hee should so much as thinke of a recouery much lesse be able to comprehend any way to get out of it Q. What vse is to be made hereof A. Still each staire must bring this wofull soule lower and lower till it can fall no further These Articles serue to plucke out each of them one or other and all of them all those false crootches and props which corrupt self-holds vpon to keep her from catching this deadly fall vnder her misery If there bee any evasion for flesh and blood any starting hole to get out at shee will bee sure to find it This is the last stoppe of all which should quite sinke the proud heart of a sinner though he carry his chin all this while aboue water To all the former this one of vtter irrecouerablenesse and desperate impossiblenesse to get out should euen kill the hopes of a wretched heart and burst the belly of it Hopelesse misery should make an helplesse soule lying panting at the mercy of a Sauiour and gasping for breath that if there bee no more for her out of her selfe then within her shee may giue ouer all And while shee sees no hope in her selfe shee may despaire in her selfe Till this last Lecture be read and beleeued by the soule in vaine is Christ offred to her while she hath a wing of her owne to fly ouer him with neglect Those that come to Christ must bee wholly beaten out of all holds and those strong holdes of selfe-hopes and self-loues either of nature meere or mixt with some helpe supernaturall Christ will neuer bee sought to if any other can bee deuised Sleidan reports that when some souldiers were surprized in their Castle and all throwne downe from the top of it to bee dasht in pieces one of them among the rest falling through the bowes of a mulbery tree clasping thereon with both Armes stuck by it and saued himselfe from death Wee may conceaue hee was loth to dye Much more are wee From the top of the first Article of this first Part to this last and lowest stayre the Lord throwes downe the soule of a sinner to kill his spirit and humble him but so long as the least crootch lasts the soule that loues her owne corrupt life abhorres to bee killed But in Gods feare let this put an end to all fancies and corrupt conceits of flesh and let it bring the soule to the earth and cast downe euery high thing and strong hold which sets vp it selfe against the need of a Christ and the necessity of faith Giue vp now all weapons and say If it bee thus Lord thou hast ouercome I am bereft of all and I must stand to the mercy of a Conqueror I haue nothing to merit or help mee it remaines now that vtter misery prouoke mercy at the hands of a mercifull God with whom the fatherlesse shall find it To conclude put case the Angels should mediate for vs yea if a man were for his owne part as free of sin as Adam yet for that which is past the offence of an infinite Maiesty he could not say any thing to it it is a matter of higher nature Q. What vse of this A. It quasheth all Popish pride and arrogancy all Pelagian and Popish conceit of the remnant of free will in vs towards our owne recouery Not onely in deuising or feeling need of any help but accepting it beeing offred by the helpe of supernaturall light and grace presented Man is as truely blind in himselfe as in a dungeon of darkenesse Though lâ—ght bee offered hee is as impotent to see it as vnable to procure it in the want of it The very roote of all errour and euill heresy and profanenesse being nothing else haue their Ignorance of originall thraldome vnder sin It should greatly abase vs that wee are thus hurt and know not how much lesse how to outgrow it This vse our age greatly needeth wherein formality is ready to blot out the impression of all truths of this kind and nouzle it selfe in an easie religion void of power Secondly it teacheth what a mystery grace is It is true which Paul saith Great is the mystery of godlinesse which Christ manifested When Christ came and brought light foure thousand yeeres after the Creation it was as strange as at first And now when grace findes any man how doth it preuent him euen as the light comes vpon the drunkard in the depth of his snorting and surfet Oh the sweet peace the sinner findes in his misery As Israel made their bondage an ease so wee hell it selfe our Heauen by custome Wee adde delusions to our blindnesse and senslesnesse by false errours of our owne and others Wee sleepe as Peter betweene foure quaternions of our keepers Deuill Sinne Law and Wrath. The Prouerbe is verified The life of an idiot is the sweetest of all for hee hath nothing to trouble him So heere the life of a man dead in sinne is not to bee aware of it pinch burne wound him it s nothing to him threaten allure all is one preach terror or hope woe or weale hee is dead The Law curse Christ and grace hope of Heauen are indifferent Nay such a fearefull offence is the Word to a dead sinner that euen that which should occasion conuincement and feare works confidence in him the Iewes tooke the Law a killing letter to bee the way and obiect of iustification Nothing can worke the soule to humiliation saue wofull experience when all is too late Thus much for this Q. Is there any way then from the LORD to come to the reuealing of this misery A. Yea and that is the morall Law of GOD Art 6 soundly preached to the Conscience See 1 Tim. 1.5 The Law is not giuen to the righteous but to the disobedient c. where the Apostle diuides the Worke of the Law into two sorts by implication One is vpon the righteous as its an eternall patterne and direction of righteousnesse and so it concernes the third Part of the Catechisme but in this sence it belongs not to this place Secondly as its a meane to vrge the vngodlie and to reueale to them their sinfull and cursed condition Note this double vse of the Law to auoyde confuzion which thousands runne into both in writing and hearing the Word preached Q. What say you then of such as want this Law A. They are of many sorts yet truly it may bee said of all They are withouâ— the true knowledge of the Law Touching Heathens Turkes and Infidels the question will bee the lesse because they wholly want the reuealing of the Law and therefore of them it s verified That although sinne reigneth among them in the guilt and curse of it on Gods part yet not on their part by vertue of any light from God For sinne is not imputed without a Law that is Rom. 5.14 not laid to their charge by Gods enlighting their conscience concerning the true obiect roote nature or fruit
of sinne As concerning those notions which were left in them and were in stead of a law they were onely enough to condemne them not otherwise The most ignorant and vicious among them easily blew out that dimme sparke they had by the blast of their strong lusts and were giuen vp to a reprobate sence and horrible lusts Their most morall Philosophers although to the shame of Christians it may bee spoken hatcht vp their sparkles of dimme light to some measure yet as touching the true knowledge of sinne they had it not they thought some sins no sins some sins vertues and some vertues vices and the sinnes they saw they neuer saw them by a word or in the curse due to them they saw a dimme twilight of an vnknowne GOD vertue vice punishment or reward and therefore were farre from any true enlighting Q. But what doth the Law worke in particular A. Two distinct things Knowledge and conviction For the first reade Rom. 7. I had not knowne sinne if the Law had net said Thou shalt not lust In which respect sinne is said to raigne from Adam to Moses yea and vnder the old Law in respect of any conuincement But since the Ministery of the Word of reconciliation came the Lord hath enlarged the power of the Ministery of the Law as a preparatiue thereto in the hearts of men As Paul saith 1 Cor. 10. Those that heare the word plainly preached and by name the Law in the true spiritâ—all sence and sauor of it they fall downe and say that God is in you of a truth Not that the Ministery of Christ is properly Legall for we are Ministers of reconciliation but not excluding it Christ came not to destroy the Law in the doctrine of it for it leades to Christ saue in the rigour and dominion of it The Law then first searches the soule it s the candle of the Lord and pierces the bowels of the spirit those secret windings corners shifts and euasions of it bee they neuer so colourable and subtill It is as a great torch-light in the dead time of night in the hand of an Inquisitour which searches an house for Papists and Iesuites and finds them in their Masse and takes them with all their bookes and trinkets As the persecutors of the Saints searched all vaults and priuy doores barnes and mowes of hay and corne with speares sharp spits and swords so is the Law acted by that spirit of conuincement and search Ioh. 9. the discouerer of the thoughts and Heb. 4.12 pierceth between the ioynts and marrow The Lord hath giuen it authority ouer the conscience as his owne Bayliff to hunt out and discerne sinne in the colours in the kinds of it open secret thoughts affectioÌ„s yea concupiscence not the bare letter of the Law but the spirit for Paul notwithstanding al Gamaliels teaching knew it not And the conscience of the vnregenerate being once thus stirred is as the light of the Law to bring God into ech priuy part Not a dimme twilight but a Sunne at noonetide which shines froÌ„ East to West all ouer the spheare of Heauen and makes euery soule come out as Adam from the bushes by the voyce of God so cleerly bewraying a man to himselfe that for the time hee thinkes all other men see him pointed at by the finger of GOD. Q. How is it that the Law of GOD is the reuealer of sinne A. That most Holy and wise God who first contriued and vttered it put the light of his owne pure Maiesty into it and enabled it to discouer sinne to the soule not as other Lawes to speake to the eare but to the conscience and although there is no commandement in the whole booke of God Psal 19 Psal 119. Heb. 4.12 Eph. 5.10 11. Ioh. 3.20 which comes not from the same Author and spirit of light and truth yet the Lord hath more peculiarly put this power of Enlightening into this his morall Law as conteyning a more full exact and cleer view of all sinne both in the Nature and penalties of the same and according to his ordinance so it worketh not by the bare ten words syllables but the effectuall Ministery thereof accompanyed with the Spirit And looke what I say of light the same I adde of coâ—uiction also and her worke both are put into the Law by the same GOD whose fingers wrote it Q. Is vnbeleefe of the Gospell discouered by it A. No The Law is a modell of the righteousnes of Creation in which there was no need of fayth therefore it onely reueales those sinnes which make vs guilty without a remedy that it might dryue vs to seeke a remedy Yet we must not thinke it an imperfect light for this cause For as no man calles the Rules of Grammar imperfect because the Rules of Rhetorique are not in it so none can call the discouery of the Law insufficient because it reueales not the sinnes against the Gospell Q What sinnes doth the Law discouer A. All sorts by name Actuall and originall Q. What need any more be sayd of thiâ— haue we not heard enough of the nature of Misery in the third Aâ—ticle both in Sinne and death A. Euen that we spake there flowes from no other spring then the Law of God onely heere we adde this Article to that for this cause In that we onely bounded misery within her Compasse shewing wherein it lyes simply considered But when wee adde The Law reueales sinne wee meane as sinne and the curse lyes vpon vs as we are guilty of it and cursed by it the Law doth set the saddle vpon the right horse and so shewes sinne in her colours to the soule that it might apply the knowledge of it to thee and me in particular and this is a further worke Q. Well proceed to the enlightning worke of the Law about Actuall sinne what is it A. First the Law in the spirituall Ministery thereof doâ—h disperse those mysts and skales of the blindeye that suffer not light to enter Secondly It opens and giues light to the eyes to see sinne in her true colors For the first According to the sorts of sinners so doth the Law take away their lets of knowledge Take three or fore Instances Put case CHRIST had purpozed to enlighten a Pharise in the knowledge of sinne he would haue remmooued all the corruptions of the Law and darknes of the text They had establisht a Corban which might free a child from the fifth Commandement as their heires the Papists at this day dispence with any murthers or villanies if for their Catholique cause and ends They had curtolled the law in point of her extent confining her to some grosse crimes and taken away the key of light from the people about particulars They had set vp an exposition of their owne inuention they had made what they listed to bee sinne and what they pleased to be none they had soothed the people vp in this course and sowed pillows vnder
their elbowes thinking the law was giuen them to obey and not to enlighten or conuince oâ— sinne They had taken away foure or fiue sinnes from the Law as the Papists now doe the second Commandement as yee see in point of adultery and diuorce of oaths and periury of iustice and reuenge of loue and charity Mat. 5. ver 27 33 38 and 43. What was this but to call light darkenesse and darkenesse light If then Christ had meant to giue them true light hee would haue scattered those false and base conceits and corruptions as indeed his Sermon on the mount was chiefly to that purpose Secondly come lower to those that liue in the Church of GOD many are ignorant by meere want of meanes as thousands of Congregations at this day are though baptized I remember the speech of a Reuerend man that once on the Sabbath lighting vpon a Company as hee was going to preach neere-by who were some at foot-ball some dancing the Morris others quaffing in the Ale house asked them Sirs why doe yee thus prophane the Sabbath They answered him Alas good Sir wee know not that wee doe ill in our dancing or drinking which drew teares from his eyes If then GOD meane to enlighten such hee will giue them a Ministery of light to teach them what is good and what is euill So to come further put case a third soft hath some kind of light yet still mainteining a ciuill prophane or hypocriticall course what will the Lord doe to enlarge them with cleere knowledge Hee will take away their barres also Q. What are they A. These or the like First Their preiudice against the light and the meanes of light and instruments of light which hinders them from knowledge They haue perhaps a conceit that its a needlesse thing curious and vnprofitable a new fangled toy of some men or very difficult to get if not impossible These Ministers and their preachings are but noveltyes and might bee spared keepe people from their callings trouble the peoples braines and fill them with fancies These and the like false principles of preiudice Act. vlt. 22. The LORD will remoue Secondly Their custome in darknesse they haue liued as their forefathers and done wel enough new matters are yrksom also custome in profanenesse which holds them from comming where any light is for men are loth to know that which should vnsettle them in their loue See Ioh. 3.19 20. Men that loue darkenesse hate light lest their euils bee discouered Thirdly Their hardnesse of heart and purpose to liue in their lusts still For although order of law may compell them to Church yet when they see that knowledge robs them of their lusts they fare as a beare robbed of her whelpes and fight against the light of the Law as Pharaoh against the returning waters because their free-hold is toucht lose their lusts cosenage in buying and selling deceit lying pride reuenge they lose their life Fourthly That wofull dulnesse of edge and bluntnesse of spiâ—it by which they make themselues incapable of knowledge Heb. 5. Especially of any maine and material points Fifthly Generalnesse or slightnesse by which they please themselues to know the meer common sins which euery one may read in great letters runningâ— and through eâ—sâ— seeke no further because indeed knowledge is not their ayme but their policy to auoyd the shame of grosse ignorance A man that hath no more vse of a Map then to see the breadth or situation of Essex will content himselfe with the generall Map of that Shire but if a man would haue a due suruey of some Towne what breadth it hath what such a Lordship therein situate is what lands woods pastures hopgrounds hee will get a Draught of that Towne or a Suruey of those particulars So heere If God meane to enâ—ighten a carnall generall and formall professor or hee will take from him his generall Map and subtill generalities whereby hee detaines the truth in vnrighteousnessâ— and reach him a more speciall Map of sin to study vpon Sixtly He will remooue his sefeloue by which hee is loth to bee informed in truths his partiality and subtilty which suffers him not to heare such Truths as are like to