at last with everlasting kindnesse will Hee have mercy on Him And that Hee will never utterly and finally forsake any of His. Thus died those blessed Servants of God Mistris Bretergh Master Peacock c. Mistris Bretergh in the heate of temptatioÌ„ wished that she had never bin borne or that she had bin made any other creature rather then a woman But when that Hellish storme was over-blowne by the returne of the glorious beames of the Sun of righteousnesse into Her Soule She turnd her tune and triumphed thus Oh happy am I that ever I was borne to see this blessed Day I confesse before the Lord his loving kindnesse and his wonderfull workes before the sons of men For hee hath satisfied my Soule and filled my hungry Soule with goodnesse Master Peacocke in the height of His dreadfull Desertion told those about Him that hee converst with Hell-â—ounds That the Lord had cursed him That Hee had no grace That it was against the course of Gods proceeding to save Him c. But when that horrible tempest of spirituall terrours was happily disperst and the light of Gods comfortable countenance begun to shine againe upon His most heavy and afflicted spirit Hee dis-avowed all inconsiderate speeches as hee called them in his temptation and did humbly and heartily aske mercy of God for them all And did thus triumph What should I extoll the magnificence of God which is unspeakeable and more then any heart can conceive Nay rather let us with humble reverence acknowledge His great mercy What great cause have I to magnifie the great goodnesse of God that hath humbled Nay rather exalted such a wretched miscreant of so base condition to an estate so glorious and stately The Lord hath honored mee with his goodnesse I am sure hee hath provided a glorious Kingdome for mee The joy which I feele in my heart is uncredible 4. Some of Gods worthiest Champions and most zealous servants doe not answere the unreprooveable sanctity of their life and unspotted current of their former conversation with those proportionable extraordinary comforts and glorious Passages upon their beds of death which in ordinary congruity might be expected as a conuenient conclusion to the rare and remarkeable Christian cariages of such blessed Saints So bottomlesse and infinitely un-fathomable by the utmost of all created vnderstandings are the depths of Gods most holy waies and His inscrutable Counsells quite contrary many times to the probable conclusions of Man's best wisdome But every one of His sith he certainly passes thorow those pangs into pleasures and joyes endlesse and unspeakeable must be content to glorifie God to be seruiceable to His secret ends with what kinde of death Hee please whether it bee glorious and untempted or discomfortable because of Bodily distempers and consequently interpretable by undiscerning spirits or mingled of temptations and Triumphs or ordinary and without any great shew or remarkeable speeches after extraordinary singularities of an holy life which promised an end of speciall note and admiration Why may not some worthy heavenly-minded Christians sometimes by strong mortifying meditations and many conquering fore-conceits of death in their life time make it before-hand so familiar and easie unto them an by continuall conversing above and constant peace of conscience taste so deepely of spirituall ioyes that that dreadfull Passage out of this life as it may breede no great sense of alteration in themselves so no extraordinary matter of speciall observation to others Of the wicked and those who were ever strangers to the mystery of Christ and truth of godlinesse Some die desperately Tho thousands perish by presumption to One of these who despaire yet some there are to whom upon their beds of death all their sins are set in order before them and represented to the eie of their awaked consciences in such griesly formes and so terribly that at the very first and fearefull sight they are presently struck starke dead in soule and spirit utterly over-whelmed and quite swallowed up with guilty and desperate horrour So that afterward No counsell or comfort no consideration of the immeasurablenesse of Gods mercy of the unvaluablenesse and omnipotency that I may so speak of Christs bloud shed of the variety excellency of gracious promises of the losse of their owne immortall soules can possibly drive and divert from that infinitely false conceite and cursed Cry My sinnes are greater then can bee pardoned Whereupon most miserable and forlorne wretches they very wickedly and willfully throw themselves into Hell as it were upon earth and are damned above ground Thus the Lord sometimes for the terror of others glorifying his owne iustice bringing exemplary confusion upon impenitent obstinacy in sinne and willfull opposition to grace doth in greatest indignation by the hand of divine vengeance unclaspe unto them the Booke of their owne Conscience and of His owne holy Law In one of which they find now at length all their innumerable iniquities transgressions and sinnes engraven with the Point of a diamond enraged with Gods implacable wrath aggravated with the utmost malice of Satan And never to bee razed out or remitted but by the bloud of the Son of God in which they peremptorily professe themselves to have no part In the other they see the fiercenes and fulnesse of all the curses plagues and torments denounced there and due unto all impenitent sinners ready to bee poured upon their bodies and soules for ever And no possibility to prevent them no waies to decline them but by Gods infinite bounty thorow Iesus Christ in which they also utterly disclaime all right and interest And therefore they are now finally and desperately resolved to looke for no mercy But in their owne judgement and by their owne confession stand reprobates from Gods covenant and voide of all hope of His inheritance expecting with unspeakeable terrour and amazement of spirit the consummation of their miserie and fearefull sentence of eternall damnation They are commonly such as have been grosse Hypocrites like Iudas and lien in some secret abomination against the knowledge of their hearts all their life long that have followed still their owne sensuall wayes and course of the world against the light of the Ministry standing like an armed man in their consciences to the contrary who have been Scorners and Persecutours of the power of godlinesse and the good way who have abjured the Gospell of Iesus Christ and forsaken the Truth for honour wealth or worldly happinesse To whom the Lord in their life-time vouchsafed many mercies much prosperity great meanes of salvation long forbearance c. And yet they stood out still they still hated to bee reformed set as naught all His counsell and would 〈◊〉 of His â—â— proofe Wherefore the Day of gratious visitation beeing once expired a thousand Worlds will not purchase it againe Heaven and Earth cannot recall it No mercy no comfort no blessing can then bee had tho they seeke it with teares
dead Bodies upon which they tread They are ordinarily such as these First Ignorants of two sorts first Vnskild both in the Rules of reason and religion Such are our extremely sottish and grossely ignorant people which swarme amongst us in many places to the great dishonour of the Gospell by reason of the want of Catechising and other discipline secondly Led by the light of naturall conscience to deale something honestly but Ideots in the great mystery of godlinesse Such are our meerely civil honest men Secondly Those that are wise in their owne conceits Isai. 5.21 Beeing strongly perswaded of their good estate to God-ward whereas as yet they have no part at al in the first resurrection Such as those Matth. 7.22 and 25.11 Thirdly all such as are resolved not to take sinne to heart See Isai. 28.15 These either first make God all of mercy secondly or preserue a secret reservation in their hearts to repent hereafter thirdly or have so prodigiously hardened their hearts that they feare not the iudgement to come fourthly or with execrable villany desire to extinguish the very notions of a Deity by a kind of an affected Atheisme and beeing drowned in sensuality labour not to beleeve the Word of God that they may sinne without all checke or reluctation 2. But if it fall out so by Gods blessing that the Word once begin to get within a Man and to worke terrour and trouble of minde for sinne so that He sees him grow sensible of His slavery weary of His former waies and like enough to breake the Prison and bee gone then doth Hee seriously observe and attend which way the Partie enclines and how hee may bee easiliest diverted that hee may thereafter proportion His Plots and Attempts against Him the more prosperously First if hee find Him to have been an horrible sinner of a sad and Melancholike disposition much afflicted with outward crosses c. Hee then laies load upon His affrighted Soule with all his cunning and cruelty that if it bee possible Hee may drive Him to despaire For this purpose Hee keen's the sting of the guilty conscience it selfe all he can sharpens the empoysoned Points of his owne fierydarts addes more grisselinesse to his many hatefull transgressions more horrour to the already flaming vengeance against sin c. That if God so permit Hee may bee sure to strike desperately home and sinke Him deepe enough into that abhorred Dungeon Secondly But if hee perceive Him not to have been infamous and noted for any notorious sinnes By naturall constitution to bee merrily disposed impatient of heavy-heartednesse and formerly much addicted to good fellowship If hee spie him to strive and struggle for dis-intanglement out of these uncouth terrours and re-injoyment of his former worldly delights and Ioviall companions I say then Hee is most forward to follow and feede His humou◠〈◊〉 way also that so He may stifle and utterly extinâ—â—â—sh the worke of the spirit of bondage in the very beginning And to this end he blunts with all the cunâ—â—â—â— he can the sting of a Man 's owne Conscience and quite remooves his owne Hee procures and offers all occasions of oâ—â—ward contentment Hee furnishes His Fellowes in iniquity and the Divels proctors with pernicious eloquence and store of entisements to bring him backe againe to their bent and beastly courses He ministers his owne delicious 〈◊〉 of carnall pleasure to cast His conscience asleepe 〈◊〉 In briefe He leaves no Policy plot or practise un-assayed un-attempted to make the power of the Law unprofitable unto Him and to drowne all his sorrow for sinne in sensuall drunkennesse This then I make the second pestilent Passage out of pangs of conscience to wit when a man to decline them is driven by the subtilty of Satan and perversenesse of his owne flesh if not to Wisards and Wisemen as they call them and other such Oracles of the Divell yet at best to humane Helpes to worldly wisedome to outward mirth Good-fellowship pleasant company His heapes of gold hoards of wealth riches Pastures variety of choisest Pastimes nay for ease to any thing even to Drinking dancing dicing Masking Mis-rule revelling roaring c. or any other such ribald bedlam and raging fooleries 3. Some there are who passe out of trouble of mind for sinne and Legall terrours into a kind as it were of an artificiall enforced unsound untimely and counterfeit peace of conscience I meane it thus when a Mans carnall heart wounded by the terrifying power of the Word with sight and horrour of his former wicked wayes but weary of the wound impatient of spirituall heavinesse wilfully set and resolved obstinately against the holy severities of the Schoole of Repentance mortification godly stricktnesse walking with God c. And withall meeting with some Dawber with untempered mortar who is very ready to heale his heart with sweet words saying Peace peace when there is no peace I say in this case snatches hold of comfort and applies the Promises of mercy and salvation before they belong unto Him Before Hee bee searched to the quicke sounded to the bottome and soundly humbled Before the spirit of Bondage hath as it were it 's perfect worke and Hee kindlily fitted for Iesus Christ. For this purpose they are wont to wrest abuse and misapply many places in the Booke of God The unskilfull Physicions in application and the deluded Patients in apprehension of them Even such as these Come unto mee all yee that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest Matth. 11.28 Yea but they are not weary of all their sinnes but onely troubled with the present terrour nor willing to take upon them the Crosse of Christ Well enough content they are to take Him as a Saviour to preserve them from Hell but not as a Lord a King and an Husband to serve obey and love Him Whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall bee saved Rom. 10.13 Yea but they doe not consider that many also shall cry Lord Lord Matth. 7.22 and 25.11 and yet bee excluded from eternall blisse and therefore all that call savingly upon the Name of Christ must depart from iniquity 2. Tim. 2.19 But they upon recovery will by no meanes depart from their darling delight Hee that beleeveth on the Sonne hath everlasting life Ioh. 3.36 Yea but justifying Faith purifies the heart Acts 15.9 fills it with deare affections unto heavenly things deads it to the World and divorces it quite from all former carnall pleasures and companion-ship I will giue to Him that is athirst of the Fountaine of the Water of life freely Reu. 21.6 Yea but they thirst onely for salvation not for sanctification for mercy not for grace for happinesse not for holinesse c. These men as well as the second sort will by no meanes thorow the pangs of the New-birth into the holy Path. They wickedly misconceiue out of the rotten Principles of their owne worldly wisedome
Booke of God and by consequent un-acquaintednesse with the sinfulnesse and cursednesse of their spirituall state revealed thereby This is the very case of a world of poore ignorant besotted Soules amongst us more is the pitty especially now when the glorious Sunne of Christs Gospell shines so faire and fully in many places For want of light in Gods Law they looke upon their sinnes as wee doe upon the Starres in a cloudy night see onely the great ones of the first magnitude and here one and there one But if they were further illightned and informed aright they might behold hem as those infinite ones in the fairest frosty winters Mid-night A worthy Divine sets out excellently the quietnesse of this ignorant conscience by a very fit resâ—mblance thus Men iudge of their ignorant consciences saith Hee as they doe of their blinde dumbe and ignorant Ministers Such neither doe nor can preach can neither tell men of their sinnes nor of their duties Aske such a blind-guides people what their conceite is of him and what a kind of Man their Minister is and you shall have Him magnified for a passing honest harmelesse man wondrous quiet amongst his neighbours They may doe what they will for Him Hee is none of these troublesome fellowes that will bee reproving their faults or complaining of their disorders in the Pulpit Oh such an one is a quiet good Man indeed Thus iudge many of their consciences If their consciences bee quiet and lye not grating upon them and telling them that their courses are sinfull and damnable and that thâ—ir persons are in a dangerous condition but rather by their silâ—nce ignorance and vaine pretences doe justifie them and tell them all will bee well enough Oh then what excellent consciences have these men They make no conscience of Family-duties once in the yeere to come to the Sacrament serues the turne they are common swearers in their ordinary communication make no conscience of sanctifying Sabbaths c. And their consciences let them alone in all these doe not give them one syllable of ill language Oh what gentle and good-natured consciences thinke these men they have But alas what evill consciences have they 2. Nor others by reason of a covenant with death and an agreement with Hell Such as those Isai. 28 15. who negotiate by their plausible Agents Ease pleasures prosperity and conclude some kind of concord and composition for a time with Satan sinne and their owne consciences But to tell you the truth it is no true peace but a politicke truce For these implacable desperate spirituall enemies of theirs are ever in the meane time preparing Armes Ord'nance and many fiery darts still levying of fresh forces whole armies of fiery Scorpions and flaming terrours with which as soone as the truce is ended they will set upon them with more violence fury and fiercenesse then ever before 3. Nor others By reason of an insensible Brawnednesse growne over and a desperate searednesse imprest upon their consciences by extraordinary villany and variety in sinne Such as those Isai. 5 19. By drawing iniquity a long time with cords of vanity and sinne as it were with a cart-rope by waving the glorious light of the Word under which they sit and which shines on their faces as a foolish thing by villanously trampling under foote the power of it with despite and scorne many times against that light which stands in their consciences like an armed man Nay and by treading out with custome in sinne the very notions that nature hath engraven in their hearts as Men doe the ingravings of Tombe-stones which they walke upon with foule shoes I say thus at length their consciences become so utterly remorselesse and past all feeling so brawned so seared so sealed up with a reprobate sense that with an audacious and Giant like insolency they challenge even God Almighty Himselfe to draw His sword of vengeance against them Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity and sinnes as it were with a cart-rope That say Let him make speede and hasten his worke that wee may see it and let the counsell of the holy one of Israel draw nigh and come that wee may know it These Roarers and swaggering Belials in this respect have consciences worse then the Divell himselfe For Hee beleeves and trembles Even those already desperate and damned spirits tremble at the fore-thought of that fuller wrath which is to come and yet further-deserved damnation 4. Nor others who when it begins ever and anon to grumble mutter and make a noise lull it asleepe agâ—ine with songs of pleasures and still the cries of it with outward mirth as Saul was wont to lay the evill spirit with Musicke These mens consciences are qujet not because they are savingly appeasde but because they are sensuâ—lly pleasâ—e Not because they want matter to trouble and terrifie but because they will give them no leasure to set their sinnes in order before them For this purpose and to keepe these furious Mastives musl'd in the meane time they have recourse unto and improove both variety of delights and multiplicity of imployments For the first This is the reason as one saith wittily that many are so eager in the pursuits of their pleasures because they would make Gods Sergeant their owne conscience that pursues them drunken with these pleasures just as many men use to doe getting the Sergeant that comes to arrest them into the Taverne and there making him drunke that so they may escape For the second How was it possible that Ahitophel should hold out so long from hanging himselfe and horrible confusion of spirit especially sith Hee harbour'd in His bosome such a false rotten abominable heart as appeared by that villanous counsell Hee gave Absalom to lye with His Fathers Concubines in the sight of all Israel except Hee had been a Counseller of State and so necessarily taken up continually with extraordinary variety vicissitude and succession of most waighty and important affaires which would wholly possesse His minde with an un-interrupted attention agitation and exercise and not give it any leave to reflect upon it selfe with those severer cogitations in cold blood which are woont to correct and condemne the enormity of exorbitant courses And thus in all ages many great Men of great wisedome beeing great offenders purposely put and plunge themselves into multitude of businesses that they may have no leasure to listen unto that which their consciences would secretly tell them in their eare of their Machivellian plots prodigious lusts and plausible cruelties The noise of attendants visitants Dependants and great imployments drowne the voyce of conscience in such Cases as the Drummes in the sacrifices to Moloch the Cry of the Infants But while the Men of the world are thus wholly detain'd and doe so greedily upon purpose entertaine the time with cares of this life and dealings in the world their consciences deale with them as Creditors with their
