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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09981	A liveles life: or, Mans spirituall death in sinne Wherein is both learnedly and profitably handled these foure doctrines the spirituall death in sinne. The doctrine of humiliation. Mercy to be found in Christ. Continuance in sinne, dangerous. Being the substance of severall sermons upon Ephes. 2. 1,2,3. And you hath he quickned, who were dead in trespasses and sins, &c. Whereunto is annexed a profitable sermon at Lincolnes Inne, on Gen. XXII. XIV. Delivered by that late faithful preacher, and worthy instrument of Gods glory, Iohn Preston, Dr. in Divinity, chaplaine in ordinary to his Maiesty, master of Emanuel Colledge in Cambridge, and sometimes preacher of Lincolnes-Inne.	Preston, John, 1587-1628.	1633 (1633)	STC 20235; ESTC S122552	73,904	134

A LIVELES LIFE OR Mans Spirituall death in Sinne. Wherein is both learnedly and profitably handled these foure Doctrines The Spirituall Death in Sinne. The Doctrine of Humiliation Mercy to be found in Christ. Continuance in sinne dangerous Being the substance of severall Sermons upon EPHES. 2. 1 2 3. And you hath he quickned who were dead in trespasses and sins c. Whereunto is annexed a profitable Sermon at LINCOLNES INNE On GEN. XXII XIV Delivered by that late faithful Preacher and worthy Instrument of Gods glory IOHN PRESTON Dr. in Divinity Chaplaine in Ordinary to his Maiesty Master of Emanuel Colledge in Cambridge and sometimes Preacher of Lincolns-Inne ROM 7. 9. For I was alive without the Law once but when the Commandement came sinne revived and I dyed LONDON Printed by I. Beale for Andrew Crooke at the Blacke Beare in Pauls Church-yard 1633. AN EXCELLENT TREATISE OF THE SPIRITVALL DEATH IN SINNE EPHES. 2. 1 2 3. And you hath he quickned who were dead in trespasses and sinnes Wherein in times past ye walked according to the course of this world according to the Prince of the power of the ayre the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience Among whom also wee all had our conuersation in times past in the lusts of our flesh fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the minde and were by nature the children of wrath euen as others THe scope of the Apostle in the former part of this Chapter is to stirre vp the Ephesians to a high estimation of their redemption by Christ and that hee might the better doe this hee sheweth ●hem their estate without Christ That they were children of wrath and dead in sinnes and trespasses and that they were dead in sinne hee proueth Because they walked in sinne That they walked in sinne he proveth Because they had amongst them some false guides which here hee reckons up and declares them to be these three First the World They walked according to the course of the world Secondly the Devill According to the prince of the power of the aire Thirdly the lusts of the flesh Among whom also we all had our conuersation in times past in the lusts of our flesh c. The first point that we will observe as naturally arising out of the words is this That all men by nature are dead in trespasses and sinnes This point is to be considered of all men both those which are alive and quickened out of this Lethargie and those which are yet dead in their trespasses and sinnes That wee are thus dead in sinne it plainly appeares by this reason All mankinde were represented in our first parent Adam of whose fall this death of sinne and of nature was made a part of the punishment now he being the root of us all and that being dead all the branches must needs be dead also It is also plaine by places of Scripture as Ioh 5. 25. The dead shall heare the voice of the Sonne of God and they that heare shall live so againe Ephes. 5. 14. Awake thou that sleepest and stand vp from the dead and Christ shall give thee light Also in the Gospell our Saviour Christ saith Let the dead goe burie the dead that is let such as are dead in trespasses and sinnes goe burie those that are dead through sinne By all which places it plainly appears that all men by nature are dead in sinne This men consider not You would thinke it a gashly sight to see Churches streets and houses for to lye full of dead corpes but for to see places full of men spiritually dead which is farre the worse is a more gashly sight and yet who amongst us is there almost that doth consider it In this death in trespasses and sinnes for our fuller understanding of it I will shew you these five things 1. What this death is 2. The kinds of this death 3. The signes of this death 4. The degrees of this death 5. The use to be made of it First What this death is To know this we must understand that as a corporall death so a spirituall death hath two things in it First As in the naturall death there is a privation of life when the soule is seperated from the bodie so in the spirituall death there is a privation