oppose his personall precious and beloued euils whereby hee is loth to heare of any sins saue other mens not his owne and so he shunnes particular light of things which might prooue either against his luâ—ts ease credit or course in euil to vnderstand If a man bee a good Iustice hee is willing to know the Statutes and bee informed in them well that hee may be able to punish sinne to purpose If not hee is willing not to bee informed of them So is it heere but if the Lord will enlighten him hee will enlarge his Law to him and him to his Law that hee shall bee gladdest when hee meet vs with the most distinct and cleere light And so I might be infinite let this view be sufficient for this sormer Q How doth the Law giue light to the eies in knowing Actuall sins A. Both in themselues and in their penalties Q. In themselues how A. Sundry waies some of which and the cheefe I will note by them desiring the wise Reader to iudge of the rest First The Law doth present the soule with the authority of GOD in commanding and sets vp her selfe not in the sences or back parts of man but in his conscience the most priuy chamber of the soule This no law of man can doe No nor can any destitute of the law be truely seazed in conscience by any sinne But the Law sets vp the Lawgiuer in the conscience presenting him to her in all his Souereigne Iustice wisedome and Power that so she may esteeme of sin not as touching man but trenching vpon God in all his attributes This is a great discouery and causes sin to bee conceaued as it is not as the passing act seemes which begins and ceases with time but this is infinite in time merit extent and scope because against an infinite God For example An ignorant man hauing hurt his neighbour lookes at the sad consequent of the fact onely how hee hath hurt him in his name cattell wife goods and so the damage is the sin to him But the enlightned conscience lookes at the Lawgiuer knowing that not man but God hath made the Law against hurting man man is the next but God is the chief and last obiect of his sinne And therefore God must bee agreed with or else conscience will keep it vpon Gods record to appeare in due time And put case man would be appeased yea is satisfied yea perhaps mans Law is satisfied by the death of the offendor yet GOD still must be compounded with as chiefly offended Q. How secondly A. It presents it selfe to the soule in the coherence and consent of the law This no man can see except enlightned S. Iames cleeres this Iam. 2.10 Hee that breakes one is culpable of all Meaning that such
is the chayn of the law and so are the words couched together that being by one and the same spirit ordained he that brakes one violates all as he that breaks any linke of a golden chaine breakes the coherence Men thinke otherwise But as hee who breakes his neighbours fence trespasses him aswel as if he ranged all ouer his ground because the bond is broken so heere It were strange to tell a drunkard he broke more then the seuenth Commandement But to tell him that he had broken all as indeed he hath were strange to him Not perhaps in actuall deed but yet in power and effect because he hath broken the bond of that God who hath made all the rest And yet there is a further thing in it then so for in a sort some actuall sinne breakes all As one hath described it in couetousnesse so might I doe it in drunkennesse For what drunkard makes not his cup and companions an Idoll what cares he for Gods worship daring to bee drunke in an Ale-house within the sound of the Preacher What conuersation toward man looks hee at in family neighborhood oathes vowes to God or men What Sabbaths doth he not breake What parents and Magistrates doth he care for but rather vndoes the estate of the one and contemnes the censure of the other What cares hee in his cups to breake the head of yea to stabbe his fellow What vncleannesse and bastardy is hee not guilty of What booty by the high way will he balke and perhaps with bloodshed to get money to drinke What lyes and slanders what colors and shifts to defend his villanies and couer his sin will he forbeare This is meet to thinke of to open the harmony of a law But howeuer this bee sure it is there is no sinner not onely grosse but euen secret who is not guilty of all the Law in the breach of any Commandement because his vndue carriage fights against the Lord of the whole Law The discouery of this light might bee as much as some mens soules are worth for what is the speech of men As for vnrighteousnesse I aske GOD no mercy As for stealing saith one or for adultery saith a second or slander or murther or vsury I neuer feare what GOD can alledge against mee Indeed such or such a sinne I aske him mercy for Well said but in the meane time it s no thanke to thee GOD and prouidence suffred thee not for thâ—â— wouldst haue broken all aswell as one thy heart was bad enough if hee had not limited thee Oh this light well receiued prepares way for conuiction Q. How thirdly A. The Law discouers it selfe to the soule in the point of her Royalty So Saint Iames cals it Chap. 2.8 That as a King is not prescribed against by the quality of any subiect offending why hee may not hold him guilty so in this No person is accepted with GOD in this kind Oh! it s a great discouery of errour the hearâ— of man is proud and soone exempts and dispenseth with it selfe by some priuiledge But this Royal Law is impartiall As a glasse will shew a Queene her spots aswell as a poore woman Paul labors this point Rom. 2. against the Iewes priuiledges No difference with God All both bond and free Barbarian Scythian Iew Gentile none excepted God hath shut vp â—ll vnder one disobedience Oh it s a great abating of a proud heart One sin one hell one wrath one Tophet for Princes for subiects for learned for idiots for noble and base for Pharises and Publicanes This cuts the combe of the sinner Psalm 149.8 He bindeth Kings in Cheynes and Nobles in fetters of yron Neither can the poorest scape at a little mash nor the richest at a great Againe his Lawes are no copwebs Apply this as it is the scope of the fourth Article supâ—Ã to thy selfe Q. How fourthly A. It discouers it selfe to the sinner in the point of integrity and soundnesse of her light That is opens sinne to the soule in one kinde aswell as another Such is the corruption of Adam that it will suffer much of the body of sin to vanish in the suruey If sinne bee either of knowledge or ignorance although knowledge shall bee of some note yet ignorance will vanish If other sinnes bee of omission or commission omission sinnes will faile in the reckoning If againe sin bâ—e of presumption or infirmity Sinnes of infirmity are nothing If presumptuous sins be either of particular presumption or or totall reuolt Particulars seeme nothing to a selfe-louing rotten heart But where God enlightens lo he discouers sin in all her sexes male and female strong and weake remembred forgotten ignorance or knowledge and in a word one and other And this also is a great discouery for want of which many a soule neuer comes to the bar of Gods conuiction But now this rule will not onely tell the soule the differences of these to wit that one is of greater crime then other one may both omit and commit sin and yet know neyther he may sin of knowledge yet not of presumption necessarily because he may be preuented by feare Satan violent lust and not voluntarily consent he may also presume with a different heart yet the least of these in their nature is damnable Q. How fiftly A. The Law reaches forth to the soule her key of knowledge in the poynt of her extent She who hath her Ladyes keyes knowes all and can fetch out of ech boxe So cannot the poor droile in the kitchin So this is the priuiledge of one that hath the Law to be hers It is a great piece of the light of the Law to extend it selfe in the soule to al parts and degrees of sinne First in poynt of Spiritualnes of the Law teaching vs not to rest onely in open grosse morall offences but to goe to spirituall wickednesses The Law is spiritually morall aswell as externally Thus Paul Rom. 7.12 The Law is holy and good I sold vnder sinne And 1 Tim. 1.5 The end of the Commandement is loue out of a pure heart good Conscience and fayth vnfeined Then it must be very spirituall and aswell meet with infidelity hypocrisy vnthankfulnes impiousnes profanenesse of spirit security hardnes of heart contempt of Word Sabbaths c. as open leudnes of life riot stealth or adultery And so also it enlarges the chiefe breach of a Law to all lesser degrees and steps to it As the seuench commandement reaches not onely to grosse incontinenty but to intemperancy drunkennes riot voluptuousnes of sences c. Secondly her Inquisition and Search For the Law Heb. 4.12 is very searching and piercing diuides betweene the ioynts and marrow dare and can go to any part of the whole man and fetch out any poizon out of any corner hath an vnlimited Commission from the Law-giuer to fetch out and bind any malefactor not onely seene and manifest words and deeds but also the most retyred and close
Act. 9. hearing that voice I am Iesus whom thou peâ—secutest he fell downe and asked True Lord what wilt thou haue me to do Thus the murtherers of Christ were conuinced by Peter they were pricked in their hearts This followed they beleeuing the fact Surely wee haue pierced the Lord of life This was tipified in the handling of the Leper after the due view of the Priest Leuit. 1â— 45 he was to lay it to his heart and cry out Vncleane vncleane To this purpose Paul speaketh 1. Cor. 14.28 But iâ— yee speake in a knowne tongue if an Idiot come in hee is conuinced of all and cryes out God is in you of a truth I am a wofull wretch Thus Peter was in speciall conuinced of his basenesse Luke 5.8 Lord depart from me a sinfull man And Dauid by Nathan 2 Sam. 12.13 I haue sinned â—o 1 Cor. 4.2 4. We manifest our selues to the consciences of all men that is preach so that we conuince you of the truth So Iohn 16.8 The spirit meaning in the ministers of the law shall conuince the world of sinne their conscience shall not be able to resist the truth of it Q. How doth the Law effect this conuiction A. As in the former worke it remoued darknesse so in this it remoues three lets especially first Deadnesse of spirit Secondly Sâ—oth and caâ—e Thirdly Subtilty and hollownesse And contrarily puts a quickning and a diligent and playne consent to the light into the soule These it doth by a further power of the ordinance by the benefit of the key of light grappling with the spirit of the mind and wrestling with it to vnlocke the barre of it and set it Wide open that it may confesse her selfe to bee this party Q. What causeth this deadnesse and hardnesse in the spirit to be conuinced A. Loue of lusts and custom therein with delight doth defile and besot the powers of the minde that as one busie in his game doth not listen to a sad tale so neyther doth this mind the end of the Law in enlightning That which our Sauiour Ioh. â— 19 20. speaks of euill works that They will not come at the light may be as truly sayd of this also They will not suffer the sight to come home to them in the reflex application and seasure of conscience It is as if an vnhappy boy while one is grafting a tree should throw a little pebble betweene the clift thaâ— the sier and the stocke might warp asunder So heere corrupt lusts by the sweetnesse doe let the Word although clearely knowâ— from closing with the conscience so that the Law and the soule are two and come not home one to the other Q. What is sloth and ease A. Loose incogitancy and carelesnesse by which men run vp and downe with light as the dog with his chaine broken loose So doth a slothfull heart euen cut its owne throat as Salomon sayth Pro. 1.32 Iam. 1.24 Ease slayeth the foole To this purpose St. Iames sayth Hee is as a foole that beholds his naturall face in the Glasse and the spots of it but forgets that they are his spots If he did mynd them he would bee afrayd to shew them and would go wash them off The obedience to this hard conuincing Master is harsh men are content to forget it at least that goeth out of mind alone through lothnesse to fall to it and then comes the Deuill and puts in busines that must be done pleasures company when yet the heart sayth There is a better worke would be done and indeed if it were pleasing to the flesh it would plead to be done But now ease and liberty plead against it and put it off saying One day I wil be serious but the heart is dayly worse and worse to it For why All other worke should be set aside to follow this while the heart is vpon kindling of thoughts and desires to it lest the quenching of this spirit do make the heart vtterly vnsauory to it Thus Math. 13.7 Cares of the world and pleasures choke the Word that it dyes Oh men say They cannot dwell vpon a thing so long But it is your giddines and vanity which sees not what a Iewell they forgoe for a shadow which after will sting them without remedy As the Prophet sayd to him who let his prisoner go which was to be kept excusing it That while he was talking of this and that 1 King 20.40 he slipt froÌ„â—im Thy life shal go for his so I say This vanity ease wil slay the foole Q. What is subtilty and slynesse A. The worse of the three viz. when men pretend that they haue receyued the light to beleeue it but they lye and their false hearts are defiled with some secret roote of bitternesse Heb. 12.15 Num. 22.21 which will not suffer them to bee playne Examples are plentifull When Baalam would needes go with the men against Gods charge the Lord set his asse to conuince his folly and againe the Angell stopt his way so that he dasht his foote against the wall And thirdly the Lord oppozed him but he was so set vpoÌ„ his wages that he answerd his very asse and smote her What was the cause but a false heart pretending to do no other theÌ„ God bad him but in truth meaning nothing lesse The like estate are all hypocrites it who haue their pangs and deuotions oft promising that they will do as thâ— light calls for but in secret keepe a false measure and sooth vp themselues as they are wanting truth to do it And there is nothing more perilous then this to dally with sinne vnder pretext of religion and zeale when yet the heart is vtterly loth to take the point of this knife into it Q How doth the Ministery of the Law grapple with these A. By iogging the soule and not suffring her to be any of these but being more forcible in setting the Word home to the soule and breaking open that locke which will not shoote of her selfe Some view of this briefly I will giue to the Reader and so come to the vse Thus then the Lord doth ayme at this where he will conuince not to suffer the soule to lye in her halfe conuincings but beats her off from all her subtill shifts washes off her Colours and puts her to silence that she hath no more to gainesay and this hee doth many waies First By entring into a solemne iudiciall course with the soule and applying the light to her by particular euidence giuing in against her that shee is this childe of death Take an example While the Thiefe heares the Iudge giue his charge to the Country and enlighten the Country in the Law of the Land hee giues way to all but is no whit troubled because it s not brought home to himselfe but in generall spoken against all theeues murtherers c. But when the sayle is deliuered this Thiefe called and examined how then will his pleading not guilty
