sins of the Saints they drive them to Jesus Christ If there be any truth of grace though weak thy sins will drive thee to Jesus Christ not drive thee from him but drive thee to him And make thee prise Jesus Christ as the Immaculate Lamb of God that is come into the World to take away thy sin It will make thee set a high price upon Christ and cause thy heart to follow him with all thy might Wicked men when they sin they turnaway from God and from Christ and the things of Christ are less savoury to them But the Saints when they sin they are put upon the seeking after Christ and prising of him so much the more Lastly Their very sin makes them to long for Heaven O wretched man that I am saith Paul who shall deliver me from this body of death Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ c. O! he flies to Christ and he desires to be present with Christ so the Saints they long for Heaven upon this ground above all other grounds and reasons namely because they know they shall never be delivered from the body of sin and death that they carry about with them till they come to Heaven and therefore they prise the state of Heaven as a glorious state because they shall never sin more against God I put it now in the name of God to your consciences this day you say you hope to go to Heaven what 's that for which you prise Heaven most why a gracious heart would say O Lord though I endure some sorrows and afflictions here yet thou knowest that the great burden of all it is the burden of my sin and when I shall be taken out of this world I know I shall never sin more never sin more against thee O that day when shall that day come that my soul shall never sin more against that God that I do love Thou that knowest all things knowest that this is my desire after Heaven upon this ground above all other grounds whatsoever Are you able to say so as in the pesence of God this would be a good argument indeed that though there be some spots yet they may be the spots of Gods Children And if it be so with thee then attend to the next point and that is The different dealings of God with his Children in regard of their sin with his dealings with the wicked and ungodly in regard of their sins As the behaviour of thy soul in respect of thy sin is different from the wicked so the behaviour of God towards thee will be very different from that of his towards the wicked and ungodly They may not think to escape so as thou mayest escape First As in the first place If a Child of God sins yet he hath a pardon laid up for his sin yea a pardon laid up before the sin is committed I do not say the pardon actually applyed but laid up for to say the thing is actually pardoned before committed it 's scarce English much less Divinity For whatever it be in Gods account or what God will do yet when we say the sinner is pardoned it notes some work of God upon the Creation actual in being As when we say the World was created it was not created from eternity why it 's a work of God upon the creation therefore it has a Time And so what 's a work of God in Himself that is from eternity But what 's a work of God upon the creature that 's in time without any change in Gods nature any more-then the creating of the World did change his nature there are for givnesses with thee that thou mayest be feared they lie up with thee there are Pardons that lie up with God there is an Atonement made for the sins of Gods Children for the sins that they have committed and sins that they shall commit I say an Atonement is made even for them and a ransom is paid Jesus Christ did tender up himself to the Father for a ransom for all the sins of the elect it 's laid up there So saith the Apostle 1 John 2 2. I write unto you little Children that ye sin not and if any man sin that I shall take notice of by and by we have an Advocate with the Father and he is the propitiation for our sins So that when an ungodly man sins there the sentence of death comes out against him But the Lord saith concerning his Children Let their souls be pardoned for I have found a ransom Thou sayest the best have their sin True but one man hath a ransom hath a price paid for his sin and thou hast none none for ought thou knowest In that condition wherein thou art thou canst not know that thou hast any Here 's the difference between Gods dealing with his Children others one sins and the Lord acknowledges a propitiation presently a ransom a price a pardon that 's laid in but he acknowledges it not for thee Secondly Yea in the Second place the Children of God when they sin their condition is far different from the sin of the wicked they have not only a price paid and a pardon laid up But you will say how in case they do not sue out their pardon I confess if they sue it not out they have not the comfort of it But yet the Scripture tells us they have an Advocate with the Fathe If they through ignorance do not know their sin how can they sue out their pardon yet they have an advocate with the Father continually and it 's the work of Jesus Christ at the right hand of the Father to be an Advocate to plead for believers with the Father when ever they sin against the Father there stands Christ their Advocate pleading he watches if there come in any accusations against them if the Law or the Devil or conscience shal send up an accusation Christ stands as an Advocate to plead their cause you know I suppose what an Advocate in Law doth mean he stands to plead the cause of his Client whatsoever comes in against him he is made acquainted withall that he may stand to plead This is the case of the Children of God notwithstanding their sin they have an Advocate with the Father In 1 John 2. 