Doctrine so unto the uses that are to be made of it Now the grounds and reasons of the Doctrine are principally two The one taken frō the consideration of the nature of sin the other from the consideration of the nature attributes of the Lord himselfe And in the nature of sin two things are to be cōsidred 1. that every sin is a transgressiō of the law of God 2. that every sin is a contēpt done unto God For the first What is it that maketh any thought or word or action to be a sin Not the offending or hurting of our selves or any other man by it but the offending of God and breaking of his Law As no good duty I performe to any man is a good worke unlesse in doing it I respect the Lord and do it in obedience to him As Paul saith to Christian servants Colos. 3.23 24. Whatsoever ye doe doe it as to the Lord and not unto men knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance for ye serve the Lord Christ. So no wrong I can do to any man is a sin but in respect of the disobedience contempt I shew unto God and his Law by doing of it This is plain Lev. 6.2 If a soule sin commit a trespasse against the Lord lie unto his neighbour in that that was delivered him to keepe or in fellowship or in taking away by violence or hath deceived his neighbor No sin can be more directly committed against our neighbour then cosenage theft and robbery are and yet ye see that that maketh a man a sinner in these things is this that in doing of them he hath cōmitted a trespasse against the Lord. Thus the Apostle when he had said every one that hath a true hope to be saved to go to heaven doth purifie himselfe from all sin corruption so maketh himselfe fit to go thither giveth this for the reason of it 1 Ioh. 3.4 because sin is a most hainous dangerous thing and why so Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law for sin is the transgression of the law That that maketh sin so dangerous a thing that that maketh Gods people so fearfull to sin so careful to purifie cleanse themselves from their corruptions is this that by sinning they transgresse the law of God So the Apostle Paul teacheth us 1 Cor. 15.56 The sting of death is sin the strength of sin is the law What is it that maketh death so painfull terrible as it is unto men Surely nothing but sin that giveth the sting unto it and what is it that maketh sin so strong to condemne them and cast them into hell to sting and torment the conscience as it doth Surely nothing but the law that giveth the strength to sin that the law of God hath bin transgressed by it This is the plain meaning of that which the same Apostle saith Rom. 4.15 The law worketh wrath for where no law is there is no transgression What is it that brings Gods wrath upon man in this life or in the life to come that stingeth the conscience with the sense of it Why sin you will say and in saying so you say truly for so saith the holy Ghost Ephes. 5.6 Because of these things commeth the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience Yea but what is the cause that sin bringeth the wrath of God upon man Surely nothing but this because by it Gods law is transgressed the law worketh wrath saith the Apostle Secondly this is also to be considered in the nature of sin that by every sin that we cōmit we do not only transgresse Gods law but we also despise him do an injury and contempt unto him For as it is among men when ye invite a man of worship and worth unto a feast if you give him not his due in placing of him though his cheere be never so good though the place he sits in be otherwise never so convenient though in words entertainment you neglect no cōplement towards him yet if you place him not according to his degree if you set one that is known to be his inferior above him in stead of a kindnes that you have pretended he wil esteeme that you have done a great disgrace indignity unto him So is it much more in this case If we set not the Lord in the highest roome of our hearts if we prefer our owne will before his as in every sin we do if we sleight any commandement of his thinke it is no great matter to transgresse it this is a plain contempt done unto God a despising of him So the Lord doth not only esteeme of grosse sinners that they cast him behind their backs as he tells Ieroboam 1 kin 14.9 But even of his own people whē they sin against his law So he telleth David twice that in cōmitting these sins of adultry murder 2 Sā 12.9 10. he had despised his cōmandement he had despised him So he telleth Ely that in neglecting to shew that severity to his lewd sons that he ought to have done he despised him 1 Sam. 2.30 And he telleth Moses Aaron that they had rebelled against him Nū 20.24 And so much for the first reason ground of the doctrine The second reason is taken from the consideration of the nature and attributes of God the person whose law is transgressed by our sins Foure attributes there be in the Lord which if we consider well we shall easily beleeve that we are to hate our sins and mourne for them out of this respect chiefly that we have offended God by them The first is his omnipresence omniscience he is present with us whersoever we are his eye is upō us he beholdeth us whatsoever we are doing Can any hide himselfe in secret places that I should not see him saith the Lord Ier. 23.24 do not I fill heaven earth saith the Lord Pro. 15.3 The eyes of the Lord are in every place beholding the evill the good This was a main thing Nathan laid to Davids charge whereby he aggravated his sin 2 Sam. 12.9 Wherfore hast thou despised the commandement of the Lord to do evill in his sight And this was it that at this time lay so heavy upon Davids conscience O Lord I have done this evill in thy sight As if he had said all my care was to be secret to hide my sin from the eyes of men thou didst it secretly saith the Lord to him 2 Sam. 12.12 but all this while thine eye was upon me when for the committing of my filthines I had shut all out of my chamber I could not shut out thee when I did it in the darke the darknes hid me not from thee as he speaketh Ps. 139.12 but the night shineth as the day the darknes and the light are both alike with thee This is that that did even fil his heart
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
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