voice and as much as our matter We should labour to be so honest in our way sinceâ—e louing faithfull tender to soules denying our selues and hauing a sensible stampe of conuiction in our selues that wee might not wrong the Word we teach It is not the rolling of speech our lowd words but sincerity and simplenesse of our scope that must preuaile as Paul saith 2 Cor. 4.2 3. Oh tell men 2 Cor. 4. â— Deut. 29. If any heare the Words of this Law and blesse themselues with peace Gods wrath shall smoke against such Doe not blanch doe not dawbe with bad morter sow no piâ—lowes but rather pluck off mens mufflers and vizors and cry as those Boanorges did Awake oh dead slothfull suotill heart Bee not beaten off from this by the peoples vnthankfulnesse and repining plow we with Gods heifer and he shall teach our tongues this logique Study we our selues first then the Scriptures and the Spirit of conuincement shall follow vs wh ch the wâ—â—ld shall not resist We shall be a sweet sauor to God in all Eze. 33.3 4 1 King â— 224 both who are saued and who perish if we doe thus else we shall pay for their blood Suffer no Sycophant to disswade vs as hee did offer to Michaiah Though the wicked will say Wee are informed and haue plowed with other mens heyfers and we â—eâ—er speake well to them yet in the end faithfull witnesses shal be honoured Secondly the people must bee warned to shake off their Branch 2 lets of conuiction Let the righteous smite you it shall bee as balme The poore man whose impostume was let out by an enemy fared better by him then by all his Physicians Hunt out those three enemies before and adde a fourth of selfe-loue It is an Adder which will not heare the voice of the charmer The sweetnesse of vsury pleasures lawfull liberties ease will be as a Delila to keep off the least conuiction of the Law How can I want such a sinne Who can prooue such a gainfull lost to be so sinfull Surely he will sting thee with it as Delila did Samson when the sweet is past who now so enchants thee and then most of all when thou cryest The bitternesse of death is past Againe thinke not cch pâ—ng or glimpse of light or holding of a truth to be conuiction For so the Deuill will betray thee if euer thou be called to suffer Nay in thy ordinary course thou wilt confesse a Christ but deny him before a Papist Thou wilt say Thy soule is more worth then the World but stake it for a groate Conviction is no opinion but the ouerpowring of the Conscience If the truth bee no stronger then the Soules resistance there is no Conuiction The Martyrs gaue their blood for Transubstaâ—tiation Which they had neuer done had they not seene and beene conuinced of the issue of it Thirdly Examine â—hâ—y selfe about this weighty worke of the Law that thou maist hope to go on more safely Try it by these markes First By the loue of a conuincing Ministery and loathing of the contrary Secondly A cleering of God and the righteousnesse of his Law call thy selfe the slaue sold under sin As he to Achan Giue glory to God! Hug the Chirurgion that lanced thee Thirdly Shame and confusion for sin Dan. 9. The Publicane durst not looke vp Peter bids Christ depart for he was vtterly confounded at the power of Christ Thus they in Ezra 10. vnder the raine of Heauen so thou vnder this showre Rom. 6 21. What fruit Fourthly By thy thanks to God 1 Cor. 14.25 God is in you of a truth Fifthly Vnder thy confusion till God raise thee vp Habac. 3. let rottennesse enter into bones that peace may be in the day of trouble Crust not ouer thy sore waxe not weary of this work of God as most doe A man once throughly shamed and confessing is hardly after defiled Lastly let it end in true consternation of soule and terror for thy sin of which we are to speake Q. What is the second worke of Conviction A. The second is of the whole soule callâ—d terror and bondage For when the former worke of conuiction hath prevailed it works thus that such a soule is as vnder an arrest and seeing it selfe this sinner this cursed one hee is thereby killed and the spirit brought into terror and bondage And this the Lord sees meet to adde to the former for else as a dog with his chayne loose so the conscience runs riot with the worke of bare knowledge of sinne But if the dogge be fastned to his chayne hee is vnder custody And this is that which is so oft spoken of in Rom. 7. when Paul saith When the Law came I dyed Meaning in spirit and conscience That selfe of iollity ease and security which sinne afforded was nipt and quasht and in stead of it a sad item giuen to the soule taking away the taste of her morsels mixing the gall of aspes with her drinke and stinging her as an Adder and stabbing her to the heart as a sword for her conuinced villanies yea and none more then this body of death which still dogges her and wounds her as fast as she licks her selfe whole with all her duties or abstinences and works and shifts proouing her a slaue sold vnder misery and shewing her a nature a world of sinne and woe to beare downe all her morality and hypocrisie An heart vnder this bondage cannot be stild with Rattles the Spring comes so fast that there is no stopping it by the wit of man till a stronger streame turne it backe The like speech is that Sinne by the Law slew mee Hee meanes not any mortification but hee touches vpon that point of the iolâ—inesse of a sinner who that sinne might bee out of measure sinfull prides himselfe in his estate This pride the law resists le ts out the rankenesse of it and abases it with terror of hel and wrath And that in so great measure of times that when God leaues them from hope they wickedly bereaue themselues of life And yet this is not grace but in the elect a seed of it without which the Lord were no more fit to treat with them about saluation then a Smith to meddle with a wild horse but when hee hath cast him hee can handle him at pleasure This worke in Scripture is called the Spirit of feare or Bondage not bondage to sinne but by it whereby as they who are prisoners vnder chaynes doe lye in sorrow and horror without escape or hope so doe these Their spirit is enslaued to feare their conscience to guilt accusation to the whip of wrath and iustice yea crusht downe to Hell by the torment of such a spirit as cannot sustaine it selfe for the restlesse anguish thereof Q. Seeing this point of legall terrour is one of the maine points of this first Part tell me how many things make for the vnderstandâ—ng of it A. Three things especially First
The difference Secondly The nature the effects and end of it Thirdly The extremitiâ—s or abuse of it Q What is the difference of it from the former legall workes A. The worke of enlightning casts out ignorance the worke of conuincing resists deadnesse and insensiblenesse But this third of consternation or terror resists that pride and iollity of a sinner ouerbearing himselfe and lifting vp himselfe in his sinne without checke or remorse And this latter is of all other the most proper worke of the Law to tame and beate downe the lofty heart of man setting vp a Law to it selfe to walke as it listeth without law or feare Q. What is the nature of it A. It is a presenting more or lesse of the wrath and penaâ—ties due â—o sin vnto the whole man by the conscience for the casting of it downe at the feete of God Marke these heads First It s a presenting for the dead bare letter of the ten Commandements cannot doe this by any magicall power No it s the worke of the Powerfull Ministery of the Law which can doe it The Lord who put the former gift or conuiction into it puts this also of subduing and casting downe into â—his Law Ministery Although in appearance it be weake yet God setting it on worke with the authority of his Spirit with power to carry his errand into the soule it shall be able without feare or flattery to doe it and to doe that which no Law of Princes can effect euen to flait and gaster the conscience Lawes of men are absent but this law is pâ—esented by God to the soule From him it first came and by him it was giuen in terror and earth quakes by strong Angels to master the proud heart of man and is still pronounced and presented to the same vpon the mount Ebal of the legall Ministery in the open assembly as it came therefore from God so it is supported in her power by God and serues for his vse in all places to arrest and cast downe all sinners and carry them to prison vnder sentence at the Iudges pleasure Secondly It doth present the wrath and penalties of sinne especially Till these come sinne is at peace Euen as while the Iudge is reading his Commission or giuing his charge or calling a Iury or hearing the crime debated but when the thiefe sees more that hee hath power to giue oath take euidence and verdict and pronounce sentence of death presenting the messengers of it to the eare the knife the hatchet the fire the halter then his courage comes downe The law in her Ministery is this voice of God and Iudge of a sinner Rom. 4.15 therefore called the Ministery of the letter the messenger of wrath the Law of sinne and death Rom. 8.2 Not of the wrath of a man against a man but of God against a sinner not able to kill the body but to cast body and soule into hell This law curseth from Gods mouth euery stale sinner soked in his lees Cursed be euery one that abides not in all things to doe them cursed from God be euery lyer swearer adulterer hypocrite worldling Desolation and destruction tribulation and anguish be vpon euery soule that sinnes high and low without baile or main prise and if God curse cursed they are and who shall blesse them It is no curse of a sinne vpon a sinner no Popes curse with booke bell and candle which yet made Kings to tremble and made them as blacke as soote in the opinion of fooles no not the curse of a father which may turne to a blessing as Iacobs did to Simeon and Leui but the curse of the eternall God whose wrath is the messenger of death and blasteth indeed wheresoeuer it lighteth and whatsoeuer resists it This wrath I say marke well in the penalties of it temporall spirituall and eternall the law presents to a sinfull soule Temporall in this life Leu. 26.24 2 Cor. 15.6 read Deut. 29. setting God against the soule in all hâ—r course walking contrary to her because she hath walked so to him vexing her withall aduersity and suffering nothing to goe currant either in one kinde or other marriage crosse children cursed state vntoward successe naught God against me in all Spirituall and farre worse penalties in the soule deserting it and leauing it to her owne impenitency security hardnesse obstinacy which is Gods curse vnder seale Lam. 3.65 as a Baylif holding vnder arrest euen till hell eternall at death euen a separation from the presence of God and a tormenting of it for euer in hell in the fulnesse of this wrath which indeed is the dying the death and yet neuer dead without hope ease or remedy Thirdly Ceazing vpon the whole man by the Conscience for as the law is the worker so the conscience is the immediate obiect of this wrath God hath made it the lawes obiect created it with a marueilous power of sensiblenesse aboue all parts to record and to apprehend all sin and wrath for it if God had not so ordeined it could neuer receiue into it selfe so infinite wrath of Gods Iustice as now it can It exceedes the apprehension of any the tendrest part when it s stung with an Adder scalt with water or boyling oyle burnt with fire cut with a sword the sence of conscience ceazed with this wrath of God is vnspeakeable and cannot be vttered by man it cannot enter into man that feeles it not to conceaue the sting and vexation of conscience being thus wounded for sinne in which it s differenced from all other consciences eitheâ— first Ignorant erroneous and superstitious conscience not fearing or fearing amisse Secondly defiled conscience dallying with God halfe conuinced and halfe whole hypocritically feeling God in some of his Law but preuailing by subtilty against the rest that so it might shunne the dint â—hereof Thirdly Seared and hardned conscience which by long rebellion and resistance of the Law hath got the mastry of the Law and is waxen senslesse and vselesse forgetting her office I say these are cursed neither shall they auoid the dint of this law at the length earlier or later their dog shall awake one day and howeuer they sleep yet 2 Pet. 2.6 Their damnation sleepes not Onely this conscience of which Salomon speakes Who can beare the load of it this wounded conscience differs from all these and is the obiect of the Law thus presenting wrath to it that by how much the more it seemes in worse case then the other three yet by this feeling of God she might in due time prooue better then the best of them And I say conscience is so the next obiect that yet the whole man thereby partakes of this wrath As Iob speakes of himselfe Thy feares are vpon mee day and night The arrowes of the Almighty stick fast in me Thou scarest mee with dreames and visions no rest in my flesh for thee And chap. 33. My bones clatter and stick out all dainty meat is
loues a cheerefull giuer So farre should they bee from censuring others who welter not as themselues vnder their bondage Hee is cast downe enough who is in case to heare of raising vp Secondly on the left hand those doe farre worse abuze this doctrine who being weary of terror and bondage as soone as they fall into it cast with themselues how they may shake it off pretending that this is no estate to serue GOD in And so they returne some to their sport and Pastimes some their Pleasures some their Profits some their old companions some prooue more desperate worldlings and others with Cain to build them Cityes and while out their time heere with singing sad thoughts away Let these know that the course they take is vâ—oâ—ent and much like to them who to stop the cry of their infants put into the brazen belly of Moloc did oppresse their eares with the noise of Pipes and Tabrets As their childrens cry preuayled to bring an heauy plague vpon them which no Pipes could still so when the sleepe of these Epicures is ouer they shall awake with such sad confuzion that all the noise of their Rattles shall not be able to still them And so much be spoken of this point of Consternation and of the three acts of the Law and the vses in speciall There is one generall vse to be added afterward Q. Before wee adde the vse of Terror in generall one obiection offers it selfe viz that Paul Rom 7.7 sayth When the Law came sinne reuiued how then is Terror the worke of the Law Paul doth in that place so affirme the former that he denyeth not the latter adding this But I dyed noting that both might stand together A. Both may be together in one vnregenerate man according to diuers parts For when the Law had slaine conscience then concupiscence reuiued And wee must distinguish betweene the naturall worke of the Law and the accidentall Terror is the proper worke of it and when it s wrought it is as it ought to be But when rebellion ariseth it s otherwise then ought to be When the Sunne reuiueth and sweetens the earth it workes properly when it drawes vp the noysome stench of a dunghill to poizon the ayre its accidentall comming from the loathsomnes of the dunghill So when sinne rebells she doth her kind for she doth as the deuill did when he went out he foamd raged and tyrannized first It proceedes from the fulnes of the stomacke of sin loth and disdayning to yeld to a new guest But howeuer sinne do her kind yet if the Law do set her selfe to do hers this rebellion shall not hinder the killing power of it It shall rather encrease it For when the soule comes to see how lothsome sinne hath made her that euen when the Law by her righteous good nature seeks to destroy sinne then shee most couets it cleaues to it and rushes her selfe vpon it to iustle it aside this makes her conclude her selfe out of measure wofull by sinne out of measure sinfull And when rebellion begins to bee tamed the heart growes more and more vnder feare Although nothing hinder why both may not at one time bee together Onely in the bad commonly it encreaseth till it haue cast out all terrour and so causes the soule to wax worse for the Lawes enlightning because the sweet of sinne hath so preuailed that with an high hand of rebellion it strengthens the iollity of sin and so reuiueth In the godly in whom God will vse the Law as a seed of regeneration and a way to a remedy the Lord will enlarge terror and conuictions so farre that rebellion shall not stand it out but stoop with confusion vnder the power of it It s certein many perish at this second rock of rebellion hauing shot the gulfe of ignorance Q. Cleere this obiection more fully A. To this end first we must cleere the Text. Secondly Lay downe the obiection and answere it First For cleering note That Paul by Sin meanes originall sin body and members By himself I died hee meanes the powers of soule and body these must bee well distinguished Secondly obserue that Paul compares Sinne and himselfe in this point viz The time before and the time after the lawes powerfull comming by conuiction and terror Before the comming of it thus Sinne was dead and Paul aliue What 's that Sinne was aliue in point of her stilnesse Peace and Qâ—ietnesse without any distemper why because either no Law came at all or else came not in her power Againe Paul was aliue What is that Merry iolly lusty secure without any feare Why Because there was none to oppose The death then of sin ere the Law was no true death for still her poizon remayned as the snakes in her cold hole The life also of Paul was no true life for hee was dead in poynt of misery a dead carrion to the life of God but alone onely in the matter or his â—oâ—lity and lustinessâ— Thirdly note Sinnâ—s death and Pauls liâ—e caused this deepe â—oâ—â—e 〈◊〉 betweene them both I laâ— her quietnes and their â—â—ll ty made them as câ—ose as buckle and thong for why sinne was glad to see Paul lusty and Paul was as glad to â—eâ— her quiet Thus it was between them ere the Law â—ame But how since Oh quite contrary Sinner u ued Paul dyed How Sinne perceyuing the Law resoluâ—d not to giue ouer till it had diuided her and Paul who had so long liued at peace together and traded with gaine and pleasure ech by other and to scoure her house of her guest whom she so corrupted the mind the will affections conscience and members of Paul beeing the creation of GOD begins to reuiue to be no longer quiet as before when her trade prospered but to fret rage and be vnquiet On the other side Paul also seeing the Law resolued to gaster him out of his wicked haunt what doth hee dyes is all a-mort forsakes his old mistresse concupiscence and begins to be weary of his trade I cannot open it better then by a Similitude There is some lewd huswife in an end way of a Towne that keepes a base Suckling house and there bee many lewd drunkards companions that sucken her Markes Ere the Constable come shee is still and quiet vtters no distaste at all followes her trade at ease and puts vp her wicked gaynes and the more quiet she is the more merry her guests be throwing all out at windowes and so both consent most inwardly to get her yea and perhaps while this league lasts although the Officer come yet at first she keepes her quiet and they their iollity and both out-face the Law But marke The Officer comes the second tyme vpon them and they vnderstand he is fully bent to execute the Law to pull downe the Alehouse and to diuide the keeper and the guests from ech other how then Then the Guests all turne iollity into feare they are all a-mort
