and pronounce their own doome The second argument is laid down in my Text and it is drawn à communj hominum fragilitate (b) Pareus ad loc from that common frailty which is incident to all men In many things we offend all It is an unrighteous thing to deny our Brethren that tenderness which we need our selves and to judg and condemn others for those failings from which the best of men are not free (c) Inique facit qui veniam quâ opus habet alijs negat Calvin ad loc In many things we offend all We the Apostle doeth not except himself though he was an Apostle of singular holyness and of such exact strictness that he was therefore sirnamed the just (d) Euseb Eccl. Hist lib. 2. c. 1. Offend 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is in the present tense and noteth assiduity and frequency as a learned writer observeth upon the Text (e) Vult assiduitatem quandam frequentiam significare Estius ad loc I shall not handle the words with relation to the percedent verse but consider them as an intire proposition and being so considered they cleerly hold forth this Observation Doct. The best of men are not so freed from sin in this life but that in many things they offend all The Proposition lyes clear in this Text so that had I no other proof the Text it selfe were sufficient but it is easy to multiply other Scriptures which hold forth the same truth I shall onely desire you to read two or three Texts of Scripture which give in evidence thereunto and then I shall proceed See what a challenge Solomon maketh to all the world Prov. 20.9 Who can say I have made my heart clean I am pure from sin Many indeed may say so boldly but who can say so truly The interrogation hath the force of an emphaticall negation So likewise Eccle. 7.20 There is not a just man upon the earth that doth good and sinneth not I hope none will be so vain as to except against these proofes because out of the Old Testament seeing St. James in my Text which is a part of the New Testament affirmeth as much In many things we offend all And lest you may think that it was onely one Doctors opinion you may see St. John the beloved disciple that leaned on Jesus his brest John 13.23 he in other words speaketh the same thing 1 Joh. 1.8 If we say that we have no sin we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us And you have St. Paul bitterly complaining of that body of sin and death that he carried about with him and should carry about with him to his dying day Rom. 7.14 ad finem The Point you see is cleer in the prosecution of it I shall observe this method First I shall shew you how beleevers are freed from sin in this life Secondly I shall shew you how they are not freed from sin in this life Thirdly I shall lay down the reason of the Doctrine for the confirmation of it Fourthly I shall shew you what is the difference between the Godly and the wicked in their sinning Lastly I shall apply the Doctrine I beginne with the first and shall shew you how beleevers are freed from sin in this life Beleevers are freed from sin in this life in three respects First Quoad vim dominandi In respect of the dominion of it The great Apostle of the Gentiles expressely affirmes it Rom. 6.14 Sin shall not have dominion over you for you are not under the Law but under Grace Sin indeed hath a being in beleevers but it doth not reign in them as formerly Though sin act the part of a Tyrant yet it cannot act the part of a King in a beleever God sending his son in the likeness of sinfull flesh and for sin condemned sin in the flesh Rom 8.3 Sin is condemned it is dead judicially It received its deaths blow in the death of Christ though it lives yet it raigneth not it hath lost its strength because a beleever is not under the Law which is the strength of sin (g) 1 Cor. 15.56 but under Grace Indeed its true that as it was said of Carthage that Rome was more troubled with it after it was subdued than before (h) Plus Romae negotij fuit cum semivictâ Carthagine quâm cum integrà Flor. by reason of frequent rebellions afterwards so a Godly man may be more troubled and vexed with sin when it is conquered then he was while it raigned But yet though it may be turbulent it shall not be prevalent It was before a King but now a Captive in him before upon a throne now in chains Sin may molest and vex even where it doth not raign What is spoken Dan. 7.12 in another case As concerning the rest of the beasts they had their dominion taken away yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time We may say by way of allusion concerning sin Its dominion is taken away though its life be prolonged for a season Now my beloved what a happiness is this and what a mercy is it that when others are under the command of every lust and led captive by every sin beleevers are freed from the commanding power of sin sin doth not raigne in them for they are not under the Law but under Grace Secondly Quoad reatum Beleevers are freed from sin in respect of its guilt Jesus Christ hath freed them from the guilt of those sins which otherwise would have sunk their souls irrecoverably to the bottome of the nethermost hell so that now there is no sin can be charged upon beleevers account Christ hath fully paid their debt of sin and therefore God cannot in justice require it of them Had the guilt of any one sin of beleevers been unsatisfied for it would have detained Jesus Christ under the power of the Grave He could never have risen from the dead nor have ascended into heaven if he had not paid the uttermost farthing of that debt which beleevers sinnes had contracted He hath so freed beleevers from the guilt of sin that their sinnes shall never be charged upon them The Lord hath laid upon him the iniquities of all beleevers Esa 55.6 And they cannot be laid upon him and upon beleevers too but are in Gods account as if they had never been committed never to be laid to their charge more Therefore it is called A taking away their iniquities Hos 14.2 And a takeing away the sins of the world Joh. 1.29 Behold the lamb of God that taketh away the sinnes of the world And sometimes it is called a blotting out transgressions Esa 43.25 I even I am he that blotteth out thy transgressions As a debt-book is crossed and the debt blotted out so God blotteth out the sinnes of his people that they shall never be charged upon their account The promise is very emphaticall I will blot out thy transgressions
