immoveably setled in his knowledge and apprehension of it he will never be beaten out of this That it is an evill allwaies present impeding what is good and impelling and putting us upon what is evill that it is a law of our members warring against the law of the mind and though all the world withall its learning and skill should conspire and club wits and reason to overthrow this truth yet they should never perswade him to a beliefe that possibly there may be no such thing as evill Concupiscence or Originall sin His experience is instar mille testium and he would repeâ— all their arguments with this answer that he sees the plots and contrivances that he feeleth the power and strength of this sinning sin withholding him and drawing him back from that good which he desires he may which he knowes he ought to doe The world may as soone perswade him that fire is not hot which hath burnt his fingers as perswade him that lust within is not a fire of Hell which inflames him and sets him on fire with rageing passions or wanton desires Let this old man appeare under what vizard he will for the deceiving purblind nature let him plead his originall ex conditione materiae and appeale to Pelagian or Semipelagian or Socinian Heralds to assert his pedigree yet he cannot so escape a regenerate savingly enlightned soul who seeth and knoweth that it is of the Divell and our own abuse of free will Though this old man walke up and downe among us and expatiate it selfe in the larger walkes of a Sceptick and seeme onely to enquire rationally touching the Beeing and Providence of a Deity and in this garbe passe for a more penetrating inquisitive head and judgment with an unsanctifyed Scholar yet the regenerate soul know's and is so perswaded that he will never be brought to think the contrary that this is a branch of Atheisme sprouting out of this bitter root I think I need not hesitate in pronouncing it An unregenerate man improved to the highest pitch that externall morall advantages can raise him to never did or ever will be able to come to such a degree of certainty in his Knowledge of this as the experienced soule which observeth the stirrings and motions of this sin in himselfe doth come to I am sure there is a great difference between the certainty to which the one attaines by speculative principles and discourses and the certainty tâ— which the other atteines by experience you may possibly perswade a man to taâ—… Poyson who onely knowes the nature of iâ— from his book and speculation and perhapâ— you may prevaile with him to hope and believe it is not deadly because his knowledge is not confirmed by experience but do you think it possible to perswade that man into an opinion that it may not or into hopeâ— that it is not or into an adventurous tryalâ— whether that be deadly poyson which had undoubtedly destroyed him long before if the admirable skill of some eminent Physician had not cured him and prevented the working of the Poyson so it is in one word The regenerate soule knowes he had dyed of this deadly poyson if the compassion oâ— an infinitely mercifull and the skill of an infinitely wise Physician had not healed him he knowes he was sick unto death and he is as certaine of it as experience can make him and will not doubt it though all the world deny it here he sixeth immovedly I Know that in me dwels nothing good Rom. 7.18 Find evill present when I would do good 21 See an other law leading mee captive 23. The unregenerate finds it not experimentally in himselfe for he is blind and seeth not he is dead and feeleth not the workings of this sin and therefore is not so immoveable in his knowledg as the regenerate soule not so constant in his beliefe of it's indwelling and overspreading the whole man SERMON III. Rom. 7. v. 7. latter part For I had not knowne Lust except the Law had said Thou shalt not Covet THE Inabilitie of Nature best improved by learning and education or what other means you will suppose short of Grace and the renovation of the heart by the spirit of God to make a right discovery of the sinfullnesse of our nature that indwelling sin which here the Apostle calls Lust being observed as one of the Doctrines the Apostle layes down in this verse and being confirmed and prosecuted so farre that nothing farther remaines of what was proposed but an application and close of the whole I now proceed to that and so first Use 1. Insormation If the best improved naturall man be not able to discover the sinfulnesse of his nature we may hence learne and informe our selves Sin of very dangerous consequence to all but specially to Scholars on account that it blinds their under standing 1. That there is in sin that which is of a very dangerous tendency to all but especially to Scholars It is not to be sported with we never dally with this serpent but it sting's and empoyson's us we never come into the hands of these Philistines but they put out our eyes If we had our eyes before we lose them after our closeing with a temptation to