against it judge thy self for it thou hast reason indeed to sorrow for it but not to dispair or be discouraged yea rather get more faith that thou maiest get a further victorie and purification And thirdly For that predominant corruption that thou canst not get ridd of but in all thy doings it cleaves unto thee pollutes thy best services this should not discourage thee for 1. This is the case of Gods children they have sin that hangeth fast on them yea even Paul saies When I would do good evill is present with me and cries out against the body of death And 2. But if thou fall out with and loath thy sin if thou regard it not if thou judge thy self for it fear not thou shalt not be judged for it if thou cry to God against it thou shalt not be found guilty no more then the woman under the Law it is not thou but sin that dwelleth in thee If thou think it strange that the Lord should exercise thee with such strong corruptions so displeasing to himself he doth it for good ends 1. To cure a more dangerous corruption to bring thee out of conceit of thy own righteousnesse to chase thee to his Christ for expiation and to the holy Ghost for mortification of corruption to exercise thee in praier and in thy Christian warfare were it not for this we would not so often and so fully feele the necessity and sweetnesse of Christs sufferings intercession and righteousnesse we would not make so much of the sanctifying subduing power of the holy Ghost nor have so oft recourse unto it where would be the exercise of our faith and patience about the performance of the promise of sanctification what would stir us up to fervent and sincere prayer where should be the matter of our Christian warfare Obj. I do not finde the hatred and loathing of sin and this doth puzzle me in this point I find indeed that I do not entertain it but I think it to be more out of fear of punishment then out of hatred of sin A. Doth not thy heart rise against sin even in others to whose sin thou art not accessarie which cannot flow from fear but from hatred yea doest thou not hate those who are profain and wicked although they have other recommending and insinuating parts as on the contrary thou lovest those who are good and holy say not then that thou art altogether voyd of this point of the hatred of sin further though we finde not all that we would have yet should not we faile to be both thankfull and incouraged in regard of the things that we finde the Lord gives us to find many things that we may be exercised in thankfulnesse and to misse some things that we may be exercised in prayer pray then that the Lord more and more would make thee partaker of his divine nature and of his holinesse that so the hatred of sin may grow more and more sensible in you for he is of purer eyes then that he can behold iniquity Hab. 1.13 He loveth righteousnesse and hateth wickednesse Psa 55.7 A fourth Mark faith worketh by love Wherefore observe two things of faith 1. That it worketh it is operative and not idle it brings with it a spirituall life unto the soul of man and this spirituall life brings out spiritual operations when faith is put in the heart of a man there is a stirring disposition put in his heart also he is not his own man in his own element finds not quietnesse in his mind unlesse he be sometimes working and well employed Faith ever worketh towards God I mean immediately for all our works are to him as to our last end in being about the points of his worship in obeying his acceptable will in glorifying his Name advancing his kingdom seeing to the doing of his will by others so far as opportunitie and our callings permit Sometimes towards our selves in that great work of our salvation Sometimes towards our Neighbours in the works of charitie yea of spirituall charitie so necessary and so often recommended Exhort instruct edifie comfort admonish one another and yet neglected much want of compassion to the poore soul So their faith is ever working which clearly cuts off those who please themselves that they abstain from ill yea from some few grosse ills that they are no theeves murtherers adulterers c. although they never do a good deed not remembring the doome of the unfruitfull tree and unprofitable servants But secondly as it worketh so it worketh by love there is much working upon wrong motives which is all lost labour like building without a foundation there is nothing we should look more unto then this what is the motive of our obedience for it is the thing the Lord looks most unto He pondereth the heart yea doth not man so also if he can know it Now the motive most acceptable to God the disposition and affection of the heart which he requires which is here a Mark of Faith is the motive of love the Lord cares not a whit for our obedience if it come not from love yea he reckons it not for obedience therefore Love is the summe of the Law it fulfils the Law it is the end of the Law Even love out of a puâ—â— heart c. He shews mercy unto thousands of them that love him and keep his Commandments If I give my body to be burnt and bestow all my goods upon the poore without love it profiteth nothing Love is the soul the salt of all obedience and without it it is but a dead unsavoury carkasse Hence is it that the Lord doth begin his Law the summe of all our obedience with the remembrance and the rehearsall of a main temporall favour and deliverance typifying a far greater even that great salvation which shews that he would have the obedience rendered unto his Commandments to flow from love This is also the way of the Gospel even the way of love and the commands thereof are rather requests then commands I beseech you by the mercies of God Rom. 12.1 We beseech you exhort you by the Lord Jesus c. and in sundrie other places So that the Gospel doth require a lovely obedience and would draw us by the cords of love And this certainly makes our obligation of obedience the greater and our guiltines the greater if we obey not If one who may command will yet intreat the disobedience is so much the fouler and more odious And this is indeed to sin against the Gospel and to neglect that great salvation to wit when we are intreated and besought by him who hath all power and right to command us and that not by common favours but by the mercies of God and sufferings of Christ and yet refuse to obey But to the point Wouldst thou then render an acceptable obedience let the sense of the Lords great and many temporall and spirituall favours and deliverances be ever fresh and firm in
