Tim. 3.13 But evil men and seducers wax worse and worse deceiving and being deceived To encrease in Riches is not simply evil to encrease in Grace is surely good This increase is commanded 2 Pet. 3.18 But grow in Grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ It is commended 1 Cor. 1.5 In every thing ye are enriched by him in all utterance and in all knowledge It is to be prayed for Luk. 17.5 Lord encrease our faith Col. 1.9 For this cause we also since the day we heard it do not cease to pray for you and to desire you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding Vers 10. That ye may walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing being fruitfull in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God But to encrease in sin and to grow in wickedness especially after men have seen Gods displeasure against sin in a wasting Plague is an evil to be lamented if we could with tears of blood When instead of adding grace to grace 2 Pet. 1.5 6 7. they adde sin to sin to Drunkenness they add Adultery to Passion Malice to Malice Revenge Some men make such progress in sin by little and little till as all the little Channels meeting in one place become a common Sewer of all filthiness and impiety Sinks of sin and nasty dunghils of all uncleanness Let me premise these six particulars and I will pass to the proof of this first thing 1. That the Nature of man is wonderfully depraved and in all men except Christ equally sinfull For First All men are equally under the guilt of Adams first transgression Secondly All men are equally deprived of Originall righteousnesse Thirdly All men have equally the seeds of all sin in their nature all naturally prone to all sin Gen. 6.5 though by reason of the temperament of the body some men might be more inclined to one sin than to another yet all sin is seminally and radically in every mans nature all men by nature are equally tinder the curse of the Law deserve the wrath of God and equally liable to the torments of hell Ephes 2.3 2. That every sin that men commit is of a damning nature and though some sins in comparison of others might be called little sins yet in respect of the great God against whom they are committed no sin is small Though degrees of sin and inequality of sinning have greater degrees of torment and shall have inequality in sufferings yet eternall death is the wages of the smallest sin Therefore let no man think while I speak of the increase of sin that he is good because he is not so bad as others grow to be 3. That in the world there are severall sizes and degrees of sinners as in the Church there are severall sizes and degrees of believers In the Church there are Fathers Young men Children 1 Joh. 2.13 And Babes 1 Pet. 2.1 So there are severall sizes of sinners Some morall men some openly prophane some are great swearers and great drunkâ—rds Ringleaders to sin the Devils Lievetenants provoking others to sin and incouraging them therein Some are chief among sinners Luk. 19.2 Some drink in Iniquity like water Job 15.16 Some are drawn to sin and some draw sin to them and that as with Cart ropes Isa 5.18 some commit sin and tremble at it and some commit sin and rejoyce at it Prov. 2.14 some commit sin and are terrified at it when they have done it some commit sin and make a mock and sport of sin when they have done it Pro. 10.23 14.9 some commit sin with great remorse and reluctance and others commit sin with as great and eager greediness Eph. 4.18.19 A dreadfull text Having the understanding darkned being alienated from the Life of God through the Ignorance that is in them because of the blindness of their heart vers 19. Who being past feeling have given themselves over to lasciviousness to work all uncleanness with greediness These are sinners of a great Magnitude if you weigh the things spoken of them 1 Having their understandings darkned The word doth either signify the faculty it selfe or the ratiocination or reasoning of the understanding and it is true in both respects their understandings are dark and ignorant and their reasonings are dark and obscure 2 Being alienated from the Life of God i. e. That Life that God commands and approveth they are too much acquainted with a sensuall flesh-pleasing swinish life but they are utter strangers to an holy self-denying sin-mortifying Life because of the ignorance that is in them as a bruit doth not know the life of reason so sinners are ignorant of the Life of God 3 Because of the blindness more properly the hardness of their heart 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This word is sometimes rendred blindness sometimes hardness because they are conjunct a blind heart is a hard heart and a hard heart is a blind heart it signifieth the thick skin that covereth the palmes of the hands of hard labourers that they can handle nettles and in that part of their hand have no feeling of the stingings as others are sensible of There is a thick skin hath over grown the hearts of some sinners that they are 4 past feeling unsensible as a stone who are said to have their consciences feared as with an hot Iron But though they feel not their sin here they shall feel the torments due for sin in the life to come The hideous howlings and gnashings of teeth amongst the damned speak plainly that they feel the punishment of sin 5 Have given themselves over to lasciviousness sometime sinners are said to sell themselves to work wickedness as Ahab 1 King 21 2â— sometimes are said to give themselves to wickedness which denotes their constancy and complacency in working wickedness as when St. Paul commanded Timothy to give himself to reading he saith Give thy self wholly to them 1 Tim. 4.15 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Be thou in these things a mans heart is in those things he is given to a Schollar that is given to his Book a drunkard that is given to drinking when his cup is in his hand his heart is in the cup. He is in drink is our proverb when the drink is in him God and Christ should dwell in their heart but their heart is in their sin and sin is in their heart 6 To work They work at sin as for gain when it is the loss of the soul that will be the issue Sin indeed is a hard labour and greatest drudgery sinners work and damnation will be their wages they should be working out their salvation but they are working out their damnation they are Labouring for hell and taking pains to undoe themselves and what is it they are so much imployed in 7 In uncleanness in the extent and latitude of it working all manner of uncleanness and that 8
thy heart to keep thee from sin than before thou art so much worser than thou wast before Though abstaining from sin upon such accounts doth not prove the truth of grace yet the committing of sin notwithstanding these doth argue growth of sin Now these humane Arguments that did formerly restrain thee were such as these 1. Shame amongst men Thou hadst an Inclination to wicked company but thou wast ashamed to be seen amongst them and therefore didst not associate with them But now thou thinkest it no shame or if thou dost thou hast a face of brass and an heart of stone and blushest not Thou art worse 2. Care of Reputation Thou wast tender of thy Credit and good Name and though thou hadst a love unto some sins that would have disgraced thee amongst men yet now thou wilt blot thy Name and lose thy Credit and sacrifice thy Reputation to satisfie thy Lust 3. Costliness of sin Some sins are very chargeable and call for great expence and thy love to thy Money and natural affection to thy Wife and Children was a barre which did restrain thee from them Thou wouldest not feed and satisfie thy filthy Lusts because it would be chargeable to thee thou refrainedst from riotous Prodigals because company with them would wast thine Estate But now thou thinkest no cost too great no charge too much that thou mayest have thy fill of sin but tradest and labourest and workest to get something to maintain thy Lust and wilt rather that thy Wife and Children should want bread at home than thou shouldest not have enough to spend upon thy sins abroad Thou art now grown to an exceeding magnitude in sin that thou art monstrous to beholders 4. Health of body Such sins that tend to the impairing of thy health thou wouldest not commit Thou didst refrain not so much because they would damn thy soul as destroy thy body Thou thoughtest excessive drinking would shorten thy life and hasten thy death and bring thee sooner to thy grave that acts of uncleanness would fill thee full of loathsom diseases and leave some mark upon thy body whereby thou wouldest be noted for an unclean adulterer But now thou wilt venture health and life and all that thou mayest more freely sin and the very food thou earest is now not only to nourish thy body but to provoke thee to lust Verily thou art much worse than thou wast 5. Fear of death When the fear of God would not prevail to keep thee from sin yet fear of death somtimes hath done it and according to the strength of the fears of death have been thy restraints from sin but now thou canst think of death and speak of thy death and yet act thy sinne 6. Displeasure of men Thou hast had dependance upon some that hate such sins that thou lovest in thy heart but because thou wouldest not loose their favour thou hast bridled thy sin but now thou layest the reignes loose upon the neck of thy lusts and wilt proceed to obey them let who will be displeased thereby When thou wilt displease thy best friend and them upon whom thou dost depend for lively-hood and maintenance that thou mayst please thy lust it is a sign that sin is very high in thy heart any one of these formerly were a sufficient bolt to keep thee from grosser sins but now all put together are too weak a signe that sin is so much the stronger X. The more thou hast had experience of the dreadfull effects of sin and the more God hath punished thee for thy sin and yet wilt proceed the greater sinner thou art God hath punished thee with poverty as the fruite of thy sin with diseases in thy body with horrours in thy conscience with the death of thy relations when thou hast tasted the bitterness of sin to set against the pleasures of sin when God hath put worm-wood and gall into thy sin yet thou art bent upon it thou art very bad XI The more thou justifiest and defendest thy self after the commission of sin than formerly so much the worser thou art than formerly When thou wast reproved thou wast use to acknowledge thy sin and to confess thy wickedness but now thou dost plead for thy lust and pleadest for thy evil wayes and takest the quarrell of sin upon thy self it is a signe thy heart is more wedded to thy lusts by how much the more thou espousest its cause XII When thou art more presumptuous in thy sinnings and addest more contempt of God and pride and contumacy than formerly the worse thou art Sins of presumption are scarlet sins of a crimson dye when a man sinneth against God and blesseth himself in his wickedness and presumeth of Gods mercy and presumeth upon the patience of God a man that sins presumptuously makes a bold adventure against express threatnings of the Law of God and is mingled with great contempt of God it is no less than reproaching and despising of God himself Num. 15.30 But the soul that doth ought presumptuously reproacheth the Lord and that soul shall be cut off from among his people vers 31. Because he hath despised the word of the Lord and hath broken his commandment that soul shall be utterly cut off his iniquity shall be upon him XIII The more mercies thou sinnest against than formerly the worser thou art than before God hath given thee more mercies and multiplyed many good things upon thee and yet thou committest more sins than when thou hadst fewer mercies to make Gods mercy to be fewel for thy lusts is an aggravation of sinning for as much as it is contrary to the end of mercy which is to draw men off from sin every mercy thou receivest hath a voice and its language is repent of sin return to God Rom. 2.4 God loadeth thee with mercy and the more thou pressest him down with thy sin the more good and the more mercifull God is to thee the more vile and rebellious thou art against God this is to be highly wicked XIV The more thou drawest others into sin by thy entisements or example than before so much the worse thou art When thou art not content to sin alone not to dishonour God thy self but drawest and incouragest others to do so also and so damnest thy own soul and others too and makest thy self guilty of the bloud of those thou allurest with thee into sin The more sins thou committest thy self the worse thou art and the more persons thou dost influence by thy sin to partake with thee the worse thou art Thus if thou wilt compare thy self what thou art now with what thou hast been formerly thou mightest discern how much more thou sinnest now than thou didst before SECT XIV What considerations may be usefull to stop the streame of such mens wickedness that yet are waxing worse and worse BEcause I am loath to leave thee with a bare conviction that thou art worse than thou wast wont to be I shall add a
