as for them he was in a manner delivered up to Satan to be contumeliously used as he seemes to conceive from Shimei's cursing of him 2 Sam. 16. 10. For Shimei being an instrument of Satans in cursing and Satan thereto permitted by God upon some crime for which he had accused him to God he there calls it Gods saying to Shimei Curse David And yet because he continued not with indulgence in any of them his heart presently smiting him as in the case of numbring the people and recalling him to instant reformation save onely in that concerning Uriah the Hittite wherein it appears that he continued neere the space of a yeere from before the conception till after the birth of the child as is cleare by the time of Nathans comming to him 2 Sam. 12. 1. t is therefore left upon record by God That David did that which was right in the sight of the Lord and turned not aside from any thing that he commanded him all the dayes of his life save onely in the matter of Uriah the Hittite 1 King 15. 5. 67 From whence although I shall not conclude that God saw no other sinne in David but that in the matter of Uriah because I know he saw and punisht that of numbring the People and for that other though not acted yet designed under oath against Nabal 1 Sam. 25. 22. Abigail discernes that it was a causelesse shedding of blood and an act of revenge v. 31. and so no small sinne in Gods sight yet t is cleare that the sin in the matter of Uriah that onely sinne continued in for any long time made another manner of separation betweene God and David contracted another kind of guilt and was a farre greater waster to conscience then any of those other more speedily retracted sinnes did was the onely remarkable {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} drawing back or turning aside from obedience to God the onely grand defection shaking off Gods yoke and so the onely chasme in his regenerate state 68 These 4 Propositions being premised whereof 3 were affirmative and this last of a middle nature The rest will be negative As 69 Fiftly Hypocrisie is not reconcileable with a good conscience I mean not Hypocrisie which consists in the concealing from the eyes of men the sins or frailties he is guilty of for supposing those frailties to be what they are i. e. acknowledging in them a guilt proportionate to their nature I cannot see why the bare desire to conceale them from the eyes of men separated from the sins or frailties themselves and from any treacherous designe in such concealing should be thought to superadde any farther degree of guilt when on the other side the publicknesse of a sinne is an aggravation of it makes it more scandalous and so more criminous also Nor againe doe I meane that hypocrisie which is the taking in any thought of the praise of men and the like in our best actions for as long as we have flesh about us some degrees of this will goe neare sometimes to insinuate themselves and then though they prove blemishes to those best actions and by anticipating the payment and taking it here before hand robbe us of that heavenly reward hereafter which would otherwise be rendred to us according to those works yet stil being but spots of sons reconcileable with a regenerate estate as the straw and combustible superstruction is in Saint Paul compatible with the true substantiall foundation they will be reconcileable with good conscience also which is alwayes commensurate to a regenerate estate 70 But the hypocrisy which I meane is first that which is opposite to and compatible with Sincerity first the deceiving of men with a pretence of piety putting off the most Un-Christian sins having no more of Christianity then will serve to mischieve others i. e. onely the pretence of it to disguise the poyson of a bitter heart Secondly the deceiving of God or thirdly his owne soule not dealing uprightly with either and nothing more contrary then this to a good conscience 71 Secondly the maimed mutilate obedience the compounding betwixt God and Satan the Samaritanes fearing the Lord and serving their owne Gods joyning others with God and paying to them a respect equall or superiour to that which they pay to God serving Mammon and God or Mammon more then God Or 72 Thirdly the formall profession the {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} or outside-garbe of Godlinesse not joyning the inward but making a meer pageant of piety denying the power thereof Or 73 Fourthly the hypocrisy of the wisher and woulder that could wish he were better then he is could be well pleased to dye the death of the righteous to have all the gainfull part the revenue and crown of a good Conscience but will not be at the charge of a conscientious life Or 74 Fiftly the hypocrisy of the partiall obedient that is {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} of duty chooses out the easy smooth plyable doctrines of Christianity the cheap or costlesse performances the {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} will serve the Lord his God of that which costs him nothing will doe some things that have nothing contrary to passions in generall or particularly to his passions like Herod that could heare Iohn Baptist gladly be present