and take deeper root in the same then any care of the things of the life to come So if they seek the kingdom of heaven at all yet it cannot be said that they keep the rule Seek first or chiefly the kingdom of heaven 2. They be not diligent but slothfull desires wishing to dye the death but not willing to be at the pains to live the life of the righteous either they do nothing at all for it or at least not all that they should do they may perhaps leave many sins as was to be seen in Herod not do all that is commanded as is to be seen in the young man in the Gospel notwithstanding he did seem to have a very forward and fervent desire of salvation still they stick and stand at something and howsoever they seek the kingdom of heaven yet adde they not this and the righteousnesse thereof 3. They be not stable nor constant desires but fits and starts unconstant motions like the morning dew so that if they work at all yet do they not work out their salvation So that you have no reason to be put by the comfort of this point because of any desires in the wicked and unregenerate this way your desires being 1. deep and serious such as could not be put off but with satisfaction in some measure in the point it self 2. You seeking first the kingdom of heaven your heart running more upon this point of your own salvation and it going neerer unto your heart then the things of this 〈◊〉 3. You seeking the kingdom of heaven and the righteousnesse thereof and that ye have a respect to all Gods Commandments declining no duty entertaining no sin and in thus doing ye shall not be ashamed Lastly thy desires being stable and constant although it may be not in a like degree thou working out the work of thy salvation Q. The time was sometimes indeed that I could have said so much of the desires of my salvation that they were serious that they were not slothfull that I wrought out my salvation with fear and trembling but now I finde such slacknesse remissenesse security that makes me greatly doubt that my desires have not been such as they should A. This is indeed an ill to be regrated prayed and striven against even this great and ordinary ill of security But for your comfort understand that one and the same degree of desire and diligence is not to be expected alwayes no not in the best of Gods children especially their desires being more sharp their care their fear their diligence more great in the beginning of their conversion that as ye heard before they may be well entred in the course of Christianitie and well buckled with all Christian duties but many times afterwards there will be a falling away from their first care and diligence even the wise Virgins will slumber Christs own Spouse sleeped when her heart waked But herein stands the difference betwixt the instabilitie and inconstancie of the wickeds desires and of the godlies That the godly although they remit sometimes somewhat of the degree of their desires and cares this way yet do they never altogether return to their former securitie which they had before their wakening and conversion they may fal from their first care and diligence but not from all care and diligence the wise Virgins did slumber but were not dead the Spouse slept but her heart waked there will be ever something wakening and stirring the hearts of Gods children whereas the wicked grow altogether as secure and sluggish yea more like water heated which grows colder then before This no doubt if you apply it to your self will give you some resolution and comfort And thus far for this point 2. Now for the second point it is also true that the wicked and unregenerate may have a sight of their own corruptions wickednesse and sinfulnesse but it is also far from the degree and kind of that sight of sin and corruption which the regenerate and Gods own children have who have gotten the eye-salve the speciall illumination of the Spirit and are inlightned by that true light who lighteneth every man that cometh into the world they see more then flesh and blood can reveal unto them The difference may be especially seen in these foure particulars 1. The wicked and unregenerate although by the light of nature or a generall illumination they see some outward grosse corruptions corruptions of their flesh as fornication murther c. yet see they not their inward secret corruptions no lesse reigning and raging in them and no lesse odious unto God their pride their hypocrisie their infidelity their impatience their spirituall idolatry and whoring after the creature they see not the filthinesse of the spirit 2 Cor. 7. 2. Although they see sin in the branches and fruit yet see they it not in the root and fountain they see not into that originall corruption of their nature the blindnesse errour and vanity of their minds the great aversnesse and rebellion of their wils the inordinatenesse and earthlinesse of their affections the deadnesse of their consciences the hardnesse whoring hypocrisie and desperate wickednesse of their hearts they see not that body of death Rom. 7.24 3. They see not all their spirituall wants but think themselves as is to be seen in the Church of Laodicea to be rich and to have need of nothing to beleeve in Christ as well as any to love God as well as any c. 4. And lastly they see not the manifold imperfections of their best services but with the Pharisee rest upon the bare outward performance not pondering their own hearts nor considering that the Lord ponders them the wayes of a man seem good in his own eyes but the Lord pondereth the heart whereas the children of God on the contrary acknowledge all their righteousnesse to be but a menstruous cloth In a word the naturall and unregenerate mans light and sight of sin is but like an ordinary light whether candle-light or day-light while entring into a roome will discover any great or grosse filthinesse whereas the light of the regenerate is like the light of the Sun-beams which entring into a place discovers the very small moats in it This is clearly to be seen in Paul Rom. 7. before his regeneration and the coming in of the light of Gods Spirit by the Law he had a good conceit of himself he saw not concupiscence to be sin but afterwards he gets afar other sight of sin and of himself For I was alive without the Law once but when the Commandment came sin revived and I dyed Thou then who 1. seest thy inward corruptions thy secret and spirituall ones as well as the outward and grossest 2. Who seest the corruption of thy nature as wel as thy actuall transgressions 3. Who seest thy spirituall wants that thou art poore miserable and naked 4. And who seest a great imperfection in thy best services that they are
