every Minister is the Friend of the Bridegroom in every Sermon we ask the Banns between Christ and your Souls and tell you that Christ for his part is very willing nay earnestly desirous of you why then what is it that hinders where doth it stick O beloved I will tell you the very truth as I expect to answer for your Souls and mine own at the great day of Judgment why 't is this sin our own Iniquity in every one of our own bosoms that steps in and forbids the Bans sin cries out the Soul is mine 't is my Wife Christ hath nothing to do with her while I live O Friends consider seriously what you do while you maintain this sin in your hearts you stand most in your own light and refuse Christ to be your Husband But now kill this sin and then you are free to accept of Christ and here is the happiness of every true Saint Christ and his Soul is united assoon as sin and his Soul is parted 7. Rom. 24. it implies thus much O how happy a man should I be were I but once freed from this sin which is as a body of death to me I have read of a cruel Tyrant who invented this cruel kind of death for Malefactors that he did not kill them presently but tyed them while they were living to the stinking Carcasses of dead men and so were pining to death by degrees by the very noysomness of those Carcasses O sin is a most noysom Carcass could you but once smell the stink of it you would cry out with the Apostle O wretched Man or Woman that I am c. but the Soul that is freed from this sin may sit and sing with the spouse my beloved is mine and I am his O the spiritual joy and comfort that is in that heart when Christ and the Soul meets If John the Baptist leaped for joy in the Womb of Elizabeth when the Virgin Mary came but into the House how then will that Soul leap when Christ is entred into the heart But the wicked they loose this happiness because they will not part with sin what said Balaam to Balak in the 24. Num. 11. so will Christ say to sinners depart from me ye cursed flee away I thought to have espoused you and to have promoted you to great honor but sin hath kept you back from honor and happiness 2. There is no sin shall be laid to that man's charge O this is a great happiness and the most wicked Person in the World will acknowledge as much and cry out O that my sins were pardoned O that God would not lay sin to my charge 32. Ps 1 2. now this is the blessedness of every one that keeps himself from his own Iniquity Brethren know this that if we our selves do not own any sin God will never Father any sin upon us assoon as we cast any sin out of our hearts God he presently blots that sin out of his Book 18. Ezek. 30. O that you would but hearken to this word turn from your Iniquity and your Iniquity shall not be your ruin 8. Rom. 1. let not sin command you and sin shall never condemn you O here is comfort indeed go to a poor Prisoner and tell him you will give him a great Estate a Thousand a Year tell him how bravely he shall live then and eat and drink of the best O but saith the poor Prisoner I have committed a great fault for which the Judge will not pardon me I must dye for it and what will all these things that thou dost promise do me good If I had but my pardon to save my life that is all that I desire that 's better than all so here tell a man of worldly prosperity and glory and honour and pleasures alass what will all this do me good if my sins be not pardoned and I must be sent to Hell sin unpardoned that causeth sorrow in the best of outward conditions but sin pardoned causeth joy in the worst of all conditions what saith such a man what care I for poverty losses troubles I can triumph in all because I know that my sins are blotted out and I shall be eternally happy 3. All things shall work together for their good 8. Rom. 28. now who are they that love God why we may certainly conclude that 't is they who do not love any sin How did God testifie his love to us but by parting with his own Son for our sakes so shall we sufficiently testifie our love to God if we can part with our own sin for his sake now such and all such have this priviledge that nothing shall hurt them nay every thing shall do them good All evils whatever shall be to such Persons like Josephs Prison the way to preferment O what a comfort is this to us in a World so full of evils evils of sin evils of sufferings evils of temptations evils of afflictions A sick man will joyfully drink the bitterest potion when he knows it will do him good so the Saints rejoyce and are comforted in all their miseries here knowing that they shall work for their greater glory hereafter 4. They shall have this priviledge to have their Prayers heard and answered saith David in the 66. Psal 18. if I regard Iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear me therefore by the rule of contraries we may conclude that if we do abhor and forsake and turn Iniquity out of our hearts then God will hear our Prayers 2. Hos 17. what was Baalim why this was their Iniquity their great Idol well what follows v. 21 22. O Friends consider well this priviledge you that come to Church and say your Prayers for what end is it that you Pray if you desire not that God should hear you if not you Pray in vain if you desire that God should hear you put away your Iniquities we read of Hannah that when God answer'd her Prayers she was comforted her countenance was sad no more on the other side see the 4. Gen. 5. O we may guess whither God hears our Prayers or no by our faces and by mens very looks O Friends prize this priviledge of having your Prayers answered and do not loose it for the love of a few sins did you but know what is gained by Prayer you would not part with this priviledge for all the sins in the World. 