this originall corruption of nature did not reigne neither why were they so humbled for that neverthelesse And why must we in the daies of our humiliation when we are to renew our repentance remember and bewaile our originall sin Surely because First That was the cause of all the foule sins that ever we committed and consequently of all the sorrowes and miseries that ever we felt or stood in feare of Iam. 1.14 Every man is tempted when he is drawne away of his owne lust and enticed And Mar 7.21.23 from within out of the heart of men proceed evill thoughts adulteries fornications murders c. all these things come from within and these defile a man Secondly Because though all other sins that we have committed be repented of and done away yet this root of bitternesse remaineth still in us and is ever sprouting and putting us in danger to do as badly againe as ever we did And may fitly be resembled by that comparison of a tree that Iob useth Iob 14.8 9. Though the root thereof wax old in the earth and the stocke thereof die in the ground yet through the sent of water it will bud and bring forth boughs like a plant He therefore to conclude that bringeth unto God in the fast an heart humbled onely for some grosse actuall sins that he hath committed but was never humbled for the vile corruption of his nature could never feelingly confesse that unto God nor bewaile it before him hath just cause to suspect the truth of his repentance and humiliation for sin Shall Iob and David and Esay and Paul cry out so much of themselves for this and dost thou thinke thou art in a good case that art never troubled for that untowardnesse thou findest in thy heart to any thing that is good for those vile motions and inclinations thou findest in thy selfe unto all evill This God complaineth of as of a thing that did much provoke him against his people Ezek. 16.22 In all thine abominations and thy whordomes thou hast not remembred the dayes of thy youth when thou wast naked and bare and wast polluted in thy bloud Lecture LXIII On Psalme 51.5 Iuly 10. 1627. THe third use that this Doctrine serveth unto is for exhortation to stirre up in every one of us a care to be cured of this loathsome leprosy to be delivered from the danger of this poison this fountaine of all sin this root of all bitternesse that is in the nature of every one of us This use the blessed Apostle did make of this Doctrine Rom. 7.24 For having bewailed greatly this corruption he felt in his nature and professed that he was deepely humbled in himselfe for it which made him cry out O wretched man that I am As if he had said O what a wretch am I that have such a deale of corruption remaining in me which was the former use that I told you this Doctrine serveth unto and handled by me the last day immediately he bursteth forth into these words Who shall deliver me from the body of this death As if he should have said O how may I be rid of it and delivered from the danger of it Now for the better enforcing of this exhortation 1 I will give you certaine motives to provoke you unto this care to seeke to be freed from the danger of this sin 2 I will shew you the meanes whereby deliverance from the danger of this sin is to be obtained And for motives I shall not need to give you any other then such as you have already heard in the proofes and reasons of the Doctrine 1. This is the fountaine and cause of all other our sins and consequently of all our woe and misery as wee have heard out of Iames 1.14 And it is a point of wisedome in this case to lay the axe unto the root of the tree Matth. 3.10 2. This is an universall leprosie that is gone over the whole man the whole spirit and soule and body and is therefore called the old man Rom. 6.6 3. This is such a cursed root and fountain of all evill as will never cease sprouting boyling and bubling up one corruption or other Fitly resembled Esa. 57.20 to the troubled Sea that cannot rest whose waters cast up myre and dirt continually So as when we have repented and made our peace with God for our actuall sins that wee know by our selves yet this is still apt to defile us againe and cast filthy dirt upon our best actions yea to bring us into danger of falling againe into the same or fouler evils and so apt ever and anon to interrupt our peace with God and to minister unto us matter of new doubts and feares continually It therefore standeth us upon to enquire how and by what meanes wee may bee delivered from the danger of this sinne especially And this is the second thing I propounded for the inforcing of this exhortation to shew you the means how wee might bee delivered from it And those we may best learne of the blessed Apostle who when hee had professed this desire that I now exhort you to Rom. 7.24 Who shall deliver mee c. In the words following hee answereth himselfe and giveth full satisfaction to his owne conscience in this weightie question which is the answer also that I must give to every one of you in whom the Lord hath wrought that care and desire that was in Paul as doubtlesse hee hath in every good heart here that knoweth the viâ—enesse of his owne nature and doth remember and beleeve that which I have taught you at large touching originall sin he answereth himselfe I say by telling us who delivered him from the body of this death how hee was freed from the checks and accusations of his owne conscience for it 1. By Iesus Christ who delivered him from the guilt of it that it should never bee imputed to him unto condemnation verse 25. I thanke God through Iesus Christ our Lord. And 8.1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Iesus 2. By the spirit of God who freed him from the power and dominion of his corruption and did mortifie it in him Rom. 8.12 They that are in Christ walke not after the flesh but after the spirit for the law the commanding power of the spirit of life which is in Christ Iesus hath freed me from the law the commanding power of sin and death The same answer he also giveth 1 Corinth 6.11 Yee are washed yee are sanctified yee are justified in the name of the Lord Iesus and by the spirit of our God Here are therefore beloved you see two wayes and other way then these two there is none whereby wee may bee delivered from all the hurt and danger that may come to us by the Originall corruption of our nature 1. By Iesus Christ that hath justified us and delivered us from the guilt and punishment of it 2. By the spirit of Christ which
knoweth Christ to have dyed for him cannot but cast off and renounce his lusts and corruptions This is that also which the Prophet teacheth Zach. 12.10 I will powre upon them the spirit of grace and they shall looke upon mee whom they have pierced and they shall mourne aboundantly It is the spirit of grace onely that maketh a man able to know and beleeve aright that his sins pierced Christ that Christ in all that hee suffered had speciall respect unto him nothing but the spirit of grace maketh a man able to looke upon Christ whom he hath pierced to consider it to be moved with admiration and astonishment at this wonderfull love of his But when once the spirit of grace hath made a man to know and beleeve and consider this it must needs affect the heart much and make him mourne for his sins aboundantly it must needs worke in him a loathing of his sins and a resolution to set himselfe against them O that all wee that say wee know and beleeve that Christ loved us and dyed for us would thinke seriously of this Certainely thou that sayest so and findest no force in this assurance to mortifie sin in thee and to strengthen thee against thy corruptions deceivest thine owne soule and hast no true assurance that Christ bare such love to thee as to endure so much for thy sake Hereby wee know that wee know him to bee a propitiation for our sins saith the Apostle 1 Iohn 2.3 4. if wee keepe his commandements He that saith I know him to bee a propitiation for my sins for that is the knowledge of Christ he speaketh of as appeareth verse 2. and keepeth not his commandements is a lyar and the truth is not in him Hee is a ranke hypocrite and void of all truth of grace how faire a shew soever hee make in the Church of God O fearefull sentence against the most of such as say they have faith And so much shall suffice to have bin spoken of the first reason why true faith must needs mortifie corruption wheresoever it dwelleth it applyeth Christ particularly to every one that hath it The second reason of it is this because true faith joyneth and uniteth us unto Christ. This union that faith maketh betweene us and Christ is indeed mysticall and spirituall Yea this is a great mistery as the Apostle calleth it Ephes. 