and obeyest the voice of his servants and therefore not onely mayest but shouldst trust in the Lord Isa 50.10 Thou hatest not to be reformed and therfore mayest take his Covenant in thy mouth Psal 50.16 17. Thou keepst his Sabbaths and choosest the things that please him and therefore mayest take hold of his Covenant Isa 56.4 Thus far for thy comfort But thou who ever thou be that wantest these things whereof we were speaking be not deceived thou hast neither faith nor that humiliation that should go before it 1. Was never thy conscience wakened directly with the sense of sin was never thy minde troubled with the sense of spirituall wants wa st thou never solicitous for thy own salvation and took it to heart above all things else Alas it is too too evident thou art not right as yet 2. Wantest thou that tendernesse of conscience hast thou no care no fear of the snares of sin and Satan nor watchest thou to prevent sin art thou not with the Apostle herein exercised alwayes to keep a good conscience Again and haâ—t thou no checks nor accusations in thy conscience after the commission even of the smallest if known sins but canst ban and swear speak sinfull words think sinfull thoughts c. and never be troubâ—ed a whit for the matter but doest sin securely and lyest in sin securely without repentance and seeking after reconciliation and so art every way a sleighter of sin Then assuredly no work of humiliation hath ever been wrought in thy heart and consequently no work of grace for this is the first work 3. And lastly look how the matter is between you God how thy soul carries it self in regard of secret sins namely of entertaining sin in thy thoughts and in regard of secret duties If thou dare or doest regard iniquity in thy heart feed thy thoughts upon ambitious and covetous pleasures or vanities or sinfull lusts without controllment yea and with delight and dare omit or shuffle over thy secret duties hast thou not some constant inward principle and secret mover that lets thee not alone but puts thee on to a daily and constant discharge of Christian secret duties daily prayer nightly repentance daily and nightly meditation upon the Word of God but doest all these duties by starts and fits or superficially or not at all then certainly no right humiliation no true grace yet in thy soul be earnest to labour for and to pray for that which thou wantest for it concerns the damnation or salvation of thy soul Thus far for these Marks which be taken from the antecedents of faith or those things which go before faith at least in order of nature Concerning these three Marks of a right and true work of humiliation or of that preparatorie work of the Spirit which goes before faith the way I say to make these Marks clear comfortable and convincing is 1. To compare them with our own former case and condition and so to try them by experience which we have alreadie done 2. To try them by comparing them with the case of the ungodly and wicked and so to try them by the Word of God which now we are to do wherein although some things be coincident with things spoken before the labour will not be unprofitable I. The first Mark of right humiliation and of the work of the Spirit in that respect is this to wit namely the right sight of sin the Spirit of God when he comes first into the heart of a Christian working by the Law or Commandment gives unto a man another sight of sin then any natural man how qualified soever he be with humane literature and naturall wisdom can have This is cleerly understood by the doctrine and in the person of St. Paul Rom. 7. I was alive without the Law once that is in a good conceit of my self and of my own righteousnes but when the Commandment came that is the Spirit with the Commandment or Law for he had the Commandment or Law in the letter before sin revived and I dyed I saw another sight of my sinfulnes then before To speak more plainly and particularly of this note when the Spirit comes and works this sight of sinfulnes in him it works this threefold sight in him 1. A sight of his sin and particular corruptions 2. Of his gracelesnesse and wants 3. Of his unrighteousnesse and imperfection of his best actions Now all these be hid from the naturall man as is clear by example 1. Of the Nation of the Jews who went about to establish their own righteousnesse 2. Of the Papists who take upon them for want of this sight to fulfill the Law to merit to supererrogate 3. Of our own ignorance who till the point of death cannot be brought to this sight of their own sinfulnesse but ever are justifying themselves thanking God they never wronged any instead of confessing and humbling so that this is clearly the case of the naturall man But to the particulars 1. The Spirit gives to a man a sight of his sinfulnesse and corruptions When the Commandment comes sin revives that is there is a further sight of sin Hence is it that 1. they are out of conceit of themselves thinking themselves to be the chief of sinners 2. That they complain so heavily of their own corruptions Who shall deliver me from the body of death 3. They feel the flesh lusting against the spirit Gal. 5. Now the ungodly or naturall man is not so for 1. He hath not so evill a conceit of himself as to think himself to be the chief of sinners or a great sinner but quite contrary I thank God I am not like that Publican 2. He is not sensible of his sinfulnesse whether of the body of death or of his actuall sins flowing therefrom But on the contrary He flattereth himself in his own eyes untill his iniquitie be found to be hatefull as it is in the 3. Psal He feels no such battell between the flesh and the spirit for why The strong man holds the house so that all things are at peace Hence the one sort is prepared for Christ the other not The whole needs not the Physician but they that are sick I came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance Q. But you will say Hath the wicked or naturall man no sight of his sins A. Some sight of some grosser discernable sins by the light of nature but not such a sight of sin as the Spirit gives to the spirituall man They may see 1. outward corruptions of the flesh as theft fornication c. but not these more inward of the spirit pride spirituall idolatrie unthankfulnesse infidelitie impenitencie 2. They may see sin in the branches and streams that is actuall sins but not in the root and fountain the body of death the sinfulnesse of their nature blindnesse of minde backwardnesse of will unholinesse and unheavenlinesse of affections hardnesse whoring hypocrisie of their hearts 3. In
