees that grow abundantly in the plaine He built him houses and planted Vineyards He prouided him men fingers and women fingers and the delights of the sonnes of men Whatsoeuer his eyes desired he with held it not from them and withdrew not his heart from any ioy For wisedome and vnderstanding hee had a large heart euen as the sand that is on the sea shore It speculatiue knowledge hee excelled the wisedome of all the children of the East and all the wisedome of Egypt Hee was able to discourse from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon euen vnto the Hyssope that springeth out of the wall In wisedome of politie and gouernment there was none like vnto him before him neither after him shall arise the like vnto him So that Salomon was the most fit and absolute man that euer liued both for ability in vnderstanding abundance in possession and desire in searching to take an exact measure and the â—tmost extent of the worth and sufficiencie of all creatures and to raise from them the best contentments they could possiblie afford Yet when he had wearied himselfe in the variety of passages of this life and in the book of Eâ—clesiastes becomes a publick penitentiary to the whole Church and to all posterity see his iudgement he vtterly disauowes and disclaimes them all as miserable comforters as meere shadowes and dreames wherin there is no more matter of sound comfort then there is light in the greatest darknesse or taste in the white of an egge He saies of laughter thou art mad and of ioy haâ— is this that thou doest And whereas wisedome and knowledge are the most incomparable treasures this transitorie world hath he saith that in the multitude of wisedome is much griefe and hee that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow And of these and all other things vnder the sunne yea and if to the glory of all created natures were an addition of ten thousand excellencies that neuer man saw or enioyed hee hath pronounced of them all in respect of true happinesse and diuided from the grace and feare of God and a sanctified heart that they are all vanity And if he had staied there it had beene well that argues but a passiue imperfection and a weakenesse of being in the things themselues but they are vexation of spirit Nothing in themselues yet full of power and actiuity to inflict vengeance and vexaâ—ion vpon the spirit of a man The spirit of a man being sound in sincerity and seconded with a good conscience is able to beare out his infirmities and all the miseries incident to his nature It is able to passe by with a resolute and contented patience the lying imputations of the prophanest malice It is able by the grace of God to encounter with the terrors of death and the fearefulnesse of the graue yea to endure with a gratious humility euen the prâ—sence of God and Angels at that great day But a wounded and an afflicted spirit who can beare If the eye bee darke how great is that darkenâ—sse If the spirit of a man which should refresh all the faculties 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
Killing of soules from nonresidency Enuie and flatterie from a base and vnmanly weakenes of minde Violent ambition from a distrustfull independency vpon God Scorning of godlinesse from a reprobate sense but this sinne springetâ— from a faire and vnsuspected fountaine euen from zeale godly duties and good actions Secondly other grosse sinnes spread themselues vniuersally ouer the whole corrupt masse of all the sons of men but this doth single out the chosen of God and takes vp his seate in the sanctified soule Thirdly this sinne doth vnauoidably wind it selfe into the heart of a man with a slie and peculiar kind of insinuation For when a godly man for a good action or inward grace doth seeme to disclaime pride in his conscience hee may be proud that he is not proud euen of his humilitie and that he is able to descrie his pride and corruptions more then others can doe So endlesse are the mazes of Satans circular temptations Fourthlie there is no depth of knowledge no measure of grace no eminencie of zeale can bee exempted from hazard of surprisal by this last and most cunning encounter of Satan by priuie pride Paul that great instrument of Gods greatest glorie in whom there was a matchlesse concurrence of diuine graces and varietie of all manner of afflictions notable meanes to keepe the heart of man in humilitie yet lest hee should be exalted out of measure through the abundance of reuelations there was giuen vnto him a pricke in the flesh the messenger of Satan to buffet him Reasons taken from the state of the regenerate soule are these First let the best and most mortified man turne the eie of his conscience from the fruitlesse and dangerous speculations of his owne worthinesse and fasten it a while vpon his corruptions and infirmities vpon his many deficiences in religious duties and executions of his calling wants and weaknesses in prayer and inward deuotion his dulnesse and vncheerefulnes in religious exercises his omissions of seruices and occasions for the enlarging of the Kingdome of Christ his cold and sometimes cowardly prosecution of good causes his now and then slinking from a bold profession of sinceritie for feare of the vaine and wretched imputations of worldlings c. and out of this consideration he will be so farre from selfe-conceitednesse and a partiall ouerualuing of his owne gifts and vertues that hee will find much matter and iust cause to renew his repentance to stand vpon his guard against spirituall pride to continue and encrease his humiliation to double his zeale and resolution for the glorifying of God and subduing his owne secret corruptions Secondly let him consider how before his calling hee marched furiously and desperately vnder Satans colours in the pursuite of pleasures vanities and worldly honours with how resolute hatred and contempt he opposed against sinceritie and sauing grace as against needlesse precisenesse and folly how fearelesly and how farre he ran in the paths of iniquitie and the sinful passages of the kingdome of darkenes where no reward was to be expected but shame and miserie But after it pleased the Lord to place his Angell in the way to stop the torrent of his impieties and to set his sacred word before his eies as a glorious light to direct him in the waies of righteousnesse let him remember how often hee hath started aside for false and imaginarie feares how often hee hath stumbled euen in the euen path through his own heedlesnesse how often hee hath stood still in his way either gazing on the painted and lying glory of the world or listening to the allurements and deceitfull charmes of his owne flesh Nay how sometimes he hath bin inforced to retire by some cunning traine and malicious stratageme of Satan So that since his conuersion hee hath but run faintly and slowly and won little ground in the race of godlinesse although there be set before him the price of â— â— high calling the highest aduancement of the soule fulnesse of ioy and the pretious treasures of immortalitie And if he demurre a while soundly vpon this point he may for euer feare lest a selfe-liking of his owne excellencie be iustly plagued with a scandalous fall into some grosse sinne which besides it owne particular sting will vnto his great discomfort awake the old sinnes of his vnregeneration like so many sleeping Lions with open mouthes to charge afresh vpon the conscience with new terrors and fearefull vexations Thirdly let the godly Christian looke vp at the liberall and mercifull hand of God which out of the bottomlesse depth of his owne bountie hath reached vnto him whatsoeuer gifts he hath whether of bodie or mind of honours or outward possessions of nature or grace and he shall find far greater reason to be continually grieued and humbled that the bright and vnspotted beames of Gods sanctifying Spirit are soulely darkened and lessened in his body of death then to be exalted in his owne conceit in that it hath pleased God of his meere and free mercie to illighten the darkenes of his heart without which supernaturall illumination he should haue liued in blindnesse and miserably vntil death and after this life bin cast out into vtter darkenesse and remedilesse desolation Fourthly let him take heed how he harbors and nourishes this viper of spirituall pride in the bosome of his soule lest it taking vnseasonable heate and warmth from his zeale endanger the whole frame of his new man Either by perswading him to embrace some groundlesse singularitie of vnwarrantable opinions which by reason of his vertues will spread more plausibly and by consequent more dangerously For a perswasion of integritie is not onely a motiue to roote an opinion deepely in a mans owne apprehension but also a meanes to make it more currant and passable with the admirers of his graces Or else this spirituall pride may by Gods iust iudgement draw vpon him a deadnesse of heart a dulnes of zeale an intermission of operations of grace which the child of God doth infinitly more feare then any affliction or crosse that can possibly befall him from prophane men either vpon his body or state or good name These reasons may iustly mooue euery faithfull Christian with much earnestnesse and prayer to labour after and settle surely in his heart a true and vndissembled humilitie as the onely soueraigne meanes to preserue the life and vigour of his graces in his owne soule their fruit and benefit to others their blessing and acceptation with God and with the watchfullest eie of his spirituall wisdome to hold in perpetuall iealousie the cunning sleights and windings of this insinuatiue sinne of priuie pride that both so pestilent a canker may be kept out of the soule and the passage may be stopt to priuie hypocrisie with which I told you before Satan doth endeauor with might and maine to discomfort and disgrace the actions and exercises euen of the child of God The second kind of hypocrisie is grosse hypocrisie by which a
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
that brings him a message of ioy and comfort He may esteeme the negligent or no hearers of the word of God as prophane and of feared consciences which do not onely abandon the necessary meanes of saluation but that they may with more securitie and absolutenesse reape in this life what sensuall profit or pleasure soeuer the world yeeldeth endeuour to banish and extinguish all thought and notice of heauen or holinesse The word of God by this temporary faith and other graces may worke such a change in him as is called the vncleane spirits going out of a man Matth. 12.43 A flying from the pollutions of the world 2. Pet. 2.20 A washing 2. Pet. 2.32 And may haue such power vpon him that he may doe many things therafter Herod is said to haue reuerenced Iohn to haue heard him gladly and to haue done many things Marke 6.20 To these for illustration and because we are hereafter to consider their differences from a true entire and vniuersall sanctification we may adde those fiue degrees incident to the reprobate Heb. 6. First hee may bee illightened in his vnderstanding with some glimpses of heauenly light Secondly he may haue some taste in his heart of the heauenly gift Thirdly he may be made partaker of the holy Ghost the authour and fountaine of all graces He may in some measure enioy the good word of God the glorious instrument of the conuersion of soules He may haue some taste and feeling euen of the powers of the world to come Nay and besides all these that which nailes him fast vnto formalitie and makes him with contentment to walke in a plodding course of outward profession is a perswasion that he is already in the way of life when as yet hee neuer entred no not the very first step vnto it For indeed he may be perswaded though from false and mistaken grounds that he is rich in heauenly things and hath need of nothing and that he is already possessed of the kingdome of grace intituled to the kingdome of glory and yet bee most wretched and miserable and poore and blind and naked His state in this case being not vnlike the dreame of a poore or hungry man which in his sleepe filleth himselfe with varietie of dainties or tumbles himselfe amid his rich treasures and heapes of gold but when he awaketh behold he is faint his soule longeth and he embraceth nothing but emptines and aire yea and besides the very imaginary fruition of his supposed happinesse when he is awaked encreaseth his languishing and doubles the sense of his necessities Euen so the formall hypocrite in this life dreames of much comfort to come makes sure of heauen thinkes himselfe the onely man his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Apostles calles it his forme of godlinesse in his conceit is the onely true state of saluation whatsoeuer is short of him is prophanenesse whatsoeuer is aboue him is precisenesse But when vpon his deaths bed hee awaketh and hath his conscience illightned and his particular sinnes reuealed vnto him in stead of catching a crowne of glorie which he hath vainely possest in his hopefull securitie he graspeth nothing but feare and amazement anguish and sorrow Yea and now his former false perswasion of his happie state enlargeth the gulfe of his despaire and makes him more sensible of his present and vnexpected miseries Giue me leaue I beseech you to enlarge this point and to acquaint you with some reasons of this perswasion For a false perswasion of alreadie being in the state of grace is a barre that keeps thousands from the state of grace indeed The good spirit of God you know doth perswade euerie regenerate man by a sweet and silent inspiration out of a consideration of an vniuersall change and sanctification and present sinceritie in all the powers and parts of his soule and body calling that he is most certainly in the state of grace and heire of heauen Whence spring perpetually whole riuers of vnspeakeable comfort that most then refresh his soule when hee is neerest to bee ouerwhelmed of the maine Ocean of the worlds bitternesse and pressures In a lying resemblance to this sacred worke of the holie Ghost in the hearts of Gods children Satan lest he be wanting to his puts on the glory of an angell of light and