iniquity of thy servant for I have done very foolishly If David had been to suffer this great punishment out of love to God or for a good conscience he would not have been so distressed There are two sorts of straits in Scripture some suffered for God and a good conscience and there are straits suffered for sin 1. There are straits suffered for God and a good conscience Heb. 11. 36 37. those Martyrs there were driven to great straits but these were straits for God and a good Conscience and these straits were the Saints greatest enlargements they were so sweetned to them by the consolations and supportations of Gods Spirit a prison was a paradise to them Heb. 10. 34. they look joyfully at the spoiling of their goods Acts 5. 41. they departed from the presence of the Council rejoycing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name Straits for a good conscience are greatest enlargements therefore Paul gloryeth in this strait Paul a prisoner c. 2. There are straits suffered for sin and these are envenomed by the guilt of sin sin puts poyson into all our distresses and perplexitys Now such was the strait into which David was now driven it was a strait caused by sin and that made it so unwelcome and uncomfortable so that from hence I gather this Observation Doct. That sin and iniquity brings persons and nations into marvelous labyrinths and perplexitys into true real and great molestations a man free from sin is free in the midst of straits a man guilty of sin is in a strait in the midst of freedom After Adam had sinned in eating of the forbidden fruit the whole world was a prison to him Paradise it selfe was an Hell to him he knew not where to hide himselfe from the presence of God After that Cain had murthered his Brother Abel he was brought into such a strait that he was afraid that every one that met him would slay him Alass poor Cain how many was there then in the world we read but his father and mother yet such was his distress that he cryeth out every one that met him would slay him Gen 4. 14. Into what a strait did sin bring the old world the deluge of sin brought a deluge of water to drown them Into what a strait did sin bring Sodom and Gomorrah the fire of lust raining in Sodom and Gomorrah brought down fire from Heaven to destroy them Sin brings external internal and eternal straits upon persons and nations 1. Sin brings external straits sin brings Famine Sword and Plague Sin brings Agues and Feavours Gout and Stone and all manner of Diseases yea sin brings death it selfe which is the wages of sin Read Levit. 26. and Deut. 23. and you will see a black roul of courses which were the fruit of sin Sin brought Sion into Babylon and when the Jews had murthered Christ forty years after they were brought into that distress when the City was besieged by Titus Vespatian that they did eat one another the Mother did eat her child that whereas David had a choice which of the three he would have either Famine Plague or Sword the poor Jews had all three concatenated together in the siedge sin brings all manner of external plagues 2. Sin brought persons and Nations into internal stâ—aits sin brings soul-plagues which are worse then bodily plagues sin brings hardness of heart blindness of mind a spirit of slumber a reprobate sence sin brings a spiritual famine upon a Land it brings a famine of the word Amos 8. 11. sin causes God to take away the Gospel from a people sin brings internal plagues sin wakens conscience and fills it full of perplexities Into what a strait did sin drive Judas after he had betrayed Christ Into what a strait did sin drive Spira St. Paul gloried in his tribulations for God but when he speaks of his sin he cryeth out O miserable man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of death David a valiant man when he speaks of sin saith they are too heavy a burden for him to bear A wounded conscience who can bear saith the Wise-man 3. Sin bringeth eternal straits O the strait that a wicked man shall be brought into at the great and dreadful day of judgement when all the world shall be on fire about him when he shall call to the mountains to hide him and to the rocks to cover him from the wrath of God then will he cry out with David I am O Lord in a great strait And when the wicked shall be condemned to Hell who can express the straits they then shall be in Bind them hand and foot and cast them into everlasting darkness Matth. 25. When a wicked man shall be bound with everlasting chains of darkness then he will cry out I am in a great strait Consider what Dives saith to Abraham he desires that Lazarus might but dip the tip of his finger in water and that he might cool his toung not his whole body but his toung but that would not be granted It is impossible the toung of man should set out the great straits the damned suffer in Hell both in regard of the greatnesse and everlastingnesse of them This is all I shall say for Explication Use 1. I chiefly aim at the Application Doth sin bring Nations and Persons into external internal and eternal straits then this sadly reproves those that choose to commit sin to avoid perplexity There are thousands in England guilty of this that to avoid poverty will lye cheat and cozen and to gain an estate will sell God and a good conscience and to avoid the losse of estate and imprisonment will do any thing they will be sure to be of that Religion which is uppermost be it what it will Now give me leave this morning to speak three things to these sort of men and O that my words might prevail with them 1. Consider it is sin only that makes trouble to deserve the name of trouble for when we suffer for Gods sake or a good Conscience these troubles are so sweetned by the consolations of heaven that they are no troubles at all therefore in Queen Maries dayes the Martyrs wrote to their friends out of prison If you knew the Comforts we have in prison you would wish to be with us I am in prison before I am in prison saith Mr. Sanders Famous is the story of the three Children they were in a great strait when cast into the fiery Furnace Binde them hand and foot and cast them into the Furnace but when they were there they were unbound Dan. 3. 25. saith Nebuchadnezzar Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire and lo I see foure men loose walking in the midst of the fire and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God I have often told you when three are cast into the fire for a good Conscience God will make the fourth therefore I
