of the holie apostle Saint Iames who counselleth vs Iames 5.16 to confesse our sinnes one to an other and to pray for one an other But alas say you how should I pray for you True praier is not a set order of fine wordes when I can not pray for my selfe If you cannot pray in set wordes and in fine order can you not therefore pray at all can you not sigh and groane inwardly in the true feeling of your soul as one that is so greatly oppressed with griefe that he hath not a tongue to vtter that which he hath within his minde If you can sigh and grone after this maner be of good comfort For you haue learned long since from some of your faithful teachers who haue many times soundlie taught this point from the word of God and that of purpose for the relief of weake consciences that you pray verie effectuallie Your sighes are prayers which the spirite from whom they proceed vnderstandeth right well yea although there is not so much as anie one worde vttered to expresse them Wordes are for our vnderstanding that we may thereby knowe one anothers meaning But the hoke spirite which is our comfortable schoolemaister and searcheth the deepe things of God knowes our meaning and thoughts before we speake yea although we speake not at all For as the Prophet Dauid saith Psal 139.2 He knowes our thoughts long before And the Apostle saith the spirite helpeth our infirmities for we knowe not what to pray as wee ought but the spirite it selfe maketh request for vs with sighes which cannot be expressed These sighes breaking out violentlie from the consciences of the godlie The sighes of the Godlie are acceptable prayers are prayers and loude cryes acceptable tâ— the Lord and pearcing deepelie into his eares as appeares in Exodus 14.15 Where the Lorde demaundeth of Moses why hee cryed so vnto him whereas the wordes of the Text make no mention of anie one worde hee spake or vttered I pray you tell mee this one thing A similie if the childe of your owne bodie whom you loue dearelie and which is vnto you as your owne soule shall be sicke and being full of paine shall moane him selfe vnto you tell you howe sicke hee is where his paine doth holde him and shall entreate you euen as you loue him to doe what you can to ease him will you not doe it both willinglie and readilie yea will you not doe whatsoeuer you are able euerie kinde of way for the ease of your deare dearling But if his paine shall encrease and grewe so great that it takes awaie his speech so as bee is not able to speake a worde but to fetch deepe sighes and to moane himselfe vnto you by most greeuous groanes will not these groanes pearce your heart more deepelie and cause the bowels of compassion to yerne in you more stronglie to straine your selfe euen to the vttermost of all your power to affoorde him as much comfort as is possible both by your selfe by others shall the groning of your child worke great pitie in you and shall not the the mightie groanes of your poore sicke soul moue the Lord your God to greater compassion The Lord exceedeth al men in goodnesse and compassion and therefore will heare and helpe you readily If in such a case you will be so readie to heare and helpe know you for certentie the Lord will be more readie to heare and helpe whensoeuer you shall in the anguish of your soule groane vnto him For looke how farre he exceeds you and all other in goodnesse so farre also doth he exceede you and all other in mercie and compassion Beside all this there is no sacrifice more acceptable in the sight of God then the sighes and groanes of a troubled minde Psalm 51.17 The sighes of the spirit aâ—e to be regarded For so saith the Prophet The sacrifices of God are a contrite spirit a contrite and broken heart O God thou wilt not despise Therefore make as good account of the groanes and sighes of the spirit as of any prayer you can make euen in the best words you can deuise And for a farewell of this matter remember that the godlie and good king Ezekias Ezekias could not pray but chatter could not in smooth and fine wordes poure out his prayers before the Lord in his great sicknesse but chatter like a swallow or a â—rane as hee confesseth of himselfe Esa 38.14 Consider also that the poore Publican being ashamed of himselfe The Publican prayed feruently but saide little by reason of his sinnes and feareing to lift his eies toward heauen could not deliuer his minde at large in fit and choise words but with much paine Lu. 18.9 10 c. at the last he breakes forth after this manner O God be mercifull to me a sinner Neuerthelesse our Sauiour Christ giueth sentence on his side that he went home more iustified then the proud Pharisie who had both words and winde at will Your fist obiection doth thus offer it selfe That you cannot leaue sinne The fist obiection and answere of leauing sinne And that which doth more trouble you you cannot