well is he that can betake him first to heeles out goes one at one posterne another at another and leaue their hostesse What doth she Alas she is the housekeeper she must bide by it she hath forgone her trade therefore she mutters and rages aâ—d giues threatning specches they will vâ—doâ— a poore woman c. And if she can by any meanes toll in her flayted guests she wilâ— and tels them She must not be so forsaken they must sticke to her better then so Howbeâ—t the Officer is diligent and tells these guests I am resolued to breake your knot yee shall no more râ—ut here it shall cost ye all ye are worth to your skinne rather and if there be Law to be hâ—d I will breake your meetings As for this base huswife she doth her kind I neuer looke to see her honest I will watâ—h her aswell as I can but aâ— for reforming her I neâ—er looke for that I may bynd her to good behauior fine and yoke her and hold her downe as I can but her ill will I looke alway to haue and care not for it and I know as she can she will play her pranks But as for you of whom I haue more hope let me perswade ye to refrayâ—e What comes of this The base woman frets still and malignes the Law but the guests beeing ouer powerd with authority leaue their trade the more the woman rages the more they are ashamed not onely by the feare of thâ— Officer but by the rebellion of their old hostesse they grow more to loa h their old trade This for the first to wit the clearing of the text Q. Now how cleere you the doubt A Eâ—sily For what is it against Pauls dying that Sinne reuyuâ—th what is it against the Guests shame and dying to their tâ—dâ— that their old hostesse rages Rebellion is in her not iâ— them they are shamed and flayted thogh she will know no Law Q. â— vnderstand plainly but now because the point of sinâ— rebellion â—n the conscience terrified is somewhat vnusually taught speake a little of it shew what it is and so with a little vse conclude all A. Thus then we may conceaue what this sin-reuiuing in the soule cast down meaneth if we distinguish the sorts of Rebellion in generall It s three fold 1 Naturall or corrupt Second Penall and the third Mixt. The first kind is when the Word or law comes so to the corrupt soule that as yet it carries no power or authority ouer the soule with it but still the soule holds her owne for then so close is sin and the soule they so consent that to bee parted from their filthy fellowship is death to them both sin incorporating herselfe into the soule that she is as one with them though in truth there is as great oddes between them as betweene the creation of God and the confusion of the Deuill howbeit so it is by their neernesse and Inmateship the one so defiles another that it is as easy for Samson to part with his Delila as for these to be sundred Heere therefore as both band in euill so both do conspire in rebellion against all the lawes of God all his Knight-Marshals Constables and Officers it s as easy to rob a beare of her whelpes as these of their sinfull pleasures and when any thing is done by the law against Oh what a liuery do they giue it and Gods officer for it Oh he comes to make vproare and bring in confusion among neighbours that liued before at one Oh! say they its pity that euer such were suffred to breake the loue and liking that was before Oh how they combine to cast him out that they might roll backe to their old mire the Minister is to such as the Marshall in London is to harlots an ey-sore a reproch and common wonderment Their gaine their sweet trade their shrines for Diana are stopped therfore now they cry out more then euer Great is Diana their drinking their lusts pride and couetousnesse were neuer so sweet to them as now the opposition of the Word makes them The good and holy law of God makes them worse and worse they rush their crazy soules against the piller of Gods truth and split themselues at it and become more out of measure sinfull This is the first rebellion in the vnconuinced the most ordinary and common rebellion to be seene now a daies where the Word comes powerfully vpon ignorant consciences snorting in profanenesse This is not heere meant The second is Penall a fruit of this onely encreased by the iust wrath of God vpon the former rebels whose chaynes Lord makes stronger Esa 28.22 by how much the more they kicke against the pricks I say when the Lord penally smites them suffers them to encrease and fulfil the measure of their lusts to grow frozen in these dregs desperate in their lusts to scorne pursue deface the meanes and waxe impenitent in their rebellion so that they find no place of repenting See these texts Mat. 23.32 34 Act. 41.13 Act. 28.27 and the like neither is this meant heere The third is Mixt When rebellion is allayed with terror of conscience and not permitted to her selfe as we know a theefe in hold is one thing and at liberty is another Now this mixt terror is the accidentall worke of the law in a conuiâ—ted and troubled conscience working corruption to a rebellion and resistance that sinne might bee odious and the soule more humbled So that by this appeares that this reuiuing or rebelling is no act of conscience or the soule for it s planted in another subiect to wit sin Conscience all this while is oppressed with thraldome by the law and held downe the rebellion which is comes from the principle of lust which cannot endure separation To apply then the distinction I answere This obiection hinders not this truth That the proper work of the law is to cast downe and embondage the guilty soule Q. The chieft doubt remaining is How a troubled Conscience priuy to much reuiuing of corruption may discerne that it commeth not from her selfe but from sinne A. This may be discerned easily by many markes First from the worke of the law that hath separated her from sin and that amity which once was between her and it This is no hard matter to prooue if once the soule can say her old lusts and she are diuided by the lawes of terror How can she then thinke that she should rebell against the good law for working that which she is glad of Secondly It will appeare by this that rebellion must come from a free will and principle of the agent but that cannot bee conscience nor her selfe because shee is conuinced by an ouerruling Law which hath killed her freedome Thirdly by this that rebellion where it is vnconuinced doth not onely fret in respect of somewhat she is denied but alâ—o at that which crosseth her for it selfe But in this legall rebellion when the
soule is in chaynes the scope of this rage â—s rather in respect of that which is denied then at the Law simply as the Law Take an instance Act. 25.19 When Demetrius made an vprore against Paul the Iewes also tooke occasion to oppose him but how Demetrius looked at his gaines and if hee might haue them hee was quiet he oppozed not Paul in his preaching But the Iewes lookt at Paul as Paul a Preacher of Christ and in no by-respect So heere when the conscience lyes in chaynes and rebels not sinne hath lost her agent therefore she onely lookes at her selfe and at her trade if she might be as shee desires all were well But when the soule and she consented they both oppozed the Law as the Law not onely by a muttering within of secret selfeloue Ponder this Fourthly try it by this when rebellion comes from the soule it encreases ordinarily but when from sinne it decreases because the LORD more and more weakens her by terror of Conscience These and the like may serue for answer Q. New finish with some vses what are they A. Many there are But I will onely name the lesse principall and vrge the scope of the maine Vse 1 First Let vs from hence conceaue the wofull state of a wretch ere the Law comes in terror to him he and his sinne are in a cursed league and commit hidious villany together To thinke of this time of ignorance might alone breake any heart except as hard as a stone They were as Iob Iob. 17 14. speakes of his flâ—sh and the wormes euen two sisters As Simeon and Leui sworne brethren The cursed prankes which they plaâ—d in Shechem are not-so odious as those which sinne and Conscience did in secret ere the Law came They are not to be named Oh that the thought of such cheats would gaster men making them say My soule come no more into her counsell and consent How much better is the lawes little ease then such liberty of hell Secondly Let this teach Gods Ministers of the Law to Vse 2 ply their tooles God hath put a weapon into their hand able if well vrged to separate euen sinne and the soule Do not suffer this Law to perish for lack of execution Thou complainst that good Iustices and Iudges are so rare there can be no Law gotten against lewd houses Beware we lest we suffer a worse Inmateship and spy it not out I meane priuy sin and conscience Though we preach all our daies against morall offences drinking and the like yet wee shall neuer doe good if we vrge not the Law vpon these two and put a separation betweene GODS Creature and the brood of Satan Thirdly it confutes the worlds aspsieron vpon the powerfull Vse 3 Ministery of the Law they call it debate and raising vp strife as I said but oh yee lyers wee doe not enuy your peace nor lawfull consent but your close league in your lusts Wee would diuide you and your concupiscence that God might rule in that diuision whom yee barred out by your consent 2 Sam. â—0 21. I remember Ioabs speech to the woman of Abel who accused him for robbing the city of her inhabitants no saith he no such thing God forbid onely there is one Sheba a traitor heere and if yee cast his head ouer the wals lo I leaue all the rest to their liberty Oh that our Apology for our innocency might speed no worse then his Beware all such as nourish rebellion against the least in the Vse 4 point of her holy purenesse If this rebellion heere be odious vnder terror what is rebellion of sinne and conscience iointly Bâ—seech the Lord to vse any meanes rather then such rebellion should be nourished in thee Oh beg of God rather hee would deuide the sinne and thee by the hardest courses â—hen to rebell against the Word for doing her office Cleere the Law and say â—ts holy I am the slaue that is sold vnder sinne There is nothing more common now-a-daies then to sight against the officer of God his holy Law Wee know that it is compted a pore vantage to strike a Constable such are faine to pay sweetly for it Take heed the Lord leaue not the naturall rebellion to penall which would faine relent and yet cannot Vse 5 Let it be exhortation to all such as God hath thus humbled to blesse him that hee hath chosen to tame the soule by terror and stirring vp of rebellion rather then to leaue it to it selfe And let such bee comforted in all their feares of their owne rebellious hearts against the law of God that the rebellions committed vnder terror are none of hers but Sins worke within her which she abhorres Let her bee glad euen in her feares to consider how God hath begun to separate her from sin and that so early by the law making it to be an officer to gaster her from it Oh if the Lord begin to doe it thus soone what will he do in time when Christ shall set vp his Throne in her Meane while let all such comfort themselues in these rebellions of sins they are markes of good signes of the battering of Satans and sins kingdome Sin would neuer so rage if she were at as good peace as formerly Beware of clozing the second time with this harlot Beseech the Lord to nourish terror though it be not grace yet a seed of it pray him rather for a time to quash rebellion then to suffer rebellion to destroy it And bee of good cheare the Lord doth all this for good When hee hath cooled and rooted out rebellion hee will after a while roote out terror also and in due time bring thy soule out of all her aduersity turning both into a sight of the promise and hope of the remedy onely now he is laying the first stone of the building bee patient and hee who begun shall also perfect And this may serue for this doctrine Q. Now the doubt is taken away proceed to the generall vse of the former point of terror A. First it may teach vs to esteeme duely of sin according to her foule nature For must it not be a foule odious thing which should bring in such confuzion as to turne that Law of God which was giuen for comfort of conscience and rule of life to become the greatest terror and matter of vexation Who lookes vpon the Officer with feare saue a malefactor Let vs tremble to thinke what a disorder sinne hath brought in Q. To conclude then this last Article What is the vse of this second branch A. The first vse heerof is to discouer what sinne is in her kind when she may act her selfe vpon her owne stage of ignorance She is an hidious monster If that phrase of Paul I was aliue ere the Law came were vnderstood it would helpe vs to know it When Ezekiel was led to see those Iewes in their priuy houses of Idolls Tammuz and the like he was astonished to see
then serues for their purposes chopping and changing as Papists who leaue out the second Commandement quite and make vp tenne by making two of the last let vs abhor it Let vs abhor both their enlarging of duties beyond the Law where God hath made no sins there making sinnes and where he makes no Lawes making them to bind the Conscience vrging them more seuerely than faith and repentance Oh! it 's most intollerable And so their shortning of them and cutting them off by the middle making reach no further then the notorious euils of them But let this be our rule that look what God aymes at vnder the grossest let vs also ayme at and both abhorre each appearance of euill as well as the most odious and cleauing to good in the least as well as the greatest He that breakes the least Matth. 