are to be made of this point And those are foure principally 1. For instruction 2. For the triall and examination of our selves 3. For exhortation 4 For reproofe And first for instruction To teach us how to judge of the hainousnesse of sin that no sin is small or light to be accounted of every sin even that that we thinke to be the least is a dead worke as the Apostle calleth it Heb. 6.1 deserveth eternall death This is a point of great use 1. To worke in us more feare of sin and to arme us against a conceit that usually emboldneth us to many sins and hardeneth us in them because wee thinke that they are but small ones 2. To confirme us against the error of the Papists who to maintaine many other of their false doctrines the better their doctrine of possibility to keepe the whole Law their doctrine of merit their doctrine of Purgatory and such like doe teach that all sins are not in their owne nature mortall nor doe deserve eternall death but that some transgressions of the Law of God are onely veniall sins Foure things there bee that will make the truth that wee maintaine against them in this point evident unto you First Consider the father that begetteth and engendreth it in us and that is the devill who is the father of every lye not of the pernicious lye onely but of every lye Ioh. 8.44 and of every vaine and petry oath Mat. 5.37 Whatsoever is more then these that is then yea in affirming any thing and nay in denying cometh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from the wicked one that is from the devill as the same phrase is used 1 Iohn 3.12 Secondly Consider the punishment that the righteous God hath inflicted upon men even for the smallest sins And that not onely upon such as wee have no cause to doubt but that they were reprobates as upon Saul who for sparing of Agag and saving the fattest of the oxen and of the sheepe for sacrifice was utterly rejected of God 1 Sam. 15.23 and upon Ananias and Saphira who for dissembling in a small matter were suddenly strucken dead Acts 5.3 But even upon such as we have no cause to doubt but they were his elect children as upon Lots wife who for looking backe out of a loathnesse to leave the profits and pleasures of Sodom was turned into a pillar of salt Gen. 19.26 2. Vpon fifty thousand men of Bethshemesh who were slaine for looking into the Arke 1 Sam. 6.19 3. Vpon Vzzah for touching and staying the Arke when it was in danger to have fallen 2 Sam. 6.7.5 4. Vpon the young Prophet who being deceived by the old Prophet did but eate and drinke in Bethel which God had forbidden him to do 1 King 13.24 5. Vpon the man that was slaine by a lyon for refusing to smite a Prophet of the Lord when God had commanded him 1 King 20.36 6. Vpon Moses himselfe whom God would have slaine in the Inn for delaying the circumcision of his child Exod. 4.24 7. Vpon many of the elect Corinthians that for this very cause were smitten with death because they came unpreparedly unto the Lords table 1 Cor. 11.30 If any man shall object that these examples of Gods marvellous severity upon men for small sins prove not that every small sin deserveth eternall death For we are not to thinke that any of these seven sorts that have beene brought for examples died eternally I answer It is true But these corporall deaths that the Lord smote them with in this manner were evident documents and demonstrations that every one of them were worthy of eternall death for these sins For so the Apostle proveth that infants that never committed actuall sin are worthy of condemnation because they also doe die Rom. 15.14 16. And indeed this is the due desert of all sin Rom. 6.23 The wages of sin is death What death That appeareth by the other member of the verse But the gift of God is eternall life through Iesus Christ our Lord. And thus runneth the sentence of the most righteous law of God Galat. 3.10 Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things that are written in the booke of the law to doe them The least breach of the Law the least omission of any duty commanded in it maketh men liable to the curse of God And to all that are under the curse of God eternall death belongeth according to that Mat. 25.41 Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the devill and his Angels Thirdly Consider the price whereby we are redeemed from the punishment that is due unto us for the least offence that ever we committed against the Law of God and it will appeare that the least sin deserveth no lesse then eternall death If it were true that a man might be cleansed from the guilt of the least transgression of Gods Law by the sprinkling of a little holy water or by entring into an hallowed Church or by a knocke upon the brest or by a Bishops blessing as the Papists teach then it might well be granted that some sins are veniall and doe not deserve eternall death But the Scripture teacheth that it is the blood of Christ that cleanseth us from all sin 1 Iohn 17. from the least aswell as from the greatest And therefore Gods people under the Law that had committed any sin against any of Gods commandements though they had done it ignorantly must bring their sacrifice unto the Priest or else there could be no atonement made betweene God and them Levi. 5.17 18. Fourthly and lastly Consider the reason of this which hath beene at large delivered in the handling of the doctrine namely that neither our obedience nor our sin is to be valued according to the greatnesse or smallnesse of the thing that is commanded or forbidden nor according to the greatnesse or smallnesse of the good or hurt that is done to man by it but according to the greatnesse and authority of the person that doth command or forbid the thing So when Saul thought that that hee had done if it were any fault was but a very small one Samuel telleth him 1 Sam. 15.23 Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft and stubbornesse is as iniquity and idolatry As if he should say Thou wilt acknowledge witchcraft and idolatry to bee very hainous sins and I tell thee Saul thy rebellion and stubbornesse against Gods Law is no lesse a sin then that Why but Saul might have said alas I did not this out of a rebellious and stubborne minde wilfully to offend God I did it out of a good intent and the people perswaded me to it and I thought it a shame for me to be lesse forward and zealous to provide for Gods worship then they Yea but saith Samuel thou hadst the commandement of God to the contrary thou hast sleighted and set light by Gods commandement and the Lord accounteth this neglect of his commandement no
never have said he might seeme to have had matter of glorying in those works he did while he was an idolater but matter of shame and confusion rather 3. The Apostle speaking unto men that feared God Act. 13.16 telleth them ver 39. that they could not be justified by the law of Moses that is by those workes which were commanded in the law of Moses 4 Lastly David when he was the servant of God a true beleever professeth that he could not stand before Gods judgement in the confidence of his own righteousnes it could not justifie him in Gods sight and therfore cryeth Ps. 143.2 Enter not into judgement with thy servant ô Lord for in thy sight shall no man living be justified And thus you see No man no not the best man that ever lived can be justified before God by any righteousnes that is in himselfe Now I will give you two reasons of it out of Gods Word First The righteousnesse and goodnesse that is in the best man is lame and imperfect and farre short of that God in his law requireth of him yea it is also spotted and defiled with the Leprosy of his originall corruption and therefore it cannot justifie him in Gods sight it cannot stand before God nor abide the tryall at his judgement seat The blessed Apostle himselfe professeth Phil. 3.12 that he was not perfect Iohn Baptist though he were sanctified in his mothers womb yet avoucheth Mat. 3.14 that he had need to be baptized of Christ he was not washed and cleansed sufficiently his sanctification was imperfect And the Church complaineth Esa 64.6 We are all as an uncleane thing and all our righteousnesse are as filthy rags There is not a just man upon earth saith Salomon Eccl. 7.20 that doth good and sinneth not In many things we offend all saith the Apostle Iam. 3.2 If we say saith the Apostle 1 Ioh. 1.8 we have no sin we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us True saith the Papist the justest man is not free from venial sins but that is no hinderance to his justification by his inherent righteousnes To this I answer First 〈◊〉 no sinne is so veniall but it justly deserveth etâ—râ—all â—eath The soule that â—â—nneth it shall die saith the Prophet Ezek. 18.4 And the wages of sin is death saith the Apostle Rom. 6.23 And Gal. 3.10 Cursed is he that continueth not in all things that are written in the law to do them Not onely every thing that is done against Gods Law how small soever it be but every thing that is lest undone which the law commandeth how small soever it be maketh a man lyable to the curse of God Secondly The holiest men that have ever lived and such as the Holy Ghost hath given testimony unto that they were just and perfect men have beene notwithstanding that guilty of such sinnes as the Papists themselves confesse to be mortall Zachary though he were a just man before God as the Holy Ghost saith of him Luke 1.6 yet was he guilty of grosse infidelity in not believing the Word that God spake to him by the Ministry of an Angell Luk. 1.20 yea the holiest men have had that deep sense of their owne sinfulnesse and corruption as they durst not stand before God in their owne righteousnesse they have freely professed they could not be justified by it in Gods sight Thus was Iob perswaded of his owne righteousnesse though hee were a man of whom the Lord himselfe giveth testimony Iob 1.8 that there was none like him upon the earth an upright and a perfect man Though I were righteous saith Iob 9 15. yet would I not answer him but I would make supplication to my Iudge And 10.15 If I be righteous yet will I not lift up my head As if he should say I will not plead my righteousnesse before thee I will not trust to be justified by it in thy sight And thus was David perswaded of his owne righteousnesse of whom yet the Lord saith that hee was a man after his owne heart 1 Samuel 13.14 If thou Lord shouldst marke iniquities saith David Psalme 130.3 O Lord who shall stand Lastly Thus was blessed Paul perswaded of his owne righteousnesse I know nothing by my selfe saith he 1 Corinth 4.4 yet am I not thereby justified but he that justifieth me is the Lord. As if he had said Though I should discerne no defect in mine owne righteousnesse as for the maine bent of my heart and course of my life I do not yet dare not I plead it before God nor hope to be justifyed by it for the Lord that is my Iudge can espie in me much more than I can in my selfe And certainly to conclude this first reason there is no Papist under heaven that hath not lost all conscience but his heart must needs give his tongue the lie when he saith he believeth to be justified before God by that righteousnesse and goodnesse that is inherent and dwelling in himselfe A second reason against it is this If a man could be justified by that righteousnesse that is inherent in himselfe then might he have in himselfe just cause of boasting and glorying before God neither should the whole glory of mans salvation and justification bee due unto the free grace and mercy of God in Christ. This argument the holy Apostle presseth against justification by works and for justification by faith onely Where is boasting then saith he Rom. 3.27 it is excluded By what law or doctrine Of works Nay but by the law or doctrine of faith And againe Rom. 4.2 If Abraham were justifified by works he hath whereof to glory but not before God By grace ye are saved through faith saith he Eph. 2.8 9. not of works least any man should boast So 1 Cor. 1.30 31. he giveth this for the reason why Christ is all in all to us in the matter of our salvation wisdome righteousnesse sanctification and redemption that according as it is written he that glorieth let him glory in the Lord. As if he had said God cannot abide that man should glory before him but would have him to be humbled to the very dust but if he could be justified before God by any goodnesse that is in him then might he have just cause of glorying even before God True saith the Papist if a man could be justified by his owne works by such works as he doth by the power of nature then had he indeed matter of glorying and boasting in himselfe But not when he is justified by such works onely as are wrought by the power of Gods grace in him For these workes are not his owne but the works of Christ and his grace in him according to that speech of the Church Esa. 26.12 Lord thou hast wrought all our workes in us And that of the Apostle Romans 15.18 I will not dare to speake of any of those things which Christ hath not wrought by mee Wee doe not therefore say
loves his people and sheweth his love even in reprooving by reproving sin neither in rage nor in a merry and flouting manner nor so as to set a brand of infamy upon them Ibid. Therefore desire to live under such a Minister as will faithfully reprove sinne and the great sin of the people that cannot endure it p. 52. the reasons why men cannot endure such a ministery Ibid. p. 53. the folly and sin of these men discovered in foure points Ibid. Objections answered that are made against such a ministery 1 That they use to raile give bitter and opprobrious termes to men 2 they use in a most unseemely fashion to cry and stampe and beat the pulpit p. 54. 3 They are alwaies chiding and inveighing and shew no love to the people pag. 55. 4 They love noâ— to deale with then people in private but disgrace them publikely 5 They are given to hearken to â—ale-beareâ—s page 56. Lect 10. In all our distresses we must fly to God by prayer and seeke comfort that way p. 59. for 1 In all our afflictions God hath 2 chiefe hand 2 He is able to releeve us 3 himselfe hath prescribed this course to us pag 60. 4 The Lord is ready to be found this way p. 61. The meanes of comfort we all apt to neglect Ibid. Lect. 11. Impediments that keepe us from this remooved 1 Th'extreamity of my affliction overwhelmes me and the tokens of Gods anger upon me are such that I have no hope to speed p. 63 64. 2 I am so vile a sinner that I dare not pray Ibid. p. 65. Lect 12. 3 I cannot pray p. 66 67. Every faithfull man hath the spirit of prayer yea a man may pray most acceptably though he do not feele that he hath faith or the spirit of prayer Ib. Such must bewaile their case to God and strive to pray for all they cannot doe it with feeling and comfort p. 68 69. Lect. 13. 4 It is to no purpose for me to pray Ibid. Resolve this is but a tentation and resist it and how p. 70. Particular answer to Sathans reason in this tentation 1 They that never use to pray doe as well as those that are most given unto it ibid. 2 men use ordinary meanes for their comfort with discretion they may do well enough though they never pray p. 71. Though God usually helpe men by meanes and best by best meanes p. 72. Yet he is the giver of all meanes and the vertue that is in them to do us good commeth wholly from him and Gods servants have therefore in the use of all meanes and in all occaâ—sions of their life sought to him Ibid. p. 73. â— Lect. 14. 3 God knowes our necessities well enough and hath decreed what he will do for us and is of himself apt enough to do us good without our asking Ibid. 74. 4 I have long used to pray and finde no good by it Ibid. It may be God rewards our prayer though we obtaine not our suite presently p. 75. Foure reasons why God delayes his answer Ibid. By five things wee may know God answereth us though we obtaine not what we aske p. 76 77. Lect. 15. When we have prayed long and finde no audience this must trouble us p. 78. We should hearken after our prayers what answer God gives them Ibid. We must not give over praying though we receive no answer p. 79. Examine the cause why thy prayers speed no better p. 80. Six causes for which the Lord useth oft to put back the prayers of his people without a gracious answer p 81 c. Lect. 16. Pardon of sin is more to be desired then deliverance from the greatest judgement that can befall us p. 84. for 1 sin is the greatest evill p. 85 2 pardon of sin a sufficient ground of comfort in any distresse Ibid. 3 in this suit we should be more earnest with God then in any other p. 86. 4 he hath enough to make him happy that hath that Ibid for 1 sin is a debt p 86. 2 sin is filthinesse and uncleannesse p. 87. Lect 17. Most men seeke after many things more then the pardon of sin count not sin the greatest evill nay no evill or misery at all p 88 89. our sins not smaller then such as Gods people have beene greatly humbled for Ibid p. 90. The knowledge of Gods mercy should not cause us to be the lesse troubled for our sins p. 91. for 1 His mercy in pardoning of sinne is not common to all but shall be denied three sorts of sinners Ibid. 2 That will aggravate sin and not make it the lighter p. 92. Nor this conceit that others worse then wee have found mercy both in life and death yet were never humbled For 1 it may bee they found not mercy with God though they prospered Ibid. 2 We are bound in charity to judge the best of their estate Ibid. 3 They may have beene soundly humbled for sin though we know it not p. 93. It s no good argument a sinner dieth in Gods favour because he dieth quietly p. 93. Lect. 18. Seeke pardon of sinne above all things Seeke it without delay and earnestly Ibid. For 1 its possible to be gotten 2 in regard of the excellency of this pardon p. 94. Seeke it speedily 1 in regard of the continuall danger of death we are in 2 in respect we are daily liable to afflictions p. 95. 3 in respect of the present comfort of our life page 96. Meanes to obtaine it 1 Bring the heart to a sound sense of sin Ibid. 2 Pray beg pardon for even such as want assurance of pardon may pray pag. 97. 3 Confesse thy sinnes to God 4 Fly by faith to Christ for it pag. 98. A man may have his pardon and not know and perceive he hath it and the reasons of it Ibid. p. 99. Yet may a man in this life be assured that his sins are pardoned Ibid. We must not be our own judges in this case but this must be knowne by the Word viz. 1 if we came to it the right way viz. by the foure meanes mentioned 2 If we finde ouâ— hearts changed and sanctified p. 100 3 If the knowledge of Gods love hath bred in us a love to him 4 If the knowledge of Gods love maketh us willing to forgive men p. 1â—1 Lect. 19. The best of Gods servants have no other ground of hope to finde favour with God for the pardon of their sinnes but onely in the mercy of the Lord p. 102. For 1 Though Christ hath dearely purchased our pardon yet is it meerely of Gods free grace that wee receive any benefit by him p. 103. 2 Though good workes bee strong foundations of our hope and comfort yet the maine foundation of all the hope and comfort we have in our workes is the mercy and free grace of God p. 104 106. Lect. 20. The best man cannot rely on any goodnesse hee findeth in himselfe
their afflictions p. 559. But we may also therein offend two waies Ibid. p. 560. The folly wickednesse and danger of rash judgement appeares in three things p. 560 561. None of us are so affected with the miseries of the Church as we ought Ibid. Foure duties God requires of us in these times of the misery of other Churches 1. By the best meanes we can informe our selves how it fareth with the Church of God p. 562. Lect. 113. 2 We are bound to take to heart and to worke our hearts to unfeigned griefe for the Churches misery p. 562 567. 3 We are bound to remember them in our prayers and to importune the Lord for them p. 567. 4 The example of the Lords strange severity upon them should cause us to feare our selves Ibid. Three reasons we have for this feare pag. 568. Lect. 114. He that is in the state of grace must bee afraid to sinne The extent of this feare in th' object in seven degrees of sin that he must not dare to commit p. 569 570. and in the continuance of this feare p. 570. He hath more cause to be afraid of sin then any other man for 1 He can have lesse hope of impunity then any other p. 571. 2 Hee hath more to loose then any other viz. 1 The Spirit of adoption Ibid. 2 the Spirit of Sanctification 3 The credit and honour of the Gospell p. 572. He that is in the state of grace hath more cause to be deepely humbled for his grosse sins then any other man p. 573. No disposition of soule is fitter to prepare us to the Sacrament then a sound humiliation for sin p. 574. Foure great benefits we receive by sound humiliation of soule Ibid. Lect. 115. The least thing that God hath appointed in his worship may not be neglected but is reverendly to be esteemed of and observed p. 577 579. Because God hath ordained them and we may receive helpe in faith and piety by them p. 579 580. We must depend upon Gods direction in his Word in matters of his worship p. 581. Three sorts of men are too precise but yet not they which cleave precisely to the warrant and direction of the Word Ibid. Conscience to bee made of all outward parts of Gods worship and exercises of religion and foure motives to it Ibid. pag. 582. Lect. 116. We must labour to understand every thing we do in the service of God this God required even under the law in his ceremoniall worship but much more in his morall worship specially now under the Gospell pag. 583. 1 We can receive no good by the reading of the Word unlesse we endeavour to understand what we read Ibid. 2 nor by our hearing 3 nor by the Sacraments p. 584. 4 nor by prayers 5 nor by our singing 6 an oath may not be given to any but such as are of understanding Reason For no service pleaseth God unlesse it be spirituall and done with feeling and affection and that cannot be without knowledge p. 585. 1 Every part of Gods worship is spirituall and there is in it somewhat to bee done by man and somewhat by the Lord himselfe 2 The Lord hath promised to accompany all his owne ordinances and to worke with them 3 All that man can doe in Gods worship is nothing worth unlesse God worke with him p. 586. 4 Our chiefe care in every part of Gods worship should be to finde that God is with us in it p. 588. The true cause why so little fruit appeares of the ministery of the Word and other ordinances is because the Lord joynes not with us in them and three causes there are of that 1 the sins of the times Ibid. 2 we do not our part but serve God by halves with the body onely 3 because we rest too much upon the meanes p. 589. Lect. 117. They that would serve God aright in any duty of his worship must first seeke to get knowledge Our people generally beleeve not this as appeares in three things pag 589 590. Their great sin and danger that make so light account of knowledge and what is the best way of instruction to breed knowldge p. 590. Both Ministers and peoples chiefe care should be in every part of Gods worship to finde God present with them assiâ—â—ing and blessing his ordinances p. 591. Foure motives to stirre us up to this care Ibid. Foure meanes to make Gods ordinances powerfull and effectuall to us p. 592 593. We must not neglect to frequent and use Gods ordinances though we feele no fruit or comfort we receive by them p. 594. Foure things to bee considered for the comfort of such as complaine and mourne for their unprofitablenesse in the use of Gods ordinances p. 595. Lect. 118. No mercy is to be hoped for from God but onely in and through Christ p. 596. No mercy can be expected from God by Christ but onely through his blood p. 597. For 1 Wee by nature and pracusâ— have made God our enemy and Christ th' onely Mediator to reconcile us p. 598 2 No mercy can be expected from God till his justice be satisfied for us and that 's done by Christ fully and by him onely p. 599. Yet is whole salvation to bee ascribed to the free grace of God p. 600 601. Lect. 119. Foure points to be observed in the passion of Christ that doe notably set forth how odious and heavy a thing sinne is 1 No creature in heaven or earth could have procured us the pardon of the least sinne Christ onely was able to doe this page 601. 2 Christ himselfe could not have done it for us by any other meanes then by dying for us p. 602. 3 Christ himselfe by dying for us could not have done it if he had not dyed the cursed death of the Crosse p. 603. 4 Christ himselfe by dying for us that cursed death could not have done it if hee had not beene God as well as man p. 604. This should perswade us to seâ—ke to rectifie our judgement in this point for 1 till then we can never be affected with our sins as we ought nor performe those five things that are necessary to true repentance p 605. 2 till then Christ can profit us nothing Ibid. Five meanes there are to rectifie our judgement in this point and to cause us to esteeme of sinne as it ought to be esteemed of Ibid. 606. Lect. 120. Every man should labour to know that Christ is hâ—â— and that he is one of the number that he did undertake for p. 607. for 1 till then he cannot be assured that any of his sins is pardoned but hath cause to judge he abides under Gods curse 2 till then though hee bee jocund now in the daies of health and peace yet in distresse he can have no hope of mercy or comfort from God 3 till then he can have no assurance of any blessing p. 608. 4 till then he cannot know he hath any thing from God in