1. My little Children these things write I unto you that ye sin not ye ought not to sin take heed of sinning But if ye do you have an advoc te with he Father Jesus Christ the righteous These things that I am speaking I confess may prove dangerous to wicked carnal hearts that are ready to turn the Grace of God into wantonness but by that they may know what I say belongs not to them that their spots are not the spots of Gods Children Those that shall hear of this and be hardened or embâ—ldned in sin the more there need no other Argument to prove that their spots aâ—â— nâ—ne â—f the spots of Gods Children than that And
of God Lord thou knowest that I have not wickedly departed from thee For all thy judgments are before me and I do not â—ut away thy statutes from me O Lord thou â—nowest there is none of thy statutes that I would put away from me Thirdly And then a Third symptom of â—â—fe in the worst condition is this That though 〈◊〉 man be fallen into great sins himself yet â—or all this he will have his heart prising other godly men that are not fallen into such great sins when did you ever know any one godly man fall to be such an Apostate as to hate the Saints and yet to turn again to God for thereby you may know whether he were godly or no if it were a temptation in one that is godly though he doth Apostatise very far yet he will return back again But for my part I never knew it nor heard of any man that was a professor of Religion and fell fo far as to hate the Saints to hate other godly men and to persecute them I never knew any example that came again But now you shall have many godly men that fall foully I but yet their hearts are towards the Saints and they think that they are in a blessed condition Though I have a wicked and vile heart and I cannot prevail against such and such corruptions yet there are those that are able to prevail against their corruptions there are those that are godly O! they are in a happy condition O! happy is such a man such a woman they are not overcome with such corruptions as I am overcome with So that though they be overcome with sin yet they will still have their heart towards the Saints and prising those that are not overcome with such corruptions as they are But now it is not so with the wicked Fourthly The last symptom of spiritual life that is in the Saints is this Though they be overcome with much corruptions yet you shall find this ever in them They do not lose the savour and relish of the most spiritual Ministry and the Word as others do Wicked men they are so defil'd with their corruptions that that takes away all their relish and tast of spiritual things They cannot relish a spiritual Ministry more than a filthy one but now take one that ever had any true godliness in him though he be very foully fallen perhaps into some gross sins yet he is able to taste the word in some degree he can taste a difference between Ministry and Ministry yea between Company and Company between the spirit of one Man and the spirit of another I say he doth not wholly lose his savour but still he hath some kind of savour to taste a difference between that that is spiritual and carnal and especially in the Ministry of the word he finds some savour in that for if ever he was converted it was a spiritual work of the word that did convert him and there is some seed of it doth remain in his heart hence is that of the Holy Ghost by the Apostle Saint Peter 1 Epist C 1. ver last The word of the Lord endureth for ever and â—his is the word which by the Gospel is preached â—o you Now this word of the Lord he doth not mean here the very Book and Letter of the word of God but he means the word of God upon the hearts of the godly for so you shall find he speaks of it in the 23. v. Being born again not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible by the word of God which liveth and abideth for ever For all flesh is as Grass and all the glory that is all works of nature and common gifts they vanish but the word of God endureth forever that is the word of God upon the hearts â—f the Saints There is a spiritual seed and efficacy of the word of God that first did beget the soul that doth abide for ever There is none falls off so but hath some seed of the Spiritualness of Gods Word that doth abide in their hearts that doth enable them to savour Gods Word Thus you see their spot is not deadly O! that if any of you that have godliness and have fallen foully from God that you would but consider of these things Are there such seeds of life remaining in you you are those that do yet belong to him therefore do not you fall off more and more if you be one that do belong to God you will not abuse this that I am speaking to you but your souls will prise it and it will draw your hearts more to God But now the sickness of the wicked that 's a death as in John 11. 