leaue those sinnes which you haue vowed to leaue but you fall againe into them First you reason thus against your selfe that you can not leaue sinne No maruell Sinne cleapes too fast to our nature to part with it in haâ—â—e for although you be one of Godes saintes and haue receiued the spirit of sanctification in measure to fight the Lords battels against sinne and hell yet are you no Angell in this world so as you can altogether ceasse to sinne because you carrie and shall carrie vnto your graue a bodie and soule subiect to sinne Therfore you must fight this battel euen so long as you haue breath and life This enemie of yours is so strong No perfect conquest ouer sinne vntill death that he will neuer be fullie ouercome vntill you haue ouermastred him by death And then you shall haue a full and perfect conquest ouer him and all your enemies In the meane time plucke vp a good heart gird you fast with all your Christian armour Christian coâ—â—age and armor put on your complete harnesse and euerie part thereof as you finde it set down in the sirâ— chap. of the Epistle written to the Ephesians Ephe. 6.13 14 c. take your weapon in one hand I meane the sworde of the spirite and your buckler in the other that is to say the shield of faith Lay about you lustily with all the strength and cunning you haue Yea bee strong in the Lord and in the power of his might And fear not the issue Be carefull to fight Christ his â—attell and feare not the issue although you latch and catch many a sore blowe no though you be foiled and wounded because you haue a valiant captaine Christ Iesus your Samour who hath alreadie himselfe gotten
separated from his mothers wombe and therewithall you can not bee ignorant how sharply he was handled when the messenger of Sathan was sent to boxe and busset him verie sore and that for a long season so that although he praied often and earnestly 2. Cor. 12 7 8 9. yet could he not be deliuered This only he receiued as an answer from the Lord that his grace should be sufficient to vnderprop and stay him in his greatest temptation for my power saith he is made perfect thorow weaknesse Passe not by this example without some good meditation In this resolution he rested himselfe as well contented vntill such time as the Lord should grant him full release These are choise examples of choise persons Trouble of mind a great priuilege of Gods fauour and not many such to be sound in the whole bodie of the Scripture that you may consider how great a priuilege of fauour God hath vouchesafed vpon you to make you equall with his dearest children and that in such afflictions as for their suffering of them they are aboue many thousands most renoumed But why stand I vpoÌ„ these examples when as Iesus Christ himselfe being the sonne and heire in whom onely the Father is most highly well pleased was not onely in measure and mercie thus chastised as you are Mat. 3.17 The Sonne of God most troubled but as we say commoÌ„ly beaten without mercy yea hee was turned and beaten so as through the exceeding great anguish of his seule Luke 22.44 he sweat such a sweat in the garden as neuer man sweat the like that is drops like drops of blood trickling downe to the ground your affliction is but a flea bâ—â—ing to that which your Sauior hath suffered for your sake that you might haue case Yea further being brought and hanged vpon the crosse beside all the villanâ—e offered and done to him by the malitious cruel Iewes his owne father handled him so extremely not like a father but as a most iust iudge that he could not any longer bite in his griefe but in great bitternesse he breakes out into these wordes sauoring of deepe despaire Mat. 27 46. my God my God why hast thou forsaken me These words I say sauor strongly of despaire because he cries out that God had forsaken him yet was he farre from despaire because in the greatest conflict with Hell and Saâ—han his whole trust was in God and therefore with great confidence not once but againe he doubleth his speach saying My God my God Thus you haue not onely many of the faithfull but the sonne of God clad in your nature more then a partner with you in your sufferings Rom. 8.28 which I haue alleadged to this end that you may know that as aâ— things worke for the best to those that loue God The shâ—rpest afflâ—ct onâ— worke the sweetest comfort euen to them that are called of purpose so this affliction of yours which because it is so sharp shal therefore worke your good a greaâ— deale the rather For experience teaheeth that that purgation which for the time doth work most strongly and putteth the patient to the greatest paine doth in the end bring the most ease to him who hath receiued it One exception But it may be you will take exception against this last example of Christ Iesus and say that hee was not so tormented for his owne but for your