5.32 But though it bee mysticall and supernaturall yet it is most true and reall a most neere and unspeakeable union that faith maketh betweene Christ and every beleeving soule as neere as betweene husband and wife Ephes. 5.23 as betweene the head and the members Ephes. 1.22 23. as betweene the vine and the branches Iohn 15.5 By faith we receive him and make him our owne Iohn 1.12 Nay we feed upon him and make him our owne as the meat we eate which is turned into our substance is made our owne Iohn 6.35 By faith hee dwelleth in us Ephes. 3.17 By faith wee are grafted into him Rom. 11.23 Now if faith do so joyne us unto Christ and make such an union betweene us and him it is not possible but it must needs mortifie and kill sin in us Wee cannot bee thus joyned unto Christ but wee must needs receive vertue and power from him his spirit must needs bee derived from him unto us He that is joyned unto the Lord saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 6.17 is one spirit The law of the spirit of life in Christ Iesus saith the Apostle Rom. 8.2 hath made me free from the law of sin and of death The spirit of Christ must needs free him from the dominion of sinne that is thus by faith united to him And therefore to conclude this second point Certainly that man in whom sin reigneth still in whom the strength of his naturall corruption is not at all abated is not united unto Christ and consequently hath no true faith in him If wee say we have fellowship with him saith the Apostle 1 Iohn 1.6 and walke in darkenes we lye and do not the truth Lecture LXVII on Psalme 51.5 Aug. 14. 1627. THE third and last point which hath beene propounded for the more distinct handling of the last means of mortification is this He that desireth to get strength against any corruption must not content himselfe to have faith but hee must exercise and make use of his faith in this worke The most of us loose much of the benefit and comfort wee might find in our faith because wee doe not make use of it nay the cause why wee find it so weake and feeble to stand us in any stead when wee have most need of it for our comfort is because wee have not beene wont to exercise it and put it into action We have an old proverbe Vse legs and have legs and experience teacheth that the neglect of exercising the body is a great meanes to weaken it much This may every whit as truly bee said of the graces of Gods spirit exercise them by practise and they will increase neglect to exercise them and they will decay in thee To every one that hath saith our Saviour in the parable of the talents Mat. 25.29 that is that by making use of it and imploying it doth shew that hee hath grace more shall bee given and bee shall have aboundance but from him that hath not shall bee taken away even that which hee hath The Apostle commending the Thessalonians saith 1 Thess. 1.3 hee remembred their worke of faith their faith was ever in action ever exercising it selfe And what is the proper worke and act wherein faith exerciseth it selfe Surely in taking hold of the promises that God hath made unto us in Christ in applying them unto our selves and resting upon them Thus must wee exercise our faith if we would have it grow if wee would have the comfort of it The Apostle saith of all the faithfull 2 Cor. 5.7 that they walke by faith In our whole conversation we may and ought to make use of our faith And of himselfe he saith that hee did live by his faith The life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God saith he Galat. 2.20 In all the occasions of our life we may and should exercise our faith and we loose a great deale of sweetnesse and comfort because we doe not so But in no occasion of our life can we have more use of our faith then when wee are troubled with any strong corruption which wee would faine overcome and get the mastery of Let us come then to Christ and stirre up our selves to take hold of him and confidently expect and looke for helpe and strength from him against it and wee may bee sure to bee delivered from the dominion of it Through God wee shall doe valiantly saith David Psal. 108.13 for hee it is that shall tread downe our enemies And Phil 4.13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me Wee read
was the onely ground of all his comfort he rejoiced and gloryed in nothing els God forbid saith he that I should glory save in the crosse of our Lord Iesus Christ. And thus we have heard the Doctrine confirmed unto us sufficiently Let us now proceed to the reasons and grounds of it and they are two principally according to the two severall branches of the Doctrine First No man can expect any mercy from God but onely through Christ Because he knoweth that he is by nature the child of wrath Wee all saith the Apostle Ephes. 2.3 were by nature the children of wrath even as others the elect as well as the reprobate the blessed Apostle as much as any other man was by nature the child of wrath And as he knoweth hee is in this estate by nature so by falling into and living in knowne sinnes he knoweth likewise that he provoketh the Lord afresh oftentimes and maketh him his enemie Thou hatest all workers of iniquity saith David Psal. 5.5 They rebelled and vexed his holy spirit saith the Prophet Esa. 63.10 speaking of Gods owne people therefore he was turned to be their enemy And who can expect mercy and kindnesse from him whom he knoweth to be his enemy No no no mercy no comfort can be looked for at Gods hands nothing but terrour nothing but indignation and wrath while God is our adversary till we be reconciled unto him Till then if a mans conscience be not senslesse there can be nothing in him but a certaine fearefull looking for of judgement as the Apostle speaketh Heb. 10.27 and of fiery indignation which shall devoure the adversaries Now Christ is the onely mediator between God and us to go betweene us and make reconciliation There is but one Mediator betweene God and man saith the Apostle 1 Tim. 2.5 the man Christ Iesus And Col. 1.19 20. It pleased the Father by him to reconcile all things unto himselfe Secondly No man can expect any mercy from God till he know first that the justice of God is satisfied for him As the Lord hath set this law unto all men to looke first to justice and then to mercy not to shew mercy unto any wiâ—h neglect of justice What doth the Lord require of thee saith he Mic. 6.8 but to do justly and to love mercy Thou shalt not respect the person of the poore in judgement saith the Lord Levit. 19.15 As if he had said Thou shalt not out of compassion to his distressed estate neglect to do justice So hath he set this law unto himselfe to looke first to justice and then to mercy not to have compassion upon any mans misery or to shew mercy on him with neglect of his justice For God is infinite in justice and will have his Law satisfied to the full It is easier for heaven and earth to passe saith our Saviour Luc. 16.17 than for one title of the law to faile As though he should say The Lord had rather heaven and earth and all the creatures therein should come to nought and perish everlastingly than that one word or title of his Law should faile and be unfulfilled And this is the irrecoverable sentence of his Law which the Apostle mentioneth Galat. 