in more than ordinary exigence we might say through Christ strengthning us we can do all things Lord bless his word unto you SERMON XXXVII Psalm 130. Verse 7 8. Let Israel hope in the Lord for c. YOU heard that these two Verses do contain the second part of the Psalm wherein after that the Psalmist in the first 6 Verses hath been wrestling partly with plunging perplexities represented under the notion of Depths vers 1.2 Partly with the Conscience of guilt verses 3.4 And partly with the delays of comfort and an outgate verses 5.6 After that I say the Psalmist comes to get some issue and outgate whereof he giveth not a direct and express account but any good he hath gotten he presently makes it appear in good news to Israel he hath an exhortation to them to hope in the Lord and hath Motives and Arguments pressing his Exhortation which are taken partly from what is in God to the behove of his Israel For with the Lord there is mercy c. And partly from what he will let forth of this for their good and behove not only is mercy and plenteous redemption with him but he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities For the Exhortation I spoke to it at length And at the last occasion I brake in upon the Motives The Instructions to be gathered from which I reduced to two general Heads 1. Something supposed concerning them that are put to hope and allowed to hope in God And 2. Something proposed concerning such as are called and allowed to hope and as a ground to their hope For the first That which is supposed in the Words it may again be reduced to these two Heads of Doctrine 1. That the man called and allowed to hope in God is one that is acquainted with misery in himself and is put to look out to what is in God or with him to do his turn For with the Lord there is mercy That there is mercy with God implys That the man that is called and allowed to hope in God is in himself miserable and put to look out to God for mercy and so it is one of the blessed and sure characters of a person that is called and allowed to hope in God that he is kept humble not conceity nor dreaming of any good in himself and the nearer he be to the dust he hath the more warrand to hope for the man that spears the right gate to hope is he that Lam. 3.29 Puts his mouth in the dust if so be there may be hope he creeps low in the dust to seek encouragement to hope and the man that is called to live by Faith is opposed to the man whose soul is lifted up in him and consequently to the man whose heart is not upright in him Hab. 2.4 And further the man that is called to hope and allowed to hope in the humbling sense of his misery he is put to look without himself to what is in God or with God for him he is called to hope on the account of mercy in relation to his misery It intimats that the humble sensible man the Israel of God can never be undone so long as God is to the fore and there is enough in him to do his turn though he be miserable and wants that he stands in need of yet if it be in God he shall not want If mercy be in and with God he is made up in the midst of his misery To this I have spoken already and shall not repeat I proceed to the second Observation implyed in that which is supposed concerning the man that is put to hope and warranted to hope in God That not only is he simply miserable and needing mercy but he is under such a bondage of sin and misery as he cannot extricat himself out of it except God interpose He needs not only mercy in God but redemption and plenteous redemption in God to rid him out of these bonds wherein he is fettered and bound and out of which he is not able to deliver himself Although the consideration of sin will come in to be spoken to on the next Observation by it self yet I shall on this touch a little in general both on the bondage of sin and misery under which the Israel of God are supponed to be lying As for sin all men by nature are bound slaves to it they are hurried away with every impetuous blast of temptation that blows upon their corruption but it is the Israel of God that are called and allowed to hope in God that feel this bondage Hence the Apostle Rom. 7.19 saith The good that I would I do not but the evil that I would not that I do And he finds a law in his members warring against the law of his mind leading him captive to the law of sin on which account he crys out O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of death There is a captivity indeed under sin and he tells the Galatians Chap. 5.17 That the flesh lusteth against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh and these two are contrary one to another so that they cannot do the things they would So the Israel of God are under a bondage of sin when they would do good as the same Apostle hath it ill is present with them And for the bondage of their misery the Scripture is so full anent it and the experience of the Saints so amply confirms it that it is needless to stand on particular proofs and instances of it How often are they put to that Psal 107.11 Because they rebelled therefore he brought down their heart with sorrow and labour they fell and there was none to