that the Lord requires and if ye pray unto God for them Look to the sixth Commandment and see whether or no thine heart doth not often rise in anger against thy neighbour without or for a very small cause and thy mouth doth not break out into miscalling of him yea perhaps in cursing him which is the very height of murther And remember what our Saviour saith He that is angry with his brother without a cause is in danger of the judgement Or whosoever shall say to his brother thou fool or any thing as ill as this is in danger of hell fire Consider also the seventh Command and remember how it also is to be extended to thy heart and to thy speeches and so meets with all thy unclean thoughts and unclean speeches And look how thou hast carried and doest carry thy self in the other points of sobriety in thy drinking in thy eating a point certainly that many fail in and few consider yea and in thy wearing Consider the eight Command and see if perhaps thou hast not wronged thy neighbour in his goods but how hast thou imployed thy own how wilt thou clear thy accounts to him who will take account of the talents he hath committed to thee hast thou not spent much superfluously and unnecessarily when the members of Jesus Christ have been like to starve for want Look to the ninth Command which forbids thee to speak to the disgrace of thy neighbours name whether it be true or false that thou speakest for love should cover imperfections and we are commanded to do as we would be done to And see the propension of thy heart to break this Commandment nothing so incident to us as in our discourses to fall upon our neighbours imperfections and to talk of them with delight a signe we want that love which is the summe of all As for the tenth Command those that see any thing cannot but see that body of death I have gone briefly through the Commandments touching onely these things that I think people are most guilty of so to lead you to the knowledge of sin without which there can be no humiliation no repentance no amendment I beseech you take heed to the particulars and apply them to your selves and pray the Lord more and more to give you the eye-salve and to open your eyes that ye may see the wonderfull things of the Law that ye may see what is displeasing to him and dangerous to your own souls II. Secondly having thus applyed the Law to your selves for the knowledge and discovery of sin Then in the second place apply the threatnings and curses of the Law to your self for your humiliation and to this end consider the severitie and greatnesse of them the universalitie and extent of them they are certainly exceeding great and fearfull they extend to the body to the minde to the temporal and spiritual care of a man to this life and to the life to come and they are very fearfull in all these respects Consider chiefly the universalitie of these threatnings in regard of their object every one great and small young and old he or she are lyable to the curses of the Law we should consider this for we are exceeding prone to make an exception and to blesse our selves in our hearts when God curses and to slip the choller But what saith the Scripture Cursed is every one that abideth not in all things c. And tribulation and anguish is on every soul that dâ—th evill c. We should also consider the truth of him that hath pronounced these threatnings even God that cannot lye Heaven and earth shall passe away but not one jâ—t of his Word shall passe away Now all this is little enough to move us for we are wonderfully given to this to shift the threatnings of the Law off from our selves although we cannot deny that the Lord is true that hath pronounced them yet indirectly our unbeleeving shifting hearts do it like those of whom the Prophet Jeremy speaks Chap. 5.12 They have bolyed the Lord saith he and said this evill shall not come upon us What else do they that walk in their sins and yet think that the threatnings of the Law shall not over-take them but even give the Lord the lye And again although the threatnings and curses of the Law be so generall and univerfall as ye may see Deut. 29. the Lord fore-sets that there shall be some and alas would to God that the most part were not so who when they hear the curses of the Law shall neverthelesse blesse themselves in their own hearts and shall say I shall have peace though I walk in the imaginations of my own heart how many are there of this kind that ban swear and drink and rail and break the Sabbath securely and yet neverthelesse blesse themselves in their own hearts think that no such thing shall overtake them all secure sinners are of this sort O but what saies the Lord to such a soul The Lord will not spare him but the anger of the Lord and his jealousie shall smoak against him and all the curses of his book shall come upon him and the Lord shall blot out his name under heaven O that secure finners would consider this But what shall I say of the slownesse of men and women to beleeve the Lords threatnings the curses of the Law they are so senslesse and stupid that when they see them executed upon others yea when they feel them upon themselves diseases upon their bodies grief upon their minds c. yet they conceive not they consider not that it is by vertue of the Lords threatnings that this comes upon them so to humble themselves under the mighty hand of God This the Prophet Jeremy Chap. 5. sets down to have been the senslesse condition of the people of his time Thou hast stricken them but they have not grieved thou hast confumed them but they have not received correction And he concludes Surely they are poore they are foolish they know not the wayes of the Lord nor the judgement of their God This is a lamentable case and yet a common case we should pray the Lord to save us from this senslesnesse They are happy that when adversitie comes upon them get grace from God to acknowledge it to be for their sins and so humble themselves and are not condemned with the wicked world for so they prevent the wrath which is to come But happie were we if we would beleeve Gods threatnings without feeling of them for then we should prevent afflictions also would we judge our selves we should not be judged c. Now there be two things especially that stand in the way and hinder the threatnings of Gods Law from having their due operation upon the hearts of men and women and makes men and women to be secure notwithstanding of the peremptory threatnings of the Law And I beseech you take heed unto them that ye be not also lulled