insinuateth into the imagination of the formall hypocrite some flashes of comfort and conceites that he is in state of grace and shall be saued Whence issues a cursed security a wretched opposition to more sinceritie then he finds in himselfe a slumber and benummednes of conscience an impatiencie of hauing his formalitie censured by the ministerie of the word a neglect of a more sound search into the state of his soule For Satan in his Angelicall forme tels him that more strictnesse and purity is but onely a proud hypocrisie and pretence of such as affect a transcendencie aboue the ordinarie degrees of holines and bids him take heed of being too busie and pragmaticall in taking notice of euery small corruption and infirmitie for tendernes of conscience and a too nice apprehensiuenes of euery little sinne will vncomfortablie enchaine him to Melancholy Vnsociablenes and some degrees of despaire And howsoeuer saith Satan some Preachers of preciser humour out of their vnhallowed zeale and censorious austerity breath out nothing against thee but fire and brimstone indignation and wrath damnation and horrour yet take not these things to heart but let such peremptorie comminations passe as malicious thunderbolts discharged from too fierie spirits begot by indiscreet heate and directed to priuate ends Thus this wilie serpent cries peace peace vnto his soule when God knowes there is no peace towards but noise and tumbling of garments in blood and burning and deuouring of fire The conscience indeed may bee asleepe for a while like a fierce wild beast gathering vigour and puissance that being awaked by the hand of God at the approch of sicknesse or death may more implacably rent deuoure and torment for euer But I come to the grounds of this persuasion I told yee before that the spirit of God assures his children that they are in state of grace out of a consideration of an vniuersall sincerity in all their waies But Satan for his children hath other reasons which I conceiue to be such as these First the formall hypocrite is notablie confirmed that his state is good when he compares himselfe with those which are more sinfull as Murderers Adulterers Drunkards Prophaners of the Sabbath Vsurers Swearers Liers Iesters out of the word of God and fellowes of such notorious ranke But if besides the disclaiming of these his conscience bee able to informe him of his ciuill honesty externall iustice some workes of charity c. why then the matter is put out of all controuersie and he presently canonized a saint in his owne conceite You may see his picture in the 18. of Luke O God I thanke thee that I am not as
their soules before the gaining of the whole world Innocencie makes them as bold as Lions The wicked flee when none pursueth but the righteous are bold as a Lion And their warrant is out of Isai. 51. vers 7.8 Hearken vnto me ye that know righteousnesse the people in whose heart is my Law Feare ye not the reproch of men neither be ye afraid of their rebukes For the moath shall eate them vp like a garment and the worme shall eate them like wooll but my righteousnesse shall be for euer and my saluation from generation to generation Independancie holds their hearts vpright in all their actions that they are neither swaid awrie by partialities or secret relations to wrong ends I meane not independancie in respect of lawes gouernment authoritie charitie vnitie with the Church or the like I meane no such independancie but in respect of basenesse flatterie corruption temporizing indirect prosecution of their honours and preferments c. which are setters of Satan by which he confines many to a wretched slauery euen in this life and without repentance to endlesse miserie hereafter Secondly hypocrisie is many times by the world vniustlie laid vnto the charge of the children of God Dauid had his ful portion in this imputation as appeareth in many Psalmes The causes for this time I conceiue to be two The first may bee suspiciousnesse an argument euer of worthlesnesse and impotencie For insufficiencie is most apprehensiue and suspicious I know there is a godly iealousie and a iealousie of state but I meane that suspition which is opposed as an extreame to that imperfect vertue the Moralists cal immunitiâ— from suspicion by which a man doth cast the worth actions and affections of another in his owne mould and thinks euery man obnoxious to al the infirmities he finds in himselfe Hence it is that he which indeed is truly an hypocrite and neuer passed the perfection of the Pharisee doth most confidently brand the child of God with that name hoping therby to giue some poore satisfaction to his own thoughts that would gladly rest in a formality and notice to the world that howsoeuer there may be pretences yet indeed there is none better then himselfe The second cause is a disabilitie and blindnesse in the naturall man of discerning and acknowledging the operations of grace For let a man be otherwise neuer so eminently or vniuersally qualified yet without the experience of the power of godlinesse vpon his owne soule he cannot see hee will not bee perswaded of the actions of grace in another man and therefore interprets them to be nothing but hypocrisie and onely pretended vainegloriouslie to gainean opinion of more then ordinarie pietie What the conceit of an vnregenerate man is of the state of grace is plaine out of the conference of our blessed Sauiour and Nicodemus Nicodemus was a great Rabbi in Israel a famous Doctor in the Law and the Prophets in which no doubt hee had many times read the doctrine of regeneration yet when he comes to be examined of the power and practise of it he holds the new birth without which no man can euer see God to be as impossible as for an old man to returne into his mothers wombe and be borne againe Euen such is the iudgement of others in his state of the fruits effects and course of sanctification And therefore I maruel that any child of God wil afflict his soule hang downe the head or remit one iot of his zeale in goodnesse for vniust censures in this kind sith hee knowes that naturall men though neuer so wise so learned or glorious in the world want spirituall taste and therefore cannot rellish the fruits of the spirit are blind and cannot see or iudge of the light of grace are in darkenesse and cannot comprehend it Thirdly the formall hypocrite doth settle himselfe with more resoluednesse in his opinion of being in state of grace when he sees the world account the children of God but a company of fellowes who out of a proud singularitie diuide themselues from the common fashions and customes of the world not considering that if euer he meane to saue his soule he must be singular too in holinesse and sanctification for I meane not in vnwarrantable opinion or separation from the Church Except his righteousnesse exceede the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisees what singugular thing doth he that is except to his ciuill honesty and outward performance of religious duties there bee added a singularitie of sauing grace and except besides all other ornaments of mind if it were possible possest in full perfection there be yet moreouer inspired that blessed and pretious vigor that quickens him to eternall life he cannot enter into the kingdome of heauen This note of singularitie hath in all ages bin imputed to those that with a good conscience haue laboured to keepe themselues blamelesse and pure in the midst of a naughtie and crooked generation Behold saith Isaiah chap. 8. vers 18. I and the children whom the Lord hath giuen me are as signes and wonders in Israel by the Lord of Hosts which dwelleth in mount Sion It had bin no wonder had they bin onely as signes and wonders amongst the enemies of God and nations of vncircumcision but that they should be signes and wonders in Israel God had chosen him but one little vineyard amongst all the spatious forests of the earth out of the glory of all the Kingdomes of the world he had chosen him but one handfull of people and yet in that vineyard his faithfull Ones are but as the berries after the shaking of an Oliue tree two or three in the top of the vâ—most boughs and foure or fiue in the high branches In that little people his children are but as the first fruits so that euen in Israel they are become as monsters and spectacles of amazement Then so it is indeed that a man drawne out of the darknesse of this world and illightned with grace is like a starre new created in the skie that drawes all the world to gaze vpon it Nay and he drawes not onely the eies of men vpon him but is an eie-sore vnto theÌ„ For thus speaketh the wicked of the righteous man Wisd. 2.15.16 It grieueth vs also to looke vpon him for his life is not like other moâ—s his waies are of another fashion He counteth vs as bastards and he withdraweth himselfe from our wâ—ies as from filthinesse he commendeth greatlie the latter end of the iust and boasteth that God is his father Fourthly the formall hypocrite is well pleased with his present state and very vnwilling to embrace more forwardnesse because it is commonly thought that the state of a true Christian indeed is a life full of vncomfortablenesse melancholy austeritie and sadnesse The heart of man is naturally greedie of ioy and contentment and is either weakely or strongly refreshed according to the vanity or soundnes of the comfort in which it reposeth but it
must either enioy it in some kind and measure or it will waste and consume it selfe Hence it is that those who want inward and spirituall ioy arising from the testimonie of a good conscience from an assurance of remission of their sinnes and the fauour of God hunt after worldly contentments and carnall ioies At home in their owne hearts they find little comfort rather much terrour if their consciences awake and therefore they seeke to refresh themselues amid their treasures honors and sports at Plaies in Tauernes with merrie companie and many other such miserable comforters nay they had rather be necessarily imploied then solitarie not so much to auoid idlenesse as bitings of conscience Yea some had rather cease to be men then that their consciences should awake vpon them and therefore they labour to keepe it asleepe and to drowne sorrow for sinne with powring in of strong drinke But let them looke vnto it though it goe downe pleasantly yet secretly and insensiblie it strengthens the rage and sharpens the sting of the worme that neuer dies against the day of their visitation for in the end saith Salomon it will bite like a serpent and hurt like a cockâ—trice This outward and worldly ioy because the children of God doe not pursue because they will not relie vpon those broken staues of reed they are estâ—emed the onely melancholike and discontented men But I maruell when or with what eyes the worldlings looke vpon the faithfull Christian. It may be while hee is yet in the sore trauell of his new-birth and humbled vnder the mightie hand of God with affliction of conscience for his sinne If so then they should know that men must mourne for their sins as one that mourneth for his onely son and be sorie for them as one is sorie for the death of his first borne There must be in them a great mourning as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon as it is Zac. 12.11 And this sorrow is a blessed sorrow for it brings forth immortality And either themselues must haue a part in it or they shall neuer be made partakers of the fulnesse of ioy at Gods right hand What though the child of God lie for a night in the darkenesse of sorrow and weeping for his sins marke a while and the day will dawne and a day-starre will arise in his hart that will neuer set vntill it hath conducted him vnto the light that no man can attaine vnto The sunne of righteousnesse will presently appeare and will drie away his teares and with euerlasting light will shine vpon him for euermore But it may bee the worldlings take notice euen of the whole course and best state of the child of God and yet can see nothing therein but vncomfortable strictnesse and sad austerity But then I must tell them they looke onely vpon him with carnall eyes and deceiue themselues for so indeed he doth not appeare a boisterous Nimrode or dissolute Ruffler amid the vanities and delicacies of the world that is for Satans reuellers who haue smiling countenances but bleeding consciences glorious outsides but within nothing but rottennesse and prophanenes much laughing when the heart is sorrowfull But if they were able with illightened eyes to pierce into the inward parts of Gods child they should see within hope alreadie feasting vpon the ioyes of eternity they should see faith holding fast the writings by which the kingdome of heauen is conueied vnto his soule sealed with the precious blood of the sonne of God that nor man nor diuell is able to wrest out of it hand They should see the white stone mentioned in the Reuelation wherein there is a new name written which no man knoweth sauing hee that receiueth it Whence springeth such a strong comfort and high resolution in the affaires of heauen that no sword of the Tyrant no flame of cruelty not the combination of heauen and earth shall euer be able to amaze abate or extinguish Fifthly the formall hypocrite doth more confidently continue in a selfe liking of his owne state though the state of vnregeneration because he seeth those that besides his outward forme of religion are indewed with an inward and vnfained sinceritie in all their waies to be reputed but as the ofscouring of all things the simple fellowes and precise fooles of the world They haue indeed beene so accounted in all ages For the hearts of wicked men being stuft with prophanenes and earthly pleasures being swelled with ambition and worldly wisedome easilie bring forth pride and contempt And therefore they looke a farre off at the children of God as at fellowes of base and neglected condition of low spirits of humble resolutions of weake minds vnable to manage affaires and occurrents for their preferments of no dexterity to plant themselues in the face and glorie of the world when God knowes if they could be perswaded that there were no heauen but vpon earth and that the power and exercise of godlines were nothing but an vnnecessarie precisenes if they would enlarge their consciences proportionablie to the vast gulfe of the times corruptions if they durst make a couenant with death and an agreement with hell and put the euill day farre from them sure they might outstep many of these great Ones in their Proiects of policie and the precedencies of the world but sith they cannot they daâ—e not they will neuer by the grace of God be so perswaded they are well content with their continuall feast a good conscience while the others are fatted with their wine and their corne and their oyle against the day of slaughter And then at that day they will change their minds For goe I beseech you into the sanctuarie of the Lord and vnderstand their end they are now vpon the stage of this world in their full glory but were they as mighty as Leuiathan as cruell as Dragons could they reare their honours to the height of the clouds nay aduance their thrones aboue beside the starres of God yet they must downe they haue but one part to play they must make their beds in the dust and then when they are once disroabde of their greatnes and glory and stript naked of their honours and preferments and without all mitigation by worldly comforts left vnto the ful rage of a stinging conscience then they change their note and alter their iudgements and sigh for griefe of mind and say within themselues These are they whom we sometime had in derision and in a parable of reproch we fooles thought their life madnes and their end without honour How are they counted among the children of God and their portion is among the Saints Therefore wee haue erred from the way of truth and the light of righteousnes hath not shined vnto vs and the sunne of vnderstanding rose not vpon vs wee haue wearied our selues in the way of wickednesse and destruction and wee haue gone thorow dangerous waies but we haue not knowne the way of the