sinne Hebr. 4.15 1. Iohn 2.1 2. because he was without sinne Therein you speake most truly for the Apostle saith Rom 4.25 Hee was deliuered to death for our sinnes as if he should say whatsoeuer griefe or torment hee endured liuing or dying hee endured it for our sakes that the whole fruit coÌ„fort therof might redound to vs. And to this agreeth that which is written in the first Epistle of Peter 1. Pet. 2.24 Who his owne selfe bare our sins in his bodie on the tree that we being deliuered from sinne should liue in righteousnesse by whose stripes we are healed From henceforth therefore may you reape no small comfort for the peace of your conscience in the greatest heate of temptations Christ hath suffred the torments of hell that we might not suffer them yea that you may neuer suffer them For in as much as he sufred not for his owne but for your sinne you may be therfore well assured that you shall neuer taste of those hellish torments which your sinnes haue deserued and that because your suretie your mediatour your Sauiour Iesus Christ hath in your nature but in his owne person euen to the vttermost of Gods iustice suffered them for you that you might neuer luffer them but be fully and for euer discharged both in this world and in the world to come For as the Apostle witnesseth Rom. 8.1 There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Iesus Another exception Here again I know wel you wil thus reply that you will grant To be in Christ Iesus is true happines to him or her which is â—ssured thereof there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Iesus that must needes be true But all the doubt lies in this whether you your selfe bee in Christ Iesus or not For of that cannot you be persuaded If you could be assured therof then you would not doubt but you were without all danger of condemnation But this is one point which doth work no smal trouble in your conscience Go to then let this be one chief point to deal with you in And first to begin withall let me ask you this one question And I do not only pray A great charge but on Gods behalfe for his glory and the good of your soul I charge you to answer me plainly truly Once assured and euer assured of saluation Had you euer any assurance of saluation in al your life were you euer persuaded by the preaching of the word to be saued by the death of Christ Iesus An vnsained soâ—oâ— for sinne a deadly hatred a sound purpose of amendment are vndoubted maâ—ks of Gods childe did you euer feel the power of true repentance in your soule by these marks that you were more greeued sorie at the heart for your sins then for any thing in the whâ—le world did you and doe you beare a deadly hatred against them 2. Coâ— 7.9 10 11 as against the diuell himselfe did you and doe you purpose to the vttermost of your power to forbeare and forswear the practise of them all Luke 7.15 See you aâ—swerâ— to euerie artiele truely as you will answere at youâ— perill and to walke in holinesse and righteousnesse all the dayes of your life did that worde which you haue heard so long so soundly and so powerfully preached to your conscience Psal 1.2 Phil. 3.8 which you reade so diligently wherein 〈◊〉 meditate and take so great delight as that you count al
vnto your godlie meditations to encorage you concerning the maner of your afflictions The Lord grant you a rich portion of his spirite that your soule may reape a gratious blessing Now you shall further vnderstand in few wordes what shall be the substance of all the matter which foloweth in the remainder of this poore treatise The substance of the whole Treatise folloâ—ing I purpose so neere as I can to gather together those obiections which you and others doe obiect against your selues and so farre as the Lord shall affoord me his grace I entend in order to answer them The first and principall obicetion so far as I can conceiue learne by conference with you The first obiection and answere and with so many as I haue any acquaintance is this The troubled minde doubts of Gods fauour That you doubt much of Gods fauour towards you that you feare it greatly you are not the child of God and if you be yet can not you be thereof certainely perswaded This obiection hath aireadie beene answered in part not withstanding because it is as the foundation of al the other obiections I will in hope of Gods gracious assistance indeuor my selfe to answere it more fully for your better contentmeÌ„t First therfore I would gladly learne this one thing of you or of anie other who is your partner in these temptations who it is that beareth you so greatly in hand A needefull point therefore marke it well you are not the child of God If you answer your conscience through the greatnesse of your sinne doth tel you so then do I againe demaund of you who it is that sets your conscience a worke to vrge this point to what end