ΣΩΜΑ ΘΑÎΑΤΟγ THE BODY of DEATH Or A DISCOURSE Concerning the SAINTS Failings Infirmities Wherein this Position viz. That absolute freedome from sinne is not attainable in this life is both proved and improved in three SERMONS preached in St Edmunds Church in the City of New-Sarum The first upon Wednesday Novemb 24. 1658. being the weekly Lecture day The two last upon August 14. 1659. being the Lords day By JOSEPH SWAFFEILD Minister of the Gospel at Odstocke in the County of Wilts There is not a just man upon the earth that doth good and sinneth not Eccles 7.20 Quemlibet valdè justum discutias in hâc vitâ quamvis jam sit dignus justi vocabulo non est tamen sinè peccato Aug. Tom. 9. Tract 41. in Johan p. 210. Froben 1529. London Printed by A. M. for Francis Tyton at the three Daggers in Fleetstreet 1661. DIGNISSIMO VIRO JOHANNI BVLKELEY ARMIGERO PIETATIS AC LITERARUM FAUTORI EMINENTISSIMO TRES HASCE CONSCIONES QUALESCUNQUE SARISBVRIAE NUPER HABITAS NUNC PUBLICI JURIS FACTAS Tenue Quidem Perexiguum Perpetuae Tamen Observantiae TESTIMONIUM PER QUAM HUMILITER D. D. D. J.S. THE Epistle to the Reader Christian Reader WHen these Sermons were first preached I intended no further publication of them than from the Pulpit nor did I desire to have them any otherwise imprinted than upon the fleshly Tables of the hearts of those to whom they were delivered The truth is they had scarcely ever seen the light had I not been earnestly sollicited by some Christian friends for Copies thereof whose desires as I was not willing to deny so I have not been able through want of time hitherto to fullfill To spare therefore my pains in transcribing them was one inducement that moved me to communicate them in this way Moreover having been frequently with much importunity pressed by severall Christians to publish some other Meditations preached during the time of our late Distractions and Confusions which though they were then seasonable and I hope not altogether unprofitable yet I hitherto judged it more convenient to suppress than to publish and at some time or other if providence should afford an opportunity to gratifie those my friends by putting some other Meditations into their hands which might be of more generall use I confess I am conscious of so many weaknesses and imperfections in this Work that had it not been for the Reasons above-mentioned I had never exposed it to publick view And I have hitherto judged the publication hereof the less necessary because just at the time while I was studying these Sermons after I had preached the first of them I met with a printed Sermon of Reverend Mr. Case entituled Eliah's Abatement or Corruption in the Saints preached at Chatham in Kent at the Funerall of Mr. Gualter Rosewell late Minister there in which Sermon the same truth that is here treated upon is excellently handled though in another manner and method But though I have upon that account hitherto for born the publication of these Notes yet being of late in some danger of being removed from the place where for eleven years last past I have exercised my Ministry and although that danger be through the good hand of Gods providence I hope now over yet considering the weakness of my body and my short time of sojourning here I became the more inclinable hereunto knowing that this may preach to my people when I cannot yea when I shall be no more And I was the rather inclined unto it because although the Reverend Author before-mentioned and my self prosecute the same Truth yet in a different method and the various method of handling the same Truth may render the repetition the less unpleasing I deny not but here and there in the two last Sermons I have borrowed a notion from him as I have also done throughout the whole from severall other known and approved Authors yet herein I trust I have not wronged either him or them having for the most part restored it to the right owner again in the Margin and I hope I may without vanity affirm that I have not only used but in some measure improved such borrowed notions For the style in which these Sermons were preached and in which they are now published I confess it is very plain But I hope the Truth therein contained will not find the less acceptance for the plainness of its dress I remember it was St. Pauls glory that he came not to the Corinthians with excellency of speech or wisdome to declare to them the testimony of God and his speech and his preaching was not with inticeing words of mans wisdome Salvian but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power 1 Cor. 2.1 4. Ministers should speak utilia potius quà m plausibilia rather such things as may profit than such as may please and they should follow St. Cyprians direction to Donatus to make choice not of diserta but fortia and study rather to work upon the affections than to tickle the fancies of their hearers and that rule of the Apostle should be much respected by them Let all things be done to edification 1 Cor. 14.26 This Discourse therefore such as it is is now tendred to thy view and thou art desired to peruse it and with those nohle Bereans Act. 17.11 to search the Scriptures whether these things are so I am sure if the matter of it be the truth of God how plain soever the style be it is worthy of all acceptation for the Lords sake If the Lord would but make it instrumentall for the least good to any one soul I have my desire With him therefore I leave it and unto him and to his grace I commend thee Christian Reader resting Thine in any Gospel-service J. Swaffeild Decemb. 18. 1660. The CONTENTS Doct. THe best of men are not freed from sin in this life but that in many things they offend all page 3 The Doctrine is proved by Scripture p. 4 How beleevers are freed from sin in this life viz. 1. In respect of its dominion p. 6 2. In respect of its guilt p. 7 3. In respect of its condemning power p. 13 How beleevers are not freed from sin in this life viz. 1. Not in respect of its inherence p. 14 2. Not in respect of its infectious property p. 16 3. Not in respect of its seducing and deceiving power p. 18 Reasons why God hath not wholly freed his people from sin in this life but suffereth them to carry about with them the remainders of corruption unpurged out while they abide in the flesh p. 19 1. That the power of his grace might be the more perspicuous in their perseverance ib. 2. That the people of God might have matter of humiliation p. 20 3. That Saints might be brought into a love with and desire after that estate wherein they shall be wholly freed from sin ib. Reasons why the Lord suffers this corruption of nature