earthly minded fellow that preferres a little transitorie trash before the pretiousnesse of his owne soule and the lasting treasures of immortalitie why he can easily prouide a golden wedge and cast in his way to enrich him he can compasse for him though by bloudy meanes and mercilesse enclosure a Naboths vineyard to enlarge his possessions For all is one to him so he keepe him his owne whether by want and pouertie he driue a man to impatiencie murmuring and independencie vpon the prouidence of God or by heaping vpon him abundance of wealth and filling him a full cup of temporall happinesse he cast him into a deepe sleepe of carnall securitie and a senselesnesse in al matters of sanctification and saluation But whereas Satan hath found by much experience that such as are fenced with riches and honours doe many times falsely assume vnto themselues a conceit of greatnesse and goodnesse of protection and immunitie from dangers so that they are more fearelesse of the iudgements of God because they are not plagued like other men more carelesse of storing themselues with spirituall comfort against the day of visitation because they are in the meane time plentifully encompassed with worldly contentments more regardles and neglectiue of the ministery of the word because they would not willingly be tormented before their time therefore I say hee followes with more hope and better successe this temptation by prosperitie And the rather because crosses afflictions and heauie accidents are many times liuely instructions and compulsions to bring a man to the knowledge of God and himselfe to abandon all confidence in earthlie things and to embrace the most comfortable and heauenlie state of true Christians Wherefore if any man be content to stand for Satans kingdom either by open and profest impietie or by close conueiances and secret practises and conniuencie he will be sure to prepare incline and dispose all occasions meanes and circumstances for his aduancement into reputation with the world And how potent he is in these cases yâ—u may conceiue sith he swaies the corruptions of the time sith he rules and raignes in the hearts and affections of the most men and is euer the arch-plotter in all Simoniacall indirect corrupt and vnconscionable consultations and compacts The second reason of the flourishing of the wicked in this life is their large and vnlimited consciences For if a man once haue so hardned his heart by often grieuing the good spirit of God and repelling his holy motions if he haue once so darkned the eie of his conscience by offering violence to the tendernesse and neglecting the checks thereof that hee can now entertaine and digest without scruple or reluctation any meanes though neuer so indirect any condition though neuer so base any aduantage though neuer so vnconscionable or dishonourable it will be easie enough for him to thriue in the world and raise himselfe For what I pray you were not the Papists now able to do who haue enlarged their consciences like hell nay they haue stretched them beyond the whole compasse of all hellish darkenesse euen into a vault of their owne what I say were not they able to do except they were countermanded by that irrefragable eternall and particular decree of God that Babylon must now downe as irrecouerably as the great milstone in the Reuelation cast with violence into the sea Why certainly they were able by their policies principles not onely to reestablish their former Antichristian tyranny but to cast the whole Christian world nay this and the other world and the whole frame of nature into combustion darknesse and confusion And no maruell for these fellowes consciences can without â—emorse digest euen the sacred bloud of Kings and swallow downe with delight the ruines and desolations of whole kingdomes Their bloudie superstition hath so quite and fearefully extinguisht all sense of common honesty and put out the light of natural equity and the common notions of right and wrong that they broch with bold faces the cursed poison of equiuocation the diuels old imposture in Oracles a very straight passage to damned Atheisme and the dissolution of all humaine society that to them the breach of the lawes of God of nature and nations is meritorious and worthie canonization if it serue any way to the aduancement of their execrable idolatrie to the repairing of their decaying Babylon and to reare their Italian Idoll the Priest of Rome yet a little higher aboue all that is called God In this respect then that the wicked dare enlarge their consciences to the vtmost bounds of any pleasure gaine or preferment they haue great aduantage for the ingrossing of all worldly happinesse and may easily purchase a Monopoly of earthly prosperity Out of this widenes of conscience proceed much mincing and excusing many interpretations fauourable constructions and distinctions of sinnes As for example that Vsurie is of two sorts biting and toothlesse when all kind of Vsurie is pestilent and most certainely damned in the booke of God That Symonie is either buying the gifts of the holy Ghost or buying Church-liuings as though this latter were not so soule and enormous when it is able in short time to bring a curse and confusion vpon the most glorious and best setled Church in the world That of lies some are pernicious some are officious and for a greater good whenas euen the learneder sohoolemen who are far enough from precisenes hold euery kind of lie to be a sin indispensable whenas Aâ—stinâ— that worthy father great disputer admits not a lie for the saluation of a mans soule which is farre more worth then the whole world Nay when a man is not to tell a lie for the glory of God as it appeareth Iob 13. then which there can be no greater good Of Oaths that some are greater and more bloody some are lesser ordinary and more tolerable as though custome and commonnesse made these latter excusable and vnpunishable when as the plague of God hangs continually ouer the head of what swearer soeuer ready euery houre to seaze vpon him and sinke him downe into the bottome of hell The flying booke of Gods curse and vengeance shall enter into the house of the swearer and shall not onely cut him off but shall consume the very timber thereof and the stones thereof Neither doth this plague rest within priuate walles but it wastes the glory and prosperitie of whole kingdomes Because of Oathes saith Ieremie the land mouâ—neth and the pleasant places of the wildernes are dried vp nay if it were possible that the breath of the swearer should reach vnto the heauens it would euen staine the glory of the starres and rot those faire and immortall bodies it is infected with such a canker and pestilencie and so immediatâ—ly strikes at the face of Almightie God Many other such leaud distinctions of sinnes there are framed and followed by the sensuall greedy and ambitious affections of prophane men that they may more
with some extraordinarie terror Let those then examine themselues at this marke who howsoeuer shame keepe them from vncleane practises and grosser acts of filthines yet inwardly boyle in speculatiue wantonnesse and adulteries of the heart Those who howsoeuer their indirect meanes speed not for mounting themselues to high estate yet spend their best thoughts all their life long in proiecting and contriuing as though they were borne to aduance themselues and not to honour God in their â—allings Those who though they doe not enclose oppresse and grind the faces of the poore yet haue their hearts exercised in couetousnes Those who though they haue forsakeÌ„ some sins yet maintain in themselues one known sweet sinne Those who though lawes and feare of danger restraine from railing with open mouthes against our State yet harbour secret repinings murmurings vnthankfulnesse and discontentments Euen a contemptuous thought of a king or lawfull authority is a sinne of high nature and me thinkes for the miraculousnesse of the discouerie is paralleld in Ecclesiastes to the bloodinesse of actuall murther That which hath wings saith the Preacher shall declare the matter Lastly let those examine themselues at this marke who offer themselues to those sinfull occasions breeders of many strange and fearefull mischiefes I meane prophane and obscene Playes Pardon me beloued I cannot passe by those abominable spectacles without particular indignation For I did euer esteeme them since I had any vnderstanding in the waies of God the Grand empoysoners of grace ingenuousnes and all manly resolution Greater plagues and infections to your soules then the contagious pestilence to your bodies The inexpiable staine and dishonour to this famous City The noisome wormes that canker and blast the generous and noble buds of this land and doe by a slie and bewitching insinuation so empoyson all seeds of vertue and so weaken and emasculate all the operations of the soule with a prophane if not vnnaturall dissolutenes that whereas they are planted in these worthie houses of Law to be fitted and enabled for great and honourable actions for the publicke good and the continuance of the glory and happinesse of this kingdome they licentiously dissolue into wicked vanities and pleasures and all hope of their euer doing good either vnto God the Church their Countrie or owne soules melteth as the winter ice and floweth away as vnprofitable waters These infamous spectacles are condemned by all kind of sound learning both diuine and humane Distinctions deuised for their vpholding and defence may giue some shallow and weake contentment to partiall and sensuall affections possest with preiudice but how shall they be able to satisfie and secure a conscience sensible of all appearance of euill How can they preserue the inclinablenesse of our corrupt nature from infection at those Schooles of leaudnes and Sâ—nkes of all sins as to omit Diuines Councels Fathers Moralists because the point is not directly incident euen a Polititian calleth them Alas are not our wretched corruptions raging and fierie enough being left to themselues dispersed at their naturall liberty but they must be vnited at these accursed Theaters as in a hollow glasse to set on flame the whole body of our natural vitiousnesse at once and to enrage it further with lust fiercenesse and effeminatenes beyond the compasse of nature Doth any man thinke it possible that the power of sauing grace or the pure spirit of God can reside in his hart that willingly with ful consent seeds his inward concupiscence with such variety of sinfulll vanities and leaud occasions which the Lord himselfe hath pronounced to be an abomination vnto him How can any man that euer felt in his hart either true loue or feare of so dreadfull a Maiestie as the Lord of heauen and earth endure to be present especially with delight and contentment at Oathes Blasphemies Obscenities and the abusing sometimes of the most pretious things in the booke of God whereat wee should tremble to most base and scurrill iests Certainely euery child of God is of a right noble and heroicall spirit and therfore is most impatient in hearing any wrong indignitie or dishonour offered to the word name or glory of his Almightie Father A second marke of difference may be this The power of sauing grace doth subdue and sanctifie our affections with a conscionable and holy moderation so that they become seruiceable to the glory of God and for a more resolute cariage of good causes and zealous discharge of all Christian duties But the bridling of passions in the formall hypocrite is not so much of conscience as artificiall politique for aduantage and by the guidance of morall discretion so that if they be tempted by strong occasions and violent obiects they many times breake out to the dishonour of God the disgrace of a Christian profession and the discouery of their hypocrisie Let euery man then examine himselfe at this marke and with a single eye and vpright heart take a view of his affections whether his ioy be inward and spirituall that is in the assurance of Gods fauour in his word in his children in prayer and a continuall practise of godlinesse or outward and caâ—uall that is in the attainement of greatnesse and woâ—dly pleasures in the increase of his corne and wine and oile Whether he loue the peace of conscience farre more deâ—rely then the fauour of men or his owne life Whether hee bee more zealous for the honour and praise of God then his owne Whether he be more affraid of secret sinnes then open shame of offending God then outward afflictions Whether he be more angry in the cause of religion and concerning Gods glory or for his owne priuat wrongs And so thorow out the rest of his affections Let the fierce and desperate gallants consider this point which vpon euery light occasion and termes of disgrace are ready out of a graceles vngrounded opinion of declining cowardize to sheath their swords in the bodie of their brother And let them assure themselues that the meeke and mercifull spirit of God will neuer consist with such bloodie and vntamed affections his holy motions will not come into their secret neither will his sauing grace be ioyned with their assembly For in their wrath they will kill a man and in their selfe-will they will destroy the image of God Cursed bee their wrath for it is fierce and their rage for it is cruell Oh that they would but marke and foresee into what an ineuitable and endlesse maze of certaine misery and vengeance they enter when they enter into the field vpon either offer or acceptance of challenge If they be slaine they are accessaries to their owne vntimely murder They violentlie and wilfully pull themselues from the land of the liuing to the abhorred regions of death They cruelly and irrecouerably rent their owne poore soules from time of grace and repentance They extinguish all hope of posteritie and perhaps their house and family determines in