hath no quarrell against thee and shall not punish thee is he now lesse offended then before No he hath told thee but thou wilt not beleeve it that he will not hold thee guiltlesse thou shalt not escape unlesse thou humble thy self and amend 4. Was the Lord so zealous of keeping his Sabbath that he caused that man that gachered some few sticks to be stoned to death Is there not then great wrath abiding thee who so often hast profaned his Sabbath and doest so still unlesse thou prevent his wrath by humiliation and amendment 5. Did the Lord expresse his anger in such a degree against uncleannesse and fornication that for it he made 23 thousand of his people to fall in one day in the wildernesse and hast thou not need to hasten and humble thy self for thy uncleannes or else the like anger is attending thee 6. Was he so offended with the Israelites for their lusting and intemperance in dyet and not being content with the sober dyet the Lord had allowed that while the meat was in their mouthes the Lords wrath fell upon them and hast thou not need to be truly humbled for thy manifold over-sights in the point of diet and temperance whether in eating or drinking 7. Was Ananias and Saphira so fearfully punished for their lying and wilt thou make but a jest of it Surely thou wouldst condemne the Lord of crueltie thou hast need to esteeme otherwise of it to weigh it in the ballance of the sanctuary and to be humbled under the mightie hand of God for it In a word to conclude this point Thinkest thou O man that doest the same things that thou shalt escape the judgement of God Is the Lord changeable or is he not as greatly offended now as then or have we to do with another God or will he look to thy person more then to others or are thy sins lesse then others Something thou must think that thy heart trembleth not because of these judgements what ever thy thought may be assure thy self thou shalt find that they have the advantage of thee if thou wilt look either to preeminencie of persons or greatnesse of sins for the persons they were a naturall Olive as the Apostle speaks and thou art but the wilde Olive And if he spared not the naturall Olive how little lesse will he spare thee who art the wilde Olive Again if thou wilt compare their sins and thine thou wilt find thy own to be greater For 1. their sins were against the Law onely but thine are against the Gospel and for this consider Heb. 2. If the Word spoken by Angels c. 2. We read for the most part in all their exemplarie punishments that it was but for one act of sin onely but which of thy sins hast thou not frequently committed so that thou hast contracted a custome of sinning This may be clearly seen by comparing the particulars before spoken of with our sinning He once brake the Sabbath once blasphemed c. So that it is apparent thy sins are the greater This I speak the rather because we have all shifting hearts deceitfull above all things which are ready to think that the sins of those who were exemplarily punished were greater then ours are and that they had some extraordinary thing in them which made the Lord extraordinarily to punish them and so their examples work not so effectually upon us but on the contrarie ye see our sins are clearly greater Our Saviour saw this corruption and deceit of our hearts and therefore he saies to the Jews Think ye that these upon whom the Tower of Shiloh fell were greater sinners then the rest No saies he they were not But unlesse ye repent ye shall all likewise perish So say I to you think not but thou art as great yea a greater sinner and therefore unles thou repent thou shalt perish unles thou humble and amend Thou shalt surely die the death Was not the naturall Olive spared and shalt thou Was one act of sin so severely punished and shalt thou who hast reiterated many acts of the same kinde passe unpunished shall they who sinned against the Law be punished thou who neglectest so great a salvation escape O but saiest thou how comes it to passe then that the Lord deales otherwaies with sinners now a daies then of old for men do as it were get leave to sin and passe unpunished The Apostle gives the reason of this in the words I cited before saying These things befell them that they might be examples to us upon whom the ends of the world are come The reason that the Lord dealt more peremtorily with them and more exemplarily was not that their sins were greater and ours lesse but because they lived as it were in the beginning of the world the Lord would make them examples for succeeding ages he would let us see in the persons of few how he is offended with all guilty of the like sins whereas with us living in the ends of the world when examples shall be of lesse use and when the time of generall punishment is at hand there is no reason that sinners should be precisely and exemplarily punished but yet thou shalt be as surely and as severely punished yea and more III. A third meane to helpe to humble us is to consider the greatnesse of Gods anger against sin and how odious sin is in his sight and presence we should first lay this ground that our sins provoke the Lord to anger and wrath and then we should consider how fearefull a thing the anger of the Lord is for the first it is clear I a. 1. They have provoked the holy one of Israel to anger the Apostle saies that For these things the wrath of God cometh upon the children of men yea every sin does provoke him and that most highly to wrath although not all alike yet certainly I say every one most high or else the punishment of every sin would not be eternall and intolerable torment but so it is and therfore every sin even the least provokes the Lord highly to wrath Now this ground being laid for our humiliation we should consider what a fearefull thing this wrath and anger of God is that we may be the more humble seeing we our selves are lyable unto it The Scripture sets it down most fearfully using strange and fearful terms not onely of anger and wrath but of indignation of fury and putting both in one The furie of his indignation the fiercenesse of his wrath The wise man saies that the wrath of a King is like the roaring of a Lion what then must be the wrath of the King of kings for even these kings are advised in Psal 2. to kisse the Sâ—n lest he be angry and they perish in the way when his anger is kindled but a little how fearfull then must his anger be when it is kindled to the full The Prophet Neh. 1. saies Who can stand before his indignation And