If a writing be but blured a little and somewhat blotted it may be read but if it be blotted out it is no more legible But the sinnes of Gods justified ones are not onely blotted but blotted out and that by God himself who alone hath the power of life and death of condeming and absolving Though an inferiour Officer should blot out an inditement that perhaps may stand a malefactor in no steed but when the King doth it who is the cheife Judg then the indictement cannot returne Now it is the Lord himself doth blot out sin I even I am he that blottes out thy transgression Our sinners are as it were fairly written as an evidence and record against us and our iniquities testify against us till a pardon blotteth them out Sometimes also it is called blotting them out as a cloud Esa 44.22 I have blotted out as a thick cloud thy transgressions and as a cloud thy sinnes Our unpardoned iniquities as a thick cloud eclipse the light of Gods countenance from shineing upon us till the beames of Gods free Grace and pordoning mercy scatter this cloud Sometimes it is called a casting them into the hottom of the sea where they shall be so buried as never to rise againe Mic. 7.19 Thou wilt cast all their sinnes into the depths of the sea If a thing were cavt into a river which might be fadomed it might be brought up again or if it were cast upon the sea onely it might be discerned and taken up again but when it is in the depth cast into the depths into the bottom of the sea it cannot be fadomed up again By which Metaphore the Lord expresseth as one observes (i) Mr. Obadiah Sedgewick in his doubting Beleiver p. 251.252 the powerfull energie of pardoning mercy that sinnes shall rise no more against us He will clear them so that being once forgiven they shall come upon the account no more He will drown their guilt that it shall not come up against them before him the second time Some think that it is an allusion to Gods great judgment on Tharaoh and the Aegyptian Host who when they pursued Israel were drowned in the bottomof the red sea (k) Mr. Loves Penitent pardoned p. 44. God will deal with sin as he dealt with Pharaoh and his Host To shew how irrecoverably they perished it is said they sank as lead in the mighty waters Exodus 15.10 when God pardoneth sin sin lyeth like lead in the bottom of the sea the guilt thereof shall never rise against a pardoned sinner Sometimes it is called a covering sin Psal 32.1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven whose sin is covered Now you know quod tegitur non videtur (l) Hieron Si voluit segere noluit videre c. Aug. in Psa 32. c. that which is covered is not seen the glorious robe of Christ righteousness covereth all the spots of Gods justified people as a garment covereth all the moles and blemishes and imperfections in the body of man so that the Lord seeth no iniquity in Jacob nor transgression in Israel Numb 23.21 The meaning of which Text is not that there is no sin in them which God takes notice of but that although God doe see sin in them with the eye of his knowledg and omniscience yet he doth not see sin in them with the eye of justice so as to lay it to their charge Their sinnes are covered saith one Not simply and absolutely so as that God cannot see them this would argue impotency and imperfection in God but secundum quid so covered as that God will not impute them (m) Mr. Newman in his Sermon before the house of Comons Dec. 30. 1646. on Heb. 4.13 p. 21. And moreover the Sctipture holds forth that the sinnes of Gods people are so putt away that if God should come afterwards and make inquisition for sin in them it shall not be found Jer. 50.20 In those dayes and in that time saith the Lord the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for and there shall be none and the sinnes of Judah and they shall not be found The meaning is not that there can no sins be found in the Saints but that they shall not be found so as to have the guilt of them charged upon them Why what hinders the finding of them Or where shall they be hid The last words of the verse will tell you where they shall be hid viz. in the pardoning mercies of God I the Lord will pardon thove whom I reserve The Lord will give such a full and free pardon of sin that what search and inquiry soever should be made after it there shoud not be so much as any scar or mark not so much as any print or stain left to be a witness of their sin or a plea for their condemnation Which leads me to the third particular Thirdly Beleevers are freed from sin in respect of the condemning power thereof Quoad vim damnandi So that now ther is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus Rom. 8.1 Though there be matter of condemnation yet their is not condemnation it selfe Sin shall never bring those under condemnation that have an interest in Jesus Christ for that were derogatory to Gods justice to receive full payment of our debt at the hand of Christ and yet to require it of us too The great Judge of Heaven and earth will not doe so unrighteously as to expect that from us which Christ hath paid for us to the uttermost farthing Thus you have heard how beleevers are free from sinn this life Secondly My next work is to shew you how beleevers are not freed from sin in this life And this also I shall lay open in three particulars First Non quoad actum inhaerendi Beleevers are not freed from sin in respect of its inherence Hence we read of the indwelling of sin It is no more I that do it but sin that dwelleth in me Rom. 7.17 20. Sin doth not onely lodge with us for a night but it dwelleth in us like a rebellious Tenant that will keep possession in despite of the owner till the house be pulled down over his head (n) Mr. Brinsly in his Treat of misticall Implantation p. 120. The best Saint alive is troubled with Inmates Though he forsake his sins yet his sins will not forsake him Sin is by Epiphanius compared to Ivy in the wall (o) Epiphan Haeres l. 2. H. 64. cited by Dr. Ed. Reynolds in his Treatise concerning the sinfullness of sin Though you cut off the body and the stump and the boughs and the branches yet the root remaining fastened in the wall it will sprout out again till the wall be pulled down By others it is compared to the fretting Leprosy spoken of Levit. 14.45 scrapeing will not serve the turn to remove it but still it spreads till the house the stones and the timber thereof c. be