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
irregular and stirring heads of some busie and pragmaticall fellowes shadowed onely with a number of faire shewes and pretences but really existent and acted no where And that they may more securely and obstinately rest vpon this persuasion he furnisheth them with a notable art of misconceiuing and misinterpreting the actions of grace and of making by odious exaggerations a little hole in the coate of a sound Christian as wide as hell Hence it is that Dauid is many times made sport with and merrilie iested vpon by them with the false scoffers at their feasts and bankets and hath things laid to his charge with much confidence but without al conscience which God thou knowest he neuer knew Hence it is that many times those actions in which for the truth and vprightnesse of his heart and the iustnesse and innocency of his cause he dare appeale to the tribunal of God the impartiall searcher of the inmost thoughts and seuere reuenger of all falshood yet are racked by vile and base misconstructions and interprâ—ted to be the workes of darknes and deceit And if they take a godly man but tripping in some lesser error in his cariage and that perhaps but forged in their owne wilfull misconceit they thence raise matter not only of triumph and insultation but which is much more feareful of chearing applauding and confirming themselues in their present wretched state But if Satan meete with a man that by the grace of God is already entred into the panges of his trauell in the new birth and with sorrow for his sinnes is smitten downe into the place of dragons and couered with the shadow of death then he eagerly striues to stiffle the new man in the wombe and by presenting to his view the vgly visage of his many and outragious transgressions the curse of the Law and the wrath of God which he yet makes more grizlie and fierce by his owne hellish malice to plunge him into the bottomlesse gulfe of irrecouerable horror and desperation But if by the mercies of God hee sinke not but betime lay hold vpon the iustice of Christ and that boundlesse compassion which neuer knew how to breake the bruised reed or quench the smoaking flaxe but holds a broken and contrite heart farre more pretious then a sacrifice of the beasts on a thousand mountaines and then ten thousand riuers of oile why then he stands like a great red Dragon in his way at the very first entrance into the Kingdome of light and profession of sinceritie and casts out of his mouth flouds of persecutions vexations and oppositions that so he may ouerwhelme and crush him before he come to any growth or strength in Christ and a full comprehension of the mysterie of grace And to this end hee sets on foot and fire too and whets with keene razors many a leaud and prophane tongue to scoffe disgrace and discourage him in his narrow but blessed passage to immortalitie by reproches slanders exprobration of his former life by odious names of Hypocrite Singularist Puritane a fellow of irregular conscience and stirring humour of a factious and contradictious spirit and such like But if hee also passe these pikes and these sharpe swords for so Dauid calles spitefull tongues out of a consideration of that truth in Paul Euery one that will liue godly in Christ Iesus shall suffer persecution and that in the calmest time of the Church amongst many other he shall be sure at the least to bee continually scourged and vext with strife of tongues for euerie faithfull Christian knowes by good experience that euer now and then as he shall stirre in a good cause stand against the corruptions of the place where he liues with conscience and faithfulnesse discharge his calling hee shall presentlie haue the spirit of prophanenesse to slie in his face with brutish and implacable malice and insolencie But yet I say if he be able with his Lord and Sauiour to endure this speaking against of sinners and to esteeme it as it is indeed his crowne and comfort why then Satan casts about another way and hee labours sometimes to fasten vpon him some vnwarrantable opinions thereby scandalously and vnnecessarliy to disquiet him to defraud him of an entire fruition of the comforts of holinesse and to hinder and interrupt him in the prosecution of his glorious seruice of God Sometimes to puffe him vp with a selfe-conceit of his owne excellencie seeing himselfe aduanced as farre aboue the common condition of men and the richest and happiest worldling as heauen aboue earth light aboue darkenesse endlesse happinesse aboue eternall miserie that so as the Apothecaries ointment by a dead flie his good actions and spirituall graces may receiue staine and infection by priuie pride of the nature and remedies whereof I haue before discoursed These and many others be the temptations of a babe in Christ and fitted to the infancie of regeneration But if Satan meet with a strong man in Christ he tempts him by those two methods I told you of before somtimes by wasting his zeale sometimes by weakening his faith and a thousand moe Amid which infinite varietie he is for the most part constant in one point of policy and that is this He coÌ„ceales his greatest fury his most desperate assault vnto the last He reserues his fieriest dart his deadliest poison his sharpest sting his Gunpouder-plot vntill he meete vs on our deaths bed Wherefore beloued in Christ Iesus we had need euery man to be strongly and soundly prepared and armed against that great and last encounter with Satan vpon which depends our euerlasting estate either in the ioies of heauen or paines of hell Oh at that day and we little know how neere it is it is not our deepe reaches and vnfathomd policies and proiects the countenance and patronage of great personages our merrie and plesant companions or the pluralitie of liuings and preferments that can yeeld vs any comfort or assistance in that terrible and fearefull combat Nay though we now little thinke vpon it all the worldly contentments that we haue either indirectly purchased or vnconscionably imploid he will then turne vnto vs into Scorpions stings and wormes of conscience Onely at that day a good conscience will hold out as armour of proofe which as it hath bin on earth a continuall feast so their it will bee vnto vs a great and euerlasting Iubilee for euermore By this time you easily perceiue and I am very sensible of the digression I haue made but I haue done it onely to giue you a taste of that part of diuine knowledge about the depths of Satan and spirituall state of sanctified soules and afflicted consciences which I take to be Gods childs peculiar and in which the formall hypocrite hath little skil or exercise For the deepe and diuine ponderations of this nature vpon these points doe not much take vp or trouble his mind and meditations It is a pretious knowledge abstracted by an holy experience from
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
all his politicke States-men then his teachers then the ancient If wisedome were lost me thinks it should bee found amongst Polititians the Oracles of imperiall depthes and secrets of State the pillars of common-wealths and kingdomes amongst profound Doctors and Rabbins the fathers of knowledge and learning amongst the ancient whose age is many times crowned with ripenesse of iudgement with variety of experience and obseruation And yet by this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 spirituall prudence for the same word is vsed there by the Septuagints which the Apostle hath Col. 1.9 Dauid farre surmounted them all in respect of which the flower and quintessence of all their wisedome and policies was nothing but glorious follie and profound simplicitie Hence it is that many a poore soule illiterate and neglected proudly passed by and many times trampled vpon with disgrace and vexation by worldly wisemen yet liuing vnder a constant and conscionable Ministrie is infinitely more wise then the greatest clerkes and learnedest doctours both in giuing counsell and aduise in spirituall affaires and in conducting their owne soules in these strangely prophane and desperate daies thorow the strait way to heauen Hence then you may see a cleere difference The formall hypocrite so farre as naturall wit goodnes of education ciuill honesty morall discretion politicke wisedome can illighten and leade him may manage his actions and affaires with exactnesse and reputation gloriously and without exception in the sight and iudgement of the world Nay besides sometimes by an addition of some inferiour and more generall graces of Gods spirit hee may set vpon them such an outward glistering that they may dazle the eyes of the best discerning spirit and deceiue his owne heart with a false persuasion that they are the true actions of piety and pleasing vnto God But ouer and aboue all these which is neuer to be found in the vnregenerate there is in the vnderstanding of the child of God a more excellent and superior vigor that inspires his actions with a high and more heauenly nature that breathes into them the life of grace that guides them with truth and singlenes of heart and sinceritie in all circumstances to the glorie and acceptation of God the comfort of his owne conscience and good of his brethren There is a farre clearer and brighter eye shining in the soule of euery regenerate man in respect whereof the fairest lights of all other knowledge and wisedome are Egyptian darkenesse which doth euer faithfully descry and discouer vnto him the straite though vnbeaten path to immortality thorow all the passages and particulars of his life It reueales vnto him the wisest and most conscionable resolution in all spirituall debatements the best and fittest seasons of reprouing sinnes and winning soules vnto God many obliquities of actions iniquitie of many circumstances the right vses of his owne afflictions disgraces and infirmities which the formall hypocrite cannot possibly discerne because he is starke blind on this eye Amongst infinite I will giue one instance of the gratious workings and power of this diuine habit Let vs imagine an euill report or false slander to bee vniustly raised and without ground vpon the formall hypocrite though it seldome befall such for commonly prophane men are more countenanced better conceiued and spoken of by the greater part and by great men then they deserue Yet if it so fall out this or the like is his behauiour He perhaps proclaimes and protests his cleerenesse in the case too ambitiously and impotently not with that humilitie and spirituall discretion He pleaseth and applaudeth himselfe in his innocency for this particular boisterously and with clamour which perhaps secretly breeds a more generall Pharisaicall selfe-conceit of the rest of his waies He angerly contests with the iniquitie and ingratitude of the world for casting such base indignities and aspersions vpon goodnesse and vertue He would gladly beare it out brauely and make others think that he passeth it without wound or passion but indeed he inwardly chases and frets and is much grieued and gauled with worldly sorrow for it the reason is his reputation with men is dearer vnto him then the glory of God his chiefest good and comfort in this world is the worlds good opinion of him But in all this he is so farre from working any spirituall good out of it that he rather entertaines a secret encouragement to be that indeed which the world censures him to be then for a bare conceald conscience of his innocency to debarre himselfe of a full fruition of the present times But let vs now on the other side conceiue a child of God to be wickedly and wrongfully slandered for it is properly his lot and portion in this life to be loaden with leaud and lying censures with vniust and odious imputations sometimes to haue many grieuous things and fearefull abominations fathered vpon him without al sense honestie or probabilitie which he neuer did he neuer knew And if once ill reports raised falslie vpon the godly be on wing they flie as swift as the Eagles of the heauens Diuels are speedie Dromedaries to carrie such newes They presently passe thorow Tauernes and Ale-houses Citie and Countrie Gath and Ascalon they run farre and wide as currant and authenticall vnder the Broad-seale of good fellowship neuer more to be controlled and reuerst vntill the matter be brought before that high and euerlasting Iudge But marke I pray you the carriage of Gods child in these cases he doth indeed sweetly and comfortably enioy the consciousnesse of his owne vprightnesse though his aduersaries bee neuer so potent or cunning to threape him down yet vntil he die as Iob speaks he will not take away his innocencie from himselfe When the sharpe and empoisoned arrowes of bitter malice and calumniations come thickest vpon him euen with haile shot his truly noble and diuinely resolued soule is infinitly satisfied with that in Iob Behold now my witnesse is in the heauen and my record is on high Yet he doth labor to cleare himselfe so farre as the honour of God the satisfaction of the godly and danger of iust scandall require But the gracious considerations and holy practise which in these afflictions of his good name spirituall prudence principallie ministers and suggests vnto him are such as these First he considers that howsoeuer he be innocent from the slander yet the finger of God is in it as it was in directing the dogged malice of cursed Shemei vpō the roial person of Dauid therfore he gathers that the Lord would thereby giue him notice that some other things in him are amisse That some secret corruption by which his blessed Spirit is grieued is to be subdued and mortified y t some grace is to be repaired some of his waies to be amended perhaps his languishing zeale is to be reuiued and inflamed his heart much duld with the contagious prophanenesse and formalitie of the times is to be quickned and more enlarged for Gods seruice