at as many Sermons as he could wish and many the like painlesse performances but when the weightier matters of the law expect to be taken up also cannot submit to such burthens Or 75 Sixthly the hypocrisy of the temporary which abstaines onely as long as the punishment is over his head and awes him to it or as long as he meets with no temptations to the contrary both which what place they have in the death-bed repentance even when it is not onely a sorrow for sinne but a resolution of amendment also I leave it to be considered Or 76 Seventhly the hypocrisy of those which commit evill that good may come of it who venture on the most Vn Christian fins for Gods glory accept the person of the Almighty doe injustice for his sake or rather suppose him impotent and fetch in the Devill or their owne vile lusts to releive and assist God of whom the Apostle pronounceth their damnation is just Rom. 3. 8. Or 77 Lastly the hypocrisy of him which keeps any one close undeposited sinne upon his soule These are each of them contrary to some part of the ground of good Conscience to the foundation of Christian confidence some to the sincerity some to the resolution and some to the obedience {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} in all and some to the perseverance which is absolutely necessary to the good Conscience 78 A sixth Proposition is that a supine wilfull course of negligence and sloth whether in duties of mans particular calling or more especially in the duties of the generall calling as we are Christians that sinne of {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman}
{non-Roman} is not reconcileable with a good Conscience Omissions being destructive such they may be as well as commissions whether it be omission of the performance of morall or Christian precepts Christs improvements of the Law in the Sermon on the Mount being not onely as Counsells but Precepts obligatory to Christians or whether it be onely the wilfull supine slothfull neglecting the meanes of knowledge such as are agreeable to my course of life Or the neglecting to make use of those meanes which are necessary to enable me to get out of any sinne One act of which nature was by Christ noted and censured in his Disciples Their not fasting and praying to cast out that Devill that would not otherwise be cast out Or the not avoyding such occasions which are apt to betray me to it Such acts as these are as Christ saith to those Disciples acts of faithlesnesse and perversenesse Mat. 17. 17. and cosequently the continued course of them contrary to the sincerity of endeavour and so unreconcileable with a good conscience 79 The seventh Proposition is that all habituall customary obdurate sinning is unreconcileable utterly with a good Conscience I adde the word Obdurate which signifies the hardning of the heart against the knowledge of the truth against exhortations against threats of Gods word against checks of naturall Conscience or illuminations of grace against resolutions and vowes to the contrary for this will make any habit certainly unreconcileable with a good Conscience Whereas it is possible that some Customary sinning may be through ignorance of the duty and that ignorance if it be not contracted by some wilfulnesse of mine may be matter of excuse to me and so reconcileable with a good conscience by force of the second Proposition But the obdurate holding out against Gods spirit either knocking for admittance but not opened to or checking and restraining from sin after conversion and not harkned to resisting all Gods methods of working on us and still resolutely walking after the flesh this is by no means reconcileable with a good conscience nay nor any habit of sin simply taken for that is exclusive of the habit of piety necessary to the good coscience unlesse it have that authentique plea of faultlesse ignorance to excuse it 80 The eighth proposit on is that any deliberate presumptuous act or commission of any sin against which damnation or not inheriting the Kingdome of heaven is pronounced in the New Testament being not immediately retracted by repentance humiliation and all the effects of godly sorrow 2 Cor. 7. 11. is wholly unreconcileable with a good conscience Such are Gal. 5. 19. Adultery fornication uncleannesse lasciviousnesse foure distinct degrees of incontinence Idolatry witchcraft two degrees of impiety hatred variance emulation wrath strife sedition heresies envyings murthers nine degrees of the pride of life or that other branch of carnality flowing from {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} or the irascible faculty drunkennesse revelling the species of intemperance and such like and the same with some variation and addition 1 Cor. 6. 9 10. and Eph 5. 5. Every one of these at the very commission have the nature of peccata sauciantia wounding the Sinner to the heart letting out a great deale of good blood and vitall spirits and weakning the habit of Christian vertue of peccata clamantia crying sins the voice of conscience so wronged by them calling to heaven for judgement against such oppressours or perhaps Satan carrying an accusation thither against such offenders and if upon this they be not straight retracted by an earnest contrition humiliation and repentance they then proceed farther to be any one act of them peccata vastantia conscientiam Sins wasting despoiling the conscience betraying to some sadder punishment even desertion and withdrawing of grace and delivering up to our own hearts lusts a consequent of which are all vile affections Rom. 1. and that {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} cursing Heb. 6. 