Psal 90. Moses saith further Who knows the power of his wrath When the children of God who in their wakening of their conscience had but a taste of that wrath for the dregs of it are reserved for the wicked and who rather apprehend and fear Gods anger then feel it when they say they would give all the world they would suffer what can be devised to be freed from the apprehension of that wrath what must the thing it self be And therefore we see how David cries out Lord rebuke me not in thine anger neither chasten me in thy sore displeasure It 's a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God the Lord is a consuming fire But because that this point to wit that the Lord is angry and wroth with some is a point that we can hardly comprehend what is the reason that we fear so little to commit sin and are so slenderly humbled for sin therefore I will let you see his anger against sin by the effects of it in some few examples 1. Must not the Lord be very angry and highly offended with sin when for one sin of our first parents he made whole mankinde lyable to eternall and intolerable torment the most part of them without recovery and even upon whom he hath shewed mercie he hath ordained them to passe their pilgrimage here in labour and sorrow and hath made all the creatures subiect to vanity Who knows the power of his wrath But this ye may think was against sin committed in innocencie when there was such ability not to sin But secondly behold afterwards the Lords anger against sin how great it must be when for sin he who swears he delights not in the death of a sinner and is a God full of compassion did destroy the whole world the very young sucking ones and the dumbe creatures a few onely being saved But ye will say sin was here come to a height and was universall But I will give you one fearfull instance of the one particular sin of one man Achan for stealing the wedge of gold how fearfully was he punished and not he onely as ye may read in the History but his sons and his daughters his oxen and sheep and all that he had was stoned and burnt with fire a fearfull example of the fiercenesse of Gods anger against sin which should make us say as David did My heart trembleth because of thy judgements But ye will yet say this was it's tâ—ue but one sin but a great one sacriledge but the Lord is not perhaps so angrie for all that at every sin O but consider if he be not what are these but outward judgements hath he not also even for the least sin ordained eternall and intollerable torment how great then must be the indignation and abhomination of the Lord our God even against the least of our sins when it doth move so just a God who surely would not make the punishment greater then the fault to adjudge the committer to eternall torment and intollerable O! if this were well weighed by us we would not be so carelesse in preventing nor so slight in our humiliation even for our least sins we all fail in this we are not carefull enough to prevent small sins so to speak nor carefull enough to humble our selves for them we have a cast of idolatrie we â—ount them veniall O but the least deserves eternall punishment the least provokes the Lord to anger the least cost Jesus Christ his blood For the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin and therefore count not so little of a sinfull thought or a sinfull word prevent carefully watch diligently be humbled greatly And now to conclude this point would ye see the Lords anger hatred severitie against sin yet more clearly adde but this one consideration to wit of his dealing even with his own children his own darlings after the committing of sin to whom neverthelesse he hath pardoned the iniquitie how dealt he with David the man according to his own heart how with Moses who was so familiar with him for one sin deprives him of his greatest worldly contentment he wounds them with the wound of an enemie and chastises them with the chastisement of a cruell one as Job saith he makes their beauty to consume as a moth night and day his hand is heavy upon them and he turns their moisture into the drought of Summer Now if the Lord for sin deal so with his own dear children how will he do with his enemies if so sharply with them to whom he hath pardoned the sin how then with those who are still guilty if so to the green tree how to the dry If the righteous scarcely be saved how shall the unrighteous and sinners be saved IIII. A fourth mean or help of humiliation is to consider seriously of the justice of God a point also that we can never sufficiently comprehend people apprehend the Lord to be infinitely mercifull and so he is but for his Justice they esteeme nothing so of it as if he were not infinitely just also every thing in God is infinite and therefore he being just must of necessitie be infinite in his Justice and so his justice think we of it what we will passes our deepest apprehension Take heed unto this ye that think the Lord is all Mercie the Lords mercie is wonderfull great God forbid it were otherwise His mercie saith the Psalmist reaches to the heavens and his faithfulnesse to the clouds But doth not his justice and judgement reach as far for what saith the Apostle O the depth of the riches c. and addes the same of his justice for he saith His Judgements are past finding out And as he speaks of the glory of his mercy upon the vessels of mercy so he speaks of his wrath even the power of his wrath upon the vessels of wrath so that with whom he deals in mercie he is infinitely mercifull and with whom he deals in justice he is infinitely just And let me say to you if we will look to the multitude of objects Justice hath the preheminence I speak this to humble you and also that ye be not deceived for men and women think that Mercie hath the upper hand of Justice in this respect but many are called and few are chosen Indeed Mercy bears it away in this that it hath the first place and Justice comes not in till Mercie be contemned patience and long-suffering abused and towards Gods own it is wonderfull for all their sins may well make him to visit them with the rods of men but never to take his tender mercie from them But for the point I was speaking of certainly more shal find the dint of Gods justice then ever shall find the benefit of his mercie which should cause every one of us in good earnest to see to our selves The Scripture is very carefull that the consideration of Gods mercie do not ecclipse his justice from