He was bad when he was born and worse while he lived and worst of all when he is to dye 5. Learn the equity of Gods Justice in punishing a wicked man with eternal torments for sins committed in time For he sinned more and more as long as he lived and if he had lived longer he would have sinned longer and if he had lived for ever he would have sinned for ever 6. Learn the over-ruling providence of God that setteth bounds to wicked mens sins if he did not restrain them they would be worse and do worse than they do 7. Learn that natural men by the improvement of common grace or the means of grace cannot work themselves into a state of grace nor of themselves that are bad make themselves to be good for we have shewed that without the speciall and irresistible operations of the Spirit of God wicked men grow worse under the Administrations of the Gospel 8. The folly of delays and procrastinations of repentance and turning unto God Wicked men think they can repent when they will and though they have no heart to turn to God for the present yet they will hereafter but he that is not disposed to turn to God and repent to day will finde his heart more indisposed to morrow and the longer they put it off the more unwilling and unable they will be to do it hereafter We have heard we must not be worse now let us see we must be better and that is the second part of this first Direction SECT XVI HAth the Plague been raging and you yet alive then be better than you were before And here I especially direct my speech to those that had the grace of God infused into their hearts before this Judgement came upon us that you would improve this providence by being better than you were before if Drunkards and Swearers will not be better yet be you if sensualists and flesh-pleasers will not be better yet be you It may be the wicked will be worse but will you be so too If Gods people are not mended by his Judgements who will and hath God swept away so many thousands into another world and shall there be no good effect or fruit upon neither bad nor good God forbid London hath been a place of great prosperity a City of Feasting and a place of plenty of outward enjoyments but in this last Sickness God hath filled it with dolorous complaints by the many breaches made by death in so many families and relations God hath filled it with pale faces and sick persons and running sores God hath turned it into a place an house of mourning And Solomon saith Eccl. 7.2 It is better to go into the house of mourning than to the house of feasting for that is the end of all men and the living will lay it to his heart Have not your houses been houses of mourning some dead out of most houses and you are yet living will you then lay it to your heart What should you lay to heart Lay to heart the great Judgement that hath been amongst you Lay to heart the sins that did provoke the Lord to lay his hand so heavy upon you Lay to heart the goodness of God in preserving you The City hath been an house of mourning but have you learned the lessons that are to be learned in an house of mourning Have you met so many dead Corpse carried in the streets have you seen the living laboring to carry forth their dead and yet not learned the lessons that are to be learned in such a place of mourning Where one is dead in a family that before was an house of mirth and gladness it will turn it into an house of mourning and sadness much more when many dead in one family and this is the case of many families God hath been teaching you many things at such a time but is your lesson taken out Oh what dull Scholars are we in the School of Christ that must thus be scourged to learn our lessons and yet have not done it Consider when God hath turned London by reason of their dead into an house of mourning he hath been teaching you such things as these I. God hath been teaching you the Infallible verity of divine threatnings God threatned our first Parents Gen. 2.17 That if they sinned they should certainly dye they and their posterity This threatning was made some thousands of years since and it hath been made good in all generations Length of time makes not voide the threatnings of God men read Gods threatnings but do not believe them nor fear them nor tremble at them Many will not practically believe that they shall dye though they sin and will not at all believe they shall be damned though they sin but we see that men that have sinned must dye and wicked men shall feel that they shall be damned according to Gods threatnings but you have learned the truth of Gods threatnings in this and they are as true in all other respects therefore do you that are Gods people learn the truth of Gods threatnings when he saith the Drunkard shall not inherit the Kingdom of God and let this move your heart to pity them that are such that have a threatning of God which is of undoubted verity as a flaming sword standing in their way to keep them out of the Paradise of God and be thankful unto God that you are none of these Do you learn the truth of Gods threatning when he saith the hypocrite and unbelieving shall be cast into the lake that burnes with fire and brimstone Rev. 21.8 and pity and pray for them that are such and bless God that you are none of them and so are taken from under the curse of that threatning II. In this great house of so great mourning God hath been teaching you what are the Wages of sin You have often heard that death is the Wages of sin Rom. 6.23 The Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there used is a military term signifying the wages that is due to souldiers intimating that death is as due to a sinner for his service to the Devil as pay is to a Souldier for his service to his General it comes from the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth properly all kind of pleasant meats that may be prepared or made ready by fire so that all the delicates and dainty dishes that sin prepares for sinners hath a deaths head in them Do you learn this and by this learn to hate sin more than you did before and watch against it more than you did before III. In this great house of so great mourning God hath been teaching you the certainty of mens mortality You have seen that this is the way of all flesh Josh 23.14 1 King 2.2 and therefore learn to live as mortal dying men should live you have seen that thousands have been carryed from their houses to their graves And Oh
so much the more difficult There are many things to be done if you will perform your Vows and Resolutions to be better without which it will be impossible and these are such as Watchfulness Self-denyal Fervent Prayer Frequent Examination c. But these I reserve for their proper place as Helps hereunto But first I would have you to believe the necessity of your utmost care and diligence to perform your Purposes of an holy life That man that thinks it easie to live up to such Resolutions will undoubtedly come short in putting them in practice SECT II. II. I Come to the Helps to be prescribed for the better performance of your Purposes and Resolutions of a holy heavenly Gospel-conversation made in time of your danger by reason of the Plague If you would live up to your Resolution of an holy life then 1. Evermore take heed of your Beloved sin take heed of that which is to you Peccatum in delitiis your darling Lust which by way of special propriety you may call your own Keep a very strict hand over it for if any sin undoe you it is likely to be this and if there be any sin that will weaken your endeavours to live according to your purpose it will be this Beware of all but especially of this maintain your holy warfare against the whole hoast of sin but especially fight against this as the General and Commander of all the rest Whether it be pride or worldliness or the pleasing of your sensitive Appetite or the Lusts of the Flesh c. That you may know what is your Darling sin take these signs First That sin you have been more accustomed to and hath usually broken out to the wounding of your soul and disturbing of your peace above any other sin is your beloved sin Secondly That sin that all other sins doe wait upon and vail to and bring in their aid and assistance to maintain is your beloved sin Thirdly That sin of which you are most impatient of reproof you can hear of other sins and be reproved for other sins but if you are plainly dealt with about this you cannot so easily bear it but you will finde your corrupt heart to bestir it self to finde out excuses to extenuate it and plead for it that is likely your beloved sin Fourthly That sin is likely your Darling when disappointments of the fulfilling and pleasing of it is more grievous to your soul than the frustrations of any other sin Fifthly That sin is your Darling which you have often found your heart wishing it were no sin when you wish that it had not been forbidden by God which you finde your heart most unwilling to resolve against Sixthly That sin is your Darling which you are willing to be at any cost and charges to maintain or satisfie Seventhly That is your Darling sin which you are most delighted in the committing of and had rather part with all the rest than with this it is a sign your heart is indeed marryed to that sin when you will leave all to cleave to this Eighthly That sin is your Darling sin which doth most disturb you at the Throne of Grace and fill your minde most usually with distracting thoughts The Devil will divert your heart from God in holy Duties and there is no sin he can better make use of for this purpose than what your heart is most apt naturally to close withall Ninthly That sin is your Darling sin which doth most interrupt you in your chosen Solitudes and Retirements for your souls concernment It is not every man but some special friend that will joyn himself unto you when he knows you are retired for some special business Tenthly That is your Darling sin which Conscience doth most reproach you for in time of danger and fears of death Eleventhly That sin is your Darling sin which usually lies down in your thoughts at night which your minde most thinks upon in the night when you wake and first endeavours to salute you in the morning Whatever sin this be you must resolve to deal severely with it if ever you would keep your holy Resolutions While you cocker this sin and be too kind towards it you will not walk so close with God in time of health as you purposed to do in time of sickness And next to this beloved sin be carefull to mortifie that sin that is next unto it in your love There is some other sin besides the Darling which is chief that the corrupt heart hath some peculiar favour for and if you ask what sin that is I answer it is that sin which your heart is most apt to change your beloved sin for when you press your heart to forsake your Darling sin And that which was the second chief sin in your Soul would be first if the former be taken down and suppressed 2. Take heed of dallying with temptations or playing with the baits of sin and be careful to abstain from the very appearance of evil rather deny your self of what is lawful then play upon the borders of that which is unlawful If you always go as far as you may you will sometimes go further then you should If you venture to the utmost you will be in danger of transgressing and going beyond your bounds You will finde the Devil and your own heart sometimes to reason thus so far thou mayest go and yet keep thy resolution so far thou mightest venture and maintain thy holy purpose thou maist go with such a one into the Tavern and yet keep thy purpose to be sober thou mayst take another Glass of Wine and then another and then another and yet not break thy resolution Thus the Devil will play upon thee and ply thee step after step till he makes a prey of the peace of thy conscience and hath brought thee to a violation of thy purpose Principiis obsta resist the first risings of the sin thou hast resolved against thou hast resolved to keep a constant course of secret prayer every morning but when thou risest there is this business offers it self to be done first and then another till thou dost omit it and neglect it or there is this business which stayes for thee and that will make thee first be slight and hasty and over-short in the performance of it till at last it brings thee to neglect it Beware then of the appearances of sin 3. Often press upon your heart that sin is as odious unto God and displeasing unto him at one time as another in time of health as well as in times of sickness and great mortality when the plague is over as when it was slaughtering thousands in a week Though God doth sometimes manifest more of his displeasure against sin yet he always equally because he always infinitely hateth sin If the thoughts of Gods displeasure and the sight thereof in the effects of it did move thee to resolve and purpose against sin the
but if thou hadst then dyed thou wouldest without doubt have been eternally damned because thy resolutions were not penitential resolutions as appears by the fruit of them in my returning to thy sin again and that thou didst not indeed love God and his holy ways for if thou hadst thou wouldest nor so soon no never after turned from them in the general course of thy conversation 11. This will encourage the devil to more frequent tempting of thee For if by temptation he can prevail with thee to do that which is contrary to thy resolution what hopes will he have to draw thee into sin against which thou hast made no such particular resolution If he overcome thee where thou art strongest what spoil will he make upon thee where thou art weakest It is a great advantage we give unto the devil when we sin against our resolutions 12. This will be a great provocation unto God when thou dost sin not only against his Precepts but against thy own purpose not only against the obligations he layeth upon thy soul by Mercy and Afflictions but against the Obligations thou layst upon thy self by thy Purposes and Resolutions And in thy Affliction and fears didst thou not apprehend God to be exceedingly provoked but thou must after he hath preserved recovered thee go on to provoke him more 13. If this neglect be found in thee who hast the truth of grace yet it will much hinder thy confidence at the throne of grace and stop the Influences of the Spirit of God and obstruct the illapses of the Spirit from descending upon thy heart When thou keepest thy resolutions and keepest out of the wayes of sin thou canst go to God with an humble holy boldness and pour out thy heart with much enlargedness before God and there is sweet intercourse betwixt God and thee thou feelest thy heart to burn in love to God and thou perceivest God to bear a love to thee and oh how sweet is this unto thy soul But when thou neglectest to watch against sin and to walk with God when thou hadst resolved to do both when thou goest to thy duty thou wilt finde Conscience reproach thee and thy heart straitned and thy mouth stopped and thy confidence abated thy heart much estranged from God and God carrying himself as a stranger unto thee when thou art upon thy knees And this is the bitter fruit of a careless heart after heightned Resolutions 14. If this neglect be found in thee that hast the truth of grace it will much occasion the doubting of the sincerity of thy heart A Childe of God may fail and be remiss in prosecuting of his purposes sometimes but if he be it will make him jealous of his own heart and suspicious that it is not well betwixt God and him and is not that a sore evil and much to be opposed and lamented which doth blot thine Evidences for heaven and will make thee question whether thou hast one dram of grace in truth conferred upon thee infused into thee Thus I have finished this Direction also shewing how you may live in some measure answerable to the great goodness of God in sparing you in time of Plague when so many thousands fell round about you By being carefull to be as good when the Sickness is over as you purposed and resolved to be when you were in expectation of death and waiting for your change and dissolution when the Arrowes of God were flying amongst you in the time of this sore Judgement of the Plague DIRECTION III. HAth God spared you in time of so great Contagion that you live when others are dead or were you sick and are recovered then Endeavour that