with the Divels painting and false luster carries away captive all carnall men and detaines in a Fooles-Paradise indeed an hellish prison a world of deluded Ones Yet those few illightened Soules whose eyes have been happily opened by spirituâ—ll Eye-salve to turne from darkenesse to light and from the power of Satan unto God behold a double deformity and ouglines in so foule a monster deceitfully dressâ—d in the Divels counterfeite colours and guilded over garishly in His personated Angelical glory 3. It is most filthy Farre filthier then the most stinking confluence of all the most filthy fulsome nasty loathsome things in the world And it must needs bee so For whatsoever a Man can conceive to bee most contrary distant and opposite to the infinite clearenes purity sweetnesse beauty and goodnesse of God all that and much more is sinne in the highest degree Hence it is that in the Scriptures it is compared to the filthiest myre in which a Sow will lie downe to coole and cover her selfe To the loathsome vomite not of a man but of a Dog To the unsavoury poysonfull dampe which rotten Carkases exhale out of opened graves To menstruous filth To the dirt under the nailes or the stinking sweat of the Body or the putrified matter of some pestilent ulcer To the very excrements which Nature having severed froÌ„ the purer part of the meate thrusts out of the stomack casts into the draught To the filthinesse pollutions and impurities of the world so called by a singularity for sin is the transcendent filth of the world To all the uncleannesses for which the Purifications cleansings washings and sprinklings were appointed in the Leviticall Law To abomination it selfe c. Nay and yet further which makes for the further detestation of sinne Whereas all outward filth defiles onely the Body this of sinne by the strength and contagion of it's insinuating poyson soakes thorow the flesh and the bone and enters and eates into the very minde and conscience Tit. 1.15 defiles the pure and immortall Soule of Man How long might wee cast dirt into the Aire before wee were able to infect the bright shining beames of the Sunne Yet so filthy is sinne that at once with a touch it infects the Soule a clearer and purer essence then it and that with such a crimsin and double-â—â—ed staine that the Flood of Noah when all the World was water could not wash it off Neither at that last and dreadfull Day when this great Vniversall shall bee turned into a Ball of fire for the purifying and renewing of the Heaven and the Earth yet shall it have no power to purge or cleanse the least sinne out of the impenitent Soule Nay the fire of Hell which burnes night and day even thorow all eternity shall never bee able to raze it out 4 It is most infectious Spits venome on all sides farre and wide corrupts every thing it comes neare By reason whereof it is fitly resembled to Leaven to a Gangreene to the Leprosie which filthy disease quickly over spreads the whole Body Numb 12.10 Infects the clothes the very Walles of the House Levit. 14.37 c. Posterity 2 King 5.27 The first sinne that eveâ— the Sunne saw was so pregnant with Soule-killing poyson that it hath already damnably polluted all the Sonnes and Daughters of Adam that were ever since and will still by the un-resistable strength of the same contagion empoysâ—n all their natures to the Worlds end Nay at the very first breaking out it suddenly blasted as it were both Heaven and Earth And so stained the beauty of the one the brightnesse of the other and the originall orient newly burnisht glory of the whole Creation that from that houre it hath groaned under the burden of that vanity and deformity to which this first sinne hath made it subject and will travaile in paine under the bondage of the same corruption untill it bee purged by fire in the great Day of the Lord. It but one sinne bee doted upon delightfully and impenitently like a lumpe of Leaven it soures all the Soule defiles the whole Man and every thing that proceeds from Him His thoughts desires affections words actions and that of all sorts naturall civill recreative religious It doth not onely unhallow his meate drinke carriage His buying selling giving lending and all His other dealings in the world even His plowing The plowing of the wicked is sinne Prov. 21.4 But also turnes all his spirituall services and divinest duties His prayer hearing reading receiving the Sacrament c. into abomination If but one raging corruption in a Minister Magistrate Master of a Family as lying swearing filthy-talking scoffing at Religion opposition to godlinesse Sabbath-breaking an humour of Good-fellowship or the like represent it selfe to the eye of the World in His ordinary carriage and hang out as a rotten fruite in the sight of the Sunne it is woont fearefully to infect or offend by a contagious insinuation and ill example all about Him to diffuse it's venome to His Family amongst His Sonnes and Servants over the Parish where Hee lives all companies where hee comes the whole Country round about especially if Hee bee a Man of eminency and Place 5. It is extremely ill A farre greater ill then the eternall damnation of a Man For when Hee hath Ilen many millions of yeeres in the Lake of fire and under the dominion of the second death He is never the nearer to satisfaction for sinne Not all those Hellish â—lames thorow all eternitie can possibly expiate the staine or extingvish the sting of the least sinne Nay the very destruction of all the creatures in the world of Men and Angels Heaven and Earth is a great deale lesse ill then to offend God with the least transgression of His lawes For all the creatures of ten thousand worlds were they all extant come infinitely short in excellency of worth of the Hearts-blood of Iesus Christ. And yet without the effusion of it no sinne could ever have been pardoned nor any Soule saved A man would thinke it a lesser ill to tell a lie then to lie in Hell But heare Chrysostome Altho many thinke Hell to bee the supreame and sorest of all evils yet I thinke thus and thus wil I daily preach That it is farre bitterer and more grievous to offend Christ then to bee tormented with the paines of Hell 6. It is full of most fearefull effects 1. It deprives every Impenitent 1. Of the fauour and love of God the onely Fountaine of all comfort peace and happinesse which is incomparably the most invalue-able losse that can be imagined 2. Of his portion in Christs blood of which tho the drops waight and quantity bee numbred finite and measurable yet the Person that shed it hath stampt upon it such height of price excellency of merit un-value-ablenes of worth that hee had infinitely better have his portion
is the care of those Ministers which divide Gods Word aright say our great Divines of Great Britaine first fitly and wisely to wound the Consciences of their hearers with the terrours of the Law and after to raise them by the Promises of the Gospell c. The Spirit first terrifies those who are to bee justified with the Law breaking and humbling them with threats scourges and lashes of Conscience that thereby despairing of themselves they may flie unto Christ. Wee cannot learne out of the Gospell saith Chemmitius that wee are to bee blessed in Christ except by an anthithesis as Luther speakes we also acknowledge that wee are accursed by the Law The Doctrine of the Law saith Davenant is to be propounded to the impious and impenitent to strike terrour into their hearts and to demonstrate their just damnation except they repent and she to Iesus Christ. Perkins that great Light of our Church both for soundnesse of learnâ—ng sincerâ—ty of iudgement and insight into the Mystery of Christ teâ—ching How Repentance is wrought telâ— vs That first of all a Man must have knowledge oâ— foure things Of the Law of God Of sinne against the Law Of the guilt of sinne and of the Iudgement of God against sinne which is His eternall wrath In the second Place must follow an application of the former knowledge to a Mans selfe by the worke of the conscience assisted by the holy Ghost which for that cause is called the spirit of bondage in this manner The breaker of the Law is guilty of eternall wrath saith the Minde But I am a breaker of the Law of God saith the Conscience as a Witnesse and an Accuser Therefore I am guilty of eternall death saith the same Conscience as a Iudge Every Law shall have His part in the Lake which burneth with fire and brimstone Reuel 21.8 But I am a Liar Therefore I shall have my part in that everlasting fiery Lake And so of other sinnes Covetousnesse Cruelty Drunkennesse Whoredome Swearing Defrauding Temporizing Vsury Filthinesse Self-uncleannesse Foolish talking â—esting Ephes. 5.4 Revellings Galat. 5.21 Prophaning the Lords Day strange apparell Zeph. 1.8 And innumerable sinnes moe which beeing all severally prest upon the heart by a discourse of the guilty conscience as I have said must needs full sorely crush it with many cutting conclusions from which set on by the spirit of bondage is woont to arise much trouble of minde which saith Hee is commonly called the sting of the conscience or penitence and the compunction of heart And then succeedes seasonably and comfortably the worke of the Gospell The Soule beeing thus sensible of and groaning under the burden of all sinne is happily fitted for all the glorious revelations of the abundant riches of Gods dearest mercies for all the comforts graces and favours which shine from the face of Christ for all the expiations refreshings and exultations which spring out of that blessed Fountaine opened for sinne and for uncleannesse Never any of Gods Children saith Greeneham were comforted thorowly but they were first humbled for their Sinnes The course warranted unto us by the Scriptures saith Hieron is this First to endeavour the softning of our Hearers hearts by bringing them to the sight and sense of their owne wretchednes before we adventure to apply the riches of Gods mercy in Christ Iesus The preaching of the Gospell is coÌ„pared by our Saviour Himself unto the Sowing of seedes as therefore the ground is first torne up with the plâ—â—gh before the seede be committed unto it so the fâ—llow ground of our hearts must first bee broken up with the sharpenesse of the Law and the very terrour of the Lord before wee can bee fit to entertaine the sweete seed of the Gospell I would have a Preacher to preach peace and to aime at nothing more then the comfort of the Soules of Gods people yet I would have Him withall frame his course to the manner of Gods appearing to Elijah The Text saith that first a mighty strong winde rent the Mountaines and brake the rockes then after that came an earthquake and after the earthquake came fire and after all these then came a still and a soft voyce After the same manner I would not have the still and milde voyâ—e of the Gospell come till the strong tempest of the Law hath rent the stoâ—y hearts of men and have made theâ—â— beliâ—es to tremble and rottennesse to enter into their bones Or at least because our Auditories are mixt consisting of men of divers humours it shall bee good for Him to deliver His doctrine with that caution that neither the humbled soules may be affrighted with the severity of Gods judgements nor the prophane and unrepentant grow presumptuous by the abundance of Gods mercy The person that is full despiseth the hony-combe saith Salomon And what doth a proud Pharisie or a churlish Nabal or a Politicke Gallio or a scoffing Ishmael care to heare of the breadth and length and depth and height of the love of God in his Sonne Iesus Except it bee to settle them faster upon their lees The Doctrine of that nature is as unfitting such uncircumcised eares as the snow the Summer and the raine the Harvest Vnto the Horse belongs a whip to the Asse a bridle and a rod to the Fooles backe c. Hee that intendeth to doe any good in this frozen generation had need rather to bee Boanerges one of the sons of thunder then Bar-Ionah the Sonne of a Dove The Word of God saith Forbes hath three degrees of operation in the hearts of men For first it falleth to mens eares as the sound of many waters a mighty great and confused sound and which commonly bringeth neither terrour nor ioy but yet a wondering and acknowledgement of a strange force more then humane power This is that effect which many felt hearing Christ when they were astonished at His Doctrine as teaching with authority What manner doctrine is this Never man spake like this man This effect falleth even to the reprobate which wonder and vanish Haâ—ak 15. Act. 13.41 The next effect is the voice of thundâ—r Which bringeth not onely wonder but feare also not onely filleth the eares with sound and the heart with astonishment but moreover shaketh and terifyeth the conscience And this second effect may also befall a reprobate As Felix Act. 24. The third effect is proper to the elect the sound of harping while the word not onely ravishâ—th with admiration and striketh the Conscience with terrour but also lastly filleth it with sweete peace and ioy c. Now albeit the first two degrees may bee without the last yet none feele the last who have not in some degree felt both the first two God healeth none saith Gouge but such as are first wounded The whole need not a Physitian but they that are sicke Christ