broken down (p) Dr. Ed. Reynolds ubi supra Mr. Watson in his Christians Charter Sin cleaves so fast to our nature that it will never totally and finnally leave us till these houses of clay be demollished It sticks as fast to us as blackness to an Ethiopian all the water in the Ocean cannot wash it off As long as there is wheat in the field it will have chaff about it as long as there is water in the sea it will retain its saltness so sin will cleave and adhere to us as long as we live Hence the Apostle calleth it an encompassing sin (q) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. 12.1 Erasmus rendereth the word Peccatum tenaciter inherens (r) Leigh Crit. Sac. A sin that doth so tenaciously cleave to us that it will not be shaken off A man may as soon shake of his skinne from his back as shake of this evill inhabitant It will dwell in us while we dwell in these Tabernacles of clay Secondly Non quoad vim inficiendi Beleevers are not freed from sin in respect of its infectious property for it not onely cleaveth to our natures but it defiles our best performances Hence sometimes duties are in Scripture called dung Mal. 2.3 I will spread dung upon your faces even the dung of your solemn feasts sc Because of the iniquity that cleaveth to them That the sinnes of unregenerate men are defiled with sin is beyond dispute their best services as they come from them are sinfull for bad trees cannot bring forth good fruit The question is concerning the services of regenerate men And indeed it is a truth concerning the best works of regenerate men Though they are not sins and hatefull to God for to affirm so were to reproch the spirit and grace of Christ by which they are wrought yet this I dare boldly say there is aboundance of iniquity cleaving even to their holy things and to their best services that are done by the concurrence and contribution of their own faculties insomuch that did not Jesus Christ their High Priest take away the iniquities of their holy things and perfume them with his sweet odours they would not find acceptance Should God be severe to mark what is amisse in our best services he would find enough in them to condemne us (ſ) Nullum unquam extitit pii hominis opus quod si severo Dei judicio examinaretur non esset damnabile Calv. Inst l. 3. c. 14. § 11. For our righteousnesses are as filthy rags and as a menstruous cloth Esa 64.6 Thirdly Beleevers are not freed from sin in this life Non quoad vim seducendi in respect of its seduceing and deceiveing power It still retaineth a power to seduce us and draw us into sinfull practises in so much that too often it salleth out that what we would and should doe we doe not and what we neither would nor should doe that we doe t Rom. 7.15 and when we would doe good evill is present with us and by this law in our members which continually warreth against the law in our minds we are too often brought in captivity to the law of sin so that we have too often cause to cry out with the Apostle Oh wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of death Rom. 7.23 24. And thus I have also discovered to you how beleevers are freed from sin in this life I proceed now in the third place according to my proposed method to lay down the Reasons of the Doctrine and they are of two sorts First I shall give you a few reasons why God hath not wholly freed his people from sin in this life but suffereth them to carry about with them the remainders of corruption unpurged out while they abide in the flesh Secondly I shall also lay down some reasons why the Lord suffereth corruption so farre to prevail even in Godly men as to lead them into the acts of sin insomuch that it is true even of the best men that In many things they offend all First then Why hath not God wholly freed his people from sin in this life but suffers them to carry about with them the remainders of corruption unpurged out to their dying day I answer it may be for these reasons First Reas 1 That the power of his grace might be the more conspicuous in their perseverance Hence it is apparent that it is onely by grace they have their standing as well as their being in grace and that it is onely by the mighty power of God that they are kept through faith unto salvation 1 Pet. 1.5 It must wonderfully magnify the power of Gods grace that a spark of grace should be kept alive in the midst of a sea of corruption Secondly Reas 2 That the people of God might have matter of humiliation God was pleased to suffer the Israelites in the wilderness to be stung with fiery serpents and scorpions to humble them u Deut. 8.15.16 So while we are in this world God suffereth us to be stung with the fiery serpent of sin that we might be humble before him Paul had a thorn in his flesh and a messenger of Sathan to buffet him that he might not be exalted above measure 2 Cor. 12.7 Beza thinketh that this thorn in the flesh was inherent corruption x Concupicentiam intelligit quae teli instar nobis inhaeret Beza and that it is call'd a messenger of Sathan because he doth kindle those corruptions y Qui illas cupiditates incendit idem Thirdly Reas 3 That saints might be brought into a love with and desire after that estate where they shall be wholly freed from sin Hereby God would have us to see the difference between a state of grace and a state of glory and we shall by this meanes find heaven the more sweet to us in the end where we shall be beyond all possibility of sinning Our corruptions now as the Children of Anak dismay us and as the Canaanites in Israel they are left for pricks in our sides and thornes in our eyes that so we may the more long after that estate of glory in which sin shall be no more And so I have done with the first sort of Reasons Secondly I come now to give you an account why the Lord suffers this corruption of nature so farre to prevail even in Godly men as to leade them into the wayes of sin insomuch that it is true even of the best of men that in many things they offend all And the reasons hereof are also of two sorts viz. 1. First there are some Reasons that respect God and Christ 2. Secondly There are some that respect beleevers I shall begin with those Reasons that respect God and Christ and they are these two viz. 1. First God permits it for the glory of his power and faithfullness and 2. Secondly For the glory of his justifying grace by the righteousness of Jesus