the Cure may be a thorow Cure that your Soul be healed as well as your body that there be not spiritual Judgements upon your Soul when temporal Plagues are removed from your Body You may observe that such that came to Christ with diseased bodies Christ healed their bodies and their souls too he took away their corporal sickness blindness distempers and the guilt of their sins too Mat. 9.1 2. Many are delivered from a Corporal Plague that yet are infected and in danger of eternal death by the Plague upon their hearts That remain under spiritual Judgements and Soul-sickness when temporal Judgements and corporal sicknesses are cured and removed When St. John wrote to Gaius he desired that it might be as well with him as to his bodily health as it was in respect of his soul and spiritual health 3 Ep. John v. 2. Beloved I wish above all things that thou mayst prosper and be in health even as thy soul prospereth But it may be matter of our desire concerning those that remain alive and are well after this Visitation that their souls may prosper and be in health even as their body prospereth It is a greater mercy to have an healed soul in a sickly body than to have spiritual sickness remain in an healthful body It is not so great a Judgement to have the body full of Plague-sores as to have the soul full of reigning sins If your body be cured and not your soul the cure is but half done Therefore in speaking to this Direction I shall shew these things 1. Wherein it appears that sin is the sickness of the soul 2. Wherein it appears that sin and spiritual Judgements upon the soul are worse than sickness and temporal Judgements upon the body 3. How we may know whether our souls are healed of spiritual sicknesses 4. What they must do that lye under soul-sickness that they may be healed 5. What such should do that are healed of their soul distempers to improve the Cure to the glory of God SECT I. I. Wherein doth it appear that sin is the souls disease and the sickness thereof In these particulars 1. SIcknesses and diseases do abate and take away the Appetite Sick men have not the Appetite to their food as men in health have So sin takes away the spiritual appetite of the Soul that it doth not hunger after Christ nor thirst after righteousness and hinders its feeding upon Christ and the Word of God which is the spiritual food for the souls nourishment and growth 2. Sickness and diseases do abate the strength and activity of the body So sin doth weaken the soul and all the faculties thereof and doth disable it in all its actings to and for God 3. Sickness and diseases often fill the body full of pain aches and sores making men to cry out Oh my head and oh my heart and oh my bowels I am pained I am pained So sin doth fill the soul full of racking fears and perplexing torments and doubts and sometimes make some sinners cry out I am undone I am undone I am damned I am damned 4. Some diseases do stupifie and make men insensible and those are the worst So sin sometimes makes some sinners stupid and unsensible of their misery and
danger 5. Sickness and diseases do take away mens delight in those things which men in perfect health do take pleasure in Sick men have no delight in the pleasures of the world and in the riches of the world which other men finde So sin takes away that delight in God and spiritual duties and in heavenly things which those whose souls are cured do experience 6. Sickness and diseases do spoyl the beauty of the body They spoil the fairest complexion and make the ruddy cheeks to become pale and many diseases bring deformity in the room of beauty So sin doth spoyl the soul of that spiritual beauty wherewith it was adorned in its first Creation which did consist in likeness unto God so that now instead of the likeness of God there is nothing but blackness and deformity that the soul that was comely and amiable in the sight of God is now become loathsome and abominable SECT II. II. Wherein doth it appear that Soul sickness and spiritual Judgements upon mens hearts are worse thâ—n sickness and temporal Judgments upon mens bodyes THough most men in the World look upon bodily sickness and corporal Judgments to be more dreadful than sin upon their souls yet if we take a right estimate and make a true judgment of both spiritual Judgements are the greater evils In respect of the 1. Cause or manner of conveyance 2. Signs of greater wrath 3. Subject in which they do reside 4. Number being many 5. Effect that they do produce 6. Difficulty of cure 7. Want of sense 1. Spiritual Judgements and soul-sicknesses are greater evils than temporal Judgements and sickness upon the body in respect of the cause or manner of Conveyance which is by natural propagation and so unavoidable Sin is born with us it is derived from Parents to Children from one generation to another There are some diseases that are conveyed from Parents to Children but this is not general nor perpetual to all generations But the propagation of spiritual diseases is universal and general it is constant and perpetual The seed of all sin is derived from Adam to all his Posterity 2. Soul-sicknesses and spiritual Judgements upon mens hearts are Signs of greater wrath than bodily sicknesses are You may be sick of the Plague and yet God may love you you may have bodily afflictions and God may be at peace with you and because he loves you he may afflict you But spiritual Judgements as judicial hardness blindness are signs of Gods anger yea his sorest displeasure yea which is more they are signs of Gods Hatred to such a man that lyeth under them Now that which doth alwayes argue Hatred in God to a sinner is worse than those things that might proceed barely from his Anger and sometimes from his Love God loathes and abhorres that man the plague of whose heart is not at all cured 3. Spiritual Judgements and soul-sicknesses are greater evils than temporal and corporal sicknesses are because they be spiritual and have the heart and soul for their seat and subject As mercies are better that are spiritual and that are soul mercies so Judgments and sicknesses spiritual are the greater evils because they are the disease of the better and more noble part of man that which doth corrupt the soul must be worse than that which doth corrupt the body by how much the soul is more excellent than the body 4. They are worse because they are more numerous there is more diseases in the soul than in the body If the body be diseased in one part it may be well in all the rest if in more yet not in all if in all yet your case is not so bad But there is no sinner but is diseased in every part there are spiritual distempers in all the faculties and powers of the soul in the Understanding Will Affections Conscience Memory Phantasie In the members of the body no part free Nay there are many spiritual diseases in every faculty in the Understanding there are many ignorance errour c. in the Will many stubbornness choosing the Creature and sin before God c. In every affection of the soul there are swarms of sin In the heart there are innumerable distempers evil thoughts murders adulteries fornications thefts blasphemies false witness Maâ— 15.19 Spiritual diseases naturally be all in every man and be in every part of every man 5. They are worse in regard of the Effects The effects of bodily sickness at the utmost and the greatest is but the death of the body it brings the body to the dust and the grave it doth but separate from friends and betwixt the body and the soul But the effects of spiritual soul-sicknesses except they be healed are dreadful and inconceivably great great and dreadful in this world but greater and more dreadful in the world to come they cause Gods anger they deprive the sinner of communion with God they will separate betwixt God and him for ever they will bring the soul to the place of Devils and the torments of the damned 6. They are worse in regard of difficulty of Cure Bodily distempers may be cured by the skill of man in the use of natural means but the sickness of the soul with nothing but the blood of Christ Of which more afterwards 7. They are worse in regard of the want of sense Where one man cryes out of the hardness of his heart and complains of the unbelief and earthliness of his heart there are many cry out of the sickness of their bodyes If their finger doth but ake they are sensible of it but though the whole head is sick and the whole heart is faint and exceedingly distempered yet they are not sensible of it Therefore though God hath cured the Plague of thy body and not the Plague of thy heart if thy bodily disease is removed but the sickness of thy soul remain without cure thy case is deplorable And while thou art rejoycing that thou hast escaped the Plague thou hast more cause to goe unto thy Chamber and be deeply humbled and mourn before God for the Plagues and Judgements that remain upon thy Soul SECT III. III. How may a man know whether he be healed of Soul-sickness THe cure of these distempers are but partial yet so far are they healed that they shall not be the death of the soul The cure will not be perfect till we die Death we say cures all distempers and so it doth those of the soul There is a double wound that sin doth make there is the wound that doth certainly destroy the soul by hindring it from salvation and eternal life and there is the wound that destroyes the peace and comfort of the soul So there is a double Cure which Christ doth work the one for the safety and happiness of the Soul the other for the peace and comfort of the Soul The first of these we enquire after 1. Every man that is healed of Soul-sickness hath been
sensible of it Sin hath been thy sorrow and thy grief and the burden of thy heart thou hast groaned under it as the greatest load as the greatest evil in the world Every man that is bodily sick and is sensible of it and is unfeignedly willing to be freed from his sickness and desireth nothing more is not cured but it is so in spirituals He that is sensible of sin and is heartily and unfeignedly willing to part with his sin as ever sick man was of sickness is certainly healed by Jesus Christ But such as never found so much sorrow for sin nor sense thereof as to make them willing to part with every sin were never yet cured How can a man that is wounded have his sore dressed and lanced in order to a Cure and not be sensible of the smart and pain thereof Or how can he be healed while the sword that made the wound abideth in it It is as impossible that man should be healed of his spiritual sickness and wounds that is not willing to part with sin as for a man to be healed of his bodily wound while he will not have the sword pulled out that did make it Sin caused the wound and the sickness of thy soul and if thou art not willing to part with every sin thou art not healed thy soul is sick and if thou dost not feel it that is the worse 2. Where the soul is healed the sin is killed the life of sin is the death of the soul and that which is the life of the soul is the death of sin if Christ heal the soul he wounds sin he never heals both if sin be wounded to death the soul is healed unto life as in the body the more health is repaired the more the disease is weakned so the more the soul is cured the more sin is mortified 3. Where the soul is healed there grace is infused sickness being removed health is restored When Christ heals a sinners soul he doth not onely mortifie the sin but sanctifie the sinner when a man is restored from sickness to health that which made him sick is not onely removed but that is introduced which maketh him well so when Christ cures the soul he doth not onely take down the power of sin which did make him bad but he infuseth that which doth make him good 4. Where the soul is cured of the disease of sin it is sick of love to Jesus Christ it is not onely weary of sin but exceedingly longeth after the presence of Christ and communion with God Cant. 5.8 I charge you O daughters of Jerusalem if ye finde my beloved that ye tell him I am sick of love 5. Where the soul is cured of the disease of sin it doth receive Christ by faith when the Israelites were stung with the fiery Serpents and looked up to the brazen Serpent they were certainly cured Num. 21.8 Faith is an healing grace because it eyeth Christ the soul-Physician and fetches vertue of healing from him Mat. 15.28 And Jesus answered and said unto her O woman great is thy faith be it unto thee even as thou wilt And her daughter was made whole from that very hour Mat. 9.2 And they brought unto him a man sick of the Palsie lying on a hed and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the Palsie Son be of good cheer thy sins be forgiven thee The blood of Christ is the healing plaister and faith is the hand that takes it and applyeth it unto the sore 6. Where the soul is cured of the disease of sin it is getting strength for spiritual work and employment more and more it is growing stronger and stronger in grace and goodness as a man whose distemper is broke and going away he is recovering strength more and more to go about his calling and employment he is stronger to walk and work he can endure cold and bear burdens more than before A man that is spiritually cured is waxing in the fruits of the spirit and growing in all the graces of the spirit of God is more and more able to resist temptations to perform duties to bear afflictions and endure hardships for the sake of Christ By these signs you may discern whether your soul is cured so far of the diseases it lay under that they shall not be its death and damnation SECT IV. IV. What should such do that are under soul-sicknesses that they may be healed 1. YOU must be sensible that you are sick he that doth not feel himself sick will take no care about the means of health it is those that are sensible of sickness that will value the skill of the Physician and send to him and desire his direction Mat. 9.12 But when Jesus heard that he said unto them they that be whole need not the Physician but they that are sick 2. When you are sensible of your soul-sickness you must apply your self to Christ the great Physician of souls It is Christ that cometh to those that feel themselves diseased with healing under his wings Mal. 4.2 It is he that healeth the broken-hearted Luk. 4.18 Christ healeth us by his wounds and cureth us by his stripes Isa 53.5 It is matter of admiration and to many past belief that applying of Medicines to a sword should heal the wound made thereby but this is above all reason and beyond all dispute that the bleeding wounds of Christ will be healing to the bleeding wounds of the sinner Christs Golgotha is our Gilead and that you may be the more encouraged to come to Christ when you feel your self sick consider 1. Christ can heal every disease and cure every wound he hath a salve for every sore There are some Physicians that can cure some diseases but not all but Christ when he was upon earth did heal all manner of diseases Mat. 4.23 whether thy eyes be blinde or thy heart hard or thy minde earthly he can open thy eyes and soften thy heart and make thee spiritual yea though thy sickness hath been Chronical of long duration yet he can heal thee yea though thou art sick of a relapse which is most dangerous yet Christ can cure thee 2. Christ will heal your souls without putting you to any charge though you be poor and mean and have nothing to bring to Christ yet you may come for healing he will give you his advise and counsel freely he will give you your Physick his own blood freely you have nothing and he expecteth nothing The woman that had been diseased twelve years and suffered many things of many Physicians and spent all and grew worse came to Christ and was presently and freely healed Mar. 5.25 3. Christ will proceed in this cure with all compassion and tenderness he will not deal more roughly with you than is needful he exerciseth bowels of compassions while he is dressing his patient or if he give you bitter poâ—ions or sometimes useth corrosives he will be exceeding tender
