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A91855 A broken spirit, God's sacrifices. Or, The gratefulnesse of a broken spirit unto God. Represented in a sermon, before the right Honourable House of Peeres, in K. Henry the Seventh's chappell in the Abbey Westminster, upon Wednesday Decemb. 9. 1646. Being a day of publike humiliation for removing of the great judgment of rain and waters then upon the kingdome, &c. / By Fran. Roberts M. A. Minister of Christ, at Austins, London. Roberts, Francis, 1609-1675. 1646 (1646) Wing R1580; Thomason E365_14; ESTC R201252 39,320 48

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do evill that they cannot lay it aside no more then the black Moore his skin or the Leopard his spots Jer. 13. 23. This habituall hardnesse creeps and steales upon mens spirits through sins subtilty which leaves behind it not only reatum guilt but also maculum a stain or spot lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulnesse of sin Heb. 3. 13. This hardnesse growes on by steps and degrees as Divines observe viz. 1. Ther 's Suggestion of sin 2. Acceptation of the Suggestion 3. Acting the sin accepted 4. Delighting in sin acted 5. Habit and Custome in sin delighted in 6. Necessity in sin accustomed 7. Finally death the result of all See Jam. 1. 14. 15. Every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed Then when lust hath conceived it bringeth forth sin and sin when it is finished bringeth forth death Wherein observe these degrees 1. Lust within which is the nursery of sin and a Tinder to catch at all Temptations 2. Drawing-away by it viz. from God 3. Entising viz. unto evill 4. Lusts corruption viz. a delightfull accepting of the entisement and consent of the will and heart thereto c. 5. Bringing forth of sin viz. into act and execution 6. Finishing of sin acted i. e. Going on in a course and custome of sinning it being a further step t as Calvin notes 7. Death the due wages of all The degrees of hardening in sin are thus reckoned up by u Bernard if he was author of that Book de Conscientia viz. 1. He that hath been accustomed to welldoing falling to sin grievously Sin seems to him a burden so intolerable as if in sinning he were going down to hell alive 2. Of insupportable in short time it becomes but heavy 3. Of heavy light 4. Of lightsome delightsome 5. Of delightsome desireable 6. Of desireable customary 7. Of Customary excusable 8. Of excusable defensible 9. Of defensible matter of boasting To this height can nothing be added Nothing so much exasperateth the Majesty of that dreadfull Judge as to sin and securely to sin and to boast of vices as though they were virtues 4. Judicially mens hearts are hardened in sin when they are forsaken of God and given up to their own obduration and the dominion of the Devill that seeing they will be hard they shall be hard with a witnesse Thus we read often of Gods hardening of Pharaoh's heart Exod 4. 22. and 7. 3. c. and that God hardeneth whom he will Rom. 9. 18. Pharoah had many judgements upon him but his hard heart was the most dreadfull of all his judgements This was the Plague of his plagues This the Plague of his Soule This a Plague that would stick upon him to all eternity But when God is said in his just judgement to harden mens hearts we must understand it wisely cautiously w God hardens no mans heart by infusing any new wickednesse thereinto as the Manichees wickedly imagined See Jam. 1. 13. For then God should be the Author of sin which were blasphemous once to think But God hardens the heart 1. By x withdrawing or denying to the heart his softning grace which he is not bound to give whereby the heart might be restrained from sin which grace being denyed the sinner hardens his own heart by his own inward pravity as when an owner denies to prop up or repaire a ruinous reeling house the house falls by its own ponderousnesse Thus Divines make God Causam removentem prohibens a cause removing the impediment of such sins as men rush upon when their hold-back is removed 2. By Delivering men up to the swinge of their own lusts and the dominion of Sathan Compare these places Psal. 81. 11 12. Rom. 1. 26 27 28 c. 1 King 22. 22 23. Joh. 13. 26 27. in such case God saith he that is filthy let him be filthy still he that is hard-hearted let him be hard-hearted c. 3. By giving men means of restraint which falling upon hearts thus forsaken of God exasperate and enlarge them the more in all wickednesse with violence and greedinesse as the stopping or damming up of a violent torrent makes the streams thereof the more impetuous not that these restraints provoke to sin properly and formally in their own Nature but occasionally and accidentally only through hard-hearted mens abuse Thus the Law irritates sin works in them all manner of co●…piscence Rom. 7. 