3.10 Cursed iâ— every one that continueth not in all things that are written in the Law to do them Till therefore a man know that this sentence of the law be fulfilled till a man know that this curse is borne for him he cannot expect to find any mercy with God See how the Lord hath expressed himselfe in this point even in that place where he hath amplified his mercy most and set it forth to the full I meane Exod. 34.6 7. The Lord is mercifull and gracious long sâ—ffering and abundant in goodnesse and truth keeping mercy for thousands forgiving iniquity and transgression and sinne What can be said more for the amplifying of Gods mercy than is said here And yet mark what followeth in the very next words and that will by no meanes cleare the guilty As if he had said As infinite as the Lord is in mercy yet will he by no meanes cleare any man that is guilty of the transgression of his law without satisfaction be made to his justice for him And who is able to make satisfaction to the justice of God for the sinne of man Who is able to satisfie the law and to beare this penalty and curse that is due unto him for the least transgression of it Who can stand before his indignation saith the Prophet Nah. 1.6 and who can abide in the fiercenesse of his anger Surely all the Angels and Saints in heaven and earth could not do it Onely Christ Iesus who was more than a man was able to doe it and did it for his elect to the utmost The Lord hath laid upon him saith the Prophet Esa. 53.6 the iniquity of us all that is the full punishment of all our iniquities Christ hath redeemed us saith the Apostle Gal. 3.13 from the curse of the law being made a curse for us He trod the winepresse of the fiercenesse and wrath of almighty God saith Iohn Rev. 19.15 There was not one jot of the fiercenesse and wrath of God that was due to the sinnes of any of the elect but he trod it out it came all upon him Christ himselfe our blessed Mediator could not make our peace with God nor get him to pardon our sinne and shew us mercy by intreaty or intercession or by any other meanes till he had satisfied the law for us till he had paid every farthing of our debt till he had borne the curse and punishment that was due to us for our sinnes even to the uttermost When we were enemies saith the Apostle Rom. 5.10 we were reconciled to God by the death of his Sonne nothing but the death of his Sonne would do it This truth the Lord taught his people even under the Law Without a sacrifice without shedding of blood there was no remission of any sinne saith the Apostle Heb. 9.22 It is the bloud saith the Lord Levit. 17.11 that maketh attonement for the soule And these are the reasons and grounds of the Doctrine Now before we come to the uses of it a question must be resolved to prevent the misunderstanding of this that hath beene delivered and to make way for the uses that are to be made of it How can it be said that no mercy can be obtained of God for us by any other way but by the bloudy passion of Iesus Christ seeing the Scripture so oft ascribeth our whole salvation to the meere grace and goodnesse of God onely By grace ye are saved saith the Apostle Eph. 2.5 And for the undoubted certainty of this truth he repeateth it againe Verse 8. in the very same words and teacheth us that our whole salvation commeth most freely unto us I will love them freely saith the Lord Hos. 14.4 We are justified freely by his grace saith the Apostle
may see verse 3 4 5. I acknowledge my transgression and my sin is ever before me Against thee thee onely have I sinned and done this evill in thy sight behold I was shapen in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me So doth he likewise Psal. 25.16 Turne thee unto me and have mercy upon me for I am desolate and afflicted They that seeke to God for mercy must judge themselves unworthy to find mercy as Benhadads servants did when they sued to Ahab for mercy they went with ropes on their heads and sackcloth about their loines 1 King 20.32 The Lord is plentifull in promising his mercy to such miserable humble and dejected soules Psal. 9.12 He forgetteth not the cry of the humble and 10.17 Lord thou hast heard the desire of the humble Therefore is this title given to the Lord he is called a God that comforteth the abject 2 Cor. 7.6 Thirdly If thou be one that fearest to offend God in any thing thou needst not doubt of his mercy for thou hast his promise Luke 1.50 His mercy is on them that feare him from generation to generation Fourthly If thou canst trust in his mercy and rely and rest upon it certainly it belongeth to thee That maketh David pray thus Psal. 33.22 Let thy mercy ô Lord be upon us according as we do hope in thee and 147.11 The Lord taketh pleasure in them that hope in his mercy Fiftly If Christ be the onely ground of thy hope and confidence to find mercy with God if thou trust to obtaine it onely through the merit of his bloud There is no comming before the mercy-seat of God but through him This was notably figured unto Gods people in the ceremoniall law 1. None might goe into the holy of holies where the mercy-seat stood to obtaine mercy for Gods people but the High-priest onely who was a figure of Christ Heb. 9.7 2. He might not upon paine of death presume to come before the mercy-seat to obtaine mercy for Gods people without incense which signifyed the intercession of Christ. Levit. 16.13 The cloud of the incense must cover the mercy-seat that he die not 3. He must not come before the mercy-seat without the bloud of the sacrifice which signified the bloud of Christ Heb. 9.7 Into the second Tabernacle went the High-priest alone not without bloud which he offered for himselfe and for the errours of the people Levit. 16.14 He shall take of the bloud of the bullocke and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy-seat No hope of comfort at Gods mercy-seat but onely through the merit of Christs bloud who is therefore called our hope 1 Tim. 1.1 But having him for our High-priest we may goe boldly to the throne of grace and may obtaine mercy and find grace to helpe in time of need as the Apostle speaketh Heb. 4.16 And so much shall serve to be spoken of the first dutie which concerneth the Lord himselfe Seeing the Lord is so infinite in mercy labour thou to know that hee is so unto thee Lecture XXV On Psal. 51.1 2. May 16. 1626. NOw for the second duty which concerneth the Lord himselfe it is that which the Prophet exhorteth us unto Psal. 29.2 Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name that is carry your selves toward him accordingly give him his due If we know and beleeve indeed that God is so gracious and mercifull specially if we know and beleeve he is so unto us how can we choose but love him and feare to offend him and cry shame upon our selves that we are no more willing and desirous to serve and please him Therefore doth the Apostle pray for the Ephesians Ephes. 