help In the Application of this I shall speak a word first to the wicked and ungodly and then to Gods Israel who are called and allowed to hope in him notwithstanding this bondage they are under For the first to wit the wicked They would from this look on it as a sad character to know little and be as little sensible of their bondage through sin and misery They look on a licentious way of living in sin when they have eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin as it is 2 Pet. 2.14 When sin reigns in their mortal bodies and they obey it in the lusts thereof and they yield their members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin Rom. 6.12 When they give themselves up to work all uncleanness with greediness Ephes 4.19 They look upon that as their liberty and they are never out of bonds except when they are glutting themselves with sin they slâ—ep not except they do ill O! that such knew what a madnes and distraction they are under while they glory in their chains as if a mad-man should glory in his fetters look to it assure thy self thou shalt find sin to be a bondage and need of looking to God for Redemption from it ere thou have a warrand to
do all this and not consider that he is doing evil he is quite out and knows not of it and ye have an Idea of that Man that is not in Reflection on his Case and Carriage under it in Trouble Jer. 8.9 I hearkned and heard but they spake not aright no man repented him of his wickedness saying what have I done every one turneth to his course as the horse rusheth into battel He goes Hand over Head like a wild Horse in his Course why he Reflects not upon his Carriage under Trouble Not to dip on this let me in short from it recommend Self-Examination to you especially in Trouble if ye would haunt it in ordinary it would be more easy to you in a Distress if ye be in ordinar reflecting upon your Weaknesses and examining your Wants upon your Predominants your Temptations what are your Suits that are most binding on you and your Success ye will the more readily as we use to speak hit the Nail upon the Head when ye come to Pray And these your Prayers that come from Self-Examination though they be less busked they will be to better purpose than when a Man with all the Oratory he can reach vents his Gift in in Prayer and particularly look what ye are doing as to this Duty when ye come in any Distress I gave you before some Scriptures that speaks to them that neglect Prayer in Trouble Now let me mind you of some words whereby to try your Self Examination in Trouble one is Lev. 26.41 if then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity that were a blessed reflection that did produce this effect but on the contrary look that your reflection be not like that Jer. 44.10 They are not humbled even unto this day And like that Dan 9.9 All this evil is come upon us yet made we not our prayer unto the Lord our God that we might turn from our iniquities understand thy truth and Ezek. 24.13 Because I would have purged thee and thou was not purged thou shalt not not be purged from thy filthiness any more until I have caused my fury to rest upon thee Ye would make use of these and the like Scriptures in your Reflection upon your way and what ye are doing when ye are in the Depths And further when ye are Reflecting upon your Carriage under Trouble ye had need of tenderness of Conscience Passion will give you a blind guess of your selves or of your Case or Carriage under it when the Lord says to Jonah 4.5 Does thou well to be angry Jonah the passionate Man says I do well to be angry even unto death they that would Reflect on their Case and Carriage under Trouble would seek a composed frame of Spirit and tender Conscience from God But to come a little nearer unto this Reflection taking the words in the by past time Lord I have cryed unto thee They will import that God had keeped him long at that Trade and to this purpose we have a word Ps 69.3 After that he hath complained in the two first Verses that the waters are come in into his soul that he sinks in deep myre where there is no standing that he was come into deep waters where the floods did overflow him he adds v. 3. I am weary of my crying my throat is dried mine eyes fail while I wait for my God and Ps 119.82 mine eyes fail for thy word when wilt thou comfort me but this I may pass because it will occurr v. 2.5 and 6. and because the Hebrews exprest things present in the by past time because their Verbs have not a present time That which I shall speak to from the words considered as a Reflecting on his bygone wrestling I reduce to these two 1. That he owns it as a thing that hath been and is his Practise to be crying to God out of the Depths 2. Because Folks may be ready to say what is he the better of that he hath not got an answer of his Prayers I shall add this that his Supplication out of the Depths affords him a Testimony For the first ye may take up the Note thus that no distress no dispensation of providence warrands the Saints to cast all that they have been doing as unsound though he be put to the deeps he owns it that he is a cryer out of the deeps unto God Out