8. 81 Just as it was the manner of the Jewes Judicatures He that was punished by their {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} separation or {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} not permirted to come neare any man within foure cubits if he did not thereupon shew and approve his repentance within the space of two moneths on that contumacy was then smitten with their {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} the anathemation or execration and sometimes cast into prison So is Gods dealing with the sinner remaining imperitent for such a space substraction of Gods grace and spirit the curse of the Gospel is his portion 82 For the clearing of which truth yet faâ—therr t will be observable that the danger that arises from one sinne of the first magnitude against which the sentence is pronounced that they who are guilty of such shall never inherit eternall life is or may be to him that after the knowledge of the truth relapses into it as great as that which is incurred by many lesser sinnes or by a relapsing into a generality of impure life and therefore the remaining in that one sinne will be as unreconcileable with a regenerate estate as the remaining in many other and proportionably one act of it as noxious and wasting to conscience as apt to provoke God to withdraw his spirit as many acts of those lesser sins and though neither any single act either of lesser or greater sinne in a sincere lover of Christ presently retracted as it will be if he continue so doth so grieve as to quench Gods spirit utterly so provoke God as to make him wholly withdraw his grace and totally desert him yet if that one sin be continued in favoured and indulged to either by multiplying more acts of it or by no expressing repentance for it by all those means which the Apostle requires of his incestuous Corinthian or which are named as effects of godly sorrow 2 Cor. 7. 11. this direfull punishment of desertion is then to be expected as the reward of any one such sinne and from thence will follow any impossibility for that man so diserted ever to return to repentance again Gods speciallayde which is now withdrawne being absolutely necessary to that 83 Where yet of those that thus remain in any such sin there is some difference For some that so remain in sinne doe so remain that they desire not to get out of it hate to be reformed others thoughensnared so in sin that they cannot get out yet are very earnest and sollicitous to find out some means to break through and escape out of those snares and then this latter state of soul though it be not sufficient to give claime or right to mercy the victory over the world the actuall forsaking of all such sins being necessary to that and not only our wishes that we were victorious yet is it a nearer and more hopefull capacity of the grace of repentance more likely to be blessed by the returning of
Gods spirit enabling to repent then that former state of contemptuous continuers in the same sin appeares to be 84 For though in both these states there is no repenting without Gods new gift of grace and no absolute promise that God will be so gracious to such sinners yet there is a place 1 Iohn 5. 16. which makes a difference betweene sinne unto death and sinne not unto death both of them states of impenitence and persisting in sin but differing as the two latter degrees of excommunication did among the Iewes Cherem and Scammatha both noting a totall separation but the latter a finall also and by the composition of the word intimating death or desolation giving up the sinner to divine vengeance as hopelesse or contumacious in reference to which the phrase is here used a sinne unto death whereas the other of impenitence not arrived to that desperate contumacy is a state of curse under cherem and anathema but not unto death yet and allowes this priviledge to the prayers of faithfull men for others that they shall obtain life for those that have sinned not unto death where that the not being to death of a sinne is to be taken not from the matter of the sinne but from the disposition of the sinner and so from this desiring to get out though he remain in it or somewhat answerable to that might if any doubt were made of it be proved as by other arguments so by putting together the peculiar use of the word {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} in that Authour for abiding and continuing in sinne and the no extenuation that such abiding is capable of so farre as to make one such abiding so much lesse then another such abiding as that one should be called {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} the other not save only this of wishing and heaving and labouring to get out which supposes some remainder