3.18 19. that God would make them able to comprehend with all Saints what is the length and breadth and deapth and height and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge that they might be filled with all the fullnesse of God as if he should say If once you fully knew this love that God hath borne to you in Christ it would even fill you with all the fullnesse of God that is with all the sanctifying and saving grace of God Many deceive themselves miserably in this point and challenge to themselves an interest in Gods speciall mercy without any ground at all I will therefore shew you five notable effects that the true knowledge of this marvellous mercy and goodnesse of the Lord must needs worke upon them that have it Whereby as by certaine notes you may try your selves whether you do indeed beleeve and know that this speciall mercy of the Lord doth belong unto you First It will make men afraid to offend him Nothing hath that force to work in a man the true feare of God as this hath Psal. 130.4 There is mercy with thee that thou maist be feared and Hos. 3.5 They shall feare the Lord and his goodnesse in those daies And that is the right feare of God which the knowledge of Gods mercy doth breed in us Secondly He must needs grieve and be troubled when he hath offended him Nothing hath that force to melt and breake the heart with godly sorrow for sinne as the true knowledge of the Lords marvellous mercy and loving kindnesse towards us Zach. 12.10 I will poure upon them the spirit of grace that is the spirit of adoption which shall perswade them of my fatherly love towards them as it is called Rom. 8.15 and they shall looke on him whom they have pierced and then they shall mourne for him as one mourneth for his onely son And what was it that made Mary Magdalen weepe so abundantly for her sinnes Luk 7.38 Our Saviour telleth us verse 47. it was her love that grew from the consideration of Gods marvellous mercy in pardoning her so many foule sinnes Thirdly He must needs take delight in the service and worship of God Nothing hath that force to make the worship of God sweet unto us as the true knowledge and consideration of the mercy and goodnesse of God As for me saith David Psal. 5.7 I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy That is that that shall draw me to thy house and make me love it and Ier. 31.12 They shall come and sing in the height of Zion and shall flow together to the goodnesse of the Lord. So David giveth this for the cause why he begged so earnestly of God that he might dwell in the house of the Lord all the daies of his life Psal. 27.4 to behold the beauty of the Lord that is how amiable and gracious the Lord is As if he should say I can no where behold and see that so well as in his house and that is the thing that maketh me so farre in love with the house of God O if men knew the sweetnesse and infinitenesse of Gods mercy they would love his house and delight more in it then they doe Fourthly He must needs desire earnestly to know the will of God
idolaters and enemies to God as lived upon the earth Alas he he being of a soft and flexible disposition was naturally inclined and had more strong tentations to that then to other sinnes But herein the truth of his heart appeared that when God had by his Prophet reproved him for helping Ahab his heart relented and he became after that more zealous for God then ever he had beene before as you shall see 2 Chron. 19.2 11. and being againe after that reproved for helping Ahaziah more sharpely 2 Chron. 20.37 he could never be drawne to offeâ—d that way any more 1 King 22.49 You see then a man may have an upright heart though he do seeme to make more conscience of some commandements some duties and some sinnes then of others But I say further a man cannot have an upright heart if he doe not shew more care and conscience in some duties commanded and in some sinnes that are forbidden then in other some Though all the commandements be equall in respect of the authority and soveraignty of the commander yet in respect of the things commanded or forbidden and in respect of the strictnesse of the charge laid upon us by the Lord for the doing or not doing of them some are greater then others are Yea there is no surer note of an upright heart then this when we do make more conscience of those things that God hath laid most speciall charge upon us in then we do of any others If you aske mee Which are those I answer They are of three sorts First God hath given greater charge to us concerning the substantiall points of piety and charity then concerning any matters of circumstance and ceremony Christ calleth the inward worship of God prescribed in the first commandement The first and the great commandement Mat. 22.38 greater then any of the nine that follow God delighteth much more in the inward then in the outward worship we doe to him Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offering and sacrifices saith Samuel 1 Sam. 15 22. as in obeying the voice of the Lord I desire mercy and not sacrifice saith the Lord Hos. 6.6 and the knowledge of God more then burnt offerings Yea he calleth mercy and justice and fidelity which are substantiall duties of the second table the weightier matters of the law Matth. 23.23 weightier then the matters of ceremony and circumstances of Gods owne worship prescribed in the first table Goe yee and learne saith our Saviour Matth 9.13 what this meaneth I will have mercy and not sacrifice It is therefore a certaine note of an unsound heart when men 1. Put all their religion in outward duties and services to God and regard not those weightier matters of the law that I told you of mercy and justice and fidelity no nor the inward worship of God neither 2. Stand more upon ceremonies and circumstances of Gods worship then upon the substance would be greatly troubled if they should not receive now at Easter or not receive with that gesture that they have beene accustomed unto but to come without all knowledge to discerne the Lords body to come without charity without all preparation of heart troubleth them not at all What is this els but to straine at a gnat and swallow a camell as our Saviour speaketh Mat. 23.24 Secondly God hath given speciall charge to us concerning the duties of our particular callings that he hath set us in more then of those that are generall duties of Christianity belonging to all men and every tree must be knowne by his owne fruit as our Saviour saith Luk. 6.44 This we shall see in that direction Iohn Baptist giveth to the Publicans and Souldiers Luk. 3.13 14 and in those directions the Apostle giveth in his Epistles Ephes. 5. 6. Col. 3. 