of the life of the soule namely the extinction of originall righteousnesse by reason of which a man can neither set hand nor foot forward in the waies of goodnesse as Paul confesseth of himselfe for as the seperation of the soule makes the body to dye so the extinction of originall righteousnesse makes the soule to dye Secondly As in the death of the bodie there is a stinking carkasse left when the soule is departed thence so in the death of the soule there is a positive corrupted qualitie left called the flesh whereby a man is prone to doe all evill And therefore they are called dead workes Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ let us goe on unto perfection not laying againe the foundation of repentance from dead workes c. Heb. 6. 1. And so againe in the 9. chapter of the same Epistle and 15. verse where it is said How much more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternall spirit offered himselfe without spot to God purge your conscience from dead workes to serve the living God Now it seemes a contradiction that they should be workes and yet dead but yet it is so because besides the privation of good there is a positive evill and stirring qualitie which is active and bringeth forth these evill and dead workes Now for the chiefe seat of this death It is chiefly seated in the minde and understanding and not in the will The Understanding is primum vivens moriens primum the first living and first dead for although the will bee corrupted yet whatsoever is in it is carried through the understanding And this death of the understanding is such a darkenesse of judgement as thereby a man esteemes not but dislikes the wayes of God and goodnesse and approves the wayes of sinne and wickednesse And in this facultie of man the understanding is this death of sinne chiefly seated therefore it it is said Ioh. 1. 4 5. In him was light and that light was the life of men So also Ephes. 5. 14. the place before mentioned Awake thou that sleepest and stand vp from the dead and Christ shall give thee light where hee sayes not life but light for if there be light life will certainly follow So againe Acts 26. 18. To open their eyes that they may turne from darknesse to light One would thinke that in these places it should bee life and not light but it is so put to shew that the chiefest seat of this death is in the understanding Therefore also is it said Be renewed in the spirit of your mindes Rom. 12. 2. And to

the same purpose also saith Iames Iam. 1. 18. The word of Truth begat you now Truth hath a reference to the understanding And thus briefly have I given you a taste what this death is and the place wherein it is seated 2. Now it followes that we speake of the kinds of this death which for the better handling and benefit of your memories I will range into these three sorts 1 The death of guilt by which we are bound o-over to eternal damnation and so in the same manner usually wee say a man condemned is a dead man 2 The death which is opposed to the life of grace which is the seperation of grace from our soule 3. The death which is opposed to the lif of joy and comfort which is a thousand times more terrible than all deaths if it were truly and as it is indeed apprehended Which latter death that you may the better conceive of I will open it a little to you God joynes with every mans soule and gives to the most wicked man some seeming life of grace and some colourable life of comfort for else they would indure an hell here upon earth For the first although the wicked have no true grace yet they have a shadow of it as is manifest in their morall vertues So for the second for comfort they have some although no true comfort for God is the author of comfort as the Sunne is of light which all both good and bad doe more or lesse participate of or else they could not subsist As may appeare by the contrary for when he doth but once with-draw his comfort from us it is the terriblest thing in the world An example of this we may see in Christ when this comfort was with-drawne from him but in sense and feeling onely it made him cry out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Matth. 27. 46. Where Gods presence is taken away there is nothing but horror and trembling and I have knowne such that in his absence when his presence hath beene taken away have had their soules so pressed with horror that they have said That if at a thousan● yeeres end they might enjoy the comfortable presence of God they would thinke themselves th● happiest men in the world The absence of this made Luther to say That if all the creatures in heaven and hell should set to torment him they could not doe it so much as the with-drawing of Gods comfort did Alas poore creatures now in this world God is not seperated from you you feele not the torment of this death but now you enjoy the crepusculum and day-light of this comfort and therefore although it bee