strength in our weakness and raise up our spirits and make us couragious that we shall not be afraid of Death the King of terrors which though it be terrible in it self and as the Philosopher saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the most terrible of all terrible things yet through the mediation of Jesus Christ Death is a conquer'd Enemy Christ hath conquer'd Death and took away its sting That which makes Death so terrible is the sting of sin but when the sting is took away Death can no more hurt us than a Snake that hath lost its sting or an Adder that hath its teeth knockt out The Apostle cries out 1 Cor. 15. 55 56 57. O Death where is thy sting O Grave where is thy victory The sting of Death is sin and the strength of sin is the Law But thanks be to God which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ What is Death to a Child of God reconciled to him by the 〈…〉 hrist It 's no more as a dâ—ing Saint exprest then a Child of God can embrace with both his arms And he closing his arms together died immediately To a Child of God Death is the greatest preferment by Death he is translated from a vale of tears and misery to everlasting happiness It 's like 〈◊〉 Gaol-delivery which delivers the Soul from the Bodies imprisonment and sets it at liberty to enjoy the happiness amongst Saints in glory VVhat 's then the grand duty incumbent on us all It is thus If we would desire to die happily we must live holily if we would die the death of thâ—â—ghteous we must labour to live the life of the righteous we should so live every day as we desire to be sound at the last day And if we desire comfort in our death we must make daily preparation by approving our hearts to God in a holy and circumspect life and conversation It is a very great mercy and condescension in God to accept Evangelical instead of Legal perfection and to accept of a willing mind instead of real performances For we read Heb. 11. 17. that by faith Abraham when he was tried offered up Isaac And likewise the Apostle saith If there be a willing mind it is accepted according to that a man hath and not according to that he hath not When then we come to die to consider that our hearts are sincere with God and that our peace is made with him by the redemption and intercession of Christ and that all our sins are washt away and we are made white in the Bloud of the Lamb these Meditations will comfort us in Life and in Death Sect. 3 Let 's add hereunto for incouragement and comfort to the living the dying Speeches of many eminent Saints who upon their Death-beds breath'd forth snch savoury Speeches which ought to be had in everlasting remembrance I shall gather sparingly from so great a heap and only select some choice Instances which deserve a special remark to be set upon them Old Simeon's Song was sweet before his Funeral saying Luke 2. 29 30. Lord now lettest thou thy Servant depart in peace according to thy Word for mine eyes have seen thy Salvation Stephen the Protomartyr breath'd forth this dying Prayer Acts 7. 59. Lord Jesus receive my Spirit Ignatius who liv'd in the sirst Century 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vid. Ignat. epist ad Rom. who was as the Ecclesiastical Writers say twelve years of age when Christ was crucified and afterward St. John's Auditor used frequently to say My Love is crucified And when he was brought to Martyrdom and the wild Beasts were let loose to tear him in pieces he couragiously said I am the Wheat or Grain to be ground with the teeth of Beasts that I may be pure Bread for my Masters tooth Let fire rack pullies yea and all the torments of Hell come on me so I may win Christ Polycarpus when the Proconsul urged him to deny Christ answered I have served Christ Eighty six years and he hath not done me hurt and shall I now deny him When they would have tied him to the Stake to be burned he desired to stand untied saying Let me alone I pray you for he that gave me strength to come to this fire will also give me patience to abide in the same without your tying Cyprian that eminent Martyr for the truth after his condemnation said Blessed be God for this Gaol-delivery Ambrose on his Death bed said to his Friends about him I have not so lived that I am ashamed to live any longer nor fear I death because I have a good Lord. Some young men seeing the excellent death of St. Ambrose and hearing what rare speeches he uttered one of those young men turned to his fellow and said Oh! that I might live with you and die with him John Lambert a Martyr in Queen Mary's daies said amidst the flame None but Christ none but Christ Mr. Bradford at the Stake in Smithfield embraced the Reeds and Fagots which were suddenly to be set on fire to burn him and said Strait is the Gate and narrow is the Way that leadeth unto Life and few there be that find it And he encouraged his fellow-Martyr saying Be of good comfort Brother for we shall have a merry Supper with the Lord this night If there be any way to Heaven on horse-back or in fiery Chariots this is it Martin Luther that great scourge of the Pope and Champion sor the Protestant Religion on his Death-bed said Thee O Christ have I taught thee have I trusted thee have I loved into thy hands I commend my spirit Bucer an eminent Reformer said neâ—â— his death No man by talk shall with draw my mind from Christ crucified from Heaven and my speedy Depaâ—ture on which my Soul is fixed Wheâ— one advised him to arm himself againâ— Saâ—ans temptations