to the same sin but sin encroacheth more into the sinners heart and affections and brings him more and more into bondage to it and so makes him worse and worse as a man that was wont to take a cup too much at length is brought to frequent drunkenness till at last it brings him to Hell and to damnation irrecoverably where he is as bad as he can be 5. Sin is of a craving and unsatiable nature therefore those that would satisfie their Lusts must needs in length of time be very bad There are four things which are never satisfied and never say It is enough Prov. 30.15 16. and sin may make a fifth For though a man drudge under sin all his dayes yet it thinks the Sinner hath not done enough for it The Horse-leech hath two daughters crying Give give such a thing is sin that never leaves sucking the heart-blood of the Sinner till it hath sucked him to death Sin cannot cease to ask and sinners know not how to deny and they must be wicked indeed that will be as wicked as sin can make them I might run through the several kinds of sin and shew how they are never satisfied The Egyptians thought that the Israelites never made brick enough and sin thinks the sinner never is enslaved enough that he never doth obey enough but I will briefly instance but in three First Covetousness is unsatiable it never saith It is enough It is not satisfied with having nor in seeing what it hath Eccles 4.8 and 5.10 and therefore puts the Worldling to go drudge again Crescit amor nummi c. Secondly Revenge is unsatiable Malice never thinks it hath done enough and therefore puts on the malicious to consult to contrive and never to be at rest till he hath been more injurious to the person that is the object of his malice Thirdly Lust and uncleanness is unsatiable and therefore such as are addicted to it and would have it satisfied must be very wicked for they never do it 2 Pet. 2.14 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 having eyes full of the Adulteress the very looks of their eye betrayes the lust of their heart and it follows And cannot cease from sin therefore will proceed to great Impiety SECT IV. II. THat wicked men will grow in sin appears from the instigation of the Devil who is unweariedly diligent to tempt unto sin and to adde one iniquity unto another and that because he rules in their hearts and takes them captive at his pleasure 2 Tim. 2.26 A man will be very wicked that will sin as often as the Devil tempts A man is never so bad but the Devil would have him to be worse Judas was an hypocrite before but yet Satan put it into his heart to be more vile in betraying Christ Joh. 13.2 Satan tempting without and sin inclining within Satan never ceasing to tempt and Sinners not knowing how to resist will be growing like the Crocodile from an Egge to a stupendous magnitude SECT V. III. THat wicked men will grow in sin appears from the absence of that which should restrain them If a man hath drunk in poyson and hath no Alexipharmacum or Antidote his sickness will grow upon him Wicked men want that which should preserve them from sin as 1. The Fear of God This is that which causeth a man to shun evil Job 1.1 Job was a man fearing God and eschewing evil Prov. 8.13 The fear of the Lord is to hate evil But where the fear of the Lord is not there the flood-gates are pulled up If the Devil tempt a man that feareth not God to sport on the Lords day he will do it to omit Prayer he will doe it yea if there were no Devil to tempt him he would run on in sin This is brought in as the cause of crying sins Rom. 3.12 13 14 15 16 17 18. Many sins there are enumerated and at the close of all is There is no fear of God before their eyes Abraham dared not to trust himself with a people that did not fear God Gen. 20.11 Abraham said Because I thought surely the fear of God is not in this place and they will slay me for my Wives sake 2. Wicked men want serious Consideration that should keep them from being worse they do not seriously consider of Death and Judgement of the Wrath of God of the Torments of Hell nor of Gods Omniscience that he alwayes sees them Hos 7.2 They consider not in their hearts that I remember all their wickedness now their own doings have beset them about they are before my face Nor of his Omnipresence that he is alwayes with them and by them they consider not If I sin I shall lose my soul and it will cost me bitter tears or bitter torments They do not weigh in their serious thoughts the greatness of their danger the heaviness of Gods wrath nor the eternity of the miseries of another world God complains of the want of Consideration as the great cause of the height of sin Isa 1.2 3 4. 3. Wicked men want a firm assent to the verity of Gods Word that they doe not verily believe the truth of Gods threatnings but they have a secret hope that it shall goe well with them whatever they doe and whatever God saith They hear of the evil of sin and of the torments of Hell but they feel nothing for the present and fear nothing for the future and therefore goe on to adde drunkenness to thirst Deut. 29.19 20 21. And it come to passe when he heareth the words of this curse that he bless himself in his heart saying I shall have peace though I walk in the imagination of mine heart to adde drunkenness to thirst Vers 20. The Lord will not spare him but then the anger of the Lord and his Jealousie shall smoak against that man and all the Curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him and the Lord shall blot out his Name from under Heaven 4. Wicked men want a lively tender Conscience which should warn them that they sin not and accuse them and threaten them with damnation if they doe Many have cauterized Consciences 1 Tim. 4.2 Where Conscience is dead or sleepy or feared there iniquity will abound SECT VI. What are the several steps and gradations whereby sin growes from a low ebbe to its highest actings THere are ten steps to the highest actings of sin five of which are common to good and bad the other five proper to the wicked and ungodly Many Hypocrites may goe half way with the godly in that which is good but never while such goe quite thorow So too often a man that is godly goes half way with the wicked in sinning but never goes quite thorow with them in all the circumstances of sin The rounds in the Sinners Ladder to hell are these ten 1. Original Concupiscence 2. Temptation 3. Inclination 4. Consent 5. Action 6. Custome 7.
thou art quite cold in the matters of Religion I charge thee in the Name and fear of the Eternal God that thou presently bethink thy self what an aggravation this will be of thy continued and increased wickedness and that thou turn from it least God turn thy body into the grave by some other distemper as an Ague or Feaver or Consumption though he did not by the Plague Oh think with thy self God hath taken away some of thy sinful Companions that were wont to be drunk and swear with thee who if God should bring them back again from the dead would tell thee that they are damned for their Drunkenness and that they have been in Hell among Devils and have felt the wrath of God to be heavy and intolerable for those very sins they have committed in thy company and thou with them Would not they tell thee if they had thy time they would pray but swear prophanely no more if God had suffered them to out-live the Plague or would after death and tryal of the torments of Hell entrust them with life again they would be better Remember some of them that the other day were drinking unto drunkenness in the Ale-house dying in final impenitency are now damned with the Devils that some of them that the other day thou hadst by the hand and drunkest unto in the Tavern and did sing and roar together at your Cups are now howling and roaring amongst the damned and are scorched in those flames and rowling in that Lake of brimstone where there shall be no mercy no mitigation no cessation of their torments And know thou whoever thou art that if thou dost not speedily return to God if thou dost not mend thy life and that quickly too if thou dost not repent and reform and that quickly too thou shalt be a companion with them in torments with whom thou wast companion in sinning It was but a few dayes since that they were with thee upon the earth and if thou art not changed it will be but a few dayes hence and thou shalt be with them in Hell and when thou art there remember once thou readest such lines that told thee so Therefore if thou art not resolved for Hell be perswaded to be better after such an awakening Judgement if thou valuest thy soul if thou hast any fear of Hell and Wrath yet left in thee let it work to a speedy Reformation Tell me what if God had set thee in some place when five six seven thousand dyed in a Week of the dreadful Plague amongst whom no doubt but many went to Heaven and are now viewing the Son of God c. that thou mightest have seen impenitent Drunkards and impenitent Worldlings and impenitent Swearers seized upon by Devils and carried into torments gone crouding in at the broad gate into pains eternal and unspeakable and couldst but have heard their words or perceive their apprehensions of their manner of life upon the earth how would this have affected thee after such a sight as this what wouldst thou doe Be drunk still wouldst thou be a Sweater and a Worldling still a Formalist and Hypocrite still then if thou wilt be damned goe on who can help it But rather return repent that thou mightest have everlasting cause to admire God that thou dyedst not in this Plague till thou repentest of thy sin and wast prepared for another World SECT X. Secondly WIcked men will be worse under the dispensations of Gods Ordinances But here I shall be the shorter because it hath been the Providence of God in the late Plague that hath moved me to this work to which I would have my words have more immediate reference Many wicked men are oftentimes the worse 1. For the Word of God and the preaching thereof Not that there is any thing in the Word to make men so but it is accidental to the Word it may be occasioned by the Word but caused by their own corruptions Ministers might preach till they waste their strength and yet they will be Whoremongers and Adulterers still they will be envious and malicious still The same Sun that softens the Wax doth harden the Clay Obed-Edom was blessed for the Ark of God but the Philistines were cursed for it Ungodly men suck poyson from the sweet Flowers of Gods Word which yields nourishment to the souls of Gods people Weak eyes are the sorer if they look upon the Sun Naturalists observe that the fragrancy of precious Oyntments is wholsom for the Dove but it kills the Beetle and that Vultures are killed with the Oyl of Roses And St. Paul that the Word is to some the savour of life unto life and to others the savour of death unto death 2 Cor. 2.16 17. 2. For the Sacrament of the Lords Supper That which is to Believers Calix Vitae a cup of Life is to Unbelievers Calix Mortis a cup of Death Wicked men call good evil so they turn that which is good in it self to be evil unto them Donum male utentibus nocet Good becomes evil to those that use it not aright St. Paul treating of the Sacrament sayes Ye come together not for the better but for the worse 1 Cor. 11.17 The red Sea saved the Israelites but drowned the Egyptians And the reason why the Devil maketh drunkards and profane swearers so eager after this Sacrament as our first Parents after the forbidden Fruit is because he knowes it will do them harm not good as a bad stomach full of crudities turn the food received not into the nourishment of the body but for the feeding of their humours As a mans Sea-sickness is occasioned by the waves but the foulness of his stomach is the cause thereof They must needs be worse For 1 the Devil takes fuller possession of their hearts When Judas had eaten the sop the Devil entred into him that 's a fatal morsel when the Devil follows it Joh. 13.26 27. 2 Their presumption and false hopes of heaven are hereby strengthened they think if they doe but receive their sins shall be pardoned and their souls saved 3 Their guilt is more encreased because they are guilty of the body and blood of Christ This is dreadful guilt this is a 〈◊〉 fact 4 They prophane Gods Ordinance and abuse Christs Institution 5 They are thereby riper for temporal Plagues 1 Cor. 11.30 6 They eat and hasten their own damnation 1 Cor. 11.29 But I dwell not upon this because I must pursue my design in reference to the late providence in the dreadful Plague SECT XI Why God is pleased to remove Judgements though many men are worse than they were before THat God should stay his hand and put up his Arrows into his Quiver and his Sword into his sheath and call in the destroying Angel is indeed matter and cause of great admiration that when men sin still God doth not slaughter stil when men provoke him still that he doth not by the Plague punish