Harken to Gods 〈◊〉 for he seckes 〈◊〉 God If it be Gods spirit you may be right glad because then it is for your good namely the you may go out of your selfe secke the forgiuenesse of your sinnes and euerlasting saluation in Christ his death and obedience to the full assurance of Gods fauor and the euerlasting peace of your conscience Hearken not to sathan for he hath vowed your destruction But speake the truth is it not rather a strong temptation of Sathan your deadly enemie to trouble the peace of your conscience and if it be possible to driue you to desperation If it be so as I feare it greatly then say I vnto you there is no cause why you should beleeue him First because he is a lyer Ioh. 8.44 Secondly because he is your enemie who meanes you no good at al. That he is a lyar it is manifest because he hath beene so from the beginning And he cannot nowe chaunge his nature It is as much against his nature to speake the truth as it is possible that God should lie Heb. 6.18 Rom. 3.4 who is onely euer true Therefore there is no cause why you shoulde beleeue such a common liar as the Deuill who will lie as fast as a dogge can trot as wee vse to say in our common speach You haue iust cause therefore to except against him in this respect Againe you neede not doubt that hee is your enemy Reuel 12.10 1. Pet. 5.8 and that to the death because hee is the common accuser of the bretheren and like a roaring Lion goeth about continually seeking whom he may deuoure In regard whereof you are not to hearken to him No credit to bee giuen to the deuil though he speak the truth bicause his meaning is badde or beleeue anie thing he shall saie vnto you no although he speake the trueth And my reason is because he will not tell you the trueth to helpe but to hinder you not to cheere but to choake you not to saue but to spill your bloud And whereas you will replie you cannot denie but hee saieth the trueth concerning the greatnesse of your sinnes and that iust condemnation which you haue deserued for them I answere thereto after this manner That you are not to take the knowledge of your sinnes from Sathan because he will not tell you the trueth and the whole trueth as it is in deede Marke thed euils cunning For either he will pare your sins and make them lesse theÌ„ they be to make you altogether carelesse or else hee will make them greater then they be to throw you headlong into despaire But you are to take the persit knowledge of your sins The holy vse of the Ministerie from the true vnderstanding of the Lawe of God Rom. 7.7 fast girded to your conscience by the holie ministerie which GOD hath ordained for this purpose Regard and reâ—erence the ministerie if you loue your soule that you maie thereby come to true and vnfained repentaunce of all your sinnes and bee saued through faith in Christ his blood For the blood of Christ doth clense you from all sinne 1. Iohn 1.7 And if you will yet reason against your selfe that your sinnes are so great that you can gather no assurance of Gods fauour towards you Examples of notorious sinners who repented and were pardoâ—ed then let mee offer to your coÌ„sideration some one or two examples of such notorious knowne sinners as the world cried shame of and yet repenting had their sinnes forgiuen them I meane of set purpose to make choise of those persons and people who in the scriptures are noted to be most infamous Because you and such as are so exercised as you are doe indeed charge your selues further than you ought No easie matter to comfort a troubled mind For you make your selues so bad as though none were to be compared vnto you or as though God had no mercie in store for you And hereupon it comes to passe that almost there is not any word of God which can bring peace vnto your troubled consciences I intend therefore to match you so and with such as you shall be forced to confesse you are outmatched The end shal be this to bring glad tidings to your heauie and sorrowful soule that God both is and will be more fauourable to you then you can as yet be persuaded For if God haue shewed mercie to those Reasons to persuade the afflicted who by reason of their knowne sins were in all mens iudgement further from mercie how can he denie you mercie The Lord persuade your heart who neuer brake into that outrage of sin and yet doe most humblie sue vnto him for mercie That good master who forgaue his bad seruant at his owne intreatte ten thousand talents would not haue beene hard vnto him who ought but a hundred pence if he had sued vnto him as he did to his cruell and vnmercifull fellowe seruant who by no meanes would bee entreated to shewe that fauour in a little debt which was shewed him in a verie great summe Remember I pray you that you haue to deale with a God who is farre more mercifull and therefore you