sin This is the cause why we are not able so long as we are carnall to see our sinfulnesse because we are sinfull as there need no other reason be given why we are not acquainted with the pollutions of our garments but this because we are blind so neither needs there any other reason be demanded why a sinner is not acquainted with his sinfulnesse after you have once said and proved that he is a sinner For sin is a violence offered to the soule Prov. 8. ult vers It is a violence by which the soule is wounded and maimed as it were with the stroke of a sword or other instrument of cruelty as I observe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifys now the soule is a tender thing like the eye it beares not a wound without losse of its sight and being once wounded by sin it cannot any more rightly discover sin or if you read that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his life still it speaks that danger danger which is in sin on the account of its disableing the sinner from seeing it that wound that reacheth the life that reacheth the heart kills dead and bereives the man of the sense of his condition he knowes not nor can he that he is dead so it was with the first sinners among the creatures Angels sinned and lost that perfect knowledge in which they were created and had not known their sinfull state if an immediate and winged vengeance had not overtaken them if the weight of those fetters the dismall noise of those chaines in which they are reserved to the Judgment of the great day had not awakned them they had surely continued unacquainted with that sinfulnesse which their just punishment convinced them of though it may perhaps
confused and generall notion they had that it was from man himselfe How little did the Manichees understand of this whose irrationall absurd conceptions of this tell us they infinitely mistook the truth It was a foule mistake of the Pelagians too which they formerly and others of late have fancied touching the irruption of sin into the world That which cruciated Augustin so much Quoniam Deus fecit omnia haec bonus bona majus quidem summum bonum minora fecit bona sed tamen creans creata bona sunt omnia unde malum confess l. 7. c. 5. § 2. which place he bestowes on the disputes which were ordinary in this matter concluding nothing there but else where he concludes Non erat exitus quaerebam aestuans unde malum quae illa tormenta parturientis cerdis mei qui gemitus Deus meus l. 7. conf c. 7. § 1. This I say which so troubled him was undiscovered to them without the Church they could not and it is much undiscerned by naturall men within the Church because they will not see the truth so when Pelagians might have known the originall of sin from Rom. 5.12 they chose rather to corrupt the text as Chemnit observes Chemnitius Loc. de peccat orig p. 213. b. et p. 214 a fol. edit 1653. and so hath Pighius declined from the truth in this point as who will may observe in his controversy de Peccat origin passim And the Papists know not or else they would professe it sure for right knowledge of such a truth in a councell and gathered for such an end as a councell should be would have engaged them to own the truth and openly declare it What ever they think of it I know that God and our Lord Jesus who will be ours and their Judge will account such knowledge to be no knowledge In a word the Endlesse disputes of men who enquire into this beyond what is necessary and in the enquiry lose what knowledge they seemed to have had and grow either sceptickes or hereticks are sull proofe that they cannot with best improved naturall parts discover the spring and fountaine of that sinfulnesse which is in our nature But 6. The best improved naturall men could never discover the finfull frame of bea rt in its deserts 6. Lastly though I might adde more the best improved naturall man never did or ever could he discover the desert of this sinfull frame of his heart it was a thing they never could perswade themselves to believe that such a punishment might be justly inflicted on them so soone as ever they were borne into the world Indeed on their principles it was impossible they should discover this for they acknowledged not the sinfulnesse of nature or else that this was not great and therefore no obligation to punishment or but to a small punishment It is an unquaestioned part of Justice to proportion the penalty to the crime and true state of it ut in parvis leviora in magnis graviora supplicia irrogentur Justitiae distributivae est suū cuique tribuere So that they who accounted this a small fault could not think it worthy of so sore a punishment as we know it deserveth if you should hear a Philosopher reading a lecture of the innocency of man of the blamelesse though weake state of an infant and it should be told him that yet there were who held this opinion that such might be justly condemned for ever and cast into that place of misery where offenders suffer for their offences he would dispute the case and