them still The sins that were offensive unto God at first are amongst us still the sins continue the Judgement removed Oh stand and wonder at this that when Justice hath cut down so many that Mercy yet hath spared so many especially if you seriously consider Gods holiness and purity Gods justice and severity Gods infinite hatred unto sin and that it is not the death of thousands that can satisfie Gods Justice nor the death of those that are gone down into the grave that have pacified Gods wrath for us that do yet remain alive What may be the Reasons 1. God hath done this for his own Names sake If you goe to the Church-yards and Burial places in and about the City and see the heaps of dead bodyes and ask Why hath God done this We must answer We all have sinned If you goe into your houses and dwelling places and finde so many living after so great a Mortality and ask why hath God done this We must answer It is for his own Name sake The Plague was inflicted because we had displeased him but it is removed because Mercy hath pleased him We had deserved the inflicting of it but could not merit the removing of it In this late Providence Justice and Mercy have been wonderfully magnified Justice in removing so many thousands and laying them in their graves Mercy in sparing so many thousands and maintaining them in life that have been so long walking in the Valley of the shadow of death This is because God in the midst of Judgement hath remembred Mercy Ezek. 36.21 But I had pity for mine holy Name ver 22. Therefore say unto the house of Israel thus saith the Lord God I doe not this for your sakes O house of Israel but for mine holy Name sake So when God gives good things as well as when he removeth evil it is for his Name sake God hath taken away your sickness and plague-sores and given you health Vers 31. Then shall ye remember your own evil wayes and your doings that were not good and shall loathe your selves in your own sight for your Iniquities and for your Abominations V. 32. Not for your sakes doe I this saith the Lord God be it known unto you be ashamed and confounded for your own wayes O house of Israel Oh if you have been spared for his Names sake then let all the praise of your life be unto his holy Name But then you must not be worse but better than you were 2. God hath removed his Judgement in answer to the Prayers of his people Prayer hath been an ancient Antidote against the Plague and many have been preserved from the grave as a return to prayer and so it hath of old been prevalent for the removing of the Plague And therefore Magistrates commanding the people to fast and pray proceeded in Solomons course to have it removed 1 King 8.37 If there be in the Land Famine if there be Pestilence whatsoever Plague whatsoever sickness there be What must they do then Vers 38. What prayer and supplication prayer you see is a Panpharmacum a remedy for every disease soever be made by any man or by all thy people Israel which shall know every man the plague of his own heart and spread forth his hands towards this house Vers 39. Then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place and forgive Prayer is the remedy prescribed by Solomon But what are the persons whose prayers shall prevail for the removing of so sore a judgement Not those that have Plague-wishes so often in their mouthes but the prayer of any man that knoweth i. e. seeth and is sensible of the Plague of his own heart 3. God may remove judgements for the benefit of his Elect that yet may be unconverted and in mercy to them who may be yet in their sins God may stay this Plague it might be for some yet unborn that may proceed from the Loyns of some that are now worse than they were before The patience and long-suffering of God is conducible to the conversion and salvation of Gods Elect 2 Pet. 3.15 And doth lead men to repentance Rom. 2.4 Many peradventure have not yet repented whom God will bring to glory and he that hath designed them to the end will preserve them in life till the means have been effectual to fit them for that end 4. God may spare some that are worse by removing judgements because as yet they are not ripe enough for slaughter The Oxe is spared longer time because not yet fit for the Shambles Thus God spared Jerusalem till they had filled up the measure of their sins Mat. 23.32 And so God exercised patience towards the Amorites till their iniquity was full Gen 15.16 God may remove and keep off judgement from some and this may be in judgement to them as he may in mercy deny some mercies unto some SECT XII What are the aggravations of this great impiety to be worse after Gods sorest judgements than they were before THat many wicked men are so we have shewed before and given the proof and reasons of it But wo to you whose case this is Is this the return you make to God Is this the fruit of his patience and forbearance to you Do you thus requite the Lord Oh foolish people and unwise Deut. 32.6 Will you seriously consider this evil frame of heart and this ungodly practise in your lives in these following particulars I. Are you worse then you were before then you are more like unto the Devil than you were before and the more unlike to God that made you A man full of all sin and bent to every wickedness is called a childe of the Devil Act. 13.10 The Devil sins as much as he can and thou dost as wickedly as thou canst Jer. 3.5 It is a folly in men to picture things immaterial and invisible and living by things without life material and visible never send a man to view the picture of the Devil with a cloven foot drawn by Art the most exact and accurate lively picture of the Devil as a Devil that is as a sinner is the worst of wicked men and who are worse than thou that neither mercy can draw nor judgement drive to God and Christ II. The worse you grow and the further you proceed in sin the more impudent you will be in the commission of it The beginnings of sin are often done with blushings of face but the progress in sin is voide of all modesty then you will be drunk and glory in it then you will swear and not be ashamed of it Jer. 6.15 Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination nay they were not at all ashamed neither could they blush Pro. 7.13 III. The further thou proceedest in making progress in thy sin the more it is to be feared thou wilt never return but if thou shouldest the more thou hast to sorrow for It is but very rare that God bringeth
some with terrors in their consciences and have you not seen some godly dye with peace and comfort and giving good evidences of their hope of a better life that God hath filled them with joys that they were going to their Fathers house and that the plague and death had not so much in them to terrifie and affright as the hopes of heaven had to comfort and support their hearts It hath been ground of great rejoycing to hear how many of Gods people in this plague did dye with joy and comfort And should not yâ—u by such a sight as this be quickened in your service unto God and ever while you live look upon Religion as a real thing that letteth in such real comforts into their hearts who had real grace in such time of real discouragements after such a sight as this never think it a vain thing to serve God though you must dye who comforts his peoples souls in the very gates of death IX In this great house of so great mourning God hath been teaching you the folly of delaying in the great concernments of another world you have seen many Drunkards did delay to repent and turn to God but when death once came to Arrest them it would not stay till they had done their work Have not you seen many have been surprized by death that those that thought they would repent hereafter and talked how they would mend hereafter are gone down into the grave before that time was come and wil not you after such a sight as this be quickned to make more haste in doing of the work that God expecteth at your hands Have not you seen some that have talked what they would do the next year laid in the dust before this year is past and gone God hereby would have you learn not to boast of to morrow because you know not what may be in the womb of another day nor what to morrow may bring forth Prov. 27.1 God would have you learn so to number your days that you may apply your hearts to wisdom Psal 90.12 God would have you learn to do your duty quickly and to do it with all your might because it will be too late when you are rotting in your Grave Eccles 9.10 X. In this great house of so great mourning God hath been teaching you the great lesson of Mortification you have seen how many dyed by sin and should not you be now dead unto sin you should now in good earnest labor for the death of sin O be the death of your passion and be the death of your lusts and be the death of your worldliness especially be the death of your beloved sin God forbid that sin should be found alive in your heart after such a time of death to so many thousand persons Are so many dead and rotting in their Graves and shall not sin be dead and mouldring in your hearts These be some of the lessons God in his late providence hath been instructing you in and if you can now do these duties better than before it is some sign that you are better than you were before But yet because so great a providence should not be sleightly passed over with but a little Improvement I shall take occasion to press you to be much better than you were before before God saw a great deal of sin in his own people and amongst Professors much censoriousness and rash and uncharitable judgeing one of another want of love and affection a great deal of pride in Apparel pride in Diet pride in Furniture of houses pride of Beauty pride of Parts and Gifts and God hath been staining the pride of all Families therein God saw a great deal of neglect of Family Duties in Professors houses and customary cold and dead performance of them in others and doth it not concern all to see where they have failed and do so no more SECT XVII I Know the wicked World thinks that professing people are too exact already and that they make more adoe than is needfull But their Charge is 1. False for there is no man is so exact in his life as he ought 2. Blasphemous for what do such but blame God himself in giving such strict rules unto his people 3. Malicious Cain envyed Abel because his works were evil and his brothers good 4. Diabolical what could a Devil say more or what is this but to play the Devils part in discouraging discountenancing speaking against the pressing after the highest degrees of goodnesse But let it be your great care whom God hath spared from the grave in this time of Plague that are such as truely fear God and are truely good On take heed that after such a preservation none of you might be found worse than you were for though those that once were truely good shall never so decline as to be absolutely bad yet they may so farre fail that they may comparatively be sayd to be worse Here consider 1. To lose any degrees of Goodness and Grace is a grievous and a sinfull loss If you had lost your life in this Plague it might not have been your sin but you cannot be in the least degree worse than you were after such a providence but it is a great sin Because it is our duty to love God as much as we can therefore to lose any degrees of our love to God is to come short of our Duty and therefore a sin 2. To be worse in your spiritual condition will be great unthankefulnesse to God for his watchfull Providence over you If a man do a kindness for you will you be worse towards him than you were before And will you deal worse with God than with a fellow Creature 3. To be worse in your spiritual condition after such preservation and deliverance will be displeasiâ—g unto God and a grief unto him If God see his Children love him less and fear him less and delight in him less will it not grieve him and displease him And had it not been better you had dyed than to live to be a grief to God Had not you rather follow your Children to their graves than to see them live to be worse and dishonour God and will you yet do so your selves Is it not a grief to you the more kindness you shew unto your Children to see them the more undutiful to you and will it not be so in you to God 4. If you be worse than you were in your spiritual condition you shall have less communion with God than you had before and had not you better dye than lose your communion with God for what is your life without fellowship with God 5. If you be worse you will have less Comfort from God than you had before If you deny Duty to him which you performed to him before he will deny that comfort to you which he gave you before and what will your life be without the comforts of God let down into your soul
at home Did it not then trouble thee that thou being a Professor hadst been at nights drinking in the Tavern when thou shouldst have been praying in thy family that thy Wife and Children though they have not gone Supperless to bed yet have almost every night gone prayerless to bed except they went apart to pray in secret But did not then thy conscience tell thee that their performance of their duty would be no excuse to thee when thou shouldst stand at the Bar of God for thy neglecting of what thou oughtest to have done Didst thou not then resolve if thou shouldst live it should be so no more That thou wouldst read thy Bible more as well as look over thy Shop-books daily That thou wouldst spend some time in secret before God whereas before thou wast use to waste it in thy pleasures and taking of thy worldly delights Deal plainly man with thy self and do not flatter thy soul and daube with thy conscience Was there not some such thoughts and purposes and resolutions as these in thy heart at such a time And didst thou promise and resolve in jest and not in earnest God did afflict thee by the plague in good earnest and thou waste then affraid of death and the grave and judgement in good earnest And didst thou onely purpose in jest and resolve in jest and play with holy things when thou wast near another world and dally with God when thou didst not know but within an hour thou mightest have appeared at his Bar and been set before the terrible tribunal of the great heart-searching God But if thou wast in earnest with God when God was in earnest with thee if thou wast in earnest in promising be earnest in earnest to perform if thou didst indeed resolve to reform when thou shouldst be well then reform indeed according to thy resolution since God hath made thee well and saved thee from the Grave to which thou wast so near so very near Or if God hath been so good to thee to preserve thee from the infection of the Plague amongst the many thousands that have been visited that thou hast not been heart-sick yet thou hast often felt shootings and pains and prickings up and down in several parts of thy body and sometimes hast had such things as thou hast thought to be symptomes of the distemper and hast apprehended it to be approaching to thee that hath made thee hasten to thy bed and make use of thy preservatives and thy cordials that thou thoughtest thy self in real danger and wast possest with real fears What were thy purposes at such a time as this And what didst thou resolve to do And how to live if God would prevent