of the houshold of faith Our heavenly father whom we must follow doth so 1 Tim. 4.10 He is the Saviour the preserver of all men specially of them that beleeve Such of the poore as feare God though they seeke not to us we should seeke out them as Onesiphorus did Paul when he was prisoner at Rome 2 Tim. 1.17 He sought me out diligently and found me For that that is done to the least of these is done to Christ. Matth 25.40 Verily I say unto you in as much as ye have done it to one of the least of these my brethren ye have done it to me And what a comfort may that bee to thee to have releeved Christ And wee may have more assurance of reward in the least kindnesse done to such a one then in all that we doe for other poore Mat. 10.42 The least thing a man giveth to a poore man in the name of a Disciple verily I say unto you saith our Saviour he shall in no wise lose his reward And the Apostle saith Heb. 6.9 10. of them that have ministred to the Saints in the name of Saints hee meaneth and yet doe minister that they have better things in them then can be in an hypocrite and such as do accompany salvation Yet though all these things be so the point I propounded remaineth true that the wickednesse of the poore should not cause us to shut up our bowells and be hard-hearted towards them Marke how the Apostle having spoken of sundry faults of the poore 2. Thess. 3. inferreth this exhortation vers 13. But yee brethren be not weary in well doing As if he should have sayd their lewdnesse will weary and dishearten you if you take not heed Let us therefore looke to our pattern Luke 6.36 Be ye mercifull as your heavenly Father is mercifull How is that verse 35. Hee is mercifull to the unthankefull and to the evill 1. Tim. 4.10 He is the Saviour of all men Their very misery is a sufficient motive to him though there bee no goodnesse in them at all and so should it be unto thee Exod. 23.5 If thou see the Asse of him that hate thee lying under his burden wilt thou cease to helpe him Marke 1. a beast in misery must be relieved much more a man 2. A beast of such a one as hateth Gods people and that must needs be sure a very bad man must be relieved much more the man himselfe Foure things there bee that may perswade thee to it 1. These wretched men are thine owne flesh Esa. 58.7 And it is a foule sin to hide thy selfe from thine owne flesh 2. They may belong to Gods election for ought thou knowest Destroy not him by with-holding thy mercy saith the Apostle Rom. 14.15 for whom Christ dyed 3. Thou respectest not him in thine almes if thou give with a good heart but the Lord. Prov. 19.17 Hee that hath pity on the poore lendeth unto the Lord. 4. Even that thou givest unto these that are most unworthy if thou give it with a good heart shall not loose a reward Eccles. 11.1 Cast thy bread upon the waters be liberall towards all that stand in need for thou shalt find it after many dayes Now for this duty I would I could say to all you as the Apostle did to the Corinthians 2. Cor. 9.12 As touching the ministring to the Saints it is superfluous for me to write unto you for I know the forwardnesse of your mind Certainely it is not superfluous for mee but most needfull to speake unto you of this duty for I know no forwardnesse in any almost unto this duty First it is the sin and shame of our times that many dying in good estate some in very great estate bequeath nothing to the poore though they can then enjoy them no longer These men 1. as they have lived so they dye in open profession of their profane infidelity that they beleeve not that that the Scripture hath spoken of this duty 2. They are spots in our holy profession and cause the Gospel to be evill spoken of as if it were a barren and fruitlesse religion Rom. 2.24 The name of God is blasphemed among the Papists through such men I know they doe better that give in their life time and seldome doe they give well that never give till they dye Yet 1. It is a great increase of sin to give neither living nor dying 2. It becommeth them well that have given most in their life to leave at their death also a testimony behind them of their charity as good Dorcas did Acts 9.39 The widowes that were weeping for her shewed the coates and garments which shee made while she lived and left behind her for the poore Secondly It is the sin and shame of many that live among us that they give nothing to the poore they count it a great priviledge and will plead for it as for their lives to be freed and exempted from this charge And why so forsooth they have it not Looke on their apparell looke on their expences in ale in tobacco in gaming and you shall see no want at all they spend more then two or three of their honest neighbours looke on their proud and stately carriage towards their betters and you would take them to bee gallants and rich men Onely when they should give any thing to the poore then they are bankrupts then they have nothing What shall such as professe themselves to bee Christians and the Children of God count it a priviledge to bee exempted from giving to the poore Certainely a Christian will count it a matter of humbling unto him to have nothing to giue and he will labour hard that he may have something to give according to that Ephe 4.28 Let him labour working with his hands the thing that is good that he may have to give to him that needeth Thou workest that thou mayest have to live and to maintaine thy family ô that many of you did so well nay thou workest that thou mayest have to haunt the Ale-house to game to maintaine thy pride and where is the poore man to be found that worketh to that end that hee may have to give unto them that need Thirdly It is the sin and shame of the most that though they give they give not willingly and cheerefully and so lose the comfort and fruit of all that they give Paul biddeth Timothy charge rich men that they would bee ready to distribute willing to communicate 1. Tim. 6.18 and Rom. 12.8 Let him that sheweth mercy doe it with cheerefulnesse 2. Cor. 9 7. God loveth a cheerefull giver For this Paul commended the Macedonians 2. Cor. 8 4. They prayed Paul with much intreaty that he would receive their gift for the poore Saints at Ierusalem Two things there bee that doe discover most men give not willingly 1. It commeth so hardly from them they must bee sessed to so much they are so late and backward in their paiments it
that contradicteth God and his truth Now if Christians would make use but of these two rules certainely neither Popery nor Pelagianisme would ever deceive them Apply them to the matter we have now in hand and it will bee evident unto us that the doctrine of the Papists touching originall sin is not of God For 1. it giveth too much to man and keepeth him from being so much humbled and dejected in himselfe as hee ought to be 2. It directly opposeth and contradicteth that which the Lord hath expressely spoken in the holy Scriptures See this in three points which they teach touching originall sin First For the nature of originall sin they teach that though we be thereby so fettered and snared yea so wounded and weakened in our nature that wee cannot of our selves without the helpe of Gods grace do any thing that is good yet some ability is left in our nature wee can accept of the helpe of Gods grace when it is offered yea we can desire it also We are say they like the poore man that was travelling towards Iericho Luk 10.30 wee are wounded sore and left halfe dead And though wee have by originall sin lost that righteousnesse and perfection of nature in which man was first created and are now become by nature as prone to sin when occasion is offered and as apt to take hurt by any tentation as tinder or touch-wood is to take fire yet is there not therby any sinfull quality possitively infused into our nature Whereas the spirit of God in the holy Scripture speaketh expressely First That wee are by nature not only wounded and weakened and halfe dead till God quicken us but dead all out even the Elect are so by nature Ephes. 2.1 You hath hee quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins and verse 5. Even when we were dead in sins hath God quickened us Secondly That there is in us by nature no true desire at all to be helped by Gods grace out of this estate Phil. 2.13 It is God that worketh in you both to will and to doe of his good pleasure Iohn 8.44 The last of your father ye will doe And that which our Saviour saith of good wordes may likewise be said of good desires Mitch 12.34 O generation of vipers and certainly such are we all by nature how can yee being evill thinke good things or desire good things Thirdly That there is in us by nature no power nor willingnes to accept of the helpe of Gods grace when it is offered us but an utter aversenesse and unwillingnesse to accept of it yea an hatred unto it That we are apt to say to God even as the poore possessed man for certainly such are wee all by nature also even slaves to the devill 2. Tim. 2.26 Luke 4.34 Let us alone what have wee to doe with thee thou Iesus of Nazareth art thou come to destroy us We gain-say and resist the worke of Gods grace in us till God by his mighty power do overcome us Rom. 10.11 All the day long have I stretched out my hands unto a disobedient and gaine-saying people And Rom. 8.7 The carnall mind is not subject to the law of God neither indeed can be Fourthly and lastly That our nature is not onely privatively evill and corrupt deprived of originall righteousnes and apt as tinder is to receive the fire of tentation but possitively evill and hath in it a poisonfull and corrupt quality even the seeds of all sin that cannot choose but worke and bring forth evill thoughts and words and actions Gen 8.21 The imagination of mans heart is evill not prone onely to bee evill from his youth Yea cap. 6.5 Every imagination of the thoughts of his heart is onely evill continually Insomuch as wee even the Elect of God are by nature ranke enemies to God and rebells against him You were saith the Apostle Col. 1.21 alienated and enemies in your minds unto him And thus you see how in this first point of their Doctrine concerning originall sin they do plead for man and do directly oppose and contradict the spirit of God But the second and third points are worse then this Secondly They teach that the corruption of our nature the untowardnesse of our heart to that that is good that is no sin no nor the concupiscence and lust that riseth from it the motions unto evill what evill soever it bee that wee feele in our selves are no sins till we consent unto them and obey them till they raigne in us Whereas 1. The spirit of God in the holy Scripture expressely calleth it sin As here in this place Psal. 51.5 I was borne in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive mee And in three chapters of the Epistle to the Romanes that is to say the sixt seventh and eight fourteene times at the least and Heb. 12.1 The sin that doth so easily beset us And shall wee say that that is not properly and indeed a sin which the holy Ghost so often calleth sin Secondly The spirit of God in the holy Scriptures speaketh expressely that our originall corruption is the cause of all actuall sins that the foulest sins that ever men committed come all from this root Every man is tempted saith the Apostle Iames 1.14 when hee is drawne away of his owne lust and entised It is our owne corrupt nature that tempteth us that draweth us away that entiseth us to all sins So also the Apostle Peter 2 Pet. 1.4 saith all the corruption that is in the world is through lust And may wee not truly and properly call that sin that is the cause of all the foulest sins in the world May wee not well call that an evill tree upon which all this evill fruit doth grow Surely wee may or else our Saviours rule will faile Matth. 12.33 The tree is knowne by his fruit Thirdly The spirit of God in the holy Scripture teacheth us expressely that infants yea infants that are baptized which have no other sin but this originall sin and corruption of nature in them and who never consented to it nor obeyed it in the lusts thereof doe dye Rom. 5 14. Death raigned from Adam to Moses even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adams transgression And therefore it must needs be sin and may be truly and properly so called for sin is the only cause of death and none can dye but those that are sinners either by imputation as Christ was who was made sin for us as the Apostle speaketh 2 Cor. 5.21 or really and personally as all Adams posterity are Rom. 5.12 By one man sin entred into the world and death by sin and so death passed upon all men for that all have sinned Fourthly and lastly The spirit of God in the holy Scriptures expressely teacheth us that this concupiscence even in the regenerate these evill motions that rise in us though we consent not unto them though wee resist them are yet a swerving from the
directed us unto for the mortifying of our flesh is to take up our crosse that is to beare willingly the afflictions God is pleased to exercise us by A Christian is not bound to desire affliction I have not desired the wofull day thou knowest saith the Prophet Iere. 17.16 But when hee seeth once it is his crosse the crosse that the Lord hath appointed and thinketh fit for him the cup that his father hath given him as our Saviour speaketh Iohn 18.11 then must he even take it up and undergoe it willingly This meanes our Saviour prescribeth Luke 9.23 If any man will come after mee let him deny himselfe and take up his crosse dayly these two goe together There are sundry strange things spoken in the Scripture touching affliction As 1. That Gods people have borne it willingly Lev. 26.41 They shall accept or suffer willingly the punishment of their iniquity 2. That they have professed it was good for them that they were afflicted as David did Psal. 119.71 3. That they should rejoyce when they are abased and made low Iames 1.10 Yea that they should count it all joy exceeding joy when they fall into divers tentations that is afflictions Iames 1.2 4. That they have just cause to doubt their estate if they bee without affliction Hebr. 12.8 If yee bee without chastisement whereof all are partakers then are yee bastards and not sonnes These are strange Paradoxes to flesh and bloud and yet undoubted truths And surely a chiefe reason of all this is because of the great force that affliction hath in Gods children to mortifie their lusts and to subdue sin in them By this shall the iniquity of Iacob bee purged saith the Prophet Esa. 27.9 and this is all the fruit even the taking away of his sinne Hee reapeth no fruit by his affliction profiteth not by it in whom the strength of corruption is not in some measure abated by it Affliction therefore is compared to baptizing and washing that takes away the filth of the soule Marke 10.38 39. to a winnowing that bloweth away the chaffe that is in it Amos 9.9 to fire that refineth and purgeth away the drosse that is in it Zach. 13.9 In a word that which the Apostle speaketh of the shame that is brought upon men by the censures of the Church 1 Cor. 5.5 the same may bee said of that humiliation that God bringeth his servants to by any affliction it is most effectuall to the destruction of the flesh to the mortifying of that sinfulnesse and corruption that is in their hearts If then thou desire to have thy lusts and corruptions mortified thou must bee content to beare afflictions willingly even thine owne crosse When the Apostle had exhorted Gods people to cleanse their hands and purge their hearts that so they might draw neere unto God Iames 4.8 Hee directeth them to this meanes verse 9. suffer affliction mourne and weâ—pe Yea if thou have no afflictions of thine owne it is profitable for thee to communicate in an holy sympathy with the afflictions of others specially of Gods Churches and people and to make them thine owne Remember them that are in bonds as bound with them saith the Apostle Hebr. 13.3 and them which suffer adversity as being your selves also in the body This is that which the holy Ghost teacheth us Eccle. 7.2 It is better to goe into the house of mourning then into the house of feasting Alas wilt thou say I love not to goe to them that are sicke or in any great misery it will make my heart so sad and heavy O but saith the holy Ghost that sadnesse is profitable it is good for thee to have thy heart made heavy sometimes this way Sorrow saith hee verse 3. is better then laughter for by the sadnesse of the countenance the heart is made better Corruption is weakened and destroyed by it And hee that cannot endure any affliction cannot abide to bee sad at any time certainly hath no desire to mortifie sin in himselfe he knoweth not what mortification and consequently not what true repentance meaneth The sixt meanes of Mortification is this He that desireth to have sin mortified in himselfe must be willing to dye and in his heart subscribe to that sentence of the holy Ghost Eccle. 7.1 The day of a mans death is better then the day of his birth No man may impatiently desire death wee may not desire death out of discontentment of mind because wee are weary of the miseries wee are subject unto in this life It was the sin of Moses to pray thus to God Numb 11.15 If thou deals thus with mee kill me I pray thee out of hand if I have found favour in thy sight and let mee not see my wretchednesse Nay wee may not desire death out of a longing to bee rid of our sins and to bee with Christ absolutely or impatiently but under correction as we say and with a submitting of our wills to the will of God if hee see it good for us Wee like souldiers in the field must bee content to keepe our stations wherein the Lord hath set us till he shall bee pleased to dismisse and call us away Lord now lettest thou thy servant to depart in peace saith good Simeon Luke 2.29 Though Paul knew it were farre better for him to dye then to live as hee professeth Phil. 1.23 yet durst he not desire it absolutly but was in a straight as hee saith and submitteth himselfe wholly to the will of God in it Yet is it not an unlawfull thing for a Christian to desire death in this manner yea it is a good thing and a grace wee should all strive to attaine unto not onely to bee willing to dye when God shall call us but even to desire death also Paul professeth of himselfe that hee did desire to bee dissolved Phil. 1 23. And hee speaketh thus in the name of all the faithfull 2 Cor. 5.2 In this wee grone earnestly desiring to be cloathed upon with our house which is from heaven And verse 6. Knowing that while we are at home in the body wee are absent from the Lord. And though there bee many other reasons which should make Gods people willing to dye which out of my respect to the time I will not now mention yet this is a principall that when death commeth once we shall sinne no more While this life lasteth we shall never give over sinning against God Hee that hath entred into his rest hath ceased from his owne workes saith the Apostle Hebr. 4.10 but till then no man can quite cease from his owne workes but is in continuall danger of falling Nay no man can tell how farre hee may fall and admit that the Elect cannot utterly apostate from God of whom let it bee said that hee hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but is passed from death to life Iohn 5.24 Yet may such fall fearefully yea are in continuall danger of falling fearefully
they could stirre and blow away the ashes that cover it they should find some sparke of grace abiding in them still This course David tooke when he was in that case Psal. 77.6 I communed with mine owne heart and my spirit made diligent search Heere is a notable priviledge that Gods child hath above all hypocrites and wicked men in the world the more narrowly he prieth into himselfe the more diligently he searcheth into his own heart and waies the more comfort he hath in his estate Nothing hindreth our comfort so much as the neglect of this examination of our selves Let every man prove his owne worke saith the Apostle Gal. 6.4 and then shall he have rejoycing in himselfe alone and not in another Secondly Admit that by examining themselves they could find none yet may another experienced Christian that observeth them well and whose judgement is not over-clouded with passion discerne grace in them when they cannot discerne any in themselves According to our proverbe a stander by may see that which the gamester himselfe seeth not And as daily experience sheweth in them that by fevers or otherwaies have their braines distempered they that visit them may discerne much goodnesse in them when themselves know not what they say or do This helpe the Church used when she had lost her beloved Can. 3.2 3. She went about the city to private Christians she went unto the Watchmen the Ministers of the Word that they might helpe her to recover her comfort to raise her up againe when she was fallen And even in this respect it may truly be said as Eccle. 4.10 Wo to him that is alone when he falleth for he hath not another to helpe him up Thirdly and lastly Admit that no truth of grace could be discerned to be in them when they are thus fallen either by themselves or by any other yet we may be sure it is in them and that no elect child of God called according to his purpose can so fall as utterly to lose all grace because God in his Word hath said so and there is more credit to be given to Gods Word then to the sense and reason of all the men in the world We must walke by faith and not by sight 2 Cor. 5.7 If any man shall aske me where hath God in his Word said so I answer 1. God in his Word hath said Ioh. 3.36 He that beleeveth on the sonne hath everlasting life What life meaneth he there Surely the life of grace which is the beginning of the life of glory The life of grace it is an everlasting life 2. God in his Word hath said 2 Ioh. 2. The truth dwelleth in us not in himselfe onely but in all the faithfull and shall be with us for ever Whether we understand by the truth saving knowledge or sincerity of heart the proofe is pregnant that where once it is it is of a lasting nature 3. God in his Word hath said 1 Ioh. 3.9 He that is borne of God doth not commit sinne that is doth not sin as the wicked man doth of whom he had spoken verse 8. with the full sway of his soule for his seed saith he the seed of God the seed of grace and regeneration that incorruptible seed as the Apostle Peter calleth it 1 Pet. 1.23 remaineth in him and he cannot sinne he cannot so fall as apostates because he is borne of God This were easie to be shewed in all the three degrees I mentioned before of the spirituall decayes and falls that the regenerate subject unto which when thou findest in thy selfe thou maist take comfort 1. When they have lost that cheerefullnesse and vigour of spirit wherewith they were wont to performe spirituall duties the delight they were wont to take in the Word and prayer yet they dare not give over these duties but in obedience unto God and with a labour of love they performe them still and grieve that they can performe them no better Behold the seed of God remaineth in them So was it with David Psal. 119.25 When his soule cleaved to the dust yet he cryed still to God 2. When they have lost their assurance of Gods favour in the greatest fits of infidelity that ever they have they dare not then doe any thing that might offend him they seeke and cry to God still thirst after nothing more then his favour mourne for no losse so much Their soule lamenteth after the Lord as his people did 1 Sam. 7.2 Behold the seed of God remaineth in them See this also in David Psal. 22.1 When hee was even ready to sinke in despaire and to conclude God had forsaken him yet then hee could cry and weepe and take on for the want of Gods favour And Psal. 31.22 I said in mine hast I am cut off from before thine eyes neverthelesse thou heardest the voice of my supplications when I cryed unto thee 3. And lastly When they have slipped and fallen most foully either through their owne security or by the violence of any tentation they doe not onely feele inward checks for their fall in themselves the spirit lusting against the flesh as the Apostle speaketh Gal. 5.17 but a greater aptnesse to rise againe when God shall be pleased to give them the meanes of recovery and to reach out his hand unto them then is in any other men Behold in this also the seed of God remaining in them See this in the Church Cant. 5.2 I sleepe but my heart waketh it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh 1. She was not in a dead sleepe not quite overcome with security 2. So soone as she heard the voice of Christ she certainely knew it to be his voice and it wrought upon her and made her rise though not so soone as she should have done And so much may suffice for the strengthning and comfort of Gods people against the first of those two tentations that I mentioned unto you I now proceed unto the second O but saith many a good soule though I be for the present I praise God in the state of grace yet God knoweth how long I shall so continue I may fall away from God irrecoverably yea I find my selfe so weake now so unable now to resist any tentation that when the fiery triall shall come when the houre of death shall come and that last and sharpest skirmish that I must looke to have with Satan I feare I shall then be unable to stand and this feare disquieteth and tormenteth my heart Now for the comfort of Gods people against this tentation I say that though thou mayest in the houre of tentation shew much weakenesse yet if there bee the fruit of Gods eternall love and Election in any truth of grace in thee thou shalt never be so overcome of any tentation as to fall finally but certainly thou shalt recover thy selfe before thou dyest When the Apostle had spoken 1 Iohn 5.17 of the sin unto death hee addeth in the next