denie the justice of the proceedings Thus doe very many within the Church view the Schoolmens determination that infants shut out of Heaven lie under the Punishment of losse not sense that they onely misse of the enjoyment of God but fall not under a punishment of Paine and Griefe a determination which savours much of a nescience and ignorance of the desert of indwelling lust on the same generall mistake doe Both Socinians Remonstrants and Anabaptists deny that any are or justly may be punished for that sin we call originall sin or ingenite lust which dwell's in us hence they load the orthodoxe with many reproachfull exclamations of curelty and injustice and brand the truth with unheard of harshnesse with incredible severity and Adamantine mercilesnesse against poore innocents such like charges we know are laid upon the teachers of the Doctrine touching the demerit of our sinsull nature it is no wonder for they judge by the mistaken nature of the cause and erring in their apprehensions of the merit of the cause do as widely erre in their assigning the punishment due to it But we who are taught by the Law and enlightned by the spirit of God so that we can see and do know that we are all transgressors of that Covenant which promised life to perfect obedience threatned death to the first sin which is ours and brought death into the world that we are children of wrath Eph. 2.3 Under the curse having not continued in all things written in the Law to doe them Gal. 3.10 that in Adam we all died 1 Cor. 15.22 that we are borne so that * Joh. 3.3 unlesse we be new born we cannot enter into the kingdome of Heaven we who are instructed by the spirit in such truths as these which are confessedly above the reach of the best naturall eye do see that desert of hell and eternall separation from the presence of God which is due to this sinfull nature of ours though others do not discover it nor will believe it we see that by reason of this Lust our life is sull of sin and our persons from the wombe obnoxious to the wrath of God SERMON II. Rom. 7. v. 7. latter part For I had not knowne Lust except the Law had said Thou shalt not Covet 4 Generalls propounded viz. a Rational account of this truth I Now come to the Fourth Generall proposed viz a rationall account of this truth However proud selfe-admiring men do thinke that Wisedome is with them And such perfect wisdome too that a matter of such import and weight as this cannot be hid from them yet certainly if they will consider and duely weigh what reason suggesteth in such like cases they will see that as truth affirmes they cannot so reason shews us why they cannot discover this Sin For Looke what reason suggesteth a cause of difficulty or impossibility hindering us in the enquiry and fearch after the full discovery very of what we do but imperfectly and obscurely know in things of another nature The same proportionably applyed to this businesse in hand will evidently manifest the Difficulty of Getting any considerable measure and the impossibility of attaining any full and perfect knowledge of this sinne by the best improved Naturall man in the world And this I hope to make Good to you Reas 1. Because a Naturall man makes use of a crooked
mind whose judgment we take concerning this it is I hope so fully proved that great measures of unsanctifyed learning and grosse ignorance of this sinne may be both in the same person that I do not need insist on farther proofe I onely desire you not to trust to the opinions of them in matters they do not understand I do not disswade you from valuing them and expressing your value of them by giving what is due to their opinions in the things they are learned in But I warne you to take heed that you do not rely on their judgment and opinions though seemingly backed with strong probabilities and reasons in this and other points which are known aright onely by a sanctifyed and regenerate soule Many of those who have erred in this doctrine have been men of great parts and abilities so are many of those who at this day do mistake this whole doctrine and it is beside what we have said allready to be accounted among the hidden things which are not revealed to the wise and prudent Math. 11.25 For whether you referre the relative 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the whole chapter or to the 20th verse and those which follow onely yet still you 'l find that the doctrine of Repentance and Remission of sins the doctrine of Salvation and redemption from wrath which we deserve from sin under the power of which we are by nature compriseth the things here intended And if reâ—…tance and the doctrine thereof in its full extent and latitude be the comprehensive summe which is here aimed at and which is hidden from the wise and prudent then we have ground to beware how farre we rely on the opinions and assertions of these men who cannot discover the truth which lyeth hidden under a vaile which 1. Their impotence and inability hath drawn over it they