he answered Satan hath nothing to do with me Goâ— forbid but that now my Soul shoulâ— be sure of sweet consolation John Ardley a Martyr in Queen Mary'â— daiâ—s said If every hair of my heaâ— were a man it should suffer death iâ— the faith I now stand in To the samâ— purpose William Sparrow spake and Agâ—nes Stanley Alice Driver when the Chain was about her Neck Here is saith she â— goodly Neckerchief blessed be Goâ— for it John Noyes a Martyr kissing the Stake sain Blessed be God that ever I waâ— born for this day And he added farther to his fellow Martyrs a word of singular consolation saying We shal not lose our lives in this fire buâ— change them for a better and foâ— Coals have Pâ—arls c. What need I produce any more Instances with what joy have many sincere hearted Christians lookt death in the face so that they had rather die than live Melancthon rejoyced when he was to die saying That he should be with Christ and enjoy fellowship with him and the Church triumphant and then be freed from all those hot disputes and contentions
persons nor to their sacrifices Thus the Lord expostulates the case with them Isai 1. 12 13. When ye come to appear before me who hath required this at your hand to tread my courts And the Lord forbids them to bring such kind of sacrifices verse 13. Bring no more vain oblations incense is an abomination unto me Quest But might not they truly have replied that incense oblations sacrifices c. were all of Divine institution God commanded them all why then should not they yield obedience to the command accordingly Answ I answer They were commanded to offer sacrifice but they offered sacrifice in a wrong manner For in every service which we perform to God we should do it in a right manner and for a right end not only the action it self but the manner of performing it must be regarded The Jews rested only in the Ceremonial service and in the multitude of external sacrifices having no regard at all to their own hearts and lives these they should have offered up to God pure and holy but their hearts were exceeding foul and their hands were full of bloud therefore God rejected both their persons and their sacrifices For thus saith the Lord verse 15. When ye spread forth your hands I will hide mine eyes from you yea when you make many prayers I will not hear your hands are full of bloud First then before we can offer any acceptable sacrifice unto God we must set upon the practice of mortification and slaughter of all our sins Wherefore the special charge of the Apostle is Col. 3. 5. Mortisie therefore your members which are upon the earth fornication uncleanness in ordinate affection evil concupiscence and covetousness which is idolatry Not a◠lust may be spared All carnal lusts may be compared to those brats of Babylon which are appointed for utter destruction To this purpose we may apply that of the Psalmist Psal 137. 8 9. O daughter of Babylon who art to be destroyed happy shall he be that rewardeth thee as thou hast rewarded us Happy shall he be that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones Quest Some make it a Question though good Christians make no Question of it at all Whether self-murther be lawful Answ For Answer It 's murther in the highest degree and an apparent breach of the sixth Commandment Thou shalt do no murther As no murther should be committed against another much less against a mans self But for every one of us to slay our sins and destroy our corruptions is no self-murther for then a Christian lives best of all when he hath slain his sins and corruptions We must make it our daily prayer that God would destroy our sins and save our Souls Every sin we must account a Benhadad design'd for destruction Therefore Benhadad being appointed by God for utter destruction Ahab by sparing him brought inevitable ruine upon himself and his people For thus saith the man of God to Ahab by the word of the Lord 1 Kings 20. 42. Because thou hast let go out of thy hand a man whom I appointed to utter destruction therefore thy life shall go for his life and thy people for his people If then we give quarter to any one sin and hug it in our bosomes we take a speedy course to destroy our own Souls for by shewing foolish pity to spare any one sin we prove cruel to our precious Souls we our selves being the greatest enemies to our selves Sect. 3 Farther we must take special cognizance of such sins as either are secret unknown to any man or else such as come not within the verge of the punishment of the Law of man as wanton and amorous glances vain frothy discourse and covetousness on which God sets a peculiar brand of infamy Col. 3. 5. and calls it Idolatry Now Idolatry is a sin of a high aggravation for it indeavors to rob God of his honour and to ascribe that honour and glory to Mammon and worldly rich men which is only due to the eternal Creator God blessed for ever Likewise we must observe what a wide difference the Apostle makes between carnal living and the practice of mortification the difference is as great as between life and death and so are the different effects and issues of both For saith the Apostle Rom. 8. 13. Ifye live after the flesh ye shall die but if ye through the spirit do mortifie the deeds of the body ye shall live We read of that glorious Victory which the Lord wrought for Israel against Amalek an inveterate enemy after this Victory was obtained we read that Moses built an Altar and called the name of it Jehovah Nissi for he said because the Lord hath sworn that he will have war with Amalek from generation to generation Exod. 17. 