weakenesse that cost mee so deare yet my heart was for God I did it not with the full sway of my soule This you see every true hearted Christian can to his comfort say of every evill that through infirmity hee hath slipt into this I ought not to have done it was against the purpose of my heart against my will that I have done so and of every good thing that hee hath failed in either for matter or manner thus I should doe and thus with all my heart I desire to doe Now for the third degree of proofes for this point See what high account the Lord himselfe maketh of this when our mind and the purpose and desire of our hearts is set to please him though there be much wanting in our performance See this in three points First Hee accepteth the will for the deed Even as hee accounteth every wicked man guiltie of that sinne which hee purposed and desired to doe though he commit it not Hee that looketh on a woman to lust after her saith the Lord. Matth. 5.28 hath committed adultery with her already in his heart And 1 Iohn 3.15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer And as Solomon saith Prov. 23.7 As hee thinketh in his heart so is he in Gods account So on the other side the Lord accounteth euery good thing as done yea as perfectly performed by any of his servants which hee seeth them purpose and endeavour and unfeinedly desire to doe If there bee first a willing mind saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 8 12. it is accepted So the Lord saith of Abraham that he did offer up his son in sacrifice Heb. 11.17 because he was willing and purposed to do it So because David had a purpose and desire to build God an house he commendeth him for this purpose 1 Kin. 8.18 Thou didst well that it was in thine heart Yea he rewardeth him for it as if he had done it and telleth him 2 Sam. 7.27 that for that he would build him an house So when the servant that ought his Lord ten thousand talents had shewed himselfe willing to pay all and said Mat 18. â—6 Lord have patience with me and I will pay thee all a thing utterly impossible for him to do yet was he desirous and willing to do it as every true Christian is willing and desirous to keepe all Gods commandements compleatly though it be impossible for him to do it it is said in the next words ver 27. that his Lord had compassion on him and loosed him and fargave him the debt hee tooke this for full paiment he accepted of the will for the deed So when Zacheus had unfeinedly professed his willingnes to make restitution Christ saith of him Lu. 19.9 This day is salvation come to thy house So the Lord accounteth that soule a true beleever that doth unfeinedly desire to beleeve For Christ saith they are blessed that hunger and thirst after righteousnesse Mat. 5.6 And him a trve penitent sinner that doth unfeinedly purpose and desire to repent and turne unto God When the Prodigall did but purpose to returne humble himselfe to his father When he was yet a great way off his father saw him and had compassion and ran and fell on his necke and kissed him Lu. 15.20 And the Lord accounteth him a godly man and an observer of all his holy commandements that doth unfeinedly desire to obey him in all things If ye be willing and obedient saith the Lord Esa. 1 â—9 ye shall eate the good of the land Thus you see how God accepteth the will for the deed But secondly hee doth more then so For in the best services wee can doe unto him hee esteemeth more of our wills then of our deeds The Lord regarded nothing so much the benevolence that the Corinthians bestowed on the Saints in Iudea as hee did the willingnesse of their minde in bestowing You have begunne saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 8.10 not only to doe but also to be willing a yeere agoe Neither did God so much esteeme of Pauls preaching though that were excellent as hee did this that he preached with so willing a mind If I do this thing willingly saith he 1 Cor. 9 17. I have a reward And this God maketh high account of in every Minister when hee feedeth the flocke of God not by constraint but willingly 1 Peter 5.2 And when the Lord biddeth Moses speake unto the children of Israel that they should bring an offering for the making of the Tabernacle hee saith Exodus 25.2 Of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart yee shall take my offering hee esteemeth more of the willingnesse of the heart in offering then of the offering it selfe And this reason Paul giveth to Philemon verse 14. why he would not retaine Onesimus without his minde that thy benefite saith hee should not bee as it were of necessity but willingly he knew God did most esteeme of that Thirdly and lastly When God hath once wrought an unfeined purpose and desire of heart to please him for it is hee onely that worketh in us to will as well as to doe Phil. 2.13 hee will reward it with an increase of strength and ability to doe well and a chiefe cause why wee have no more ability to doe well is because wee no more desire to doe well For the Lord hath promised to fulfill the desires of them that feare him Psalme 145 19. to fill thy mouth if thou open it wide Psalme 8â— 10 to fill the hungry with good things Luke 1.53 And thus you have heard this truth confirmed unto you that a Christian may gather more comfortable assurance of the uprightnesse of his heart from the goodnesse of his will and desire then from the goodnesse of his life or of any actions he is able to performe Let us now come to answer that which may bee objected against this truth which is the third thing that in my methode I propounded and promised to doe For this doctrine may seeme to bee too broad a way and too open a doore of hope and comfort to the most lewd men Oh will they say this doctrine we like well this giveth us assurance that our hearts are as upright as the precisest of them all for wee also have good desires we would faine doe well we desire to beleeve in Christ we desire to repent and leave our sins And so we shall find in the word of sundry cast-awayes that have not onely had desires to be saved as Baalam Numbers 23.10 Let mee dye the death of the righteous and let my last end be like his and those foolish virgins that cryed Mat. 25.11 Lord Lord open unto us but have had desires also to go in the way that leadeth unto life desires to doe well Many I say unto you saith our Saviour Luke 13.24 will seeke to enter in at the strait gate and shall not bee able Now my answer unto this objection shall consist of two parts First
mercy of God towards thy selfe That the dew of Gods grace should fall upon thy heart as the materiall dew did upon Gideons fleece Iudges 6.37 and the ground that is round about thee should be dry not one drop of this dew upon it is not this a wonderfull mercy O consider it and admire it and say with the Apostle Iude Iohn 14.22 Lord how is it that thou wilt manifest thy selfe to us and not to the world Lord how is it that thou shouldst give thy grace unto me and deny it unto so many that were every whit as good as I nay better farre then I better in state and calling better in capacity and understanding nay better in life more unblameable more civill free from sundry grosse sinnes that I was given unto Take notice of this mercy of God thou that hast received it and rejoyce in it and be thankefull for it But take heed thou be not puft up by it so to thinke better to thy selfe for it as to despise others to whom God hath not yet bin so mercifull this way as he hath bin to thee But say oft to thy soule as the Apostle doth to them 1 Cor. 4.7 Who maketh thee to differ from another and what hast thou that thou hast not received And if thou hast received it why gloriest thou Remember what use David made of the difference God had made betweene him and Saul 2 Sam. 6.22 I will be more vile then thus and will be base in mine owne sight And we shall see great reason for it if we consider well what our Saviour saith Luke 12 48. Vnto whomsoever much is given of him shall be much required Lecture CVII On Psalme 51.6 Ianuary 6. 1628. WEE have already heard that these words doe containe the fourth and last argument whereby David doth aggravate and set forth the hainousnesse of his foule sinnes taken from the consideration of that truth of grace and saving knowledge God had wrought in him before he fell thus fearefully And that there are three principall things to be observed in them 1. The description that David maketh here of his owne true conversion and regeneration In the hidden part hee had knowne wisedome 2. The author and worker of this his conversion that is to say The Lord himselfe In the hidden part thou hadst made me to know wisedome 3. Lastly The end and purpose that David had in mentioning here his conversion that truth of grace and saving knowledge that was in him before his fall that is to say To aggravate and increase his sin by the consideration of it The two former of these points wee have already finished it followeth now that we proceed unto the third and last of them From this then that David doth here aggravate his sins from this consideration that he was a reâ—enerate man he had truth of grace and saving knowledge in him before he fell into these sins we learne That the sinnes that a man committeth that is truly regenerate are in sundry respects much more hainous and dangerous then the same sinnes committed by another man In sundry respects I say but not in all respects This Caution I must needes give you for the opening and explaination of the Doctrine before I come to the confirmation of it And in handling this Caution I must bee something large both because it is a point that may bee of great use unto you and because I have not handled it before nor know when I may have hereafter so fit opportunity to speake of it as in the handling of this Doctrine that cannot be well understood without it You must therefore know that the sins of a regenerate man are not in all respects nor indeed can be either so hainous in themselves or so dangerous to him that committeth them as the sins of the unregenerate are or may be First They are not so hainous in themselves and that in these two respects First There is one hainous sin that no regenerate Elect child of God can possibly fall into He cannot commit the sin against the holy Ghost as hee that is unregenerate may doe There is a sin unto death saith the Apostle 1 Ioh. 5.16 by which he meaneth not that there is a sin that deserveth death for so every sinne doth but a sin which whosoever falleth into and committeth he must needs dye and perish everlastingly and he addeth verse 18. We know that whosoever is borne of God sinneth not that is doth never commit that sin the sin unto death Secondly Those hainous sins that it is possible for a man that is truly regenerate to fall into yet even in them it is not possible for him to sin so hainously as many an unregenerate man doth and as every unregenerate man may doe He may indeed fall into such sins as are for the matter and substance of the fact every whit as hainous as any other mans sin can be Davids and Peters examples prove that to be too true But he cannot commit them so hainously that is in so hainous a manner as the other doth Their spot saith Moses speaking of the rebellious Iewes Deut. 32.5 is not the spot of his children As if he had said They may both have their spots yea and great and foule spots too but there is a great difference betweene the spots of the lewd and unregenerate men and the spots of Gods children And as the Lord gave to the Priest under the law direction how he might distinguish and put a difference betweene the spots of the leprous persons Levit. 13.24 27. and ver 38.39 So hath he also given him in his word direction how we may distinguish and discerne the spots of lewd and wicked men from the spots of his children Of the one it is said Iude 15. that their ungodly deeds are ungodly committed Of the other it is said Psal. 18.21 that they have not wickedly departed from their God As if he should say even then when they have forsaken and departed from their God yet they did iâ— not wickedly in that wicked manner with so wicked a mind and disposition of heart as the other doe The adultery that David committed was doubtlesse great filthinesse and yet there is certainly a great deale more wickednes in the whoredomes of many other men then there was in his In thy filthinesse is lewdnesse saith the Lord to the wicked Iew Eze. 24.13 Was there not so you will say in Davids in every other mans whoredome Surely the fact is most filthy and abominable whosoever committeth it but yet in the heart of many a man that committeth it there is much more lewdnes then there was in Davids So the Apostacy of Peter was out of doubt a most hainous sin yet was it not committed so hainously with so bad an heart as the Apostacy of many a one hath beene that yet did never deny Christ with such oathes and execrations as Peter did Bee not mercifull unto all that
good works by all their prayers and intercessions to merit of God for any man the pardon of the least sin And in this also Popery doth miserably and damnably deceive the world We know they teach men to trust and expect mercy from God in the pardon of their sin by the merits and intercession of the Saints specially of the blessed Virgin And it is notorious to the world that their whole Church in their publique Liturgie doe oft beg of God the pardon of sinne and deliverance from his wrath for the merits and intercession of such and such Saints Miserable comforters are they that teach poore soules in this case to leane upon the staffe of this bruised reed Of all the Saints that have beene most rich in grace and good workes that may truly bee said which David speaketh of the worldly rich men Psal. 49.7 8. None of them can by any meanes redeeme his brother nor give unto God a ransome for him for the redemption of the soule is precious No Saint was ever able with all his holinesse and good works to pay a price sufficient to satisfie the justice of God for one soule Nay I say more no Saint or Angel durst ever so farre mediate with God as to intreat him for his sake to pardon any one sin to any soule If one man sin against another saith old Ely to his sons 1 Sam. 2.25 the judge shall judge him satisfaction may bee made for the offence by the authority of the magistrate but if a man sin against the Lord who shall intreat for him As if he had said No Saint or Angel dare presume to be so much as a mediatour of intercession unto God for any that hath sinned against him Call now saith Eliphaz to Iob 5.1 if there be any that will answer or speake for thee and to which of the Saints wilt thou turne No none but Christ onely durst ever doe so much for any poore sinner And this is the first point in this Doctrine that doth discover to us how heavy and heinous a thing sin is Secondly Christ himselfe could not cleanse thee from thy sins nor procure thee the pardon of the least of them any other way but by dying for thee The holinesse of his life and that exact obedience he yeelded to the law of God in all points fulfilling all righteousnesse as himselfe speaketh Matth. 3.15 was doubtlesse of great merit and wee received much benefit by it As by one mans disobedience many were made sinners saith the Apostle Rom. 5.19 so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous We are justified in part even by his active obedience for by it we obtaine the imputation of that perfect righteousnesse that giveth us title to the kingdome of heaven For seeing it was not possible for us to enter into life till wee had kept the commandements of God Matth. 19.17 and wee were not able to keepe them our selves it was necessary our surety should keepe them for us And hee by performing to the full for us not for himselfe for he being God and not man only and his manhood having no personall substistance without the Godhead was not bound to keep the law for himselfe he I say by fulfilling the whole law of God did thereby purchase heaven for us and merit that God should account us righteous and perfect fulfillers of his law By this means he brought in everlasting righteousnesse as the Prophet speaketh Dan. 9.24 In which respect also the Apostle saith Rom. 10.4 that Christ is the end of the law for righteousnesse to every one that beleeveth As if he should say The end of the law is to justifie them that fulfill it and this Christ hath done for every one that beleveth in him and so hath made him righteous before God And for this cause the Apostle saith also Rom. 3.31 Doe we then make void the law through faith God forbid Yea we establish the law As though hee had said The Doctrine of justification by faith in Christ doth no way derogate from the law for it acknowledgeth a necessity not only of satisfaction for the penalty that is due to the transgression of it but also of a full and perfect observation of it in all points by them that would enter into life But though this be so yet Christs active obedience his good works and holy life could never have bin meritorious for us could never have justified us nor brought us to heaven if he had not dyed for us And therefore both our justification and our obtaining of heaven is ascribed to his bloud as if that alone had done both Being justified by his bloud saith the Apostle Rom. 5.9 we shall be saved from wrath through him And we have boldnes to enter into the holiest that is into heaven Heb. 10.19 by the bloud of Iesus So the scripture ascribeth much to the intercession that our Saviour daily maketh for us in heaven much comfort doubtlesse we may receive by this that we have such a friend in the court such an advocate to speake and plead and pray for us unto his father He is able saith the Apostle Heb. 7.25 to save them to the uttermost that come to God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them But his intercession could never have bin meritorious for us it could never have prevailed with God for us to the procuring for us the pardon of the least sin if he had not by his death given full satisfaction to the justice of God for us When Christ is described unto Iohn Rev. 5.8 9. as the only mediatour of intercession for his Church unto whom the foure and twenty Elders representing the whole Catholike Church and company of all Gods Saints do bring their golden viols full of odours which are the prayers of the Saints to be presented by him unto his father he is represented to him in the likenes of a lambe that was slaine ver 6.11 And the foure and twenty Elders ver 9. give this for the reason why they bring their prayers unto him and make him their only mediatour of intercession aswell as their only Prophet interpreter of his fathers will Thou art worthy say they to take the booke and to open the seales thereof for thou wast slaine and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood Hee could not have beene our Prophet neither could his intercession and prayers have ever beene meritorious for us if hee had not dyed for us It is the death of Christ that giveth vertue and merit to his intercession and prayers for us It is the blood of sprinkliâ—g that speaketh better things then that of Abel saith the Apostle Hebrewes 12. â—4 It is that that speaketh for us and pleadeth with God continually for mercy as the other did for vengeance Thirdly Christ himselfe could not by dying for thee have cleansed thee from thy sins nor procured the pardon of the least of them if he had not dyed
for thee the death of the Crosse that cursed death if he had not beene made a curse for thee Christ both redeemed us saith the Apostle Gal. 3.13 from the curse of the law being made a curse for us for it is written Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree The scripture indeed seemeth to ascribe our redemption wholy to his bodily death and to the bloud that he shed for us We have redemption through his bloud even the forgivenesse of our sins saith the Apostle Eph. 1 7. And Revel 5. â— Thou hast redeemed us to God by thy bloud But wee must understand that in these and such like places the holy Ghost useth a Synechdoche that is putteth one part of Christs passion for the whole And two reasons there are why his whole passion is expressed by this part of it rather then by the other 1. Because the shedding of his bloud was the most apparant and sensible signe and evidence that hee did indeed lay downe his life and dye for us yea that hee dyed a violent death For the life of the flesh is in the bloud saith the Lord Levit. 17.11 2. This did best declare him to bee the true propitiatory sacrifice that was figured by all the sacrifices under the law that lambe of God that taketh away the sinnes of the world as Iohn Baptist calleth him Ioh. 1. â—9 But it was not that alone that could have done the deed all the pains and torments he endured in his body for us could not have obtained for us the pardon of any one sin He suffered much more in his soule for us then he did in his body He made his soule an offering for sin as the Prophet speaketh Esa. 53.10 His soule was exceeding sorrowfull even to the death Mat 26.38 He endured the torments of the soule aswell as of the body for us Yea the curse of God and those unspeakeable and unconceivable torments that were due to all the sinnes of all Gods Elect both in body and soule he endured to the uttermost The Lord spared him not as the Apostle saith Rom. 8.32 nor abated him one farthing of our debt but made him pay it all The Lord laid upon him saith the Prophet Esa. 53.6 the iniquity of us all that is the punishment due unto all our iniquities And verse 4. Surely hee hath borne our griefes and carried our sorrowes the sorow and anguish that was due to us for our sinnes hee hath borne it all and every jot of it and so he made full satisfaction to the justice of God for us and unlesse he had so done he could never have redeemed us from our sins He made our peace through the bloud of his crosse saith the Apostle Col. 1.20 by no death but by that cursed death hee could have made our peace with God Fourthly and lastly Christ himselfe by dying for us the death of the Crosse and by enduring in body and soule the torments due to our sins could not have made our peace with God if hee had not beene more then a man more then a creature admit it had beene possible for a creature to have borne Gods curse if hee had not beene God All his sufferings could not have bin a price sufficient to redeeme one soule to purchase the pardon of one sin if they had not bin the sufferings of God himselfe The infinite wrath of God due unto sinne which no creature is able to beare at once and therefore must be enduring of it everlastingly Their worme shall never dye saith the Prophet Esay 66.24 their fire shall never be quenched Christ being God mighty in strength as Iob speaketh Iob 9.4 was able to beare altogether and at once in that short time that he was upon the Crosse. The Apostle calleth the bloud of Christ wherby we are redeemed a precious bloud 1 Pet. 1.19 And indeed it must needs bee precious of infinite price and merit able to countervaile and answer for the everlasting torments that were due to the sins of all Gods elect because it was the bloud of God himselfe God purchased his Church with his owne bloud saith the Apostle Actes 20.28 God laid downe his life for us saith the Apostle 1 Iohn 3.16 The Lord of glory was crucified saith holy Paul 1 Cor. 2.8 Nothing but the infinite suffering of such a person could have procured us the pardon of the least of our sins Now to conclude this use of instruction and to make some application of it Learne by this that thou hast heard to judge rightly of sin of every sin of thine owne sins especially Labour to have a sound judgement in this point to bee perswaded in thy judgement that every sin is a most deadly and heinous thing Know thou and see saith the Lord Ier. 2.19 that it is an evill thing and bitter that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God and that my feare is not in thee Iudge not according to the appearance Ioh. 7.24 of this matter but judge righteous judgement Iudge not of sin according as the world judgeth of it nor according to those colours that Sathan and thine owne foolish heart is apt to put upon it but judge of sin as God in his word judgeth of it for his judgement will stand when all is done Account it a point of extreame folly in thy selfe and a signe that thou hast lost all judgement that thou art strangely blinded besotted and bewitched by the devill even this I say that thou canst thinke of any sin that it is but a small matter that thou canst so sleight and make nothing of many sins that thou dost in thy heart so scorne and befoole them whom thou seest so precise and fearefull to do the least thing that might offend God Fooles make a mocke of sin saith Solomon Prov. 149. They are fooles certainely and starke fooles that make so small a matter of any sin But for the better perswading you to hearken to my counsell in this I will 1. give you two motives to seeke for soundnesse of judgement in this case â— I will shew you the meanes whereby you may rectifie your judgements in this point And for the Motives consider First That no man can truly repent of his sinne nor bee affected with it as he ought to be till he can rightly judge of sin know how heinous and dangerous a thing it is The will and affections of a man are swayed by his judgement Be ye changed by the renewing of your mind saith the Apostle Rom. 12.2 All saving repentance and change of the heart beginneth in the renewing and rectifying of the mind and judgement This will the better appeare if wee consider five things that are required in true repentance 1. Wee must cast away with loathing and detestation our sinnes as a man would cast away a menstruous and filthy ragge that by chance is fallen upon him and say to it get thee hence Esay 30.22 2. Wee must hate and abhorre