5.19 shall be the least in heauen and is guilty of the greatest If the scope of the second Commandement be next to the worship it selfe to prouide for the purity of it any will-worship should be to vs as an Idoll and all rebellion as witch-craft 1 Sam. 15.23 Fiftly we must conceiue the coÌ„mandements as importing no patcht or peeced obedience to one or a few charges but an entire and whole one as the coagmentation of the Lawes of both Tables doth import Let vs alway conceiue the scope of the Law to require integrity and all partiall seruice to bee a forfeit to the whole Law and be farre from all such hipocrits and Ciuilians of whom the one colours his vnrighteousnesse by his pretensed deuotion which men cannot controle the other their impiety and prophannes of their hearts by the outward ciuility in some of the Commandements of the second Table both in truth breaking both Sixtly the Lawes of the former Table are generally to bee preferred to the duties of the second yet with an exception that we conceiue it upon equall tearmes thus that the commands of the first ranke in the former table haue precedency ouer the second not each branch of the former aboue the second in their first ranke It is generally more excellent that God haue his due then man not particularly the neglect or contempt of a Sermon is a fouler sin than the murther of a man Seuenthly Vnderstand the commandements to require at our hands the vtmost of our wit deuise and courage to serue God that if we be beaten off in one kind yet wee desist not till we see that we be denied altogether Else to take any occasion of perill perhaps supposed onely to neglect duty is to discharge our selues of seruice ere God doth Eightly Let vs obserue the Commandements of God neuer crosse each other if any such case occurre as wherein one cannot stand with the other let vs know the one must alway yeeld to the other as if the child bee set about his fathers lawfull businesse hee may not at the same time neglect his calling though to a religious end as to heare the word c. except the parent release him the prerogatiue of the first Table aboue the second notwithstanding Lastly Let vs note this that duties of necessity and mercy which cannot be otherwise done are to be preferred to duties of piety at that season as the Phisition to attend the patient or to help the Oxe out of the ditch rather than worship God first and suffer these to despaire the whilest Obedience in such cases is better than sacrifice and the omission of a duty is no contempt with God But I cease to mention any more seeing it 's lesse to my purpose Q. Conclude then the Article with some vses Vse 1 A. First it strongly confutes all enemies to the Law of God either old Athiesticall Antinomists or late Libertines and carnall hipocrites It 's no wonder that they are so rife in these daies of loosenesse for euen our Sauiour did touch vpon such Mat. the 5.17 the Apostle writes few Epistles but he meetes with such turners of the grace of God into wantonnesse men of corrupt mindes and Peter writes that many abused the Epistles of Paul to their owne destruction 2. Epist 3.16 It is no wonder if theeues might haue their will would suffer no watches to be kept or deformed women loath or break al true Glasses Let vs so much the rather abhorre them as odious enemies to God and vnder pretext of the Law of liberty walâ—e as lawlesse libertines and ouerthrow the Law of Conuersation Vse 2 Secondly let vs consider how dangerous a thing it is to worship God according to our owne fancies and inuentions The Lord wee see will not trust his owne Familie of Beleeuers with prescribing of Lawes to themselues vnder colour of that faithfulnesse It was a good speech of old They are the best Lawes which giue least power to the Iudge God will haue no Iudge to be his Chancellor to make or interpret or change Lawes he knowes our boldnesse and Sacriledge in this kind Nay hee knowes that curiosity of our braines which being weary of his Lawes devise new and loue their owne better than his and so in time iustle out the Lords with our owne And as we can open our mouthes against Papists in this kind so let vs hate them in the roote and cast out of our selues all such selfe and selfe-loue as vnder a colour of reteyning Gods Lawes yet seeke a breadth of our owne in his narrow and make his Lawes our owne through our bad mixtures This is the sinne of hipocrites and time-seruers let vs if wee ignorant study this Law of God duely and when we see his will which is as the decrees of Medes and Persians let vs not descant vpon it and nibble at as a fish at the bate being fearefull of the hooke striuing by the rottennesse of our deceiued heart to bring Gods Lawes to the bent of our owne bowes and corrupt them in the simplicity of them There is little oddes betweene the carnall wil-worship of them that thrust vpon the Lord their owne and the spirituall wil-worship of them that take away from him his Thus did Balaam Num. 22.12 whom the Lord at first told plainely he should not go with Balacks seruants but that answer not pleasing him lo how he goes between barke and trâ—e causing them to stay a night longer vers 19. What was this but to make the Lords charge a nose of waxe was it possible the Law of righteousnesse could stoope to a law of couetousnesse Beware wee of this hipocrisie least while we dally with God when we know it the Lord suffer vs to dash out our owne light and lay offences in our way and leaue vs to our selues that as hee when he would needes go with them and fetch inchantments from place to place yet being dazeled and besotted with his owne lust should not know himselfe to be an hipocrite nor be capable of conuiction what is more terrible then to heare such an hipocrite make himselfe beleeue that
theâ—e oâ—e all these to some few heads A. I will in this Article lay downe the order of the point and leaue the further enlargement of it to his dâ—eplâ—ce in the fift Article following Conceaue then the point by the Apostles speech Rom. 5.12 Wherefore as by one man sinne entred into the world and â—eatâ— by sinne c. Where we see that the actuall sinne of Adam determined not the bound of misery but brought a second misery with it euen the misery of our whole nature While we stood in Adam his obedience kept his whole estate and nature entire but when he fell though the sinne were a limited thing in act of eating yet it was an unlimited excesse in respect of the committer and the frame of his reuolting heart And therefore it was iust wi h God to plague his whole nature for this sinfull act And the plague thereof was to inflict such a penalty vpon Adams nature of the Propagation I shall speake in Article 4. as made it truly miserable in stead of being before truly happy Note then Adam hauing actually disobeied the Iustice of God offended hâ—ghâ— by it doth punish whole nature for it As if hee had said thus Hast thou indeed freely chozen to leaue mee in plaine ground To embrace lust and Satan and pleasure of appetite before me To cast dirt vpon my pure Image Be it then so with thee as thou desirest Bee that in nature which thou chozest in thy free will to doe That Image of mine which thou caredst not to preserve bee stripped off that image of thine owne inuention which thou preferredst be satisfied with fill thy selfe with enioy and delight thy selfe with to the vttermost I will not suffer mine to harbour with thine light and darkenesse corruption and purenesse therefore depart my image from this sty of vncleannesse and let him who needes would bee filthy lye downe in his filth and hee that would forsake a reall fire of heat to compasse himselfe in his owne sparkes let him lye downe in sorrow As I threatned so I sentence thee In dying dye dye the death of thy sinne and find thy owne inuentions to thy selfe I vtterly cut thee off and excommunicate thee from my presence and in token of it from Paradise the place of thy former happinesse in one word Be miserable Note then whatsoeuer Adam brought himselfe vnto by his act of sinning was Penall because it was a stroke of iustice Not onely death and all other punishments before and after it but euen Originall sinne it selfe is a penalty it is a sln indeed but it s a penall one God iustly punishing actuall with originall and so wee must conceaue that although in vs it be truly sinne yet God inflicting it did not infuse it as sin into vs but onely as a iust penalty of that which Adam himselfe in the freedome of his wicked will had first forged in his owne heart against God Q. How many branches doe yee diuide this Misery into A. Into two The misery of sin and the misery of punishment eyther of which had beene misery alone but iustice would not suffer misery to bee within narrower bounds then these that he who by doing made himselfe might by suffring be made miserable The former viz. misery of sinne is either of the Roote originall or the branches Actuall sin both making the soule truly though not equally miserable Q. What is the former of these Shew in what the misery of Originall sin standeth A. In two things 1. Originall guilt 2. Originall staine or Pollution both being the fountaines of all Actuall guilt of conscience and pollution of conscience Originall guilt is that priuity and reflexion of conscience in Adam fallen whereby he told himselfe continually that he had fallen and therefore must dye the death in each kinde of it body and soule This perpetuall alarum of coâ—science in his nature was the first part of his sinfull misery Aâ—d the Holy Ghost expresses it in those words They saw they were naked Gen. 3â— and Adam when God called him hid himselfe in the bushes and gaue the reason because bee was naked The Lord askes him how hee knew it The meaning was his conscience in presenting to him his fault did gugge him also wâ—th feare and expectation of reuenge So that as in his innâ—cency one excellent part of his welfare was that hee knew himselfe so so now one especiall part of his woe is that the conscience did ring his sin alway in his eares and made him obnoxious that is to feare God in point of that punishment which he looked for from his Iustice for his sinne And to say the truth what misery is like to this to be euer on the racke of a mans owne spirit suggesting and boâ—ding to him sad things to come for his sin dogging him as the Taylor who will not suffer his prisoner to goe one inch from his custody how bitter doth it make all hâ—â—gs when as a sword hanging by a twined threed over a mans head it doth threaten him perpetuall ruine and tye him ouer as a band and recognisance of great forfeit to the great assize of wrath and iudgement there to answer for himselfe yea and there without all bayle or mainprize vnescapeably to suffer eternall death of body and soule This the Author to the Heb. 2.15 toucheth saying who all their life time by the feare of death were subiect to bondage q. d. walked under the chayne of this guilt alway afrayd lest by death of body their soule should slide into hell to abide there till the body came thither True it is Adam dyed not at the first committing of the sinne but had he found no more fauour then Caine did lo all those 900. yeeres he had bin tossed and terrified with this guilt till it had seazed vpon him And whereas ye will say that those that liued without the law were better then wee because they were miserable and knew it not I answere they had law enough in them to hold them vnder a guilt of horror for such euils as they committed against the naturall light although ignorance had worne out the true dint of this conscience Besides although to know a mans misery onely increaseth it yet so to know it as we may preuent it is better then by not knowing it to escape the sent and bondage of that which yet lyeth vpon vs. Q. Wherein the misery of Originall staine of sinne consisteth A. We may eyther conceiue it in the whole or in the parts Touching the whole the best way will be to take the word which the holy Ghost vseth which is Death For death is the resolution of nature and so is this death of the soule a totall abolishment and corruption of that blessed frame of creation I meane in the point of her Purenesse in minde by light in will and heart by holinesse Now then looke how contrary a carcasse is to a liuely body so is this to the
the more dangerous and cursed It s like bread of deceit and stollen waters which are sweet And this appeares if it bee crossed it rages and fâ—â—ts As Rachel Giue mee children or I dye so heere giue this old man this lust children and store of ill fruit or else she is mad for shee is a fruitfull harlot aboue all other Fifthly The Bondage of it It bindes vp the soule in death hardnesse insensiblenesse incapablenesse of any good auersenesse to all meanes of Grace As wee say of sleep it cheynes vp all the sences so this all the powers and members in vtter feeblenesse and vnablenesse to make towards GOD Mind Iudgement Will Affections all asleep Ephes 5.14 Awake thou that sleepest It s the sleepe of all other parts and the Nurse that rockes them also and the Cradle they all sleepe in yea brings in an vtter disability languor and decay of all parts loth to stirre and compting the anguish of their bondage by custome another Heauen As the Israelites cared sot no Sauiour because so saped in slauery And lastly Not onely an vtter impotency to any obedience vrged by the law but so rooted a languor as reiects whatsoeuer GOD might impose in which respect euen the vnablenesse to beleeue is chargeable vpon originall sin in respect of that opposite contradiction of it to all not actuall charges lying vpon the creature by law onely but possible to be imposed by the Gospell And this for a briefe view of the laws discouery of originall sin especially in her properties Q What vse is there to be made hereof A. Manifold First Touching the sin of Ignorance blesse GOD that hath freed vs from the darkenesse and corruption of Popery whose principles doe for euer keep soules farre from the possibility of sound knowledge of their naturall estate by either actuall or originall sin their rotten grounds of which suprà are direct against it Secondly Beware of nouzeling thy selfe in places vnder ignorance or to abide ignorant vnder the vse of meanes bring not God a Sacrifice that wants this eye of knowledge of thy sin Else no conuiction no terror no need of Christ can follow Beware of foule sins lusts of ignorance resolution to hold them lest God smite out the eye of knowledge 1 Cor. â— â— Had they knowne the Lord of life they would neuer haue crucified him Ignorance is a necessity of Misery If thou knewst the gift of God c. Iohn 4.10 Oh that thou hadst knowne the things of thy peace But alas hidden Thinke not by ignorance to sleep sweetly vnder all terrors Luke 19.42 Such a sheep will haue a sad walking Psalm 58.4 5. Bee not as the deafe Adder Psalm 32.9 Bee not as the Horse and Mule Beware lest GOD leaue thee to thy selfe Hee that is ignorant let him be so still Remember although knowledge is not conuiction yet conuiction cannot bee without it Admonition to all sinners to goe to worke aright to get sound knowledge of their estate Consult not with dead teachers goe not to blind guides to such as thy selfe to deceyuers consult not with thy wits and carnall wisedome thy corrupt hopes blind deuotions Refuse no informations for feare of losing thy liberty in sinne Esay 8.19 Should men goe from the liuing to the dead Oh yee silly ones go to the law and the testimony The Lord that made the Law hath put this gift into it to be a Schoolmaster to send ye by the eight of sin to Christ Refuse not the Lords discipline in this first kinde else neuer seeke further Oh how many poore wretches that knew not the right hand from the left if they knew sin what it were to breake a Sabbath to play the drunkards Ion 1.4 c. How glad would they be Oh shalt thou neglect the meanes thou hast and stand vp to the chin in waters and and dye of thirst Prou. If without knowlâ—dge the heart be naught what is it when men wilâ— not come to the light lest they should see it and shun the net lest they be taken Oh beware both of Pharisaicall making more sinnes then God euer made or cutting off those which he hath made from his roll and Law Oh â— its now come to this passe that except the Lord put some bitter reall roddes of affliction vpon men the Lâ—w is made as a Scarecrow in a field to the birds out of the nose whereof they will picke strawes But know it no affliction without the Law can discouer sinne Vse 3 Exhortation to all that would be kindly conuicted to come to the light sor sound information of sin The want of this will be a slaw for euer in thy religion they who neuer knew themselues Psal 119. â—18 neuer were humbled ones nor beleeuers I discourage none for measure That light which makes all manifest is enough be it neuer so little if sound Read Act. 2.37 Those Iewes had pierced CHRIST vpon the Crosse but saw nothing amisse till Peters Sermon that was aboue all Crosse or Crucifix and truly enlightned and conuinced them Zech. 12.10 GOD hath blessed his Law with better light then the Pope can blesse all his Agnus Deis or graynes or the like to gage and search the conscience Oh! do not kicke against it but Speake LORD for thy seruant heares Let this light of GOD bee attended yea dressed by thee morning euening that no sin may escape thee This Aquila as meane as it seemes I meane this Law of God must teach great ones Apolloes learned Doctors and all sorts to become fooles that they may be wise Act. 18.26 1 Cor. 3 1â— Especially be able to say with Paul in Holy prayse to God I had neuer knowne lust had not GODS Law sayd Thou shalt not lust Oh! let hypocrites curse it to the pit of hell for a Puritane Law but know except they be her Disciples hell must bee their portion for shee hath chaynes to bynd the proudest despizres Oh! blesse God that euer so cleared the Coast and the troubled waters of thy owne conscience that thou camest to see this Nature of thine to the bottome For the want whereof I dare say thousands band vpon the land of self-loue neuer comming to know what an enemy shee is to conuiction and to eaâ—â—h Q. Before yee proceede What is the vse of this branch A. First that euery one who seekes the true end of this first part of the Catechisme doe willingly open himselfe and the doore of hâ—s conscience to the light of this Law comming into it Yet I haue said no one of the former fiue Articles can be knowne to a man saue by the Word and especially the law so to yeeld vp the soule to the cleere displaying of thiâ— ordinance For although nothing can be hid from it yet it may still bee hid to vâ— if wee stop our owne conscience and keep some beloued iust in a cloyster which will see no light Let the Law haue her honour