15 16. Quest The Question may be askt Why was war to be made and continued from generation to generation against Amalek Answ The Answer is obvious they were cruel and bloudy Enemies destitute of all manner of mercy and bowels of compassion and therefore God chargeth Moses to make a Record of this signal Deliverance And the Lord said unto Moses write this for a memorial in a Book and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under Heaven Quest But it will be further askt Wherein consisted the particular sin of Awalek Answ For Answer Moses gives a full relation Deut. 25. 17 18 19. Remember what Amalek did unto thee by the way and smote the hindmost of thee even all that were feeble behind thee when thou wast faint and he feared not God Therefore it shall be when the Lord thy God hath given thee rest from all thine enemies round about in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it that thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under Heaven thou shalt not forget it As war by Gods appointment should be waged against Amalek so it 's the appointment of God that we should continue fighting and warring against our sins and corruptions In this case onely it's lawful to perpetuate a deadly fewd and remain alwaies implacable and irreconcileable against all our sins we must not make the least peace nor admit of any parly for peace for any sin though it be of long standing custom and antiquity and pleasing to flesh and bloud To what hath been mentioned I will add for further explication two significant words viz. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of which the Apostle makes an emphatical mention 1 Cor. 9. 27. But I keep under my body and bring it into subjection lest that by any means when I have preached to others I my self should be a cast-away The first word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rendred I keep under my body but there lies in the word a greater emphasis for the word signifies to beat the body black and blue and further yet in
an evil Thought may set the whole man in combustion sinful thoughts which are in embrione and not yet come to maturity yet being not crush'd not disallowed may in a short tract of time bring forth evil words and afterwards full-born actions of all sorts of abominations As soon as Goliah that insolent proud-daring Champion was brain'd and his Head with his own Sword sever'd from his shoulders then forthwith the whole Army of the Philistins was routed and utterly overthrown If then all Champion-reigning Sins such I call so which are darling bosome Sins be conquered and destroyed then all other sins which are of more than ordinary incursion will the sooner be vanquished and subdued We read that when the King of Syria went to joyn battle against Ahab King of Israel 2 Kings 22. 31. that he gave strict command to his thirty and two Captains that had rule over his Chariots saying Fight neither with small nor great save only with the King of Israel Now if the Question be made Why was the battle principally design'd against the King of Israel The Answer is at hand Because the King of Israel was the worst Enemy and most hating and most hated Although in our spiritual warfare we must valiantly encounter and fight against every sin yet in an especial manner we must with renewed strength fight against all bosome sins because the more they are delighted in and hugg'd in the bosome they prove more mischievous as Vipers and Serpents who being once received into the bosome suddenly destroy those who give them entertainment Questionless every sin is of a poisonous and destructive nature yet a beloved sin carries with it more aggravating circumstances and so proves more mischievous and destructive as may be abundantly evidenced by the sad consequences thereof as daily experience witnesseth abundantly Sect. 3 For a further illustration of the Assertion by a plain and obvious similitude Would any man though of an ordinary capacity habour Vipers Adders Scorpions Toads and such like noxious and hurtful creatures in his house would any entertain such kind of dangerous creatures in his bed and lay them in his bosome and so venture to sleep with them None can easily imagine that any there are who are so far sequestred from common sense and reason as to venture to give a bosome reception to such kind of creatures which are offensive and destructive unto mankind The chiefest of the Heathen Orators tells us That Principio generi animantium omni est a naturâ tributum utse vitam corpusque tueatur deelinetqâ—e ea quae â—ocitura videantur Ciâ— off Ib. 1. naturally all creatures must defend their life and body and avoid all those things which are hurtful Wherefore let 's consider seriously and after mature deliberation we shall confess that any beloved Sin is worse than any Viper Scorpion Adder or Toad in the bosome and whilst thou embracest and pleasest thy self in any beloved Sin thou takest a ready course to destroy both thy Body and Soul Wherefore Oh Christian if thou hast any love any regard or commiseration of thy immortal and heavenly-born being Soul give not thy self the least allowance or dispensation in any beloved Sin for if thou pleadest for thy Sins thou art the greatest Enemy to thy own Soul Let not any voluptuous man plead for his pleasures and sensual delights let not any unchaste man plead for his Strumpet or for