4. and by the charge he giveth to Timothy 1 Tim. 6.2 and to Titus Tit. 2.15 It is therefore a great signe of unsoundnesse when men seeme very forward in the common duties of Christianity but neglect their callings are bad husbands and wives and masters and servants bad Magistrates and Ministers like a blind eye or lame hand in the body that have life and sense and motion as all the members have but can doe nothing that belongeth to their particular office Thirdly and lastly God hath given us more speciall charge to looke to our selves to reforme our selves then concerning other men Examine your selves saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 11.28 and 2 Cor. 13.5 prove your owne selves Gal. 6.4 Let every man prove his owne worke Rom. 14.22 Have â—aith to thy selfe before God Therfore David professeth this of himselfe Psal. 18.23 I was upright before him and I kept my selfe from mine iniquity It is therefore a great signe of unsoundnesse when a man busieth himselfe more with censuring and seemeth to hate sinne more in others then in himselfe This our Saviour noteth for the tricke of an hypocrite Mat. 7.3 that he beholdeth the mote that is in his brothers eye but considereth not the beame that is in his owne eye Lecture LXXXVI On Psalme 51.6 April 1â— 1628. NOw it followeth that wee proceed to the second part of my answer to the Question and shew you How and wherein the upright hearted man doth and must shew an equall respect unto all the commandements of God Now this doth appeare in three points principally 1. He desireth to know the whole will of God in all things that concerne him in one point as well as in another 2. He maketh conscience of every sinne God hath forbidden 3. He maketh conscience of every duty God hath commanded him These three points I will speake of in order and make application of them also as I go over them severally For the first The upright hearted man sheweth thus farre-forth an equall respect to all the commandements of God that hee desireth to know the whole will of God in all things that doe concerne him to know in one thing as well as in another In all things I say that concerne him to know For it is no signe of sincerity but of the contrary 1. When a man desireth to know more of Gods will then hee is pleased to reveale and to pry too farre into his secrets When the Lord was pleased to reveale his glory unto his people at the delivering of the law he set bounds unto them and charged them upon paine of death as you shall find Exod. 19.12.21 not to passe those bounds to gaze and pry too farre 2. When a man is too inquisitive to know that that concerneth other men O how perfect are many men in the knowledge of those things that concerne the duty of their Ministers and superiours and of their neighbours also Like Peter Iohn 21.21 Lord what shall this man do whom our Saviour reproveth in the next verse for this and saith What is that to thee follow thou me 3. When a man seeketh knowledge in those things most that are no way
usefull not fit to edifie himselfe in faith and obedience unto God For as it is an argument of a vaine and unsound heart in a Minister to teach any thing that tendeth not to the edifying of the people in faith and godlinesse as the Apostle telleth Timothy some did in his time 1 Tim. 1.3 4. This the Apostle saith was the rule that he followed in teaching Acts 20.20 he taught them not all that he was able to teach but he kept backe nothing that was profitable for them So it is a signe of a vaine and unsound heart in an hearer to desire to know more in religion then may be of use unto him for his owne practise The wisdome of the prudent saith Solomon Pro. 14.8 is to understand his way how hee may walke to please God This was the knowledge that David desired Psal. 119.66 Teach me good judgement and knowledge As if he had said such as may doe me good and make me better Now the upright hearted man to the end he may not offend God in any thing but obey his will in all things he desireth to know the whole will of God so farre as it concerneth him and may be profitable for him to know it I opened my mouth and panted saith David Psal. 119.131 for I longed for thy commandements as if he had said to know them that I might not breake them And thus he saith Psal. 18.22 23. that he approved to his owne heart his uprightnesse and integrity For all his judgements were before me and I did not put away his statutes any of them from me I was also upright before him As wee see it is with wise men specially with justices and officers they will acquaint themselves well with the statutes that they may doe nothing in their office that is against law and so bring themselves into danger So is it with the wise and prudent hearted Christian in this case I am thine save me saith David Psal. 119.94 for I have sought thy precepts And indeed how is it possible for him to be afraid to offend God in any thing or desirous to doe the will of God in all things that is not carefull to enquire and know what the will of God is in all things So it is said of Ezra 7.10 that hee had prepared his heart to seeke the law of the Lord and to doe it Thus David charged his Princes and Nobles and Commons in that great Parliament and common Councell that he summoned not long before his death 1 Chron. 28.8 Now therefore in the sight of all Israel the Congregation of the Lord and in the audience of our God keepe and seeke for all the commandements of the Lord your God As if he had said You cannot keepe them unlesse first you seeke to know them If this be so then is there certainely no truth of grace no uprightnesse of heart in many men First What truth of grace can there be in them that professe to all men by their despising the meanes that they desire not the knowledge of the will of God of which sort notwithstanding there bee many that are passing well perswaded of the uprightnesse of their owne hearts Of these men the Holy Ghost hath given sentence long since Iob 21.14 They say unto God depart from us for we desire not the knowledge of thy waies As though he should say They that doe not desire the knowledge of his waies how honest men soever they seeme to be do certainely in their hearts say unto God depart from us they would have nothing to doe with him by their good will And Ps. 119.155 Salvation is farre from the wicked for they seeke not thy statutes As if he should say They that never seek to know what God hath either forbidden or commanded them in his Word are farre from salvation Secondly Such as though they seeme to love the meanes and so to desire knowledge of Gods will yet never seeke to know the will of God in those cases that concerne their owne practise in particular It is the ordinance of God ye know Mat. 2.7 that his people should seeke his law at the mouth of his messenger And Iohns hearers did so his ministery wrought feares and doubts in them and both the people and the Publicans and the souldiers came to him as you may see Luk. 3.10.12.14 to be resolved in their doubts and said unto him What shall we do But our hearers have no doubts no cases of conscience to be resolved in No man ever asketh the question whether that that he hath gotten by usury or by gaming or by filling in of pots to men till they be drunke and have made themselves beasts be lawfully gotten or no. No man asketh is God pleased with the gaine that I get thus Will God blesse it to me and mine Thirdly and lastly Such also have cause to suspect the truth of their owne hearts that wittingly and purposely shun the knowledge of some parts of Gods will that concerne their owne practise because if they should know them and not doe accordingly their conscience would be disquieted and if they should practise them they must incurre danger and trouble and it is good sleeping thinke they in a whole skin Let none that are such flatter themselves in this that they thanke God they doe nothing against their conscience they doe nothing that they know to bee evill and displeasing to God For if thou wilfully close thine owne eyes against any part of Gods will that thou mayest not see it as those Iewes did that our Saviour condemneth Matth. 