there must bee a third thing To take them to our selves to beleeve they are ours and there needes a worke of the Spirit for this For tho the promises bee never so cleare yet having nothing but the promises you shall never bee able to apply them to your selves But when the holy Ghost shall say Christ is thine All these things belong to Thee and God is thy Father when that shall witnesse to our spirit by a worke of His owne Then shall wee beleeve c This is the order observed in our iustification 1. First There is a sight of our misery to which wee are brought by the Law 2. Secondly There is by the Gospell an holding forth of Christ as our redemption from sin and death 3. Thirdly there is a working of Faith in the heart to rest on Christ as the ransome from sinne and death Now when a man is come hither Hee is truly and really iust Wee teach that in trve conversion a man must bee wounded in his conscience by the sense of his sinnes His contrition must bee compungent and vehement bruising breaking renting the heart and feeling shee throwes as a woman labouring of Childe before the new-Creature bee brought forth or Christ truly formed in Him It is not done without bitternesse of the Soule without care indignation revenge 2. Cor. 7.11 But as some Infants are borne with lesse paine to the mother and some with more so may the new-man be regenerated in some with more in some with lesse anxiety of travell But surely grace is not infused into the heart of any sinner except there bee at least so great affliction of Spirit for sinne foregoing that He cannot but â—eele it c. This bruising is required before conversion 1. That so the Spirit may make way for it selfe into the heart by levelling all proud high thoughts c 2. To make vs set an high price upon Christs death This is the cause of relapses and Apostasies because men never smarted for sin at the first They were not long enough under the lash of the Law Hence this inferiour worke of the Spirit in bringing downe high thoughts is necessary before conversion By this time it doth most clearly and plentifully appeare what a foule and fearefull fault it is for men either in the managing of their Publike ministery or more private Passages of conference visitations of the sicke consultations about a good estate to Godward and other occasions of like nature to apply Iesus Christ and the promises to promise life and safety in the evill Day to Soules as yet not soundly illightned and afflicted with sight of sinne and sense of Gods wrath to consciences never truly wounded and awaked I insisted the longer upon this Point because I know it full well to bee a most universall and prevailing Policy of the Devill whereby hee keepes many thousands in His cursed slavery and from salvation To confirme as many Pastours as Hee can possibly willing enough to drive their Flocks before them to damnation in an ignorant or affected Preiudice and forbearance of that saving method of bringing Soules out of Hell mentioned before and made good with much variety of evidence And to nourish also in the hearts of naturall men a strong and sturdy disconceite opposition raging against downe-right dealing and those men of God able as they say but falsely and furiously against their owne Soules by their terrible teaching to drive their hearers to distraction Selfe-destruction or despaire who take the only right course to convert them and to bring them to Iesus Christ as Hee Himselfe invites them to wit labouring and heauy laden with their sinnes Matth. 11.28 Dawbers then who serue Satans craft in this kinde and all those who dispence their ministery without all spirituall discretion and good conscience of whom there are too many as great strangers to the right way of working grace in others as to the worke of grace in themselves I say they are a generation of dangerous men Old excellent as they say in an accursed Art of conducting poore blinded Soules merrily towards everlasting miserie and setting them downe in the very midst of Hell before they bee sensible of any danger or discovery of their damnable state Great men they are with the men of this world with al those wise fooles and sensuall great ones who are not willing to bee tormented before their time or rather who desire impossibly to live the life of pleasures in the meane time and yet at last to die the death of the righteous They have still ready at hand hand over head mercy and pardon Heaven and salvation for all commers and all they come neere without so much as a desire to put any difference or divide the pretious from the vile Which is a prodigâ—â—usly-arrogant folly pernicious in the highest degree both to their own soules and those they delude Heâ—â—e 〈◊〉 they are branded in the Booke of God calling them 〈◊〉 Sâ—wers under mens elboes Ezek. 1â— 1â— That 〈◊〉 laid soft and lockt fast in the Cradle of security thâ—â— may sinke suddenly into the Pit of destruction before they be aware Criers of peace peace when no peace is towards Ier. 6.14 but horrible stirs tumbling of garments in bloud burning and devouring of fire A â—â—n-pleasers â—alat 1.10 who chuse rather to tickle the itching eares of their carnall hearers with some fâ—othy Frier-like conceits out of Dung-hill 〈◊〉 And so smooth Great Ones in their humours by their cowardly flatteries especially if they any waies depend upon them for countenance rising and preferment rather then conscionably to discharge that trust 〈◊〉 upon them by their great Lord and Master in Heaven upon answerablenes for the bloud of those Soules which shal perish by their temporizing silence and flattering vnfaithfulnesse Healers of the hurt of their Hearers with 〈◊〉 words Ier. 6.14 while their Soules are 〈◊〉 by the wounds of sinne unto eternall death Preachers of smooth things Isa. 30.10 which kinde of Men the greatest part and all worldlings wonderfully affect and applaud tho to their owne everlasting vndoing They swell under such Teachers with a Pharisaicall conceite that they are as safe for salvation as the precisest of them all but alas their hope is but like a hollow wall which beeing put to any stresse when the tempest of Gods searching wrath begins to shake it in the time of a finall triall of it's truth and soundnesse it shatters into pieces and comes to naught Heare the Prophet Now go write it before them in a table and note it in a booke that it may bee for the time to come for ever and ever That this is a rebellious people lying children children that wil not heare the Law of the Lord which say to the Seers see not and to the Prophets prophesie not unto us right things speake unto us smooth things prophesie deceits Get you out of the way turne aside out
all woe made partaker of all good at peace in himselfe and fitted and in tune to doe God some service This is to some sooner to some later according to the helpes and meanes they haue and wise handling they meet withall and as God gives power It is hard to say at what instant faith is wrought whether not till a man feeles that hee apprehends the promises or even in his earnest desires hungring and thirsting For even these are pronounced blessed But here for I desire and endevour as much as I can possibly in every passage to prevent all matter both of scruple in the upright hearted and of cavill in the contrary minded let no truly humbled sinner bee discouraged because Hee cannot finde in himselfe these severall workings or other graces in that degree and height which Hee desires and hath perhaps seene heard or read of in some others If hee have them in truth and truly thirsts and labours for their increase hee may goe on with comfort Neither let any bee disheartened though Hee did not observe so distinctly the order of the precedent acts nor could discerne so punctually their severall operations in His Soule yet if in substance and effect they have been wrought in Him and made way for Iesus Christ Hee needs not complaine As this man of God in experimentall divinity so our renowned and invincible Champions in their Polemicall discourses upon other occasion speake to the same purpose telling us also of some antecedent Acts humbling and preparing the soule for conversion There are say they certaine internall effects going before conversion or regeneration which by vertue of the word and Spirit are wrought in the hearts of those which are not yet iustified Such as Illumination of the mind and conscience with the knowledge of the word and will of God for that purpose Sense of sin feare of punishment or legall terror advising and casting about for enlargement from such a miserable estate some hope of pardon c. Let mee but adde one other and Hee also of excellent learning And then I have done Such is the nature of man Saith hee that before hee can receiue a true justifying faith hee must as it were bee broken in pieces by the law Ier. 23.29 Wee are to bee led from the feare of slaves through the feare of Penitents to the feare of sonnes And indeed one of these makes way for another and the perfect love thrusts out feare yet must feare bring in that perfect love as a needle or Bristle drawes in the threed after it or as the potion brings health In the preparation and fitting us for our being in Christ hee requireth two things First The cutting of us off as it were from the wild Olive-tree By which hee meaneth two things First A violent pulling of us out of the corruption of nature or a cutting as it were by the knife of the law of an unregenerate man from His security c. Secondly A violent atraction to Christ for ease man at the first plainely refusing it The hunted beast flies to his den the pursued malefactor to the hornes of the altar or city of refuge Pauls misery Rom. 7.24 Drives him to Gods mercy The Israelites are driven into their chambers by the destroying Angell Balaam is made to leane backe by the naked Sword Agur to runne to Ihiel and Veall that is Christ Pro. 30.1.2.3 When he is confounded with his owne brutishnesse God must let loose his Law Sinne Conscience and Satan to baite us and kindle hell fire in our Soules before wee will bee driven to seeke to Christ. Secondly A paring and trimming of us for our putting into Christ by our humiliation for sin which is thus wrought God giveth the sinner to see by the law his Sinne and the punishment of it The detection whereof drives Him to compunction and a pricking of heart which is greater or lesser and carries with it divers Symptomes and sensible passions of griefe And workes a Sequestration from his former courses and makes Him loath Himselfe c. And yet by the way once for all take this Caveat and forewarning If any should think of these precedent Acts these preparative workings of the Law and Gospell which make way for the infusion of faith as any meritorious meanes to draw on Christ it were a most false rotten foolish execrable popish absurd Luciferian misconceit and might justly merit never to obtaine mercy at Gods bountifull hands nor part in the merits of Christ I speake thus to fright every one for ever from any such abhorred thought God the father offers His Sonne most freely God so loved the world that hee gave His onely begotten Sonne that whosoever beleeveth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life Ioh. 3.16 Vnto us a child is borne unto us a Sonne is given Isa. 9.6 If thou knewest the gift of God saith Christ unto the woman of Samaria and who it is that saith to Thee Give mee to drinke Ioh. 4.10 Much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the Gift of righteousnesse c. Rom. 5.17 Christ calleth Himselfe a Gift And it is called the Gift of righteousnesse And nothing so free as Gift And therefore those Divines speake not unfitly who say It is given unto us as fathers give Lands and Inheritance to their children as kings grant pardons to their subjects having merited death They give them because they will out of the freenesse of their minds All those who would come unto Christ and desire to take him as their wisedome righteousnesse Sanctification and redemption must bee utterly unbottomed of themselves and built onely on the rich and free mercy of God revealed in the Gospell They must bee emptied First Of all conceit of any righteousnesse or worth in themselves at all Secondly Of all hope of any ability or possibility to helpe themselves Nay filled thirdly with sense of their owne unworthinesse naughtinesse nothingnesse Fourthly and with such a thirst after that water of life Ioh. 4.14 that they are most willing to sell all for it and cry heartily Giue mee drinke or else I die And then when they are thus most nothing in themselves doe so long for the rivers of living water they are certainely most welcome unto Iesus Christ and may take Him most freely Heare how sweetly Hee calls them Ho every one that thirsteth come yee to the waters and hee that hath no mony Come yee buy and eat yea come buy wine and milk without mony and without price Isa. 55.1 In the last day that great day of the feast Iesus stood and cryed saying If any man thirst let him come unto mee and drinke Hee that beleeveth on mee as the Scripture hath said out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water Ioh. 7.37.38 It is done I am Alpha and Omega the Beginning and the End I will give unto him that is a thirst of the Fountaine of the water of
confession and repentance Davids Petition O cleanse thou mee from my secret faults did assuredly prevaile with God for the forgivenesse of all His unknowne sinnes and shall bee powerfull for that end to the worlds end to all those that so pray with Davids spirit and sincerely Besides these two cases first want of knowledge and secondly want of remembrance in the sense I have said There is also a third and that is thirdly want of time which if truly so doth also sometimes excuse the omission of some particular sinnes As wee may see in the Thiefe upon the Crosse. For want of leisure Hee could not possibly punctually revise His vile abominable life nor peruse with remorse all the particulars of His former wicked and abhorred courses But He had infused into His Soule by Iesus Christ an habituall grace of true Repentance which if Hee had lived would have carried Him faithfully along over all the notorious Passages of His lewd and lothsome life with a truly contrite broken and bleeding Soule So that if Hee had had space I doubt not but Hee would have prooved a very eminent extraordinary and exemplary Penitent And therefore the Lord in mercy did gratiously accept the desire and purpose the inclination and preparation of His heart that way But to returne to the Point and give my advise in the Case proposed Let the Party who so takes on for some notorious sin only and there takes up His rest be told That tho He dwell with deepest sighes heaviest heart and saltest teares upon some of His greatest and most speciall sinnes yet the rest must by no meanes bee neglected That which is most crying and crimson must serve as a Cryer that I may so speake to summon the rest into the Court of Conscience and as a Remembrancer to bring them to minde and remorse As Davids murder and adultery brought even His Birth-sinne into His memory Psalm 51. And that sinne of strange wives many other sinnes to Ezra's minde Ezra 9. When a father beates His childe for some one speciall fault He is wont to remember unto Him and reckon with Him for many former mis-demeanours also When a Bankrout is once clapt up for one principall debt the rest of His Creditours ordinarily come thicke and threefold upon Him When once Thou begins to reckon with thy conscience for some one extraordinary rebellion never cease untill thou hast searcht thorowly and ransackt it to the bottome that it may smart soundly before Thou hast done with penitent anguish and true remorse for all thy other sinfull corruptions also When horror for some one hainous sinne hath seiz'd upon thy heart follow Gods blessed hand leading thee to conversion and thorow the Pangs of the New-birth to unspeakeable and glorious joy by giving way to all the rest to bring in their severall inditements against thy Soule And bee not afraid thus to arraigne cast and condemne thy Selfe as guilty of innumerable sinnes and worthy ten thousand Hells before Gods just Tribunall For then shalt thou there most certainely find a gracious Advocate at His right hand To whom if Thou make sute and seeke in truth Hee will by the plea and price of His owne pretious blood sue out a pardon for thine everlasting peace When the guilty rage of thy raigning corruption begins to presse upon thy conscience lay on loade and more weight still by a penitent addition and painefull apprehension of all thy other sinnes that growing very sensible of thy spirituall slavery weary of the Dungeon of lewdnesse and lust sensuality and death wherein the Divell hath kept Thee long and thine heart being happily broken and bruised to the bottome and scorch'd as it were in some measure with Hellish flames of guilty horrour Thou mayst see and feele the greater necessity of Iesus Christ set Him at an higher price with more eagernesse and impatiency thirst for His righteousnesse and blood long for spirituall enlargement more then for worlds of pleasures glory or wealth rellish the hidden Manna of the promises most kindlily and cast thy wounded and bleeding Soule with more delight and sweetnesse into His blessed armes of mercy and love For O how acceptable is the Fountaine of living waters saith a worthy Divine to the chased Hart panting and braying The blood of Christ to the weary and tired Soule To the thirsty conscience scorched with the sense of Gods wrath Hee that presents Him with it How welcome is Hee Even as a speciall choise man One of a thousand The deeper is the sense of misery the sweeter is the sense of mercy The Traytour laid downe upon the blocke is more sensible of His Soveraignes mercy in pardoning then Hee who is not yet attached In our dead security before conversion God is faine to let the Law Sinne Conscience Satan a deepe sense of our abominable and cursed state loose upon us and to kindle the very fire of Hell in our soules that so wee might bee rouzed and afterward more sweetly and soundly raised and refreshed For after the most toylesome labour is the sweetest sleepe after the greatest tempests the stillest calmes Sanctified troubles and terrours establish the surest peace And the shaking of these windes makes the trees of Gods Eden take the deeper roâ—ting I confesse that commonly true Converts at the first touch and turning and after too cry out most of and are extraordinarily troubled with some One capitall sin and that which in their dayes of darknesse and vanitie wasted their conscience most and detained them with strongest entisements and hold-fast in the Divels bondage Hence it was that Zacchaeus was so ready and willing to restore fourefold that so Hee might bee rid of the sting and horrour of His former raigning sinne Luk. 19.8 That blessed Paul as it seemes amongst other dreadfull apprehensions of His former unregenerate courses was so much vexed and wounded in heart for that Hee had been a Persecuter 1. Timoth. 1.13 1. Cor. 15.9 But yet should they take-on never so much houle and roare for that one sinne if besides they did not by the conduct of the blessed Spirit descend also to a more particular acknowledgement confession and repentance of all other knowne sinnes and they ought by clearing the eye of naturall conscience industrious inspection into the pure Cristall of Gods Law discover as many as they can possibly all were nothing Hee which is grieved say Divines for one sinne truly and unfainedly from His heart will proportionably bee grieved for all the sinnes that Hee knoweth to bee in Himselfe If wee favour any one sinne in our heart or life or calling wee cannot enjoy Gods favour If there bee any sensuall lust or secret corruption which a man purposely labours to cover and conceale from Gods pure eye the search of His Word and mortifying grace what hope can Hee have that it is covered with the blood of Christ from the wrath that is to come or warranted by any promise of grace from