removeing discouragements and imbondageing thoughts of fear out of the hearts of weake Christians and also for the preventing and removing of carnall confidence which may possibly arise in the hearts of others from what hath been delivered For my beloved the sins and the falls of Saints doe usually very much disturb the peace of their own consciences and they are as frequently a snare to carnall hearts to encourage them to sin and therefore it will be worth the while to resolve this question viz. What is the difference between the Godly and the wicked in their sinning between the infirmities of Saints and the falls of wicked men Godly men sin and wicked men sin and yet there is a vast disparity and a manyfold difference between the sinning of the one and the other and what that difference is I shall now discover to you First Differ 1 A Godly man doth not make a trade of sin he is not a customary sinner Though possibly he may sometimes sin over the same sin and renew the same transgression yet the soul putteh in its plea and complaint against it as the Apostle doth Rom. 7.24 where he cryes out Oh wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of death It is here as in civill matters if we make our challenge or demand a custome is at an end though possibly such may be the power of the opposite party that the acts may be renewed So a Godly man putteth in his plea against sin and although possibly through his own weakness and the violence of Sathans temptations he may be once and againe overtaken with it yet he resolveth against it and prayes against it and complaineth to God of the strength of his corruptions and doth not allow himself in the least sin David professeth that he had chosen the way of truth Psal 119.30 and yet he slipt with his tongue more than once as when he answered Ahimelech the Priest the King hath commanded me a business and he hath said unto me let not any man know any thing of the business whereabout I send thee and what I have commanded thee and I have appointed my servant to such a place 1 Sam. 21.2 and faulters again with his tongue and speaketh either falsely or doubtfully when the King of the Philistims asked him whether have ye made a rode to day And David said Against the south of Judah and against the south of the Jerahmeelites and against the south of the Kenites 1 Sam. 27.10 When as his invasion was against other countreyes verse 8. Nevertheless David did not make a trade of lying for he had chosen the way of truth Psal 119.30 and he professeth afterwards in the same Psalm that he hated every false way verse 104. And this is the meaning of that place 1 John 3.9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin c 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he doth not trade in sin and make it his work and his business But wicked men drive a trade of sin they devise plot and contrive sin which acts denominate them workers of iniquity They are so far from putting in a plea against sin that they will as I shall shew you afterwards rather plead for their sins and they will labour more to make excuses for them than to get the conquest over them They are so far from makeing preparation to resist the lusts of the flesh that they make provision for the flesh to fullfill the lust thereof Rom. 13.14 Wicked men by makeing a trade of sin contract upon themselves a kind of cursed necessity of sinning Sin by custom becometh as it were another nature to them d Consutudo quasi secunda quasi affabricata natura Aug. lib. 6. de music so that they can almost as soon cease to be as cease to sin Secondly Differ 2 A Godly man doth not sin with a full consent of his will he doth not yeeld a willing subjection to the commands of sin He doth not yeeld a ready and free obedience to it as to a naturall Lord but onely a forced and involuntary obedience as to a tyrant Sin cannot say of beleevers as the Centurion of his servants I say to this man go and he goeth and to another come and he cometh and to my servant doe this and doeth it Mat. 8.9 For a Saints heart riseth against the imperius commands of sin and the soul complaineth and cryeth to God for helpe against it A Godly man sinneth with much reluctancy e non voluntate plenâ sed semiplenâ his heart never cometh up heartly to the commands of sin but the evill which he would not doe that be doeth Rom. 7.19 There may be indeed a kind of negative consent in a Godly man as to some particular acts of sin into which he may perhaps be carryed forth without any open resistance as when a thing is put to the question a man that is silent may be said to give some kind of consent when he doth suspend his own vote and not openly declare his consent nor yet directly enter his dissent But yet beloved though a Godly man may be over-born sometimes and hurryed into some particular acts of sin yet he doth not directly or determinately consent thereunto It is the sad complaint and the mournfull voice of grace the evill which I would not that I doe But I doe sin and I will sin I doe work iniquity and I will work it that 's the stubborn voice of a sinfull nature Even then when a Godly man through violence of temptation is drawn to the acting of sin yet there remaineth in the will a principle of opposition against it As Jacob and Esau struggled together in Rebeccahs womb so there is constantly a spirituall struggling betwen the flesh and the spirit in a beleeving soul The flesh lusteth after the spirit and the spirit against the flesh Gal. 5.17 Now where there is this lusting and struggling against corruption there cannot be a full consent or compliance of the will with corruption I told you before that sin acteth the part of a Tyrant in a Godly man Now you know all the service that is don to a Tyrant is out of of violence not out of obedience A Tyrant hath onely a coactive power over the persons but a King besides that hath a sweet power over the wills and affections of his Subjects f His duobus differt justum regimen à Tyrannide Regi legitimo subditi libenter obediunt quicquid praeceperit Tyranno inviti obtemperant c. Pareus in Rom. 6. they love his person and delight in his service which rule though it be not alwayes true in civill governments for the unwillingness of some to obey their Soveraigne may arise from their own rebellion and not from his Tyranny yet it is most generall and certain in the state of sin which is never a King over rebellious subjects who reject its yoke and government Sin may play the