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
in their sins But sith I know not how soone I shall come to iudgement my poore soule shall not appeare before my blessed Sauiour red with the blood of those soules for which his precious blood was shed Therefore I will not be Non-resident You see here a restraint from Non-residencie that bloodie gangrene that with remorselesse greedines eates and deuoures the pretious soules of men This short explication of the nature of conscience thus premised you may easily conceiue with mee thus much that Accordingly as the practicall vnderstanding of a man is furnished with principles and rules for guiding his actions according to the nature of them and soueraignty they hold in the conscience such and thereafter commonly is his life and actions I except the grosse hypocrite for hee sinneth against the knowledge of his heart and light of his conscience Therefore the sound of feare is already in his eares and in his prosperitie the destroyer shall come vpon him Hee beleeueth not to returne out of darkenesse for he seeth the sword before him Affliction and anguish shall make him afraid They shall preuaile against him as a king ready to the battel God shall run vpon him euen vpon his necke and against the most thicke part of his shield because hee hath couered his face with falshood and inwrapped himselfe in a cloud of hypocrisie The point then must bee exemplified in other sorts of men First the notorious sinner by reason of his delightfull conuersing with the wicked and custome in the workes of darkenesse doth obscure smother and in some measure extinguish in his conscience not onely the light of supernaturall truth but of nature too Therefore hee runnes headlong without restraint or bridle into desperate villanies and outragious rebellions He drawes in sinne with cartropes and worketh all maner of vncleanenesse with greedinesse He is bound with his sinnes and couered with iniquities as a field is hedged in with bushes and the path therof couered with thorns whereby no man may trauell It is shut vp and is appointed to be deliuered by fire Secondly The Papist he entertaines and treasures vp for his practicall principles the bloodie Dictates of the Pope of Rome that man of sinne and vicegerent of Satan which are so farre from receiuing strength or warrant either from nature or diuine truth that they hold strong contradiction and eternall opposition to both and therefore his conscience is enlarged like Tophet For it can without scruple or remorse nay with hope of heauen and a brighter crowne of glory digest euen the sacred blood of kings and swallow downe with ease the ruines and desolations of whole kingdomes He can meritoriously butcher his brother in the streets with prodigious cruelty as in that horrible massacre at Parâ—s He can bee dispensed with and discharged from oaths and truth of speech the necessarie and soueraigne instruments of all iustice and society amongst men He may expect canonization for blowing vp of Parliaments and tearing in peeces the royall limbes of the Lords Anoynted and the strong sinewes of the worthiest State vnder heauen and after saile towards the Popish Paradise which is indeed the pit of hell thorow a sea of innocent blood without any checke or counterblast of conscience Thirdly the ciuill honest man hath his conscience informed with rules of naturall honesty and generall notions of right and wrong and therewith contents himselfe And therefore he frames himselfe with sober cariage faire conditions iust and vpright dealing towards men so that he is well spoken of and reputed by the world a good neighbour a sober wise man of harmelesse behauiour no medler a peaceable man and these are excellent if not seuered but seruiceable to true pietie and sauing knowledge Peace is a pretious thing if it may bee purchased and possest without impeach and preiudice to holinesse and a good conscâ—â—nce Follow peace with all mâ—n and holinesse without which no man shall see the Lord. Peace and holinesse must goe together If otherwise it is an holy peace to bee at warre with the corruptions of the time and to be at peace with sinne is to war against God and his owne soule But the meerely ciuill honest man by his practicall principles is led no further but to the executions of morall honestie as for instruction in heauenly mysteries and diuine knowledge hee doth not much meddle with care for or seeke after but onely for companie and fashion Fourthly the formall hypocrite besides the direction of naturall light in his conscience doth interesse and acquaint himselfe with practicall principles out of supernaturall truths and the word of God for the performance of religious duties and seruices but hee puts them in practise with reseruation with his owne exceptions and limitations Hee is onely so farre guided by them in his life and conuersation as they are compatible with his worldly happines And therefore in the time of persecution as it is in the parable hee falleth away But by persecution you must vnderstand not onely the fierie triall and striuing vnto blood but also inferiour and not so smarting afflictions and tentations as it is cleere if we compare the three Euangelists in their narration of the parable It is many times disgraces and contumelies for his profession displeasure and discountenance of great Ones the hazarding of some profit and preferment the losse of friends and fauour of the world or the like that makes him slinke and yeeld and desperately to cast himselfe into the current of the times there to swimme with others for a while with full saile of outward prosperitie vntill he drowne himselfe in perdition and sincks suddenly into the gulfe of endlesse woe and miserie Hence it is that Mat. 13.21 he is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Temporizer Hee is not thorow sound resolute and true-hearted for godlines good causes and to good men For many times when the honour of God is put as it were in the one scale of the balance and his owne contentment in the other he suffers some worldly profit or pleasure the gratification or satisfaction of some great man the purchase of some Fellowship Benefice or spirituall dignitie for sometimes it proues perhaps as deere as a purchase the greedie desire and pursuit of some vndeserued office or honour the enioyment of prophane company or coherence with worldly wise men the pleasure of some secret and sweet sinne or such like I say he suffers these to weigh downe the exceeding waight of heauenly blisse the vnualuable treasure of a good conscience and the infinit glory of God Which is strangely miserable sith all the worth wisdome power excellencie and whatsoeuer other happinesse of man al the highest and greatest treasures and glory vnder the Sunne without the feare and fauour of God if they were put in the waights with vanitie vanitie would waigh them all downe So thought Dauid Psal. 62. The children of men are vanitie the chiefemen are lies to lay them
vpon a balance they are altogether lighter then vanitie it selfe Lastly the child of God besides the better and more speciall apprehensions of nature stores his conscience his treasurie of practicall principles with many sacred and sauing lessons and rules out of heauenlie truth and Gods holie word but so that in his practise of them he stands not vpon termes of pleasure profit or preferments but doth whollie and entirely resigne vp himselfe in obedience and humilitie to be guided and gouerned by them without restriction or cuasion in his thoughts affections and actions thorow the whole course of his life Therefore Luke 8.15 the hearer compared vnto the good ground which is the child of God to whom in al my Discourse I oppose the stony ground which I call the formall hypocrite is said to be of an honest and good heart that is downe-right for godlinesse and good men without hollownesse faintheartednesse or slinking Hee makes Christianitie as it were his trade he sweates and toiles in it as the end for which he was created and placed in this world And as he receiues the word of God into his honest and good heart so there he treasures it vp and keeps it faithfully The word in the original is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He keeps it though it be with much difficultie strugling and colluctation with his owne corruptions the temptations of Satan and vanities of the world who cunninglie conspire and labour ioyntlie to plucke it vp and wrest it from him and he brings foorth fruite with patience He yeelds no ground though he meete a a Lion in the way or a Tyrant in the face In the day of trial and encountring with dangers and vngodly oppositions he shrinkes not but stands fast and suffers himselfe rather to be ouerflowne then to be carried downe the streame of the sinfull fashions and wicked waies of the world He knowes full well howsoeuer he goes now on his way weeping yet he caries precious seed and therefore the time will come shortly that he shall doubtlesse come againe with ioy and bring his sheaues with him Crosses disgraces and tribulations may beget in the formall hypocrite fainting and defection but in Gods child they bring foorth patience experience hope and resolution Euer when he enters consultation with himselfe whether God must be obaied and glorified or man pleased and satisfied he is quickly resolued out of that in Isai. 51.12 I euen I am he that comfort you Who art thou that thou shouldest feare a mortall man and the sonne of man which shall bee made as grasse And forgettest the Lord thy maker that hath spread out the heauens and laid the foundations of the earth He considers the heauie iudgement determined and reserued for all fearefull men al spirituall cowards and saint-hearted in the Christian warfare who more feare men then God and for their fauour and countenance part with the protection of the Almightie and the comforts of a good conscience They shall be punished with vnbeleeuers with the abominable with murtherers and whoremongers with idolaters and hers in the Lake which burneth with fire and brimstone which is the second death Reuel 21.8 You may now cleerely conceiue the point I haue in hand how the word of God is not rooted in the conscience of the formall hypocrite The ordinarie intelligencers to his conscience are examples custome opinion worldly wisdome common preiudice against a strict course of sanctification precedencie and practise of greater men for true goodnesse many times ouerprized and misualued by the worlds flattering censure the common naturall notions of right and wrong But if vpon some extraordinarie good motion by guidance of diuine rules he sometimes crosse the current of the times enter a profession of sinceritie and some correspondence with Gods children it is but for a spirt an essay like a morning cloud and as the morning dew For as soone as his feruour in religious affaires and furtherance of good things doth once by the fury of hell crueltie of prophane men malice of the world enkindle and stirre vp against him I say not onely a fierie triall but euen some smarting heate of lesser persecution some railing and slanderous tongue which schorches like coales of Iuniper a disconccit and dereliction in his friends and old acquaintance disgrace with the world discountenance of Greatnesse vnlikelihood of rising and preferment if it once raise against him stormes of iealousies enuies and molestations why then he is gone he slinks and starts aside like a broken bow All his former good motions purposes and endeauours melt as the winter ice and goe away like the morning dew For the formall hypocrite euer when he seeles disturbance in his present securitie interruption of his former contentments hazard of his temporall felicitie he begins strongly to suspect himselfe of too much forwardnesse of vnseasonable and preposterous zeale of distemper and indiscretion in matters of religion and therfore giues backe and falles away into his former plodding course of formalitie and that perhaps without any check of conscience but if any scruples and reluctation arise in his heart out of his worldly wisdome he Interprets this yeelding to the times to be but an ordinarie and pardonable infirmitie and therfore notwithstanding slatters and deceiues himselfe with hope of heauen which is a strong barre to keepe him out of the state of grace and vnacquainted with the glorious comforts of sound and sauing sinceritie But the sacred light of Gods holy truth is habituated and incorporated into the conscience of Gods child and is the onely and constant rule and square by which with all humilitie vprightnesse of heart a free entire submission and obedience vnto it he frames al his thoughts affections and actions And in this light he walkes with a settled constancie and grounded resolution thorow pouertie and oppression contumelies and contempt slanders and indignities good report or ill report For he hath his eie still fastned vpon eternitie he hath the crowne of glory alreadie in sight the inestimable pretiousnesse and euerlasting beautie whereof rauisheth and possesseth his truly free and great heart with such a longing and feruencie that hee is at a point with all that is vnder the Sunne that he doth not only contemne patiently endure and vanquish al asperities and difficulties but euen with reioycing entertaine and embrace if the tyranny of the times so require the vtmost that malice and crueltie can inflict vpon him There is no other consideration or creature either in heauen or earth can separate him from the loue of God in Christ Iesus or from his glorious seruice in al good conscience And as the word of God is planted and rooted in the conscience of Gods child for his direction and constancie in the waies of godlinesse so is it also there fastned for his forbearance of sinnes by these three properties which are not to be found in the formall hypocrite Remorse for sinnes past by which he is saued from
