and to master a malicious vaine spirit Lord doe this for the soule of thy servant take away these distempers and in thy faithfullnesse answer the desires of the soule of thy servant helpe me Lord against the rage of these sinnefull distempers and when the truth of Christ layes battery against a mans heart and that it brings and sets up another frame and disposition of heart the soule lies under the blow and closeth with that truth more of that Lord oh there againe Lord. A man that is troubled with the toothach if the Tooth-drawer apply his instrument and hee find hee hath hold of it hee saith that is it pull it out leave nothing behind So when the soule is under the stroake of strong distemper if hee make conscience of these things when the word comes home to his soule and meetes with that distemper he saith Lord plucke out all of it that I may never see that pride more that I may never see that malice more leave not a stumpe behinde Lord that I may be freed from that cursed distemper of spirit this is the difference betweene a varnished hypocrite and a sound heart a wretched unsound heart it feares least the Word should come home to it it feares the blow when hee seeth it comming hee wisheth he were ridde of the place or the Minister ridde of that point but a sound heart feares least the Word should not come close enough it is conscious to it selfe and knowes and sees I have heard such Sermons and such terrors and such mercies revealed and I am still to this day stubborne to this day rebellious so that I feare nothing will prevaile with mee nothing will get ground against this rebellious spirit of mine I feare the Word will not touch me nor master this rebellious spirit this is somewhat you meane in good earnest that you and your sinne will part it is a fine passage Zach. 13.6 One meetes him and askes him where hadst thou this wound I was wounded in the house of my friend a gracious heart counts the Minister a friendly Minister and a friendly Word that cuts his heart to the quicke and goeth to the coare of his corruptions oh the wound was the wound of a friend it was a friendly reproofe the Minister spake friendly to mee that wounded my corruptions I saw the coare comming why this is somewhat when the soule can wellcome such truths as are for the a wakening of it Secondly as the soule wisheth and wellcomes those particular truths that may awaken and overpower a distemper and leave a contrary grace so it is restlesse before God be pleased for to worke this before it see every corruption mastered and the frame of sinne tottered at a restlesly looking to God and restlesly waiting upon God why when will it once be such a mans heart is broken and such a mans conscience awakened and such a mans spirit brought low and Lord shall nothing prevaile with me He is restlesse in seeking unto the Lord till he see every sinne mastered and every corruption overpowred so that though it be inherent yet it is not regnant The Irish man being malitious and fearefull he never thinkes his enemy killed till he hath cut off his head hee will be sure to make him past recovery so a gracious heart never thinkes his sinnes are slaine till hee see the strength and power thereof subdued in every particular more or lesse till hee see the very bloud and life of his corruptions removed this is that a gracious heart is restlesse and intreats at Gods hand from day to day therefore it is a fine passage Rom. 7.24 Oh wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of death marke the weight of his complaint hee doth not say deliver mee from the stroake of sinne or the action of sinne but from the body of sinne there is a body of pride there is a body of malice a body of anger a body of the cursed distempers of a mans soule now a gracious heart is not content to be freed onely from the tongue of pride that hee may not speake proudly but Lord deliver mee from the body of pride from the body of malice from the inward frame of my distempers in a word looke what Haman said concerning Mordecay when hee had all the cappes in the country and all knees bowing to him What availeth this saith he so long as I see Mordecay sit in the Kings gate So saith a gracious heart what availes it me that I am not a theefe or a drunkard or an adulterer if yet this proud heart prevailes this proud heart and carnall confidence of mine will bring my soule into everlasting destruction the soule is restlesse till the Lord looke upon him and deliver him from his corruptions The third thing is this that the soule is content that God shall doe what hee will with his corruptions take them away after what manner hee please though it bee upon the hardest tearmes in the world as it welcomes those truths that may worke as it is restlesse till they doe worke so it is contented that the Lord should worke upon sinne and subdue it upon the hardest tearmes in the world A covetous man if nothing but beggery will loosen his heart from the world then hee will pray the Lord to make him give away all and leave himselfe a beggar so hee may have a liberall heart So if a man bee notable to subdue the pride of his heart a man hath great parts and abilities and hee prankes up himselfe therein if there bee nothing will cure this timpany if nothing will doe the deede unlesse God knock off the wheels and leave him in the dust and make him the off-scouring of the world yet a gratious heart though this be hard saith Lord let mee have an humble heart whatever it costs me this man now is in good earnest content to part with his corruptions For the use of the point wee have first here a matter of lamentation and I know not whether wee are to condemne the evill of the world or mourne for the evill that appeares in the hearts and lives of men but this is sure that if this be the behaviour of a sound heart then there is little soundnesse and uprightnesse in the world not to hover in generall but to pitch upon particulars which is the life of application let me make it appeare in these three particulars this is a bill of inditement and falls heavy and foule upon these three sorts the first is the prophane person the second is the indulgent hypocrite he is very loath to part with his corruptions if this be true if this bee the frame of heart which David expresseth and is in the soule of every good man then judge you I will say nothing but judge you set downe the sentence what doe you thinke of those that are content rather to part with their blood and with their hearts then with their