of the deeps have I cryed unto thee O Lord. Thus the Church owns her integrity Psal 44.17 All this is come upon us yet have we not forgotten thee neither have we dealt falsly in thy Covenant Our heart is not turned back neither have our steps declined from thy way though thou hast sore broken us in the place of dragons c. Smite us as thou will we avow it that we are in thy way And Job 13.5 Though he should slay me yet will I trust in him I will maintain mine own ways before him that is my integrity And Chap. 27 5. I will not remove mine integrity from me And so Heman Psal 88 15. Vnto thee have I cryed O Lord and in the morning shall my prayer prevent thee do what thou will with me I avow it that I have been at Prayer and I will continue in it It is true men would be humble in this matter of avowing their integrity they would mainly be studying their wants and short-comings and the iniquity of their holy things and it is true also that when they are in the deeps of distress and these trysts them with Gods seeming not to notice them but rather his anger smoaks against their Prayers Psal 80.4 It should humble them yet more and make them search their imperfections in their best things and it 's also true that the people of God in reflecting on their Diligence and Prayers should be far from that quarrelsome humour in hypocrites Isai 58.3 Wherefore have we fasted say they and thou seest not c. As readâ—y the greatest Hypocrites are the greatest quarreders when they want success yet all this notwithstanding it is our duty to stick by what is right in our way while we are in the deeps Men must not be baffled out of their integrity because they are under the Cross and have the wind in their teeth they must not cast their Prayers because God holds them in the deeps it 's no small part of the Saints service to stick by and to avow their integrity that white Robes are allowed them though their Prayers be not answered Rev. 6.10 11. And therefore they have silly spirits who when they meet with a torrent of Crosse providences are baffled from avowing their integrity and ly by and dare not face the storm upon that account But I proceed to the 2d Observation It may be said what the matter of folks owning their integrity and crying out of the deeps when they are not heard but ly in the deeps for all that I Answer in
two of which I have spoken to in the Forenoon to wit that which is supponed here that God is a marker of iniquity and what it imports And secondly that which is proposed on this supposition That if God should mark iniquity as was explained men even the most godly men could not stand where somewhat was said to the importance of that Phrase Now I proceed in Explication of the Point from the Text for to that I confine my self in other four particulars The first and third in order shall be this That this assertion that men cannot stand before God marking iniquity is of infallible verity a most certain and infallible truth it is not a Bug-Bear to afright Children but the infallible truth of God This is hinted at in the Text partly in the Psalmist his proposing the matter to God If thou Lord shouldst mark iniquity O Lord who shall stand He proposes it to God who knows this matter better than any other and who is Supream Judge in the matter without whose determination a Decreet in our own favours will signifie nothing at all it imports O Lord let men dream what they will of their standing thou knowest that none can stand if thou shalt mark iniquity to punish it and particularly the infallible verity of this assertion may be gathered from the way of proposing it and that is by way of Question Who shall stand Which Question is a very peremptory denyal of the thing questioned for so the like Question is resolved Job 14.4 Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean Not one Yea the proposing of it by way of Question Who shall stand Doth import a defyance to any to attempt it or to succeed in their attempt and indignation at the presumption of any that should dream of standing before God marking iniquity But in the fourth place as this assertion is of infallible verity so it is of universal verity This is held out in the Question for the Question is Who shall stand That is as the parallel Question is answered Job 14.4 None at all good or bad If thou Lord shouldst mark iniquity none should stand for the Psalmist here a godly man is taking in himself with others as a man that could not stand himself without pardon And so the Phrase is Psal 143.2 Enter not into judgment with thy servant for in thy sight shall no man living be justified The best of men that are come of Adam by ordinary generation shall not be justified if thou mark iniquity Hence in Scripture it is clear that Saintship consists not in sinlessness but in sincerity for for Original guilt in that Job 14.4 Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean Not one and for a mans endeavours after he is brought in to God and is wrestling with corruptions to have these purged out says Solomon Prov. 20.9 Who can say I have made my heart clean I am pure from my sin Eccles 7.20 There is not a just man upon earth