now slightly esteemed and little regarded yet when that day shall come that the Lord shall totally seperate them from his presence they shall by lamentable experience learne how terrible a thing it is Thus much for the second point the kinds of this death 3. For the signes of this death The signes of it may be taken from them of the bodily death the signes of that are these foure 1. The understanding faileth 2. There is want of sense 3. Want of motion 4. There is a deadnesse in the face These foure things you shall finde in a spirituall death First As those that are corporally dead want reason and understanding so doe those that are spiritually dead they cannot understand the things of God no more then men can judge of colours in the darke I but some man will object and say The carnall man knowes many things he hath a generall notion of the God-head and can talke of the creation of man and his redemption by Christ he can discourse of faith repentance c. There is a great difference betweene knowing Spirituall things and knowing them after a right manner a carnall man knoweth them but not in a right manner not in a spirituall manner And hence is that of the Apostle Tit. 1. 16. They professe that they know God but in workes they deny him being abominable and disobedient and unto every good worke reprobate The word which there is translated reprobate is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifying unable to judge Indeed in the generall they may understand and like the things that are of God but come to particular circumstances that crosseth them they as a Divine sayes of them love veritatem lucentem non redarguentem they wholly dislike particulars because they bring them to hic et nunc to particulars In the abstract they loue holinesse but not as it is applied to particulars as it convinces them of their particular sinnes Hence it is that godly men are most hated of them that come neerest to them in shew because they bring light home to them and discover their acerrima proximorumodiv their inward and bosome hatred of their neighbours It is as much as if one should bring a Torch to one that is a doing some unlawfull thing some deed of darknesse he would wish him further off their lives shine as lights and therefore giving good examples by a shining and godly conversation which is contrary to the life of the ungodly and hypocriticall ones they cannot chuse but hate them and as all wicked men hate them so especially those that are nighest unto them in shew because that their life doth not onely shine unto them and lay open their vildnesse but scorch them also and therefore they being occupied about the workes of darkenesse wish them as farre off as they can So that hence we see with an approving judgement not any save those which are quickned can understand spirituall things 2. The second thing wherein a naturall death consisteth was in a privation of sense so also is it in the Spirituall death for their hearts are strong and cannot bee moved although I deny not but sometime they may have a little griping of conscience and sense of Gods judgement which naturally ariseth from conscience but they never have any reall and true feeling of it 3. In a naturall death they are without motion so likewise it is in a Spirituall death for the wicked can no more move themselves unto any good worke than a dead man can move himselfe out of his grave 4. In a naturall death there is a want of vigorousnesse and beauty as well in the face as in all other parts of the body so also there is in the Spiritual death the losse of that vigorous beauty which followes the life of grace they may bee seene to have death in the face if a living man beholds them he knowes how to discerne it although I deny not but that they may have hypocriticall painted vertues which may to weake eyes for a great while seeme true ones as men may have painted faces that have been taken for living ones but they are not true graces such as proceed from the life of grace indeed I but some may here object and say have not

Seeing that by nature all of us are children of wrath and dead in trespasses and sinnes This should stirre up those that are quickened to be thankefull to God therefore Above all wee ever labour to bee most thankefull to him that hath saved our lives and this God hath done for us let us therefore stirre up ourselves to thankfulnesse Paul as we may read Rom. 7. 