4. saith Christ concerning Lazarus This sickness is not unto death Two men are sick one man he dies of it the other is recovered so you have your sins and the godly man hath his sins and outwardly the godly mans sin appears as much as yours doth I but yours may be to death for all that As now according to this similitude of a spot sometimes a man hath some kind of grievous spot upon his slesh caused by some distemper well but yet this is not so now as in the time of the Plague when you see those blew tokens on you which they call Gods Tokens though perhaps you have no other spots nor sores So many men and women may seem to live very strictly and not break out into such scandalous sins as others do and their spots seem not to be so full of corruption as other mens are I but there â—â—e the blew spots of a Plague upon them â—â—at be unto death And you know a Father â—â—d Mother would rather a great deal see the â—odies of their Children to be all blistered and â—potted and run with filth then to see but one â—f those blew spots upon them though their â—kin should be never so whole You will say now What sign may we give â—f the sickness of a soul to be unto death seeâ—ng that godly men may by their sin be sick as â—ell as others I will give you these First As in the distemper of the body if be constant though it be small it may prove deadly As if a man hath a Cough yet if it continues constant it may prove deadly Take heed of constant sins though they be small sins for if thou goest on in a constant way of sin it may prove deadly And then Secondly If the disease reach to the heart it proves deadly In time of infection if you can keep it from the heart you are well enough Physicians though they give Medicines to keep the infection from the heart yet they have never a Medicine to cure the heart if once the disease get into it They can keep it out of the heart but not get it out of the heart Jer. 4. v. 1. O! thy sin 〈◊〉 evil and bitter for it reaches unto thy heart saith the Text O! that 's an evil and bitter
Glass to see out own spots how we are bespotted by our sin if it is such a Foul such a Spreading such a Staining spot How is it that Men and Women see it not they see not their own faces Oh! they never were acquainted with Gods Glass What 's that you will say why James 1. 23. will shew you what the Glass of God is in which you may see your Faces in which you may see your spots If any man be a hearer of the word and not a deer he is like unto a man beholding his natural Face in a Glass for he beboldeth himself and goeth his way and straightway forâ—etteth what manner a man he was But who 〈◊〉 looketh into the perfect Law of liberty and continueth therein c. And the Law of God is â—â—e Glass that God would have thee to look â—â—to to see thy face in thou canst not know â—â—y heart but by holding the Law of God before thee Paul thought himself beautiful eâ—ough until the Law came That Scripture 〈◊〉 notable for it in Rom. 7. 9. For I was â—â—â—ive without the Law once But when the Comandment came Sin revived and I died 〈◊〉 was alive I was jollie and thought my â—â—lf well enough but when the Commandâ—ent came when God did but take the Glass 〈◊〉 the Law and hold it before my face I 〈◊〉 my self a most ugly Monster I rememâ—er I have read of an old strumpet that had â—â—ed a false Glass continually to look in and 〈◊〉 presented her beautiful unto her self and 〈◊〉 would never look upon any other But â—â—ce there being a Glass by she chanc'd to â—â—ok into it wherein she beheld her face â—â—d being told her that it was a true Glass â—â—e ran mad upon the sight of her ugly face â—ertainly the generality of men have no other Glasses to look into and to behold the face of their souls but their own carnal conceits and the wayes of other men and the like But if God should but hold the Glass of his Law to some of your faces to behold how loathsom you are in the Eyes of God for so they are in Gods eye as this Glass presents them if they are not washed in the blood of Christ and it would be a dreadful sight to many a soul But yet better that you saw it now while there are wayes to cleanse your souls of their spots than when you should die for if when you should be at the point of Death and be ready to go to the great God to Receive the sentence of your Eternal Doom If conscience should hold the Glass of Gods Law before you and there make you see the ugly face of your soul spotted by sin Oh! it would be a soul sinking sight unto you Learn you to look now into the Glass of the Law and examine your soul by the holy Law of God that you may see your spots there many of you spend a great deal of time every morning in looking into the Glass to see if all things be well in your face Oh that you would but spend as much time in looking into the Law of God and examining of your hearts by the word There stands a Glass in the window and there lies a Book on the shelf Why may not the Law of God be as well taken to look into your hearts as the Glass taken to see your