8. Thus the Prophets and Ministers of the word harden some men accidentally Isai. 6. 9 10. with Act. 28. 26 27. which soften others as the same Sunne which softens wax hardens elay the same heavenly heat which makes a garden of flowers smell more fragrantly makes sinks or dunghills sent more loathsomely 4. By denying unto hard-hearted men even those means of restraint after those means have been thus miserably abused but wholly leaving them to the Calamity of their own waies See Hos. 4. 14. Thus much in briefe of the nature of Hardnesse of Heart Now in the next place consider how odious an hard heart is to God and consequently how odious and burdensome it should be to all Gods people The hatefulnesse and odiousnesse of an hard Heart to God appears plainly in divers respects viz. In that he 1. Forbids it 2. Grieves at it 3. Brands it 4. Threatens it and 5. Plagues it Take a taste of all these out of the word 1. God forbids it in his word cryes harden not your hearts See Psal. 95. 8. Heb. 3. 8. 15. and 4. 7. What God forbids is displeasing and hatefull to him 2. God much layes to heart the hardnesse of mens hearts Jesus Christ looked round about upon the Pharisies with Anger being grieved for the hardnesse of their hearts Mark 3. 5. And after his Resurrection he upbraided his own Disciples for the hardnesse of their hearts in that they believed not them that had seen Christ after he was risen Mar. 16. 14. yea God professeth he was grieved with hard-hearted Israel for 40. yeares together Heb. 3. 8 9 10. 3. God brands hardnesse of heart with such notes of infamy and disgrace as discover his great detestation thereof Among many other passages hardnesse of heart is accounted of God a fruit and proper effect of sin Lest your hearts be hardened through the deceitfulnesse of sin Heb. 3. 13. such as is the cause such is the proper effect both abominable to God Hardnesse of heart is accounted a great sin it self whereby God is much tempted and provoked Heb. 3. 8 9 10. The depth of a mans naturall misery under sin is laid down under the Notion of having a stony heart Ezek. 11. 19. 20. and 36. 26 27. The height of Pharoahs sin is comprized under his hardnesse of heart Exod. 14. 4. Yea hardnesse of heart is a cause of sin y of any the foulest abominations what Temptation of the Devill will not an hard heart swallow down what horrid impieties
sins of others are bitter but its owne sins are very c wormwood and the gall of bitterness The eyes of such like the Cherubims faces 2 Chron. 3. 13. are inward and most intent upon themselves They know that in themselves that is in their flesh dwells no good Rom. 7. 18. but by nature a meere Randezvouz sink Sodome and Hell of all sinne Originall sin being seminally potentially and dispositively all sins consequently all imaginations thoughts words works in that state only evill continually Gen. 6. 5. and if brought into a state of grace still seeing another law in their members warring c. Rom. 7. 23 a body of death Rom. 7. 24. {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} that casily-encompassing sin Heb. 12. 1. whence not onely innumerable swarms of errours infirmities c. and that in the best and most spirituall duties do surround them but too often grosse lapses overturne them These things sadly pondered deeply wound and perplex broken spirits so that they are pricked in their hearts Act. 2. 36. they mourne and are in bitterness Zech. 12. 10 11. Their very bones are as it were broken Psal. 51. and they dolefully groane out with the Apostle oh wretched men that we are who shall deliver us from the body of this death Rom. 7. 24. For these things what sighs sobs tears and sorrowes do they powre out before the Lord c Softness of heart making them most sensible of their own corruptions which while their hearts were hardened they little regarded as blots run abroad and seem biggest in wet paper when the cockatrice egge is crushed it breaketh out into a viper Isai. 59. 