Covenant of reconciliation even he shall intercede for him that he be not cast out of it again Jesus Christ our Saviour is the Mediator of the New Testament in such a sort not onely to enter us once in the Covenan with his Father but which is most comfortable when we fail he is ready to intercede for us He sits at the right hand of the Father making request for us And hence is it that this Covenant is so sure and so everlasting a Covenant This point is also notably and clearly set down and made good by that style that Daniel Nehemiah Ezra give unto God O Lord who keepest Covenant and mercie A sweet saying and style for both on his own part he keeps Covenant and then for us when we break and sin he hath mercie for us So in the Scripture we have it more then once that sweet combination of mercy and truth Psal 57. He will send out his mercie and his truth Psal 25. all his wayes are mercy and truth c. His truth is to perform his promise his mercie is to cover our sins and to pardon them that they be no impediments for him to perform his mercie towards us Had he onely truth our comfort would be but small for we make the first breach and fail in the condition so that the Lord may without any breach of his truth and justice break his promise with us but when he joyns mercy with truth and is a God that keeps Covenant and mercie in this stands our comfort and happinesse and this is it that makes it an everlasting Covenant As also in that notable Psal 89. My faithfulnesse and my mercie shall be with him And again notably v. 28. My mercy will I keep for him for evermore and my Covenant shall stand fast with him His mercy endureth for ever How often repeated in Scripture a notable comfort against our renewed sins But of all most notably clearly and expresly is this surenesse and everlastingnesse of the Covenant set down in that same Psalm where the Lord professes which is indeed most wonderfull and sweet that although sin and the devill should have so far prevailed against us as to make us forsake Gods Law that though he may well visit our transgressions with the rod and our iniquitie with stripes so to bring us to repentance yet His loving kindnesse he will not utterly take from us nor suffer his faithfulnesse to fail so that he will not break his part of the Covenant for all this O the wonderfull goodnesse of God in his Son Christ who although we change every moment yet he changeth not whom he loves he loves to the end his gifts and his graces be without repentance Q. I hear that upon my repentance I shall have accesse to this precious Covenant though after seventy times seven times yea infinitely often for Gods wayes are not like mans wayes but are above them as far as the heaven is above the earth which is very comfortable and also that the Lord will take pains with me to bring me to repentance will visit me with the rod c. O but what if I continue in sin without repentance if I be not to be reclaimed no not by rods and so fall away altogether A. Thou shalt not get leave to do this for this is a part and a clause of this precious and sure Covenant Jer. 32.40 I will put my fear into their heart that they shall not depart from me to wit altogether or without returning this puts on the very top-stone of the surenesse of the Covenant That place is worth the noting for in it the Lord undertakes both his own part and ours This point is also notably and clearly set down Heb. 8. where the Apostle setting down the difference between the old Covenant and the new he saith of the old indeed they abode not in that Covenant but for this he saith I will write my Law in their hearts and put it in their inward parts So Ezek. I will put my Spirit within them and cause them to walk in my statutes to do them So ye may see that this is still a most sure and everlasting Covenant Q. But may it not be objected that this doctrine of the surenesse everlastingnes and steadfastnesse of the Covenant is ready to faster security and to prove an obstruction to Christian obedience A. It may well make one relent of that slavish or at the best selfish obedience flowing from fear and arising from self-love and self-respects But as for that acceptable obedience which flows from Faith and from the love of God The love of God constraineth me surely it doth greatly advance and fortifie it for why as ye see it fortifies faith exceedingly this point of the surenes of the Covenant and everlastingnesse on Gods part now faith produces this acceptable obedience faith which worketh by love the more faith the more working and that by love the more heartie and cheerfull obedience So whatsoever doctrine serves to increase faith in us to breed in us the full assurance of faith is so far from rendring us carnally secure and so sluggish as on the contrary it renders us spiritually secure it makes us the more working and diligent it addes spirit and life heart and courage to work Faith which worketh by love it both increases and rectifies our obedience whereas faith which is the tree being weak good works which are the fruit must be few as the assurance of Faith rouses up the soul to go on in a cheerfull and right course of obedience with an eye to God whereas otherwise all our obedience is at the best felfish if not slavish Do ye fast unto me saith the Lord and even for this restraint of fear to stand in aw and not to sin This Covenant for all the sweetnesse of it hath sufficient ground for as ye hear although the Lord for the main take not his loving kindnesse away yet neverthelesse he visits with the rod and with stripes even with sad and sore chastisements even where he is favourable he takes for all that vengeance for transgression even where he corrects in measure he suffers not altogether to passe unpunished Hence is that complaint Thou hast wounded me with the wound of an enemie and chastised me with the chastisement of a cruell one And again The Lord hath chastised me sore but hath not delivered me over to death There was never so much pleasure in thy sinning as thou who ever thou art shalt find bitternesse in thy chastisements for sin even although the main thing and the punishment be remitted so that thou hast need to stand in awe and not sin So that this Covenant though full of confidence yet hath some place also for fear and aw Obj. When I consider this surenesse and everlastingnesse of the Covenant surely I must think them happie that have propriety and interest in it but I fear that I have none that it belongs not