face in People are little acquainted with this Glass and therefore know not their own souls Secondly If sin be such a spot O learn we to be humbled for our spots if we have seen them and to be ashured of them if we have seen our faces besmeaâ—'d it doth deject us especially if we be in Company that are our Superiors Know that you are alwayes before the Infinite God and his blessed Angels and they behold your spots O therefore be humbled and be ashamed for your spots An Ingenuous disposition of heart is ashamed if either flesh or garments bespotted but now one of a so did disposition that is all the week raking in Kennels or Dust-heaps though they be bespâ—ted they care not because many times the very temper of their spirits is like to their employment but now one that is of an Ingenuous disposition if he be defiled he is ashamed and troubled for it O labour to purge your spots and stains know that this is the work that you have to do To get vour souls cleansed and purged The Lord hath set open a Fountain for sin and for uncleanness for Judah and for Jerusalem to wash in O wash your hearts O Jerusalem So I may say to every soul wash thy heart from thy spots thou wilt wash thy face and hands dayly O that dayly there might be washing of thy heart If thou hast committed sin let it not lie and soak in if there should any spots happen upon your cloeths you presently lay salt upon it to keep it from staining so so soon as thou hast committed sin lay the salt tears of thy Repentance though that be not all the blood of Christ is the main thing to keep thy soul clean from this staining-spot and to do it presently will be a great â—eal more ease than to stay long as a sport of Ink as soon as it falls if youseek to get it away it will be done with a little tâ—â—ble but if you let it soak in you cannot get it out after wards And so it is with sin that lies long upon the soul O! many of your sins are old stains that have been many years upon you and as it is in your cloeths that have old slains washing will not serve all the Soap you can use will not get them out but you must lay them a frosting in a winter night O! so your old sins you must not think that those old spots and stains upon your soul that you shall get them off so easily you must be willing to lie a soaking and frosting to indure what hardship God calls you to so be it that you may be cleansed from them It 's an expression that I remember Austin hath saith he You would have all things good and clean in your house all the furniture in your house yea your shooes if they be bespotted you will have them clean And hast thou more care of thy very shooes then of thy soul that 's spotted and defiled O! there 's little care for the cleansing of that But now my Brethren these things especially should be applyed when we are to go more immediately and solemnly into the presence of God We must look into the Glass of the Law every day be humbled be ashamed and labour to purge the spots of our souls and that continnually But I say when we are to go into Gods presence in a more immediate manner as when we are to go to prefer a petition to God and that such a petition as concerns our souls and Eternal estates when we are to go to hear his word
corruption that reaches to thy heart that is so comes to thy heart as it finds thy heart to close with that distemper and corruption of thine Thirdly When the sickness is an increasing sickness Lev. 13. 8. When the spot spreads then the Priest must say it 's a spot of Leprosieâ— So when thou hast some distemper and corruption and it increases more and more As it may be thou wert but a little vain thou growest more vain c. Where the diseasâ— grows more and more upon thee take heed it 's a spot of Leprosie and may prove to bâ— thy ruine Fourthly A sicknes is then deadly when Nature is overcome with it so as the party is not sensible of his sickness a Man when he lies sick so long as Nature is striâ—ing with it there 's good hopes But one that comes to a man in a strong Feaver and asks him how he doth why well I thank God he is not sensible of it O! that makes his wife and all about him turn their heads and fall a weeping It were better he did feel pain So when men through the custom of sin grow sensless of sin that 's a sign that it is unto death perhaps when thou didst first commit sin O thy consience did trouble thee But thou hast used thy self so to it that thou art not sensible of it O it 's a sickness to death and thou art like to dye by it when by use of a sin thou comest to be sensless of it Fifthly When a man in a sickness cannot take any thing that will stay with him So I may say of the sin of wicked men though thy sin doth indanger thy soul yet there 's hope if so be that that that is given thee might stay with thee that is the Word that 's as the Physick for thy soul When some seasonable truth comes and is applyed to thy soul against thy â—â—in if thou canst receive in that ingrafted word that 's like to save thy soul But if as soon as ever thou hearest a truth that comes â—ear to thee presently thy heart casts it up and it will not abide with thee at all it is a dangerous sign that thy sickness is a sickness unto