that doth good and sinneth not but as it is Jam. 3.2 In many things we offend all Thus ye see that Saintship doth not consist in sinlessness but in sincerity neither doth Saintship consist in the Saints their sins not deserving condemnation or in their being able to stand though they have sinned but in their sins being pardoned hence ye will find them sadly exercised in wrestling under the burden of guilt upon their gross out-breakings as David Psal 51. ye have them praying for the pardon of great iniquity Psal 25.11 For thy Names sake pardon mine iniquity for it is great Ye have them pleading for mercy upon the account of innumerable evils compassing them and their iniquities take hold of them and being more than the hairs of their head Psal 40.11 12. And when they are delivered from gross out-breakings ye have them with Paul Rom. 7. groaning under a body of sin and death till they attain to a song of thanksgiving thorow Jesus so that not only doth the Text hold out the infallible verity of this truth but the universal verity of it that if God mark iniquity none can stand The 5th thing I gather from the Text is that the infallible and universal verity of this assertion that if God mark iniquity none can stand might be gathered and closed with if men were eying God much this I gather from the Text where the Psalmist repeats the Name of God twice If thou Lord shouldst mark iniquity And then again O Lord who c. Wherefore is this twice repeated in this assertion Certainly not by way of idle repetition condemned Mat. 7.21 in many that say Lord Lord nor meerly because the Psalmist is affected with that which he is speaking of for so the expression of affections or mens being affected with a thing is expressed by a doubled Exclamation which may come in in the own place when I speak of the pardon of sin but here it is to make this truth out that serious and frequent repeated thoughts of God is a mean to give folk a right sense of the desert of sin And to make out this consider partly that when we seriously think of God we know that he is Omniscient to find out that which is hid from the world Omniscient to find them guilty that are innocent to others Omniscient to know more of us than we know of our selves A consideration that John would have us marking 1 Joh. 3.20 If our heart condemn us God is greater than our heart and knoweth all things If we know so much naughtiness of our selves by our selves what must God know who knoweth all things And Paul makes use of this consideration 1 Cor. 4.4 I know nothing by my self to wit in the administration of his Office yet I am not hereby justified but he that judgeth me is the Lord. Partly if we will consider what is imported in the Names of God here made use of by the Psalmist We will find it further clear the first Name JAH is a diminutive from JEHOVAH that imports a Supream Independent Beeing The second name ADONAI signifies his Dominion and Lordship Ponder these well and what a dreadful sight will it afford of the unspeakable desert of sin A sinner in sinning rebels against a Supream Beeing from whom he hath his beeing This is made a great aggravation of sin to Belteshazzar the greatest Monarch on earth Dan. 5.23 Thou hast lifted up thy self against the Lord of heaven the God in whose hands thy breath is thou hast renounced thy dependence on him from whom thou hast thy beeing Sin is also the casting off of the Yoke of his Dominion and Lordship it says upon the matter that which ye have asserted of wicked men Psal 12.4 They say with our tongues we will prevail our lips are our own who is Lord over us That 's the Language of every sinner in sinning and not only doth the sinner by sinning cast off the yoke of God's Dominion but he
neither will the Commands of men oblidging them in Law conclude men to be sinners unless there be a superiour Command of God oblidging them to give obedience to these Commands of men but waving that to the end I may resume and follow forth something to your Edification I shall briefly speak to these four 1. That all men have sin to be pardoned 2. That sin is a Crime and a Debt that needs a pardon a burden that a man will not willingly ly under if he look right on it nor be at rest till he get it off 3. That Sin being a Debt that needs pardon and a burden too heavy for any the unpardoned man looks upon himself if in his right wits in a doleful plight till he be pardoned And 4. That it is the chiefest of good news to a Man sensible of the Debt of Sin that God is a pardoner of Sin For the first of these all have sinned or done that which needs a pardon I shal not need to repeat what I spoke the last day upon this when I cleared the universality of that assertion That if God mark iniquity none can stand before him v. 3. I shall only add two Scripturall Confirmations this day One is that 1 John 1.8 Where the Apostle writing to the godly says as to Original Sin if we say we have not sin we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us and another Confirmation when as to actual sin he says v. 10. If we say that we have not sinned we make God a liar and his word is not in us And another Confirmation ye