of exciting though not of Sanctifying or assisting grace while the other goes on without any care or love or desire of reformation 85 And though still there be no promise that such a relapst unreformed sinners prayers shall be heard for himselfe upon that bare desire to get out which his praying for grace will suppose there being no such promise of grace to the relapst person upon his prayer as there is to any else yet it is cleare from that place of Saint Iohn that this priviledge belongs to the prayers of other faithfull penitents for such a more moderate degree of unfaithfull impenitents upon their request God will give life to such i. e. such a degree of grace as shall be sufficient to enable them to recover back to repentance of which being given them upon the others prayers if they make use as infallibly they will if they were and continue to be really sollicitous to get out of that state they shall undoubtedly live eternally 86 The practice of which doctrine of Saint Iohns thus explayned you shall see every where in the stories of or canons for the paenitents where they that for any sinne of Ecclesiasticall cognizance were excommunicated did return to the peace of the Church an image of the peace of God by severall degrees of which the first was to stay and oft lye without the Church doores and in the portch at houres of prayer and desire those that retained the honour of being accounted faithfull and so had liberty to go into the Church to pray to God for them Which as the secure supine negligent impaenitent was not likely to doe so was he not to expect the benefit of it nor the Christian brother obliged to pray for him though yet by Saint Iohns {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} I say not of that or concerning that state of sinne that he shall pray I am not convinced that it were unlawfull so to doe 87 By all this thus set and bounded with its due limitations the truth of my eight Proposition will appeare of the unreconcileablenesse of such presumptuous acts of such branded sinnes unretracted with a regenerate estate or good Conscience as being indeed quite contrary to every part and branch of the premised ground of a good Conscience 88 To which all that I shall adde is onely this that he that tenders but the comforts of this life i. e. of a Good Conscience will be sure never to commâ—â— deliberately and presumptuously or having by surreption fallen never to lye downe or continue one minuit unhumbled unreformed in any such sinne on which that direfull fate is by Christ or his Apostles inscribed shall not inherit the Kingdome of heaven where yet as I shall not affirme that nonâ— shall subject us to that danger but those which are there specified for there is added and such like and other sins there may be committed with the like deliberation and presumption and so as contrary to Conscience so shall I not say that all that commit any one act of any of these without that deliberation and presumption or that are presenâ—ly by their own heart smitten and brought to repentance for them shall incur that danger for the words {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} and {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} the doers and committers of them signifie the deliberate committing and indulgent yeelding to them contrary to which the use of surreption at the time and the instant subsequent retractation of them by contrition confession forsaking and reinforcement of greater care and vigilance for the future will be sure meanes to deliver from that danger 89 Whereto yet this caution must be annext which may passe for 90 A ninth Proposition That the frequency or repetition of any such acts after such contrition and resolution is an argument of the unsincerity of that contrition of the deceavablenesse of that pretended greater care and so a symptome of an ill conscience as the spreading of the skall or leprosie after the Priests inspection is sufficient to pronounce the patient uncleane Levit. 13. and as that disease in the relapse may be mortall which at first was not 91 Other more particular niceties I confesse there are the distinguishing of which might be usefull for some mens states and help disabuse them both out of an erroneous and a secure yea and an over trembling conscience But because that which would be thus proper to one being laid down in common or cast into the lottery might have the ill hap to be drawn by him to whom it is not proper as that physick which would purge out a distemper from one wil breed a weaknesse in another and because no wise man ever thought fit to take lawes out of generalities I shall resolve rather to obey such reasons and to be directed by such examples not to descend to particulars then to be in danger first of tempting the Readers patience then of interrupting his peace Pray for us for we trust we have a good Conscience in all things willing to live honestly Hob. 13. 18. FINIS {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Tatian {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Tr. of Wil worship {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Hooper Vid. Coch. exe Gem. Sanh p. 148. Buxtorf Instit. Ep. p. 75.