24 25. joynes these two together his deliverance and his thankfulnesse O wretched man that I am Who shall deliver me from this body of death I thanke God through Iesus Christ our Lord. I confesse the world esteemes not this but if they have riches therein they rejoyce and so like the dunghill Cocke or unskilfull Lapidaries preferre vaine things before this precious Jewell but they that have once found the sweetnesse of it will not lose it for a world for if wee have but this what though wee lose wife children goods credit and good name they are all too light being layd in the ballance with this Doe yee every one therefore consider who it was that gave thee this and to him yeeld all thankfulnesse Let us love much because as much is forgiven so much is given to us Paul was much stirred up with this consideration thinking that he could never doe enough for Christ who had done so much for him as appears in many places of his Epistles The fourth Use we will make of this point is If we are all dead in trespasses and sinnes then this teacheth us how we should esteeme of the means of grace if wee are dead then it must bee an Omnipotent power which must quicken us All the meanes as the Word preached the receiving the Sacraments c. are but dead letters they are but as pennes without inke God must put inke into them if ever they be effectuall and therefore as wee must not give too little to the meanes so wee must not give too much nor rest in them When wee come to heare the Word preached it is not the hearing of the Minister but Christ in the Word preached which makes us live It is good to heare the Minister but except wee heare another voyce speaking to the heart as his doth to the eare we shall never be the better it is Christs voyce in the Word which doth quicken and put life in our soules But here let mee warne you to take heed of breaking the Conduit-pipe from the Fountaine if thou hearest and profitest not know that it is because Christ speaketh not to the eares of the heart as well as the Minister to our outward eares The fifth and last Use wee will make of this point shall be If that naturally all men are dead in sinne this should teach us to try our selves and see whether wee are dead or alive Consider the shortnesse and uncertainty of thy life here Mans life is like an houre-glasse if it runnes his course it is but an houre and it may be broken before it is run out ye have but a short while to live here according to the course of Nature and yet perhaps that course may not runne out too it may bee broken off before wee are aware and then for ever either in heaven or hell wee must abide hereafter Oh then never be quiet vntill you see wihther you shall goe to eternall blisse or everlasting woe Here the Diuels triicke is to put it into mens heads that a civill life will serue the turne but he dealeth with them as those that take gold from infants and give them counters and rattles and thus he would keepe them from this consideration perswading them of the latitude of religion and telling them that they are well enough seeing they are troubled for some sinnes and doe some duties perhaps in private but this you may doe and yet be dead still If he cannot prevaile this way then he will labour to hinder them by drawing them on in a voluptuous course of life or with worldly cares and so draweth them from themselves and so makes them never to consider what they are doing nor whit●er they are going and therefore is it that in the Gospell of Saint Luke chap. 16. the prodigall Son is sayd to come home to himselfe when he once beganne to consider his estate Although their conscience tell them all is wrong yet the tabrets of lusts and pleasures make such a deane where they are that they heare it not and so never consider nay if that Christ himselfe againe or the sonnes of Thunder should speake yet except Gods Spirit should inwardly worke it would not make men seriously to consider their estates It is the hardest thing in the world to make men sensible of life and death Let us therefore bee moved in particular to consider whether we are dead or alive If thou art quickened thou shalt finde one time or other these two things in thee First Thou once hadst a deepe and sensible consideration of thine estate by nature thou wert deeply affected with it so that thou sawest what need thou hadst of Christ till thou hast had this consideration thou art a dead man I know God can save thee without this hee could come without the terrible voyce as Christ could have come without Iohn Baptist before him but hee will not neither ever doth because it is impossible for a man highly to esteeme of Christ till hee is thus humbled for hee never will preferre him in particular actions and take him with all crosses and losses till hee fully see what need hee hath of him which he cannot untill he is thus humbled Secondly Consider if thou wer● ever changed from what thou formerly wert neither is it a slight change that will serve but it must bee both constant and generall it must not be for a month or a yeare but daily and continually It must bee such a change that all where thou livest may see it thou must become a new soule in another body Thy change must be so great that thou mayst say Ego non sum ego I am not my selfe I am quite another man There must be as great a change in thee as there is in a white cloth when it is died blacke Such a change was in Paul he was converted from a persecutor to a Preacher So thou must of a Lion be made a Lambe there must as much difference be in us as is between winter summer And now seeing the time of the Sacrament is at hand let us all examine our selves we must not make excuses to keepe from the Sacrament but as all Nehem. 9. were to come to the Passeover else they were to be cut off from their people except they could shew some good cause so I know no reason why it should not be so still for the Sacrament But againe on the other side if wee doe come and are dead men wee come unworthily and eat and drinke our owne damnation in not discerning the body