shall take from the Patern of Prayer Mat. 6.12 Where these who are allowed to call God Father even the godly are required to pray dayly forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors or as Luk. 11.4 hath it Forgive us our sins I shall say no more of this but briefly mind you of these four 1. It serves to refute the perfectists that pretend to sinlesness It was the damnable error of the Pelagians that they affirmed that as we have no guilt by Adam's sin so Men might live without sin not only sine crimine without any gross scandalous out-breakings as we confess some sins or some way of committing sin are not incident to the People of God 1 John 3.9 But they assert that men may live sine peccato without any sin at all And when they are urged with that Petition enjoyned in the Lords Prayer where we are bidden pray for the daily forgivenness of sin They Answer That men should say that Petition humiliter but not veraciter humbly but not truly and in sincerity which is both an imputation on the Majesty of God and a refutation of their error An imputation on the Majesty of God as if he did require that men should lye under pretence of humility and a refutation of their own error for if they should lye and pray hypocritically and not sincerely they prove themselves to be sinners and not perfect as they pretend 2. We might here put Papists to mind what they say when they plead for the sinlesness of the blessed Virgin Mary though in this they do not agree among themselves The Franciscans and Jesuits they assert that she was conceived Immaculat others as the Dominicans assert that she was conceived in sin but she was immediatly cleansed from it but both of them agree that she lived without actual sin VVe are for to declare her blessed above all VVomen and highly favoured of the Lord but we dare not contradict Scripture which concludes all under sin Rom. 3.23 Nor her own confession Luke 1.47 Where she owns God as her Saviour which imports her acknowledging that she was a sinner nor yet contradict our blessed Lord his taxing of her as Culpable John 2.4 When she would enjoyn him by her Motherly Authority to work a miracle Woman saith he what have I to do with thee mine hour is not yet come he owns her as a Woman not as his Mother in the Acts of his Mediatory Office and reflects upon her as one culpable that would require of him to work a miracle But 3. I would from this recommend to all of you to grow in acquaintance with your pollutions sinfulness infirmities and manifold dayly failings And for this alas we need not light Candles there is not need of any secret search as the Word is Jer. 2 34. The skirts of our Garments tell what we are to us may be applyed that Word Isaiah 3.9 The shew of their countenance doth witness against them and they declare their sin as Sodom they hide it not wo unto their souls for they have rewarded evil unto themselves But were we as spotless as Paul it is our duty to be exercised with the root of sin with the Body of Sin and Death with that Law which is in our Members rebelling against the Law of the mind with that will that is present with us when we delight to do good after the Inner-man Rom. 7. Ye would drive this trade and mourn for your secret sins lest God be provoked to give you up to scandalous out-breakings which the world will read when ye are not exercised with secret sins ye provoked God to give you other work a do litle to your advantage Learn to be at that work which the people are at Isaiah 59.12 Our transgressions say they are multiplyed before thee and our sins testifie against us for our transgressions are with us and as for our iniquities we know them And at that trade David was at Psal 40.12 While he saith Innumerable evils have compassed me about mine iniquities have taken hold upon me so that I am not able to look up They are mo than the hairs of my head therefore my heart faileth me Estrangement from our sinfulness is an impediment to our humility all the crosses in the world will not humble or bring a man so low as acquaintance with his own pollutions and sinfulness of his nature Estrangement from sinfulness is a great obstruction to repentance he cannot be a penitent that is not a dayly student of his own failings and infirmities and estrangement of our sinfulness is an impediment to pardon for sin must be taken with and confessed before we can expect pardon and that cannot be while we live estranged from it Thus you see the losses that follows the neglect of acquainting our selves with the sinfulness of sin our dayly pollutions and infirmities But the 4. and last Word I shall give you from this and I shall go no further for the time shall be this that the consideration of the universal sinfulness of all mankind should excite folk much to commend God it commends God as upon many accounts so particularly upon these two one is that he spares the World dayly though there be so much sin both of Saints and others abounding in it who would fit with so many wrongs as God gets every day and yet he