a word they may know grosser sins but not lesser as we may see by Christs interpretation of the Law compared with that of the Pharisees yea Paul sayes I knew not concupiscence to be sin but by the Law the naturall mans light or sight of sin is like an ordinarie light which discernes grosse palpable filthines but will not discover moats But the spirituall mans light is like the light of the Sun which discovers very moats which an ordinarie light will not discover 2. The Spirit gives to a man a sight of his gracelesnesse and wants they see their faith love repentance fear to be weak I beleeve Lord help my unbelief I love Lord help my love Lord increase our faith Thus they be poore in spirit The wicked and naturall men are not so but as it is to be seen in the Church of Laodicea they think they have need of nothing so look to the ordinarie course of men O why fear I not love I not God c. 3. The Spirit when he works he gives to a man a sight of his unrighteousnesse even of the imperfections of his best actions Our righteousnesse is like a menstruous cloth saies the Prophet When ye have done all that ye can do say that ye are unprofitable servants they know that the Lord pondereth the heart and they see so manifold imperfections defects corruptions in their best actions â—o that instead of meriting by them they think it a mercie not to be punished for them their heart rests not till they flie to the righteousnesse which is by faith to him who hath taken upon him the iniquitie of our holy things who perfumes the very prayers of his Saints with the incense of his merits and intercession The ungodly not so the hypocrite pleases himself with the work done the form of godlinesse cares not for the manner according to that The wayes of a man seem good in his own eyes but the Lord ponders the heart As the Pharisee not onely pleased but puft up with good service I fast twice in the week c. The Papists think to merit no lesse then heaven by them and that to others Now the Application is easie 1. for comfort First of all hast thou gotten indeed a sight of thy sinfulnesse corruptions of the flesh and spirit corruptions of the several faculties of thy sinfull nature so that from the heart condiscending upon particulars thou can say that thou aâ—â— sinfull O then thou art in case for the Phisitian The whole needs not the Phisitian but these that are sick And â—ee their spirituall sicknesses thou art one whom Christ calleth I came not to call the righteous in their own eyes but sinners to repentance that is that see themselves to be sinners Be of good comfort behoâ—d he calleth thee 2. Hast thou gotten a sight of thy owne gracelesnesse and wants O then thou art poor in spirit and so blessed thou art in a better case then those of Laodicea 3. Seest thou the imperfection of thy best services thou art not like the naturall man or Hypocrite who contents himself with the work done who 1. Ponders not the heart and therefore his waies seeme good in his own eyes 2. A token thou resâ—s not upon the forme of godlinesse but dost labour after the power 3. Thou worshipest in spirit and truth Now for câ—nviction O but thou who 1. seest not thy sinfulnesse and corruptions mayest well for the fashion confesse thy selfe to be a sinner but canst not condiscend to particulars or if to any it is but to outward grosse ones which the naturall mind may see but seest not the whoreing of the heart unthankfulnesse impenitency c. 2. Thou who thinkest that thou beleevest lovest fearest sufficienly and didst never finde the weaknesse of these thou hast not so much as attained to the very first degree of blessednesse thou art not poore in spirit c. Thou hast not the very first work of the spirit thou hast not gotten the eye-salve And thirdly thou who findest no fault with thy services for the manner of them when thou hast done them no great difficulty to get them rightly performed when thou art about them 1. Thou I say ponderest not the heart and therfore thy waies seeme good in thy owne eyes 2. Thou hast but the forme of godlinesse but wantest the power thereof 3. Thou worshipest not in spirit and truth but in shew and in hypocrisie and drawest â—eer with the lipps c. II. The second Mark of true humiliation and of that preparatory work of the spirit going before faith is from the sence of sin and of ones own guiltinesse and the feare of Gods justice anger threatnings judgments against him for them feare goes before faith the spirit of bondage before the spirit of adoption The Lord he first puts his feare in the hearts of these in whom he works effectuaâ—ly by his Spirit even the fear of his justice for otherwaies they would never prise his mercy and the merits of his Son they would never be humbled for by-past sinnes to fly to the mercy of God and merits of Christ for forgivenesse and so could not be saved according to that Come unto me all that are wearie and heavie laden As also that No man can come unto me unlesse the Father draw him And also they would not stand in aw for time to come which is the other maine end why the Lord works this work of humiliation and feare in the hearts of men according to that I will put my feare in their hearts that they shall not depart from me See then if ye have this feare which is a point of the Covenant and so a token that one is in the Covenant Blessed is the man that feareth alwaies but take heed that it be the true and constant feare of God spoken of and promised in the Covenant for even a wicked man may have some feare of committing sin and yet not the right feare Now try it by the two marks in the words of the Covenant 1. If it be Gods fear I will put my fear 2. If it be the constant fear of God and they shall not depart from me the wicked man I say he may have some feare of committing sin but this his feare 1. Is not the feare of God but the fear of man and therefore he stands not to committ small sins that men count smal I mean as to ban swear be prophane in discourse miscall his neighbour and he stands not also to commit secret sins entertaines sin in his thoughts omit secret duties though both these be offensive to the Lord who sees not then that this his feare is a feare of men and not of God doest thou commiâ— little sins doest thou entertaine any secret siâ— though but in thy thoughts thou hast never had this feare which is aâ—mâ—ke going before faith Then shâ—ll I not be ashamed wheâ— I have respect to all thy Commandements Againe a wicked man