sin The Lord speaking of a small sin in comparison even of eating of meat that hee had in his ceremoniall law forbidden Levit. 11.10 saith that it should bee an abomination unto them And verse 43. hee giveth a good reason for it for hee telleth them that even a small sinne being wittingly committed would make them abominable unto him And have not we just cause to abhorre that that will cause the Lord to abhorre us 3. Wee must grieve and bee more troubled in our selves for offending God then for any worldly losse or affliction whatsoever Thâ—y shall mourne for him saith the Prophet Zach. 1â— 10 as one mourneth for his onely sonne and shall bee in bitternesse for him as one that is in bitternesse for his first borne 4. Wee must cry to him more earnestly and hearrily for pardon of our sinne then for the averting of any judgement or obtaining any other blessing whatsoever As David doth in this Psalme after Nathan had beene with him and threatned such heavy judgements against him and his house And Elihu reproveth Ioh. 36. â—1 For choosing iniquity rather then affliction A man that is wise and well advised will choose rather to endure any affliction then to commit any iniquity whatsoever 5. Lastly We must be more afraid of sin of offending God in the least thing then of any danger or evill in the world that can befall us Feare not their feare saith the Prophet Esa. 8.12 33. nor be afraid but let the Lord be you-feare and let him â—e your dread And who can possibly thus repent him of his sin that is not in his judgement fully perswaded how hainous and odious a thing every sin is Secondly Consider that till we can rightly judge of our sins Christ can profit us nothing He came to call none but sinners yea such as so know and can judge of their owne sins as that they are sicke at the heart with sorrow and trouble of mind for them Mat. 9.12 13. But of this point I shall have occasion to speake more in the next use Now the meanes whereby we may come to a right judgement of sin are five principally First Consider with thy selfe seriously that every sin is an offence and a contempt done against the infinite Majesty of the eternall God Against thee thee only have I sinned saith David here verse 4. And therefore it must needs bee a thing infinitely evill and dangerous Secondly Consider the onely punishment that the Lord in his righteous judgement hath appointed after this life for every sin is everlasting death in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone for evermore The wages of sinne of every sin is death saith the Apostle Rom. 6 2â— even eternall death Indignation and wrath tribulation and anguish saith hee Rom. 2.8 9. shall bee on every soule that doth evill And how great must that offence needes bee that the righteous God hath appointed such a punishment unto as no tongue can expresse no heart can conceive how great and how extreame it is Thirdly Thinke seriously of this that all the miseries of this life all the bitternesse we tast of in all our bodily paines and diseases in all the anguish and trouble of our minds in all our outward wants and distresses in the unseasonablenesse of the weather in all publique calamities come all from sinne Let no man deceive you with vaine words saith the Apostle Ephes. 5.6 or tell you it is nothing to be merry and wanton a little I would none did worse then so or it is nothing to use a little craft and fraud in buying and selling alas they that will live in the world must doe as the world doth let no man deceive you with such vaine words saith he for because of these things commeth the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience All our woe and misery commeth from our sinne so that there is no day passeth over our heads wherein the Lord doth not really teach us how to judge of sinne The Lords voice cryeth unto the city saith the Prophet Mic. 6.9 and the man of wisdome shall see thy name heare the red and who hath appointed it As if he had said By his rods and corrections the Lords voice cryeth unto men And though in some rare and extraordinary judgements God doth lift up his voice and cry lowder unto men then in others yet in every one of his judgements and corrections that do befall us the Lord cryeth thus to every one of us Tast and see in this what it is to sinne what it is to offend God Fourthly Consider of this that you have heard now in this Doctrine what a price was paid by thy Saviour to redeeme thee from thy sins even from the least of them Never did God so fully declare his hatred of sinne and how heinous a thing it is in his sight by all the judgements that he ever executed upon men or Angels as he did in the crosse of Christ and in that extreame abasement and humiliation that he did endure for us No if it were possible for us to see and feele the torments that the damned in hell doe endure yet could not that be so effectuall a meanes to perswade us what the true desert of sin is as the meditation of the crosse of Christ if God would please to give us hearts to behold it and meditate of it as we ought to doe They shall looke upon me whom they have pierced saith our Saviour Zach. 12.10 and then they shall mourne abundantly O if we could looke well upon Christ crucified but that can we never doe till the spirit of grace be powred upon us as the Prophet there speaketh it would not be possible for us to esteeme lightly of any sinne we could not choose but bee deepely affected with our owne iniquities Fiftly and lastly Because by reason of our naturall blindnesse and the marvellous cunning and power that the world and Satan have to bewitch us in this thing all these considerations and meanes can never prevaile with us till God open our eyes it must be the mighty worke of God specially in so profane an age as this is that must perswade us to judge rightly of sin Who hath beleeved our report say the Ministers of the Gospell Esa. 53.1 which may be applyed to this as well as to any other Doctrine that we teach in our ministery and to whom is the arme of the Lord revealed As if they had said Why do so few beleeve any thing we teach out of Gods Word touching the hainousnesse and danger of sin Surely because there be few upon whom the Lord is pleased to shew his mighty power in the opening of their eyes Therfore in the use of these or any other meanes for the rectifying of our judgement in this case we must cry unto God as Iob did Iob 13.23 Make me to know my transgression and my sin It is meet to be said unto God
Iohn 16.2 and whosoever killeth you will thinke he doth God service And unto Peter he saith Iohn 21.18 When thou shalt bee old thou shalt stretch forth thy hands and another shall gird thee and carry thee whither thou wouldst not Shall wee thinke his meaning was this Thus and thus will God correct and punish you for your sins Or were any sinnes that ever they committed the cause whereby God was moved to bring them to these afflictions No verily for hee telleth them all Matth. 10. â—2 that these things should befall them not for their sins but for his names sake And in speaking so to Peter hee signified to him by what dâ—ath hee should glorifie God as the Evangelist saith Iohn 21.19 The cause why Peter dyed so violent and shamefull a death was not any sinne of his but that hee might so glorifie God Secondly Neither are those afflictions that God inflicteth upon the faithfull for their sins properly to be accounted and called punishments but fatherly chastisements and corrections onely For all punishments to speake properly that God inâ—licteth upon any for sinne are curses and fruits of his wrath wherein hee seeketh not the good of the party that is punished but the glorifying of his owne justice upon him and satisfying his most righteous law as the judge doth in condemning and executing of malefactors In which respect also all Gods punishments are called evill things I make peace and create evill saith the Lord Esay 45.7 And shall there be evill in a city saith the Prophet Amos 3.6 and the Lord hath not done it But 1. all the afflictions of the faithfull are unto them blessings and not curses Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest ô Lord saith the Prophet Psalme 94 1â— and Iames 1.12 Blessed is the man that endureth tentation Blessed are yee when men shall revile you and persecute you rejoyce and be exceeding glad saith our Saviour Mat. 5.11 12. 2. They are fruits of his speciall love to them and not oâ— his wrath Whom the Lord loveth saith the Apostle Heb. 12.6 he chasteneth and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth As many as I love I rebuke chasten saith our Saviour Rev. 3 â—9 3 He seeketh their good in it and not their destruction or the satisfying of his law and glorifying of his justice upon them We know saith the Apostle Rom. 8.28 speaking there specially and purposely of the afflictions of the faithfull that all things worke together for good to them that love God When wee are judged saith the Apostle 1 Corinthians 11.32 wee are chastened of the Lord that wee should not be condemned with the world Every father usually in correcting his child seeketh nothing but his good in it Thou shalt beat him with the rod saith Salomon Proverbes 23.14 and shalt deliver his soule from hell He would not beate him but to doe him good But howsoever mortall parents faile oft in this they correct their children sometimes in a rage without respect to their good our heavenly father never doth The fathers of our flesh saith the Apostle Hebrewes 12.10 chastened us after their owne pleasure but hee for our profit that wee might bee partakers of his holinesse Yea if hee could procure their good their repentance their holinesse their keeping of them in awe and so from perishing any other way so well he would never scourge nor afflict them at all Behold I will melt them and try them saith the Lord Ieremy 9.7 for how shall I doe for the daughter of my people As if he had said How should I else keepe them from perishing how should I bring them to heaven if I should not deale thus with them And many of Gods people have beene able to say with David Psalme 119.71 from their owne experience It is good for me that I have beene afflicted Perijssem nisi perijssem I have received more good by my affliction then by any other thing in the world And thus have I answered this first objection that notwithstanding all the afflictions the faithfull endure in this life yet the pardon that Christ hath purchased for them by his bloud is most full and absolute they are perfectly discharged by it not onely from all their sins but also from the whole punishment that was due to them for sin But then it may be objected secondly If so soone as ever we be purged with hysope so soone as ever the bloud of Christ is applied to us by the spirit of God we be made perfectly cleane from all our sins as we have beene taught what need we and why are we commanded to pray daily unto God for the forgivenesse of oâ—r sinnes as our Saviour teacheth us to do Mat. 6.12 Have wee so full and absolute a pardon and yet must we sue and seeke for it all the daies of our life To this I answer Yes verily though Christ hath by his bloud purchased for us a most full and generall pardon yet must we sue to God for the forgivenesse of our sins every day First In respect of our sinnes formerly committed Remember not the sinnes of my youth nor my transgressions saith David Psalme 25.7 And ô remember not against us cryeth the Church Psalme 79.8 out former iniquities Which though the Lord hath forgiven and wee doe in some measure beleeve that they are forgiven yet our faith is so weake that wee have need to pray daily for increase of assurance of the forgivenesse of them David upon his repentance obtained a full and generall pardon from God of all his sinnes and hee did doubtlesse beleeve it to bee so for it had beene strange infidelity for him not to beleeve that which the Prophet of the Lord in the Lords name did so expressely and directly pronounce unto him 2 Sam. 12.13 The Lord hath put away thy sin thou shalt not die and yet because this faith of his concerning his pardon was but very weak he prayeth oft in this Psalme for pardon most earnestly ver 2 9 14. So that in this first respect our daily prayer for forgivenesse is no other in effect then that which the Apostles make Luk. 17.5 Lord increase our faith our assurance of pardon Secondly In respect of our present and daily sins For the best man that is falleth every day and oft every day into new sins And in respect of them yea even of the least of them we have need to renew our suit unto God for pardon every day As David doth Psal. 19.12 Clense thou me from secret faults What needs that will you say seeing the bloud of Christ once applyed by faith cleanseth us from all our sinnes as the Apostle speaketh 1 Ioh. 1.7 past and present and future too and when God pardoneth sin he pardoneth all at once To this I answer That though in respect of God and of the merit of Christs bloud so generall a pardon be purchased and given yet in respect of us in respect of the benefit
righteousnesse And this is that that I desire to exhort and perswade both my selfe and every one of you that you would be of the same mind that blessed Paul was of account of Christ as he did account of him labour as he did to win Christ and make him our own strive that we may be found in him covered and clothed in the robe of his righteousnesse And for the better enforcing of this so necessary an exhortation I will 1. Give you some Motives that may be forcible and effectuall to provoke and quicken your appetite unto Christ and to move you to hunger and thirst after him and his righteousnesse 2. Because nothing doth so much dull and deaden mens appetite unto Christ and keepe them from hungring and thirsting after him as doth this perswasion that they have him already sure enough they have already fed sufficiently upon him I will therefore shew you some Signes and notes out of Gods Word how this may be knowne 3. Lastly I will direct such as would faine win Christ as doe indeed hunger and thirst after him and his righteousnesse what Meanes they should use to get him and make him their own And for the Motives I will give you they are foure principally First Consider how wofull thy case will be when extreame affliction or death shall seize upon thee if thou be not in Christ if thou have not gotten this robe of righteousnesse before that time come Consider I say distinctly of this point First Certaine it is we shall not alwaies live in health and peace and prosperity as we now doe but a change will come affliction will come and cannot be avoided Man is borne unto trouble saith Eliphaz Iob 5.7 as the sparks flie upward Yea death will come certainely and cannot be avoided It is appointed saith the Apostle Heb. 9.27 decreed unto men unto all men that they shall once die Secondly How soone affliction and death will come or how suddenly no man can tell Man knoweth not his time saith Salomon Eccl. 9.12 as the fishes that are taken in an evill net and as the birds that are caught in the snare while they think least of it and are skipping and eating their meat securely so are the sonnes of men snared in an evill time when it falleth suddenly upon them Thirdly In what kind or measure any of us shall bee afflicted or by what kind of disease or death any of us shall end our daies is also most uncertaine to any of us and knowne onely to the Lord. The cup of affliction is in the hand of the Lord saith David Psalme 75.8 and it is he that mixeth and tempereth and poureth it out also as seemeth good unto him Fourthly The naturall and ordinary effect of extreame affliction is to awaken the conscience how sleepy or dead soever it had beene before And it will then bring a mans sins into his remembrance and the judgement that he is to goe unto When men are bound in setters saith Elihu Iob 36.8 9. and holden in the cords of affliction then hee showeth them their worke and their transgressions that they have exceeded in As if hee should say Then his manner is to set their sins in order before them and all the foule circumstances whereby they may bee aggravated See an example of this in Gods owne people When Iosephs brethren saw themselves taken for spies in Egypt and so in present danger of death Genesis 42.21 the sinne that they had committed against their brother many yeeres before came as fresh into their remembrance and lay heavy upon their conscience as if it had beene but newly done See also an example of this even in an heathen man When Adonibezek was in extreame paine and misery and saw he must dye then commeth his sinnes into his remembrance Iudges 2.7 Threescore and ten Kings having their thumbs and their great toes cut off saith hee gathered their meate under my table as I have done so God hath requited mee I know well that affliction nor sicknesse nor the grisly visage of death it selfe doth use to awaken the conscience of every man some through the fearefull judgement of God goe to hell in a sleepe The Lord hath powred upon them as the Prophet speaketh Esay 29.10 the spirit of dead sleepe and hath closed their eyes But yet this is the ordinary effect of extreame affliction and that that every one of us must looke for when the evill day shall come upon us our consciences will put us in mind of our sinnes as you see yea it will put us also in mind of the judgement we must goe unto and ever be ringing that in our eares that Salomon speaketh Ecclesi 11.9 Know thou that for all these things God will bring thee into judgement Fiftly If a man have not gotten faith and comfort in Christ before then he is in danger through extreamity of anguish and feare to be made utterly uncapable and unfit to receive comfort by him then though the best of Gods servants use their uttermost skill and endeavour to offer Christ and his merits unto them and to give them comfort in him When Moses came from God to the children of Israel with a most comfortable message it is said Exodus 6.9 they could not hearken unto him for anguish of spirit and for crueâ—l bondage Sixtly and lastly The man that is then without Christ without any assurance that hee is his must needs be in a most wofull estate For hee can have no hope of mercy from God For Christ is our onely hope as the Apostle calleth him 1 Tim. 1.1 And they that are without Christ have no hope saith hee Ephes. 2.12 O then let us count it our wisedome to seeke without delay to make Christ our owne before the evill day before death do seaze upon us This Motive the holy Ghost oft useth to rouze wicked men out of their carnall security And what will yee doe saith he Esay 10.3 in the day of visitation To whom will yee flye for helpe And Ieremy 13.21 What wilt thou say when hee shall punish thee Shall not sorrowes take thee as a woman in travaile And so may I say to you all beloved though you can be quiet and comfortable enough now in the dayes of your health and peace without Christ without all assurance that he is yours how will you do for comfort when affliction and death shall come What comfort can you have then without you have him made sure unto you Psal. 2.12 Kisse the Son lest he be angry and ye perish from the way when his wrath is kindled but a little Blessed are all they that put their trust in him On the other side The man that is in Christ and hath through him gotten his pardon and made his peace with God and that is cloathed with the robes of his righteousnesse may bee comfortable in the greatest affliction and even in the houre of death The raine descended saith our Saviour Matth
or am I a divell incarnate that I should prove so vile a wretch But though I be no Prophet to say so yet can I say with as great authority and warrant as though I were a Prophet that there is never a one of us here but may prove such a one before wee die And therefore we have need to feare and suspect our selves If any man shall object this is the manner of all your preaching to disquiet mens mindes with feares and doubts What cause have we thus to feare as long as we are sure we can never fall totally we cannot fall finally Iob. 5.24 He that beleeveth in Christ hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but hath passed from death to life I answer Happy is that soule that upon good ground can say he is sure of this But admit thou wert sure of that is it no cause of feare that thou moist for all this fall into so foule sins as thou hast heard of I tell thee that by falling into such sins First thou shalt greatly dishonour that God whose servant thou professest thy selfe to be and open the mouthes of his enemies to blaspheme his name as Nathan chargeth David to have done 2 Sam. 12.14 Secondly thou shalt greatly grieve thy heavenly father Forty yeares long was I grieved with this generation saith the Lord Psal. 95.10 Thirdly thou shalt make him thine enemy and provoke him to smite and plague thee thou knowest not how deepely They rebelled and vexed his holy spirit therefore was he turned to be their enemy and he sought against them saith the Prophet Esa 63.10 Take David for an instance and example of this The sword shall never depart from thy house because thou hast despised me saith the Lord by Nathan unto him 2 Sam. 12.10 Though thou breake not thy necke with these falls to the losse of thine everlasting life thou maist breake an arme or a leg to thy extreame anguish Fourthly though the seed of God will remaine in thee notwithstanding these sins yet wilt thou loose all the use and comfort of that grace that is in thee Psal. 51.12 Restore to me the joy of thy salvation that was gone 1 Thess. 5.19 thus farre forth the spirit may be quenched Fiftly thou maist bring on thyselfe by such fails the intollerable torment of a wounded spirit and who can beare that saith Solomon Pro. 18.14 Sixtly no man can tell thee how long thou maist continue in this uncomfortable and wretched estate Which is a thing that greatly aggravateth thy misery that thou maist say in this case as Psal. 74.9 There is not any that knoweth how long O then we have all great cause to feare these falls and not to be secure but to use all meanes we can to prevent such falls And the principall meanes are these First nourish in thy heart this feare of falling from God feare of sinning against him See how this is oft commended to us as a chiefe meane to keepe us from falling I will put my feare in their hearts that they shall not depart from me saith the Lord Ier. 32 40. Pro. 28.14 Blessed is the man that feareth alway Phil. 2.12 Worke out your salvation with feare and trembling The want of this even his presumptuous confidence was a chiefe cause of Peters fall Matth. 26.33.35.58 Secondly learne to make conscience even of the least sins Psal. 19.12 13. By the care he had to be cleansed of his secret sins and from every presumptuous sin he was sure he should be free from the great transgression Thirdly neglect no meanes of grace either publique or private but use them conscionably and daily If vision faile either through the Ministers fault or the peoples the people will decay Pro. 29.18 He that would not quench the spirit must not dâ—â—ise prophecyings that is the oft hearing of the Word preached saith the Apostle 1 Thess. 5.19 20. If we exhort not one another or our selves daily we shall be in danger to be hardned with the deceitfulnesse of sinne as he reacheth 〈◊〉 Heb. 3.13 Fourthly Pray daily to God that he would uphold thee So our Saviour teacheth us to pray daily Mat. 6.13 Lead us not into temptation but pull us by thy mighty arms from the evill one This was Davids prayer Ps. 119.116 11â— â—phold me according to thy word that I may live hold thou me up and I shall be safe The second use is to exhort us to be willing to die whensoever God shall be pleased to call us Sundry other motives there are to perswade us to this as full 2 Cor. 5.6 While we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord we shall never enjoy Christ fully till then Secondly while we live here we shall be subject to many sorrowes and vexations of spirit Every day will bring upon us one evill and occasion of sorrow or another Mat. 6.34 All teares shall never be wiped from our eyes while we live here Rev. 21.4 But this third is a principall that while we live here we are in a continuall possibility and danger of falling from God Till we die we can never be perfectly freed from our corruption nor cease from our owne workes as the Apostle speaketh Heb. 4.10 As the earthen vessels that were legally polluted could not be purged but by breaking Levit. 11.33 15.12 Till we die we can never be freed from Sathans assaults and tentations The life to come is the onely time of our full redemption Luk. 21.28 And consequently we know not how far we may fall so long as we live Death will free us perfectly from all our sins and corruptions Rom. 6.7 For he that is dead is freed from sin The third use is to exhort us to a care of perseverance to the end and not to content our selves in the good beginnings and proceedings we have hitherto made but to labour to finish our course with joy Act. 20.24 For 1 according to that we are at our end will God judge us When the righteous turneth away from his righteousnesse saith the Lord Ezek. 18.24 and committeth iniquity and doth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doth shall he live all his righteousnesse that he hath done shall not be mentioned in his trespasse that he hath trespassed and in his sins that he hath sinned in them shall he die 2. If we fall away we shall be in farre worse case then if we had never begun well 2 Pet. 2 21. It had beene better for them not to have knowne the way of righteousnesse then after they have knowne it to turne from the holy commandement delivered unto them And to that end let us strive to make sure to our selves the truth of our regeneration as the Apostle exhorteth us 2 Pet. 1.10 For they whose hearts are not upright may fall irrecoverably how good shewes soever they make as is evident in those that are compared to the stony ground Mar.