Iesus Christ that gladlie you would come but that your sinnes doe so clogge and loade your heart with sorrow then heare how againe he replies vpon you saying The tired sinner may boldely come to Christ If the case stand so with thee then come in any wise yea therefore the rather come For if thy sinnes doe put thee to paine and be as a heauie burden to bigge for thee to beare come thy way and say them all vpon my shoulders for my backe is broade inough to beare them all were they neuer so many I am well content to beare the whole loade of them mine owne selfe that thou mayest be fully and for euer discharged Matth. 11.28 Marke well that Christ will saue humbled sinners and none other For such sinners doe I call and such sinners onelie will I saue as are in paine and throughlie tyred with their sinnes As for such sinners as haue store of sinnes hanging vpon them and either doe not feele them or care for no helpe I haue nothing to do with them neither will I be any Sauiour vnto them For the whole neede not the physition but the sicke Matth. 9.12 13. I came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance Thus farre I haue endeuoured to satiâ—tie your first and maine obiection and to my power aimed at this marke namely to pacifie your troubled conscience with this comfortable and sound persuasion Rom. 5.1 that beeing iustified by faith you haue peace toward God through our Lorde Iesus Christ by whome you haue boldnesse and entraunce vnto God the Father Ephes 3.12 and that by the powerfull working of Gods spirite which is the spirite of adoption which you haue receiued Ro. 9.15 16 18. whereby you crie Abba Father The same spirite beareth witnesse with your spirit that you are the childe of God And if you bee a childe then are you also an heire of God and a ioynt heire with Christ And therefore not I but Gods holie spirite in the Epistle to the Hebrewes whose wordes you ought both to regard and reuerence saieth vnto you in this wise Hebr. 4.17 Let vs goe boldely vnto the throne of grace that wee may receiue mercie and finde grace to helpe in time of neede I beseech you marke aduisedly that the author of the epistle calleth vpon you to goe and to goe boldely Labour to cast off feare when God would haue you bolde But whither would hee haue you goe forsooth to the throne And to what throne You are louingly called to come to a louely throne hanged all ouer with hangings of grace and mercie Not to a throne of iustice of wrath and condemnation but to a throne of grace and mercie It is indeede a throne of iustice of wrath and condemnation but not to you nor anie such as you are The throne against your comming is couered and hanged all ouer from end to end both wide and side with most rich costly cloth of grace and mercy TheÌ„ hangings are al of grace and throughout embrodered with nothing but mercie View them your selfe looke vpon them throughly and you shal finde all mercie and nothing els but mercie Therfore you are willed to come to this throne boldly because it is a throne of grace and mercie And that you may knowe before hand what you shall gaine by your comming thither Mercie welcomes you you are told plainly truely you shall find that which your soul most longeth after store of grace and you shall receaue so much mercy as may helpe you when you shall stand in most neede of mercie Thus must is needs be you must needes be welcome for the Iudge is your great frend and otherwise it cannot be because the iudge himselfe who sits vpon the throne is a iudge ful of mercie clad altogether with rich robes of mercy and your great frend who wil shew you all that fauoâ— that may be For why he is Iesus your Sauiour Matth. 1.21 who will in no case suffer you to miscarie Here is good occasion offered to answere a second obiection of yours The second obiection and answer which is that you beleeue that Iesus Christ is a perfect and an able Sauiour but not your Sauiour The troubled minde cannot apply Christ to it selfe that he saith come but he saith not come to you But I will prooue he speaketh to you as wel as to any other and that as particularly and as plainly as if he shuld call you by your name and say come M. P. E. I speake vnto thee by name First Aduise your selfe well that he that knowes you calls you Esa 43.1 Feare not for I haue redeemed thee I haue called thee by thy name thou are mine you will grant that in those wordes which you finde thus written in Mathew chap. 11. verse 28. Come vnto me all you that are weary and laden Christ Iesus calleth al sinners generally you are one among the rest Therefore he cals you For he saith he came to cal sinners to repentance Secondly in the forenamed wordes he cals such sinners onely particularlie and by name as are wearie and laden with their sinnes Iudge you whether you be called Are your sinnes pleasant to your palat and sweete vnto your taste Doeth the remembrance of your sinnes make