bee said Hee died in a Ditch They are Desolators not Consolators as Austin somewhere calls them Not sound Comforters but true Cut-throates Besides that which I have said before of the precedency of the working of the Law and of the spirit of bondage to make way for Christ let mee further tell you upon this occasion that it may appeare that much more is to bee done herein then is ordinarily imagined before comfort may upon good ground and seasonably bee applied to the Conscience awaked what an excellent Divine both for depth of learning and height of holinesse delivered somewhere in this Point to this purpose No man must thinke this strange that God dealeth with men after this strange manner as it were to kill them before Hee make them alive to let them passe through or by as it were the gates of Hell to Heaven to suffer the spirit of bondage to put them into a feare into a shaking and trembling c. For Hee suffers those that are his to bee terrified with this feare 1. First in respect of His owne glory For the magnifying both of His iustice and of His mercy 1. Hee glorifies His iustice when lessening or altogether for the time abstracting all fight of mercy Hee lets the Law Sinne Conscience and Satan loose upon a Man to have their course and severall comminations and sets the spirit of bondage on worke c. Thus as in the great worke of redemption Hee would have the glory of His iustice appeare so would Hee have it also in the application of our redemption that iustice should not bee swallowed up of mercy But even as the Woman 2. King 4. who had nothing to pay was threatned by Creditours to take away her two sonnes and put them in prison so wee having nothing to pay the Law is let loose upon us to threaten imprisonment and damnation to affright and terrifie and all this for the manifesting of His iustice Furthermore the Booke of God is full of terrible threatnings against sinners Now shall all these bee to no purpose The wicked are insensible of them to them therefore in that respect they are in vaine Some there must needs bee upon whom they must worke Shall the Lion roare saith the Prophet and no man bee affraide Sith then they who should will not Some there bee who must tremble This the Prophet excellently setteth â—orth Isai. 66.2 where the Lord sheweth whom Hee will regard But to this man will I looke even to Him that is poore and of a contrite spirit and trembleth at my Word Neither is it without good cause that God dealeth thus with his owne in this manner tho it bee sharpe in the experience First wee must feare tremble and bee humbled and then wee shall receive a spirit not to feare againe 2. His mercy also is thereby mightily magnified Which would never bee so sweet nor relish so well nor bee so esteemed of us if the awfull terrour of iustice had not formerly made us smart A King sometimes doth not only suffer the Law to passe upon some grievous malefactor for high treason but also causeth him to bee brought to the place of execution yea and lay downe his head upon the blocke ere Hee pardon and then mercy is mercy indeed and melts the heart abundantly with amazâ—mâ—nt and admiration of it So God dealeth with us many times Le ts the Law loose against us puts us in feare casts us into Prison and threatneth condemnation in Hell for ever so that when mercy commeth to the Soulâ— beeing now lost in it selfe and at the Pits brinke it appeares to bee a wonderfull mercy the riches of exceeding mercy most seasonable most sweet most ravishing Why doe so many find no savour in the Gospell Is it because there is no matter of sweetnesse or delight in it No it is because they have not tasted of not been soundly toucht and terrified by the Law and the spirit of bondage They have not smarted nor as yet been afflicted with a sense of the bitternesse of sinne nor of iust punishment due unto the same God therefore sends into our hearts the spirit of feare and bondage to prepare us to rellish mercy And then the spirit of adoption not to feare againe And thus by this order the one is magnified and highly esteemed by the fore-going sense of the other 2. Secondly for our good and that two waies first in Iustification secondly and in Sanctification 1. For the first wee are such strangers unto God that wee will never come unto Him till wee see no other remedy being at the Pits brinke ready to starue hopelesse c. Wee see it in the prodigall Sonne He would never thinke of any returne unto his Father till all other helpes failed Him money friends acquaintance all sorts of food Nay if Hee might have fed upon huskes with the Swine Hee would not have thought of returning any more to his Father This beeing denied him the Text saith Hee came to Himselfe shewing us that when Men runne on in sinfull courses they are mad men out of themselves even as wee see thâ—se in Bedlam are beaten kept under denâ—ed comforts till they come to themselves And what faith Hee then I will arise and goe to my Father and will say unto Him Father I have sinned against heaven and against Thee c. So it is with us untill the Lord humble and bring us low in our owne eyes show us our misery and spirituall poverty and that in us there is no good thing that wee bee stript of all helpeâ— in and without our selves and see that wee must perish unlesse wee beg His mercy I say untill then wee will not seeke his face and favour nor have recourse to Iesus Christ the rocke of our salvation It is with us in this Case as it was with the Women whom Christ healed of the bloody issue How long was it ere shee came to Christ She had been sicke twelve yeeres She had spent all her living upon Physitions neither could she bee healed of any Now this extremity brought Her to Iesus Christ. This then is the meanes to bring to Christ To bring us upon our knees to drive us out of our selues hopelesse as low as may bee To shew us where helpe is onely to bee found and make us runne unto it The hunted Beast flies unto his Den The Israelites being stung by fiery Serpents made hast to the Brazen Serpent a Type of Christ for helpe The Man-killer under the Law chaced by the avenger of blood ranâ—e a pace to the City of refuge Ioab being pursued for his life fled to the Tabernacle of the Lord and laid fast hold upon the horneâ— of the Altar A wounded man hies unto the Surgeon Proportionably a poore Soule broken and bruised with the insupportable burden of all his abominations bleeding at heart-roote under sense of Divine wrath by the cutting edge of the Sword of the Spirit managed
aright by some Masters of assemblies chaced furiously by the Law Sinne Conscience and Satan sometimes even to the brinke of despaire c. will bee willing with a witnesse to cast it selfe into the sweet compassionate inviting armes and embracements of Iesus Christ broken and bleeding upon the Crosse for our sinnes and so bee made His for ever 2. For our sanctification also it is good for us that the Comforters first worke bee to worke feare in us For wee are naturally so frozen in our dregs that no fire in a manner will warme or thâ—w us Wee wallow in our owne blood wee sticke fast in the mire of sinne up to the chinne that wee cannot stirre So that this feare is sent to pull us violently as it were from our corruptions to make us holy and looke unto our waies for the time to come Now to effect this sharpest things are best as are the Law and threatnings of condemnation the opening of Hell the racking of the conscience and a sense of wrath present and to come So hard-hearted are wee by nature being as the Children of the bond-woman to whom violence must be used Even as wee see a Man riding a young and wilde Horse to tame him Hee will runne him against a wall that hee may make him afraid ride him in deepe and rough places or if this will not doe take him up to some high rocke and bringing him to the brinke thereof Hee threatneth to throw him downe headlong maketh him shake and quake whereby at last hee is tamed So deales the Lord with us Hee gives us a sight of sinne and of the punishment due thereunto a sense of wrath setteth the conscience on fire as it were filleth the heart with feares â—orrours and dis-quietnesse openeth Hell thus unto the Soule brings us to the gates thereof and threatneth to throw us in And all this to make a man more holy and hate sinne the more The cure of the Stone in the heart saith another speaking to the same purpose is like that of the Stone in the Bladder God must use a sharpe incision and come with his pulling and plucking instruments and rend the heart in pieces ere that sinne can bee got out of it Even as in a lethargy it is needfull the Patient should bee cast into a burning Fever because the senses are benummed and this will wake them and drie up the beâ—otting humours so in our dead security before our conversion God is faine to let the Law Sinne Conscience and Satan loose upon us and to kindle the fire of Hell in our soules that so we might be rouzed Our sinnes sticke close unto us as the Prisoners bolts and wee are shut up under them as in a strong Prison And therefore unlesse as once in Paul and Silas their case an earthquake so here there come a mighty heart-quake violently breaking open the Prison doores and shaking off our fetters never shall wee get our liberty c. Thus wee see what a mighty worke of the Law and of the spirit of bondage there must bee to prepare for Christ. And how requisite it is both for the glorifying of Gods justice and mercy and also for the furtherance of our justification and sanctification For illustration of which Point besides all that hath been said before I have more willingly in this last Passage prest at large the authority of so great a Divine in which I hope I have not swarved from His sense because Hee is without exception both for holinesse and learning and so his sincere and orthodoxe judgement more currant and passable Ob. But hence it may bee some troubled Soule may take up a complaint and say Alas if it bee thus what shall I thinke of my selfe I doe not remember that ever I tasted so deepely of such terrours and legall troubles as you seeme to require I have not been so humbled and terrified nor had such experience of that state under the spirit of bondage as you talke of c. And therefore you have cast scruples into my conscience about the truth and soundnesse of my conversion Answ. I answer in this worke of the spirit of bondage in this Case of legall terrours humiliations and other preparative dispositions wee doe not prescribe precisely just such a measure and quantitie We doe not determine peremptorily upon such or such a degree or height Wee leave that to the Wisedome of our great Master in Heaven the onely wise God who is a most free Agent But sure wee are a man must have so much and in that measure as to bring Him to Christ. It must make him weary of all his sinnes and of Satans bondage wholly willing to plucke out his right eye and cut off his right hand I meane to part with his best-beloved bosome-lusts to sell all and not leave so much as an hoofe behind It must bee so much as to make him see his danger and so hast to the Citie of Refuge to bee sensible of his spirituall misery that hee may heartily thirst for mercy to finde himselfe lost and cast away in Himselfe that Christ may bee All in All unto Him And after must follow an hatred of all false and evill waies for the time to come a thorow-change of former courses company conversation and setting Himselfe in the way and practise of â—obriety honesty and holinesse If thou hast had experience of these affections and effects in thine owne soule whatsoever the measure of the work of the spirit of bondage hath been in thee lesse or more Thou art safe enough and mayst goe on comfortably in the holy Path without any discouragement either from such pretended scruples in thy selfe or any of Satans cruell cavils and oppositions to the contrary Vpon this occasion it will not bee here unseasonable to tell you How that Legall terrour which God appoints to bee a preparative in his elect for the spirit of adoption and a true change differs from that which is found in Aliens and not attended with any such saving consequents That every one who hath had trouble of conscience for sinne may clearely discerne whether it hath brought Him to Christ or left Him unconverted 1. That happy Soule which is under the terrifying hand of God preparing by the worke of the spirit of bondage for the entertainement of Christ and a sound conversion upon that fearefull apprehension of Gods wrath and strict visitation of his conscience for sinne casts about for ease and reconcilement onely by the blood of the Lord Iesus and those Soule-healing promises in the Booke of life with a resolute contempt of all other meanes and offers for pacification feeling now and finding by experience that no other way no earthly thing not this whole world were it all dissolved into the most curious and exquisite pleasures that ever any carnall heart conceived can any way asswage the least pang of his grieved spirit Glad therefore is Hee to take counsel and
vidisti morbum insanabilem non unius non duorum non decem sed mille Quidergo dicit posthaec Lavamini mundi estote Num peccatum putas habet Ipse Deus dicit non audiam vos dicit Lavamini Quorum vtrumque utilitèr ingeritur id ut terream hoc ut alliciam sed cos non audis spem poenitentiae non habent Quòd si non habent poenitentiae spem quomodò dicit Lavamini c. Chrysost. tom 5. de Poenitentiâ Homil 3. g Besides many other large Commentaries and Expositions Downam and Whately are excellent for a more punctuall cleare and compendious Opening of the Law and ranking in order and distinct representing of the severall sinnes against it Make use of the twenty considerations before pag. 63. c. and of the three wayes of examining the Conscience in my Treatise of the Lords Supper to helpe to make a Man Miserable and vile in His owne eyes sensible of His sinfull and cursed state that thereupon He may be stirred to goe out of Himselfe and make towards Christ. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Colos 1.13 h The wisedome of the blessed Spirit Himselfe teacheth us to make use of Gods mercies to preach mercy for this purpose See Isai. 55.7.8.9 â—oel 2.13 Rebels will farre more willingly come in upon Proâ—lamation promising mercy and assuring them of pardon if they will humble themselves and returne to obedience If there bee no hope of being received to grace there will bee no desire to returne into the state of grace â—a est conscientia peccati irae Dei adversus peccatum ut nisi allecti suavi aliquo misericordiae deâ—â—n Christo sensa nunquam velimus credere in cum aut ad cum consugere Rollâ—c in Iohan cap. 5. vers 20 pag. 270. * 1. Kings 20.31 i Verba quae diâ—i scripta sunt divinis authoritatibus continentur quia misericors miserator dominus longanimis multùm misericors verax multùm delectat omnes peccatores amatores hujus saeculi quia misericors miserator Dominus quia longanimus multùm misericors Sed siamas tam multa mitia time ibi ultimum quod ait Verax Si enim nihil â—liud diceret nisi misericors miserator Dominus longanimis multum misericors quasi jam converteres te ad securitatem impunitatem ad licentiam peccatorum saceres quod vâ—lles utereris saeoâ—lo vel quantum tibi peâ—â—itâ—tcretur vel quantum tibi libido jussisset Et si quis te beâ—è monendo objurgaret â—â—â—ue terreret ut cohiberes te ab immoderato luxâ— cuâ—do post concupiscentias tuas deserendo deum tuum inter medias voces objurgantis obsisteres impudenti quidem fronte veluti auditâ divinâ authoritate legeres de libro dominico Quid me terres de Deo nostro Ille misericors est miserator multùm misericors Ne talia homines dicerent unum verbum addidit in fine quod ait Verax Et excussit â—etitiam malè praesumentium induxit timorem â—â—olentium August Tom. 9. pag. 1148. k Qui malè agere non â—essant in vanum misericordiam Dei expectant quam recte expectarent si à malo recederent Bern. De modo benè vivendi Serm. 2. Col. 1241. l Vt ex Dei parte datur universalis remissio peccatorum sic debet etiam in nobis esse universalis detestatio peccatorum atque illud proculdubio verissimum est in omni homine verè reconciliato semper repeâ—iriodium omnium suorum peccatorum propositum etiam studium deinceps abstinendi ab omnibus nam qui remissionem omnium accepit infusionem graciae simul accepit qua illum armâ—t munit contra omnia Frustra igitur blanditur sibi de peccatis remissis qui amorem peccati cujuscunque propositum in eodem permanendi quasi in sinu cordis saâ—sâ—vet Davenant expos epist. ad Coloss. in cap. 2. vers 13. pag. 271. Fides bona Conscientia non conveniunt nec in eodem corde morantur cum proposito peccandi displicendi Deo Ibid. pag. 67. Omnis qui natus est ex Deo peccatum non â—acit Notanda vis verborum non inquit peccatum â—acit quòd patitur potiùs quám facit qui natus est ex Deo non potest peccare perseverando scilicet in peccato Bern. de Nat. Dig. Aâ—oris divini cap 6. Whosoever lives in any One knowne sinne let Him know to His face Hee Hath no true Faith Rogers in his Doctrine of Faith pag. 377. m Remissio peccatorum universalis tollit reatum universorum peccatorum nostrorum Infusio etiam gratiae huic conjuncta tollit Dominium universorum Davenant loco suprà citato Peccatum in hác vitâ quantum ad sanctos attinet regnum perdit in aliâ perit Hîc regnum perdit quandò post concupiscentias nostras non imus Ibi autem perit quando dicetur ubi tua O mors victoria August de verbis Apost Serm. 6. Aliud est non peccare aliud non habere peccatum Nam in quo peccatum non regnat non peccat id est qui non obedit desiderijs August in expos epist. ad Galatas cap. 5. n Iust as in the Prophets time This is a rebellious people lying Children Children that will not Heare the Law of the Lord which say to the Seers See not and to the Prophets Prophecy not unto us right things speake unto us smooth things c. Isa. 30.9.10 o A Deo ahaliena 〈…〉 Basil. Ascet cap. 2. Omnia 〈…〉 quâ—e in poteâ—tite 〈◊〉 obtinere Bernard Multi hominum Gehenuam taâ—tâ—msâ—â—◠〈◊〉 ego autem illias gloriae amiâ—io â—em Gâ—hennil 〈◊〉 amarioremesse dico Intolerabilis 〈◊〉 illa pâ—â—na tamen licet quis innumeras poâ—at Gâ—oemias tale nil dicet quale illi faliâ— excidere gloriâ— Ã Christa odio haberi Audire Nesii◠〈◊〉 Chrysost. ad Popul Antiochenum Hom. 47. Intolerabilis quidem res est etiam Gehennâ—â— quis nesciat supplicium illud herribale Tamen si mille aliquis ponat Gehennas nihil tale dicturtis est quale est à beat aeillius gloriae honore repelli exosumque esse Christo audire ab iâ— Non Novi Vos Idem in Matth. Hom. 24. * Mark 16.15 Matth. 11.28 Ioh. 7.37 Rev. 22.17 p It was the Sonne of God and Lord of life that dyed for us upon the Crosse but it was the nature of Man not of God wherein Hee died and it was the nature of God and infinite excellency of the same whence the price value and worth of His Passion grew Field Of the Church Lib. 5. cap. 16. Docet sanguinem Christi propter Hyposlaticam utriusque naturae in uno Chrislo conjunctionem â—acoque propter communicationem idiomatum veâ—e dici posse non solum sangutacia silij hominis sed etiam sanguinem filij Dei atque adeò sanguinem ipsius Det.