throne from the wrath of the Lambe Of the Lambe Why what cause have any to feare the Lambe He is so called in reference to the sacrifice of his body and soule that he offered to his father for the sins of men Iob 1.29 Behold the Lambe of God which taketh away the sins of the world What need men be afraid of the Lambe of God O the more that Christ hath done for sinners the more indignation and wrath tribulation and anguish will be upon every soule that hath despised so great mercy and taken incouragement thereby to sin and hath not been brought unto repentance by it Say thou not then any more my sins shall never trouble me because God is so mercifull and Christ hath died for sinners but rather let the looking upon him whom thou hast pierced cause thee to mourne as one mourneth for his onely sonne and to be in bitternesse as one that is in bitternesse for his first-borne as the Prophet saith it shall be with all such as have the spirit and any true knowledge and assurance of Gods mercy Zach. 12.10 There is yet a third cause why men are not troubled for their sinnes noâ— will be disquieted in their minds with the remembrance of them and that is examples they have observed and experience that they have had of Gods mercy in others I have my selfe will many a sinner say knowne many that were worse men then ever I was that never had any trouble of minde for their sinnes in life nor in death in their healths nor in their sicknesse and yet God was mercifull unto them they lived in Gods favour for they lived in credit and were well thought of and well beloved of their neighbours and they dyed in Gods favour for they died most quietly they shewed no feare or unwillingnesse at all to dye and to goe to God but had marvellous peace in their consciences and shewed great comfort in the assurance of their salvation Now for answer to this plea I say in generall as our Saviour doth Mat. 18.7 Woe be to the world because of offences Yea woe be unto the world even because of this offence for thousands have stumbled at it even this that men notoriously wicked have died so peaceably hath hardened infinite numbers in their sins and made them to thinke there is no great danger in them But to answer this plea in particular First This is no good argument such sinners lived in Gods swear because they lived in credit and in the love of their neighbours For 1 the Lord seeth not as man seeth as he telleth Samuel 1 Sam. 16.7 Men are apt to applaud them that live wealthily and merrily whatsoever their life be Psal. 49.18 Men will praise thee when thou dost well to thy selfe But so doth not God For as our Saviour saith Luke 16.15 that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God 2. Men are bound in charity to judge the best 1 Cor. 13.5 Charity thinketh no evill and to be afraid of judging and censuring others Be not many masters controulers or censurers saith the Apostle Iam. 2.3 knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation and to thinke of others according to the profession that they make and that they know by them and not to take upon them to judge their hearts It was no fault in the Apostles that they thought so well of Iudas and suspected themselves as much as him when Christ said one of them should betray him Matth. 26 2â— 3. The man whom wee have knowne to have beene a notorious sinner it may be hath beene foundly humbled for his sinne and shed many a teare for it though we know it not For this may be done in secret Zach. 12.14 Every family apart and their wives apart Secondly this is no good argument such sinners dyed in Gods favour because they died quietly and without all feare and seemed very comfortable and to have great assurance of their salvation For 1. It is possible for most wicked men to die very quietly and without all feare For of most wicked men it is said Psal. 73.4 5. There are no bands in their death they are not in trouble as other men 2. It is possible even for most wicked men to be passing well perswaded of their owne estate and that God is their God Mic. 3.11 Yet will they leane upon the Lord and say is not the Lord among us 3. God doth oft let wicked men scape scot free heere that he may reserve them to greater torment in hell 2 Pet. 2.9 The Lord knoweth how to reserve the unjust unto thâ— day of judgement to be punished at that day he will manifest his wrath upon them 4. Though we may not presume to judge of the finall estate of any such man because the worke of God in the conversion of a sinner is oft times secret and wonderfull Ioh. 3.8 The winde bloweth where it listeth and thou hearest the sound thereof but canst not tell whence it commeth and whither it goeth So is every one that is borne of God And God is able to worke saving repentance in them even after they are speechlesse and cannot expresse their repentance unto men Yet is the example fearefull when such as have had many witnesses of their sinnes have had no witnesses of their repentance the example of such is worthy to have a marke set upon it for others to take heed by as in the case of Absoloms death they laid a very great heape of stones upon him 2 Sam. 18.17 For 1 God doth never pardon any mans sins in whom he doth not worke repentance Acts 5.31 Christ gives repentance unto Israel and forgivenesse of sins 2 He first gives men the spirit of bondage before the spirit of adoption Rom. 8.15 Yee have not received the spirit of bondage againe to feare but the spirit of adoption 3. God useth to worke in those whom he gives repentance unto humiliation proportionable to the measure of their sinnes as we see in the case of Manasses 2 Chron. 33.12 He humbled himselfe greatly And Mary Magdalen wept so that she washed Christs feet with teares Luk 7.38 4 Where sinne hath beene notorious there repentance also should be notorious yea the true penitent will be glad and desirous to have as many witnesses of his repentance as of his sinnes as we see in David heere And in Paul 1 Tim. 1.13 I was a blasphemer and a persecutor and injurious but I obtained mercy 5 No judgement of God is so dreadfull as when he punisheth sinners with hardnesse of heart This was the judgement whereby God plagued Pharaoh of whom it is said that God raised him up of purpose that he might shew his power on him Rom. 9.17 Lecture XVIII On Psal. 51.1 2. March 7. 1625. FOlloweth the second use of the former Doctrine and that is for exhortation to perswade and stirre us all up to do as David doth heere even to
go into that dungeon must he be cast whence hee shall never get out till hee have paid the uttermost farthing as our Saviour speaketh in another case Matth. 5.26 With such men hell followed death at the heeles Rev. 6.8 The rich man so soone as he was dead went into the torments of hell Luke 16.22 23. Now how soone or how suddenly death may seaze upon us none of us can tell All men lye not long sicke before they dye nor are sicke at all Eccl. 9.12 Man knoweth not his time as the fishes that are taken in an evill net as the birds that are caught in the snare while they are playing and skipping and earing merrily so are the sonnes of men snared in an evill time when it falleth suddenly on them In which respect they that have not their sinnes pardoned must needs live in a continuall feare of death whensoever they thinke seriously upon it As the Apostle saith Heb. 2.15 Christ came to deliver them who through feare of death were all their life time subject to bondage Whereas the man that hath gotten his pardon need not feare death at all but may die in peace and say with Simeon Luke 2.29 Now Lord lettest thou thy servant depart in peace for mine eyes have seene thy salvation Yea may even looke him in the face when he commeth and insult over him as 1 Cor. 15.55 O death where is thy sting Secondly In respect had to the afflictions of this life For 1. Till our sins be pardoned there is no judgement we see or heare of but we have cause to feare it and to live continually in a certaine fearefall expectation of judgement as the Apostle speaketh Heb. 10.27 We have cause to looke for the curse of God in our selves and in our children and in our goods and in our good name in our bodies and in our minds For so hath God threatned by Moses Deut. 28.19 If thou wilt not observe to doe all his commandements and his statutes all these curses shall come upon thee and overtake thee 2. Till our sins be pardoned every affliction and judgement that doth befall us will be intollerable unto us will vexe and disquiet us so as we can with no patience and comfort beare it Sin is like unto old age that maketh a man so weake as even the grashopper will be a burden unto him as Solomon speaketh Ecclesiast 12.5 Or like a bile upon a mans backe or shoulder that maketh him unable to beare any thing This is the true cause of mens extreame impatience in every affliction not the burden or extreamity of the affliction so much as their owne galled backs the biles and sores that they have upon themselves their owne sins that are unpardoned and unsubdued in them And that which the Apostle speaketh of death 1. Cor. 15.56 the sting of death is sin may be said of every affliction and crosse sin is the only thing that maketh it sting and paine us so much as it doth Whereas on the other side when once we have gotten our pardon 1. We may be secure and void of the slavish feare of Gods judgements before they come As David when he had lifted up the light of his countenance upon him saith Psal. 4.8 I will both lay me downe in peace and sleep and 91.5 6. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terrour by night nor for the arrow that flyeth by day nor for the pestilence that walketh in darknesse nor for the destruction that wâ—isteth at noone day 2. When judgements and crosses doe come we shall be able to beare them with patience and comfort Prov. 18.14 The spirit of a man will sustaine his infirmitie Rom. 5.1 Being justified by faith wee have peace with God And then followeth verse 3. wee glory in tribulations also The third and last motive is from the respect had to the comforts we enjoy and desire to enjoy in this life For 1. Till our sins be pardoned we can have no assurance to obtaine of God any of the good things of this life Esa. 59.2 Your iniquities have separated betweene you and your God and your sinnes have hid his face from you that he will not heare 2. Till our sins be pardoned we can have no sound comfort in any of these blessings that we doe enjoy for we have them with Gods curse Vnto them that are defiled and unbelieving saith the Apostle Titus 1.15 is nothing pure Pro. 1 32. The prosperitie of fooles shall destroy them 3. Till our sins be pardoned nothing that we doe can please God Heb. 11.6 Without faith it is impossible to please God 4. Till our sins be pardoned there can be no grace nor goodnesse in us Ezek. 36.25 I will sprinkle cleane water upon you and ye shall be cleane from all your filthinesse then followeth verse 26. A new heart also will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh and verse 27. I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walke in my statutes And these five motives are in themselves effectuall and forcible enough to worke in every one of us a care to seeke and sue for the pardon of our sins and to seeke it earnestly and to seeke it speedily if God shall be pleased to worke with them For that is an undoubted truth confirmed by infinite examples in dayly experience which our Saviour teacheth Iohn 6.44 No man can come to me except my Father draw him And I may say to you as he doth in the next verse 45. Every one therefore that hath heard these things and hath learned of the Father will come to Christ the only purchaser and disposer of Gods pardons to get his pardon And now having finished the motives I come to shew you the meanes how this pardon may be obtained which is the second generall point I propounded for the enforcing of this exhortation And the meanes we must use are principally foure First The man that would obtaine of God the pardon for his sins must first bring his heart to a sense of his sins this is that that prepareth a man and maketh him capable of a pardon Thou that hast lived the civillest life that a man can lead till thou canst bring thy heart to be troubled and pained with feare and heavinesse for thy sins canst have no hope to get thy pardon Christ promiseth refreshing nor indeed calls nor giveth incouragement to any to come to him but onely to such as are weary and heavy laden Matth. 11.28 And he prosesseth that he was sent to proclaime the Lords Iubile and time of generall pardon and release to none but to the broken hearted and mourners Esay 61.1 3. And comparing himselfe to a good shepheard he saith Ezechiel 34.16 his office was to binde up that which is broken and strengthen that which was sicke but to destroy the fat and
of our death and of the change and alteration of our estate that we have cause to looke for is this that it would have great force to restraine from sinne and breed in us a care to please the Lord in all our waies This is plaine in that prayer of Moses Psal. 90.12 Teach us so to number our daies that is to consider how few they are that we may apply our hearts unto wisdome And on the other side Nothing hath more force to corrupt our hearts and lives then the putting out of our mind all thoughts of our death and of the evill day When David discribeth the most wicked man of whom he saith God is not in all his thoughts he is a very Atheist towards God his waies are alwaies grievous he is an oppressour and tyrant towards men Psal. 10.4 5. He giveth this for the reason of it verse 5 6. Thy judgements are farre above out of his sight He never discerneth nor thinketh of any judgements of God that are approaching He hath said in his heart I shall never be moved I shall never be in adversity And thus speaketh the Prophet also Amos 6.3 The putting farre away the evill day was the cause why they approached to the seate of violence The third and last benefit we may receive by thinking oft of our change of the evill day and of the troublesome times we have cause to looke for is this that it will make our afflictions and trialls yea death it selfe lesse bitter and terrible unto us it will make us better able with comfort and patience to beare them when they shall come For the suddennesse and unexpectednesse of any judgement maketh it farre more grievous and intollerable then otherwise it would be And so it is oft threatned as a circumstance that doth greatly aggravate Gods judgements upon wicked men Pro. 6.15 His calamity shall come suddenly suddenly shall he be broken without remedy And 1 Thess. 5.3 When they shall say peace and safety then sudden destruction commeth upon them So our Saviour having foretold the destruction of Ierusalem and of the Temple charged his Disciples of whom he did foresee some should live unto that day to take heed Luk. 21.34 that that day came not upon them at unawares Therefore also he so oft foretelleth them of his death and of the heavie times and troubles they were to looke for Matth. 24.25 Behold saith he I have told you before And why did he foretell them Surely that this knowing and thinking of them before might make them the lesse grievous unto them when they should come Iohn 16.4 These things have I told you that when the time shall come ye may remember that I told you of them And surely this is to be acknowledged as a great mercy of God that he striketh us not suddenly with our deadly stroke but hath given us many warnings he hath threatned us oft and shaken his rod at us fearefully hee hath long given us and doth daily give us so palpable signes of a desolation approaching as every naturall man that hath any braines in his head can take notice of it himselfe and speake of it to others But what is the use that we should make of all these warnings and of all these signes that God giveth us Surely wee should so thinke of the evill times that are at hand that wee may prepare our selves for them and fit our selves to beare them with patience and comfort when they shall come According to the speech of the Holy Ghost Pro. 22.3 A prudent man forseeth the evill and hideth himselfe provideth for his owne safety and comfort in the evill day And how that may be done you shall heare in those seven directions that follow Secondly He that would beare great troubles and afflictions patiently and comfortably when they shall come must before hand labour to weane his heart from the love of all earthly things and inure himselfe to beare patiently those ordinary losses and crosses that he is subject to in them If any man will come after me saith our blessed Saviour Luk. 9.23 and the Text saith he said these words to them all let him deny himselfe and take up his crosse daily and follow me The denying of our selves and taking up of our daily crosses will make us fit to follow Christ through thick and thin and even to endure the fiery triall for his sake It is good for a man saith the Church in their miserable captivity Lam. 3.27 that he beare the yoke in his youth that he have beene accustomed before great troubles come to beare small crosses to crosse and denie himselfe in his earthly contentments The holy Apostle professeth of himselfe 1 Cor. 15.31 that he did die daily by the daily crosses he did endure and willing forsaking of the comforts of this life he did learne to die and to part with them all willingly And he counselleth Timothy 2 Tim. 2.3 To endure hardnesse as a good souldier of Iesus Christ. Nothing maketh us so unwilling to die or to suffer any thing for Christs sake or to endure any great affliction as the overmuch love that we do beare unto these earthly things Therefore we shall find that our blessed Saviour when hee would prepare his Disciples for those heavie times that should come upon them after his death did beat upon no point so much in all his Sermons as this Mat. 10.37 He that loveth father or mother more then me is not worthy of me and he that loveth son or daughter more then me is not worthy of me And Luk. 14.26 If any man come to me and hate not his father and mother and wife children and brethren and sisters yea and his own life also that is love them not lesse then me or carry himselfe not towards them when they prove draw-backs from me as he would doe towards the thing he most hateth he cannot be my Disciple True it is we cannot be without these earthly comforts Your heavenly father knoweth that ye have need of all these things saith our Saviour Mat. 6.32 The Lord alloweth us the use yea the liberall use of them 1 Tim. 6.17 He giveth us richly all things to enjoy But the love of these things is a deadly enemy to grace specially to this grace of Christian patience The love of money saith the Apostle 1 Tim. 6.10 and that which he speaketh of the love of money may be said likewise of the love of any worldly thing as appeareth by comparing with this place that of 1 Iohn 2.15 The love of peace of ease of pleasure of credit of friends of good cheere and good cloathes is the root of all evill which while some have coveted after they have erred from the faith fallen quite from religion rather then they would suffer any thing for it If we would therefore make our selves fit either to die willingly or to endure persecution and trouble patiently and comfortably we must take heed of
strength in the soule as ever there was in any corporall food to strengthen the body My flesh is meat indeed saith our Saviour Ioh. 6.55 57 and my bloud is drink indeed he that eateth me even be shall live by me Wilt thou say then thou hast fed on Christ that hast received no strength by this food to resist tentation that hast not bin able to go in the strength of that meat forty dayes nor forty houres No no trust not to such a faith as this this will never abide the fornace of affliction nor beare thee up in it Secondly Let me apply this to the comfort of the weakest soule among you even to thy comfort that because of the weaknesse of thy faith tremblest when thou hearest of the troublesome times we are to looke for tremblest when thou thinkest of death ô sayest thou I shall never be able to endure in the evill day Yet hast thou truth of faith in thee though in great weaknes For 1. thou mournest unfeinedly for the weakenes of thy faith and desirest to beleeve all the promises of God and neglectest no meanes wherby thy faith may grow like to that poore man Mar. 9.24 2. This weake faith of thine hath drawne vertue from Christ whereby the issue and fountaine of thy corruption beginneth to be dryed up and is not so strong as once it was and wherby also thou hast received some strength even to resist tentation as Ioseph did Gen. 39.9 Be thou of good comfort certainly if thou hast the least measure and degree of true faith in thee thou shalt be able to beare troubles when they come much more patiently and comfortably then thou thinkest For be thou assured 1. That Christ will not so overcharge thee with tryals and afflictions as to smother and put out those weak beginnings of grace that he hath wrought in thee but will tender nourish them Mat. 12.20 2. The strength wherby any of Gods people are enabled to stand in the day of tryal is not their own but the Lords only Be strong in the Lord in the power of his might Ephe. 6.10 In the deepest sense of thine own weaknes learn to flie out of thy selfe to rely wholly upon the Lord on the power of his might Know his grace is sufficient for thee 2 Cor. 12.9 Yea thou shalt be holden up for God is able to make thee to stand Rom. 14.3.3 Remēber the promises God hath made unto his people in this case Ps. 29.11 The Lord will give strength to his people The Lord delighteth to shew his might most in them that are weakest in their owne sense 2 Cor. 12.9 Gods power is made perfect in weaknes So it is said of the holy Martyrs in the dayes of the Maccabees Heb. 11.34 that by faith out of weaknes they were made strong And that made the Apostle say from his owne experience 2 Cor. 12.10 When I am weake then am I strong And if Peter had bin weaker in his owne sense before-hand he had had more strength in the day of triall then he had Mar. 14.31 Lecture LIIII On Psalme 51.4 Aprill 17. 1627. THe sixt meanes to attaine unto true patience is Hope He that would with patience comfort stand in the evill day must get assurance before-hand that when he dyeth he shall go to heaven He that knoweth not what shall become of this soule when he dieth whether it shall go to heaven or to hell can never endure any great afflictions and troubles with patience and comfort Such men must needs be through feare of death as the Apostle speaketh Hebr. 2.15 all their life time but specially when any great troubles shall come upon them subject unto bondage miserable slavery But on the other side he that knoweth death is the worst that can befall him in the most troublesome times and that death will make him a happy man he that can say to his soule as Pro. 23.18 Surely there is an end and thine expectation shall not be cut off that man must needs be patient and comfortable in any affliction that can befall him We rejoyce even in tribulations saith the Apostle Rom. 5.23 in hope of the glory of God And 12.12 Rejoycing in hope patient in tribulation What maketh Gods people not onely so patient but even so comfortable and full of joy in all tribulations Surely the hope they have of the glory that is prepared for them they know the end will pay for all This made Moses to choose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God then to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season and to esteeme the reproach of Christ greater riches then the treasures of Egypt For saith the Apostle Hebrewes 11.25 26. hee had respect to the recompense of the reward Heaven was ever in his eye and that made him to endure the reproach of Christ so comfortably And of the faithfull Hebrewes hee saith 10.34 that they tooke joyfully the spoyling of their goods knowing in themselves inwardly assuredly feelingly that they had in heaven a better and an enduring substance In which respect this hope of heaven is compared to an helmet Ephe. 6.17 that defendeth the head and keepeth us from the most Capitall tentations and dangers Heb. 6.19 The Apostle calleth it the anker of the soule both sure and stedfast It will stay the soule and make it steady against all waves and tempests And in the same chapter verse 18. he compareth it to a place of refuge Wee have strong consolation saith he who have fled for refuge to take hold upon the hope that is set before us If a poore man that had all his wealth about him should fall into the hands of theeves and be robbed and rifled by them he must needs cry and take on pitifully for alas he is cleane undone he hath nothing left at home to succour him and his family withall But a rich man that hath store of money at home safe lockt up in his chest unlesse he be a base and miserable wretch will never complaine much nor be disquieted when he hath twenty or forty shillings taken from him For worldlings to rage and take on when they must loose their life or their peace or their wealth it is no marvell for alas when these things are gone they have nothing left they are quite undone But a Christian that knoweth and considereth what hee is borne unto and what hee shall enjoy when hee comes home so soone as he dyeth hee cannot doe so O then to apply this in a word as wee desire to endure with patience and comfort the troublesome times that are at hand let us in time make this sure to our selves that when we shall dye we shall go to heaven I know most men will say they hope well to do so but it standeth us upon to examine our hope whether it be such as will abide the tryall when we shall come into the fornace of affliction The hypocrites hope