godly sometimes cannot speake godlily and holily as a Fountaine sometimes is stopped up so that it cannot send forth pure streames yet take away the rubbish that stopped it and then it will runne cleare againe even so it is with the godly and therefore consider your ordinary speeches if they be not holy and good it is a signe that you are a dead man The second privitive signe is Coldnesse when a man is dead he growes cold so is it with men dead in sinne they may pray but it is coldly and so in all other holy duties they are very cold But some man will be ready to object and say You tell us of coldnesse but for any thing I can see there is as much coldnesse in the best men for your godliest men are sometimes cold in their prayers It is true but there is this difference betweene the coldnesse of a godly man and a dead man If the meanes be used to a godly man it doth bring life to him againe if he be rubbed and chafed with admonitions or hath the aquavitae of the Word he will recover his heat because the inward principle of heat still remaines within him But to a wicked man use never so many reproofes or admonitions hee will still remaine cold Let this therefore bee a certaine tryall if after all admonitions you still remaine cold you are dead The third privitive signe is Stiffenesse a dead man growes stiffe and in what position his body is in when it is dead in the same it will remaine you cannot bendit so is it with men spiritually dead what course they take what opinions they hold what company they keepe they will not bee changed from them Rev. 22. 11. He that is filthy let him be filthy still that is he will be filthy still they will not be changed If that they hold to be Gods will be Gods will so it is then they are right but it is not because it is Gods will but because his pleasure fell on what they held As a rustie hand of a clocke it turnes not with the day but stands still but if the time of the day chance to be such as it stands at it is true not because it moveth with the day as it should but because the day hath fell jumpe with it So these men if Gods will hit with theirs they will doe it if not they will crosse it This is a signe of a dead man The fourth privitive signe is Senslesnesse hee that is dead is senslesse so it is with the spirituall death there is no sense in it they can neither see heare nor taste I but some man will object and say that is not true alwayes for even the wicked sometimes know m●tters of faith nay and sometimes they rellish them too To this I answer As it is said of the dead Idoll so may it be said of them Mat. 13. 13. Eyes they have and see not eares and heare not First for seeing they see not aright Gods children see experimentally the wicked only by contemplation and there is a great difference betweene them for as wee see there is a great difference betwixt knowing fire to be hot and the feeling of it so betweene a meere notionall knowledge of Gods will and a knowledge that doth like and approve it Secondly for taste they finde no taste in Gods Word or if they finde any like a vitiated pallat they account that which is most sweet to bee very bitter Thirdly for smelling they smell no sweetnesse in Christs name whereas to his Saints it is a sweet oyntment poured out that perfumeth all the roome Fourthly for feeling they feele not whether the Law or Gospell be applied to them rub over their skarres and make them runne downe with blood they are notwithstanding all that senslesse still they may have a counterfeit feeling arising from a naturall conscience but to have such a feeling as may drive them to Christ they cannot and therefore still they are but dead men The fifth signe is this A living member if the body be in danger will have a sympathizing and feeling of the danger as the hand will lift it selfe up to save the head so now if we hearing the case of Gods Church in what danger it is if wee take it not to heart or be not affected with it especially now we are put in minde thereof it is a certaine signe we are dead men We should have the spirits that Moses and Paul had who even wished to be stroyed so they might save the Church Moses rather than that should perish would have his name raced out of the booke of life Paul for the Churches sake would bee anathema It is a true