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A86423
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A treatise containing three things. Viz. [3 braces] 1. A discovery of the unsupportable burthen of sinne, to a heart that is saint-like sensible of sin. 2. The restlesse resolution of a soule to returne to God, who is saint-like sensible of his withdrawings. 3. A discovery of the sweet and unexpected entertainment that wandring hearts meet with in their returnes to God. / Written by Lieutenant Collonel Paul Hobson.
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Hobson, Paul.
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1653
(1653)
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Wing H2276; Thomason E1479_3; ESTC R208731
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63,513
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154
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that which is at this time most sencible in my heart to speake to you from what God hath spoke to me in my present Condition is three things The first is a discovery of the unsupportable Burthen of sinne when discovered by the light of Gods love Secondly The restles resolution of a Saint when he is Saint-like sencible of his withdrawing from God to turne to God Thirdly The gracious and sweet Entertainment the soule finds with God when that he is brought home And I shall declare it from three portions of Scripture The first from Psalme the 38. and the 4th verse the second from Psalme the 11 6th and the 7th verse The third from Luke the 15th and the 20th verse but I shall begin with the first at this opportunitie Psalme the 38. and the 4th verse For my Iniquities are gone over my head as a heavie Burthen they are too heavy for me DEare friends this Scripture I have formerly viewed and have formerly spoke something from it but I am now constrained to declare what God hath preached to mee for he hath been pleased thorough a discovery of my unsutablenes and my unkindnes by which he hath not onely broken my bones but he hath left no soundnes in my flesh I doe not meane by flesh fleshly nature but all the fleshlines of my owne Righteousnes by which formerly I refreshed my selfe with the sparkes of my owne performance and refreshed my selfe with the peace and tranquilitie I gathered from thence But now my wound is too large to be healed with such a salve but no more of that but to the words and in them you may consider in generall an affirmation wherein you may first consider the partic affirming that is David Secondly the affirmation it selfe that is twofold first That his iniquities are gone over his head Secondly They were a heavie burthen too heavie for him Thirdly You may consider the time when it was when God had shewed him so much of his own nothingnes that he had nothing left to live upon besides free love There was no rest in his Bones nor no soundnes in his flesh by bones and flesh wee are not to understand it naturally but spiritually and by flesh we are to understand it in a double sense according to these Scriptures Galatians the 5. and the 19 verse Gal. the 6. and the 12 verse Philippians the 3. and the 3 and 4 verses Deare friends wee might observe a Conclusion from the party affirming the affirmation it selfe and the time when and the manner how but wee shall draw up all into one Conclusion and that is this Doct. That sinne to a Saint like sencible heart is an unsupportable Burthen In the prosecution the Conclusion observe these foure things First the proofe of it by Scripture Secondly Consider what sin is Thirdly What a Saint-like sencible heart is Fourthly The reasons why sin to a Saint-like sencible heart is an unsupportable burthen First The Scriptures to prove the Conclusion are these In the first place view the Text which cleerly Confirmes the Truth of the Conclusion Further see Romaines the 7 and the 24 verse how Paul cryes out as a restles man under the sense of sin You may further see Psal 51. the 1 2 3. and 4 verses Jeremiah the 3. and the 25 verse Lamentations the 5. the 15 16 17 verses All which doe discover how unsupportable the Burthen of sinne is to a heart that is Saint-like sencible of sinne Deare friends wee need not much proofe to him that knowes it as I am confident every heart that is acquainted with God hath sufficient Experience of this to confirme it The daily heart-breakings in that soule who is sencible of his owne unkindnes by reading Gods kindnes doth demonstrate it But I shall adde no more but this That heart which needs Confirmation of this truth without himselfe and hath not a sufficient proofe within himselfe his Condition is sad Secondly let us Consider what sin is And in that Consideration wee will Consider three things First The nature of sinne Secondly The Concomitants of sin And Thirdly The Effects First What is sin the Apostle tells you in the first Epistle of John the 3 Chap. and the 4 verse That sinne is the Transgression of the Law had there been no Law there had been no sinne The variation from a Law is sinne To speake out the nature of sinne is almost as impossible as to speak out the nature of God For sinne in all things is contrary to God Whatsoever you can say of Darknes of Death of Hell and Devils you may say of sinne Sinne comprehends all and is one with either John in the Revelations tels us of the depth of Satans Temptation Revel 2.24 which Temptation peradventure is but the limbe of the least lust Oh! what a depth is there then in the whole body Whatsoever happines and glory is seene in Light the contrary is found in Darknes whatsoever content and freedome you finde in love Light the contrary misery and bondage you finde in Death but the perfections of all these miseries is comprehended in sinne as the body of them both That heart which is most sencible of sinne is not able to speake out the nature of sinne But I know that that heart which is Saint-like sencible of sinne and doth see sinne to present himselfe as it doth so ugly in his owne eyes thinkes sin can never be presented ugly enough and especially because they see that in sinning they doe not onely crosse Law but Love they do not onely pierce paper but the precious tenders of grace love Zech. 10. It is endles boundless to Anatomize the nature of that where not so much as nature dwels but is inslaved by it Secondly Consider the Concomitants of sinne There are many but I shall onely present so many of them as it at present in my owne view First It s that which drawes a darke Cloud over a mans eyes and hinders him in his cleare beholding of God Though a Christian hath never so glorious a view of divine Light Love that lives in God if God suffers that heart to be padling and medling with sinne and Darkness Isa 59.2 Psal 30.7 Cant. 5.2 3 4 5 6. and then the heart goes expecting to view God as before though God be as he was before an unalterable God yet there is a thick myst drawne upon the eye that he is like a man in a myst and knowes not where he is nor what he sees just like a man whose eyes are fixed upon the Sunne and there he beholds glorious objects than takes them off from that Sun and looks upon the Earth and then goes to looke up to the Sunne againe his eyes dazell that he can see neither Though it is true It is not the glory that we view in God that covers our eyes but rather the thick myst that intercepts our view of that unchangeable object And therefore the Example of