calmnesse of a good conscience is grounded upon a Rocke upon which tho the raine descends the floods come the windes blow the tempests beate yet it stands like Mount Zion sure sober strong lasting impregnable Nay it is of that heavenly metall and divine temper that it ordinarily gathers vigour and puissance from the worlds rage and growes in strength and resolution together with the encrease of all iniust oppositions Persecutions and resistance serue as a provocation and seasoning to it's sweetnesse It is not enforced formall artificiall affected furious desperate misgrounded ambitious upon an humour in the face onely onely in hot blood out of a vaine-glorious pang c. Such may bee found in Aliens and resolute reprobates It were nothing worthy if strangers might meddle with it If Men or Divels or the whole World could take it from us If it were sustained onely by any created power or arme of flesh This Pearle that I praise and perswade unto is of an higher price and more transcendent power then any unregenerate Man can possibly compasse or comprehend It hath for it's seate a sanctified Soule for the Fountaine of it's refreshing the Spirit of all comfort for it's foundation the favour of God for it's Warrant the promises of Amen the faithfull and true Witnesse for it's object an immortall Crowne for it's continuance the prayers of all the Saints for it's companions inward peace invincible courage an holy security of minde for it's end and perfection fulnesse of ioy and pleasures at Gods right hand for evermore In a word this couragious comfort and true noblenesse of spirit which dwells in the heart of the true-hearted Christian doth differ as much from and as farre surpasses all the groundlesse confidences of what carnall men or religious counterfeits soever as the reall possession of gold an imaginary dreame of gold as the true naturall lively Grape which glads the heart a painted juycelesse Grape which onely feedes the eye as a strong and mighty Oake rooted deepely in the earth which no storme or tempest can displant or overthrow a Stake in a dead hedge or Staffe stucke lightly into the ground which every hand may snatch away or blast of winde supplant and overthrow Secondly the trouble of a wounded conscience is further amplified by it's Attribute intolerablenesse But a wounded Spirit who can beare Whence note Doctr. That the torture of a troubled Conscience is intolerable Reas. 1. In all other afflictions onely the Arme of flesh is our adversary wee contend but with Creatures at most wee have to doe but with Man or at worst with Divels but in this transcendent misery wee conflict immediately with God Himselfe Fraile Man with Almighty God sinfull Man with that most holy God Whose eyes are purer then to behold evill and who cannot looke upon iniquity Who then can stand before his indignation Who can abide in the fiercenesse of his anger When his fury is powred out like fire and the Rocks are throwne downe by Him When hee comes against a man as a Beare that is bereaved of her Whelpes torent the very caule of His heart and to devoure him like a Lion No more then the driest stubble can resist the fierest flame the ripe Corne the Mowers sharpest sythe or a garment the Moath no more nay infinitely lesse can any power of Man or Angell withstand the mighty Lord of Heaven and Earth when Hee is angry for Sinne. When thou saith David with rebukes correctest man for iniquity thou as a Moath makest his beauty to consume Alas when a poore polluted wretch upon some speciall illumination by the Word or extraordinary stroke from the rod doth once begin to behold Gods frowning face against Him in the pure Glasse of His most holy Law and to feele divine iustice by an invisible hand taking secret vengeance upon his conscience His heavy heart immediately melts away in his brest and becomes as water Hee faints and failes both in the strength of his body and stoutnesse of his minde His bones the pillars and Master-timber of his earthly Tabernacle are presently broken in pieces and turn'd into rottennesse His spirit the eye and excellency of his Soule which should illighten and make lightsome the whole Man is quite put out and utterly overwhelm'd with excesse of horrour and flashes of despaire O this is it which would not onely crush the courage of the stoutest sonne of Adam that ever breath'd upon earth but even breake the backe of the most glorious Angell that did ever shine in Heaven should Hee lift up but one rebellious thought against his Creatour This alone is able to make the tallest Cedar in Lâ—banon the strongest Oake in Basan I meane the highest looke and the proudest heart the most boisterous Nimrod or swaggering Belshazzar to bow and bend to stoope and tremble as the leaves of the forrest that are shâ—ken with the winde 2. In all other adversities a man is still a friend unto himselfe favours himselfe and reaches out his best considerations to bring in comfort to his heavy heart But in this Hee is a scourge to Himselfe at warre with Himselfe an enemy to Himselfe Hee doth greedily and industriously fetch in as much matter as hee can possibly both imaginary and true to enlarge the rent and aggravate his horrour Hee gazes willingly in that false glasse which Satan is woont in such Cases to set before Him wherein by his Hellish malice Hee makes an infinite addition both to the already un-numbred multitude and to the too true hainousnesse of his sinnes and would faine if Hee will be lead by his lying cruelty mis-represent to his affrighted imagination every Gnat as a Camell every Moate as a Mole-hill every Mole-hill as a Mountaine every lustfull thought as a Sodomiticall villany every idle word as a desperate blasphemy every angry looke as an actuall bloody murder every intemperate passion as an inexpiable provocation every distraction in holy duties as a damnable rebellion every transgression against light of conscience as a sinne against the holy Ghost c. Nay in this amazednesse of spirit and disposition to despaire Hee is apt even of his owne accord and with great eagernesse to arme every severall sinne as it comes into his minde with a particular bloody sting that it may strike deepe enough and sticke fast enough in His already grieved Soule Hee imployes and improoves the excellency and utmost of His learning understanding wit memory to argue with all subtilty with much Sophistry against the pardonablenes of his sins and possibilitie of salvation Hee wounds even his wounds with a conceit they are incurable and vexes his very vexations with refusing to bee comforted Not onely crosses afflictions temptations and all matter of discontentment but even the most desirable things also in this life and those which minister most outward comfort Wife Children Friends Gold Goods Great mens favours Preferments Honours Offices even Pleasures themselves every
was annointed to preach the Gospell to the poore to heale the broken hearted c. Ob. Many have believed who never grieved for their misery as Lidia c. Answ. Who can tell that these greeved not It followeth not that they had no greife because none is recorded All particular actions and circumstances of Actions are not recorded It is enough that the greefe of some as of the Iewes of the Iaylour of the woman that washed Christs feete with Her teares and of others is recorded Lidia might bee prepared before she heard Paul For shâ—e accompanied them which went out to pray and shee worshipped God Or else Her heart might be then touched when she heard Paul preach The like may bee said of those which heard Peter when Her preached to Cornelius And of others Certaine it is that a man must both see and feele Hiâ— wretchednesse and bee wounded in Soule for it before Faith can be wrought in Him Yet I deny not but there may be great difference in the manner and measure of greeving c. The heart is prepared for faith and not by faith Iustifiâ—ation beeing the worke of God is perfect in it selfe but our hearts are not fit to apply it untill God have humbled us brought us to despaire in our selves The whole preparation beeing legall wrought by the Spirits of bondage to bring us to the Spirit of Adoption leaves us in despaire of all helpe either of our selves or the whole world that so beeing in this wofull plight wee might now submit our selves to God who infusing a lively faith into our hearts gives us His Son and our iustification with Him None ever had conscience truly pacifyed that first felt not conscience wounded The preparation to repentance Hee meanes Evangelicall are those legall sits of feare and terrour which are both in nature and time too before Faith As there can bee no birth without the paines of the travell going before so neither no true repentance without some terrours of the Law and streights of Conscience The reason is plaine None can have repentance but such as Christ cals to Repentance Now Hee cals only sinners to Repentance Mat. 9.13 even sinners heavy laden with the sense of Gods wrath against sinne Mat. 11.28 Hee comes onely to save the lost sheepe that is such sheepe as feele themselves lost in themselves and know not how to finde the way to the fold It is said Rom. 8.15 Yee have not received the spirit of bondage againe to feare which shewes that once they did receive it namely in the very first preparation vnto conversion that then the spirit of God in the Law did so beare witnes unto theÌ„ of their bondage and miserable slavery that it made them to tremble Now there vnder the person of the Romans the Apostle speakes to all Beleevers and so shewes that it is every Christians common case the law hath His use to worke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 poenitentiam The Gospell His force to worke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 resipiscentiam and both are needfull for Christians even at this Present as formerly they have ever bin Gods mercy may not bee such whereby His Truth in any sort should bee impeached As it should if it be prostituted indifferently and promiscuously to all as well the insolent and impenitent as the poore humble and broken hearted sinner For unto these latter onely is the promise of mercy made And if to others the gate of mercy should bee set open Gods mercies as Solomon saies of the wicked's that they are cruell mercies should be false and uniust mercies But God never yet learned so to bee mercifull as to make Himselfe false and unfaithfull The first thing that drawes unto Christ is to consider our miserable estate without Him Therefore wee see that the Law drives men to Christ And the Law doth it by shewing a Man His sin and the curse due unto the same Wee must know that nothing performed of us can give satisfaction in this matter of humiliation Yet it is such a thing without which wee cannot come to Christ. It is as much as if a man should say the Physitian is ready to heale Thee but then it is required that Thou must have a sense of the disease c No Man will come to Christ except He bee hungry Onely those that are troubled receive the Gospell No Man will take Christ for his Husband till Hee come to know feele the Waight of Satans yoke Till that time Hee will never come to take upon Him the yoke of Christ. To all you I speake that are humbled Others that minde not this Doctrine regard not the things of this nature But you that mourne in Zion that are broken-hearted you that know the bitternesse of sin to you is the salvation sent Vnder the causes I comprehend all that worke of God whereby Hee worketh Faith in any which standeth especially in these three things 1. That God by His word and Spirit first illightneth the understanding truly to conceive the Doctrine of Mans misery and of His full recovery by Christ. 2. Secondly by the same meanes Hee worketh in His heart both such sound sorrow for His misery and fervent desire after Christ the remedy that Hee can never bee at quiet till Hee enioy Christ 3. Thirdly God so manifesteth His love in freely offering Christ with all His benefits to Him a poore sinner that thereby hee drawes Him so to giue credit to God therein that Hee gladly accepts Christ offered vnto Him These three works of God whosoever findeth to have bin wrought in Himselfe Hee may thereby know certainly Hee hath Faith But without these what change of life soever may bee conceived there can bee no certainty of Faith The Law first breakes us and kills us with the sight and guilt of sin before Christ cures us and binds us up The holy Ghost worketh and maketh Faith effectuall by these three Acts 1. First it puts an efficacy into the Law and makes that powerfull to worke on the heart to make a man poore in spirit so that hee may bee fit to receive the Gospell The Spirit of bondage must make the Law effectuall as the Spirit of adoption doth the Gospell c. 2. The second worke is to reveale Christ when the heart is prepared by the spirit in the first worke then in the next place Hee shewes the unsearchable riches of Christ what is the hope of His calling and the glorious inheritance prepared for the Saints what is the exceeding greatnesse of His power in them that beleeve I say wee neede the Spirit to shew these things c. 3. The third Act of the Spirit is The testimony which hee gives to our spirit in telling us that these things are ours When the heart is prepared by the Law and when these things are so shewed unto us that wee prize them and long after them yet
many respects 1. In respect of Gods word and messages first not dividing it and dispensing them aright Secondly Dishonouring the Majesty and weakening the power of them many times with the vnprofitable mixture of humane allegations ostentations of wit fine frier-like conceits digged with much adoe out of Popish postills c. Even as wee may see at haruest time a land of good corne quite choaked up with red blew and yellow flowers As King Iames doth excellently allude in the forecited place Thirdly Fearefull prophaning them by mis-application against Gods will Making the heart of the righteous Sad whom God would not have made Sad and strengthening the hands of the wicked that hee should not returne from his wicked way by promising him life Fourthly Villanous perverting and abusing them to their owne advantage applause rising revenge and such other private ends 2. In respect of the flattering and unfaithfull Ministers themselves First Extreme vilenesse Isa. 9.15 Secondly Guiltinesse of spirituall bloudshed Ezech. 