relapses and backslidings A present sensiblenesse of al manner of sinnes whereby his present integritie and vnblameablenes is happily preserued An habituall tendernesse by which he is armed and senced against the corruptions of the time vnconscionable courses and commission of sinnes to come In remorse for sins past I comprise a more ful knowledge an vniuersall reuelation of his sinnes by the light of Gods word and power of his spirit and that both in extension and intension both in number and grieuousnesse a sense and feeling of them in their true waight as they are able to sinke him downe into the bottom of hell Much sorrow and anguish for the staine and guiltinesse they haue left behind them and for that they prouoke to iust wrath so louing and gratious a God And lastly a loathing of them so that hee neuer casts his eies backe vpon them but with an addition of a new and particular detestation He neuer enters meditation of the soule hainous passages of his former life but with shame and horror Euery solemne reuiew of his time of darknes and vnregeneration makes the wound of his remorse to bleed afresh By sensiblenes I vnderstand a quicke and present apprehension and feeling of euery sin whether it bee publicke or priuate open or secret in our selues or others as well in our thoughts and affections as in our words and actions in our generall or particular calling more grosse and infamous or slips and stumblings scandals and appearances of euill Habituall tendernes is a gracious temper disposition of the conscience wherby it is apt to be gauled smart at the first enteruiew with the iniquities of the time and at euery occurrence of corruptions and all vnconscionable attempts These properties of tendernesse aptnesse to smart easines to bleed at the apprehension and approch of sinne are peculiar to a conscience illightened sanctified and purged by the blood of Christ neuer incident to the best naturall conscience or furnished with the choysest notions and perfections of ciuill honesty and formalitie for these are neuer so straite laced but can let downe at the least without distaste or checke common sinnes lesser euils the gainefull and honourable errors and obliquities of the time Hence it is that all prophane and vnregenerate men wanting the curbe of a sober and sanctified conscience haue euer infinite aduantage for getting the start and precedencie in compassing the comforts glory and preferments of the world For they when the atchieuement of any honour happinesse or high place is on foot aduise presently with thâ— ordinarie informers and counsellers of their conscience custome example multitude worldly wisedome the sway of the times and such like but with the word of God and godly Christians onely so farre as they doe not crosse their ends and contradict those plots and contriuances which they haue laid for their aduancement vnto high roomes And thus they may passe with reasonable quietnes without grudging or grieuing of a conscience so guided thorow a a thousand corruptions and indirections basenesse flatteries sinfull engagements vnwarrantable courses Any of which if it should meete with a conscience once soundly frighted with horrour of former sinnes softned and sanctified by the blood of the Lambe would not onely rubbe off the skin and gaule it but make it bleed to death But worldly men are at a point they must and will enioy the world for here they haue their portion and heauen They esteeme it their greatest happines to bee admired and adored aboue others and therefore venture vpon whatsoeuer vnlawfull and indirect procurements which may bring them to high places rather then they will be defeated and disappointed in the pursuit of worldly happinesse they will thorow whether it be thicke or thinne right or wrong force or fraud staine of reputation or wound of conscience Simonie or flatterie friend or foe all is one though in the meane time they strike their owne poore soules thorow with many sorrowes though when they are most glorious in their owne conceit in the â—ie of the world in the iust censure of God Angels and sound Christians they be most vile contemptible and indeed in this seeming sun-shine of worldly prosperitie they treasure vp vnto themselues strange feares and astonishments snares fire and brimstone and stormie tempests against their latter end It is otherwise with Gods child in such affaires He still takes counsell and direction at the oracle of God with Cornelius resolution to heare or forbeare whatsoeuer is there commanded or forbidden and so followes the comforts of this world onely so farre as it will giue him leaue warrant and assistance But if he be to enter any corrupt course or to passe thorow any vniustifiable meanes for the attainement of his purpose and preferment there presently comes into his mind such considerations as these Hee conceiues with himselfe that the passage into any place of office or honour by corruption is euer attended with the curse of God and so no true comfort to be expected in the enioyment and execution That the restlesse humor and proud spirit of ambition euer haunts and possesses men of least worth and worst conscience That he which truely feares God neuer desires height of place for the glory or gaine but onely with a sobor indifferencie thither enclines and caries his affections and hopes and that with trembling at the waightinesse of the charge where it pleaseth diuine prouidence by honest and lawfull meanes to plant or transplant him for the imployment of his talent and where hee may most glorifie God benefit the Church and keepe a good conscience He thinkes vpon the vanitie and miserie of all things we enioy in this world of that strict and great account hee must very shortly make vnto the Lord and Iudge of all the world of the length of that eternity thorow all which is vnauoidably to be endured an euerlasting estate either in the ioyes of heauen or paines of hell Out of such thoughts as these springs his truely noble Christian resolution that he had rather want preferment while the world stands and end his daies in a retired and innocent obscuritie then by casting himselfe into the common fashions and corruptions of the world forfeit the fruit and comfort of his former integrity wound his conscience and serue the time That he is farre more willing to endure any affliction or disgrace with Gods children then to enioy the pleasures of sin and glory of the world for a season I now come in the third place to tell you that the word of God is not rooted in the thoughts of the formall hypocrite which is the hearer resembled vnto the stonie ground and thence riseth a very notable and most speciall difference betwixt him and the child of God truely possest of the glorious state of Grace And I beseech you marke mee in this point For the thoughts of a man doe farre more cleerely and impartially distinguish the power of
of sinner but fully as soule and abominable For if we could look into his heart though his outward life be ordered smoothly and ciuilly yet we should see within a bloody slaughter-house of malice crueltie and reuenge an hateful stewes of impure imaginations and adulteries of the heart a forge of much mischiefe of furious and fierie rage against the power of grace an insatiable gulfe of greedie desires for wealth and riches for vndeserued respect and reuerence in the world indeed a cage of all vncleane and rauenous birds Here is only the differeÌ„ce the notorious sinner dares act and execute the abominations of his hart in the sight of the Sun but the grosse hypocrite would gladly sinne vnseene and go to hell with as little noise and notice of the world as may be and therefore he drawes a curtaine of cosenage and hypocrisie betwixt the sight of the world and foulenesse of his sinne In the hearts of Ahab and Iezebel was nothing but blood and murder couetousnesse oppression and mercilesse enclosure onely vpon the vgly visages of these soule fiends they put a vizard of a fast formall witnesses and legall proceeding The ordinarie thoughts then of the grosse hypocrite are the same as vile and hellish as those of the notorious sinner Nay he doubles his iniquitie and addes waight â—o the vengeance preparing for him in that he straines the vtmost veine of his wit and founds the depth of his damned policie to clothe them with faire pretences and colourable shifts as they passe and present themselues vnto the world in words and actions and in that he labours to seeme a Saint while he is in truth an incarnat diuell But the thoughts of the formall hypocrite for with him I am specially to deale I haue onely added in this point the notorious sinner and grosse hypocrite for further distinction and illustration I say his thoughts as they come certainly short of true sanctification so they are farre better then these now mentioned For we suppose his heart to be seasoned with goodnesse of nature and ciuill honesty to haue tasted of the generall graces of Gods spirit and in some sort of the powers of the world to come and therefore his thoughts are more faire ingenuous sober and moderate then those soule and hateful ones of the notorious sinner and grosse hypocrite His heart will rise and be affrighted with suggestions of infamous consequence and markeable horror as those of Atheisme Crueltie Drunkennesse Adulterie Herâ—sie and such like but notwithstanding because it is not softned and sanctified by speciall grace without much scruple or conscience it will let the imaginations loose to much idlenesse and vanitie to many fruitlesse conceits impertinencies and prophane wandrings but especially into the endlesse maze of worldly cares earthlymindednes For he doth in some sort in his practise approue and iustifie that wicked and pestilent prouerb Thoughts are free They are free indeed in respect of obnoxiousnes to humane iustice in respect of discouerie and danger from any creature but the eie and vengeance of heauen takes first and speciall notice of them and holds them punishable as the principals and chiefe plotters of al transgressions Words and actions are as it were sinnes at second hand the very first life and freshest vigour of all ill is immediately receiued and inspired into the thoughts Hence it is that Peter aduiseth Simon Magus to pray God if it were possible that the thought of his heart might be forgiuen him as though there lay the greatest guilt and deepest staine before God By the way before I passe to the thoughts of Gods child obserue one speciall marke of difference in this point betwixt the true Christian and formall hypocrite The formall hypocrite doth euer harbour and maintaine in himselfe one sweet pleasing bosome sinne or other as voluptuousnes worldlinesse a greedy pursuit of temporall felicitie an excessiue desire of greatnesse and note in the world an opposition to sinceritie a delight in good fellowship or some such like carnall contentment or secret sinne on which his mind most runs whereupon the best and the flower the feruency and dearenes of his thoughts are spent Gods word honor and seruice checkes of conscience motions of the spirit ministrie of the word admonition of friends saluation of soule by an vnreasonable and inconsequent discourse of his sensuall reason are all made subordinate and seruiceable to this Idoll To which with much delight he daily sacrificeth the noblest and immediate workes and issues of his soule As for the state of his conscience spirituall affaires care of heauen that One necessarie thing these things take vp his thoughts but at reuersion by starts by accident and when they come into the heart their entertainement is very cold and strange their abode short and while they stay they are apprehended and enioyed with much wearinesse and weaknesse I conceiue this to be the reason Hee hath a full taste and present feeling of the pleasures of his sweet sinne hee hath sensible and certaine possession of worldly contentments but no reall and sound assurance by sauing faith and his forsaking all sinne of the ioyes and comforts aboue and therefore doth greedily follow and feed vpon the present with consent of his erring iudgement delight of heart the best of his affections and most of his thoughts And as for hereafter sith he is conscious to himselfe of an honest ciuill life of a sober formall cariage in the affaires of religion and that he is not infamous with any notoriousnesse in the world but as good as the best a few precise fellowes of purer straine onely excepted whose pretence and profession of extraordinary sanctity is nothing in his conceit but humour and hypocrisie he therefore I say for hereafter referres himselfe at all aduentures vnto the mercy of God and to the lot and condition of many thousands which are in the same case and state with himselfe But it is otherwise with Gods child For by the power of sanctifying grace as hee hath also mortified all other so specially he hath broke the very heart of the sweete sinne of his vnregeneration And as in a besieged citie where the greatest and most dangerous breach is made there the inhabitants concurre with chiefest care and highest resolution to fortifie and make resistance euen so sith he knowes and feeles that before his calling his delightfull and darling sinne most fearefully wasted his soule and wounded his conscience hee makes sure to imploy his thoughts with speciall edge and indignation to countermine preuent resist abominate and abandon all thought of that sinne And now by the grace of God sitâ— the heart the fountaine is purged and sanctified the streame and heate of their intention and delight is caried another way For he hath found that rich and inestimable Treasure in the Gospell and therfore he sels all that he hath he parts with euery pleasure he casts out of his conceit whatsoeuer hath beene formerly deare