5. the viper formerly hid and undiscovered then appeares Thus when the carnall heart is crushed and bruised then the toads snakes vipers and vermin of sin are evidenced which till then were not imagined to bee there Philosophers have a maxime grave non gravitat proprio loco An heavy thing is not felt heavy in its owne place as water in the sea but a little of that water out of its proper place is more heavy then can be borne whilst the heart is in its hard sinfull state it s in its element in its owne naturall place sin is no burden but when the heart becomes spiritually broken for sin and is taken out of its naturall condition then the insupportable load of sin is felt with a witnesse Consider is all sin bitter thine owne sin most bitter dost thou cast first stone at thy selfe c. 3. A broken spirit is most perplexed at sin as it is against God as it is against Jesus Christ To sin against so good a God so sweet a Saviour oh how this kills a broken spirit this stab'd David to the heart above all other consideratious that hee had sinned against his God Against thee thee only have I sinned Psal. 51. 4. Against thee that hast made me maintained me loved me delivered me crowned me redeemed me c. oh against thee thee only what had not David sinned against Vriiah's life by murdering him against Bathsheba's chastity by uncleannesse against his owne body the Temple of the holy Ghost by defiling it 1 Cor. 6. 18. 19. and against the honour of Religion scandalizing Gods people and giving great occasion to the enemies of God to blaspeame 2 Sam. 12. 14. All this is true nor intended David to deny it but to shew where the pinch of his griefe principally lay it went most of all to his heart that he had fin'd against such a God And when the Jewes shall be re-implanted into their own stock This shall most deeply pierce them that they did so cruelly and causelesly pierce Christ This shall bring them to mourn as for an only son to be in bitternesse as for a first born to a great mourning as in Hadadrimmon c. for Josiah that best of Kings to a particular private and serious mourning every family apart and their wives apart Zech. 12. 10. 11 12. Hard hearts are chiefly troubled at feare shame or punishment for sin but nothing more melts a broken spirit then that it hath sinned against such matchless● love spurned against melting bowels and offended against such precious blood of such a Saviour oh how it s pricked with Christs crown of thornes how it bleeds over Christs bleeding wounds and for its tearing open Christs side and heart how it could teare its self in pieces 4. A broken spirit trembleth at Gods word and at Gods Rod when God speakes and when God strikes At Gods Word the broken spirit trembleth But to this man will I look even to him that is poore and of a contrite spirit and trembleth at my word Isai 66. 2. He trembleth at the promises lest he should distrust them at the d Threats least he should despise them and involve himself in them at the Commands lest he should disobey and violate them c. oh ther 's enough in the word of divine Majesty power and authority to make a Gyants heart to quake Felix the Governour trembled before Paul preaching of judgment c. and Paul at that time but a poore Prisoner in chaines Act. 24 25. Did Felix tremble slavishly how much more do the contrire spirits tremble f●lially They that despise scorne oppose blaspheme the word of God how farre are they from true penitentiall Contrition At Gods Rod also the contrite spirit quakes How did the repenting people of God in Ezra's daies Tremble because of the great Raine Ezr. 10. 9. and this is the judgment of God that hath of late been most extraordinarily inflicted upon this Land for which we are here trembling before the Lord this day sure we have great cause to tremble not onely at the plague of waters it self and the sad consequences of scarcity and dearth which may follow but much more at the wrath of God that appears therein and the sins of England the procuring cause thereof Yea a tender heart trembles at the very shaking of Gods Rod how did good Josiah's heart melt when Gods displeasure against his people did but hang in the threats 2 Chron. 34. 27. 5. Finally A broken spirit humbled and wounded truly for sin sets speedily and seriously upon a reall Reformation Upon reformation both private and publike as his place requires and as opportunity is afforded Privately A broken spirit is studious to reforme it selfe to embrace a new course of life which as e Luther observes is the best Repentance The Prodigall humbled reformes goes to his father bewailes and forsakes his former lewdenesse Luk. 15. Saul humbled by the mighty hand of Christ at his Conversion presently reformes gives over persecuting of the Saints and straightway preached Christ in the Synagogues that he is the sonne of God Act. 9. 20. After Peters heart was broken and he had wept bitterly for his shamefull deniall of his Master Mat. 26. 75. Luk. 22. 62. he so reformed himselfe in this particular that