you laugh as though ye were tickled when you thinke vpon them Is it the ioy and pleasure of your sinnes which drawes so great store of falt teares from your eies and fetcheth so many deepe sighes from your heart Doe your sinnes lie vpon your conscience like some little light feather or rather do they not presse and holde you downe as a woonderfull weightie burthen If you be in this case then may you know if you will know that which shall doe you good that he speakes to you by name and saith vnto you come boldly and feare not I will ease thee of all those thy sinnes which are so great a burthen to thy conscience and will giue thee a gracious generall pardon in my death and passion Moreouer I will from top to toe couer and cloath thee with the rich robes of mine owne righteousnesse vnto the full assurance of euerlasting life The third obiection followeth The third obiection answer The troubled mind complaines of the weaknesse of faith that your faith is weake and so weake as you are fully perswaded there is no childe of God hath so weake a faith as you haue I perceiue it fareth with you as it doth with one that is greatly troubled with that tooth-ach gout stone or some such strong disease who being in verie great paine in the extremitie thereof cries out that there was neuer any creature in the world so cruellie tormented And why saith he so forsooth because he feeles his own paine and no other mans beside Enery man complaines of his owne paine therefore he speakes of that which himself feeleth and not of
the victorie for you and who will not shrinke one foote from you vntil such time as you also haue gotten the victorie For in all these things wee are more then conquerours through him that loued vs. Rom. 8.37 And that you may haue the more courage to fight this field without fainting vnderstand thus much All the faithfull doe fight one and the same battell that all the faithfull doe ioyne hands with you to fight out this battell The holie Apostle Paule had receyued a great measure of sanctification aboue manie thousandes of Gods children yet could not hee get the full mastrie ouer sinne but that full sore against his will to his hearts griefe hee fell into it Therefore with sorrow of soule hee complaines in the seuenth Chapter to the Râ—mames Rom. 7.19 That the good which he would he did not Paule fought a bloâ—die field with sinne but the euill which hee would not that did hee And that it may be well vnderstoode that this was not onelie a sharpe hote skirmish for a short fit but a set battle to continue to the ende of his life you may reade howe after sundrie and diuerse greeuous complaints of his owne weakenesse and of the strength of sinne as a man that is wearie of his life for no cause but this onely that he could not leaue sinne hee breakes out into these wordes of great passion Vâ—â—se 24. O wretched man that I am who shall deliuer mee from the bodie of this death Poul could not â—eaue sinne as he desired In which speech he doth bewray two things First that hee could not leaue sinning although it was his whole studie and the onelie thing among manie which he most earnestlie desired Therefore he calles himselfe a wretched man because he carries about a bodie of sinne and death Secondly that hee had as longing a desire to cease from sin as any man could haue And therefore hee asketh this question Who shall deliuer me Nowe tell me I beseech you is it not thus with you The godly would saine leaue sinne and so would you with all your heart Would you not faine leaue sinne if you could and that with all your heart are you not wearie of it and sore grieued for it Must it not needes bee thus because you complaine so greatly you can not leaue sinne You sinne in deede but not willingly nor of set purpose â—say 5.18 you drawe not sinne vnto you with cart ropes as the wicked doe but you are violentlie drawne by the furie and violence of sinne The godly sinne 〈◊〉 willingly as the wicked You hunt not after iniquitie to pursue and followe after it with the intisements thereof But sinne hunts and pursues you till you haue lost both winde and strength and so it may bee you are manie times taken prisoner In which case you are no more to bee blamed then a Souldiour who in battell is full sore agaynst his will taken prisoner of his enemie which thing is most manifest to your owne conscience because when you are taken and you perceiue it you behaue your selfe as a man which is fallen into his enemies hande For your heart is greeued â—â—d your soule wonderfully troubled your sâ—eepe departeth from you you can eate no meate that doeth you good you take no pleasure in anie worldlie thing there is no mirth in you but you are all heauie and sad If you bee in companie where you are prouoked to bee merrie you laugh but for companie for it is but from the teeth forwarde To bee short so long