and pretious vnto him and lets all his thoughts with loose raines greatest ioyfulnesse and oftenest meditation run after it and sweetly refresh themselues with the glory and comfort of it If a man vpon the way should find some pretious orient pearle hardly could he keepe his eyes from gazing vpon it his excesse of ioy would easâ—ly command and confine the sight to so rare and hopefull an object vntill hee meet with some skilfull Lapidarie or come where hee might thorowly bee acquainted with the worth and fully enioy the wealth of it Euen so after a man by the illightened eye of his soule and the hand of sauing faith once seaze and lay sure hold vpon the pearle of great price the graces of Gods spirit and eternall life the heart is presently so filled with loue and admiration that for euer after it spends the most the dearest and the noblest thoughts vpon it and they once set on foot are so cheered and rauished with the heauenly beautie thereof that they follow with continuall increase of feruencie and longing vntill they come vnto the cleere vision and full possession of it at the right hand of God in the endlesse ioyes of the world aboue The thoughts then of a true Christian are of a farre more heauenly temper diuine nature and higher straine then the largest heart of the best vnregenerate man can or doth possiblie comprehend The formall hypocrit may haue his mind worthily busied in points of deepest learning in the mysteries of State affaires of kingdomes in the best and highest considerations which nature art moralitie or policy can afford nay he may sometimes entertaine into his thoughts with ioy the promises of grace the happinesse of the Saints the ioyes of heauen and the like though these haue neuer any root or long residence in him But that the word of grace should so emplant it selfe into the inner man that the thoughts should neuer be so well or welcome to the heart as when they are wading in the great mysterie of godlines and with an holy wisedome plotting for the inlargement of Christs glorious kingdome in himselfe and others That it should make all other discourses of the mind subordinate and contributarie to such heauenly meditations and to this end set bounds and limits to the millions of imaginations that daily arise and erect an holy regiment amongst them I say this is the speciall prerogatiue of a sanctified man For he alone because of his truth sincerity and vprightnesse in the inner parts makes conscience of idle vaine and wandring thoughts of which the formall hypocrite either takes no notice at all or not much to heart Hee is as much cast downe vext and grieued with their disorder and exorbitancie as with the errors and infirmities of his words and actions and therefore establisheth as it were a gratious gouernment amongst them to keepe out confusion idlenes and rebellion He confines them to a reuerent and feeling meditation vpon Gods word and workes to a care of conscionable managing the affaires of his calling onely sometimes but sparingly with many cautions exceptions and seasonablenes letting them out to honest recreations Whatsoeuer thought is wandring without this compasse or within it vnsincere is sinful so that if he take any stragling without these limits any enticers to vanities and impertinencies any obtruders and disturbers of so happie inward peace he presently apprehends them by the watchfull eye of his spirituall wisedome examines them by the law of God arraignes them in the consistorie of an illightened conscience and so cuts them off in time by the power of grace and sword of the spirit that is by opposing against them at the first rising in the heart by present repentance prayer and after-watchfulnesse he blessedly rids himselfe of the miseries and distraction of prophane and troublesome thoughts That this is no Idea I now propose vnto you howsoeuer it so be to euery vnregenerate man and so when hee heares it he conceiues of it for little knowes hee what adoe euery child of God hath with his thoughts I say that this is no Idea or idle abstraction appeares pregnantly and plentifully in Dauids practise who for all the strong enticements ordinarilie incident to the pleasures of a Court and naturall libertie of Princes although the cares and waight of a kingdome lay vpon him and that his Royall innocencie was still haunted and assailed with such indignities and vexations which might almost haue swayed the blessed and quiet thoughts of a glorious Angell to distraction and discontentment yet for all this the law of God did still principally take vp his heart and that day and night Gods word and workes his statutes and iudgements were meate and drinke vnto his mind and his meditation continually as is more then plaine in many places of the 119. Psalm Oh saith he in the 13. portion how loue I thy law it is my meditation continually So vnexpresseable here was his pang of holy loue vnto Gods law that hee prefixeth a particle of zeale and extraordinarie passion Oh saith hee And where the heart hath once truely and sixedly set it loue there all the thoughts feast themselues with dearest apprehensions and with greatest impatiencie of all other imployment This is the verie case then of all Gods seruants they meditate on the word of God most contentedly and continually because they loue it farre before and aboue all earthly things and so dearely doe they loue it because in it with speciall security are conueied vnto them all the rich treasures of mercy remission of sinnes spirituall comfort and eternall life and particularly sealed vnto them by 〈◊〉 Spirit of the same word Salomon confirmes this worthie 〈◊〉 of his Father by his testimony Prou. 12.5 The thoughts of the iust are right iudgement or iustice for so the word signifies in the Originall but the suttle deuices of the wicked are deceit The thoughts of all vnregenerate men are commonly either rooting in the earth or drowned in pleasures or running after preferment or ranging vp and downe idly and prophanely or fruitleslie melancholike or if sometimes they glance or settle themselues vpon good things they are still as a menstruous clout and abomination to the Lord because their consciences are not renewed their hearts purged their persons sanctified and accepted But the thoughts of euery child of God are ordinarily working for the maintenance and furthering of Gods glory and good causes for procuring true good to their brethren especially in spirituall things for increasing grace in themselues and their store of comfort against the day of triall And if so be which sometimes befals the best they be crost by sinful motions in themselues or suggestions of Satan yet by their surprizing and suppressing them at the very first rising and assault and by present repentance they are vndoubtedly euer pardoned vnto them in Christ Iesus Giue me leaue I pray you to illustrate this varietie and difference of thoughts which I haue
now largely laid downe vnto you in our selues for the neerer pressing of our consciences and that in the matter of Elections Let vs imagine a notorious sinner to haue a voice and hand in such businesse His very first thoughts would bee to haue no thought at all of Oath or Statute of conscience or honestie of honour of his Colledge or good of the Church but would resolue out of the prophane principles of his vast conscience and by the benefit of a large acception of charitie to bee indifferent for all commers Only in his choâ—ce hâ—e would haue an eie to the maine that the state of good-fellowship should take no disparagement or diminution and therefore he would most carefully cast about with himselfe by all meanes to defeate and preuent the purposes and to stoppe the passage especially of all Puritanes You must know by the way that these are a very dangerous kind of men able to blow vp whole Houses by their too fierie zeale against idlenesse drunkennesse other shamefull corruptions close and politike cariages of many rotten and vnconscionable causes and the like For by Puritanes in this place I only vnderstand them for euen such are so branded who make conscience of studie and religious education of Schollers who are readie euer and resolute to vphold goodnesse in a House though they be crusht disgraced and disoffic'd who out of a gracious and ingenuous freedom of Spirit wil be their owne men in Elections and other Collegiate seruices and not suffer their consciences to be led hood-winkt to serue other mens humours and priuate ends who chuse rather in a neglected state sweetly to enioy the continuall feast and perpetuall paradise of a sincere heart true and inward comfort the societie of Gods seruants then for many times full dearely bought fauours and offices to enthrall and violence both their iudgements and affections to liue reseruedly vnder a maske and at a haires breadth for all occasions and obseruances so wearing out a little miserable time in a glorious and countenanced slauery In a word who of the two would rather saue their soules then prosper in the world Now such fellowes as these thinks he with himselfe which seeme as it were by an hypocriticall Monopoly to haue engrost all sinceritie honestie and good conscience must be kept out or if by some dysaster they creep in amoÌ„gst vs be curbd and kept vnder else shal not we sway and domineere Hereupon all the labour of his wit and toile of his thoughts would bee to plant a thorne where a vine should grow and to burden these sacred and honourable Mansions designed onely for gracious and golden wits with leaden drones and swarmes of worthlesse and witlesse creatures Secondly the thoughts of the grosse hypocrite in this waightie businesse of Elections would bee as vtterly void of all conscionable and ingenuous considerations as the notorious sinners First he would commune with his own couetous heart for commonly worldlinesse is the master sinne in the grosse hypocrite therefore I follow the thoughts rising thence he would within himselfe cast a greedy and rauenous eie vpon the condition of all the competitours for the place and at length conclude and be sure to seaze vpon that party let his learning or honestie be what it would where in all likelihood he might make the richest pray and sucke out the greatest aduantage Either purchase a great friend strengthen his faction gratifie his fauourites receiue a present bribe or else which is a secret but a sinfull policie by weighing circumstances marking insinuations and former cariages expect the largest after gratification close and indirect considerations and the most liberal New-yeeres gifts for in them certainely sometimes lurkes corruption These things thus thought vpon there followes now in him an addition to the iniquitie of the notorious sinner He is not content to be thus starke naught but he must double his sin by seeming good it is not enough for him to be thus cursedly pestilent to the place where he liues but hee must enlarge the mischiefe by putting on a vizard of piety He therfore in a second place would beate his braines how he might varnish ouer this villany with most probable and fairest pretences The bribe must come in vpon other termes with other circumstances then the grossenesse of that vile sinne is wont to be conuaied hee thinkes how he may deale openly and in the eie of the world with men without all suspition while the matter is carried vnderhand by suttle mediate and most exercisde Agents in the goodly affaires of abominable corruption Lastly he is much troubled in mind how for all this he may continue a good opinion with good men and giue satisfaction to those whom he deceiues by his seeming but by much practise he makes this reasonable easie for politicke hypocrisie hath so many faces turnings and euasions that it can too easily insinuate with and satisfie vnsuspicious innocent and charitable sinceritie Hee can tell them of some depths in the mysterie of gouernment which euery precise vnderling cannot comprehend that some libertie and dispensation must be giuen to statute-discretion against the bare letter and strict meaning of the statute that wee liue not in Platoes common-wealth or Mores Eutopia but in corrupt times in the very confluence of all the sins of former ages and therfore it is vtterly impossible to keepe a mans selfe so passingly pure from all spice of contagion that something must needs be yeelded to the times else there is no liuing at least no prospering in the world Thus the grosse hypocrite is euer as thoughtfull for outward plaistering as secret plotting Thirdly let vs conceiue what would bee the inward discourse and workings of the heart in the formall hypocrite about disposing his voice in Elections His thoughts in these cases perhaps would not be extremely base nor grosly wicked it may be he would be able to cleare euen his conscience and inmost conceit much more to wash his hands from the hatefull and crying sinne of downe-right briberie This horriblenes is onely for notorious sinners and grosse hypocrites Nay out of some sudden pang of highest resolution that ingenuousnesse of nature or morall honestie can produce he might take heart to answer and withstand the suites and importunitie of Greatnesse and great meanes only with this reseruation so that his present happines be not therby mainly hazarded nor hope of his future preferment certainely cut off For we must still hold this principle concerning the formall hypocrite if hee bee brought to a iumpe hee will euer make euen Gods holy word conscience religion desires and intreaties of godly men and all to yeeld and stoope to the worldly comforts hee presently enioies but vpon as faire termes and with as plausible conueiance as may be It may be he will be good in many things and outwardly in all but say the Prophets what they will he must into the house of Rimmon God must be mercifull vnto