3.18 Thirdly Liablenesse to the fierce wrath of God in the Day of visitation Ier. 14.15 1. King 22.25 3. In respect of their hearers who delight in their lies in their smooth and silken sermons Suddaine horrible and unavoidable confusion Isa. 30.13.14 4. Burning both together in hell for euer without timely and true repentance banning there each other continually and crying with mutuall hideous yellings O thou bloody Butcher of our Soules hadst thou bin faithfull in thy Ministery wee had escaped these eternall flames O miserable man that I am Woe is mee that ever I was Minister for now besides the horrour due unto the guiltinesse of mine owne damned Soule I have drawen vpon mee by my unfaithfull dealing the cry of the bloud of all those soules who have perished under my Ministery to the everlasting enraging of my already intollerable torment Give mee leave to conclude this point with that patheticall and zealous passage of reuerend and learned Greenham against negligent pastors amongst whom I may justly ranke and reckon also all Dawbers for as well never a whit as never the better Men-pleasers For selfe preachers are for the most part seldom-preachers Heare His words Were there any love of God from their hearts in those who in stead of feeding to salvation starve many thousands to Destruction I dare Say and say it boldly that for all the promotions under Heaven they would not offer that iniury to one Soule that now they offer to many hundred Soules But Lord how doe they thinke to give up their reckoning to thee who in most strict account will take the answere of every Soule committed unto them one by one Or with what eares doe they often heare that vehemâ—nt speech of our Saviour Christ Feede Feede Feede with what eyes doe they so often readâ— that piercing speech of the Apostle Feede the slocke committed unto you But if none of these will move them then the Lord open their eyes to heare the grievous groanes of many Soules lying under the griefly altars of destruction and complaining against them O Lord the revenger of blood behold these men whom thou hast set over us to give us the bread of life but they have not given it us Our tongues and the tongues of our children have stucke to the roofe of our mouths for calling and crying and they would not take pitty on vs Wee have given them the tenths which thou appointedst us but they have not given us thy truth which thou hast commanded them Reward them O Lord as they have rewarded us Let the bread betweene their teeth turne to rottennesse in their bowells Let them be clothed with shame and confusion of face as with a garment Let their wealth as the Dung from the earth bee swept away by their executours And upon their gold silver which they have falsely treasured up let continually bee written the price of blood the price of blood For it is the value of our blood O Lord. If thou didst heare the blood of Abel being but one man forget not the blood of many when thou goest into judgement I now returne to rectify and tender a remedy against the first aberration Which I told you was this When mercy Christ the promises salvation heaven all are applied hand overhead and falsely appropriated to vnhumbled sinners whose Soules were never rightly illightened with sight of sinne and waight of Gods wrath nor afflicted to any purpose with any legall wound or hearty compunction by the Spirit of bondage In whose hearts sense of their spirituall misery and want hath not yet raised a restlesse and kindly thirst after Iesus Christ In this case mine advise is that all those who deale with others about their Spirituall states and undertake to direct in that high and waighty affaire of mens Salvation either publikly or privatly in their ministry visitations of the sicke or otherwise that they would follow that course of which I largely discoursed a little before taken by God himselfe his Prophets his Sonne the Apostles and all those men of God in all ages who have set themselves with Sincerity faithfulnesse and all good Conscience to seeke Gods glory in the salvation of mens Soules to discharge aright their dreadfull charge and to keepe themselues pure from the blood of all men To wit That they labour might and maine in the first Place by the knowledge power and application of the Law to illighten convince and terrify those that they have to doe with concerning conversion with a sensible particular apprehension and acknowledgement of their wretchednesse and miserable estate by reason of their sinfulnesse and cursednesse To breake their hearts bruise their Spirits humble their Soules wound and awake their Consciences c. To bring them by all meanes to that Legall astonishment trouble of minde and melting temper which the Ministry of Iohn Baptist Paul and Peter wrought upon the Hearts of their hearers Luk. 3.10.12.14 Act. 16.30 And 2.37 That they may come crying feelingly and from the heart to those Men of God who happily fastened those keene arrows of compunction and remorse in the sides of their Consciences and say Men and Brethren what shall wee do Sirs what must wee doe to bee saved c. As if they should have said Alas wee see now wee have bin in Hell all this while and if wee had gone on a litle longer wee had most certainely lien for ever in the fiery Lake The Devill and our owne lusts were carrying us hood-winkt and headlong towards endlesse perdition Who would have thought wee had bin such abominable beasts and abhorred Creatures as your Ministry hath made us and in so forlorne wofull estate Now you blessed Men of God helpe us out of this gulfe of spirituall confusion or wee are lost everlastingly By your discovery of our present sinfull and cursed estate wee â—eele our hearts torne in pieces with extreme and restles
life freely Revelat. Chap. 21. Vers. 6. And let him that is a thirst come whosoever will let him take the water of life freely Rom. 22.17 Wee must therefore by no meanes conceive of the forenamed preparatiue humiliations and precedent workes of the Law and Gospell as of any meritorious qualifications to draw on Christ for hee is given most freely but as of needfull predispositions to drive us unto Christ. For a Man must feele Himselfe in misery before Hee will goe about to find a remedy bee sicke before Hee will seeke the Physition bee in Prison before Hee will sue for a pardon bee wounded before Hee will prize a Plaster and pretious balsam A sinner must bee weary of His former wicked wayes and tired with legall terrour before Hee will haue recourse to Iesus Christ for refreshing and lay downe His bleeding Soule in his blessed Bosome Hee must bee sensible of His Spirituall poverty beggery and slavery under the Deuill before Hee thirst kindly for heavenly righteousnesse and willingly take up Christs sweet and easy yoke Hee must bee cast downe confounded condemned a cast away and lost in Himselfe before Hee will looke about for a Saviour Hee must cry heartily I am uncleane I am uncleane before Hee will long and labour to wash in that most soveraigne and Soule-saving Fountaine opened to the house of David and to the Inhabitants of Ierusalem for sin and for uncleannesse he must sell all before hee will be willing and eager to buy the Treasure hid in the field Now thus to prepare wound afflict and humble the Soule that it may bee fitted for Iesus Christ and so for comfort upon good ground let ministers or whosoever meddle in matters of this nature publickely or privatly vse all warrantable meanes faire and foule as they say let them presse the law promise mercy propose Christ c. Doe what they will seasonably and wisely Let them improve all their learning wisedome discretion mercifullnesse experience wit eloquence Sanctified unto them for that purpose So that the worke bee done In pressing the law besides other dexterities and directions for managing their ministry in this Point succesfully by Gods Blessing let them take notice of this Particular which may prove very availeable to begin this Legall worke It is a Principle attended upon with many a Probatum est Pressing upon Mens consciences with a zealous discreet powerfullnesse their speciall principall fresh-bleeding Sins is a notable meanes to breake their hearts and bring them to remorse That most hainous and bloudy sinne of killing Iesus Christ in which they had newly imbrued their hands pressed upon the Consciences of Peters hearers breakes and teares their hearts in pieces Act. 2.23.36.37 So Adultery secretly intimated by Christs words unto the woman of Samaria Ioh. 4.18 Seemes to have strucke her to the heart vers 19. So the Iewes having Idolatry pressed upon their consciences by Samuel 1. Sam. 7.6 The sin of asking a king ibid. 12.19 Vsury by Nehemiah 5.12 Strange wives by Ezra cap. 10.9 were therevpon mightily moved and much mollified in their hearts as appeares in the cited Places Consider for this purpose that worke upon Davids heart by Nathans Ministry And Felix trembling when Paul strucke Him on the right veine The reasons why this more particular discovery and denouncing of judgement against a Mans principall sinne is like God assisting with the Spirit of bondage to put such life into the worke of the Law are such as these 1. The Sword of the Spirit which is the word of God being welded by the hand of the holy Ghost and edged as it were with the speciall power of Gods blessing for the cutting asunder of the iron-Sinewes of a stubborne and stony heart doth crush and conquer strike through and breake in pieces with an unresistable puissance proportioned to the insolency or easinesse of resistance My meaning is this As Philosophers say of the Lightning that by reason of the easinesse of the passage weakenesse of resistance porosity of the parts it pierceth through the Purse Scabberd and Barke without any such scorching and visible hurt but melts the mony the sword rents and shivers the tree because their substance and solidity doth more exercise and improve its activenes and ability So this Spirituall Sword tho it strike at every sinne and passeth thorow even to the diuiding asunder of Soule and Spirit and of the joynts and marrow yet the hairy pate of the maine corruption and Master sinne it wounds with a witnesse it there tortures and teares in pieces with extraordinary anguish and smart Searching and sence for that opposeth with the most flinty iron-Sinew to blunt and rebate its edge if it were possible 2. In Consciences regularly and rightly wounded and awaked sinnes are wont to bite and sting proportionably to their hainousnesse and the exorbitancy of their former sensuall impressions Some like a Mastife some like a Scorpion some like a Wolfe in the Evening But vnderstand that spirituall anguish surpasseth immeasurably any corporall paine therefore conceiue of them with a vast dis-proportion Now the Minion delight or Captaine sinne frighting the heart with greatest horrour and stinging with extremity proportionable to its former vastation of Conscience doth by an accidentall power God blessing the businesse give a great stroke to drive a man to deepest detestation of Himselfe to throw Him downe to the lowest step of penitent dejection to eneager His thirsty greedinesse after pardon and grace and at length to fire Him out of His naturall estate 3. A Mans principall and most prevailing sinne is Sathans strongest Hold. When Hee is in danger to be dislodged and driven by the power of the word out of the other parts of the Soule as it were and from Possession of a Man by all other sinnes Hee retires Hither as to His Castle and most impregnable Fort. And therefore if this bee soundly beaten upon by the Hammer and Horrour of the Law and battered about His eares hee will bee quickly enforced to quit the Place quite It may bee good counsell then and often seasonable to say unto those Men of God who desire to drive the Devill out of Others in some sort as the King of Syria said to his Captaines Fight neither with small nor great save onely with the King of Israel My meaning is Let them addresse the sharpest edge of their spirituall Sword yet as well with an holy charitable discretion as with resolute downeright dealing against those sinnes which beare greatest sway in them they have to deale with Bee it their covetousnesse ambition Lust drunkennesse Lukewarmenesse monstrousnesse of the fashion sacriledge oppression vsury Back-sliding murder luxury Opposition to the good way Hatred of the Saints or what other sinne soever they discover in them to minister greatest advantage to Satan to keepe them fastest in his clutches No sinne must bee spared but let the raigning sin be paid home especially For opening of the most rich
them truely that the true way to comfort is to Repent and Beleeve But for the first by reason of the sottish disacquaintance with themselves with their miserable sinfull naturall state and their grosse ignorance in the Law and Word of God they onely cry out in the generall they are very grievous sinners but to descend to any competent examination of the conscience search of their soules by the sight of the law particular survay of their sinnes and so to speciall repentance because of their spirituall blindenesse they are vtterly unable Nay many in this case are so destitute of matter of humiliation for sinne that they can scarce tell you what sinne is At the most they have not learned or thinke that there is any other breach of the seventh commandement but the grosse acts of uncleannesse that there is any sinne against the ninth but giuing in false witnes against their neighbours in open Court They looke no further into the sixth commandement but unto the actuall bloody murder of the hand into the third but to blasphemy and swearing And so proportionably in the other commandements For the other also although they have heard much of Iesus Christ and if hee bee talkt of pretend a very foolish and false presumption of having part in him yet to the knowledge of his person offices excellency sweetnesse effectuall ministry and of his whole mysterie they are meere strangers And so when they should now upon this occasion of trouble of mind bee brought by knowledge and application of the Law and Gospell through the pangs of the new-birth into the holy Path they are to begin to learne the very first principles of religion in which they have not so much skill I speake a reprochfull thing as I could teach a child of five or sixe yeares old in few daies Now when the old red Dragon hath drawne them into the Lists armed with all the power and policy of hell and furnished with all his fiery darts they are so farre from ability to put on and manage the whole spirituall armour with dexterity and wisedome that they are starke Ideots and Infants in the very speculative knowledge of the nature and vse of every piece thereof They have no skill at all at that excellent invincible weapon the sword of the spirit which is the Word of God by which Iesus Christ foyled that foule Fiend in the most hideous and horrible temptations that were ever suggested to the mind of man And therefore hee doth bring them too often thus blindfolded and baffled to perish themselves as they say in a most bloody and desperatâ— manner both temporally and eternally The Pharisies Papists and our ordinary Ignorants are all fouly faulty this way They love and labour to enquire and looke no further into Gods Law then to the grosse acts and greatest transgressions onely If they find themselves free from these they out of a most absurd and sottish selfe-conceitednesse justifie and applaud themselves as no such dangerous and damnable Delinquents Hence it was that Christ teaches and tells the Pharisies that not onely the grosse act of adultery was to be taken notice of but also that even a lascivious and lustfull looke after a woman was a transgression of that Law and to be taken to heart as adultery before God That not onely killing a man with a bloody hand but also rash anger in the heart railing and reviling speeches Nay even a frowning face a contemptuous gesture discovering inward rancour and rage kill the soule and cast into hell c. Hence it was that Bellarmine as the grand Impostor and Impoisoner so the great Pharisie of Christendome upon his bed of death could hardly finde what to confesse or any matter of absolution Prodigious Pharisaisme Of which heare some passages from the reporter of his death Such was the innocency of the man to wit Bellarmine that albeit hee was in his perfect sense yet could hee hardly finde what to confesse Insomuch as his ghostly Father was in some perplexity as wanting matter of absolution till by recourse to his life past hee found some small defects of which hee absolved him Now nothing troubles my conscience For God his goodnesse bee still thanked therefore hath so preserved mee hitherto as I doe not remember in the whole course of my life ever to have committed any scandalous action Pag. 355. How holy was his life not stained with mortal sinne How secure a conscience that had at his death no scruple But for the exchange of one good worke for another c. pag. 367. This holy man began his Prayers said the Pater noster and Aue Maria and began againe the Pater noster which beeing ended hee said distinctly the Psalme Miserere to the end and beeing warned to say also the Creed c. said it all through and with the end of the Creed ended his speech His last words were vitam aeternam Amen pag. 387. Hence it is that carnall men are well enough content to heare the Commandements read and perhaps will bee angry if at any time they bee omitted Would you know the reason They goe along with the Minister and applaud themselves pharisaically all the while saying secretly and securely to their owne soules Wee thanke God wee are no image-worshippers no murderers no adulterers c. And so depart home from time to time as highly conceited of themselves and yet more damnably deceived then that Pharisie Luk. 18.11.12 Of whose outward religious charitable and righteous performances they come farre short But they cannot possibly with any patience endure a particular unfolding and powerfull application of Gods Law after Christs manner Matth. 5. a punctuall survay of their sinfull states and speciall search into their lives and hearts This cutting yet conscionable course stirres up and raises in them the ill spirits of murmuring cavilling reviling and perhaps persecuting the faithfull Messengers of God as a generation of terrible Teachers To expositions exercises and considerations of this nature they are drawne with very ill will and much adoe even as a bankrout to his counting-booke a foule face to the looking-glasse and a Traytour to the racke By reason of this affected ignorance in the Law of God and lothnesse to descend to particulars it comes to passe that many in trouble of minde complaine in generall of sinne onely and confusedly And thereupon as though they were competently cast downe expect comfort and perhaps many draw it from some Dawbers Whereas particularizing of our sinnes is a necesary precedent and preparative to a sound humiliation And therefore in this case wee must deale with such as Surgeons are wont to doe with a tumour or swelling in the body Who first apply to the affected place drawing and ripening plaisters to bring the sore to an head that the corruption may have issue and then heale So a generall complaint of sinne and confused griefe must bee reduced to