drunkards nor railers nor extortioners shall inherit the kingdome of God They that will not or cannot forsake their sinnes how can they hope to go to heaven They that spend all their time in providing for this life but make no provision for heaven have no care to doe that that may yeeld them profit and increase when they shall come thither what hope can they have to go to heaven when they die Be not deceived saith the Apostle Gal. 6.7 8. God is not mocked for whatsoever a man soweth that shall be also reape he that soweth to the flesh shall of the flesh reape corruption but he that soweth to the spirit shall of the spirit reape everlasting life Seaventhly He that would with patience and comfort beare troubles and afflictions when they shall come and stand in the evill day must be carefull before hand to lead a godly life and to get a good conscience The godly man that maketh conscience of all his waies may seeme to get no good by it at all but to be rather a great looser by it in the world while the daies of peace and plenty and jollity do last Long peace and plenty hath in all ages bred in worldly men a humour to hate and scorne true piety Ye have shamed and dashed out of countenance saith the Lord Psal 14.6 the counsell of the poore and humbled Christian because the Lord is his refuge And Esa. 59.15 He that departeth from evill and dareth not do as other men do maketh himselfe a prey every body will be apt to do him wrong But shall we thinke that piety will never stand a man in more stead then thus even in this life Yes yes beloved When the evill day shall come the godly man shall find his labour hath not beene in vaine he shall certainely find more strength and comfort in that day then any other man can do Riches profit not in the day of wrath saith Solomon Pro. 11.4 but righteousnesse doth righteousnesse delivereth from death Vnto the upright saith David Psal. 112.4 there ariseth light in the darknesse comfort in time of greatest heavinesse Thy light shall rise in obscurity saith the Lord Esa. 58.10 When there shall be a palpable darknes in all the land of Egypt Gods people shall have light in their dwellings Exod. 10.22 23. and thy darknesse thy trouble and affliction shall be for comfort and joy as the noone day The Apostle mentioning the meanes whereby he was enabled to beare with such patience such afflictions necessities distresses stripes and imprisonments among others reckoneth this 2 Cor. 6.7 by the armour of righteousnesse on the right hand and on the left And speaking of all the parts of the Christian armour Ephes. 6.14 he calleth this the brest plate Certainely the testimony that our conscience shall give us that we have endeavoured in all our waies to please God will be as armour of proofe unto us in the evill day It will be so to us that are Ministers as we shall find in two notable examples The first is Ieremies Ier. 17.16 17 I have not hastened from being a pastour to follow thee as Ionah did neither have I desired the wofull day this wofull captivity that thou hast caused me to denounce that which came out of my lips was right before thee As if he had said I have dealt faithfully in my ministery And what followeth Be not a terrour unto me thou art my hope in the day of evill God will not be a terrour to such Ministers but their hope and comfort in the evill day The other example is Pauls 2 Cor. 1. Who having spoken of the troubles he had in Asia wherein saith he ver 8. we were pressed out of measure above strength insomuch that we despaired even of life telleth you verse 12. what it was that yeelded him comfort in that great distresse even the testimony of his conscience that in simplicty and godly sincerity not in fleshly wisdome as the flaunting Corinthian preachers did he had exercised himselfe in his Ministery And as this will be a great supporter to us that are Ministers in all our afflictions so will it certainely be to you that are Gods people also See this in the example of good Hezekiah who when the dolefull message was brought him from God by the Prophet to set his house in order for he must die and not live comforteth himselfe in this testimony of his conscience Esa. 38.3 Remember now O Lord I beseech thee how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart This will comfort a man on his death bed And so our Saviour assureth us Matth. 7.24 25. that he that heareth the Word and doth it maketh conscience to practise what he knoweth is like the wise man that built his house upon a rock and though the raine fall and the winds blow and the flouds beate upon him that is the most sore and violent tentations or afflictions come that can come yet shal he be able to stand and abide them all O thinke of this you that are so carelesse of your practise carelesse of your consciences whose religion standeth onely in hearing and in a profession of the truth certainely when the evill day shall come you will be found to be foolish builders that have built upon the sand when the raine shall fall and the winds blow and the flouds beate upon you when great troubles and afflictions shall come upon you you will never be able to stand out you must needs fall and sinke under them and your fall will be great as our Saviour speaketh there Matth. 7.26 â—7 The eight and last meanes whereby this grace of Christian patience to beare all troubles and afflictions comfortably may be obtained is prayer If any man lack wisdome saith the Apostle Iam. 1.5 and by wisdome he meaneth patience in that place let him aske of God that giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not and it shall be given him Heere is a plaine promise you see And the Apostle when he had exhorted the Romanes Rom. 12.12 to be patient in tribulation he addeth immediatly continuing instant in prayer Instant and earnest prayer and continuing in it is the meanes to make us patient in tribulation So speaking of the compleat armour whereby a Christian may be made able to beare and stand out in the evill day he nameth this as a principall part of it Ephes. 6.18 Praying alwaies not by fits and starts with all prayer and supplication according as our own and the Churches various necessities shall require in the spirit fervently not formally and with lip labour onely watching thereunto against distractions and wandring thoughts with all perseverance holding out and not giving over when we speed not at the first This was the way whereby Iob sought strength to beare his afflictions Iob 16.20 My friends scorne me but mine eye poureth out teares unto God And David when many of his mortall enemies compassed him about
so long as they live How fearefull falls have many of Gods worthies taken in their latter times Davids first wayes are commended 2 Chron 17.3 which implyeth that his last dayes were not so good No no in his latter time hee fell as wee have heard fearefully The like is noted of Solomon 1 Kings 11.4 And of Asa 2 Chron. 16.10.12 And of Iehoshaphat 2 Chron. 20.35 For 1. while wee are in this world we are never out of Satans danger For hee is the prince of this world Iohn 14.30 2. That fountaine of corruption that is in our vile natures will never be drawn dry while we live here this root of bitternesse will never be stocked up nor killed there can never be a perfect cure made of that filthy leprosie that is run over our whole nature so long as this life lasteth Therefore are the corruptions of our nature called our members that are upon the earth Col 3 5. and worldly lusts Titus 2.12 because while wee are here upon the earth while wee live in this world we can never be rid of them The Apostle compareth himselfe and the best of Gods servants to earthen vessels 2 Cor. 4.7 And the earthen vessells that were defiled with any legall pollution could not bee sufficiently purged till they were quite broken in pieces as you shall see Levit. 11.33 and 15.12 To teach us that wee can never bee perfectly cleansed from the filthinesse of our nature till we be broken in pieces by death We have a double righteousnes by Christ as we had a double unrighteousnes from Adam the one imputed to our justification and by that wee are already perfectly cleansed from all our sins as the Apostle speaketh 1 Iohn 1.7 the other inherent in our sanctification and that is not yet perfect as the Apostle speaketh Rom. 5.49 As by one mans disobedience many were made sinners How Not by imputation only for of that hee had spoken verse 18. so by the obedience of one many shall bee made righteous They are not yet but they shall bee When shall they be so Surely after this life is ended As the Apostle calleth the faithfull departed Hebr. 12 2â— The spirits of just men that are made perfect The best mans sanctification is not perfect here the holiest man that is is not perfectly cleansed while hee liveth but hath much filthinesse remaining in him Prov. â—0 9. Who can say I have made my heart cleane I am pure from my sinne We may doe much in the worke of mortification by such meanes as I have told you Gâ—â—s spirit in the word hath directed us unto wee may keepe it from reigning in our mortall bodies as the Apostle exhorteth us Rom. 6.12 but so long as these mortall bodies have life in them so long will our sins have life in them Though it raigne not in us as a King so as wee obey it willingly yet it keepeth us in bondage as a tyrant doth his captives and slaves as the Apostle complaineth Rom. 7.23 It brought him into captivity Now when death commeth it and nothing but it will set us free from this bondage Hee that is dead saith the Apostle Rom. 6.7 is freed from sinne Death will free us from all danger and possibility of offending God and falling away from him then may it bee said of our sins as Moses saith of the Aegyptians Exod. 14.13 Yee shall see them againe no more for ever And what child of God is there that would not even in this respect bee willing to dye When Ioseph was in prison though he wanted nothing there but had all at command Gen. 39.22 23. yet see how earnest he was with Pharaohs chiefe Butler to helpe him to his liberty Genes 40.14 Thinke on me when it shall bee well with thee and shew kindnesse I pray thee unto mee and make mention of me unto Pharaoh and bring mee out of this house I know well there may bee in the dearest of Gods servants an unwillingnesse and feare to dye as there was in Ieremiah Ier 37.20 Our Saviour fore-warning Peter of the manner of his death telleth him Iohn 21.18 he should be carried whither he would not Whereby it appeareth that even in the blessed Martyrs there hath beene some unwillingnesse to dye Though Lots righteous soule was vexed day by day while he lived in Sodom 2 Pet. 2.8 yet ô how he lingred when God would take him from thence Gen. 19.16 Even the Saints of God who while they live in this world this Sodom are dayly vexed and disquieted with their owne corruptions are not so willing to leave this world as they should bee When Cyrus made proclamation for the Iewes that who so would might returne from the land of their captivity it is said Ezra 1.5 none were willing to leave Babylon but those whose spirits God had raised up to goe Though we know this world is as Babylon to us the land of our captivity and bondage yet till God raise up our spirits by his grace we can never be willing to leave it but shall rather be desirous still to serve in this bondage as wee may also see Exodus 14.12 And great reason there is for this 1. Death is a parting of two most deare and inward and ancient friends When David and Ionathan were to depart one from another for a while ô how grievous was their parting 1 Sam. 20 41. But the soule and the body have bin more inward and ancient friends then ever Ionathan and David were no marvell therefore though their parting be painfull and grievous 2. The best of Gods children doe beleeve but in part Though the spirit be ready the flesh is weake as our Saviour speaketh Matth. 26.41 But though there be some unwillingnesse in the best to dye yet they know it is their fault and sin to be so they know they ought to be willing upon this ground even in this their spirit in them lusteth against the flesh as the Apostle speaketh Galat. 5.17 Yea they overcome this unwillingnesse in the end according to that promise Psal. 29.11 The Lord will give strength unto his people the Lord will blesse his people with peace And certainely hee that desireth not that striveth not to be willing to dye even upon this ground because death and nothing but death will perfect the worke of mortification in him hath just cause to suspect that there is no truth of saving grace in him no sense of the vile corruption of his nature it is no bondage unto him Lecture LXVI On Psalme 51.5 August 7. 1629. THe seventh and last Meanes of Mortification is this He that desireth to mortifie and subdue any corruption that is strongest in him must flee to Christ by faith for strength against it he must exercise and make use of his faith for the mortifying of it and he shall find great force in it this way All other meanes we have heard of are in vaine without this and this will do the deed when
from them about indifferent things Rom. 14.6 He that regardeth a day regardeth it unto the Lord and he that regardeth not a day unto the Lord he regardeth it not As if hee had said He doth it in obedience unto God and out of a care to please him therefore he is no hypocrite Thus may a man get a comfortable assurance to himselfe of the uprightnesse of his owne heart in every good thing he doth if he doe it to the Lord if he serve God in that that he doth if he doe it in obedience unto him the intent of his heart be in it to please God If we did thus when we preach and heare when we receive the Sacrament when we pray or sing Psalmes there is never a one of these duties but would yeeld as much more comfort then they doe Thus did Paul in preaching As we were allowed of God saith he 1 Thess. 2.4 to be put in trust with the Gospell even so we speake not as pleasing men but God which trieth our hearts Thus did Gods people in receiving of the Sacrament 2 Chron 30.19 They prepared their hearts to seeke God in that ordinance and so did Iosiah 2 Chron 35.1 He kept a Passeover to the Lord. So the Apostle requireth us to doe in singing of Psalmes Ephes. 5.19 make melody in your hearts to the Lord. Yea even in the duties we performe unto men in our almesdeeds in the labours of our ordinary callings we may get comfortable assurance to our selves of the uprightnesse of our hearts if we do them to the Lord we respect and serve God in them we doe them in obedience and care to please him Be not slothfull to doe service saith the Apostle Rom. 12.11 he meaneth one to another as appeareth verse 10. servent in spirit serving the Lord. As if hee had said even in the service ye doe to men serve the Lord. So in almes-deeds Pro. 3.9 10. Honour the Lord with thy substance and with the first fruits of all thine increase so shall thy barnes bee filled with plenty and thy presses shall burst out with new wine And 19.17 Hee that hath pity on the poore lendeth unto the Lord. So speaketh the Apostle to comfort poore servants that had infidells unto their masters Whatsoever ye doe saith he Col. 3.23 24. doe it as unto the Lord and not unto men As if he had said looke to God in it doe it in conscience and obedience unto him content your selves with this that he is pleased with that you do Knowing that of the Lord you shall receive the reward of inheritance for you serve the Lord Christ. As if hee had said Whatsoever good thing any man doth as a service unto God hee shall be sure to bee rewarded for it God will pay his servants their wages certainely And in this respect of all good duties that a Christian can performe those will yeeld him greatest comfort and assurance of the sincerity of his heart wherein there is least danger of having any other respect then unto the Lord onely I will instance in three sorts of those duties First Of all kinds of liberality that that is shewed to the poore will give us most assurance of our sincerity When thou makest a feast saith our Saviour Luk. 14.13 14 call the poore the maimed the lame the blind and thou shalt be blessed foe they cannot recompense thee for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just Secondly Of all love and kindnesse that is the surest signe of uprightnesse and truth of grace which we shew to our enemies and to such Christians as are poore and in whom we see sundry infirmities I say unto you saith our Saviour Mat. 5.44 45. love your enemies blesse them that curse you do good to them that hate you and pray for them that despitefully use you persecute you that you may be that is manifest your selves to be the children of your heavenly father So Mat. 10.42 Whosoever shall give to drinke unto one of these little ones contemptible for their poore estate contemptible for their infirmities a cup of cold water onely in the name of a Disciple verily I say unto you he shall in no wise lose his reward Thirdly and lastly Of all duties both of piety and charity those that are performed in secret will give a man more assurance of the uprightnesse of his heart then those will doe that are performed in the sight and presence of others When thou doest almes saith our Saviour Mat. 6.3 let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doth And verse 6. When thou prayest enter into thy closet and when thou hast shut thy dore pray to thy father which is in secret The Prophet speaking of the sincerity and soundnesse of repentance that the Gospell should worke in the faithfull speaketh thus Zach. 12.12 The land shall mourne every family apart and their wives apart True it is there be other respects for which it is not onely lawfull but fit and necessary also for a man both to pray and give almes and to mourne for sinne so as others may take notice of it but in this respect for giving us assurance of the uprightnesse of our hearts they can never bee so well done as in secret nay they cannot bee done in sincerity of heart if they be done onely openly and not in secret also O then beloved let every one of us examine our selves oft in this point and in every good duty we doe aske our owne hearts that question that our Saviour did Andrew and his fellow Iohn 1.38 What seekest thou What aimest thou at What end dost thou propound to thy selfe in doing these things Let us all strive in our preaching and hearing in our praying and every other good thing we doe to doe it unto the Lord as a service unto him in obedience and care to please him The Apostle telleth us 2 Cor. 5.15 that Christ died for all that they which live should not hence forth that is to say from the time that they have given their names unto Christ and beleeve in him live unto themselves but unto him which died for them And speaking of all the faithfull he saith Rom. 14.7 8. None of us liveth to himselfe nor dieth to himselfe for whether we live we live unto the Lord and whether we die we die unto the Lord. O that we could so say of our selves that none of us liveth unto himselfe but to the Lord for then we might bee sure we should not die unto our selves but to the Lord. But what hope is there that he that hath lived onely to himselfe hath sought himselfe onely and had no respect to God no care to please or honour him all his life long should die unto the Lord should please the Lord in his death or that the Lord should then have any respect unto him Well certainely of most mens best workes and duties that they have at any time performed that may