signe of a living member to bee touched with others miseries this was an extasie of love in which out of love to the Church they forgate themselves This here we must know that if the creature could destroy it selfe for God it could not but be well because the good of the creature is more contained in God than in it selfe as the beame of the Sunne is more contained in the Sun than in it selfe Now is the time of considering this now is the time of more than extraordinary fasting now if you have any feeling you will shew it if you are living men now you will shew your selves now the Church lyes in tents and wallowes in blood now the foundations thereof are shaken never was the face of Christendome in such danger as now it is Doe wee thinke to stand now others fall If the fire be at one end of the building shall we be safe which are at the other end for all Gods house is but one building Are not they our brethren and sonnes of the same father have they not the same spirit are they not of the same profession shall wee not then bee ready to helpe them wee cannot send armes over to them but wee may send up prayers unto God for them Christians are stronger than Politicians and their prayers are armies Let us therefore doe what wee can the storme is not yet quite over Now there are two things that may move us to this 1. The greatnesse of the Judgement 2. Our ability to helpe them First The greatnesse of the Judgement It will prove the extinguishing of Gods Church and the Gospell and when that is once gone what are all other things It was a good saying of that Saint That browne bread and the Gospell was good cheare what are all our houses lands c. if this Spirituall food be wanting Secondly Consider our ability to helpe them We may doe much by our prayers hee that knoweth not his strength useth it not Did not one Moses one Eliah stand in the gappe They did not these things as they were extraordinary men but as they were Gods children We may by our prayers doe as much though one childe may have better gifts than another

like iron which while it is hot in the fire you may fashion it which way you will but when it is once out it is presently stiffe againe So Pharaoh as long as Gods hand was on him hee would let the people goe but as soone as the fire of affliction was removed his heart was hardned so was Ahab and Saul But in true humiliation God takes away the iron heart gives an heart of flesh so that although it may be brawnie a little yet still it is flesh Hypocrites so long onely as they are under the judgement are soft but the heart of the godly is alwaies soft Thirdly by the signes of brokennesse of heart Now brokennesse of heart 1. Heales our sinnes First the beloved the master sinne and then all the rest other humiliation skinne over but cures not it stops the streame for a while but it breakes out againe it may cause you to make many purposes to leave the sinne yea and to leave it awhile but you will returne to them againe whereas if one bee truly humbled he is stronger against that beloved sin than against any other not but that hee hath strong inclinations to that sinne but hee is more shye of it and shunnes the occasions of that sinne because hee hath fully felt the smart of it and hath by his humiliation seene that sinne more than any other Now after the beloved sinne is once healed then the other sinnes will soone be healed as in a cloth by washing out a deeper staine the same labour doth wash out lesser staines 2. It causeth love of Christ So Mary Magdalen because she was humbled much and saw that Christ had forgiven her much therefore she loved much So Paul who was much humbled ever expressed a servent love to Christ as we may see Acts 21. 13. where hee saith having beene perswaded by his friends not to goe to Jerusalem I am ready not to bee bound but also to dye for the name of the Lord Iesus as who should say I feare nothing because I care for nothing but Christ So also 2 Cor. 5. 14. he saith The love of Christ constraineth mee and therefore when by humiliation we see what Christ hath done for us we thinke we can never doe enough for him Now you may know if you love Christ or not by these signes The first signe to know the love of Christ is obedience Hee that loveth Christ keepeth his Commandements and they are not grievous unto him The second signe is this If you love him you shall finde in your heart that you love him your heart will be carried towards him as I can tell if I love a man for then my heart is carried towards him The third signe to know the love of Christ is this It causeth me to esteeme of spirituall things to prize them at an high rate and other things little worth for when a man is soundly humbled aske him then what he desires most he will answer Christ and Grace and that his corruptions may cease in him as for outward things hee passeth not for them as a man that sees he must dye hee cares for no outward wealth take you that give him onely the pardon of his sinnes The fourth signe of the love of Christ is this It maketh him content with the meanest condition The prodigall Sonne when he was humbled so he might be in his fathers house he was content he liked the meanest condition even to be a servant I am unworthy to be thy sonne make mee as one of thy hired servants Luk. 15. 