your selves to the end ye may walk sickerly in this matter I shall give you the impression that found out guilt after Examination should leave upon a man in four steps 1. He must not only not deny his faults as too many do with whom I do not trouble my self some being such monsters that they care not to deny their vileness and other abominations with perjuries to hide them from the world but he must not deny his sin in the guilt and ill-deserving of it he must take with it and all it's aggravations he must see it in its sinfulness and dreadful desert A man that would have pardon from God must not only know his Dittay but he must pass sentence on himself and judge himself if he would not be judged for it Thou hast examined thou hast found out much sin but what thinks thou of it as it is an offence done by a worm to the Majesty of God And hast thou thought upon the Aggravations of thy sin from thy place and station from the many Means thou art under from the many Mercies has been heaped on thee obliging thee to the contrary This is it thou should be about who would be affected with thy sin in order to pardon But 2. This taking with and aggravating of sin must not be an act of the Judgment only but it must sink down to the heart many will dream of sin and of the sinfulness of sin and will talk of sin and of the desert of sin but pass it over with words of that kind but a sight of sin and a thought of sin that is not heart-affecting is a proclaiming upon the matter thy contempt of sin Thy sight of sin and speaking of it must be like that of the Psalmist here it makes him in nettle earnest and to pour out a pathetick confession of it It must be a sight and sense of sin that bides not in the brain but goes down to the bottom of thy heart and affections and makes thee cry out with Paul Rom. 7.24 O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of death Thou can talk of sin and the demerit of it distinctly and eloquently but as men do of America or some new found Land they know not but content not thy self with that The sight of sin in order to pardon requires a heart-pondering and affecting And I shall add 3. The sight of sin and it's sinfulness must not be a simple affecting only at some times Some cheat themselves with that also Take them at some times O how are they affected how mad will the drunkard call himself after that throw his drunkenness he is distempered and hath a sore head and pained stomach And what a monster will a profane man sometimes call himself after a conviction or challenge of Conscience but bide till the next bout of a Temptation and he and his sin will be as homely as ever The affecting of many with sin is like a shower upon the ice in frost that wets it above but brings not a ground thaw Therefore where there is a right affecting with sin it must bring the Man with the Psalmist here to be restless under that burden to see that there must be no standing still till he be relieved of it The sluggard may have his convictions of sin and desires to be rid of it But the man that sees sin in it self and the consequences of it and is rightly affected with it he will see it to be his greatest misery and consequently that it must be his greatest haste to be delivered from it Many of your convictions are false conceptions ye are in pain with them but ye do not follow them forth but stiffle them they never set you to your feet as is said of Ephraim Hos 13.13 He is an unwise son he stayeth long in the place of breaking forth of children it is a dreadful token to stick in the birth and to stiffle Convictions better thou had never had them though that case be most dangerous also than when thou hast been under them to stiffle them and set thy foot upon them before thou get a true ease And I shal add in the 4th place In this sense of sin that is when Souls are thus affected with sin as I have been speaking a pardon will be very precious it will not be lookt upon as the scorâ—er doth or as the Soldiers who said to Christ Hail King of the Jews and then buffeted him O! a pardon to a most sensible sinner will be most glad news and God on that account will be a matchless God Micah 7.18 Who is a God like unto thee who pardons iniquity He will be a blessed man whose sin is pardoned Psal 32.1 a good Lord that pardons his people 2 Ch. 30.18 And so in the Text he is to the Psalmist If thou Lord should mark iniquity O Lord who should stand But the Back-note is There is forgiveness with thee for to a sensible sinner there being no remedy for sin but pardon and no pardon of sin but from a gracious God what wonder that pardon of sin be very precious and God on that account a matchless God But a 4th Direction antecedent to pardon is That we study Repentance for these sins the pardon whereof we study and expect that we may be in capacity for pardon I shall not insist now upon this Doctrine or Direction only let me intreat you to make it sure work in this affair I have laid your duty somewhat home to you and I fear there is need ye will take it all and more and yet in the doing of it my meaning is not as if ye could produce these things called for antecedent to pardon of your self or that when ye are not come this length ye should bide away from Christ no ye must come to him for these antecedent