death Lastly That 's a sickness to death that when a man doth take that that might help him yet if it doth not work then I say it is dangerous too So it may be you do remember the Word and it doth abide with you a while but there 's no good at all comes of it it works mighty changes upon others but nothing at all upon thee If you come to a physicia in that case and say Sir you did prescribe such or such a thing I but it works not why I wonder saith he I have known it hath wrought upon such men and women that I thought was in as desperate a condition as one could be it wrought upon them I and did recover them So I may say to some that sit under the word their souls are sick and the word works not upon them I but it hath wrought upon others that have been as dangerously sick why it 's an Argument that their sickness was not unto death God did not intend they should die But if thou canst sit under the word and it works not upon thee it 's a sign that thy sickness is unto death Fourthly and Lastly The suitablenes that there is in the sin of one to the nature of those that have their sin in them One mans spot is like the spot of a Leprosie that is his spot is that that is suitable to the disposition of his soul But now the spot of another it 's that that is a spot indeed I but it doth not arise from his natural disposition but meerly an accidental distemper The spot of one rises from the very natural temper of the heart but the spot of theother rises from some accidental distemper that comes to him When a Man or Woman therefore sins and it is suitable to his nature take him when he is most himself I beseech you consider this note for it is as discerning as any If so be that thou be'st most thy self then thou be'st most free for thy sin know that thy sin is that that comes from thy natural distemper and not from any accidental distemper I shall shew you what I intend by this There is Poyson in a Toad and there 's Poyson got into a mans body Now the Poyson that is in the Toad is sutable to the nature of the Toad and therefore the Toad likes well enough of it But now let but a drop of Poyson be in a mans body O it presently makes a great deal of stir and makes him deadly sick why because there 's that got in that is contrary to his nature Here 's the difference between the sin of a wicked man and the sin of a Child of God The wicked man's sin is like Poyson in a Toad that 's suitable to his nature But the sin of a Child of God is like Poyson in a mans stomack that is contrary to his nature when a wicked man sins he sinneth of himself as it 's said of the Devil he is a lyar and when he lies he lyeth of himself it comes from his own nature so is the sin of a wicked man sin is in it's proper Element in him and that 's the reason that wicked men are so unsensible of sin because it is in its proper Element But now the sin of the Child of God is out of his place and that 's the reason that makes him feel it so much Now you will say How may a man make use of this Note to know the nature of his sin There are five or six particulars that I shall name about this First When a Man or Woman is alone in secret that no eye takes notice of them then to examine themselves how doth thy heart stand then when thou art in secret alone thou canst not discern what the temper of thy heart is when thou art in company thou arr most thy self when thou art in secret alone and O what hearts of wickedness are there when thou art alone whereas a godly Man though he may be overcome with sin in Company yet when he is alone his heart is more for God and set against his sin Secondly That may be said to be a mans self that is the First spring of his soul As now the thoughts and affections in the first rise of them how are they how is the guise as I may so say or the temper and disposition of thy thoughts and thine affections in the first rise of them As now you may know what is the proper nature of the Fountain by that that is next to the Spring Perhaps if the Fountain runs a Mile or two off then there may come that that may alter the stream that it may not be of the nature of the Fountain So thou mayest know what thy
and working and I was resolved tâ— have done such and such a thing if the Loâ—â— had not in mercy sent you to have stopt me iâ— such a way O what might I have done heâ—â— now is the spirit of David O consider 〈◊〉 this you that will plead sometimes for Daviâ— sin and did not David commit such a sin yâ—â— will say I but then take notice how quiâ—â—ly David was convinc't and how soon was stopt in his sin Fifthly There 's no godly man what ever though he hath many sins in him yet there is no sin that reigns over him This is a certain truth that there is no man or woman in the World that hath the least degree of grace that is under the power of any reigning sin Sin may dwell but not reign in them and the Scripture is so express in this that there can be no gainsaying of it Rom. 6. 