the thing thou fearedst Or hadst thou no such purpose in thy heart No such resolution in thy breast that if thou livedst thou wouldst be better Was thy heart indeed so backward unto good that at such a time of fears and dangers thou hadst not so much as a purpose to be better but if thou hadst and let thy conscience be thy witness and the God of heaven that did fully know the purpose of thy heart then now perform what then thy heart did purpose to perform I am perswaded if the people in London and in Country too would live up according to the purpose of their heart in time of danger of the Plague would reform and mend as they did resolve to do we should be much better than we were before Oh what a difference would there be in the frame of our hearts and in the course of our lives What a change would there be in all our practises Those that were forward Professors of Religion and were not much more then Professors would be zealous practisers of Religious duties and in order hereunto I shall to follow this direction do three things 1. Lay down some considerations why you should be careful to keep your purposes resolutions and vows 2. Prescribe some helpes how you may perform your purposes resolutions and vows 3. Set down the aggravations of your sin if you break your purposes resolutions and vows SECT I. 1. GReat and constant diligent care should be taken in time of health to keep our purposes to perform our resolutions and to pay our vows to God which we made in time of sickness and danger and distress if you consider these particulars 1. That one great deceit of the heart of man doth appear in this in being forward to purpose in our selves and promise unto God but are backward to perform In time of sickness what resolutions do men make what purposes have they in themselves to mend and turn to God and seem to promise this with tears in their eyes and sorrow in their hearts for the evil that is past and done and seem to others and think verily themselves that they promise in good earnest and mean to do as they do speak and when they think the danger is past and their fears removed do nothing less than what they promised I have known some upon sick beds so to promise that they would be drunk no more c. and yet when health hath been restored have returned to their wickedness So did Pharaoh promise fair when the Plagues of God were upon the Land that he would let the children of Israel goe but when the Plagues have been removed he hath hardened his heart against them more than before and this he often did Exod. 8.8 15. 9.27 28 34 10.16 17 20. Now this deceitfulness of the heart is yet in part remaining in the best of men and therefore you must be carefull else though you have promised you will never perform 2. That sin is of a bewitching encroaching and alluring nature if it can prevail it will keep you from resolving against it if you do resolve it will entreat you that you would not send it farre from you that your Resolution might not be peremptory and universal that if you resolve to banish it from your heart it might be only some of its members that are not so dear unto you and reserve the rest or if it be peremptory and universal that you will part with all sin it will contend that your Resolution may not be perpetual that you send it not away for ever but only till your danger of death is over and your fears thereof are ceased that then it may be received into your heart be your Favourite again or if you do resolve to part with sin peremptorily universally and perpetually yet after a while it will solicit you to change your resolution or if you will not change it it will solicit you to abate the strength and vehemency thereof and will come and offer you so much delight and so much pleasure and so much profit if you will not be so severe against it If you are not carefull it will encroach upon your heart and insinuate and winde it self into your love and delight and
believing thoughts of this when the Plague is over will have some special influence upon thee to make thee endeavour to do according to the purpose of thy heart in dying times 4. Consider Holiness is as pleasing unto God at one time as another and if God was pleased with thy purpose it will be more pleasing if thou proceed unto performance The moving reason of your purpose in the time of your distress was that you judged it pleasing unto God and would you please God at one time by purposing and displease him at another by non-performance Would you please God at one time by resolving to reform and displease him at another by nonreformation Sin and holiness is the same in the eyes of God at all times but it seems it is not so in thine if sometime thou dost purpose to forsake sin and at another dost willingly commit it if sometime thou approvest holiness and pâ—â—â—osest to follow after it but at another time thou art remiss in thy pursuit 5. Work this upon thy heart that sin is as destructive to thy soul and preâ—udicial to thy peace and comfort at one time as another Though sometime the circumstance of time might aggravate a mans sin and make it more hainous as a man to be drunk upon the Lords day yet sin committed at any time is damnable and sin loved at any time is damnable though sometime we feel the effects of sin in sickness on our bodies and terrors and fears upon our consciences and then have greater and more affecting apprehensions of the evil of it yet you can at no time when you have your perfect health lay sin in your bosom but it may sting you unto death In your sickness you thought that sin would undo you that your evil actions would certainly damne you therefore you did resolve against it think so still and let those thoughts abide upon your heart and they will carry you in the strength of Christ to live as you did purpose 6. Work this upon your heart that holiness in act and a godly life in act will be more sweet unto your soul than it was onely in your purpose And that a holy life should be esteemed by you at one time as well as another because it will be as sweet and profitable to you at one time as another if you thought it would be for your good to purpose holiness and to resolve to live to God and this did something quiet your heart if you had dyed that God had given you a real and unfeigned resolution and fixed purpose of heart to lead as you could with utmost diligence a Gospel conversation how much more will it be a comfort to your heart to see your purposes end in performances and your resolutions come unto a real thorough continued Reformation Get the same thoughts of holiness in time of safety as you had in time of danger and this will help you to live holily as well as to purpose so to do 7 Keep upon your heart a constant daily sense of your own mortality and of your nearness to another world What is the reason that men under sickness are more apt to purpose to forsake sin and to promise to mend and to reform than in time of health but because they have greater apprehensions of death in its nearer approaches unto them and things as neer do more affect than things apprehended as further off and was it not the thoughts of the nearness of death and your daily danger of it that did quicken you to resolve against sin and for God and to winde up your resolutions something higher than at other times Why you have reason still to walk in daily expectation of your dissolution though the plague be stayed If the plague be removed out of your habitation yet sin is not removed out of your heart there is the meritorious cause of death still in you and there are natural causes of death still in you and you must as surely dye as if the Plague were raging and you may assoon dye we dye a thousand ways death might be as near to you by some other disease and you may fall by some other disease as so many have done by the Pestilence though you were not one of those that dyed eight thousand in a week yet you may be one of those that dye eight or five hundred in a week Doe not say the bitterness of death is past that now there is no danger do not put far from thee the evil day What if so many do not dye every week as when thou resolvedst to be better yet thou mightest dye every week An Apoplexy or a Feaver or Dropsie might fetcht thee to thy grave who hast through Mercy and Patience escaped death by the Plague think with thy self when thy heart is negligent of thy former purpose When and why was it that I resolved to give my self more to a holy heavenly life When the Plague did come nigh unto my dwelling and because I thought every day I might have dyed Why it is my daily danger if not by the Plague yet by some other disease that will as certainly be the cause of my dissolution as if it were the Plague Thou didst purpose because thou thoughtest death was neer then perform because death is still as near yea it is nearer to thee now then when thou madest this resolution for the more days thou hast lived since the fewer now thou hast to live it was near then but to thee it is nearer now 8. Frequently possess thy heart with serious believing thoughts of judgement to come When men and when thou amongst the rest shall give an account to God of all thoughts purposes promises vows that thou hast made to God to walk before him in an holy life But what account canst thou give to God when thou hast not performed what thou purposedst If it was not good to purpose and to promise to forsake thy sin and live to God Why didst thou purpose If it were Why dost thou not perform If thou fail now thou wilt be self-condemned at the bar of God thy purposes and promises will be brought forth against thee and God will charge thee before all the world with breach of promise unto him 9. Work this upon thy heart that thou walkest daily in the sight and presence of that God that exactly doth observe whether thou art the same in thy practice when thou art well as thou wast in thy purpose when thou wast sick God did see thy purpose and he did hear thy promise made in thy distress and time of fears and his eye is upon thee to observe how thou livest and what thou dost and do men keep their promises made to men as some do from no other principle then because the eyes of men are upon them to observe them and they would not lose their reputation by falsifying of their promise and wilt not thou much more
and fall against the inclination of your will and purpose of your heart 18. Pray much to God for strength and power to perform your Purpose You resolved to pray more importunately unto God for mercy but then you must pray to God to enable you to pray as you have resolved Resolution is our duty but strength to perform them is not in our selves but must be fetched from God and that must be by fervent frequent Prayer Pray that God would not leave thee to thy self that he would not forsake thee Psal 119.8 I will keep thy statutes there is Davids Purpose Oh forsake me not utterly there is Davids Prayer As you must not purpose in your own strength but in the strength of Christ so you cannot perform in your own strength but in the strength of Christ If your resolution be strong against sin and you rest in the strength of your Resolution and think you shall not sin because you have strong Resolutions against it you will fail 19. Mortifie Carnal self-love and be very much in the exercise of self denyal If you cannot deny your self of what is pleasing to the flesh you will deny a holy life You must often deny your own wills and your own desires and delights your own judgements and reasonings your sensitive appetite and your profits in the world and hate all these in comparison of better things and when they stand in competition with God and Christ If you love your pleasures inordinately and love your Liberty and your Life inordinately your resolutions for strictness of holy walking with God will not abide nor be accomplished The love of self as well as of sin is a great enemy to holy resolutions 20. Often urge your heart with the Examples of the holy men of God recorded in the Scriptures They purposed and were carefull to perform Jacob vowed unto God and payd it David vowed unto God and payd it Job made a Covenant with his eyes that he would not look upon Objects that should irritate his sinful nature and said why then should I do it Job 31.1 So do you say When I thought my self to be near the grave I purposed to honour God more than I did before if he should spare me why then should I not do it I purposed to watch against my sin why then should I be careless Thus I have given you the Considerations to press you to be careful of your Purposes and Helps to the performance of them next I come to the Aggravations of neglecting to live according to your engagements in the time of sickness and danger SECT III. III. THe Aggravations of the breach of your Vows and Resolutions made against sin and for holiness when fears of death were upon you do exceedingly heighten and increase your sin and because sick-bed Promises are so seldom made good and sick-bed Resolutions usually prove so ineffectual I shall desire you who have the Vows of God upon you and who have resolved if God would continue to you lâ—fe as God and Conscience and it may be others are witnesses of that you would weigh seriously as in the presence of God the evil of breaking your Vows and being careless of your Resolutions 1. This is great hypocrisie to purpose and not perform You seemed in your affliction to be affected with your condition and to be afflicted for your transgression and to approve of an holy conversation then you could weep for sin and now you work it you could then lament it and now commit it then you seemed to be changed from what you really were before when you lived in some known sin but now it appears that you have really lost that good which you did seem to have and made profession of in time of your sickness It is usual with Hypocrites to be best when they are ill and to be worst when they are well Hypocrites have their good moods are good by fits sometimes pray but not alwayes Job 27.8 For what is the hope of the hypocrite V. 10. Will he delight himself in the Lord will he alwayes call upon God i. e. He will not at all times and in all conditions pray to God when he is sick he may but when his sickness is removed his Prayers are abated It is a sign thy goodness was as a morning cloud and as the early dew it 's gone away Hos 6.4 2. This is double Iniquity it is twisted wickedness It is one sin woven with another it is not onely double dealing but it brings double guilt if thou hadst not made thy vow and resolution to pray frequently it had been but a single sin if thou hadst been seldom in it but now it is a double sin and hath double guilt that thou dost omit to pray this is one sin that thou dost omit it after thou hast promised and resolved and vowed to do it this is the other sin and indeed is this thy mending in thy sickness and dangers to be doubling thine iniquity 3. This is great folly Eccles 5.4 When thou vowest a vow unto God defer not to pay tâ—â—oâ— he hath no pleasure in fools pay that which thou hast vowed It is folly to do that which is better be undone than done Vers 5. Better it is that thou shouldest not vow then vow and not pay In thy affliction thou shouldest have learned wisdom and not committed folly 4. This is to lye to God to men A vow is a promise made to God Deut. 23. â—3 That whâ—ch is gone out of thy lips thou shalt keep and perform even a free will offering according as thou hast vowed unto the Lord thy God which thou hast promised with thy mouth What is first called a vow is after called a promise if thou madest this promise with thy mouth and didst not really intend the fulfilling of it but didst it either to deceive thy self or others or had it been possible God himself what is this but a lye If the words of thy mouth were not conformable to the thoughts of thy minde that thou spakest one thing in thy sickness and didst intend another thou spakest not as thou thoughtest thou art guilty of a lye ethical But forasmuch as thy words do not agree to the things thou spakest of thou art guilty of a falshood logical both are bad though the first is worst And is not this an aggravation of thy wickedness to lye to God when thou art under his rod Do not parents deal more severely with their children if they finde them lying when they are under the rod Are we not like to children when they are scourged will promise any thing to be spared but presently be found in the violation of their promise But take heed how thou liest unto God Remember the fearful instance of Ananias and Sapphira Act. 5.3 Peter said Ananias why hath Satan filled thine heart to lye to the Holy Ghost and to keep back part