in our hearts that we do truly and sauingly see whatsoeuer the former fiue Articles said of sin consenting to all That they are true Chap. 1.24 Saint Iames saith A foole seeing his face goeth and forgetteth him Beware wee doe not so but if euer wee would come to the mirror of the Gospell in which we behold the face of God plainly let vs make way to it by S. Iames his Glasse Diuide not the things which GOD hath put together Although the Law haue no Christ in it yet the Maker of it vses it as a Schoole-dame to him Let her then point at euery lâ—tter in the Crosse-row and rip vp euery error and distemper Gal. 3 2â— do not abuse the rule nor crooke it wilfully as Pharises to mistake the sence to hide to descant vpon and to diminish or excuse any euill but let it be the Lords light set vp for the ends that follow Detaine not this part of the Word in vnrighteousnesse lest thou neuer come to the next step but perish in a twilight for want of a cleere discouery Wee are loth to bee informed of that which when we know wee are loth to renounce Grace begins at the roote of enlightening Examine thy selfe in thy vprightnesse heerein Secondly it layeth open the vnspeakeable iustice of God in suffering such darkenesse to spread ouer the world for so many ages and still in many nations who sit in the valley of darknesse Wee haue many trauellers into those Indian parts who in the beholding of the faces of sauages should tremble to thinke that the Lord for so long should not regard their ignorance when yet hee suffred a great part of the other Asia Affrike and all Europe to see light Oh poore wretches what can the dimme light of common conscience helpe to discouer darknesse how merry are they in assured destruction and how should it yerne the hearts of Christians to behold them As for the state of thousands vnder the gouernement of Protestant Kings who hauing Baptisme end the Bible in English yet neuer had the blessing of a searching Ordinance what shall wee ascribe it to saue the wrath of GOD vpon a woefull Nation kept and content to bee kept in darknesse because their workes are euill Both the leaders and the ledde must fall into the ditch The last vse thereof may bee instruction to teach vs how deepe a blindenesse is cast vpon the soule in poynt of discerning her owne sin and danger Nothing is further off then the reflex of our owne corruption vpon conscience nothing more teadious then to bee it formed of sin in the kinde Hee that comes to tell vs what we are is our deadly enemy and many professors haue gone many miles to get them a Preacher whom they haue persecuted when hee hath taught them the mystery of iniquity in themselues their priuy pride hypocrisie spirituall wickednesse of vnbeliefe ignorance and loue of the world but especially their old Adam placking their mufflerâ— from them and laying them naked and awake to their owne conscience Oh! it is the ioy of the vnregenerate man when hee can make himselfe beleeue hee is not the man hee yet knowes or may that hee is Ier. 1â— Alas sinne lyes deepe and Who can gage the deceit of the heart sâ—ue onely the Lord and the spirit of the Law which diuides betweene the spirit and the soule Therefore how should this teach vs both Ministers and people to loath all generalities and to learne the Law in the true sence and the through-enlightning of it It is a foolish speech of some who desire that they might fall into some grosse sinne to humble them by But howsoeuer the Lord awaken some by the lowd cry of their foule sins as drunkennesse blasphemy or the like surely that which is likest to preuaile with the ciuill and morall sort is the enlightening of the tenth CoÌ„mandement For they can wash off actuall sinne which colours as fast as they offend laying good against euill but when the spring of their cursed nature appeares which runnes vpon them continually I say then this body of death will doe it Rom. 7.24 Q What is the second worke of the Law A. This conuiction which I call the second worke of the Law is twofold partly concerning the iudgement and partly the soule or whole man the former I call simple conuiction the latter conuiction with terror Touching the difference whereof note well When once the soule is throughly enlightened if the Law proceed in her worke she comes to apply her light to this conuincing of the soule and first by causing the conscience to ioyne against it selfe and to say Thou art the man this differs from light be it neuer so particular because it is light with application to the soules selfe in speciall Againe hauing been thus conuinced in conscience I am this sinner if the Law still worke it proceedes to the second degree of conuincing Which is not onely an application of sinne to her selfe but a due yeelding of the soule to lye vnder the bondage and feare of punishment belonging to such a sinners wofull estate A man may heare and not so much as bee enlightned Hee may haue great light and yet neuer bee conuinced in conscience Hee may bee conuinced and yet neuer bee duly held vnder any true bondage as wee see in Saul and others But the Law workes all Q. What then is this worke of Conuiction by the Law A. It is the second worke of the Ministery of the Law by the efficacy whereof the soule beleeues her selfe to bee that which she knowes to wit this sinfull and cursed one A most powerfuâ—l worke yet no other then the poore Minister of GOD enabled by the auâ—hority of the Law may and doth performe For why when the poore soule sees that the LORD hath reacht her out the Key of light to see the wonders of his Law to â—o idle endes but that hereby she might go further and apply it to her selfe confessing her selfe to be â—he party what hath she to do saue to let all other guilty ones passe and to passe sentence vpon her selfe confessing She is this miserable sinner Neyther can any thing hâ—nder this proceeding except it be a lewd heart that is vnwilling to put her necke in the coller and so detaines the truth â—ight of the Law in vnrighteousnes But if the Law can preuaile this light shall prooue beleeuing and conuiction See Ephe. 5.13 where the Apostle sayth The light doth argue or conuince For that disputes thus That soule which is thus sinfull and cursed is truly miâ—erable and so abydes of her selfe But I am thus sinfull and cursed Therefore c. The assumption is conuiction The conclusioÌ„ is terror ConuictioÌ„ argues so strongly against her selfe that she reflects the light of the Law vpon her conscience making it her accuser and Iudge and stopping the mouth of the heart from gaynsaying or kicking against the pricks Thus was it with Paul
serue the turne No. The Iudge calles the witnesse reades the confession sends out the Iury who bring in a verdict against him And how then Oh! then he is conuinced and cannot deny but grants I stole it my Lord I brake the house I shed blood Thus the Lord deales heere will not let the sinner alone but dogs him with his light dost not remember the time the place the odiousnesse of such a villany Canst thou deny it Spâ—acâ—â—ruth and shame the Deuill I know thou hast no power to dâ—ny confesse it then and discharge thy conscience giue God the Glory Oh! when the Lord meanes to go through y to worke hee will suffer no lust no sloth or falshood to kâ—â—pe â—ffâ—â— es ule from her light But will she nill she in shall not onely almost but altogether be conuinced Now to brâ—â—g the light and the soule close together is the great wisedome of the Spirit in the Ministery of the Law Sometimeâ— he first insinuates into the heart by slight and cunning â—nd traps the soule ere it be aware in his net Thus Nathan comes vpon Dauid with a parable of another matter that hee might the more freely speake his minde and haâ—ing so wound in falles vpon him vnauoydably Thou art the man Secondly Sometimes hee takes the soule napping in the midst and heate of her sin while the sent is fresh Thus hee dealt with Saul would not suffer him to lye three or foure tymes ouer First I haue obeyed Secondly These were reserued for sacrifice the rest slayne Thirdlâ— I feared the people c. None of his tricks would serue What then meanes the bleating of sheepe and lowing of Oxen Can dead cattell bleate and low He tooke him in the manner So thirdly by contesting with conscience and vrging her to speake truth vpon her experience Rom. 6.21 What fruit had ye of those things whereof ye are now ashamed c. Now in all these insinuations the life of the conuincing Law is vnspeakably forcible especially the Lord presenting himselfe and speaking to a soule willing to learne A second course is Violence and Necessity when no other course will serue This the Lord doth both by his Threats apart and sometimes by the Addition of some workes Thus when Saul would hardly yeeld to Samuels words hee falls vpon him thus The LORD hath rent thy kingdome from thee c. this rent him from his base Colours So that sometime the subtillest hypocriâ—e must cry cut GOD hath gone beyond him Thus Iosh 7. No way to get out the sacrilegious thiefe but violence The Lord therefore causes the lot to be cast and first finds out the Tribe that he was of This would not search him Next hee casts a second for the Family in grosse neyther could this preuaile The third time he knocks at his Fathers doore that would not serue The last lot lights vpon Achaus necke And then My sonne confesse c. Iosh 7. But before there was no conuincing him So the Lord is fayne to cast a diâ—ect lot vpcn mens consciences so closely to sting them that they are forced to cry out and can forbeare no longer I am a man the lot is falne vpon mee Thus was it with him who was pulled out from his fellowes for want of his wedding garment Math. 22.12 Thus God dealt with the crazy consciences of those brethren of Ioseph they were fayne to bee arrested vpoâ—â—â—ew and cry as theeues bound and cast into prison threatned as spies ere they were meet to be conuinced for felling Ioseph and then they could say Gen. 42.21 This is because we heard the voyce of our brother in the pit and would not pitty him Thirdly the Lord sometimes is fayne to circumuent a sinner in his owne course and to bring forth the long-concealed markes of his sinne to his face Gen. 28 2â— bidding him deny if he dare Thus Tamar dealt with Iuda in his hypocriticall seuerity If I must needs bee burnt sayth she then goe carry him these tokens his Cloake Staffe and Signet asking whose they are and then Oh she is more righteous then I I instance not in these as if they were close examples of this kinde but to shadow out the truth So also sometimes by crosses Thus Manassâ—â— is sayd to bee taken in the bushes 2 Chro. 33.1 meaning that when God hampered him with sorrow and affliction he began to come home to himselfe So the prodigall And truly without such helpe the Word workes but little in these dayes in which the Spirit of Grace and mourning is streightned And lastly Ier. 31 1â— sometime by patience and long-suffring strange delyuerances great blessings euen in the worst estate the LORD workes some conuincement as Rom. 2.3.4 and thus Saul in a pang was conuinced by Dauids innocency Come againe 1 Sam. 24 19. Who will meet his enemy and let him goe And that poore blynd wretch ver 17.25.27 Iohn 9. by his cure when yet hee felt no mercy These I giue as a tast to shew how the Lord pierces the dead lazy and subtill heart of such as hauing knowledge yet else would vanish away in their owne misery By these aime at the rest Q. What vse make ye hereof ere we go to terror A. Very weighty Vse 1 First of sad mourning for the daies we are in in which this spirit of the law seemes to be lost euen as the Arke and Ephod were in the daies of the second Temple Oh It is heauy to ponder how few consciences are rowzed vp and gastred from their dregs vnder Ministeries of 7.10.20 yeeres But still the same men and change no colour We dreame that we shall one day meet with it as if it were some others error not ours that our hearts are so lockt vp but alas wee are closely imbarkt in a secure ease and as that woman who notwithstanding her vile life yet scorned and flouted away the conuincing of Christ till he pierced her to the quick Oh let vs looke to it in time in Gods feare Iohn 4.10 Tremble to thinke how thick conuiction is sowne and how thin it comes vpâ— Doubtlesse if conuiction must bee the picklock the body of people are fast locked vp in their sins men giue good words as Nephtals but as light and feathery as euer When Oh Lord shouldst thou say shall that showre come that shall fetch vp the graine of my light from vnder my dry clod Alas dayes of law conuiction are past long agoe we are for nothing but promises If wee should goe onely by sence wee might cease preaching And sure a good Minister should tremble to preach many promises seeing so little conuiction Admonition both to Ministers and people Vse 2 First to Ministers that they pray striue for the Spirit Branch 1 of conuiction It s Gods gift And one chiefe part is to be Ministers of the Spirit not the letter the maner of our dispensation is more then our
loathsome and he is chastned with paine in the multitude of his bones his life abhorres bread his flâ—sh is consumed his soule drawes neere the graue v. 19 20 21 22. Oh thus body and soule by sympathy must stoop vnder wrath when God frownes all parts haue sinned and all must smart Psal 39.11 When thou art angry for sin man is made as a garment moth-eaten The Lord Iesus himselfe could not escape it his soule was heauy to death he sweet drops of blood he thought God quite gone from him And yet this at the worst is better then any other of the three I spake of And this we haue seene and daily do in men in spite of these hardned times the Lord breakes in vpon some and makes the sins of youth and age before them Oh that we could see the fruit of it after To this I adde The Lord doth this more or lesse in the soule I purposely say so because God is not tied in his course to any set measure hee can restraine or enlarge as hee pleaseth Many vnder a good Ministry or teaching hauing little felt this way of God doubt of their humiliatioÌ„ but if they can prooue that the Lord hath hidden the violeÌ„ce of terror by long frequent trayning that heere there the Lord hath reuealed himselfe more or lesse to them with fruit to be desired let it not trouble theÌ„ More vsually the Lord deales thus with soked sinners that they might vomit the morsels which they haue long taken in that by this course their change might be more apparant and for euer these markes of God might abide in their flesh to awe and bridle them yet I say God is not tyed I haue noted greater terrors in the choisest educations as the case hath stood then in openest Profanenesse Fourthly and lastly I say the act of this law is in all this to cast downe the soule at the feet of God For as I said there is in nature an intolerable bearing vp of a mans selfe in his estate a priding of himselfe boldnesse boasting of his sinne he is so farre from being ashamed that till the Law come home to him thus he is aliue read Rom. 7.9 that is iolly iocant meâ—râ— as the foole that casts arrowes darts and saith Am not I in sport A sinners Crowne is not his bare sin in corners and by stealth that his woe his law but his crown is his liberty of spirit in it to doe what he list to run ride talke practise to drinke sweare lye coozen and no man controll him This is to be aliue note the phrase and to say My selfe am my owne my tongue my own I am bond to none see Ioh. 8. ver 33 a free man to go and do as I list as he said liberty is to liue as a man list The crown of a drunkard or adulterer is to reuell and tosse and defile himselfe without feare as the Pope who may carry innumerable soules to hell with him and who shall say What dost thou Now I say this iollity and boldnesse and pride in sin the Lord in his Ministery of the law resists and that he doth when by all I haue spoken hee pulles downe this sinner vpon his knees cast his crown in the dirt dismounts him as he did Saul from his palfrey Act. 9. and the desperate Iaylor in his profanenesse and cruelty Act. 16.27 and those killers of Christ Act. 2. saying Lord what wilt thou haue me to doe Oh then hath wrath ceazed vpon the soule when it hath killed this iollity and let out this pleurisy out of it And hence it s cald the sacrificing knife sharper then any two-edged sword the killing letter Rom. 7.11 that which slew Paul not by mortification but by shedding the blood and bowels of sins iollity to the ground Oh when God comes thus into the conscience lo all is turned vpside down now I feel the vilenes of my pride now the wrath of God is vpon me for my couetousnesse now I feele this fire in my bones this sting of a serpent now I feele what it is to dare heauen and to liue like a masterlesse hound in the world â— King 22.25 Oh when that is verified which Micay told Zidkia Thou shalt be glad in that day to run from chamber to chamber to hide thee then thy pushing hornes thy scorne and pride shall be farre from thee When the Lord shall make him that durst act his parts vpon any stage now not to know what ground to stand vpon to become as if a mans body should hang in the ayre vnsusteined restlesse in it selfe not to be able to weild himselfe for the anguish confusion and agonies of a wounded spiriâ— Oh then the law hath done her part indeed and tamed former liberty and iollity in euill Examples are not wanting hereof in al places where this great Minister the law hath become But in the vse I shall apply it Q. And what secondly are the effects hereof vsually A. Among others these three apparantly First Stoppage of a course in euill openly SecoÌ„dly Inward vnsettling of a rotten peace Thirdly Holding downe the soule vnder bondage The first stopping in a course of euill This differs fâ—â—â— that effect of Prouidence whereby the Lord doth limit the number and measure of sin in the wicked for the preseruation of peace ande ciuill society for though that be a diuine work yet it s not the immediate worke of the law but either a Prouidence without a word or else by the generall power of the Word restraining sin but this is a speciall kind of restraint issuing from the work of the Law for the good of the soule so restrained And it is a lothsomnes of the soule finding no ioy in old courses beholding them with repenting and yrking of thoughts wishing them vndone and abhorring to returne to them through the terror of conscience being vnder this whip of the Law When horror lay vpon Saul Act. 9. his letters in his pocket and commission from the Priests and trade it self of pursiuantship was bitter no more of that for the present As the ague stirring the diseased humors makes that stomack loath a Partridge which before could haue eaten resty bacon so heer this terror makes the sweetest sin lothed which before deuoured all And although this be not grace yet the Lord is laying a beginning therof heerby in the soule which in due season may come to somewhat I remember a pretty speech of an Heathen in one of his Epistles who being sicke dare do as while he is well who then guzzles or is vncleane or railes or is couetous That is much truer of this soule sicknesse in which the stomack hath more list to vomit then to eate Now the reason of this worke is because while the soule is in her hurry shee hath no care to heare God speaking to her she is so busie with her trade that all is spoken as it were in her