as you are holden captiue of anie sinne you are wearie of your life Therefore all your studie is howe you maie breake off the fetters of sinne The godly study how to breake off the fetters of sinne and bee deliuered whereto you applie all your wit power cunning and skill And if through the great goodnesse of God you get anie aduauntage to escape there was neuer anie fowle more glad of a faire day or bird that hath broken out of the fowlers net more ioyfuil then you are of so happie deliuerance And when you are deliuered you are euer afterwards more carefull a great deale that you fall not againe into your enimies hand Againe you make not a trade of sinne The wicked do trade in sinne to follow it dayly and houreâ—â—e as the workers of imquitie Mat. 7.23 who follow it as carefully and continually as any man followes his occupation whereby hee must liue Ps 1.2.3 But the trade which you follow and the way wherein you walke with delight is the continuall meditation of the lawe of God with an earnest desire to practise it in your whose conuersation Coloss 3.2 Your minde and affections are not set vpon the earth but vppon heauen and vpon those things which may bring you to heauen It is better with you then you thinke for and therefore be thankfull and â—heere vp your heart in the Lord. Therefore in the true acknowledgement of Gods great mercy towards you you may with peace to your soule saie with the Apostle Paul in the seuenth chapter to the Romans and the fiue and twentieth verse I thanke God through our Lord Iesus Christ because in my mind I serue the lawe of God although in the flesh that is in that part which is vnregenerate I serue the lawe of sinne Touching that other point namely that you fall often and againe into that sin which you haue vowed neuer to coÌ„mit againe It is no wonder in this corruption to sinne often in the same sinne for as much as the same is against your wil through great infirmitie and not of anie set purpose although I wish you in anie wise to be as carefull as may be therein and to vse all good and holie meanes of watching ouer your affections and auoiding all those occasions All good meanes must be vsed against euerie sinne whereby you may bee drawen forward into aâ—e the least sinne by praying fasting and such like holie exercises whereby you may be better strengthened against all assaultes of sinne yet would I not haue you to discourage your selfe too much with the consideration thereof Consider wisellâ— and apply with reuerence For this you knowe that one which walketh in a supperie way or vpon ice may against his will yea though hee looke neuer so well to his feete not onelie take the first but the second and the third fall yea manie falles notwithstanding that he thinketh to set his foote maruelous sure Abraham although hee was the father of the faithfull Abraham fell more than once into one sinne and for his godlinesse highlie commended in the Scripture yet through great weakenesse lyed first in Egypt to Pharao in denying Sarah to be his wife These examples are to comfort such as woulde leaue sinne and not to encourage any to liue in sinne Genesis the twelfth chapter and thirteenth verse Againe hee
fell into the selfe same sinne vnto Abimelech the king of Gerar Genesis the twentie chapter and second verse Sarah also gaue her consent both times and was partaker of the sinne Isaac their sonne vpon the â—ke occasion so readilie coyned a lie as if his father and mother had not only by practise but by precept taught him to lie I knowe both what I say and to whom I speake for as these examples and such like may not nor ought not to make vs bolde to runne headlong or to continue with delight in anie 〈◊〉 great or small for then wâ— vnto vs so they serue to comfort vs that wee stand not ouermuch amazed at our daylie slippes in sinne Nowe followeth a sixt obiection concerning hardnesse of heart The â—ixt obiection concerning hardnes of heart That you can not profite by the worde preached and therefore thinke it were as good or better not to heare at all as to heere to no purpose and profit For hardnesse of heart which is the first branch of this obiection I answere that it is a principal part of the corruption of the old man which cleaueth fast vnto our nature and is one of our mortall enemies which will haunt vs vnto the death Hardnesse of harâ— wâ—ll hang vpon vs and haunt vsâ—o the death For our faith shall be exercised therewithal as long as we shall liue in this world Therefore our best remedie is to arme our selues with the armour of proofe before rehearsed and to buckle with this aduersarie Looke well to your atmour whose edge and courage by little and lâ—ttle shall be abated And for your encoragement this I say that flesh and bloud hath not opened your eies to see this to be a sinne neither touched your heart with a misâ—iking thereof Blesse