say straits and sufferings for God are not worth the name of straits David was often driven into straits 1 Sam. 30. 6. he was sore distressed when his Town was burnt and his Wives and Children taken captive by the Amalekites I but that was a distress of danger not of sin therefore he encourageth himself in the Lord his God Iehosaphat was in a great strait 2 Chron. 20. 12. We know not what to do saith he this was a strait of danger not caused by his sin and God quickly delivered him but the strait that David was in was caused by his sin and that made it so bitter I am loth to inlarge here Saint Paul was in a great strait Phil. 3. 23. but this was a blessed strait an Evangelical strait saith Saint Chrysostom He knew not whether to die for his own sake or to live for the Churches sake were best he was willing to adjourn his going to Heaven for the good of the people of God Nay christ was in a strait Luke 12. 15 I have a Baptism to be baptized withal and how am I straitned till it be accomplished I am to shed my blood for my Elect that is the Baptisme he speaks of This was a strait of dear affection to the Elect of God all these were blessed straits but now a strait caused by sin these are imbittered and envenomed by the guilt of sin and sense of Gods wrath It is sin that maketh straits deserve the name of straits therefore you are spiritually mad that commit sin to avoid straits 2. There is more evil in the least sin then in the greatest outward calamity whatsoever this the world will not beleeve therefore Saint Austin saith That a man ought not to tell a lye though he might save all the world from hell for there is more evil in one lye then there is good in the salvation of all the world I have often told you the story of Saint Austin saith he If hell were on one side and sin on the other and I must choos one I would choos hell rather then sin for God is the Author of hell but it is blasphemy to say he is the Author of sin There is a famous story of Charles the ninth King of France he sent a message to the Prince of Condy a zealous Protestant gives him three things to choose either to go to Mass or to be put to death or to suffer banishment all his life long saith he Primum Deo juvante nunquam eligo The first God helping I will never choose I abhor the idolatry of the Mass but for the two other I leave it to the choice of the King to do as he pleases there is more evil in the least sin them the greatest misery 3. The third thing I would have you consider that whosoever goeth out of Gods way to avoid danger shall certainly meet with greater danger Balaam went out of Gods way Numb 22. 22. and God sent an Angel with a drawn sword and he riding upon an Asse ver 26. the Angel stood in a narrow place where was no way to go from the right hand or from the left if his Ass had not fallen under him he had been run through by the sword of the Angel Ionah for fear of the King of Nineveh went out of Gods way but he met with a mighty Tempest he met with a Whale What do you do when you commit sin you make way to be cast into the eternal prison of hell you destroy your precious souls to save your perishing bodies Use 2. If sin be the father and mother of all perplexity and distresses then I beseech you let us above all things in the world abhor sin all the curses of the Bible are all due only to a sinner and all the curses not named in the Bible for that is observable Deut. 28. 36. every plague that is not written in the book shall light upon him there are strange punishments to the workers of iniquity Iob. 31. 3 Is not destruction to the wicked a strange punishment to the workers of iniquity sin it bringeth the sinner to little ease little ease at death little ease at the day of judgement and little ease in hell tribulation and anguish the word in the Greek is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 little ease to every soul that doth iniquity Oh my beloved will you promise me to look upon sin and consider it in all its woful consequents as the father mother and womb out of which come external eternal and internal straits more particularly there are twelve sins I especially command you to take heed of and avoid 1. Take heed of covetousness the love of the world will pierce you through with many sorrowes the love of money is the root of all evil the love of the world drowns men in perdition 2 Take heed of the sin of pride into what woful strait did pride bring Haman God crossed him in what he most desired God made him hold the stirrop while Mordecai rode in triumph and God hanged him on the Gallows which he had made for Mordecai 3. Take heed of drunkennesse look not on the wine when it gives its colour in the cup c. drunkennesse will bring you into snares it will bite like a Serpent and sting like an Adder c. 4. Take heed of disobedience and rebellion against the Commandements of God it brought Ionah to the three nights and three dayes in the Whales belly 5. Take heed of fornication and adultery and all uncleanness this brought Sampson to a woful strait this brought David and Solomon into great perplexity 6. Take heed of oppression and all acts of injustice this brought Ahab into a great strait insomuch that the dogs licked his blood 7. Take heed of unnecessary familiarity with wicked men this brought Iehoshaphat into a great strait 8. Take heed of mis-using the Prophets of God this made God destroy the Children of Israel without remedy 2 Chron. 