21. So Paul after hee was humbled thought himselfe unworthy for the Saints company and that not for a fit onely but even ever after he still cryes out I am unworthy to be an Apostle Thus Naomi returning home to her Countrey said she went out full and yet had nothing but her selfe sonnes and husband she accounted any thing too much for her If a man once come to be verily perswaded that he is worthy to be destroyed hee can with patience beare any losses and crosses for these are nothing to death which he knowes he hath deserved therefore what impatience soever thou hast so much art thou short of true humiliation The fifth signe to know we love Christ is this It makes us fearefull of offending God tendernesse of conscience is ever according to the measure of true humiliation for by how much the more we are humbled by so much doe wee feare to offend God and labour to walke obediently unto him Esay 66. 2. the Lord saith To him will I looke that is poore and of a contrite spirit and trembleth at my word If thou art of a contrite heart thou wilt tremble at his words that is at his Commandements such an one feares to breake any Commandement he is sensible of the least sinne Hence it is that Prov. 28. 14. feare is opposed to hardnesse of heart Happy is the man that feareth alway but he that hardneth his heart shall fall into mischiefe Now the opposite to hardnesse is brokennesse of heart but feare is opposed to it because it is a signe of brokennesse of heart Now this fearfulnesse stands in two things 1. In a facility to be convicted of any sinne for he that is not thus broken in heart stands out with God and will not yeeld unto him 2. In a feare to offend God for when hee is once convinced he labours to doe according to his knowledge and then is afraid to displease God either 1 In committing the least sinne as Moses would not leave the least hoofe behinde him and as Iob feared lest his sonnes should have sinned in heart Iob 1. 4. He was so truly humbled that hee would not sacrifice for owne sinnes onely but even for his sonnes also and that the least the thoughts of their hearts 2 In omitting the least good duty or doing it formally which thing the hypocrite cannot doe because he hath not this tendernesse of conscience The sixth signe of the love of Christ is this It makes Gods Word sweet unto us as it was to David Sweeter than the honie and the home-combe Crummes are sweet to an hungry man so if a man hunger after the Gospell it will be sweet unto him Indeed if the Word be sweetened with humane Eloquence it may bee sweet to one that is carnall for so it is pleasing to nature but if the purer it is and the more it is seperated from those gaudy flowers if the more piercing it is the sweeter it is to us then it is a signe of a broken heart for it is a reproach to those that have not a broken heart and so it cannot be sweet as wee may see Ier 6 10. where the Lord saith Behold their eare is uncircumcised and they cannot hearken behold the Word of the Lord is unto them a reproach they have no delight mit And againe the Prophet saith Ier. 15. 16.

he is not moved because he beleeves not But here some man will be ready to object and say Afflictions often humbleus therefore it is not the Law that doth it To this I answer Afflictions as the plow make way but it is the seed of the Law sowne in our hearts that must humble us indeed those notions which they had before are in afflictions made to seem otherwise then before but we must take heed that afflictions cause not worldly sorrow for that is the applying of the corrosive to a whole place Now you must know that there is an extraordinary humiliation which God at some times workes in some men we urge not to that God workes that in whom he pleaseth and intendeth to make extraordinary wee urge to the ordinary humiliation Now the meanes to attaine that are these five The first meanes to aftaine humiliation is To enter into a serious consideration of our estate as the prodigall Sonne did he is said Luk. 15. to come to himselfe and consider that his father had enough and he starved So every one of us should doe consider First the greatnesse of thy sinnes in particular and make Catalogues of them And then secondly let our actuall sinnes leade us to our corrupt heart which is the root of all So God dealt with the children of Israel Deut. 8. 2. where it is said God led them forty yeares in the wildernesse to humble them and to prove them and to know what was in their hearts c. Hee himselfe knew it well enough but by their sinnes he would make it knowne to themselves and others So also God dealt with Hezekias 2 Chron. 