qualifications that ye may get pardon But these are the true and faithful sayings of God and whosoever they be that are not in this order seeking pardon and yet think they are pardoned they had need to look to it that they have not a lie in their right hand for this is the Scriptures method wherein the Lord leads his own to pardon and pardoneth whom he doth pardon The Lord bless what ye have heard for Christs sake SERMON XVI Psalm 130. Verse 4. But there is forgivenness with thee I Am now entred upon that which is the Applicatory part of this Doctrine concerning the pardon of sins and upon a way to hold out Directions to you how without abusing this great Priviledge or deceiving your selves ye may come to it in the due order and look like it I was speaking before noon of some things required antecedent by way of preparation for pardon I spoke somewhat to a Caution and carefulness to avoid sin that the sins we come to God for pardon of may not be these we have run after impetuously as the horse runneth into the
sin till he be quit of sin altogether Redemption from all iniquity imports That the remainder of sin will be a burden as was it to Paul Rom. 7. And made him cry out O miserable man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of death and here is the task and touchstone of the truly godly it will not content them though sin do not reign but the remainder of sin the bird-lime of sin the clog of corruption will be a burden to them and these who in their security do satisfie themselves to get sin kept under the hatches they provock God to write what is in their bosom in their practice and when any thing breaks out in a person that hath the name of Religion it is an evidence they have not been busie within doors else he needed not to have that Bell rung to him to give him warning of it And hence 5. If the very remainders and seeds of sin be a burden to the Israel of God till they get home ye may gather how much those who are true Israelites exercised with the guilt and power of sin will be taken up with the thoughts of a compleat liberation from sin with that which the Apostle speaks of Rom. 8.23 Waiting for the adoption to wit the redemption of our bodies And Christ Luke 21.28 Bids look up and lift up our heads for the day of our redemption draws near This is it an Israelite indeed is taken up with There are many folk who when they are vext in the world would be gone wherein they look rather to the ills they would flee from than the good they look for But here is the exercise of a true Israelite they long to be home that they may be compleatly Redeemed from all iniquity that they may sin no more that as it is Eph. 5.27 They may be presented a glorious bride unto Christ not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing but may be holy and without blemish and they that are vext here with the stirring and foul-sticking slime of their corruptions would be taking a Pisgah look of that day that is coming when they shall be Redeemed from all Iniquity from the least degree and grain of it and shall be made perfectly holy We shall say no more but Lord bless what ye have heard FINIS Courteous Reader help the following Errata with thy Pen the first number sheweth the Page the second the Line R. is for read D. dele or blot out F. for ib. ibidem or in the same Page Page 2. 28 29. r. rendered degrees 6. 29. d. either 9. 12. r. wakens 16. 10. r. surcharging 21. 15. r. is he 28. 1. F. that r. then 31. 30. r. to be put out of prayer's mister 56. 10. r. F. ordinary r. ordinances 61. 4. r. meet the sinner 84. 3. r. wherein as in a mirror the desert of sin may be seen 92. 6. f. will r. ill ib. 11. r. provock 96. 33. f. eye r. cry 105. 27. r. to desire to be rid of it 3ly That sin c. 108. 7. r. would not 109. 5. r. would have none 113. 30. r. pardoning 117 8. d. but. 118. 1 r. are not to be limited ib. 8. r. if they may venture 119. 32. r. and as they are a bond 126. 34. r. after-game 129. 25. f. only r. also 132. 14. r. satisfactorly 133. 35. f. use r. rise 139. 20. r. takes away actual ordination to punishment and yet will have the sinner suffering punishment 150. 35. r. serious 170. 31. r. takes a view 198. 22. d. unself 202. 5. r. stamp of 212. 33. r. indignity offered 213. 27. r. having run through these things shortly ib. 36. r. seemed 217. 36. r. therefore 218. 12. d. like 222. 18. r. or take them not so near them 223. 4. r. cleansed my heart 230-7 r. and a man 240. 16. close the parenthesis after such 258 17. r. be ground for temptation 262. 17. r. patient 279. 1. d. out his wisdom 280. 15. f. many r. may 182. 13. r. what thou will do 283. 4. r. and out of 298. 20. r. begin its exercise 299. 10. r. and this ye must know 303. 18. r. if the priest 311. 27. r. ambiguous 312. 19. r. fixed 316. 17. r. therefore it is so soon 319. 10. d. in 342. 6. r. in that word 358. 15. r. among other things 364. 7. r. speaking meat 367. 28. r. can these bones live 394. 9. r. from all his iniquities 451. 10. r. though their pressures be such 458. 28. r. not find their lovers 462. 24. close the parenthesis after rejoyce 467. 1. r. much work may fall 480. 14. r. redeem Israel from all c.