the worst is alwayes within Out of the abundance of the heart c. if thy eye thy tongue and thy life bee naught what a vile heart hast thou then there is the puddle of all abomination and prophanenesse from within for the heart mooves the eye and the tongue and the foote to wickednesse If the Streames be impure the Fountaine is much more filthy therefore away those carnall pleas and foolish delusions Exhortation we heare the Vse 3 duty God hath revealed and the taske God hath set us therefore take up the taske if you desire any evidence to your soules or testimony to your hearts that God hath wrought grace in you then shew it in your lives Expresse the vertues of him that hath called you from death to life as the Apostle doe not onely have vertues as patience meekenesse c. but shew forth these vertues that others may bee bettered by them Therefore the Lord saith be yee holy as I am holy not in affliction onely but in all manner of conversation marke he doth not say have good mindes onely and honest hearts but in all manner of conversation bee holy in buying selling travelling trading c. Gods Saints should be so holy in their lives as men should say surely there is a holy God see how his servants are holy there is a righteous God see how righteous his servants are Away therefore with those idle sottish policies of a company of carnall persons in the world that are directly opposite to the power of godlinesse There is a generation of Polititians in the world that count it a point of great wisedome for a man to conceale his Religion to himselfe and the phrase is among men keepe your holinesse and your hearts to your selves and they confine godlinesse within a mans Closet or study but if any holinesse appeare in his life or any exactnesse in his Courses there is an outcry made presently O descretion would doe well if men were but wise much might bee done Wisedome I dare not stile it but that the Scripture speaketh of a wisedome that is not from above that is carnall sensuall and divelish wisedom which the Word requires not the Word warrants not These men may imagine the holy Apostles wanted wisedome Phil. 4 5. Hee exhorts you to let your patience be made knowne to others and let all know it for the Lord is at hand This takes away a cavill some may say if a man doth shew and expresse godlinesse outwardly then contempt and persecution will be at hand presently why saith the Apostle the Lord is at hand to comfort you to deliver you Nay in these mens conceits Christ should have wanted wisedome when hee commanded peremptorily Matth. 5.26 Let your light c. hee doth not say hide your light in your soules and keepe your hearts to your selves No no but let it shine forth You that are tradesmen you are not content onely to have your sonnes put to prentise but you would have them to learne their trade also you are bound prentise to the trade of holinesse you professe your selves to be schollers in the schoole of the Lord Iesus Christ therefore let us expresse something wee have learned let us shew something wee have gained shew some workemanship as the Apostle calls it Ephe. 2.10 I would have every Christian man expresse the workemanship of the Lord that is I would have him expresse such holy graces in his couâ—se and conversation that all the world should finde no flaw that when the wicked shall say what have you done with your grace are you a professour and pray reade and heare Sermons now let a Christian put the word to silence I am more able to suffer persecution then thou art to thinke of it I am more able to beare trouble then thou to heare of troubles Heb. 10.34 But some may say I wonder you can endure such indignities to be laid upon you fye you may wonder indeede but now godlinesse sheweth it selfe what serves grace and godlinesse for but onely that wee should doe something for the glory of God more then you can Aye Object but you will say to mee this is the onely way for to make a company of proud professors in the world this is the onely way to blow up a haughty heart to make it shew it selfe to the world which is nothing else but pride I Answ answer the Saints may shew forth godlinesse and yet not themselves however a carnall heart is ready to abuse the best duties sometimes as the corrupt stomacke doth turne the best Cordialls into Choller so a corrupt heart may set forth his owne vaine glory but yet the duty it selfe is good though the abuse is to be avoided But Object you will say how shall a man so order himselfe that he may bee neither cowardly in hiding his grace nor vaine glorious in expressing his grace I Answ answer there are foure rules to be observed First labour to lay downe all Rule 1 carnall excellency of thy parts and abilities and of all outward respects that are in thee and God hath bestowed upon thee lay downe all those in all thy service that onely the power of the Lord Iesus may bee discovered to the view of the world let grace be above all make that knowne and lift that up above all other things whatsoever Marke how carefull Paul is to knocke off his owne fingers 1 Cor. 15. 10. but not I saith he he shrinks in and will take nothing to himselfe it was not I but the grace of God which was the author and the cause of it and therefore 1 Phil. 20. Paul did set up God on the Pinacle so that nothing appeared but Christ and his grace hee lay in the dust that the Lord onely might tread upon him that he onely might be magnified admired and extolled I would have a Christian deale in Christianitie as men doe when one lifts another over the wall he that is lifted up is onely discovered but the other is not seene all men may view him but the other not descried so I would have the soule lye downe low in the dust and at the foote of the Lord and lay downe all excellency of gifts that Christ and his grace might onely appeare I would have a Christian heart in reading praying and professing to shew forth Christ onely lye thou hid and beare up the Lord and his grace that he onely may be presented to the view of the world Secondly Rule 2 labour that others may acknowledge that worke of excellency and that the excellency of that grace might be seene of others but not of our selves Matth. 5.16 O that Christians would so walke and converse that the whole world might see what grace can doe that men may say such a one by nature is marvelous chollericke but see what grace can doe hee is very calme and meeke such a man is a very coward naturally but see what grace can doe he is couragious for the