of the price of the land Vers 4. Whiles it remained was it not thine own and after it was sold was it not in thine own power Why hast thou conceived this thing in thy heart that thou hast not lied unto men but unto God Vers 5. And Ananias hearing these words fell down and gave up the ghost The like I might say of thy vow before thou hadst made it it was in thy power Deut. 23.22 But if thou forbear to vow it shall be no sin in thee but if thou hast vowed God will surely require it of thee and to slack to pay would be sin in thee Vers 21. Why then hast thou conceived this thing in thy heart to lie to the Holy Ghost in making a vow and not paying thou liest not to men but unto God Oh fear and tremble least death should seize thee presently and thou fall down and give up the ghost In thy vow thou liest unto God if thou dost not pay because we must vow onely to God for sacred vows are a part of Religious worship which must be given onely unto God Deut. 23.21 Eccles 5.4 But in thy promises thou hast made to men thou hast lied unto men and all this doth aggravate thy neglect of coming up to thy vows and promises in time of sickness and fears 5. To Neglect the keeping of thy resolutions and purposes against sin and for an holy life is it not a sinning against conscience and against knowledge It seems thy conscience hath told thee when thou resolvedst to pray more fervently that luke-warmeness in prayer was a sin and yet now thou dost not strive against it thy conscience told thee that the ways of God were the best ways and best for thee to walk therein and yet now thou dost not do it thy conscience hath been so far inlightned to dictate this unto thee and yet thou goest against the dictates of thy conscience thou dost not onely sin with knowledge but against it and sins against knowledge and conscience are aggravated sins and such a sinner is an inexcusable and self-condemned sinner Rom. 2.1 didst thou not condemn thy self in time of Plague that thou hadst taken no more pains for heaven and for thy soul that thou hadst prayed no more and lived no better And what need we any further witness when thine own conscience will come in against thee 6. This will make death terrible indeed unto thee when it comes in good earnest to seize upon thee and then thou shalt finde that the same purposes and resolutions will not quiet thee when in former sickness thou hast had them and in after recovery thou hast neglected to perform them Thy last sickness will come and death at last will come and then thou wilt remember what vows thou hast made and how thou didst not pay them unto God how thou hast resolved against sin and a wicked life but hast made no conscience of living answerable unto them and this will make thee much afraid to dye 7. This will be great unthankefulness unto God for his preservation from or restoration out of sickness To God belong the issues from death but you deny it to him When Hezekiah was restored from his sickness its thought the plague he was thankful unto God for his restoration Isa 28.19 The living the living he shall praise thee as I dâ— this day the father to the children shall make known thy truth Vers 20. The Lord was ready to save mee therefore we will sing my songs to the stringed instruments all the days of our life in the house of the Lord. And is this to give thanks to God for preservation for restoration from sickness Hath God given you your life from the very borders of the grave and is this the fruit you return to God not onely not to be so good as you ought to be but not so careful as you purposed to be Or do you give thanks to God with your mouth that God hath kept you from the grave and contradict it in your life Your orall thankesgiving is nothing without practical thankes doing Or do you praise God in words and dishonor him in your works and do your lips acknowledge you are engaged to God for his protecting providence and do you so live as if you had received no such mercy from him and that your dependance were not now upon him Is this your thanks to God to break your word with him 8. This will make you loose the spiritual benefit of your sickness and affliction to be worse by the mercies of God is to have mercies in judgement to be better by judgement is to have judgements in mercy But when you live no better and are no better nor endeavor to walk according to your resolutions in time of sickness it is a sign your affliction hath not been sanctified to you that as to spirituals you are not benefited by it God hath put you into the furnace but you are not purified your dross remaineth God hath corrected you but you are not amended If affliction had worked for your good if you had been bad if would have made you good if you had been good it would have made you better David could say Before I was afflicted I went astray but now I have learned to keep thy commandment Psal 119.67 But you might say in my affliction I purposed to walk close with God but after I have been afflicted I go astray Surely your heart is very bad when afflictions made you not better and when mercies makes you worse 9. What is this but to like of sin and disapprove of stricktness of holiness after you have professed your dislike of sin and approved of closest walking with God In your affliction you seemed to be sorry for your sin but now the affliction is over you seem to be sorry that you were sorry for your sin in your affliction you seemed to repent that you had sinned else why did you resolve against it When your affliction is removed you seem to repent of your resolutions against sin else why do not you live and do as you did resolve what is this but to smile upon sin after your deliverance which you seemed to frown upon in time of danger of death and the grave What is this but to finde sweetness in sin after you have tasted something of the bitterness of it To re-imbrace that which you seemed to have cast from you and this is an aggravation of the evil frame of your heart 10. What if thou hadst dyed in thy affliction thou hadst gone to hell upon a mistake and perished for ever when yet thou hadst some hope though upon false grounds that thy condition was good and that thou shouldest have obtained mercy When thou wast sick or in danger thou thoughtest thy condition was good because thou foundest thy heart to resolve to forsake thy sin and purpose to close with the closest wayes of holiness
this would be more sutable for your Family than Ballads prophane and lascivious filthy Rymes which you should not suffer under your Roof SECT XI THirdly The manner how you should Worship God in your Family is chiefly to be minded for it is not any service that God will accept you may keep up a course of praying in your Family and yet live very unworthy of the great mercy of God in your wonderful preservation Therefore 1. In your Family worship God really and indeed with your heart and mind and all your strength do not seem to pray but pray indeed in your Family For this end consider 1. The God whom you serve in your Families is God indeed he is a real God therefore worship him indeed and in a real manner 2. The sins of your Families are real sins your own sins are real sins and your childrens sins are real sins and have real guilt therefore confess them really and mourn and sorrow for them really 3. The wants of your Family are real wants you do not seem to want outward mercies but except God supply you you will want them indeed 4. The supplies which God doth give you are real supplies God giveth you real health and real food and reâ—l cloathing for your Family therefore be real in your Family Worship 5. You and your Family are real in following of the World you work in good earnest and you buy and sell in good earnest And will you be real in the things of the World that concern your Family and will you not be real in your Family Worship 2. In your Family worship God Livelily not only with a true and sincere heart but with a lively heart take heed of dulness and formality take heed of sleeping at your prayers And here I would advise that Masters of Families would not put off their duties too long in the Morning till half the day be past nor too late in the Evening when the Family will be more disposed and inclined to sleep than to pray 3. In your Family worship God chearfully go not to Family Prayer as a task and burden but as a great favour and priviledge that you and your Children might call upon God 4. In your Family worship God constantly Some will pray on a Sabbath night but it may be not all the Week after Thus if you serve God in your Family it will be a great step to your walking in some measure answerably for so great preservation and then it will be a good discovery that God hath spared you in mercy to do him service in the Education of your Children and not in judgment to the encreasing of your sins only Thus far concerning the Duties of Families whom God hath spared in this time of Pestilence in general Of the several Relations in a Family next SECT XII SEcondly If you will live in some measure answerably to so great a mercy as Preservation from death in a time of great Mortalitie is then fill up the duties of your particular Relation wherein you stand Relative sins are very offensive unto God and a great scandal to Religion The fiâ—st of these Relations in a Family is First Conjugal betwixt Husband and Wife and the great duty incumbent upon them is mutuâ—l love in which many are deficient and many are excessive it being hard for such to let out their affections one to another so much as God commands and no more than God allows and both these extreams will terrisie conscience when such come to dye And this sin is more usually seen when death hath broken this Relation than while God continueth them together the Surviver then seeth he did not love his Wife and the Wife her Husband with that degree of love as that Relation called for or with a greater degree than was pleasing unto God when the love of this Relation did diminish the love they should have to God And how many breaches hath God made in this Relation to punish the sin of both extreams It may be thy love was Immoderate and therefore God hath taken thy Relation from thee Or it may be thy love was deficient and therefore God hath taken thy Relation from thee When thou wâ—st sick and thou thoughtest thou shouldest have died did not thy Conscience then accuse thee for one of these in thy Relation And yet hath God spared thee and thy Wife or thee and thy Husbâ—nd then what conscience did reproach thee for in this particular if thou wouldst answer Gods mercie in sparing of thee let this be reformed There are many this day may be lamenting not so much the loss of this Relation as that they did not walk sutablie in this Relation while they were in it this being the sting of their affliction Oh! methinks such as God hath continued in a Conjugal Relation in this time of great Mortality should look upon themselves now more engaged to perform their mutual duties with more care and conscience than before Such a one hath buried his Wife and such a one hath buried her Husband but God hath preserved you in your Relation you cannot live answerablie for this mercie but in a better discharge of your mutual duties How would you wish you had loved your Relation Wife or Husband if God had taken either away by death so do now when God continueth you both in life Because this conduceth so much to an answerable return for so great a mercie I will a little insist upon it And in the general if you would improve this mercie the direction is that your love and affection be such one to another as is the love betwixt Christ and the Church Eph. 2.25 Husbands love your Wives even as Christ loved the Church and gave himself for it And this love of the Husband must be requited with the love of the Wife for it is reciprocal Tit. 2.4 Teach the young women to be sober to love their Husbands SECT XIII BUT more particularly I shall speak to three things What manner of love is this Why they should have this Wherein they should manifest this love one to another If you will improve this mercie God hath vouchsafed you your love must have these properties 1. It must be a Superlative love that is in respect of all sublunarie things though your love to God and Christ must be more than your love one to another else it doth sinfully exceed for if any loveth Father or Mother Husband or Wife more than Christ he is not worthie of him yet in respect of all other persons and things in this world it must be more else it is sinfully deficient A man must love his Wife above all other persons above his Estate or whatsoever is dear unto him in this world and so the Wife Thus Christ loveth his Church and a believing soul above all other persons and the Church reciprocallie loves Christ above all other things in the world 2.