13.15 if there bee any truth of God concerning which it may bee said of thee as the Apostle speaketh of some wicked men in his time 2 Peter 3.5 this thou art willingly ignorant of certainely thy heart is unsound and the Lord will judge thee as one that hath sinned not out of ignorance but wilfully And so much shall serve to bee spoken of the first of these three points that I propounded touching the equall respect that the upright-hearted man beareth to all the commandements of God He desireth to know the whole will of God in all things that concerne him in one point as well as in another Secondly Hee maketh conscience of every sinne that God hath in his law condemned of one as well as of another It is no argument of sincerity to make conscience of and to hate some sinnes The Pharisee you know could say Luke 18.11 God I thanke thee I am not as other men are I am not so bad as such and such are I am not extortioner no unjust man in my dealings with men no adulterer But this is oft made in Scripture a note of uprightnesse to make conscience of every knowne sinne of one as well as of another Thus David describeth them that are undefiled in the way Psal. 119.3 They also doe no iniquity As if hee had said Not wittingly as giving themselves liberty in any sinne By
The Harpe and the viole the Tabret and the Pipe and wine are in our feasts but we regard not the worke of the Lord in this his marvellous severity towards his people neither doe we consider the operation of his hands While wee enjoy our delights in all fulnesse wee care not a rush what becommeth of the Church of God But marke how wee provoke God against us by our profane stupidity Because they regard not the workes of the Lord saith David Psalme 28.5 nor the operation of his hands hee shall destroy them and not build them up We cannot take a readier way for the hastning of our owne ruine then to be thus carelesse and senslesse of the judgements of God upon his people Lecture CXIII On Psalme 51.6 March 17. 1628. THE second duty which we owe unto them that are in misery is this We are bound to take to heart the miseries of the Churches abroad to work our hearts unto unfeined griefe and sorrow for them Certainly none of us can have any comfort in our estate till wee can heartily grieve for the miseries of our brethren It is our dutie we know to condole any man that we see to be in miserie Iob tooke great comfort in his greatest affliction in this that he had done so Did not I weepe saith he Iob. 30.25 for him that was in trouble Was not my soule grieved for the poore And if we must be thus affected with the miseries of all men then much more with the miseries of Gods people Three sorts of proofes I will give you for this 1. Examples 2. A precept 3. The reasons and grounds both of the examples and of the precept also And the examples that I will give you shall be of two sorts First When the holy servants of God did but fore-see by the spirit of prophesie the troubles and afflictions that should befall the Church they have bin wont to be exceedingly affected and grieved for it though they were not to happen untill many yeares after themselves were dead and gone Three notable examples we have for this The first is of Elisha of whom we read 2 Kings 8.11 12. that when he looked stedfastly upon Hazaâ—l the man of God wept And when he asked him why he did so Because I know saith he the evill that thou wilt doe unto the children of Israel their strong holds wilt thou set on fire and their young men wilt thou slay with the sword and wilt dash their children and rip up their women with child And this was certainly no more nor so much neither as the bloudy Papists have done to many of Gods people where they have come The second example is of the Prophet Esay I will weepe bitterly saith he Esay 22.4 5 labour not to comfort me because of the spoiling of the daughter of my people Why There was no such spoile made of Gods people in all his time in the dayes of Vzzia Iotham Ahaz and Hezechia in whose times he prophesied as you may see Esa. 1.1 No but he did foresee by the spirit of prophesie a day of trouble and of treading downe as he saith verse 5. and of perplexity by the Lord God of hoasts in the valley of vision breaking downe the walls a day of crying in the mountaines The thinking upon the miseries that the valley of vision the true Church of God should endure from the Caldeans which was to be above an hundred yeares after his owne death and considering that this was to be done by the Lord God of hosts it was to bee the Lords doing and a fruit of his wrath I say the consideration of this made the holy man to weepe bitterly and refuse to be comforted The third example is of Daniel Dan. 8. who when he did fore-see the miseries that Gods people were to endure under Antiochus Epiphanes which was not to be before above two hundred yeares after his owne death how Antiochus should take away the daily sacrifice verse 11 12. and by reason of the transgression of Gods people should cast downe the truth to the ground how both the sanctuary of God and the host and armies of Gods people should bee given unto him to be troden under foot as it is verse 13. how hee should destroy wonderfully the holy people and prosper in it as it is verse 24. When I say he did by the spirit of prophesie fore-see these miseries that should befall Gods people it is said verse 27 that he even fainted and was sicke of griefe for it certaine dayes What would these holy men have done how would they have mourned if they had lived in the times wherein all this had beene fulfilled which they did prophesie and fore-tell If all these evills had fallen upon the Church in their dayes as they have done in ours Alas we have seene a day a long day of trouble and of treading downe and of perplexity by the Lord God of hosts in the valley of vision We have seene and knowne the daily sacrifice the true worship of God taken away from many Churches We have seene the truth of God cast downe to the ground in many places and abominable heresies and false doctrine set up in the roome of it We have seene and known both the sanctuaries of God and the hosts and armies of his people given of God to the enemie to be troden under foot and trampled upon We have seene the dayes wherein the proud enemy hath destroyed and made havocke of the holy people wonderfully and prospered in it Certainly those holy men that were so affected with the evills they did foresee would befall the people of God would have beene much more grieved for them if they had fallen out in their daies And it is therefore promised as a great favour and mercy to Iosiah 2 Chron. 34.28 that he should be gathered to his grave in peace neither should his eyes see all the evill that God would bring upon Iudah and Ierusalem The Lord knew well how much it would have affected good Iosiahs heart if he should have lived to see though hee had beene out of the gun-shot himselfe all the evills and miseries that Gods people did endure in the captivitie of Babylon Let me give you also foure famous examples of this how the servants of God that have lived in such times as these are have beene affected with them The first is that of the men of Gibeah mentioned 1 Sam. 11.2.4 when tidings was brought them of the misery of one poore city Iabesh Gilead how Nahash the Ammonite that besieged them would admit of no covenant of peace with them but upon this condition that he might thrust out all their right eyes and lay it for a reproach upon all Israel And wee know that the Papists have to the poore Christians in the Palatinate and other places offered farre worse and more reproachfull articles and conditions of peace then this was When this tidings I say was told them of Gibeah