36. 15 16. 9. Take heed of coming prophanely to the Lords Table this brought the Church of Corinth into a great distress insomuch as the Apostle saith For this cause many among you are sick and many weak and many fallen asleep 10. Take heed of loathing the Manna of your souls this brought the people of Israel into woful misery that God destroyed all their carcasses in the wildernesse save Ioshua and Caleb Take heed of slighting the Gospel this brought Queen Maries persecution as many learned and godly men that fled for Religions sake out of the Land have confessed their unthankfulnesse for and unfruitfulnesse under the Gospel in King Edward the sixth's time brought the persecution in Queen Maries time 11. Take heed of losing your first Love that makes God threaten to take away his Candlestick 12. Take heed of prophaning the Christian Sabbath which is much prophaned every where a day that Christ by his resurrection from the dead hath consecrated to be kept holy to God Certainly if
the Jews were so severely punished for breaking the Sabbath which was set apart in memory of the Creation surely God will severely punish those that break the Sabbath set apart in memory of Christs Resurrection May be some will say I have committed many of these sins but am not brought into any strait Remember it was nine months after David had numbred the people before he was in this strait but as sure as God is in heaven sin will bring straits sooner or later though a sinner a hundred yeares yet shall he be accursed may be thy posterity makes way for thy damnation and this is thy greatest distress that thou goest on in sin and prosperity Use 3. If sin bringeth a Nation into marvellous labyrinths learn what great caus we have to fear that God should bring this Nation into great distress because of the great abominations are committed in the midst of it our King and Sovereign was in great straits in the dayes of his banishment but God hath delivered him God hath delivered this Nation out of great straits but alas we requite God evil for good and instead of repenting for old sins we commit new sins I am told there are new oathes invented oaths not fit to be named in any place much lesse here Certainly the drunkenness and adultery the oppression and injustice the bribery and Sabbath breaking the vain and wicked swearing and for-swearing this Nation is guilty of must of necessity provoke God to say of us as he did of them in Ieremiah 15 29 Shall I not visit for these things saith the Lord shall not my soul be avenged on such a Nation as this God will not only punish us but be avenged on us There is no way to avoid a national desolation but by a national reformation Lastly learn what cause you of this Congregation and Parish what cause you have to expect that God should bring you into great straits because of your great unthankâ—ulness and unfruitfulness under the means of Grace you that have so long enjoyed the Gospel you have had the Gospel in this place in great abundance Doctor Taylor he served an apprenticeship in this place Doctor Staughton served another apprenticeship and I through divine Mercy have served three apprenticeships and half another almost among you you have had the Spirit of God seven and thirty years in the faithful ministry of the Word knocking at the door of your hearts but many of you have hardened your hearts Are there not some of you I only put the Question that begin to loath the Manna of your Souls and to look back towards Egypt again Are there not some of you have itching ears and would fain have Preachers that would feed you with dainty phrases and begin not to care for a Minister that unrips your Consciences speaks to your hearts and souls and would force you into heaven by frighting you out of your sins Are there not some of you that by often hearing Sermons are become Sermon-proof that know to sleep and scoffe away Sermons I would be glad to say there are but few such but the Lord knoweth there are too too many that by long preaching get little good by preaching insomuch that I have often said it and say it now again there is hardly any way to raise the pâ—ice of the Gospel-Ministry but by the want of it And that I may not flatter you you have not profited under the means you have enjoyed therefore you may justly expect God may bring you into a strait and take away the Gospel from you God may justly take away your Ministers by death or otherwise Have you not lost your first love why did God take away the Gospel from the Church of Ephesus but because they lost their first love Are you not like the Church of Laodicea that are neither hot nor cold therefore God may justly spew you out of his mouth what God will do with you I know not a few weeks will determine God can make a great change in a little time we leave all to God but in the mean time let me commend one Text of Scripture to you Ierem. 13. 16. Give glory to the Lord your God before he cause darkness anâ— before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains and while ye look for light he turn it into the shadow of death and make it grosse darkness Verse 17. But if you will not hear it my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride and mine eyes shall weep sore and run down with tears because the Lord's flock is câ—rried away captive Give glory to God by confessing and repenting of your sins by humbling your souls before the Lord before darkness come and who knoweth but this may preâ—â—nt darkness FINIS Causab Enthus l. 6. Cic. de Somnâ— l. 2. Arist de vitaâ— Morâ— l. 2. p. 118. Lam. 3. 39â— 1 Pet. 1 6 7 8