Should not we be so if wee saw a blind idiot in his kind He is alyue That is as the wise man sayth of the foole Hee casteth firebrands and arrowes and sayth Am not I in sport The life of sinne is not only the committing it for so it may be in stealth but when he is at liberty to it none to controll him when he may lye cog and sweare be drunken vncleane leading others with him to Hell and none say What dost thou This is the crowne the life the iollity of a sinner to play his parts without rebuke or remorse Ease quiet and security in euill is Satans kingdome both while hee can barre out all light of the Law from the soule and when hee can barre out the soule from it Then hee playes Rex in the soule and keepeth the house shut holdes possession in peace The comming of the Law into such a conscience is as the approach of a Sheriffe with a writ of Eiectio firmae to driue a man quite out of his possession And if wee liued in place where to see the wofull reuell and riot which the Diuell keepes in men who are alyue in their sin it might be a sight little better then hell And although the Word reformes not all where it is yet if it bouâ—d not men from that bold ioility in sinne there would be no liuing in a Common wealth Vse 2 The vse of it is the very scope of this first part Euen to all who would be truly moulded by the truth thereof in the feare of God to looke to themselues and take in kindly and readily this point of the sword into the bosome of their soule that this speare may let out the water and blood of it I meane that quiet iolly and secure heart in sinne which holdes it as with cordes to be content to be slaine and to go into captiuity For as it fared with Iehoiakin Ier. vlt. vlt. because he was content to giue vp himselfe to bondage the Lord long after lifted him out and made him a Prince so the way which the Lord takes with a sinner to lift vp his head is to cast him into this thraldom Therefore I say apply all these sixe points home to thy heart that the next part may preuaile the better when this hath gone as farre as she can To none but to left ones not in a wood or a Labyrith but in this legall conuiction to none but to desolate ones forlorne fatherlesse stript and cut off from God and hope plunged into vtter selfe despaire can this next part of the Catechiseme bring comfort Not for any worthines in it but because a secure heart resting in her peace and security cannot sauour it Abhorre then first to stand out in Rebellion put vp thy weapons and fight not against God whose naked arme is against thee Abhorre secondly a dead blockish sensual heart not affected or mooued with this voice aske thy soule If the Cedars and hills shall tremble and melt Esay 64.1 and thy hard heart shall stand still insensible Abhorre thirdly a presumptuous heart which hauing heard of some hope abuseth it to forestall the Lordes worke and sayth Deut. 29. yet I shall haue peace The wrath of the Lord shall smoke against such Abhorre fourthly all meanes of Satan which might turne off quite or dash and quench this worke Yeeld not to the impossibility of recouery runne not into despaire take not thought for thy sweet sinne God will make thee no loozer dispute not against the hardnes of yeelding the length of it the feare of destroying thy selâ—e or that God wiâ—l neuer restore thee Let not melanchâ—ly suâ—prize thee besoâ— thee especially beware lest the Reâ—urre of thy â—usts and the Deuils creame in a Lordly dish do not snare theâ— to runne out of GODS blessing into thy old warme sunne after three or foure yeeres to thy old drunkennesse riot Ale-house companions ill counsell former lusts sculke not into corners to ease thy selâ—e of this yoke let God that put it on hold it on his time tâ—l he haue truly tamed thee â—f it seem long know there is cause But to be weary of God to shake off his yoake in coole blood is to cast him off quite nd cleane he will put on a yoke of iron vpon such Let I say this be admonition against what-euer might crosse this worke Let it teach vs to pity the loose and â—olly in sin Oh! Vse 3 they make eyther worke for hell or if God recal them for the Law for their chaines must be hereby encreased and they shall meet with a Iailor that will handle them accordingly Oh! heare counsell betimes the counsell of Minister husband wife parent Master friend yea child or seruant to yeeld to GOD at the first that so thy yoke may bee the easier Obiect But perhaps I may escape it for all are not so yoked Ans Such as subtilly seeke to scape this net except God let them go quite shall bee most hampered And yet wee tye not the LORD to one measure of dealing many vnder constant meanes haue waded more easily through this gulfe and Lydia and Zachee were not so deeply wounded because the LORD meant to make shorter worke but vnder ordinary meanes the LORD more or lesse holdes his course I end therefore thus with exhortation Bury not the worke of this Spirit vnder these clods of flesh streighten not this spirit of conuiction Beg of God that by all these sâ—xe stayres thou mayst fall lower and lower till thou art brought to the Earth Heere is no place for freewill for ciuility or the Religion of a Pharise in almes mercy to the poore good nature good duties all these lands vanish in Gods Map of misery when God is pulling the conscience vpon her knees Happy thou if when the Law seemes to haue done working in the world it begins to slay thee so that by all these sixe steps as Eutychus from the Loft thou mayst be taken vp as dead Aske of thy selfe When LORD shall my laughter light frothy merry quiet heart be met with throughly Not to say onely True it is there is small cause any of vs should be proud for so thou mayst and be as proud still but to meete with the Beare and Lyon indeed and be afraid of deuouring There is difference betweene a face chalked ouer and the palenesse of one that hath lyen vnder a quartan a tweluemoneth Lye vnder this worke and suffer affliction say I see the LORD is in earnest Hell is no painted fire the ease of a sinfull course differs from that little-ease of the Law I am in a streight I know not whither to turne mee No wealth friends credit marriage honor eating sleepe play or Musique can helpâ— now Away now all old companions the Lord hath layd sorrow vpon my soule such as no tales or Iigs can put by my meate is now mingled with Gall and GOD seemes to forsake mee wrath Hell and
force a good iury to bring in a false answer that he may sin by preuiledge Lastly and especially through the neighbour-hood that good hath with euill oft-times who would not commend the pity of him that refused to smite the Prophet 1 King 20.36 or the fact of the good midwiues that saued the women of Israell Exod. 1.19 and who would not at first discommend the Leuites for slaying their brethren Exod. 32. But wee must doe no good that euill may come of it and where God discharges the conscience from a Law there is no transgression as in the borrowing and robbing the iewels of the Egiptians appeares Therefore let vs cleaue to our grounds abhorre all doubtfull generall erroneous ones take paines to discerne betweene the colors of good and euill and beware we be not lead by the errour of wicked as 1 Pet. 3. end and Ephes 4.14 Q. What is the right mannor of actions A. So necessary is this rule that it reaches to all our actions yea the most indifferent in her nature and such as wee are not tyed to but are arbitrary yet when they are done are to be done in a right manner or else we sinne And this manner of doing requires two things First that they be done in the estate of well pleasing Secondly well pleasingly for the former it is an assurance that the person pleases God Heb. 11.4 for the latter it is a cleauing to the quality of performance that it be pure To the pure al things are pure in their lawfullnesse yet euen pure things must be done purely also as I noted before in the Beauty of Conuersation each action hauing in it a peculiar quality to commend it as there I noted in diuers instances And therefore next to knowledge the eye of the soule must call for this true mannor that withall closenesse entirenesse humblenesse faith wisedome loue cheerefulnesse resolution it may performe that which is good But I repeate nothing Q. VVhat is the due measure of Actions A. That the Lord be served with the best of us within by the best bent of our soules without by the best extent of our abilities and that wee keepe no false measure within vs. Our course is to deale with God as buyers and sellers doe each with other buy by one measure and sell by another So we when we trade with God are content hee should sell to vs by the largest bushell heaped thrust and running ouer but we repay to him by a cut scanty one But as we doe or would fare at Gods hand so should we measure out vnto him and in all that we doe to him or for him call forth the best of our spirit and bent of heart all our courage and might and also enlarge our actions to the greatest extent we can in number and in degree that our goodnesse may be as diffusiue and exemplary as without hypocrisie and within within our compasse may be But I haue spoken of these two before of the one in the Subiect of Regeneration of the other in the grace of Measure Looke backe to them Q. What is the true end of all good actions A. It is one of the maine of all the rest For as the end and scope of a thing giues it the being so a childe of God is more properly obedient in his end then in any hee may faile through ignorance or weake carriage or measure but in this is his glory That the desire of his soule is towards the Lord and that he may approoue himselfe to haue had an vpright ayme at the Lords ends the glory of his name good of his brethren and peace of his own heart whatsoeuer else he failes in in preaching in prayer in mercy and compassion in Sabboths in example yet that in this he is voyd of guile See Pauls boasting 1 Cor. 1.12 we haue had our Conuersation in sincerity c. This was Abimeleck's praise for the moral of it that he had done it with a pure intent It is that God lookes at Psal 51.6 It was Dauids reioycing that he walked in the perfect way Psal 101.2 and Asa his prayse that in all his distempers he still held vpright in heart Oh this a dâ—fficult worke As hucksters deale with their milke honey and wares they mixe them with waxe water and trash for the vantage so doth our heart seldome any action but some dreg and dead flye of our owne aymes and ends is ready to defile it Beware therefore and let a true end steere all the actions of our life But of this before in the grace of vprightnesse Q. Proceed to the third branch of the substance of conuersation concerning the obiect thereof what is it A. It is two fold either our Spirituall Conuersation with God himselfe or our Conuersation with man in our common life Q. What is our conuersation with God A. Godly conuersation as Peter calles it is that communion which a renued soule hath with God or in a word it is the soules enioying of God so farre as here may be and it is either inward or outward Q. What is inward conuersation how manifold A. It is twofold either the life of faith or the exercise of the Graces of the spirit within the soule Q. What is the life of faith A. The soules enioying of God Christ our Sanctification by all his promises concerning life and godlinesse And a faith at the first drawing neere to God did cleaue to him in Christ by a promise for reconciliation as in Article 6. of the second part so it proceedes and improoues Christ her sanctification for all needes and vses of this present life For as Paul saith if being enemies wee were reconciled to him by his death much more by his resurrection wee shall partake his life And againe If he haue not denyed vs his owne Son how much more shall hee not with him denie vs any thing Now saith vnderstanding whole Christ in sanctification to be made hers 1 Cor. 1.30 doth draw as a man would draw lines from a Center to the circumference on each side so particuler promises of vpholding the weake soule in each condition that so she might say in all Now liue I yet not I but Christ in me And the life I liue I liue by faith in the Son of God and againe The iust man liues by faith not as some inuert it The iust by faith shall liue Q. What promises doth faith liue by in Christ A. To speake of all were endlesse for a draughts sake I referre them to foure heads First estates Secondly meanes Thirdly duties Fourthly graces which may serue for the rest The sum is Iesus Christ is the life of the soule throughout and as before and without Christ the soule liued a naturall and common life of selfe world pleasures vanities so shee now liues the life of Christ in all those foure And shee is thus said to put on Christ that as a man in his apparell doth all the workes of this