Lust will never compound but to your infinite disadvantage if not to your destruction The snares of sin and Sathan will in the end prove chaines of darkenesse Fourthly It remaines therefore that it is your best way to make resistance As yeelding and compounding is the way to ruine so resisting is the way to overcome If you make a vigorous resistance Christ will help you to put your feet upon the necks of those lusts that warre against your souls and you shall be more than conquerours through him that loved you and gave himself for you Now in resisting the risings of of sin let me advise you to follow these rules First Resist speedily Don't stay too long before you begin the fight Many times men stay so long before they begin that they are vanquished before they fight Therefore resist the first appearances of corruption give no place to the least temptation oppose sin in the birth crush the Cockatrice in the egge It is easier to keep an enemy out of a Countrey than to beat him out when once he is gotten in so it is easier to keep out sin than to beat it out Dangerous diseases may be stopped in time which will afterwards prove incurable d Principiis obsta serò medicina paratur Cum mala per longas invalueremoras Ovid. Sin if it be timely resisted may probably prove no more dangerous to us than the Viper proved to Paules hand when he shook it off into the fire and it did him no harme e Act. 28.5 But if we give way to it and doe not resist it in the first motion it will be hard for us to suppresse it afterwards Doe you therefore to your sins as Pharoah gave command to be done to the Israelites male-children he would not stay till the children were grown up to years but commanded the Midwives to slay them as soon as they were born This was a cruell act in him but thus to deal with your sins will be a mercifull act in you to your souls What therefore Pharaoh did cruelly against those poor children doe you prudently against your sins kill them when they are in the birth That 's the first rule Secondly Let your resistance be universall you must resist all sin every false way You must combate with all though you can conquer none as you should and would True hatred is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 against the whole kinde You should not therefore while you frown upon one sin smile upon another and while you thrust some out of doors hug others in your bosome Thirdly Enter not into a parly or treaty withsin but maintain the conflict Sin is such an enemy that you must either kill or be killed This conflict is of such a nature that there should not be a treaty of peace nor a cessation of armes all your life long f 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lastly Resist in the strength of Christ Goe not forth in your own strength but in the strength of the Lord and the power of his mights g Ephes 6.10 Fetch in divin strength and assistance act faith upon the death of Christ for the killing of sin in you and by prayer call in divine helpe So much for the fifth direction observe the first rising and stirrings of corruption and resist them Sixtly Direct 6 Possesse your hearts alwayes with apprehensions of Gods Presence and set the Lord alwayes before you and walke as in his sight It was the grave advice of a Philosopher to his friend h Seneca to his friend Lucilius that he should alwayes imagine some severe Cato or some other person eminent for vertue to be alwayes present with him as overseer and censurers of all his actions that hereby he might be keept within compasse and restrained from vice And indeed there is much in the eyes of men to keep men from breaking forth into sin yea the satyrist tells us i Juvenal that Maxima debetur pueris reverentia a man would not commit a grosse sin in the presence of a child Is not then the pierceing and all-seeing eye of a sin-revenging God much more sufficient to lay a restraint upon your spirits and to cause you to stand in awe and not to sin Certainly this would be a notable meanes to preserve you from breaking forth into sinfull practises did you but seriously consider that all sins are committed in the presence of a sin-revenging God who is able to look the soul of a sinner into Hell with the rebuke of his countenance k Psal 80.16 Seventhly Direct 7 Labour to possesse your hearts alwayes with the feare of God I mean not a servile but a filial feare of God This hath a wonderfull influence upon the heart to preserve it from backsliding as may be gathered from Jer. 32.4 where you have a promise in these words I will put my fear in their hearts that they shall not depart from me Hence that precept Psal 4.4 Stand in awe and sin not Indeed this holy fear of God is as a golden bridle to the soul when it would runne out to any evill It is like banks to the sea which keepeth in therageing waves of corruption when they would overflow all And therefore in scripture you have these two put together fearing God and eschewing evill Job 1.1 8. Yea you shall finde that Eschewing evil is not only put as an effect of the fear of God but it is put into the definition it selfe of the fear of God the fear of the Lord is to hate evill Pr. 8.13 Lastly Direct 8 Look up to Jesus Christ with faith flameing out in prayer His eye is wakefull enough and his arme powerfull enough to preserve you There is a spring of strengthening grace in Jesus Christ Therefore when you have the greatest strength of grace in your selves yet look beyond your selves unto Christ and say still as Jehosaphat did when he had that great strength of men viz. an army 500000 strong Lord we know not what to doe onely our eyes are unto thee 2 Chron. 20.12 And then be your temptations never so violent your corruptions never so strong yet remember what the Lord said to Paul 2 Cor. 12.9 My grace is sufficient for thee sufficient to subdue thy corruptions sufficient to secure thy heart against the volence of Sathans temptations Therefore look up to Christ commit your way unto him and watch and pray that you enter not into temptation l Mat. 26.41 So much for the use of Caution Thirdly Vse 3 I come now to an use of exhortation Exhor Is this so that the best of men are not so freed from sin in this life but that in many things they offend all then suffer a few words of exhortation First Blesse God that you are delivered from a sinfull state Never look back upon Sodom but with detestation and blesse God that you are escaped and be thankfull to the Lord who hath given you counsell in your