transgresse maliciouslly saith David Psalme 59.5 Peter tansgressed but not maliciously he did unfeinedly love Christ in his heart even then when hee did so deny him No regenerate man committeth any sinne so sinfully with so bad an heart as the unregenerate man doth nay he cannot sinne with the full sway and consent of his will Whosoever is borne of God saith the Apostle 1 Iohn 3.9 doth not commit sinne for his seed remaineth in him and hee cannot sinne because hee is borne of God As though he should have said Hee cannot sinne as the other man doth In every sinne that through frailty he falleth into the spirit will lust against the flesh as the Apostle speaketh Galat. 5.17 The seed of God that remaineth in him the regenerate part will make some resistance to the flesh certainely though it be sometimes so weake as the party himselfe can scarcely be able to discerne it So that you plainly see that though in respect of the outward act of sinne there be no apparent difference to be discerned betweene the regenerate the wicked man yet certainly in the manner and inward disposition of their hearts in sinning there is a great wide difference betweene them And thus I have proved to you the first point I propounded unto you That the sins of the regenerate are not nor can be in themselves and in their owne nature so great and hainous as the sins of the unregenerate and wicked men are Secondly The sins of the regenerate man are not in sundry respects so dangerous unto him as the sins of the unregenerate and wicked man are Foure notable differences there are in this respect betweene their sins First Whereas the least sinnes of the wicked and unregenerate man shall be laid to his charge and hee shall give account unto God for them For all these things saith Solomon Eccles. 11.9 God will bring thee into judgement For every idle word that they speake saith our Saviour Matth. 12.36 they must give account at the day of judgement The infirmities the daily and small offences of the regenerate such as the best are subject to and cannot in this life be freed from In many things saith the Apostle Iam 3.2 we offend all such as either through ignorance or frailty they are apt to slip into such as themselves discerne and bewaile and strive against the Lord is so farre from entring into judgement with his servants for such as that hee will never impute them or take notice of them Of these sinnes it is that David speaketh Psalme 130.3 If thou Lord shouldst marke iniquities ô Lord who shall stand And the Prophet Micah 7.18 Who is a God like unto thee that pardoneth iniquitie and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage And the Lord himselfe Mal. 3.17 I will spare them as a man spareth his owne sonne that serveth him Secondly Whereas none of the sinnes of the unregenerate if he so continue shall ever bee pardoned He that beleeveth not saith our Saviour Iohn 3.18 is condemned already because hee beleeveth not in the name of the onely begotten sonne of God The most grosse and hainous sinnes that any man that is truly regenerate doth commit for them there is hope and promise of pardon There is no condemnation saith the Apostle Romans 8.1 to them that are in Christ Iesus And 1 Iohn 2.1 2. If any man sinne wee have an advocate with the father Iesus Christ the righteous and he is the propitiation for our sinnes Thirdly Whereas no regenerate man can be assured that he shall ever be able to repent of the sinnes he hath committed For 1. He hath in himselfe no principle of repentance I meane hath in himselfe nothing that may helpe him to recover himselfe when hee is fallen repentance is not in his owne power but is the speciall gift of God Christ is hee onely that giveth repentance to Israel and forgivenesse of sins as the Apostle speaketh Act. 5.31 2. He hath no certain promise that God wil ever give him grace to repent after he hath sinned For being without Christ he is a stranger to the covenants of promise and hath nothing to doe with them as the Apostle speaketh Ephes. 2 1◠It is farre otherwise with the regenerate man No such child of God being regenerate can fall so fearefully or dangerously but hee shall certainely rise againe and be renewed againe by repentance Of him that may truly be sayd that David speaketh in another sense Psalme 37 24 Though hee fall he shall not be utterly cast downe For 1. He hath in him the principle of repentance that that will helpe him to recover himselfe The seed of God remaineth in him as the Apostle saith 1 Iohn 3 9. That seed that habit of grace is immortall and incorruptible as the Apostle calleth it 1 Peter 1.23 It is living water it is in him as a well of water springing up unto everlasting life as our Saviour speaketh Iohn 4.14 2. The Lord whose onely worke it is to raise up them that are bowed downe as David singed to his praise Psalme 145.14 hath promised that hee shall not dye in his sinnes but he will restore him and raise him up by repentance I will heale their back sliding saith the Lord. Hosea 14 ◠and againe verse 7 they that dwell under his shadow that ever were in his favour if they happen through frailtie to goe astray from God they shall returne they shall revive as the corne which though it seeme sometimes by water sometimes by frosts to be quite dead yet in due time it reviveth againe and becommeth fruitfull The unbeleever shall dye in his sinnes as our Saviour speaketh Iohn 8 24. but so can hee never doe that truly beleeves I am the resurrection and the life saith he Iohn 11 25 6 hee that beleeveth in mee though hee were dead yet shall hee live and whosoever liveth and beleeveth in me shall never dye Which though it were spoken by him upon the occasion of the bodily death and resurrection of Lazarus yet is not to be restrained unto that but is to be understood of the spirituall life and resurrection also Marke three things I beseech you in this speech of our blessed Saviour 1. Whosoever beleeveth in mee saith hee shall never dye As if hee had said that spirituall life that life of grace which hee hath received from mee is permanent ◠That hee saith Hee that beleeveth in mee though hee were dead yet shall he live As if he had said If it were possible for such a one to become starke dead utterly to loose the life of grace if this I say were possible yet shall hee live and bee revived againe 3. Lastly Marke the reason that Christ giveth for it I am the resurrection and the life saith hee As if he should say I am able to raise and restore unto life both the body and the soule yea it is mine office and honour to doe it Hee that
not wont to winke at in them he is wont to correct them sharply for such sins Shall I instance in some few examples for this And indeed how should I spend the time more profitably in so secure an age as this First I will not stand upon the example of David how sharply God scourged him for those sins which he bewaileth in this Psalme with what changes and armies of sorrowes and plagues as Iob speaketh cap. 10.17 he followed him ever after all the dayes of his life For you may say his were most presumptuous and notorious sins such as few that were ever truly regenerate have fallen into I will therefore come to the second example wherein I will couple him and good Hezechiah together What say you to that foolish pride they shewed the one in numbring the people the other in shewing all his treasures to the Embassadours of the King of Babell O how severe was God in his judgments against them both even for this sin Of David it is said 1 Chron 21.14 that God slew of his subjects for that seventy thousand men And of Hezechiah it is said â— Chron 32.25 that for that sinne there was wrath upon him and upon Iudah and Ierusalem But you will say also that this was a presumptuous sin O that we would learne yet from this example how unable God is to brooke or beare with presumptuous sinne though it be but in heart in his deerest children But let us come to a third example What say you then to the sin of Aaron and Moses when they being bidden to speake onely to the rocke and promised that it should yeeld water enough for all the campe did but doubt a little and stagger at that promise and instead of speaking onely to the rocke smote it twice you shall see the story Numb 20.8 1â— and Moses in a passion spake unadvisedly with his lips as the Psalmist speaketh Psalme 106.33 Certainly this was but a frailtie in them no presumptuous sin and therefore you shall find the Prophet there Psalme 136.32 33. layeth that fault on the people rather then on them and so doth Moses himselfe also Deut 1.37 And yet see how angry the Lord was with them even for this sin Because of this he would by no meanes be intreated to let them goe into the land of promise though Moses earnestly besought him he would not heare him The Lord was wroth with mee saith he Deut. 3.26 and would not heare me but charged him to speake no more unto him of that matter O but you will say though this was but a sin of frailtie yet it was a scandalous sin True it was so indeed And the Lord alledgeth that for the cause why he was so provoked by it because it was done openly to the scandall of the people Numb 20.12 Then learne by this example how severe God will be in his judgements upon his people for scandalous sins But what say you then to Moses his delaying of the circumcision of his sonne to old Elyes bearing too much with his lewd sonnes and the faithfull Corinthians going to the Communion without care to prepare and examine themselves before Certainly these were but sins of carelesnesse and negligence And yet see how severe God was in his judgements against them even for these sins The Lord met Moses in the Inne and sought to kill him saith the text Exod. 4.24 The Lord did not only bring old Ely to a violent and strange death he brake his necke 1 Sam. 4 18. but he plagued his whole house and posteritie for ever for that sin in a most fearefull manner 1 Sam. 2.31 33 and cap. 3.11.14 The Lord sent a pestilence and mortality among the faithfull Corinthians even for this sin For this cause many are weake and sickly among you and many sleepe saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 11.30 Behold how God hateth and will punish his owne people even for their negligences and carelesnesse if they judge not themselves for it and make conscience of it But yet there is a third degree that sheweth much more how odious the sins of his owne people are unto the Lord. For of the regenerate of Gods owne people it is said that they may so sin as they may make their very persons odious and hatefull unto God they may make their God their enemy They rebelled and vexed his holy spirit saith the Prophet Esa. 6â— 10 speaking of the Church of God in the wildernesse therefore hee was turned to bee their enemy When God heard this that is when he understood this that they fell into idolatry for that was the sin that so provoked him then as you may see vers 58. hee was wroth saith the Psalmist Psalme 78.59 and greatly abhorred Israel Though the Lord can beare with many sins in his people or though he beare not with them yet can correct them only for them and love them never the worse as you know parents oft-times doe yet may Gods children fall into such sins as will even make them odious unto their father These are things which defile a man and will make him loathsome saith our Saviour Mat. 15.20 What are those things That he telleth us verse 19. Murders adulteries fornications thefts false witnesse blasphemies How can that be will you say Whom the Lord once loveth in Christ he loveth for ever I have loved thee saith the Lord to his people Ier. 31.3 with an everlasting love I answer That is most true Yet may his children so provoke him that though he doe not quite disinherite them or cease to be a father to them yet will he shew them no countenance or fatherly affection at all As David so loathed Absalom for murthering his brother that though he continued a fatherly affection towards him still yea and after that too when he had done far worse yet he could not abide to see him Let him turne to his owne house and let him not see my face saith he 2 Sam. 14 â—4 A Christian may by his sin cause his father so to loath him as it may be he shall never have good countenance of him againe he shall never see his face with comfort while he liveth His adoption the right and title he hath thereby to the word and Sacraments to Christ and vnto heaven the comfort I say of all these and of all the priviledges the 〈◊〉 he might make of them he shall loose As Vzzia when he fell into a leprosie lost not his kingdome the right title he had unto it therby but he lost the use and execution of his regall authoritie to the very day of his death as we read â— Chron. 26.21 Of Asa we read that though he dyed the child of God as appeareth both by that which is said of him in his life time 1 Kin. 15.14 that his heart was perfect with the Lord all his dayes and also by the testimonie is given of him twice after his death 2 Chron. 20.32 and 21.12
of a scorpion when he stingeth a manâ— so intolerable as men shall seeke death and shall not find it shall desire to dye and death shall flyâ— from them Marke but foure Doctrines which they teach and this will be evident unto you 1. Their Doctrine of justification that a man must be justified in Gods sight by a righteousnesse inherent in himselfe and by his good workes a broken reed God knoweth for a weary and fainting soule to rest upon 2 Their Doctrine of purgatory that when men dye there is a fire prepared for them in purgatory that their soules must goe to and remaine in no man knoweth how many hundred yeares which fire is no lesse painful intolerable then the fire of hell is 3. Their Doctrine of doubting that no man can be in this life certain that he is in the state of grace hope well he may but sure he can never be that his sins are so forgiven that they shal never be laid to his charge againe he must be in doubt continually nay it is sin and blasphemy say they for any man to say he is certain of his salvation 4. Lastly Their Doctrine of saving justifying faith that it is nothing but a perswasion of the mind that whatsoever God hath revealed is undoubtedly true which we have learned out of the Apostle is in the devils themselves That speciall faith that applyeth Christ and his merits particularly to every beleever that hath in it an affiance of the heart a resting upon Christ for a mans owne salvation this bloud of sprinkling that you have now heard of that they disdaine and scoffe at and persecute as vaine presumption Alas how can these poore wretches that receive these teachers that beleeve these Doctrines have any comfort in death How can they chuse but be then in intolerable terrour and torment of conscience certainly many Papists are so and all would bee were it not that they are made drunke with a wine of spirituall fornication which the whoore of Babylon hath made them to drink of as the spirit of God in Rev. 17. â— hath fore-told it should be And who would wonder to see senslesnesse and stupidity in a drunken man O therefore beloved 1. Pity your friends and kinsmen that are seduced by these wretched teachers do what you can to reclame them 2. Consider how small cause there is that we have so long enjoyed professed the Gospel which is the only way of peace as Zachary calleth it Lu. 1.79 And of which the Lord hath so oft spoken by his spirit to our hearts as he did Esa. 28.12 This is the rest wherwith yâ— mâ—y cause the wâ—ary to rest this is the refreshing As if he had said this is the Doctrine wherin the weariest faintest and most afflicted soule may find rest and refreshing How small cause is there I say that wee should now grow weary of the Gospel entertaine thoughts with those rebels Num. 14.4 of returning into that Egypt againe that house of bondage Exod. 13.3 where no true rest or comfort is to be found for the conscience Nay consider 3. how just cause of feare we have lest the Lord because we have lost our first love to him his blessed Gospel will remove our candlesticke deprive us of it as he threatneth Ephesus Rev. 2.4 5. And take heed we grow not weary of him as he chargeth Israel Esa. 43.22 and loath his Gospel lest he loath us and grow weary of us and spew us out as he threatneth the Laodiceaus that had lost their zeale Rev. 3.16 And let us take heed of doting upon antichrist his altars and his images his apish ceremonies or any part of his damnable doctrines left the Lord let antichrist enter and prevaile againe in this land that we may know by wofull experience the difference of his service the service of Christ the difference betweene popery and the Gospell as the Lord threatned his people 2. Chr. 1â— 8 The second use that this Doctrine serveth unto is to exhort us that seeing none can have comfort in the blood of Christ till it be sprinkled upon him and applyed to him till the spirit of God have made him to know it belongeth unto him that therfore every one of us would labour to find that it is so with himselfe that we would give no rest to our selves till wee find we have our part in this blood of sprinkling till the spirit of God have applyed it unto us assured us that it all the vertue and merit of it belongeth unto us O beloved 1. Content not thy selfe to know that God loveth thee so far as he giveth thee life and health he letteth thee live in peace and wealth and credit here alas hee loved Cain and Dives and many more that now fry in hell so far but labour to know that he loved thee so farre as that he gave his sonne to dye for thee let no fruit of Gods love so satisfie thee but that In this was manifested the love of God towards us saith the Apostle 1 Ioh 4 9 10. because that God sent his only begotten son into the world that wee might live through him herein is love No fruit of Gods love is worth the having is worth the speaking of in comparison of this Neither content thy selfe to know this in generall that God so loved the world that he gave his Sonne to redeeme all that can beleeve in him but labour to know in particular that which Paul knew Gal. 2.20 that he loved thee and gave himselfe for thee 3. Neither content thy selfe to thinke and hope well that Christ died for thee Go not by thinking in this case but make this sure to thy heart upon good grounds Give diligence to make thy calling and election sure saith the Apostle 2 Pet. 1.10 Neither 4 content thy selfe to say carelesly though not yet sure of this I hope I shall be before I die I hope God will purge mee with hysope one day and sprinkle this bloud of his Son upon my heart but labour speedily and without delay to get this assurance and cry with the Church unto God Psal. 90.14 O satisfie us early with thy mercy that wee may rejoyce and be glad all our daies But to inforce this so necessary an exhortation both upon my selfe and you I will 1 give you some Motives to perswade you to seeke this assurance 2 I will give you some signes whereby you may discerne whether you have yet obtained it or no. 3 I will shew the meanes that must be used for the attaining to it And for Motives I will give you but two the one taken from the possibility of attaining in this life to this assurance and the other from the necessity and benefit of it For the first Know this beloved that though 1 It be a very difficult thing to get this assurance and few attaine to it 2 They that have attained
hearken unto them and examine diligently by them whether his assurance be sound or no whether God have purged him with hysope and sprinkled the bloud of Christ upon his heart and assured him it is his or whether he hath only done it himselfe or Satan hath done it for him Two things there be that may assure you of the necessity of this First That there be many whom Satan and their owne foolish heart have extreamely deluded in this point Many very wicked men are strongly perswaded Christ is theirs God is their God Baalam could call God his God Numb 27.18 I cannot goe beyond the word of the Lord my God saith he And of Israel the Lord saith Hos. 8.1 2 3. that even then when they had transgressed his covenant and trespassed against his law when they had cast off the thing that is good yet even then Israel would cry unto him my God wee know thee Yea the lewdest men are usually more strongly perswaded of this make lesse doubt have lesse feare of this then the best of Gods servants are wont to have The wise man saith Solomon Pro. 14.16 that is the godly man feareth but the foole the profane and ungracious man is confident maketh no doubt of his salvation at all Yea it is certaine many notorious sinners live and die in this strong perswasion One dieth saith Iob 21.23 in his full strength being wholly at ease and quiet no trouble of mind no scruple or doubt of this matter ever entreth into his heart no not upon his death bed And can any of you thinke that the assurance that such men have is of God These men seeme to be purged with hysope to have Christs bloud sprinkled upon their hearts and applyed unto them but by what hand by what spirit was it done Certainely not by the hand and spirit of God God will speake peace to his people and to his Saints saith the Prophet Psal. 85.8 He never spake peace to such men as these are he never gave them assurance of his favour Secondly That such a kind of assurance as is false and is not of Gods working will do a man no good at all but much hurt many waies It were farre better for a man to live in continuall doubt of his salvation though that breed feare and terrours in his heart then to have the confidence and peace of these men I will give you three reasons of it For First The man that is subject to these continuall doubts and feares is thereby kept in awe and restrained from many sinnes that otherwise he were in danger to fall into Whereas the man that is so full of this false confidence and peace walketh licentiously and runneth like the horse that hath the bridle on his neck whither he listeth feareth no sinne The wise man feareth saith Solomon Pro. 14.16 and departeth from evill his feares restraine him from sinne but the foole rageth and is confident the more confident he is the more outragiously he sinneth Secondly The man that is subject to continuall doubts and feares is thereby stirred up to a diligent use of the meanes whereby hee may come to true assurance and peace the meanes of grace are sweet unto him Whereas the man that is most full of false assurance and confidence careth least for the meanes of grace nay he loatheth and despiseth them The full soule saith Solomon Pro. 27.7 loatheth an hony combe the sweetest the best meanes of grace but to the hungry soule every bittter thing is sweet the meanest the coursest ministery is sweet to that man Thirdly and lastly These doubts and feares use to end in peace and sound assurance Yea proportionable to the measure of doubts and feares men are troubled with in this kind the measure of their assurance and peace is wont to be in the end Your sorrow saith our Saviour Iohn 16.20 shall bee turned into joy Marke the perfect man saith David Psalme 37.37 and behold the upright for the end of that man is peace Whereas on the other side false assurance and confidence useth to end in despaire and the lesse doubt the more assurance any man seemeth to have now of his salvation if it bee false the more danger hee is in to fall one day into desperate feares and terrours His confidence shall bee rooted out of his tabernacle saith Bildad Iob 18.14 and it shall bring him to the king of terrours It standeth us therefore upon you see to examine well and try that assurance wee seeme to have that Christ is ours whether it bee wrought in us by Gods spirit yea or no. No assurance of our spirituall estate can bee sound or such as will yeeld us true comfort but such as the good spirit of God worketh in us David prayeth heere to God to purge him with hysope to sprinkle Christs bloud upon his heart none but the Lord can doe it It is the spirit that beareth witnesse because the spirit is truth as you heard the last day out of 1 Iohn 5.6 No witnesse is sure and beyond exception in this case but the spirit onely And in this respect the spirit of God is called the Comforter Iohn 14 26. There is also an assurance and peace of the divells working he can cause peace too Luk. 11.21 When a strong armed man keepeth his palace all his goods are in peace But that peace cannot be found and true peace that spirit cannot be a true comforter He is a roaring lyon 1 Pet. 5.8 He is a fierce red dragon Rev. 12.3 And so shall they all find him in the end whom he seemeth to give greatest peace unto Try thy assurance therefore whether it be of God yea or no. And there be three sorts of signes and notes whereby we may judge of this 1. By the qualification of the subject of the person in whom this assurance is wrought 2. By the ground upon which this assurance is built 3. By the effects and fruits that this assurance produceth in him that hath it For the first The spirit of God is not wont to sprinkle the bloud of Christ nor to worke this comfortable assurance in any heart that was not first humbled and troubled with much feare and doubting Yee have not received the spirit of bondage againe to feare saith the Apostle Romanes 8.15 but yee have received the spirit of adaption whereby wee cry Abba Father Intimating plainely that the spirit of adoption that beareth witnesse to our spirits that wee are Gods children useth not to enter into any heart where the spirit of bondage hath not beene before that is Where the spirit of God hath not first effectually discovered to a man his bondage unto sinne and to the curse of God and wrought feare and terrour in his heart thereby The spirit of the Lord is upon me saith our Saviour Luk. 4.18 because he hath anointed me to preach the Gospell unto the poore to heale the broken hearted to preach deliverance to the captives and