to lift them up That none shall have mercy but such as confesse and forsake their sinnes That the meere ciuill man and luke-warme formall Professour without holinesse and zeale can never bee saved That all the wicked shal bee turned into Hell c. In a word if Hee take the right course to bring men from darkenesse to light from Satan to the living God by first wounding with the Law before Hee heale with the Gospell I say the most in this Case are ready to cry out and complaine that hee throwes wild-fire Brimstone and Gunpowder into the consciences of men Conceive therefore I pray you That there is in God first His justice and secondly His mercy both infinite and equall Onely in regard of Man there is an inequality For God may bee said to bee more mercifull unto them that are saved then just to them that are damned For of damnation the just cause is in Man but of salvation it is wholly from grace In Himselfe and originally they are both equal and so are all his Attributes But in respect of the exercise and expression upon His creatures and abroad in the world there is some difference But for my purpose and our Ministeriall emploiment and Commission take notice That as the revealed effects of Gods mercy are love tender-heartednesse compassion His owne deare Sons pretious hearts-blood pardon of sinnes peace of conscience unspeakeable and glorious joy thereupon Evangelicall pleasures comfortable presence of the Spirit even in this life and in the other World pleasures infinitely moe then the Starres of the firmament in number even for ever and ever And all these vpon all true Penitents So the revealed effects of His Iustice are indignation and wrath tribulation and anguish that Sword which will devoure flesh those arrowes that drinke blood that fiery anger which will burne unto the lowest Hell and set on fire the foundations of the Mountaines That comming against which is with fire and charets like a whirlewinde to render anger with fury and rebuke with flames of fire that meeting which is as of a Beare bereaved of her whelps to rent the cauâ—e of the heart and devoure like a Lyon c. All plagues with the extremity temporall spirituall eternall all the curses in this Booke of His all the torments in Hell to the utmost sparke of those infernall flames And all these upon all impenitent sinners Now God will bee glorified both waies and by them both Give us leave then to give them both their due Wee are most willing and ready as our great Master in Heaven would have us Isa. 40.1.2 and our blessed Saviour by his example doth teach us Luk. 4.18 To convey by our Ministry into every truly-broken heart and bleeding Soule the warmest bloud that ever heated Christs tender heart and to keepe backe from the true Penitent not any one graine of that immeasurable Mine of all the rich mercies purchased with that pretious blood Bee content therefore on the otherside that wee open the Armory of Gods justice and reveale his wrath from heaven against all ungodlinesse and unrighteousnesse of Men That indignation and wrath Tribulation and anguish shal be upon every soule of man that doth evill c. As wee are ever ready to binde vp the bruised spirit with the softest oyle of Gods sweetest mercy So let us I pray you have leave in the equity of a just and holy proportion to wound with the Hammer of the Law the haâ—ry Pate of every One that goes on in His sinne Let us deale faithfully even with wicked men lest wee answere for the blood of their soules By telling them That as certainely as all the glorious comforts and blessed consequents of Gods infinite mercy shall crowne the heart and heade of every true-hearted Nathanael for ever so all the dreadfull effects of his angry Iustice will at length seize upon the Soules and confound the consciences of all un-holy men with extremest severity and terrour Let it bee thus then and let our Ministeriall dispensation bee in this manner If thou bee an impenitent Person I would tell Thee That the vtmost wrath of God vnquenchable and everlasting vengeance all earthly and infernall plagues are thy certaine Portion But I would mollify and sweeten the bitternesse of this sentence with assurance of mercy upon Repentance to prevent the assaults of despaire On the other side If the Ministry of the Word hath wrought upon Thee effectually and now thy truly-humbled soule thirsts after Christ with a syncere hatred and opposition against all sinne I would assure thy troubled and trembling heart in the Word of life and truth of all those most pretious blessings and sweetest comforts which the Booke of God doth promise and the blood of Christ hath bought But withall I would commend unto thee some Coolers and Counterpoisons against presumption and falling to Pharisaisme For which purpose and for prevention of danger and spirituall undoing by unskilfull and undiscreet dawbing in the Case proposed I come now to tender such Counsels and Caveats as these or the like which the faithfull Physition of the Soule according to occasions circumstances and present exigents may thinke fit to bee mingled with administration of mercy and wisely propounded to the afflicted Party It may not proove unseasonable to speake thus or in some such manner to thy spirituall Patient 1. If these things bee truly and soundly so If thou finde and feele indeed such a mollified and melting spirit such broken and bleeding affections in thy bosome Thou art certainely blessed If that sorrowfull soule of thine doth renounce from the very heart-roote with speciall distaste and detestation all manner of sinne insatiably thirst after righteousnesse unfainedly resolve for the short remainder of a few and evill dayes to bend it selfe towards heaven in all New-obedience I say if this bee syncerely the holy disposition and resolution of thine heavy heart notwithstanding all thy present terrour and trouble of minde Thou art truly and everlastingly happy Onely take notice lest my ministring of mercy bee mistaken or thy conceiving of comfort mis-carry that the heart of man is deceitfull above all things A bottomlesse depth it is of Falshoods dissemblings hypocrisies An endlesse Maze of windings turnings and hidden passages No eye can search and see it's center and secrets but that All-seeing One alone which is ten thousand times brighter then the Sun to which the darkest Nooke of Hell is as the Noone-day And therefore not I nor any man alive can promise pardon or apply the promises but conditionally upon supposition If these things bee so and so as thou hast said And the syncerity of thy heart and truth of these hopefull protestations which wee now heare from thee in this extremity and I must tell thee by the way such like may be enforced by the slavish sting of present terrour not fairely and freely flow from a true touch of conscience for sinne I say this may
mighty Lord of Heaven and Earth to have Hee offers to us in the Ministry His owne blessed Sonne to be our deare and everlasting Husband His Person with all the rich and royall endowments thereof the glory and endlesse felicities above His owne thrice glorious and ever-blessed Selfe to bee enjoyed thorow all eternity which is the very soule of heavenly Blisse and life of eternall life c. Doe you thinke it then reasonable or likely that Hee will ever accept at our hands an heartlesse formall outwardnesse a cold rotten carcasse of religion That wee should serve our selves in the first Place and Him in the second That wee should spend the prime and flower of our loues ioyes services upon some abominable bosome-sinne and then proportion-out to the everlasting God mighty and terrible Creator and Commander of Heaven and Earth only some outward religious formes and conformities and those also so farre onely as they hurt not our temporall happinesse but may consist with the entier enjoyment of some inordinate lust pleasure profit or preferment Prodigious folly nay fury to their owne soules This very one most base and unworthy conceit of so great a God and His due attributions meriteth justly exclusion from the Kingdome of Heaven with the foolish Virgins for ever My Counsell therefore is when the spirituall Patient hath passed the tempestuous Sea of a troubled conscience and is now upon termes of taking a new course That by all meanes Hee take heed that Hee runne not upon this Rocke It is better to bee key-cold then luke-warme and that the milke boile over then bee raw 7. Tho it bee an ordinary yet it is a dangerous and utterly un-doing errour and deceite To conceive that all is ended when the afflicted Party is mended and hath received ease and enlargement from the terrible pressures of his troubled conscience To thinke that after the tempest of present terrour and rage of guiltinesse bee allayed and over-blowne there needes no more to bee done As tho the New-birth were not ever infallibly and inseparably attended with new-obedience As tho when once the soule is soundly and savingly strucke thorow humbled and prepared for Christ by the terrifying power of the Law revealing the foulenesse of sinne and fiercenesse of divine wrath which set on by the spirit of bondage is able like a mighty thunder to breake and teare in pieces the iron synewes of the most stubborne and stony-heart there followed not hearty shewers of repentant teares never to bee dried up untill our ending houre as I taught before when all teares shall bee everlastingly wiped away with Gods mercifull hand And that the Sunne of righteousnesse did not presently breake forth upon that happy Soule to dispell the Hellish clouds of sensuality lust lying in sinne c. and to illighten inflame and fill it with the serenity and cleare sky as it were of sanctification and purity a kindly fervour of Zeale for Gods glory good causes good men keeping a good conscience and fruitfull influence of sobriety righteousnesse and holinesse for ever after And therefore if upon recovery out of trouble of conscience there follow not a continued exercise of Repentance both for sinnes past present and to come as you heard before an universall change in every power and part both of Soule and Body tho not in perfection of degrees as the Schooles speake yet of Parts an heart-rising hatred and opposition against all sinne a shaking-off old companions brethren in iniquity all Satans good-fellow Reuellers a delight in the word waies services Sabbaths and Saints of God a conscionable and constant endeavour to expresse the truth of protestations and promises made in time of terrour as I told you before c. In a Word if there follow not a new life if all things doe not become new there is no New-birth in truth all is naught and to no purpose in the Point of salvation They are then miserable Comforters Physicions of no value nay of notorious spirituall blood-shed who having neither acquaintance with nor much caring for the manner meanes methode any heavenly wisedome spirituall discretion or experimentall skill in managing aright such an important businesse if any waies they can asswage the rage and still the cries of a vexed guilty Conscience they thinke they have done a worthy worke Tho after their dawbing there bee nothing left behind in it but a senselesse skarre Nay and perhaps more brawnednesse benummednesse brought upon it because it was not kindlily wrought-upon in the furnace of spirituall affliction and rightly cured I feare mee many poore soules are fearefully deluded who beeing recovered out of terrours of Conscience too suddenly unseasonably or one way or other unsoundly conceive presently they are truly converted tho afterward they bee the very same men of the same company and conditions they were before or at best blesse themselves in the seeming happinesse of an halfe conversion For a more full discovery of this mischiefe and prevention of those miseries which may ensue upon this last miscarriage Let mee acquaint you with foure or five Passages out of Pangs of Conscience which still leade amisse and leave a man the Divel 's still And for all his faire warning by the smart of a wounded spirit drowne Him in the workes of darkenesse and waies of death 1. Some when by the piercing power and application of the Law their consciences are prest with the terrible and intolerable waight of their sinnes and the worme that neuer dies which hath been all this while dead-drunke with sensuall pleasures is now awaked by the hand of divine justice and begins to sting They presently with unspeakeable rage and horrour fall into the most abhorred and irrecoverable Dungeon of despaire The flames of eternall fire seize upon them even in this life They are in Hell upon Earth and damned as it were above ground Such they are commonly who all their life long have been contemners of the conscionable Ministry Scorners of the good way Quenchers of the Spirit Revolters from good beginnings and Profession of grace Harbourers of some secret vile abominable lusts in their hearts against the light of their conscience close Agents for Popery and Prophanenesse plausible Tyrants against the power of godlinesse and such other like notorious Champions of the Divell infamous Rebels to the highest Majestie Whom sith they have bin such and have so desperately and so long despised the riches of His goodnes and forbearance and long-suffering leading them to Repentance God most justly leaves now in the evill day when once the hot transitory gleame of worldly pleasures is past and His judgements begin to grow upō their thoughts like a tempestuous storme and death to stand before them unresistable like an armed Man and sinne to lie at the doore like a Bloodhound and the guilty conscience to gnaw upon the heart like a Vulture c. I say then Hee leaves them in His righteous iudgement
undiscreet heaping a great deale of comfort there where as yet a good ground-worke of true humiliation is not soundly laid Many and lamentable are the spirituall miseries in those Places where such Dawbers with untempered morter domineere who never passed thorow the Pangs of the New-birth themselves were never feelingly acquainted with the wonderfull dealings of God in that great Miracle of a Mans conversion nor trained up experimentally in the Schoole of temptations painefull exercises of mortification and counter-minings against the Depths Wiles Devises and stratagems of the Divell The blessed Prophet paints them out to the life and denounces a dreadfull woe against such flattering and foolish Prophets Ezech. 13. A Ship-Master skilfull onely in Astronomy and other speculative Passages of the Art of Navigation is no body in conducting Men safely over some dangerous Sea to Him that besides sufficiencies of Art is furnisht also with experimentall skill in those Parts by passing formerly that way Himselfe and having discovered those dangers of ruine and hidden Rockes which the other Man might easily runne upon Give me a Man in whom variety and profoundnesse of best learning doth concurre in the highest degree of excellency yet if his owne heart bee not soundly wrought upon and seasoned with saving grace Himselfe experimentally seene into the Mystery of Christ and Secrets of sanctification as Hee shall bee hardly able to wound other mens consciences and pierce them to the quicke so Hee will bee found very unfit to manage aright the spirituall miseries of a troubled Soule and to transport it savingly thorow the tempestuous terrours and temptations incident to the New-creation into the Port of true peace and Paradise of the blessed Brother-hood A right dreadfull and tender Point it is to deale with distressed consciences so many depths of Satan and deceits of Mans heart mingle themselves with businesse of so great consequence Even a well-meaning Man without much heedfulnesse and good experience both in the Point and the Party may erre dangerously and bee much deceived herein I have heard from a Man of conscience and credit besides many and many in the same kind of a fearefull imposture to this purpose A man who for the world was well enough visited with some trouble of minde for his sinnes sent for a Minister to minister comfort Hee it seemes not sounding Him to the bottome or searching to the quicke heaped upon Him unseasonably and too soone mercies and hopes of spirituall safety Amongst other things Hee asked Him whether formerly Hee had ever felt testimonies and refreshings of Gods favour and love Yea answered the Party and here take notice of a notorious depth of the Divell Once riding alone upon the way in such a Place I grew upon the sudden very lightsome and light-hearted c. This was but a flash of Satans Angelicall glory cunningly to lighten and leade him the way to further confusion Why then replied the Minister you may build upon it God is constant in His favours and whom Hee loves once Hee loves for ever Hereupon the Patient was presently healed of his wounded heart and after fell unto his former courses and grew fully as prophane as Hee was before Amongst the many important Passages of our Ministeriall