to the 42. pitching places of this way to Canaan leaue mee not to my own wisdome but guide me by thy counsell till thou receiue me to glory Lord enable me to doe what thou biddest and bid me doe what thou wilt Giue me to draw from thy fountaine for all these vses of conuersation The Wel is deepe but thy Bucket is able to fetch out this water Let mee deriue it from the Lord Iesus his example and draw grace for grace from thence And not onely set me in this conuersation but hold mee in it and let experience make me say it is best and I am neuer happy when I am out Till it become my meate and drinke on earth to doe thy will as in heauen And so much for this second Article The third Article Q. VVWhat is the third Article A. That the eternall platforme after which this Conuersation of the next Creature is to bee framed is onely the law of God in the tenne Commandements See 1 Tim. 1.5 the end of the Law is Loue. What end meanes he surely not the end of the Lawes begetting power for Christ doth that but of the directing power of it Thus Saint Iames calles it a Royal Law Iam. 2.8 as being the Scepter whereby Christ our King rules vs. And he termes it a Glasse of libertie meaning to all beleeuers in that it shews forth the will of God fully in the point of moral obedience as a glasse represents the face So the Psalmist Ps 19. Thy Law is perfect giueth light to blind eyes by it thy seruant is forewarned c. and Ps 119. Thy word is a light and lanterne to my feete and steps And thy Commandements are to mee instead of Councellors And of this part of the Word is that of Peter meant The sure Word of Prophets shining in darke place Q. How comes this direction to be put into the word and how comes it to be conueyed vnto the soule A. To the former I answere the Lord God hath breathed into it this light and direction himselfe put it into it no creature being able in so few words as ten Dut. 10.4 to contriue so perfect a view of all duty and hauing out of the depth of his wisedome so doe God spake these words although deliuered by the Ministery of Angels in point of attendance and terror Heb. 1.7 He maketh his Ministers a flame of fire hee himselfe as the Lord of the Creature vttered them And both deuised and vttered this Law for this especiall and last end to bee a direction vnto his Church For the latter I say That as in the Law he tooke order that not onely the Priests and Leuites at Ierusalem in the Temple but in the Tribes should reade it each Sabbath Act. 13.27 and expound it Ezra 8.4 so still he requires that the Ministers of the Gospell doe dispence and open it to the people in the speciall parts and scopes thereof for a patterne of life For although such common notions of dim light remaine in a corrupt nature as may serue to condemne the contemners yet no such as might leade on to godlinesse and salvation cleerely that is a mystery and must be vnfolded And further the Lord hath added the ministery of the Spirit to the voyce of man to write this Law in the soule he hath promised it Ier. 1.33 and doth dayly performe it so that to the beleeuer his Law is not a commanded one as to all but a commanding one in their spirit and conscience Q. But this seemes contrary to the Apostle 1 Tim. 1. for he affirmes the Law was not given to the righteous but to the disobedient c. A. This is answered by the same place verse 5. as in the first question I said the sunne is It is not giuen to the righteous as to the vngodly for the righteous need it not so howbeit it 's giuen to the godly also for another end Gal. 3.19 euen to direct them For the Law in Gods purpose serued for two ends The for transgressions to conuince the wicked to scare them out of their selfe-conceit and to driue them to Christ The other to guide such as are come to Christ how to lye vnder his Gouernment This latter the Lord looked at more mainely for his elect sake that they should not bee left to themselues But the former also hee intended to the drawing of them out of their ignorance For as we see that the Law was giuen in all terror and not as a messenger of good things so the Lord taught thereby that it ought to speake sadly as a minister of death to the vngodly and so it did in some sort with such as were saued among the Iewes the Ministry of it conuinced them of an impossibility of performance of it and sent them to the blessed seed who should bring in righteousnesse and breake the Serpents head and to such this Law ceased to be a killing letter and began to be a Cirection to life In which sence we here treate of it as in the first part of the Catechisme of the former Q. But what needes this Law-direction Doe wee not by this teach people to serue in the old letter and destroy that Law of liberty in Christ which ought to be set vp and restore the couenant which ought to be abolished A. To answere both first the Lord hath not giuen his Church to Christ nor giuen them any such liberty in Christ as to deuise a way to themselues feuerall either for measure or number or matter of obedience from his owne way neither will trust man with any such no nor giue the least hint to mans corrupt inuentions But that Law of obedience which hee first himselfe deuised hee meant it for those that should beleeue both before at and after the comming of Christ and meant not to alter it How Christ rules by it â—e shall heare anon but hee rules by no other And its worth our noting that the first Sermons he euer preached Mat. 5. and 6 and 7. hee vrgeth nothing more than this Thinke yee I am come to destroy the law No but to fulfill it and to settle it For the second point I say that it must be explayned what it is to serue in the letter and secondly what it is to restore that which is worne out To serue in the letter then is to bee mistaken in the scope of the Law Doe this and liue to thinke that the Law giues life to the obeyers of the letter of it and to thinke a man may of himselfe obey it and bee saued by it whereas the Law imports no such thing but vrges an obedience exactly Gal. 3.21 â—atter part which is impossible now to serue thus is to serue like a slaue without reward Thus doe not wee affirme the Law to be serued Secondly to restore a Law to bee abolished is to maintaine this error that by the Law of Moses a man may be iustified and needes no other
perfect freedome yea meate and drinke Ier. 31.33 Eze. 36.27 according to that Ierem. 31. I will write my Law in their hearts and cause them to walke in my Statutes that is put strength of mine owne into them to agree with my Rule and stoope to my Scepter Kings command their people but serue themselues upon their strength cannot put any into them but Christ is serued by his owne Q. What hath he done for vs as our Prophet A. His Prophecy commeth yet neerer to the matter in hand for although all that I have said be to be supposed ere the Law can direct vs yet the actuall worke of direction issueth from his Prophecie And first by a Declaring and secondly by a Reuealing Worke. The Declaring worke is a witnessing to the soule that he is the true Lord and Comman-of his People Esay 55.4 that he rules his law as by his scepter that all his Preisthood and merit ends in his kingdome and obedience that it is his honour that all knees bow to him and that they kisse the Sonne that hee is the obiect of it through whom the Father is honoured that true Liberty stands not in hauing our wil but in putting on this yoke and who so doth otherwise deceives himselfe But secondly by his Reuealing worke by this hee directs the soule and sets the steps of it as Luk. 1.79 in peace by this he vses the tenor of his Law to be a liuely finger to point out duty for euery occasion and to frame the soule to draw his Law to euery need and vse in the life according to that 1 Ioh. 2 20.27 Ye haue an vnction from the Holy one who telleth you all things And in Esay 30.21 Their eares shall heare a voyce behinde them saying This is the way walke in it This is a Revealing with direction by which the soule sees the vse of Christ in euery Commandement and is led on by him as her Guide thereby as if an Oracle should speake from heauen Esay 55. A Leader and Commander to his people vers 4. And thus a Christian may see how the Commandements of the Morall Law are the directions of Christ and how he is the Law-giver of the soule in them all and till this bee conceiued it is no wonder if we account them as a strange thing Hos 8.12 But by this meanes familiar Q. I conceiue now how Christ hath made his Law a direction to godly life now come to the directions themselues what are they A. They concerne either God himselfe in the 1. Table as his inward worship of feare confidence and setting him vp to be our God alone in the first Or our outward reasonable seruice and worship of him in pure manner in the second Or our faithfull abearing our selues in all holinesse in such actions of common life as are not immediate worship in the third for I referre oathes and vowes to the second which I desire wise Readers to thinke of or the set day of our Worship vpon one day of seuen since the eighth day was turned into Gods day or the Christian Sabbath and that in the fourth Or else our neighbour and our selues in the other six Subiection to all Superiority in the fifth Maintaining his pretious life as being better than all that follow in the sixth Of his Chastity in the seuenth His Estate in the eighth His Name in the ninth The tenth forbidding not onely that Concupiscence which reaches to the detriment of our neighbor but vnder that as most sensible to vs all that wicked propension and bent of nature before actuall sinne whereby originally we are prone to all vnâ—ustice and impiety and intemperance Concerning which as hauing said enough in the second Arâ—icle of Conuersation and it being no part of my purpose to repeat what hath been written by so many learned faithful Writers I omit to say any more only contenting my selfe to lay downsome briefe rules how the Law is to be conceiued the Minister of Christ for righteousnesse and so to conclude the Article with breefe vses Q Mention then some of these Rules A. First that all the Lawes of Christ must be vnderstood to be of another manner of force and authority than the Lawes of men euen the greatest for they are limited with exceptions in all kindes and doe but reach to the outward man and penalties thereof But these doe reach to the conscience and they binde the inner man God whom wee haue to doe with seeing the soule in her vtmost retirednesse as a thing naked Heb. 4.13 and his word being pure as himselfe and piercing betweene the ioynts and marrow Heb. 4.12 and therefore there he sets vp his Throne and there is no evasion from him Secondly Let vs know that his Commands are not idle things and arbitrary which we may obey at our curtesie or if not yet God is as a weake King for whom his Subjects are too strong as Ioab and Abisâ—ai for David but reall Lawes from an authority that both knowes offenders and can punish them yea which accurseth all transgressours and will not hold them guiltlesse Heb. 12. ult a consuming fire as the manner of his uttering them Exod. 20. in earthquakes and thunder shewed and therefore be we afraid to provoke him and yet he is a God able to gratifie his obedient ones in ample manner even to a thousand generations and it s not to be neglected that both kind of sanctions are expressed in so short a view Thirdly obserue that the commands of the second Table are the edicts of the same God whose the first are Iam. 12.11 and therefore in which the Lord takes himselfe as much either honoured or not as the first which I speake lest any should cavill and thinke that 1 Sam. 2.25 If man sinne against man a man may iudge but if against the Lord who shall entreat to be meant of morall offences No but onely of common discurtesies and offences or breaches which are in mens power to release For even those sinnes of Eli's Sonnes were against women and yet he tels them the Lord tooke them as against himselfe So that although men be the object of the second Table yet not the last into which the morrall offence is carried and therefore it is not in man to release any more of it then his owne damage the rest the Lord onely can remit as the sinne is of equall guilt so the forgiver must be of equall power Fourthly the Law must be alwayes understood according to the scope even as every other part of the Word as promises and threats Wee must not rest in the bare letter and so destrow the life and spirit of the Law How shoud ten words include all our conversation except the letter of the Law be enlarged to the meaning of the Law-giver The Law then rests in the true intent of it Therefore as for all Pharisaicall licentious or prophane wretches who doe limit this Law and acknowledge no more
if Balack would giue him an house full of gold hee would not goe one inch from this charge or when he smote and answered his dumbe Asse in the depth of his lethargy yet to say If thou be displeased I will returne See vers 29.34 As wee would auoid such a plague so let vs beware of such hipocrisie Thirdly if the Law be the director of our Conuersation let Vse 3 it be vse of exhortation to all Gods people to embrace it and to submit to this scepter of Christ to establish his Law in our soules and to lift vp him in the honour of our hearts who hath honoured vs with this royall Law to bee our direction Let vs desire information in it let vs beware least we shrug at the naked inward and spirituall truths of it as afraid to know that which we are lother to obey but let vs concurre with him and say Lord thy Scepter is a Scepter of righteousnesse Heb. 1.8 I desire no obedience ouer or vnder against or beside thy Laws I count that no sinne which thou neuer forbaddest nor duty which thou neuer requiredst but esteeme thy sacred will my rule of righteousnesse It is one maine piece of the trade of an honest heart to search out the Lawes of the Lord Iesus that it might obey Many teachable hearts who would faine obey yet faile in knowledge and many that haue knowledge faile in a good heart the latter is worst yet makes not the former excusable The Iewes in the point of the Law were so curious that they knew how many words were in Moses his bookes They wrote these tenne words vpon parchment phylacteries that is preseruatiues and pind them to their sleeues fringes and frontlets in reuerence If they did so who for the most part little gained thereby but sinned with their parchments about them what should wee doe whom the Lord Iesus hath made them easie yokes vnto and a light burden If they did so who yet in their so doing looked for an erroneous iustification by them and were but meere slaues loosing their rewards what should our zeale be who know our selues to be free from this bondage and to obey with assurance of heauen Oh! let vs not bee worse then good common-wealths-men we shall see perhaps in a great towne some one among forty housholds buy the Statutes of the land and verse them well ouer and be able to tell their neighbours what is law and what not and these are counted men of good vse among ignorant ones But how would God esteeme vs for good subiects if these Lawes of his kingdome were well conned if as we teach our children to say them so wee our selues vnderstood them If the Lord would so honor his royall Law that hee would haue the King himself who made lawes to their subiects yet to be learners of his Lawes and not to suffer his to depart from them in the gouernment of others how farre greater cause haue meane persons to carry it with them into each part of their owne conuersation and to rise vp walke into the trade of their life lye down with it It is reported by Master Fox of one Crow a sea-man that beeing in shipwrake and hauing cast all his tacklings and wares and fiue pounds of mony into the sea hee kept his new Testament about his necke so swimming vpon his broken mast and after foure dayes all his company being drowned yet he was at length by passengers discouered and taken vp all frozen numb'd and steruen but yet his booke he held close to him If we in the shipwraks of this world would keepe our soules from wracke what course should we take Surely keepe this law to vs close and not suffer it to depart from vs loose money wares ship and all ere we forgoe that least we loose our conscience and disorder our conuersation And in all our doubtfull cases whither vowes oathes marriages dealings with men entercourse with God or any difficulty go to the Law testimony Esa 8.20 for resolution If our own skill serue not to find out the will of God then let vs go to the Priest whose lips should preserue knowledg by that rule proceed Many will do so but either they desire to misinforme the Minister that they may peruert the iudgment or else first vow and then enquire Pro. 20.25 both which are odious But let vs for euer count the Law as an Oracle from heauen being glad that the Lord hath found out a way to cast the wauering scale and to direct our conuersation Fourthly and lastly because before in the second Article in Vse 4 the life of faith in duties I promised here to insert it let all that finde themselues to come short of this platforme I say let them live the life of faith in duties for the enabling of them hereunto in each part of their course to God men themselues in solitarinesse company calling in Sabbaths subjection to superiours and common life Say thus Lord these duties are above me I can doe nothing to purpose Enable me to doe as thou biddest and bid what thou wilt else the number and weight of them will tyre and clogge me Thou hast eased me oh Lord of the burden of Moses but still even in my liberty from Christ I carry old Adams burden about me therefore write these thy Lawes in my heart I beseech thee If all that thus speake at Church when the Law is read praid in faith how happy were they Say thus and plead Is it not thy promise Lord where is it then where is the Lord God of Elia where is an humble heart where is meeknesse love the distressed service of the time providence without covetousnesse bounty without wasting wisedome without subtilty simplicity without foolishnesse vertue without extremities Lord fetch life for me from the fountaine of duties from him who never failed in duties never did any without knowledge never faulted either in overdoing or under-doing neither in the purenes of manner nor fulnesse of measure nor uprightnesse of ayme who fulfilled all righteousnesse and obeyed upon earth better then Angels or Saints in heaven looke upon me in my loggish uncheerefull spirit in my crazie limbs lame joynts feeble hands nay rusty tooles and reviue my heart within and scoure up my weapons without That I may delight in the Law in my inner man and that I may run thy commandements with cheerefulnesse And this also for this third Article may be sufficient The fourth Article Q. VVHat is the fourth Article of this third part A. That the most wise and louing God foreseeing how manifold and large a Conversation of duties his Church is to walke in hath sutably ordained helpes means for her better upholding and growth therein till shee be perfect in her measure Read 1 Pet. 1.3 Eph. 4.11 Mat. ult ult Ioh. 14.26 1 Cor. 12.4 5 6 7. In which Scriptures we have all the order of this provision of God and that in foure