further degrees of mortification Sin dwelleth in us and it will dwell in us while we live Therefore what St. Paul saith of himself in another case 1 Cor. 15.31 I dye dayly so let us in respect of our sins dye dayly Let us not look upon mortification as the work of a day or a moneth or a yeare but of our whole life time Let us therefore continue our indeavours therein and make a dayly progresse in this work and every day labour to weaken the body of sin more and more praying against it and watching against it and striveing against it in the strength of Christ So much for the use of exhortation Lastly Vse 4 I shall close up all with a few words of comfort to the people of God Consola who are apt to be cast down and disquieted in their spirits by reason of the remainders of corruption in them and their frequent falls into sin Besides what hath been already spoken in the explication of the Doctrine that though sin doth remain in beleevers in respect of its inherence and its infectious nature and its seduceing power yet they are freed from it in respect of its dominion guilt and condemning power and besides what hath been spoken before concerning the difference between the infirmities of Saints and the falls of wicked men which may conduce much to the comfort of the people of God under their failings and infirmities I shall now subjoyn three or four other comfortable considerations with which I shall put a period to this discourse First Sin cannot separate Saints from the love of God If any thing in the world could quench and extinguish the flame of Gods love to a beleeving soul that which carries in it the greatest contrariety to Gods holy and heavenly nature must needs doe it and that is sin But sin cannot doe it A state of sin before regeneration could not doe it much lesse shall an act of sin now you are in a state of grace be able to effect it For their is more malignity in a state of sin than in an act of sin Now saith the Apostle God commendeth his love to us in that when we were yet sinners Christ dyed for us Rom 5.8 If God love sinners while sinners then suerly his love to Saints cannot be broken off by sin If the time of their bloud was the time of his love as Ezck. 16.6 then surely his love to them when Saints is invincible inviolable he may indeed visit their iniquities with stripes and their transgressions with rods it is a branch of his Covenant Psal 89.30 31. never thelesse his loving kindnesse will he not utterly take from them nor suffer his faithfullnesse to fail Secondly God taketh notice of of and accepteth that good which is in his Saints notwithstanding their sins Indeed men are apt so to minde their vices that they forget their vertues a little evill makes men forget abundance of good Men are apt to pitch onely upon the weaknesses and failings of of the people of God and to overlook what is good in them like flies that pitch upon the sore and like vultures that flye over the pleasantest garden and pitch upon carrion so wicked men watch for the haltings of Gods people and feed their malice with their failings But God takes notice of a little good in the midst of abundance of evill of a little gold in the midst of abundance of oare of a little wheat in the midst of abundance of chaffe And it is worth our choicest observation that when the Spirit of God in the Scripture giveth us the characters of Saints he hideth their failings and taketh notice onely of their graces I will give you a few instances If you look into Gen. 18.12 you shall find that Sarahs speech was full of distrust and unbelief shall I have pleasure my Lord also being old There was but one word that of Lord the note of rever ence and respect to her husband and that the holy Ghost elsewhere taketh notice of 1 Pet. 3.6 she called Abraham Lord. And although Moses was sometimes passionate yet the holy Ghost stileth him the meekest man upon the face of the earth Numb 12.3 Now the man Moses was very meek above all the men that were upon the face of the earth And in Heb. 11.31 There is no mention of Rahabs lye but onely of her faith and peaceable behaviour towards the spies David fell fearefully and that more than once as you have heard before and yet you may see what a character God gave of him viz. that he kept his commandements and followed the Lord with all his heart c. 1 King 14.8 Asa also had his great imperfections and yet when an account is given of his raigne the holy Ghost giveth him this high encomium The heart of Asa was perfect all his dayes 2 Chron. 15.17 So Job The holy Ghost saith concerning him Jâ—m 5.11 Ye have heard of the patience of Job Yes and we have heard of his impatience too in cursing his day Job 2. But this is not mentioned Iob was patient for the main though sometimes the extremity of his suffering extorted from him some expressions of impatience Indeed where the bent of the heart is right the infirmities of Gods people are not mentioned He that drew the picture of Alexander while he had a scarre in his face painted him with his finger upon the scarre so God is graciously pleased to put the finger of his mercy upon the scarres of his people What a precious cordiall may this be for the sinking and fainting hearts of Gods children mourning under the sense of their corruption Heoverlooketh what is theirs in them and takes notice onely of what is his own and when he comes to weigh them in the ballance of the Sanctuary he leaves out their corruptions and puts nothing into the scales but their graces He hides his eyes from what is sinfull and takes notice onely of what is good in them Thirdly Jesus Christ the High Priest of Saints is now in heaven at Gods right hand making intercession for them Heb. 7.25 Hence it is that he is also called an Advocate in that comfortable Scripture 1 John 2.1 If any man sin we have an advocate with the father even Jesus Christ the righteous He is entered in within the veile t Heb 6.19 20. and there he appeares before God and pleads the causes of his people presenting his own merit unto his father the merit of his death and passion whereby he hath made 〈◊〉 full satisfaction to divine Justice foâ— all their sins It is upon this account that the bloud of Christ 〈◊〉 said to speake better things than thâ— bloud of Abel u Heb. 12.24 Abels bloud pleadâ— against Cain crying for vengeancâ— Gen. 4.10 The voice of thy brother bloud cryeth unto me from the ground to wit for vengeance It is as much as if the Lord had said although there be none else to accuse thee