5. These Persons only are fit to dye these are the Persons that do triumph over death 1 Cor. 15. 55. Death is a cruel biting venomous Serpent it makes the proudest to stoop the strongest to tremble lays the stoutest man upon his back and makes the greatest Beauty to look pale but now saith a Saint come death I fear thee not I have taken out thy sting which was mine own Iniquity now do thy worst I shall live in spight of thee O you that are afraid to dye come learn this lesson learn how to unsting death sin brought
fruits and therefore we must look to these two 1. The root of Repentance and that 's humiliation now the deeper the root the stronger the tree the deeper our humiliation the stronger are we in grace and holiness what 's the reason that bulrushes bow and bend and turn backwards and forwards with every wind but because they have no good root 2. Col. 6 7. rooted and stablished both go together 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Now humiliation lay a deep sure foundation being well rooted makes him firm and strong this is twofold 1. In respect of what is past O he is much humbled and cast down for what is past though God will forget what he hath done yet he will never forget it though God will never cast it in his dish yet he will be always hitting himself in the teeth with it ever now and then Thus did Paul he was ever now and then telling what a Persecutor he was O that troubled him and vexed him that ever he should Persecute Christ O true humiliation will make us do so we shall never be well pleased with our corrupt nature as long as we live we shall be always speaking against our selves what we were heretofore 2. There is another branch of this root and that respects the time to come when we are throughly humbled for what is past we shall be very fearful for the future 2. Philip. 12. cum timore tremore O he is like a fearful man that dares not climb up any high steep place dares not walk aloft for fear of falling therefore he keeps the lowest ground so the Apostle directs 11. Rom. 20. 2. The fruits of Repentance what is a tree good for if it bears no fruit away with it so what is Repentance good for I mean that Repentance that hath no fruits 3. Mat. 8. do not saith John Baptist think your selves to be Saints because you come to hear me Preach or be Baptized no bring forth your fruits and such fruits as are meet for Repentance 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 worthy the name of Repentance Now there are two parts of Repentance 1. A turning from sin 2. A turning unto God or unto Godliness Now our fruits must be answerable to both these parts of Repentance 1. The first part turning from sin your loathing of sin must be as great as formerly your loving of it your hatred as great against it as formerly you delighted in it ea specialiter horreas quae specialiter appeteb as Bern let thy best beloved sins be most abhorred by thee let them be like the Israelites dainty Quailes O how did they long for them and afterwards they could not endure them they stunk in their Nostrils deal with thy beloved sin as Amnon with Tamar 2 Sam. 13. 15 16 17. 1. He hated her 2. He would not hearken to her motion 3. He put her out of doors 4. He bolted her out do so with sin 2. The second part turning to God and Godliness Do as much for God and Christ as ever you did for sin love Holiness as much as ever you loved Wickedness Nay take as much pains in the ways of God as ever in the paths of Unrighteousness so did Paul we have both his Example and Precept 1 Cor. 15. 9 10. 6. Rom. 19. we must not saith one bind our selves to a trade of sin and use Religion only as a recreation No but we must work as hard in Righteousness as formerly we have wrought in sin Nay further as we have been scandals to others to turn them out of the way by reason of our sins so now we must be good examples not only to keep in the way our selves but to bring others into the ways of Holiness also Now examin your Repentance by these signs and you need never trouble your selves you shall not fall so saith the Apostle 2 Pet. 1. 