are not able to discover it 2. Their unwillingnesse to know hath brought on them they are loth to be acquainted with it 3. Judiciall blindnesse hath drawn over it that they shall not because they will not It is safer much to heare the opinion of a saint experienced in his own heart and well versed in the Scripture touching this then any of the learned naturall men who are unacquainted with the continuall opposition their naturall hearts do make against the Law of God I had rather heare a souldier who was not onely an eye witnesse but a chiefe combatant give the relation of the fight then one who though never so well skilled in the speculative part of military discipline speaks onely according to the rules of his art I shall rather trust a conflicting soule and believe his relation both that there is such an enemy and that he is within us continually levying warre against us then trust the seeming reasons of learned men against it or the determinations of those who speake onely their speculations The seeing eye is to be trusted in the judgment of Colours before the learned head which onely discourseth over his blind studies the enlightned soule sees what it reports and is to be credited The learned naturall man wanteth eyes to see and speaks by hearesay what this sinne is the right knowledg of which is one of the things of the spirit of God which he receiveth not nor can he untill changed from naturall to spirituall In a word the whole doctrine of the crosse of Christ i.e. our deliverance from sin and the consequents of sinne by the death of Christ The doctrine of our fall and misery of our sinfulnesse and inability to good of our restauration and renovation c. are in the whole contexture of them accounted foclishnesse by the wise among the Greeks and Jewes i.e. by the choicest men for naturall Parts and the improvement of them both within and without the Church And can it be expected that a man who thinks himselfe a wise man should strictly enquire into that which he accounteth folly or care to have an insight in any part of that which he esteemes as much below him and his thoughts as a foole is below a wise man and solly it selfe below excellent wisedome and understanding if you would then choose you a master to teach you more fully this doctrine leave the Schooles of Pharisees Seribes disputers of this world whose wisedome God hath infatuated and go to the convinced humbled and sanctifyed soule and aske him concerning it Scholars whose businesse lies among the volumes of writers whose various positions and doctrines divide from the truth as well as from each other be you especially advised to try before you trust every thing you meet with in men's writings which are accounted profound and learned and be perswaded to enquire what experience arising from the conflict between grace and corruption between holy principles and remaining lusts will informe you in this weighty truth Prize and keep close to the sound Doctrine which holinesse and learning jointly improved have delivered to us from the Scriptures and which you may meet with up and downe in the writings of our English Practicall Divines whom you may trust whilest you must dissent from others that are accounted more learned 3. Caution Learned men's slighting grace be a stumbling block to us 3. Then let it not be a stumbling block to us that so many men of choicest parts of highest improvements do so little regard so little desire and labour after So little value and esteem sanctifying and renewing grace take not an offence at the thinnesse of learned men that they croud not towards the fountaine opened for sinne and for uncleannesse to the house of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem Zec. 13 1. were no other reason at hand which might be given this which ariseth from their ignorance and unbeliefe of the sinfulnesse and uncleannesse of their nature were abundantly sufficient to satisfy us why they doe not throng after that Grace which might cleanse and purifie them Why shouldest thou wonder that blind men walke up and downe in garments all over foule and dirty and never goe to the river where they might be washed And why shouldest thou wonder then that blind souls possessed with opinion of their own purity and holinesse being ignorant of that masse of corruption which lyeth hidden in their heart should stand at distance farre off from Christ and grace which might cleanse them Thou wouldst not be offended to see a company of desperate sick persons insensible of their danger go by and neither call at or go into the Physician 's house to be healed This should not I am very confident beat thee off from going thy selfe to be healed since thou knowest thy disease Now then why should it be a scandall or a discouragement to thee because few learned men go to Christ especially now that thou art warned of it and hast heard this reason given thee thou hearest that they cannot see their need of Christ with the best helpes of nature and education and therefore