14. For sin shall not have dominion over you why for ye are not under the Law but under Grace That soul that is under the dominion of any sin is under the Law that is it is under the curse of the Law it 's in the state of nature it hath no interest in Christ But now if the soul come once to be under grace either sin must not have domminion over you or God must not be faithful one of them for this is the promise of the Holy Ghost If you be under grace sin shall have no more dominion over you He doth not say that if you be under grace then you shall commit no more sin but sin shall have no dominion over you therefore that man or woman over whom any one sin hath dominion certainly is not under grace This is the word of God and O that God would carry it unto the consciences of whom it doth concern this day that whosoever is under the dominion and reign of any sin that soul for the present is not under grace he hath no interest in the grace of Jesus Christ Now you will say for the reign and dominion of sin What 's that First It 's apparent in a great many that they are under the reign of sin that is such men can go on constantly in a way of known-sins meerly for contentment unto the flesh why these are under the power and reign of sin Yea sometimes a sin that is a secret sin may be a reigning sin A man may be the subject of a King that he never saw in all his life Perhaps he knows not where the King is and yet he may be his Subject and he may reign over him So a secret sin may be a reigning sin That 's a reigning sin that a man gives himself up to though it be in never so secret a way There 's a difference between a Tyrant that co meth violently to force men to submit to him or one that comes with a sudden surprise or with any cunning wayes to perswade men to come in to submit to him and a Prince that is upon his Throne reigning and having his Subjects acknowledging themselves to be as Subjects to him Now the sins of the wicked they are reigning thaâ— is their sins command them and they yeelâ— up their very wills unto their sins the wiâ—â— and the affections it is in the sin There is nothing more in the will of a natural man then his sin And therefore the Scripture makes these to be all one the will of man and the will of the flesh Now when the will yeelds up to the wayes of sin then sin may be said to be in the Throne But now in a godly man there is a universal spiritual and irreconcilable opposition unto sin though there be sin abiding in him yet I say there is a universal spiritual irreconcilable opposition unto his sin sin doth not reign in a soul so long as there is an opposition in a kingdom to any man certainly he cannot be said to reign I say if there be a universal opposition Now in the soul of a Child of God there is an opposition to sin a universal one a spiritual one and I may put a fourth a powerful universal spiritual irreconcilable opposition I 'le open these First A powerful opposition That is he doth not onely wish that he could not sin and wish that he might be otherwise but he makes it to be the great work of his life above all things in the World to set himself against his sin so as if God would speak from Heaven and say unto him Poor creature what wouldest thou that I should do for thee this soul would answer to God Lord thou that knowest all things knowest this is the unfeigned desire of my soul above all things O giveme but power against my sin and especially against those special sins that my nature is most inclinable to O! this is that that my heart is most against Many people extreamly deceive themselves in this in thinking that they oppose their sins because they have some wishes and desires they would be glad that things were better with them then they are I but dost thou look upon it as a matter of life and death and thereupon thy soul doth more strongly work in its opposition against thy sin then against any thing in the World besides many men and women have strong spirits in following their sins but their spirits are not strong in the opposing of their sins But he that is gracious makes it to be his greatest and chiefest work And then the Second thing It is a universal opposition and that in these Two regards First All the faculties in the soul do rise up against sin There is some kind of opposition in a wicked man against sin that is his conscience sometimes doth oppose the lusts that there is in his affections It may be a wicked man hath a convinc't conscience and his conscience will not let him to be at quiet but in his affections there is a liking of sin onely his conscience will not let him be at quiet You will say how shall a man discern this You may discern it thus If the opposition be meerly in your conscience and not in your heart and affections then though indeed you dare not for the present commit such a sin yet you could wish with all your heart that you might have liberty to do it you could wish that there were not such a Law to forbid it you could be glad that that Law were more loose And you would fain have such a thing not to be a sin and if you could commit it quietly without any danger you would do it Now the opposition is not in your will it is onely in your conscience This is an opposition to sin that a carnal heart may have that is he may have his conscience so flye in his face as that he shall not dare for the present to commit his sin no not in secret a man may come so far You will say Indeed