10. how so see the fruits of Repentance verses 5 6 c. be as fearful and as careful of falling as you will 't is the better but such Persons may be comforted that they shall never fall away i. e. totally and finally from Christ and Grace 6. Scruple O but say some if we are such as have cast out every sin even our most beloved sins how comes it to pass that we are so much afraid of Death and so loath and unwilling to dye O this is our great trouble that we are so afraid of death whereas a true convert one that is quite freed from sin which is the sting of death he rejoyeeth and triumpheth over it O death where is thy sting and O grave where is thy victory Answer briefly 4 ways 1. By concession in two particulars 1. That there is nothing in all this World so terrible as death is 't is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of all terrible things the most terrible saith the Philosopher the King of Terrors saith the Scripture 18. Job 14. It made that great Ahasuerus so afraid that he would suffer none to come into his Court in Mourning Apparel and another great King commanded all his Servants when he was sick that none should so much as speak of death in his hearing there is no Ague fit will make a man's face look paler and his whole body quake and tremble more than the very thoughts and apprehension of death But 2. That sin as it is the only thing that brought death into the World so 't is the only thing that makes it look so terribly As a man that hath the yellow jaundice every thing that he looks on seems yellow so he that hath sin in his Conscience O what a ghastly sight is death to that man take only the instance of Cain one that had a guilty Conscience 4. Gen. 13. why so see the latter end of verse the 14. so cryes out the sinner of death O wherever it find me it will slay me 't will spoil me of all my comforts and pleasures rob me of all my riches and treasures pull down my house my body about my ears drag my naked Soul to Judgment deliver me over to Devils to be tormented for ever and ever O sinners you that make a mock a sport of sin consider are not these terrible things you that will be rich right or wrong you that will domineer and have your minds you that laugh and scoff at holiness jeer at Sermons O for all this be sure you do not forget your selves but be sure you tremble at death O think how terrible it would be to you should a voice from Heaven say this very day or this very hour your Souls shall be required of you 2. By way of distinction there is a twofold fear of death one that is natural proceeding from meer nature as nature it self abhors her own destruction and dissolution the other sinful as proceeding from the guilt of sin when the Soul knows that to Hell it must go assoon as he is dead The natural fear of death is lawful and may be
the Devil was thy Father now thou mayst call God thy Father will not this make a man merry the Saints are described in Scripture with harps in their hands and singing 14. Rev. 2 3 4 5. to note the joy and comfort of that Soul that is freed from sin that day that Haman was hanged proved a joyfull day and a day of gladness to all the Jews O that day that any of us hath killed this sin will prove the most joyfull day that ever we had in our lives the upright are commanded to rejoyce 32. Psal 11. 2. Now is the match fully concluded between Christ and thy Soul now are the writings signed and sealed now O poor Soul art thou made the Spouse of Christ an Heir of Heaven and all that thou hast to be troubled for is only this as Austin said of himself Nimis serò te amavi Domine that thou hast stood out so long before thou wouldst yield to Christ know this that Christ is thine and Heaven shall be thine thou hast parted with a sin and thou hast found a Saviour formerly sin and you were all one now Christ and you are all one 17. John 20 21. Brethren this is both an unspeakable Mystery and also an unspeakable Mercy for a poor Soul to be united to Christ O if sinners knew this they would never keep a sin more in their hearts 3. Now can the Devil do you no more mischief the Devil may roar and tear and fret and fume but he can do that Soul no harm that is united to Christ O what an happiness is this to be freed from the power of the Devil when a man hath cast out his own Iniquity then is the Devils Castle demolisht and his main engine broken to pieces 10. Luk. 17 18. Obedience to the Gospel that curbs the power of the Devil obey Christ and the Devil can never hurt you After Paul had commended the Romans obedience to the Gospel 16. Rom. 19. he adds verse 20. the God of peace shall tread Satan under your feet shortly cast out this sin and you cast out the Devil trample upon this sin and you trample upon the very neck of the Devil 4. Now you may trample upon all the miseries and afflictions and troubles and crosses of this life such Nightingals may sing with thorns at their Breasts Upright Noah is safe and secure when all the World is in a deluge the Mariners found a calm Sea assoon as they cast Jonah over board the Army of Israel quickly routed the men of Ai after they had stoned Achan to death A pure Conscience like the Town Clerk of Ephesus quickly appeaseth a multitude of distractions and discontents in the Soul in the