gods narre that now you see and greeue for that sinne which in former times you neither sawâ— nor greened for for then you might long ago haue found out this and manie other sinnes when they raigned in you more strongly and caried you headsong without any resistance or misliking into much euil to commit sin with great greedines But then you could find no fault at all with your selfe nay you thought your self in as good case as was possible Your case all one with the Apostle Paul Ro. 7.9 c. Acts 26.9 And no maâ—uell because you were blinded through the dâ—rknesse of your owne vnderstanding and reason so as you could iudge no colours Now through Gods goodnesse for the welfare of your soule your eies which were blind are opened to see those things which you neuer saw before and your heart is touched with a wonderfull misliking of that which before you leued Yea indeede you must needes confes Giue God leaue and he will helpe that which you can not you see and feele your hardnesse of heart but you cannot helpe nor amend it No but the Lord both can and wil helpe to amend whatsoeuer is amisse in his time In the meane time Psal 27.14 do what you can be patient tarie the Lords leasure wait vpon him and he shall comfort thine heart Where you say A generall complaint of the best you cannot profit by the word of God preached that is also a generall complaint of all such as are most carefull to profit But your owne words do prooue against your selfe that you doe profit For if you profited not how comes it to passe that you haue found out this fault that you cannot profit It is not the manner of such as doe not receiue profit by the word preached to find fault but to please and flatter themselues most when they profite least Therefore this is a great argument and sound proofe of your profiting The complaint of not profiting is verie profitable because it mâ—kes you carefull to profite in that you can thus blame your selfe that you doe not profit And it pleaseth the Lord thus to exercise you and the rest of his beloued ones with the feeling hereof not to discourage you but that this may be as a whetstone to sharpen your stomake to heare with greater conscience and as a spurre to make you more egar vpon the word when it is preached that the oftener you heare you may desire more and more to proâ—ite by hearing But where as in the end As you loue your soule take heede of this temptatiâ— you throwe downe this logge in your owne way that it were good not to heare at all I am to giue you speciall warning as you tender the saluation of your owne soule to take heede howe you giue consent to that temptation in the least thought of your heart for it is a strong enchantment of Sathan to bewitch you withall and a choise baite to catch your soule in euerlasting destruction The deuill himselfe hateâ— pâ—eâ—ching more than holy water because it ouerthrâ— weth his â—ingdome He knowes this as well as anie man can tell him that the word preached is the onelie most principall meanes which God hath ordained to strengthen you against the whole batterie and force of al his temptations Hee knowes also that from thence you daylie gather courage against him Whether it be thus or not I appeale to your conscience And if you haue found this powerfull worke in your owne soule then so often as hee shall thrust in this temptation say vnto him auoyde Sathan Matth. 4.10 for thou labourest to murther my precious soule by withdrawing me from the meanes of my saluation But howe doth he vrge this point against you The deuils crust in reasoning and with what reasons First because you doe not feele profit presentlie Secondlie because you doe not profite so much as you should Nowe marke I beseech you the deuils craft in reasoning First you feele no profit by the word presentlie so soone as you heare it preached therefore you doe not profit at all You feele not profite presentlie therefore you shall neuer feele profite You shall see this cunning laied open to your vnderstanding in a familiar example after this manner The deuils cunning laide wide open by sensible reasons A sicke man hath Phisicke giuen him to helpe his sicknesse He is not helped presentlie so soone as hee hath taken it Therefore he shall neuer haue helpe The husbandman doth sowe his seede and casts it into the ground that it may growe and bring forth fruit But it growes not so soone as it is sowen Therefore it will not growe at anie time neither shall â—ee euer reape anie croppe of his seede Againe hee reasoneth thus against you you profit not so much as you should or not alwayes alike Therefore you profit not at all This is as if one should reason after this fashion One aâ—re of corne some yeare brings forth fiue tenne twentie or a hundred fold But it doth not so euerie yeare Therefore it brings forth nothing at all Some yeares an occupier gaynes a hundred