32. 31. Where it is said God left him to try him and to know all that was in his heart Hezekiah had a proud heart and God left him to himselfe not that God might know what was in his heart but that hee himselfe might know So God tels the Israelites Ezek. 36. 31. Yee shall remember your owne evill wayes and your doings that were not good and shall loath your selves in your owne sight for your iniquity c. Thirdly Having thus considered your sinnes consider Gods wrath and the certainty of it the wrath of a King is the messenger of death what then is the wrath of almighty God even as the power of God is more than the power of man so is his wrath also as long as he lives so long will he punish thee in hell The consideration of this made Moses breake out Psal. 90. and say Who knowes the power of his wrath Paul is in great heavinesse for the Iewes Rom. 9. And as God shewed his almighty power in making of man so will he in destroying and punishing And this wrath of his shall fall upon the most sensible part of man viz. the soule which as it is capable of the greatest measure of joy so is it capable of the greatest measure of griefe What is God but infinite what is his wrath but infinite under it thou shalt most wish for death which now thou most fearest The second meanes to obtaine Humiliation is to stay a great while on this consideration to suffer sorrow to abide on our hearts for it is the oft and serious consideration that effects this and therefore we may learne something from Sathan when he would drive a man to despaire he oft puts thoughts of Gods wrath due unto our sinnes into our mindes hee holds the object close unto our mindes and so letteth us thinke of nothing else It is the frequent and seirous consideration of these things that humbleth us This was that that humbled David Psal. 51. My sinne was alwaies before me so Iam. 4. 8. cleanse your hands ye sinners and purifie your hearts yee double minded How is that done vers 9. be afflicted and mourne all waveringnesse and instability comes from the corruption of the heart and therefore cleanse that and the way to cleanse that is to be humbled and the way to be humbled is to sequester your selfe from all carnall mirth though else lawfull and stay on these considerations The third meanes is this If you cannot see sinne in it selfe labour to see it in his effects All miseries which you feele in your selfe or know in others are the fruits of it and this will make you say it is a bitter thing to sinne so Peter in his second Epistle and second chapter by this effect aggravates sinne where he shewes it was for sinne that the Angels were throwne downe into hell that the old world was drowned that Sodome and Gomorrah were destroyed The fourth meanes to attaine humiliation is to make these evils present before you by faith as in an opticke glasse those things that are a far off will seeme neere to those that looke in it so these by faith should seeme at the very doore it may be the not considering them as present makes them not affect you for what is a farre off although it be in it selfe feareful yet is not feared as death c. therefore set hell before your eyes and see it as present before you Make present unto you these two things 1 All sinnes past a thing that is past vs will seeme small unto us though it be as great as ever it was before and so doe our sinnes to us we usually doe as men that leave something behinde them when they are far gone they thinke it is but a little and therefore they will not returne for it so we being far off from our sinnes they seeme little unto us but we must remember the day of our iniquity Let us therefore make them our sinnes present God he esteemes them as great as ever they were let us doe so therefore let them seeme abominable to us thus did Iob possesse the sinnes of his youth 2. Things future as Gods judgements which are neere at hand and lye at the doore as God saies to Cain although they seeme to us a farre off But this is Satans cunning to deceive us he is as a Painter who by the collusion of colors makes things seeme far off which are nigh so he makes Gods wrath which lyes at our doore seeme a farre off when as it may bee it will light on us the next day The fifth meanes to attaine Humiliation is To take heed of all such false shifts whereby you may seeme to keepe off the blow of Gods law from lighting on you wee are never moved with these considerations untill all shifts are removed so that wee see nothing but death and then we tremble The shifts by which men thinke to keepe off the blow of Gods judgments and so with-hold themselves from being humbled are these eight 1 Civilitie this Gloworme of civility so glittereth in the darke that wee thinke it to bee a true sparke of grace but where the spirit shines wee shall finde it false and as the Divell deludeth Witches in