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
one of us take heed wee bee not found among them in that day whom Christ shall so disclaime Thirdly Know that those generall speaches of holy Scripture touching the large extent of the merit of Christs death which thou buildest so much upon and which the Holy Ghost to a singular purpose is pleased to use for the comfort of Gods elect are in many other places in a speciall manner appropriated to a certaine choise and peculiar people For the transgression of my people was hee smitten saith the Lord himselfe Esa. 53.8 And this Church and people of God for whom Christ in a speciall manner was stricken to whom his death is effectuall is not the common field the vast wildernesse of this wide world but Gods severall and peculiar plot of ground A garden enclosed is my sister my Spouse saith our Saviour Cant. 4.12 a spring shut up a fountaine sealed And thus did our blessed Saviour himselfe who best knew who should have benefit by him professe I lay downe my life for the sheepe saith he Ioh. 10.15 And Iohn 17 9. I pray for them that thou hast given me for they are thine And for this cause doth the Church admire and magnifie the love of Christ toward them in their solemne song of thankesgiving Revel 5 9. Thou hast redeemed us to God by thy bloud out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation See an universall grace see how universall a redemption Christ hath made thou hast redeemed say they by thy bloud us out of every kinred and tongue and people and nation Fourthly and lastly Know that the number of this peculiar people that shall have benefit by Christ and whose peace he hath made with God is very small is nothing if it be compared with the number of them that shall have no benefit by him We know that we are of God saith the Apostle 1 Iohn 5.19 and that the whole world lieth in wickednesse The whole world in a manner lyeth in wickednesse and shall perish in their sins few or 〈◊〉 in comparison shall have benefit by Christ. O therefore beloved be not deceived or made secure any longer with this vaine conceit that because Christ died for the world therefore that Christ hath payed every mans sâ—orâ— â—atâ—fied Gods justice for every mans sin But seeing there be very few in comparison that hee hath in speciall undertaken for let thou and I labour to know that we are some of those few of that small number of that remnant 〈◊〉 hee hath answered for And to that end I will shew you out of Gods Word which is the second thing I promised to handle for the enforcing of this exhortation the signes and notes whereby we may know this and not be deceived in it One signe and note the Holy Ghost hath given us to know this by Hereby we know saith the Apostle 1 Iohn 4.13 that we dwell in him and he in us that he is ours and we have good title unto him because he hath 〈◊〉 us of his spirit If thou canst find that the spirit of Christ dwelleth in thee and thou art guided by it thou maist be sure that Christ is thine But if thou have nothing in thee but nature be it never so good a nature thou canst not say thou hast any part in Christ. If any man hath not the Spirit of Christ saith the Apostle Rom. 8.9 He is none of his But this signe is somwhat too generall I will therefore give you foure particular effects and fruits of this Spirit of Christ wherby you may judge of this First They that are Christs saith the Apostle Gal. 5.24 have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts If any â—inne raigne in thee and thou obeyest it in the lusts thereof nay if thou do not make conscience even of thy evill affections and passions and desires if they be not grievous to thee if they never trouble thee certainly thou canst not say that thou art Christs that thou art one of them that he did undertake for Secondly If any man be in Christ saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 5.17 he is a new â—rrature old things are past away behold all things are become new If there be no change wrought in thee by Gods Spirit in thy mind in thy affections in thy words in thy company in thy whole conversation but thou art the same that ever thou wast if not worse certainly thou canst not say that thou hast any part in Christ. Thirdly Christ became the author of eternall salvation saith the Apostle Hebr. 5.9 to all them that obey him Till thou canst bee content to take Christs yoke upon thee and resolve with thy selfe willingly to obey him in all his commandements so long as thou bearest this mind that thou wilt beare no yoke thou wilt be a free man thou wilt live as thou liftest Christ shall serve thy turne but thou wilt not serve him thou sayst all that he did and suffered was to save thee but thou wilt neither suffer nor do any thing to honour him certainly thou canst not say He is become an author of eternall salvation unto thee Fourthly and lastly I will powre upon them saith our Saviour Zachar. 12.10 the spirit of grace and of supplications and they shall looke upon mee whom they have pierced and then they shall mourne and be in bitternesse If the knowledge of this that Christ died for thee keepe thee from being troubled at all in thy mind for any of thy sinnes nay if thou have not felt more hearts griefe and bitternesse in thy soule for thy sinnes and canst more heartily sue to God for the pardon of them since thou didst believe in Christ than ever thou didst before certainly it was never the Spirit of grace but thy owne foolish fancy that hath perswaded thee that Christ was pierced for thy sinnes or that thou hast any thing to doe with the merits of his passion O thinke of these things beloved and suffer not thy heart to bee any longer deluded in this matter that so much concerneth thee but by these notes examine thine owne heart and labour to bee assured upon good grounds that thou art Christs so as when thou shalt appeare before him either at the houre of thy death or at the dreadfull day of judgement he may not renounce thee And if thou canst not find that thy title to Christ is so good as thou thoughâ—st it had beene and wouldest faine mend it I will shew you how that must be done which is the third and last thing I promised to doe for the inforcing of this exhortation I will not now speake of the outward Meanes whereby God hath ordained to bring his people unto faith that is to say the word and prayer I will speak onely of three things whereby every mans heart must be prepared to receive Christ and without which hee shall never be able to know Christ to bee his though he use the outward meanes of the
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