midst of outward dangers and calamities Assoon as Judas was gone out of their Company Christ and his Disciples sung an Hymn O poor Soul whoever thou art that hast bid thy sin farewell thou mayest then also bid all sorrow farewell 5. Job 19 20 21 22 23 24. as a Father takes out the sting out of a Snake or Adder and then gives it to his little Child to play with it so when sin is purged out then all the afflictions our Heavenly Father sends us are like Adders without sting or poyson he knows they will not nor cannot hurt us we may then play with them 9. Gen. 12 13 14. Observe it God makes a Bow the sign of his Covenant O but that is rather a sign of anger no 't is a Bow without an Arrow so are all the miseries of the People of God in this World like the Rain-bow 't is a Bow without an Arrow there is no anger nor wrath in God against them 5. Now are you fit for death and now may you triumph over death cast out this sin and then cry O Death where is thy sting This is the work and business that will chear up your spirits upon your Death-beds this will make you look merrily upon your Friends that come to you merrily upon the World you are leaving merrily upon Death with whom you are to wrestle and merrily upon Christ to whom you are going O will a Soul say then I would not have this sin in me now for a thousand Worlds though once I was loath to part with it and could be hardly persuaded to it When a man hath paid all his debts if the Serjeant or Officer come and knock at his door he will bid him come in and bid him welcome so a Saint whose bonds are all cancelled by the merits of Christ and whose sins are all purged out by the blood of Christ when Death comes and knocks at the door of his earthly Tabernacle come in Death saith he thou art welcome thou art very wellcome to me I desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ Now put these things together would you have Christ to embrace you the Devil to be afraid of you all afflictions to work good for you would you live merrily dye comfortably then cast out this your own Iniquity 8. Another Motive is this Consider how many loud calls you have to leave this sin I will be brief 1. The voice of the word 18. Jer. 31. 1 Cor. 5. 7. 12. Heb. 1. what should I add more 't is the voice of the whole Bible calling upon us to out with sin This is the whole design of God in the whole Bible it consists of four parts First precepts commanding us to leave sin Secondly presidents or examples to teach us to abhor sin Thirdly threatnings to affright us from sin Fourthly promises to allure us and persuade us from our sins if you leave not this sin you cross the whole design of God in the Scriptures so that Brethren either part with your sins or fling away your Bibles 2. The voice of the rod Mic. 6. 9. and what doth the rod say see verse 13. O Brethren remember all the judgments of God upon your Persons Families Relations Goods Names Estates remember this I say that every rod calls for Repentance cast out your Iniquities 36. Job 8 9 10. 3. The voice of the blood of Christ Christ's blood hath a voice 't is a speaking blood 12. Heb. 24. Abels blood that cryed for vengeance Christ's blood that calls for Repentance Methinks sinners you may hear the blood of Christ speaking thus to you O do not trample me under your feet O do not make me as water spilt upon the ground good for nothing O do not leave me as a witness against you at the last day if you sin against me you must needs perish if you reject me there is nothing else can help you Brethren this is the very Speech and Language of the blood of Christ to you 10. Heb. 26 29. Now put these things together and remember that God hath spoken to you you have been often enough called upon O do not sin against the word of God that 's a saving word O do not sin against the rod of God that
death into the World turn out sin and you shall not need to fear death A man that is in debt and hath a writ out against him he is fain to hide and keep close but assoon as the writ is out of date then dare he boldly go abroad and look the Serjeant in the face when we are assured that our sin is cancelled out of God's Book then death's writ signifies nothing to us we can smile in the very face of this grim Serjeant O learn to live without sin that you may dye without sorrow O how happy are all they whom death it self the worst of evils cannot make miserable And thus you see some of the parts of their happiness who can say as in the Text I have kept c. here is comfort enough for any man and Brethren if you do but remember them so as to consider them again you will find that it is a far greater happiness than the greatest Kings and Princes in the World have in all their plenty and prosperity here is happiness in life all things work for our good all our Prayers answered at death unsting it at judgment no sin charged after to all Eternity espoused to Christ and be with the Lord. But least any should take this comfort to themselves to whom it doth not belong I will lay down some Marks and Characters of such Persons as those are who keep themselves from their own Iniquities 1. That man that keeps himself from his own Iniquity he is one that hath felt the smart and burden of sin No wise man after he hath made a good meal of such meat as he loves best will presently take a vomit to cast it up unless it make him sick and load his stomach so is it in respect of our beloved sins till they vex us we will not turn them out of doors Like the Egyptians who would be perswaded by no means to let Israel go till they saw the Plagues that they suffered for it 11. Mat. 28. Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden implying that none but such will come Now let me ask you this Question what is the Reason that some of you have parted from some sins are these sins a trouble and burden to your Souls or else do you not rather deal with sin as David with Absalom who banisht him the Court but yet loved him for all that if so then know that you and sin are not rightly parted you must cast sin out of your hearts as the Israelites cast their leaven out of their houses they were to curse it thence 2. That man that hath kept himself from his own Iniquity he is one that hath duly considered the great danger of sin we all of us hate poyson because we know it will cost us our lives O that we knew but sin as well we should hate it as much When Jacob knew that Esau sought his life he presently fled away from him so did we but know that sin will assuredly ruin our Souls though we love it never so well we should part with it Like some fish who love the bait well and therefore do swallow down the hook but when they perceive the danger of the hook in their bodies vomit up their beloved baits again O sirs have you seriously considered Death Judgment and Hell have you ever set the wrath of God before your eyes if you have I think you will never love sin more 3. That man that hath kept himself from his own sin will endeavour to keep others from their sins also 2 Cor. 5. 11. all such Persons will be telling others the danger of sin and perswading others what they can from sin Paul was no sooner a Convert but he presently turned a Preacher Nemo acrior inter persecutores nemo prior inter peccatores Aug. do you do so are any of you sensible of the danger of sin you will be telling it to others 'T is in this case as in other cases have any of you kept a Servant in your houses that is a Thief hath purloyned your goods and embezel'd away any of your commodities if you find him out you will not only turn him away but also forewarn all others from receiving him telling them the danger of having such a fellow in their houses so is it here if any man hath found out the danger of his own sin and turned it out of his heart he will forewarn all others of their sins and perswade them what he can to do likewise 4. That man that hath turned his own sin out of his heart will be much in aggravating of it what he can he will speak the worst of it that he can nay not only of that sin but of every other sin also If a Father be highly provoked by his Son that he hath formerly been very tender of so that he turns him out of doors he will be always speaking against him wherever he goes and will not endure that any should speak in his behalf Paul before his conversion took great delight in his sin viz. in Persecuting the Disciples of Christ but when once he was turned from it he was always aggravating it to the height and speaking the worst of it and himself for it that he could as you may read in the first of Tim. 1. 13 15. v. and in the 1 Cor. 15. 9. when men can connive or wink at their sins or speak fairly of them 't is a sign that they have not yet renounced them Suppose a man 's own Iniquity be Covetousness O he will seek to daub it over and say why I am good Husband I do but look after the main chance when perhaps this man is as gripple a Worldling as any that lives suppose his sin be swearing he will plead for it thus there is no such hurt in it 't is a trick that I have got and I cannot leave it there be others that swear as well as I or the like 't is a sign when men seek to extenuate their sins or to plead for plead for their sins that they and their sins are still cater-cozens they are not yet parted O but every true convert will loath his sin and loath himself for it 42. Job 6. here was a true sign of Jobs Repentance in that he abhorred himself and by the way here we may learn a distinguishing mark and character between a true convert and an unconverted Person a wicked unconverted Person always looks upon others as greater sinners than himself and thinks other mens sins worse behalf than his own A true convert thinks worst of himself and his own sins so Paul I am the chiefest of sinners 5. That man that hath renounced his own sin will live ever after in a quite opposite and contrary course to that sin 1 Gal. 23. Paul you see after his conversion was as much for Christ as before he was against Christ 1 Cor. 15. 10. As before his conversion he was more furious