empty and unsatisfying pleasures they do not fill content nor satiate them that give themselves most to follow after them IV. Should not you be dead to and take heed of resting in the wisdom of the World in the attainment onely of Humane Learning after you have seen the Learned die as the Ignorant and the Wise Man as the Fool Humane Learning is more desirable than Riches and Honours and the Pleasâ—res of this World but yet it is not to be acquiesced in without the knowledg of God in Christ Notions in Learning will never deliver from the Torments of Hell many learned sinners have gone to eternal Misery and their torments there are greater than the torments of the Ignorant and unlearned the vanity of the wisdom of this World compared with the knowledge of Christ appeares in that 1. It cannot redress the sinfulness of the thoughts nor help against the vanity of the mind The wise and learned Heathens became vain in their imaginations Rom. 1.21 2. It doth not prevent sinful elections and choise of the will Men of great knowledge choose the World and Honours and Ease and Preferments before Christ 3. It doth not remedy a sinful Conversation Mâ—ny know things to be evil and yet do them and so is an aggravation of their sin and will be of their misery 4. It doth not season Mens communications nor prevent corrupt Discourses but makes them more witty and able to scorn Godlâ—ness jest with Scripture and deride the Professors of the Gosspel But the knowledge of Christ iâ— is 1. the sweetest knowledge 2. It is the surest knowledg being by the Revelation of the Spirit of God 3. It is saving knowledge Thus take a true account of all the things the best the most excellent the most desirable things in this world and you will see no reason why you should wholly spend the residue of that time which God hath â—ent you from the Grave in such an eager pursuit of any thing of this life SECTION II. BUt that you may know whether you yet living are dead to the things of this world I shall give you this general Character viz. If you carry your self towards the world as those that are dead to God do carry themselves towards God then are you dead unto the world and this general is resolved into these particulars 1. Those that are dead to God they see no real excellency in God and Christ but they see something more in the things of the world they see more excellency in their Gold and Silver in their Profits and Preferments in their Pleasures and Delights so if you are dead to the world you do not admire the Choisest and the Chiefest things that are therein but do see more real worth in God and Christ and one dram of Grace then in all the Mines of the most precious things in Nature and in your practical judgment do account them but dung and dross in comparison of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord. 2. Those that are dead to God do make choice of the World and the things thereof before God The will following the ultimate comparative practical dictate of the understanding in wicked Men doth choose Earthly things before God and Christ For though their absolute judgment might be for God yet the comparat judgment all circumstances considered is for the world and their will doth make choice of it accordingly So if you are dead to the world you make choice of God for your chiefest good and greatest happiness For though you may in your absolute judgment look upon the Things of the world used with moderation and kept in their proper place as good yet in your comparative judgment all circumstances considered you do ultimately conclude That God is better in himself and for you yea in both respects and your will doth choose him accordingly 3. Those that are dead to God though they may Pray to God and talk of God yet they do this as though they did it not and Pray as if they Prayed not God hath their Tongues but the world hath their Hearts So if you are dead to the world though you may talk of the world and Trade in the world yet you do all this as if you did it not You buy as if you possessed not and you use this world as if you used it not and though the world may have your hands yet God hath your heart 4. Those that are dead to God they are not troubled at the loss of God nor rejoyce at the tidings how they may have the enjoyment of him So if you are dead to the World you are not chiefly troubled at the loss of these things nor count it so great matter of joy if you have them and enjoy them A man that is dead to God desireth the world and let who will look after God So a man dead to the world desireth God and let who will look after the World as his portion and his chiefest happiness he will not 5. A man that is dead towards God is not restrained from sin by Gods most terrible threatnings though God threaten him with eternal death and everlasting damnation with the loss of heaven and eternal happiness if he persist in his wickedness and continue in sin yet fear of the punishment of loss nor of the punishment of sense will not awaken him to Conversion and through Reformation So a man that is dead towards the World all the threatnings of men that he shall have inflicted upon him divers penalties loss of goods liberty life yet all this is not cogent to bring him in to a course of sin and to do wickedly 6. A man that is dead towards God is not drawn nor allured with the precious and most glorious promises of God to do that which is good Though God promise him heaven and eternal happiness the pardon of sin and his favour yet all this moves him not to come to Christ nor forsake his sins So a man that is dead to the world all the offers preferments enticements of the world to allure him into sin will not prevail he is dead to these things and offers and overâ—ures of the greatest things move not a dead man Thus you may try whether you are dead to the world or no. You live in the world even after such a devouring Pestilence you cannot live answerably to this great mercy except you be dead to the World DIRECTION VII HAth God spared you in time of Pestilence then now be dead to sin kill your sin and solemnize the funeral of your lusts because you live after such a judgment such a mercy doth oblige to the death and burial of sin You are not buried with others in their graves but you should be buried with Christ Rom. 6.4 Therefore we are buried with him by Baptism into death that like as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father even so we also
should walk in newness of life Ver. 6. Knowing this that our old man is crucified with him that the body of sin might be destroyed that henceforth we should not serve sin In which Scripture are set down these things viz 1. The parts of Sanctification Mortification Vivification 2. The cause of our Sanctification viz. communion with Christ in his Death Burial and Resurrection 3. The Testimony and Pledge of it our Baptism 4. The growth and progress of Mortification we should aime at the total destruction of the body of sin by the Crucifying Destroying and Burial of sin You have seen the death of thousands and you have seen the Burial of thousands to all these add one more Funeral and that is the Funeral of your sins Do you out-live this Judgment and shall your sins do so too God forbid This would be to live altogether unanswerably to so great a mercy You live but your sins should be dead in you and you unto your sins Rom. 6.11 Likewise reckon ye also your selves to be dead indeed unto sin but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Though you live yet must you be buried Now Believers are buried in three respects 1. In respect of their good names as they are reproached by the wicked The throats of the wicked are the Sepulchres or burial places of the good names of Gods people this is part of a Believers sufferings 2. In respect of Self-denial Believers must be no more taken with the things of this World so far as to draw them from God than a person dead and buried and lying in his grave 3. In respect of the Mortification of sin and these two last are our duty and of this last I would speak a little following the Metaphor in which there is some difference and some agreement in the burial of our sin and in common burial The difference in these Respects First We bury our friends weeping for their death desirous of their life wishing oâ— that this my Friend had not died oh that I could have kept him in life But we must bury our sin rejoycing as those that are glad of its death Not weeping because sin is dead but that it once did live Secondly We bury our Friends with hopes that they shall rise again and live again But we must bury our sins with hopes they shall never live more never return to them more The resemblance holds in these particulars 1. The Burial of sin supposeth the death of sin Never any man yet buried his sins alive For while sin doth live it is in the heart as in a Throne and not as in a Grave 2. The Burial of sin supposeth the ceasing of the love of sin that we see not that beauty and comliness in sin as we did when it was alive A man that loves his Relation while he lived put him in his bosome yet will not do so when he is dead a man while he loves his sin will never bury it 3. The Burial of sin includeth the removal of it out of our sight and as much as may be out of our thoughts We love not to look upon dead friends nor many times to think or talk of them who while they lived were pleasing objects to our eyes and the delightful matter of our discourse While Sarah lived she was beautiful in Abrahams eyes but when dead he desired to have her removed out of his sight Gen. 23.4 I am a stranger and a sojourner with you give me possession of a burying place with you that I may bury my dead out of my sight The presence of sin is a trouble to you when it is dead and you would have it out of your sight and this removal of sin when dead and buried hath these three properties First It is a total removal the whole body of sin and all the members of it are buried Death might arise from the disease of some particular part but burial covers all He that makes a shew of the burial of sin and yet keeps any in his heart as his love and delight hath indeed buried no sin For who doth so bury his friend as to keep any of his members in his house Secondly It is a voluntary removal when one is dead we make it matter of our choice to have him buried Yea we look upon it as a sore evil and great annoyance to have burial denied to our dead friends So it is your choice to bury your sins and the thoughts of not having them buried is a great trouble to you Thirdly It is a perpetual removal we bury our friends so that we would not have them taken up again and brought into our house So you bury sin never to have it brought back to live again in your heart One that hath buried his sin doth earnestly desire it might be removed out of the sight of God by free pardon out of the sight of his own eyes by the evidence of the pardon and out of the sight of others by leading a contrary Conversation 4. The Burial of sin includes the rotting of the old man in its grave the mouldring of it and the daily wasting of it as dead Corps buried in the earth do consume and wast daily Though a body buried doth not presently totally consume Many years after the burial if the grave be opened you may find the bones and the skull the reliques of sin in the heart of a Child of God are but as the bones and the skull but the body of sin is destroyed 5. The Burial of sin includes the loss of the power and authority that sin had in the heart while it was alive Though a man were never so potent while he lived yet when he is dead and buried he hath no more power nor jurisdiction Though thy sin did sit as a Lord and rule in thy soul while it lived yet being dead and buried its dominion ceaseth Now if you are buried with Christ these things will be a comfort to you viz 1. Those that are buried with Christ are most comely in the sight of God A man that is naturally dead and buried is not so with us but he that is spiritually dead to sin is beautiful in the eyes of God 2. Those that are buried with Christ have converse and Communion with God those that are naturally dead have no more converse with us but a man hath no Communion with God till he is buried with Christ 3. Those that are buried with Christ are past the hurt of death As those that are naturally dead have past through all that death can do unto them if you are buried with Christ though you must come under the stroke of death yet the sting of death is taken out 4. Those that are buried with Christ shall be raised at the last day and shall for ever live with God and Christ and with holy Angels and Saints in the Kingdom of God Rom. 6.8 Now if we be dead
amongst them all It may be God had too little of your love and it was â—n offence and griefe unto your God that the Creaâ—ure should have that love which wâ—s due unto himself and therefore he hath cut off the Sâ—reâ—es that you may get nearer to the Fountain Thy Relation had more of thy affection then came unto his share and therefore in stead of Murmuring be more in loving of thy God and this will be to live answerably to Gods Correcting and Afflicting of thee in the loss of thy Relation and to his Mercy in sparing of thy self And look what Relation it is that is taken from thee while thou survivest and get clearer evidences that God will be in stead of that Relation to thee and be better to thee than that was Hast thou thy Husband removed by this Contagious Disease now make out more to God that he would be an Husband to thee Hast thou lost thy Children or thy onely Son see more diligently that God hath bestowed his onely Son upon thee and this will much satisfie and quiet thy heart Hath God done thee any wrong if he hath taken thy onely Son from thee and hath given his onely Son to thee Thus since you did survive others that are taken from you improve your Affliction and your Mercy in being advantaged in Spirituals and this will be to live in some measure answerably to Gods dealing with you DIRECTION XI HAth God spared thee in time of Plague then see what it was that thy Conscience did most accuse thee or commend thee for when the Plague was nigh thy dwelling or thou wast in fear and danger and order thy life accordingly What sin was it that thy Conscience did reproach thee for in a time of danger and in feares of death whether of omission or commission publick or secret of what nature soever it was and let it be the design of thy heart in the course of thy life to mortifie that sin and keep it under that thou carefully avoid the occasions thereof that when death shall certainly come and conscience shall have no more occasion or just ground to reproach thee thou mayest see that God in mercy did prolong thy dayes till thou hadst got the victory over and the pardon and the evidence of the pardon of that sin What was it in thy feares and when thou wast in expectation of death that Conscience did approve in thee it did then approve thy diligence in thy Family go on in this still it did approve of thy strickt and holy walking with God go on in that which was good and thy rightly inlightned Conscience did commend in thee and this will be to live in some measure answerably to so great a mercy as is Gods preserving of you in a time of such a wasting Plague DIRECTION XII HAth God spared you in such a time of so great Mortality and Contagion then learn to trust your self and all your Affairs with God for the time to come You have lived in time of danger and have been in hazard of your life and yet God hath preserved and kept you God hath called some to abide in the City because they could not remove their habitation without neglect of duty for where our duty lies and where our work is that God calleth us unto there we may trust God though our danger be never so great because while we are in our duty we are in our way and God hath promised to keep us in all our wayes in time of Plague Psal 91.11 Many had opportunity of retiring into the Country without neglect of duty without running away from duty those that went from their duty and work which God expected they should there have done have cause to be humbled for their slavish feares of death and great distrust in God and the use of meanes for preservation is not inconsistent with trusting in God but is supposed and included in it else it is not trusting in God but presumption but many were obliged to abide upon the place and God hath preserved you amongst them Oh what an obligation and encouragement is this for you for the time to come to put your trust in God in the use of meanes in a way of duty and the more you are able to commit your self to God in future dangers the more you do improve this Providence of God in preserving of you But because we need all helps and supports for putting our trust in God I shall lay down some considerations to help you more and more to trust in God premising first the nature of it that you may perceive what it is that you are exhorted to when perswaded to trust in God Trusting in God is a special fruit of faith and hope whereby the soul looking upon God in Christ through a Promise is in some good measure freed from fretting feares and cutting cares about the removing or preventing of some evil or the enjoying or procuring of that which is good 1. It is a fruit of faith for therefore a Man trusteth in God because he believeth and is perswaded of the truth of what God saith and believeth the performance of his promise and so it is called fiducia fidei 2. It is a fruit of hope for therefore I trust in God because I hope it shall be with me according to his Word If I had no hope of this I could not trust in God and so it is called fiducia spei 3. This trust hath God in Christ through a Promise for its object We trust in God through Christ eying the Promise For the Promise of God is the foundation of our trust in God and the Promise of God draws forth the hearts of his People to trust in him Psal 119.42 I trust in thy Word 4. The effect of this trusting in God is the quietation of the heart and a freeing of the Soul proportionably to the degree of his trust from fretting feares and cutting cares about good and evil to be avoided or procured Psal 56.3 What time I am afraid I will trust in thee Vers 4. In God will I praise his Word in God I have put my trust I will not fear what Flesh can do unto me The Arguments for the moving you to trust in God for the future are such as these 1. Will not you trust in God after such rich and full experience that you have had of Gods taking care for you Hath God cared for your life and will not you trust him for Food and Raiment experience is a great support for confidence in God 2 Cor. 1.10 Who delivered us from so great a death and doth deliver in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us When David had had experience of Gods delivering him from the Lion and the Bear he trusted in God to deliver him from the hands of the uncircumcised Philistine 1 Sam. 17.37 When thou hast been in danger God hath kept thee and when thou hast