if such an one as these should bee chosen by my default and faintheartednesse I should in some sort and measure be iustly guiltie and answerable before that high and euerlasting Iudge of the many miseries and mischiefes which ordinarily ensue vpon so vnhappie a choice Hereupon after a mature and impartiall suruay of all circumstances considerable in the partie the statute and whole businesse he singles out him with sinceritie and singlenesse of heart whom in conscience he thinks most sufficient and there hee stickes with a truely Christian and vnshaken resolution pitcht by the verie power and strength of heauen and come what come will tempests or faire weather preferment or pouertie threatnings or flatterie policie or persuasion priuate importunities or frownings of Greatnesse he is at a point infinitely rather to keepe a good conscience and saue his soule then to enioy the present and gaine the whole world For hee well knowes that the day is at hand euen that great and fearefull Day when the consciousnesse of one gratious action performed with vprightnesse of heart will breed more comfort then the glory riches and soueraignty of the whole earth To conclude this point As vnregenerate and sanctified thoughts differ much in their workings euen about the same Obiects so there are some which are Gods childs peculiar with which the state of vnregeneration is vtterly vnacquainted They are such as these First thoughts full of scare and astonishment all hell and horrour which rise out of the heart when it is first stricken with sense of Gods wrath at the sight of his sinnes These are scorched in verie manie euen with the flames of hell in their conuersion They burne sometimes the verie marrow out of their bones and turne the best moysture in them into the drought of Summer No print or skarre of these wofull and wounded thoughts appeare in the heart of the formall hypocrite This hell vpon earth is onely passed thorow by the heires of heauen while the children of hell haue commonlie their heauen vpon earth 2 Secondly thoughts composed al of pure comfort ioy heauen immortalitie the sweet and louely issues of the spirit of adoption These flow onely from the fountaine of grace and spring vp in that soule alone which hauing newly passed the strange agonies and sore pangs of the new-birth is presently bathed in the blood of Christ lulled in the bosome of Gods dearest mercies and secured with the seale and secret impression of his eternall loue and sacred spirit not only from the rage of hell but also of an euerlasting and roiall inheritance aboue Oâ— the heart of the vnregenerate man is farre too narrow base and earthy to comprehend the vnmixed pleasureâ— the glorious Sunshine of those blessed and ioyfull thoughts which immediatelie follow vpon the stormes of feares and terrour ordinarily incident to a sound conuersion 3 Thirdly thoughts of spirituall rauishment and vnutterable rapture slashes of eternall light raised sometimes in the hearts of the Saints and occasionally inspired by the Spirit of all endlesse comfort which with vnconceiueable amazement and admiration feed vpon and fill themselues with the ioies of the second life in such an vncouth extasie and excesse as is farre aboue and without the compasse and concâ—it of all worldly comforts the tongue of Angels or heart of man In this point I appeale to the conscience of the true Christian for I know full well that all my Discourse is a parable and paradoxe to the prophane whether hee hath not sometimes as it were a sea of comfort rained vpon his heart in a sweet shower from heauen and such a sensible taste of the euerlasting pleasures by the glorious presence of inward ioy and peace as if he had the one foot in heauen alreadie and with the one hand had laid hold vpon the crown of life especially after a zealous heate feeling feruencie in praier after an entire gracious and profitable sanctifictation of the Sabbath at the time of some great and extraordinarie humiliation entertaind and exercised with fruit and sinceritie when he hath freshly with deepest groanes and sighes and new struglings of spirit renewed his repentance vpon occasion of relapse into some old or fall into some new sin when the empoisoned arrowes of cruell and fierie tongues pointed with malice policy and prophanenesse come thickest vpon him and yet retyring into his owne innocent heart he finds no cause of such mercilesse vexation but defence of Gods truth and profession of holinesse Nay sometimes vpon on the deaths-bed to a soule conscious of an vpright and vnspotted life the ioies of heauen present themselues before the time so longing a sympathy is there betwixt the life of grace and endles glory Such like ioyfull springings and heauenly eleuations of hart as these which I haue now mentioned are the true Christians peculiar no stranger can meddle with them no heart can conceiue them but that which is the Temple of Gods pure and blessed Spirit Thus farre of the difference of their thoughts in respect of their nature and manner of working Now in a second place Gods child is notably differenced from the formall hypocrite by the seasonablenesse of his thoughts and their holy seruing the time In a body of best and exactest constitution the senses are quicke and nimble and sharpliest discerne with greatest life and vigour apprehend their obiects and are most sensibly affected or displeased with their conuenience or antipathy Euen so in a hart of a true spiritual temper seasoned and softned with the dew of grace the thoughts are actiue readie and addrest with zeale contentment to encline and apply themselues to the condition of the times and varietie of occasions offered for some holy vse to the bettering of the soule and the enlarging of Gods glory In the time of fasts sackcloth if Gods iudgements be threatned out of the Pulpit or executed from heauen when the Church weares her mourning weed sincerity droupes and the godly hang down their heades in such blacke and dismall daies they are impatient of all temporall comfort they willingly put on sadnesse to entertaine penitencie humiliation and sorrow but they are clothed with ioy and lightsomnesse when mercie and saluation are wisely and seasonably proclaimed out of the booke of life when religion spreads and prospers and diuine truth hath free passage when whole States haue escaped the bloodie Papists Gunpowder and the roiall breasts of Kings their empoisoned kniues and in such like ioyful and happy times Thus the thoughts and inmost affections of Gods child haue their changes their seueral seasons and successions as it pleaseth the Lord to offer or execute mercie or iudgement out of his word or in the world abroad But the thoughts of the formall hypocrite though they suffer indeed many alterations and distractions about earthly obiects they ebbe and flow with discontent or comfort as his outward state is fauoured or frowned vpon by the world yet spirituall
way vnto his first sinfull motions Lastly a principall imployment of holy wisedome in guarding the thoughts is spent in giuing a wise and humble entertainement vnto the good motions of Gods blessed spirit and in furnishing and supplying the mind with store of profitable and godly meditations For as vnregenerate men giue commonly easie passage to pleasing worldly thoughts but suppresse gratious stirrings inclinations to godly sorrow repentance sincerity as though they were tentations to precisenes so contrarily Gods child labours by all meanes to stoppe the way to the first sinfull sensuall thoughts but alwaies desires with speciall humilitie and reuerence to imbrace all the motions of Gods spirit warranted and grounded in his word Hee deerely and highly esteemes them cherisheth and feeds them with spirituall ioy and thankfulnesse of heart with prayer meditation and practise For if a man begin once to be neglectiue of godly motions by little and little he grieues the spirit at length he quencheth it at last he is in danger of despighting it if not by profession and directly yet in his practise and by an indirect opposition in slandering and persecuting spirituall graces in Gods children Besides this worthie care of entertaining and nourishing good motions hee is prouident to gather and treasure vp store of good matter and heauenly businesses for the continuall exercise of his mind left that noble power of his soule should be taken vp with trisles and vanitie feede vpon earth or weare and wast it selfe with barren and lumpish melancholie Hee is much grieued and vexed if he find at any time his heart caried away with transitorie delights carnall and vnprofitable thoughts or his mind musing impertinently and gazing vpon the painted and vanishing glory of the world Especially sith there is such plentifull and pretious choice of best meditations obuious to euery Christian able to fill with endlesse contentment all the vnderstandings of men and Angels for euer As the incomprehensible gloriousnesse of God in the infinite beauty of his owne immediate Maiesty and sacred attributes in his word and workes in his iudgements and mercies in his Church and Sacraments The miraculousnesse of our redemption and all the comfortable and glorious passages thereof The great mysterie of godlinesse the power of grace trade of Christianity and course of sanctification matter of sweetest contemplation Concerning our selues there is to be thought vpon all the affaires of our calling the particulars perplexities and cases of conscience incident vnto them Our present vilenesse and fearefull infirmities the miseries and frailtie of this life the traines of Satan the terrors of hell that great iudgement euen at hand In our spirituall state how to preserue our first loue escape relapses grow in grace keepe a good conscience come to heauen And when the â—ie of our vnderstanding is dazled with those higher considerations or wearied with these inferiour it might refresh it selfe with the speculatiue fruition of many inuisible comforts with variety of heauenly things concerning the immortality of our soules the large promises of euerlasting blessednesse the glorious rising againe of our bodies the ioyes and rest of Gods saints aboue and that which is the crowne and conclusion of all our owne most certaine blissefull state of happinesse and eternity in the second world If men had grace and comfort to enlarge their harts to such meditations as these what roome would there be for earthli-mindednes vanities and impertinencies much lesse for proud ambitious couetous lustfull enuious and reuengefull thoughts Thus far of the care and conscience of the true Christian in watching ouer and guiding his thoughts which is a speciall marke of difference from all states of vnregeneration for the regenerate onely keepe the last commandement which rectifies the inward motions of the heart Now lastly in a fourth place and in a word Gods child is distinguished from the formall hypocrite in respect of the issue of his thoughts The most comfortable and sanctified soule is neuer in such perpetuall serenitie but that it is sometimes as it were ouerclouded with dumps of heauinesse and inwardly disquieted with it owne motions or the suggestions of Satan While this flesh is vpon it it shall be sorrowfull and while it is in this vale of teares it must mourne There is not an heart so sweetely and resoluedly composed for heauen but is sometimes dissetled with thoughts of indignation And that especially as appeareth by Dauid Psalm 37. and 73. When follie is set in great excellencie when men neither of worth conscience or ingenuitie are aduanced to high roomes domineere in the world and imperiously insult ouer sincerity when the wicked prosper and spread themselues in fresh pleasures and honours like greene Bay-trees when those haue their eyes standing out for fatnes and more then heart can wish to whom pride and insolencie are as a chaine and who are couered with prophanenesse and crueltie as with a garment But here marke the diffâ—â—ence Discontentfull discourses in the mind of the formall hypocrite either breake out into desperate conclusions and fearefull horrour although this be but seldome for commonly this kind of vnregenerate man liues flourishingly and dies fairely in the eye of the world exemplarie and irrecouerable despaire in this life doth oftnest befall either the notorious sinner the meere ciuill honest man or especially the grosse hypocriâ—e therefore I would rather say that in him such discontentfull debatements are either appeased by some opposite conceit of stronger worldly comfort abandoned by entertainment of outward mirth diuerted by companie pleasures and ioyfull accidents composed by worldly wisedome or the like But heauie-hearted thoughts in Gods child though for a while not vtterly without some aspersion of distrust fretting and discontent yet commonly at length being mingled with faith and managed with spirituall wisedom by the grace of God breake out into fairer lightening of comfort greater heate of zeale more liuely exercise of faith gratious speeches and many blessed resolutions I will but onely giue one instance and that in Dauid a man of singular experience in spirituall affaires Looke the beginnings of the 62. and 73. Psalmes And you shall find Dauid to haue beene in a heauie dumpe and sore conflict in his owne heart with strong tentations vnto impatiencie He recounts the issue of the dispute with himselfe in the beginnings of these Psalmes Yet saith he in the 73. for all this God is good vnto Israel euen to the pure in heart In the 62. Yet let diuels and men rage and combine yet my soule keepeth silence vnto God of him commeth my saluation c. His many wrongs vexations and indignities together with the implacable malice and impotent insultations of his aduersaries had no doubt a little before much run in his mind Let vs conceiue such as these to haue beene his thoughts and that thus or in the like maner hee communed and confered with his royall selfe Lord thinks he with himselfe I haue with lowest humilitie and