the Condition of many Saints but yet in answer to this Beloved friends I would have you Consider these things First Though it is our dutie and with it our Refreshments to lay hold upon and to make applications of Jesus Christ yet our happinesse lyes more in Christs laying hold of us * Joh. 15.16 Jud. 24. 1 John 4.10 Secondly It is Gods way many times to leave his people without the sensitive part of their Comfort and though they do believe and do know and doe see yet they are many times left without power to be sencible they * Hos 11.3 1 Joh. 5.13 see that so in the Close they may be brought off from Living upon their owne knowing and seeing God and made to Live upon Gods knowing and seeing them Thirdly Many times the people of God are hindered in applying Christ and promises because they looke upon them thorough a wrong glasse viz. thorough their owne Righteousnesse and goodnesse and when that seemes dead their eyes grow dimme for there is so much penurious proceedings in the best of Saints that they will not nor dare not touch a promise without holy hands and holy hearts Whereas wee are not to beleeve because we are holy but wee are to beleeve being unholy that wee may be holy I now remember what Mr Hocker said in the same case concerning the hinderance that Christians meet with in applying promises It is with them said he as with a man that goes to take a staffe in his hand if he puts the backe of his hand to the staffe he cannot hold it till he puts it in the palme of his hand so it is with the people of God when they goe to a promise they goe to lay hold on it with the backe side of the hand of faith and that they doe these wayes First When they looke upon themselves as they are in themselves and not looke upon themselves as they are in Christ In themselves they are altogether unworthy In Christ they are worthy In themselves they are blacke in Christ they * Can. 1.8 Eph. 5.27 are comely Secondly So they also doe when they endeavour to goe to Christ thorough a promise and not to a promise thorough Christ wherein they move by their owne strength and that 's their back-side and not by the power of Christ which is properly the hand to Lead them to the heart of all promises He is the summe of every promise and all promises are summed up in him In him we enjoy every one and without him we enjoy never a one If you would know what a promise is I shall discover my thoughts in this generall Tearme that includes all A promise is the declaration of Gods good will Christ is the principall declarer and he is also the thing declared and so he is the summe of promises and in that sence promises are summed up in him Thirdly We are said to goe with the back-side of the hand to a promise when we so looke upon corruption in us that we dare not apply promises of Life but as we see sinne dye and doe not Indeavour to apply promises that sin which is alive may dye And therefore deare Friends in the Close of this Remember two or three things that Experience hath and Experience will Confirme to all beleevers First None applyes Christ till Christ layes hold on him 1 Joh. 4.19 Secondly That no heart brings any holinesse to Christ but what they first had from a promise in Christ Thirdly It is not Gods way for us to conquer sinne and then beleeve but to Conquer sinne through beleeving 1 John 5.4 Fourthly If the apprehensions of sin getting some strength doth occasion a Saint by feare to weaken faith that gives not lesse but more strength to sinne but it is Christs way to kill sinne through beleeving Therefore beloved Friends Let me beg of you to be very serious in weighing the worth of Gods tenders and also the way of Gods tenders And know this As it is dangerous for men under the notion of beleeving free grace to give way to sinne so it is dangerous to stay from beleeving grace till wee Conquer sinne Pray take notice that God brings fullnesse to emptinesse and Light to Darknesse and Life to Death and goodnesse to * Matth. 11 28. Rom. 5.6 Isa 40.29 unworthinesse Therefore there is no Soule so emptie and so poore and so unworthy and so sinfull but there is enough in Christ to answer all And deare Friends take heed that you doe not penuriously stand out and say you will make your selves fit before you come to Christ That kinde of humilitie is great pride And you endeavour to doe that which is endlesse and easelesse Therefore Consider as the promise and your need of a promise so consider the way how to apply a promise and doe not endeavour to take hold of the staffe with the backe of your hand but the palme And for that End seriously minde what hath been said And the Lord give us to understand the truth as it is in Jesus but I shall say no more in answer to this objection nor to the Text at this time Though there are many other uses might be made of it but I shall onely at this time Conclude with the words in the Conclusion Which is That sinne to a Saint-like sencible heart is an unsupportable Burthen The restlesse Resolution of a Soule to returne to God who is Son-like sencible of his withdrawing Withdrawings from God are dangerous DEare friends I told you before that my desire was to discover to you three things First How unsupportable sin is to a heart that is made sencible Secondly How restlesse a heart is that is sencible of his withdrawings from God till he doth returne to God Of the first I have already spoke I am now to enter upon the second and of that I shall desire to speak sutable to what God hath made known in me and that Scripture which I desire to speake it from is Psalme the 116. and the 7. verse Returne unto thy rest O my soule for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee IN which words you may consider in generall two things 1. An Exhortation 2. The Reason and foundation The Exhortation in these words Returne unto thy rest O my soule The Reason and foundation in these words For the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee In the Exhortation we may consider severall things First The party exhorting that 's David Secondly the party exhorted that 's his soule O my soule Thirdly The Exhortation it selfe Returne In which Exhortation there is something implyed besides what is exprest The thing implied is that his heart had withdrawn from its rest Fourthly there is the manner of the Exhortation it is an earnest Exhortation Returne oh my soule Besides it is a spirituall Exhortation therefore he calls upon his soule We might now divide the Reason and foundation as we have done the Exhortation and from