phrase I will doe what I can Lord and doe thou what I cannot but however it is take it away from my soule The Point is this A good heart is in good earnest content to part with any corruption What David did a good man must doe the ground is the same and the worke of grace is the same a good heart is in good earnest content to part with any corruption he doth not put off God with good words and thinke to satisfie God with faire speeches but it is seriously and sadly and in good earnest content to part with any corruption Hee doth not say Lord take away some stile out of the way or take away some logge or impediment in the way of sinning I would not be disparaged and disgraced and troubled in sinning no Lord take away the way of sinning that I may never walke in that way more this was the guise of the soule of the holy man and it is so with every holy man and Hos 14.2 and it was so with the converted Church when their hearts were humbled and they came to seeke the Lord they say take away from us all our iniquitie and receive us graciously they doe not halfe it with God and patch it and peece-meale it but oh take away all iniquitie even the greatest and the least and the dearest take away all Lord not onely the open and the knowne but the secret and the hidden Lord take away all iniquitie and receive us graciously In the old Law the burnt offering was all to be burnt so is it with a sound heart when it offers a whole burnt offering to the Lord of sinne leave not a haire or a hoofe behind but let all be consumed and all over-mastered and subdued so Psal 119.133 Let not any iniquitie have dominion over thy servant markē the generalitie there is none exempted none reserved there is no reservation not one Lord Let no sinne have dominion over me A good heart will not deale with sinne as the people of Israel dealt with the Cananites the Lord commanded them to drive out the Cananites and leave none there but they for their owne profit would not destroy them utterly but made them tributaries but a sound haart will not thus deale with sinne he would have it utterly removed it is a base thing that a man should retribute from his sinnes he will not banish all malice but he will take tribute of malice that hee may vexe those he hath some secret spleene against but this is the course every man should take up we should banish all sinne every Cananite every corruption and not onely not suffer it to dwell with us but not to be among us therefore looke what Haman did against Mordecay hee was not content to kill Mordecay alone but hee hated the whole Nation of the Iewes therefore hee would be at the charge to dispatch the whole nation let but the King send out his decree and hee would be at the charge for the destroying of the Iewes this shewes the malice of the man so it might be with our malice against sinne a man must not onely hate a base beggerly corruption a poore Mordecay that will not profit but the whole nation of corruption abandon that God hath given out his warrant against every corruption therefore be thou at the charge to execute it and set thy selfe against the whole nation of rebellion of heart and distemper of spirit this ought to be the guise and frame of the soule I have done with the proofe of the Point we come now to open the Point when I say the good heart is content to part with any corruption this parting of sinne and the soule appeare in two particulars First hee labours and strives and endeavours to doe what he can himselfe secondly he goes to God to doe that he is not able first for the former the endeavour and strife of a sinner for the parting of his sinne and his soule it appeares in foure particulars in all which we may fully perceive that in the soule of a gracious man there is this resolution to make a breach betweene his soule and his distempers first a sound heart is ready to take the least notice of any thing that is unlawfull it hearkens to any information that may discover any thing to be sinnefull in any measure after any manner this is one argument that the soule is resolved to part with any sinne because it is marvellous ready to heare any thing against sinne that it might part there from a man that doth seriously desire to remove another out of his possession the course whereby hee doth expresse his affection is this he is ready to heare any report and hearken to any relation by any man after any manner that will beare an action against the party and hee will not onely heare it but record it and make his advantage of it that he may remove the man if it be possible out of his possession so it is with a gracious heart when the soule of a faithfull Saint of God is weary of his inmate of the sinfull body of death that hangs about him and would dispossesse it and reforme it were it in his power not onely the dominion of it but the presence of it in his heart any longer hee is ready to hearken to the least information from any occasion from any speech from any action of the meanest Saint of God that appeares in his course and conversation whereby he make it questionable such a course is sinnefull and such a practice unlawful he is very carefull to attend lay his heart levill thereunto nay if his enemy out of malice and spleene and envie shall cast any thing upon him as a matter unlawfull it mill make his heart shake within him and he beginnes to consider I never thought such a course unlawfull and such a practise unwarrantable I see such a man dares not doe it if it be a sinne why should not I reforme it as well as another and if it be not a sinne why should he abridge himselfe of that liberty which is lawfull and the soule will never be quieted till it get sound information what is lawfull and may be performed and what is unlawfull and ought to be avoided this is an argument that hee is willing to part with his corruptions because hee is willing to know what is evill that hee may avoid it Iob 6.24 Teach thou me and I will hold my tongue cause mee to understand wherein I have erred He doth not quarrell with the man that counsells him or wrangle with the man that adviseth him but teach thou me and I will hold my tongue I know not I perceive not but cause me to know informe soundly reprove mee throughly wherein I have done amisse Nay Iob 34.32 it is a sine passage What I know not teach thou me if I have done amisse I will doe so no more he is willing to heare any thing