unfruitfull in the knowledge of our Lord Iesus Christ as the Apostle speaketh 2 Pet. 1.8 They say they know him to be their Lord and Saviour but this knowledge is no way effectuall in them to the reformation either of their hearts or lives Nay this their assurance hath wrought in them quite contrary effects unto those that I have proved unto you to be the kindly fruits of that assurance which the spirit of God worketh in the heart of any man Nothing doth so evidently discover the falshood of this their assurance as the fruits that it doth produce in them In which respects a man may fitly say of them as our Saviour doth of the false Prophets Matth. 7.20 By their fruits yee shall know them This will the better appeare if the confidence of these men be examined particularly according to those six severall effects of true assurance which we have heard of First Though they say they are assured that Christ so dearely loved them as that he shed his most precious bloud for their sinnes yet the knowledge of this love of God to them never made them to mourne or bee troubled in themselves ever a whit the more for their sinnes Nay this very thing maketh them go merrily away with them all and keepeth them from being grieved or troubled for any sinne that ever they committed because they say they know that Christ shed his bloud for their sins hath made their peace with God Seeing Christs soule was heavy Mat. 26.38 to the death for my sins saith he what need I be heavy for them my selfe Thus turning the grace of God into lasciviousnes as the Apostle speaketh Iude 4. As if he should say The very knowledge of this marvellous grace and mercy of God maketh them so lascivious as they are maketh them so joviall in their sins so void of all remorse and sorrow for sin as they are Secondly They are not the more fearefull to offend God in any thing because of his goodnesse towards them which they say they are so sure of nay this very thing maketh them bold to commit any sinne because the devill hath perswaded them as he would faine have perswaded our blessed Saviour Mat. 4.6 that though they do cast themselves headlong into any sin yet Gods mercy and love to them is such as hee will never suffer them to perish by it Tush saith hee I know God will give mee grace to repent of it before I dye and therefore what need I be so scrupulous or fearefull to enjoy the pleasure or profit of this sinne Hee besseth himselfe in his owne heart as Moses speaketh Deut. 29.19 saying I shall have peace though I walke in the imagination of my heart Thirdly They say they have tasted that the Lord is gracious and that they would not loose the sweetnesse and comfort of the assurance they have of Gods love and of their salvation for all the world and yet they love the word never the better for this Nay this is the very cause why they care not for the word have no desire to it no delight in it because they are sure enough already of their salvation and that Christ dyed for their sins They are like unto that faction in Corinth of whom the Apostle speaketh 1 Cor. 1.12 that gloried they were neither followers of Paul nor of Apollo nor of Cephas but of Christ onely They did so depend upon Christ that they cared for never a preacher in the world nor regarded to heare them Fourthly Though they speake and glory much of the Lords mercy and loving kindnes and though they be such as seeme to beare some love to his word to heare it gladly yet they practise nothing that they heare the assurance they have of Gods love maketh them never a whit the more carefull to walke in his truth Yea this very thing maketh them carelesse of doing or practising any thing they heare because they know that they are not under the law but under grace as Paul bringeth in wicked men objecting Rom. 6.15 Because they know Christ dyed for their sins and that we must not be saved by our works but by faith in him onely therefore they thinke it folly in them to be precise in their practise or to doe any good works at all Fiftly They say they are the Lords and have received his spirit which witnesseth with their spirits that they are his children that the Lord hath set his seale and marke upon them though there is no such thing to be seene upon their foreheads which is the place we have heard God setteth his seale upon None that live by them behold them daily converse with them can discerne any grace in them at all Nay men hold it now a dayes an high point of wisedome to conceale their love to religion to shun carefully every thing that may cause them to be noted for it They had rather bee counted any thing then a strict Christian they hold it no advantage no honour at all to have Gods seale on their foreheads but a matter of disgrace rather And yet these men are confident for all that that Christs bloud was shed for them that Gods spirit hath sprinkled it upon them though he have not set Gods marke upon their foreheads yet he hath set it upon their hearts certainly But if no man be so unwise as to light a candle and set it under a bushell as our Saviour speaketh Mat. 5.15 shall we thinke that the most wise God will set the light of his grace so in any mans heart as that none that are in the house with him are able to discerne it Sixtly and lastly They say confidently the Lord is their father and they are his children yet have they no care at all to honour God or to advance his glory any way If I be your father saith the Lord Malachi 1.6 where is mine honour Such as are by the spirit of adoption assured indeed that God is their father cannot but desire with all their hearts to honour him what they may Ye are bought with a price saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 6.20 therefore glorifie God in your body and in your spirit which are Gods And they that know indeed that they are not their own as the Apostle there saith but bought with such a price cannot choose but endeavour to do so Whether we live saith he Rom. 14.8 we live unto the Lord or whether we die we die unto the Lord whether we live therefore or die we are the Lords He that liveth so as God hath honour by his life and he that dyeth so as that God hath honour by his death may be sure he is the Lords and none but he And surely this proveth demonstratively that most men whatsoever they pretend have no true assurance that they are the Lords because it is neither any trouble at all to them to see God dishonoured by others neither have they any care at all to gaine any
my God and â—or the offices thereof And indeed there is no way whereby we can expresse our love to God so well as by loving and delighting in and taking care for the house and pure worship of God Therefore in the reason of the second commandement as I told you the last day they that make conscience of that commandement that use and love that worship onely that he hath in his Word appointed are called such as love God Exodus 20.6 and they that are addicted to will-worship and care not for the true worship of God are called ver 5. haters of God Thus did David expresse his love to God Psal. 26.8 Lord I have loved the habitation of thy house and the place where thine honour dwelleth He that careth not for the house and worship of God whether it be maintained in purity or be corrupted whether it prosper or no certainely hath no love of God no zeale of Gods glory in his heart And this shall serve for my first sort of proofes which I told you should be more generall Now you shall see the point opened and confirmed unto you in foure particulars First He that hath the spirit of Christ will rejoyce to see religion prosper to see the purity and sincerity of Gods worship restored and set up See what Ioy there was in Ierusalem in the daies of David when the Arke of God was brought to Ierusalem 1 Chron. 15.28 And in the daies of Hezekiah when the Sacrament had beene celebrated according to the first institution of it which it had not beene of a long time before in such sort as it was written saith the Text 2 Chron. 30.5 and verse 26. from Salomons raigne to that time there had not beene such a Passeover kept it is said ver 25 26. All Gods people did marvellously rejoyce in it So when Nehemiah had reformed and purged the house and worship of God from sundry corruptions and restored it to the primitive purity and sincerity thereof It is said Neh 12.43 That Gods people did rejoyce for God had made them to rejoyce with great joy their wives also and their children rejoyced so that the joy of Ierusalem was heard even a farre off Nay he that hath the spirit of God in him will rejoyce to see any beginnings of reformation in places that were rude before to see religion get any entrance or footing any beginnings of a Church in such places It is said Ezra 3.11 that all Gods people shouted with a great shout when they praised the Lord because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid On the other side he that hath the spirit of God in him cannot chuse but grieve to see or heare that the true religion and worship of God is banished from any place and that Idolatry and a false worship is set up in it Old Ely is noted by the Holy Ghost 1 Sam. 4.17 18. to have grieved much more deepely for the taking away of the Arke of God then either for Israels flying from before the Philistines or for the great slaughter that had beene made of Gods people or for the death of his two sonnes Hophâ—i and Phineas It came to passe saith the Text that when the messenger made mention of the Arke of God hee fell from of his seate backward and his necke brake and hee died And this is also noted to have beene the chiefe griefe of his daughter in law and maine cause of her death too verse 22. this would never out of her mouth in all the extreamity of her paine and anguish while breath was in her body the glory is departed from Israel for the Arke of God is taken away And this was that that troubled that zealous man of God Eliah and made him even weary of his life through griefe and discontentment 1 King 19.10 The children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant saith he they are fallen from thy holy religion they have throwne downe thine altars that is they have abolished and shewed contempt and hatred to thy true worship and why should I desire to live any longer in such a time Hee that hath any love or zeale of God in him cannot but grieve to see or heare that idolatry is set up in any place that it groweth and increaseth any where specially in any place where God was truly worshipped before We read of blessed Paul Acts 17.16 that when hee saw even the city of Athens where God had never beene truly worshipped wholly given unto idolatry his spirit was stirred in him he was incensed with zealous griefe and indignation to see it O how would it have troubled the good man to have seene or heard of such a thing in Corinth or Galatia or Ephesus that were true Churches of Christ where the Gospell had beene and still was faithfully and plentifully preached Nay hee that hath any true love or zeale of God in him cannot but grieve at the least Eclipse that religion suffers in any place though the substance of it doth still remaine yet if it have lost any thing of that luster of that purity sincerity and power that once it had even that is sufficient cause of griefe to every good man Wee read that when in the dayes of Zerubbabel the foundation of the second Temple was laid and Gods people that had seene no better did greatly rejoyce in it Ezra 3.12 Many of the Priests and Levites and chiefe of the fathers who were ancient men that had seene the first house wept with a loud voice even when the rest shouted for joy and the noise of their weeping was as great every whit as the noise of the others rejoycing And why did they so Surely it grieved their hearts to see how farre the house that God was now to have in Ierusalem was short in beauty and glory of that that God had had before in that place Secondly He that hath the spirit of Christ in him will joy in the frequency and fullnesse of the Church-assemblies When David to aggravate the misery of his present estate Ps. 42.4 speakes of the joy and comfort that he had formerly taken in going to the house of God he names this twice in that verse as a maine cause of that great joy he tooke in going to the house of God that there went such a multitude with him And this is noted for one cause of that great joy the people of God expressed at the celebration of that Passeover in Hezekiahs time 2 Chron. 30.26 that the number of the communicants was so great as it is said verse 13. There assembled to Ierusalem much people to keepe the Passeover a very great Congregation On the other side even this hath grieved Gods people to see the Church-assemblies neglected and unfrequented to see the Congregations much thinner then they had wont to be I wil gather them saith the Lord Zeph. 3.18 that are sorrowfull for the solemne assembly who are of thee to whom the reproach of it was
seeke for the pardon of our sinnes and to seeke for it as he doth heere that is 1. To seeke it above all other things and to make it our onely suit as David doth heere and as the Publican when he went to pray begged nothing els but this Luk. 18.13 Lord be mercifull to me a sinner 2. Seeke without delay to have this debt discharged as Solomon adviseth the man who is in danger for debt discharged as Solomon adviseth the man who is in danger for debt even to mortall man Pro. 6.4 5. Give no sleepe to thine eyes nor slumber to thine eye-lids deliver thy selfe as a Roe from the hand of the hunter 3. Seek it not coldly and faintly but earnestly and with all thy might as David heere and Psal. 27.4 One thing have I desired of the Lord and that will I seeke after that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the daies of my life to behold the beauty of the Lord that is his mercy his chearefull and favourable countenance towards me as Psal. 90 17. Let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us Now for the better enforcing of this exhortation I will first give you certaine motives to perswade you to seeke for your pardon 2. I will shew you the meanes how you may obtaine it 3. I will give you certaine signes and notes whereby you may know whether you have obtained it or no. And for the motives to stirre us up to seeke and sue out our pardon 1 Some of them have reference to the pardon it selfe and 2 Some to us that are to seeke and sue for it First this pardon may be gotten If sinnes could have no hope to get the pardon of their sinnes they could have no incouragement to seeke it but as Shecâ—niah saith to Ezra Ezra 10.2 there is hope in Israel concerning this thing There is not any sinner amongst us all how many or heinous soeâ—eâ— his sinnes have beene but he may have hope to obtaine the pardon of his sinnes if he seeke it aright For this we have his word that cannot deceive us Mat. 12.31 I say unto you all manner of sinne and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men Matth. 18.27 The Lord of that servant that ought ten thousand talents was moved with compassion and loosed him and forgave him the debt And though it be said of him that sinneth against the Holy Ghost Matth. 12.32 that it shall not be forgiven him neither in this world nor in the world to come yet the reason thereof is not because God cannot or will not forgive so heinous as a sinne but because he that is gone so farre cannot returne to God and seeke his pardon Heb. 6.6 It is impossible he should be renowned againe unto repentance And this motive to seeke for our pardon we have given us Esa. 55.7 Let the wicked returne unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon Secondly this pardon is worth the getting and seeking for For 1. It is full and generall and giveth us a discharge not onely from our sinnes but from the whole punishment due to us for them not from such sinnes onely aâ— are knowne to us and we have beene able particularly to repent of but from all our sinnes knowne and unknowne So that when once we have gotten our pardon for one sin we have gotten the pardon of all originall and a small smaller and greater knowne and unknowne Esa. 55.7 He doth abundantly pardon So that as Christ never cared any but he made them perfectly and every whit whole Ioh. 7.23 so is it said of him that he is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him Heb. 7.25 Whom he once washeth and cleanseth he maketh them so cleane that he leaveth no filth no staine nor spot upon them Esa. 1.18 Though your sinnes be as scarlet they shall be as white as snow though they be red like crimson they shall be as wooll that never received any dye Thus doth God account of them that are once pardoned Cant. 4.7 Thou art all faire my love there is no spot in thee All Gods acquittances are generall not as mens onely from the beginning of the world to that day that the acquittance is made but from the beginning of the world to the end of it When he pardoneth he pardoneth not sins past onely but even those that are future have a ground of pardon in it Psal. 103.17 The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that feare him And Ioh. 13.10 He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet but is cleane every whit 2. This pardon where it is once given can never be revoked or canceled againe He forgiveth not as man doth but when he forgiveth our sinnes he forgetteth them also Ier. 31.34 I will forgive their iniquity and I will remember their sinnes no more To this mercy that belongeth which the Lord speaketh Hos. 13.14 Repentance shall be hid from mine eyes Whom God hath once pardoned he never so forsaketh that they shall quite loose his favour againe Psal. 37.28 The Lord forsaketh not his Saints they are preserved for ever Therefore we are but once baptized and brought to the laver of regeneration Tit. 3.5 3. This pardon sets us in as good state before God as if we had never sinned so as he thinketh never the worse of us for any sinne we have committed when once we have our pardon Nay we become much more deare unto him then if we had never sinned As we see in the case of the Prodigall whose father shewed much more kindnesse unto and delight in him then in his elder brother Luk. 15.32 And in the kind respect our Saviour shewed to Mary Magdalen Mar. 16.9 Hee appeared first to her out of whom he had cast seven divels And to Peter Mar. 16.7 more then to any Disciple that ever he had And this second motive which hath reference to the fullnesse of this pardon incouraged and moved David heere to seeke it so earnestly as we may see verse 7. Wash me and I shall be whiter then snow Now for the second sort of motives which have reference to our selves if we respect our own selves there is great cause that we should above all things speedily seeke for the pardon our sins First In respect had to our death For if death should seize upon us before we have gotten our pardon our case were desperate and irrecoverable If pardon be not gotten before it will never be gotten To him that is living there is hope saith Solomon Eccl. 9.4 for a living dog is better then a dead lyon And Eccl. 11.3 In the place where the tree falleth there it shall be there it lieth and will continue for ever If a man obtaine not his acquittance and discharge of his debt before he dieth there is no way but one with him to prison must he
words this comfortable sentence verse 18. Wee know that whosoever is borne of God sinneth not This wee know and are most certaine of that hee can never fall into that sinne Insomuch as that which the Apostle speaketh of the whole Church of the Iewes Rom. 11.11 may be truly said of every elect child of God Have they stumbled that they should fall that is that they should fall finally and for ever for in the next verse 12. hee granteth they are fallen God forbid saith hee See this also plainly taught us Psal. 15. where the Prophet having described the upright hearted Christian by sundry properties and actions hee concludeth verse 5. Hee that doth these things shall never bee mooved never bee utterly and finally overcome by any tentation And this is that which our Saviour teacheth also Mat. 7.24 25. Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine and doth them I will liken him unto a wise man that built his house upon a rock and the raine descended and the flouds came and the winds blew and beat upon that house and it fell not because it was built upon a rock And that which hee saith of a godly life hee saith Matth. 16.18 of a lively and true faith also Thou art Peter a rocke impregnable whom Satan with all his might shall not be able to overcome though thou shalt fall thou shalt not fall utterly and upon this rocke this faith that thou hast made confession of I will build my Church and the gates of hell all the cunning all the power of Satan shall not prevaile against it If any man shall aske me and why cannot a chosen vessell and true beleever what tentations soever shall assault him perish irrecoverably I answer There bee two pillars that uphold him and make it impossible for him to fall in that manner of which I spake the last day 1. The almighty power of God 2. The unchangeable love of God Both fitly typified by those two pillars we read of 1 Kin 7.21 that were in Solomons Temple which was also it selfe a type of the Church and people of God the one was called Iachin that is to say he will establish the other Boaz in him is strength First Let us begin with Boaz. In the Lord is strength enough to keepe us from falling totally or finally Vpon this pillar our Saviour lyeth this Doctrine Iohn 10.28.29 None of my sheepe shall perish my father which gave them me is greater then all and no man is able to plucke them out of my fathers hand No no man if hee bee once one of Christs sheepe a true beleever no man can plucke him away Vpon this pillar doth Paul ground his confidence 2 Tim. 1.12 I am not ashamed for I know whom I have beleeved and I am perswaded that hee is able to keepe that which I have committed unto him against that day Yea upon this pillar hee groundeth the confidence even of the weakest Christian that is having an honest heart Rom. 14. For speaking of one that is weake in the faith verse 1. he saith thus of him verse 4. Yea he shall be held up for God is able to make him stand Now for the second pillar lachin hee will establish The Lord not only hath strength to keepe his people but wee are also sure he will establish them that they shall not perish This pillar God giveth his Church to ground and build upon Esa. 54.10 The mountaines shall depart and the hills bee removed but my kindnesse shall not depart from thee neither shall the covenant of my peace bee removed saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee Vpon this pillar doth the Church ground her confidence Esa. 64.5 Behold thou art wroth for wee have sinned in those is continuance and wee shall bee saved And so doth David Psalm 23.6 Surely goodnesse and mercy shall follow mee all the dayes of my life And 48.14 This God is our God for ever and ever he will be our guide even unto death Lecture LXXII On Psalme 51.5 Octob. 16. 1627. IT followeth now that wee proceed to the fourth and last point wherein the admirable goodnesse of God is set forth by the Doctrine of originall sin and that is this That the sinfulnesse and corruption of our nature being so great as it is it should doe us no more hurt then it doth And surely this is a thing that wee can never sufficiently admire that wee not onely slipping and falling oft into many actuall sins but having also still in us so vile a nature such a fountaine of corruption that maketh us wee cannot cease from sin any one moment and like the troubled sea that cannot rest it is the Prophets comparison though in another sense Esa. 57.20 is ever casting up some filthy myre and dirt or other to defile our best actions by that wee being such I say the Lord should not loath and abhorre both our selves and every thing that proceedeth from us That the Lord should notwithstanding all this have so gracious respect unto us and to our poore service as he hath this doth notably set forth his admirable goodnesse and mercy towards us This will the better appeare unto us if wee shall distinctly consider these three things 1. What wee and our best actions and performances are 2. What the Lord is in the holinesse of his owne nature 3. What the respect is that the Lord notwithstanding doth shew to us and to the service we do unto him For the first Our flesh and corrupt nature is such as it will not suffer us to doe any one duty in that manner as wee ought This blessed Paul complained of Rom. 7.18 To will is present with mee this was doubtlesse the speech of a regenerate man but how to performe that which is good I find not And that that hee saith of himselfe there hee saith of all the faithfull Galat. 5.17 Yee cannot doe the thing that yee would Nay it doth so palpably corrupt and defile every good thing wee desire to doe as our selves cannot choose if there bee any truth of grace in us but discerne and bee ashamed of it and complaine of it also as the Church doth Esa. 64.6 Wee are all as the uncleane man the leper and all our righteousnesses not one but all are as filthy rags So that when wee have done the best service that ever wee did to God wee have cause to cry God mercy for it and to pray with good Nehemiah 13.22 Lord pardon mee according to the greatnesse of thy mercy And if we as blind and senselesse and full of selfe-love as we are can discerne so much filth our selves in them what can the Lord doe Who is greater then our heart as the Apostle speaketh 1 Ioh. 3.20 and knoweth all things For the second point The Lord wee know is so infinitely holy that hee cannot abide to looke upon hee cannot but detest all filthinesse and sin Thou art of purer eyes saith the Prophet Hab. 1.13