imployments I feare mee this waighty affaire of visiting the sicke is passed-over also more is the pitty with much ignorance slightnesse and neglect It is incredible to consider how fearefully many offend and what a deale of hurt they doe by observing one plodding generall forme and that a poore one too towards all Patients promiscuously without any judicious discretion in distingvishing the variety of spirituall states the different degrees of unregeneratenesse former courses of life c. Commonly their carriage in such Cases is the same to the notorious sinner the meere civill Man grosse Hypocrite carnall Gospeller formall Professor Back-slider the weake and strong the tempted and untempted Christian. If they but heare from the sicke Man a generall acknowledgement of his sinnes formall cries for mercy and pardon earnest desires to die the death of the righteous c. which may bee easily and ordinarily found in a Pharisie or foolish Virgine as you have heard before they will presently needs threape Him downe that He is as sure a saved Man as if Hee were in Heaven already Herein resembling saith Marbury a foolish Shepheard who wanting skill to helpe his poore sheepe out of the ditch is driven to play the miserable comforter and to take some other indirect course as many use to doe in such case to cut the sheepes throate in time to make him Mans meate left it should bee said Hee died in a ditch Many and many a time doe such fellowes as these empty and discharge their common-Place Bookes of all the Places of mercy and comforte collected curiously and industriously for that purpose upon those Men who were never acquainted with the waies of God in their life-time nor with the truth of humiliation or truly with the great worke of Repentance upon their Beds of death Those formall Church-men who stood about Marshall Biron that great Peere and Pillar of France at his death did in this respect very ill offices of Ghostly Fathers unto Him in his greatest neede and last extremitie For when Hee behaved himselfe more like a furious Divel already amongst the damned spirits in blasphemies impatiencies and most raging passions then a meeke and humble Saint of God ready to passe into everlasting Mansions of peace they notwithstanding out of their Popish divinity gave him this absolution assuring Him that His soule was ready to see God and to bee Partaker of his glory in Heaven When it had been farre fitter to have driven him to the sight of his sinnes sense of that dreadfull houre terrour of that strict Tribunall to which hee was ready to passe and fearefulnesse of that infernall fiery Lake from which no greatnesse can priviledge gracelesse Men. I feare me there are many Trencher-Chaplaines of the true Religion also who are ready to doe proportionable service to ungodly great Ones upon whom they depend by promising them life But many and dreadfull are the mistakings and miseries which fall upon the Soules of Men both Patients and By-standers by these flattering formall visitations and Funerall Panegyricks which ordinarily follow after Happy then and hopefull is that Man who in the troubles of His Soule meetes with that One of a thousand Iob 33.23 with those Sonnes both of Consolation and thunder who are as able ready and willing rightly to binde up a bruised spirit with the Baulme of mercy and promises of life as to breake in pieces a stubborne heart with the terrours of the Law Who as they labour in the first Place to fright and fire men out of their sinfull courses into penitent dejections of Conscience a needfull preparative to a saving conversion so they have learned both speculatively and experimentally to conduct them thorow the Pangs of the
side Sixthly That they may grow into greater conformity with their blessed Saviour in spirituall sufferings Seventhly That tasting againe sometimes the bitternesse of divine wrath for sinne they may bee the more frighted and flee further from it Eighthly That thereby the incomprehensible love of Christ toward them may sinke deeplier into their hearts who for their sakes and salvation drunke deepe and large and the very dregs of that Cup the least drop whereof is to them so bitter and intolerable Ninthly That by sometimes sense of the contrary their joy in the favour and light of Gods countenance may bee more joyful Their spirituall peace more pleasant the pleasure of grace more pretious the comforts of godlinesse more comfortable c. Tenthly For admonition to others To draw duller and drouzy Christians to more strictnesse watchfulnesse and Zeale by observing the spirituall troubles and terrours of those who are far more holy and righteous then themselves To intimate unto Formall Professours that all is certainely naught with them who ordinarily are meere strangers to all afflictions of Soule and sorrow for sinne Eleventhly For terrour to many who going on securely in their sensuall courses are woont to cry downe all they can the power of preaching by crying to their companions thus or in the like manner Well for all this wee hope Hell is not so hot nor sinne so heavy nor the Divell so blacke nor God so unmercifull as these precise Preachers would make them c. How may such as these bee affrighted and terrified upon this occasion with pondering upon that terrible Place 1. Pet. 4.17.18 If iudgement begin at the house of God what shall the end bee of them that obey not the Gospell of God And if the righteous scarcely bee saveâ— If Gods Children have their consciences scorched as it were with the flames of Hell where shall the ungodly and the sinner appeare But even in the bottome of that fiery Lake and amidst the unquenchable rage of those endlesse flames Twelfthly For the just hardening of such as hate to bee reformed and are desperately resolved against the saving precisenesse of the Saints It may bee in this manner A godly Man hath lived long amongst Rebels thornes and Scorpions scorners railers Persecutours who altho Hee hath shined all the while as a Light in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation yet they were ever so farre from beeing heated with love of heavenly things by His holy life or wonne unto good by His gracious example that like so many Bats and Owles impatient of all spirituall light they did either flie from it as farre as they could in affection practise if not in Habitation Or fell upon it fiercely with their envenomed Clawes of spite and cruelty to extingvish quite if it were possible such blessed beames of saving Light and to darken with Hellish mists of ignorance and ill life the Place where they live They wilfully blinded themselves with a pestilent conceit That His sincerity was nothing but Hypocrisie His holinesse onely humour His forwardnesse Phantasticallnesse His sanctification singularity And thereupon resolved and boisterously combind against Him with all their policy purses and possibilities like those ungodly Ones Wisd. 2. Let us lie in waite for the righteous because Hee is not for our turne and Hee is cleane contrary to our doings He upbraideth us with our offending the Law and obiecteth to our infamy the transgressings of our education c. I say now God may suffer such a Man upon His Deaths-bed to fall into some more extraordinary and markable discomfort and distresse of Conscience Of which those gracelesse wretches taking greedy notice may thereby bee desperately obstinated and hardned in their lewd and carnall courses For seeing Gods hand upon Him in that fearefull manner and wanting the spirit of discerning they doe conclude most peremptorily that for all His great shewes Hee was most certainely but a Counterfeite And so themselves become upon that occasion many times more most implacable enemies to grace and all good men They are stronglier lockt up in the armes of the Divell faster nailed to formality or good-fellowship and which is the perfection of their madnesse and misery blesse themselves in their hearts saying merrily to their Brethren in iniquity You see now what these men are which make themselves so holy and are so hot in religion These are the Fellowes which pretend to bee so scrupulous and precise and of that singular streine of sanctity that they thinke none shall be saved but themselves c. You see in this Man the desperate ends of such hypocriticall Puritans Thus the glory of Gods justice is justly magnified by letting them grow starke blind who wilfully shut their eyes against the Light of grace by giving them over to a reprobate minde who so maliciously hated to bee reformed And so too often they walke on for ever after with confidence and hardnesse of heart which cannot repent in a perpetuall prejudice against purity and the power of godlinesse unto the Pit of Hell Whereas by the mercy of God and inviolable constancy of His Covenant that blessed Man by these terrours and afflictions of Conscience besides glorifying God in hardening others is as it were the more thorowly fitted and refined for that glory which is presently to bee revealed 3. Greatest humiliations doe not ever argue and import the greatest Sinners For sinnes are not alwayes the cause of our afflictions particularly and directly But some times some other Motives Abraham was put unto that heavy Taske of taking away His owne onely deare sonnes life principally for the triall of His Faith Iob was visited with such a matchlesse variety and extremity of afflictions upon purpose to end that controversie betweene God and Satan whether Hee feared God for nought or no Gods heavy hand was sometimes upon David specially for the manifestation of His innocency See Psal. 17.3 Nay our blessed Saviour infinitely free from sinne was notwithstanding tempted and tried by Satan and the world that His heavenly vertues divine excellencies might appeare and bee made more illustrious And Himselfe tells us Ioh. 9.3 that the blinde man was so borne neither for His owne sinne nor for the sinne of His Parents But that the workes of God should bee made manifest in Him For the particular I have in hand To prevent some sinne into which Hee sees His Childe inclinable and like to fall by reason of some violent occasion naturall propension strong temptation industrious malice of the Divell to disgrace Him and His Profession scandalously c. God in great mercy may give Him a taste nay a deepe draught of the unexpressable terrours of a troubled minde againe that thereby Hee may bee taught betime to take more heede walke more warily and stand upon His guard with extraordinary watchfulnes against the very first assault and least insinuation of sinne There is preventing Physicke for preservation of health as well as that when
tartnesse of the Law Cases of Conscience Lib. 1. Cap. 7. Sect. 5. Here remember by the way that the comforts ministred usually and ordinarily must not goe alone but bee mingled and tempered with some terrours of the Law c. The ministring of comfort in this distresse would not bee direct and present but by certaine steps and degrees Except only in the Point of death for then a directer course must be used Iâ—id Cap. 11. Sect. 1. Matth. 11.28 Iames 4.10 Prov. 28.13 Heb. 12.14 Revel 3.19 Psal. 9.17 n Proprietates Dei essentiales sunt realitèr ip samet Dei essentia nec ab essentiâ Dei nec inter se reipsâ differunt Non ab essentiâ quia sic sunt in essentiâ ut sint ipsa essentia Non inter se quia quicquid in Deo est unum est à primâ autem unitate omnis prorsus differentia omnisque numerus abesse debet Polan Syntag. Theol. Lib. 2. Cap. 7. o Proprietates Dei 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sunt aequales 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 inaequales Alsted Theol. Didactico Scholast Sect. 1. Cap. 15. * Now wee his Ministers His Almoners to distribute his comforts even as many as bee in the Scripture dare not lavish them out and promise them to such lazy indifferents as these But if wee see any ready to faint for want saying Give mee drinke or else I die then wee reach the cup of salvation to him and bid him drinke of it neither dare wee to give it to any other Rogers of Dedham Doctr. of Faith pag. 186. Tit. 2.11 12. Zech. 13.1 p As concerning sorrow seeing the causes still remaine namely corruption and affliction therefore this sorrow must continue to our lives end Tho in a different manner now mingled with comfort whereas the former before Faith could have none Whereas on the other side the sorrow that quite drieth up was never sound as it is to bee seene in many who beeing once deepely afflicted and in great heavinesse for their miserable state afterward comming to some comfort are growne so secure and senselesse that having no true griefe or remorse for their daily corruptions content themselves that they were once cast downe whose lives as they bee foule and full of blots so their ends bee oft fearefull either senselesse or uncomfortable so dangerous is it to quench the spirit in any pat Culverwell in his Treatâ—se of Faith pag. 46.47 Certum est sine sensu peccati miseriae primùm deinde â—iberationis in Christo Iesu â—â— eadem illá miseriá nullam in Christo esse veram consolationem Nos quidem hodierno die expectamus non primumillum sed secundum Christi adventum Vt igitur eum cum aliquâ consolatione expectemus danda nobis opera est in totâ vitâ ut magis magisque in sensu peccati miseriae nostrae proficiamus alioqui proâ—ectò tantum aberit ab eo ut cum consolatione gaudio â—um Christi adventum expectemus ut è contrà cum horroribus aâ—iâ—i conscientiae nâ—n tam expectemus illum diem quà m eum aversemur Rolloc in Iohan pag. 346. Perpetuò resipiscamus In perpetuâ luctâ perpetuâ resipiscentiâ simus Idem Ibid. pag 337. Some are onely slightly humbled and having got comfort are never more grieved whereas a true Beleever even after Faith grieves still for his daily sinnes but these thinke it enough that they were once grieved and therefore now grieve no more for their foule sinnes Rogers of Dedham Doctr. of Faith pag. 367. Cum sèmper nobis agnoscenda sint peccata nostra credendum quòd remittantuâ— nobis peccatâ— propter Christum senâ—imus semper etiam in hâ—c vitâ nobis agendam esse poenitentiaâ— Harmon Confess p. 2. Wirtenbergica Confess de poenit pag. 153. Wee are to note that repentance is a continuall course of sorrow and if wee have this in truth then may wee boldly seeke for comfort out of Gods Word and from His Ministers and looke what comfort they give us on Earth the same shall bee sealed also in Heaven Wherefore as it is requisite continually to till the ground if wee will have fruit and daily to eate if wee will live so in spirituall things wee must bee humbled with continuall sorrow that wee may bee refreshed with daily comfort in Christ. Greenham Serm. 7. Of Repentance I the rather quote these Divines for this Point to oppose the wicked and ignorant folly of some ill-tong'd Anti-nomists and other peevish and proud Phantasticks q â— Sam. 7.6 Hauserunt aquas è puâ—eo cordis sui abundè lachrymati sunt coram Domino resipiscentes Chald. Paraph. Est quadam precum omnipotentia Luth. r Quntum prinâ—us ego lum Hoc ergo apud beatum Paulum siduciae consolationis accipite fratres ut ad Dominum iam conversos non nimis criâ—ciet praeteritorum coâ—scientia delictorum sed tantùm bumâ—lieâ— vos sicut ipsum Ego sum inquit minimus Apostolorum qui non sum dignus vocari Apostolus qui sum persecutus ecclesiam Dei. Ita nos humiliemur sub potenti manâ— Dei c. Bern. Col. 225. * Et si preces quotidiè quotidiè poenitentiam agaâ— quod in antiquis domibus facere solemus cum fuerint putrefactae putrida subtrahimus supponimus nova à continuâ curâ nunquam desinimus Chrysost. Ad pop Antioch Hom. 80. * If any doubt how godly sorrow and spirituall ioy may consist together at the same time in the same Subiect let them take satisfaction even from Philosophy De dolore gaudio dupliciter loqui possumus uno modo secundum quod sunt passiones appetitus scusitivi Et sic nullo modo possunt essè simul eò quòd sunt omâ—inò contrariae Velex parte obiecti put à cum sunt de eodem vel saltem ex parte motus cordis Nam gaudium est cuiâ— dilstatione cordis tristitia verò cum constrictione Et hoc modo loquitur Philosophus Eth. 9. â—â—io modo possumus loqui de gaudio tristitiâ secundum quod consistunt in simplici actu voluntatis cui aliquid placet vel displicet Et secundum hoc non possunt babâ—â—â— contrariâ—tateâ—â— nisi ex parte Obiect putà cum sunt de codem secundum idem 〈◊〉 non possunt 〈◊〉 esse gaudium tristitia quia non potest simulideâ—s secundum idem placene displiâ—â—re 〈◊〉 verò gaudiuâ—â— tristitia sic accepta non sint de eodem sâ—â—â—â—dumidem sed vel de diversis vel de eodem secundum diversa sic non est contrarietas gaudij tristitia Vnde nihil probebeÌ„t hominem simul gandere tristari putà si videamus iustum affligi 〈◊〉 placet nobis eiâ—â— iustitia displicet aâ—flictio Et hoc modo simul potest alicui displicere quòd peccavit placere quòd hoc ei displicet cum spe veniae ita quòd ipsa tristitia sit