yet the innocent bloud of thy brother Abel which thou hast shed doth speak yea cry aloud for vengeance x Etsi nomo hominum te accuset quippe cùm nemo tri sceleris fit conscius tamâ—n est qui te accusâ—t apud me videlicet itse sauguis fra tris tui â—â—nocenter per te sâ—suâ— Iste inquam sanguis lo quitur coram me vindictam sui à me tanquam justo judice postulavi â—iscaâ— in Gen. 4.10 But now the bloud of Christ hath a voice too and that speakes better things than the bloud of Abel The bloud of Christ pleads for the Saints crying not for vengeance but for mercy and pardon for them y Non vindictam clamat sed veniam Pataeus ad loc Sanguis Abel vindictam loquebatur Sanguis autem Christi melius loquitur quia veniam loquitur gratiam Estius ad loâ— and by this meanes they are freed from the accusation and condemnation of the Law whereunto otherwise by reason of renewed transgressions they doe every day become obnoxious And hence it is that Paul throws down the gaunt-let as it were and maketh that triumphant challenge Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect It is God that justifieth Who is he that condemneth It is Christ that died yea rather that is risen again who is even at the right hand of God who also maketh intercession for us Rom. 8.33 34. Lastly There is a time approaching and not far off when believers shall be freed from the very being of sin Here indeed in this life they are under a sinfull necessity and sin dwelleth in them and will dwell in them whether they will or no insomuch that the pious soul often cryes out with David Woe is me that I dwell in Mesech that I sojourn in the tents of Kedar Psal 120.5 How long shall I be pestered with this troublesome inmate And with the Apostle Oh wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of death Rom. 7.24 But at death Saints shall be delivered from sin When the body of flesh dieth this body of death shall be quite destroyed Corruption shall be then totally destroyed when this mortall shall put on immortality and this corruptible shall put on incorruption z 1 Cor. 15.53 The Saints shall never after death be proud more nor grieve the Spirit of God more nor have cause any more to complain of the hardness of their hearts and the earthliness of their mindes and the vanity of their thoughts Their sins may accompany them to death but they cannot proceed one step further It is with the people of God in this life as it was with the people of Israel they were delivered from their Aegyptian Taskmasters and that was a sweet mercy to them but presently they see them at their heels and upon their backs again and this was exceeding bitter and therefore the Lord to comfort them tells them Exod. 14.13 Those Aegyptians whom ye have seen to day ye shall see them again no more for ever So that it is with the the children of God in reference to their sins they are delivered from the bondage of their sins but yet their sins may trouble them and put them into frights and raise in them many imbondageing thoughts of fear afterward but yet at death their deliverance shall be compleated and then they may stand upon the shore of the other world and see all these Aegyptians drowned in the red sea of Christs bloud and may say in the highest triumph and exultation of Spirit concerning sin and Sathan and whatsoever else hath the face or deserves to beare the name of a mysticall Aegyptian These Aegyptians which we have seen and felt so often in the dayes of our mortality we shall not feel nor so much as see them again for ever Consider what I have said and the Lord give you understanding in all things FINIS Through the Authors absence many faults have escaped the Press The smaller literall mistakes and mispointings they indulgence I hope will pardon Other more material mistakes thou art desired to correct with thy pen. Errata PAge 1. line penult read Brethren p. 3. l. 16. r. precedent ib. l. 26. r. sufficient p. 5. l. 17. r. reasons p. 9. l. 21. r. condemning p. 10. l. 15. r. pardoning p. 12. l. 4. r. Christs ib. l. 26. r. Scripture p. 14. l. 2. r. there ib. l. 5. r. there p. 15. l. 24 25. r. finally p. 16. l. 10. r inhaerens p. 18. l. 15. r. into p. 20. l. antepâ—nult r wherein p. 21. l. 22. dele also p. 22. l. 9. r. permits ib. l. 22 r. râ—doundeth p. 23. l. 24. r righteousness p. 24. l. antepenult r. as I. p. 15. l. 2. r. confident p. 31. l. 13. r servants p. 32. l. 20. r. lusts p. 33. l. 13. r. imperious ib. l. 18. r. heartily l. 20. r. he p. 34. l. 24. for after r against p. 38. l. 3. r sins p. 41. l. 8. r. practises p. 43. l. 3. r. fatigatus p. 47 l. 4. dele us ib. l. 6. r. absolute l. 23. for Doct. r. Vse p. 48. l. 22. r. there p. 50. l. 16. r. faithfull â—b l. 22. r. Pharaoh p. 51. l 22. r. attainable p. 58. l. 25. r therefore p. 64. l. 15 r. there p 66 l 22. r dear p. 67. l. 10. r poenae p. 68. l. 16 r fullfilled p. 76. l. 12. r smallness p. 78. l. â— r. Saints ib. l. 7 r. grievous p. 8â— l. 5. r. thee p. 84. l. 12. r. jealousie p. 85. l. 6. presented l. antepenult r. example p. 86 l. 3. r. being there resolved p. 90 l. 16. r. companion p. 91. l. 3. dâ—le as ib. l. 8 r sate p. 93. l. 2. r occasion p. 97. l. 25. r. might ib l 26 r. divine p. 98 l. 14. r. overscers ib l. 16. r kept â—ult dele comma p. 100. l. antepenult r. violence p. 101. l. 22. r. bless p. 110. l. 8. r there ib. l. 14. r surely In the margin â—ag 6. r semirutâ p. 12. r Newcomen p. 15. r. mysticall 16. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p 20. r concupiscentiam p. 32. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 il r. consâ—etudo p. 56. l penult r ut p. 64. r. sapiamus p. 67. r paeâ— tentes ib r poenâ ib. r. castigatoriâ ib. r. Daven ib r. Cant p. 77. r Tert. p. 90. r loco p. 93. r. hab bat p. 94 r. compleaâ—