any wanton lascivious carriage let not any vain frothy Jester and Scoffer plead for any wittily contriv'd lye collusion or any abusive carriage let not any Tradesman excuse his lying and overreaching in his Trade and vending of sophisticated wares and refuse commodities let him not flatter himself with vain pretences as if his lying equivocating and jugling would much conduce to his profit let him not pretend that he cannot keep open shop and maintain his family and if he should once leave his lying and swearing and couzening his family would be utterly undone All such kind of pleadings are odious and abominable in the sight of God Neither Antiquity nor Custom nor pleasure nor profit will excuse thee in the least nor relieve thee before the impartial Tribunal of Jesus Christ When thou shalt appear before the Judgment-seat of Christ then all sinful pleadings and all vain Apologies will be so far from extenuating or lessening thy sin at that great day as that they will aggravaâ—e them both as to the silth and guilt of them And then Christ will pronounce against thee that dreadful sentence of condemnation We read Matth. 25. that sins of omissions could not in the least excuse them And some in an especial manner have bewail'd their sins of omission how then shall the Bishop Usher late Primate of Ireland commissions of scandalous sins excuse thee at that great day of account and amongst other sins such as are beloved bosome and customary sins most pleasing to flesh and blood these will aggravate both thy sins and thy punishments at the day of Judgment CHAP. IX A desire and universal endeavour against all and every Sin is a Character of a sincere Heart and it 's accompanied with the Practice of all Duties Sect. 1 THe ninth Character of sincerity consists Charact. 9. A desire and endeavour against all Sins and for the practice of all Duties in a desire universally extensive and an equal endeavour against all manner and all sorts of Sins and a desire and endeavor as extensive to yield obedience unto all Command and to practice all Duties The desire and endeavour must be The desire and endeavour must be extensive against all sins extensive against all manner of all sins There must be a desire and endeavour to refrain from every evil way and not only from one sin but from all sins of all sorts and all manner of sizes though as considered comparatively they may not be pleaded for at all though less than others but they must be utterly abandoned and forsaken as well as others of a greater filth and guilt Thus the Psalmist professeth Psal 119. 101. I have refrained my feet from every evil way that I may keep thy word By feet we are to understand the whole course of our lives and conversations in a comprehensive sense taking in the whole duty of man And that we may keep the Word of God and keep close to his Statutes we must wage war against every sin and * Significat se bellum indixisse omnibus vitiis ut se Deo in obsequium dederet Calv. refrain our feet from every evil way There must then of necessity be an universal loathing and an universal leaving of every sin for in every sin even in such as some call a peccadillo there is poison and venome for which there is no other Antidote but the Bloud of Jesus Christ There is no sin which is in its own nature venial unless the Bloud of Christ make it so Wherefore that commonly received distinction amongst
Papists of venial and mortal sins is to be discarded altogether as a rotten distinction The Papists may rather according to their own practice call sins venal because they set sins to sale and grant Indulgences for money and so hope to make a good Market of Peoples bad lives thereby intending to inrich the Popes Coffers and the Priests Purses But they in the mean time presumptuously derogate from the Merits of Jesus Christ by presumptuously arrogating to themselves a power of forgiving of sins upon the payment of moneys for Indulgences Against them may be justly retorted the same censure which the Apostle pronounced against Simon Magus Acts 8. 20. for offering of money Thy money perish with thee because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money As for Popish Pardons and Indulgences both Givers and Takers are abominable because they undervalue the pardoning Mercy of God in Jesus Christ It 's an undoubted sign of all those who love God to hate evil So saith the Psalmist Psal 97. 10. Ye that love the Lord hate evil And this hatred must be an universal hatred of all manner of sins without exception and it must be a perfect and irreconcileable hatred Deadly fewds such as Chronicles mention between Family and Family were barbarous and abominable and tended to the utter subversion of many Families But here a deadly fewd is lawful i. e. to perpetuate our hatred and enmity against all manner of sins and corruptions David declares his utter hatred and indignation against all the Enemies of God Psal 139. 23 24. I hate them O Lord that hate thee And am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee I hate them with a perfect hatred I count them mine enemies David hated their sins rather than their persons though he loved their persons yet as they were God's enemies for their notorious rebellions against God he hated them with a perfect hatred It 's an universal charge enjoyn'd by the Apostle Rom. 10. 9. to all without exception Abhor that which is evil and cleave to that which is good Not only one Cockatrice but all the breed of Cockatrices are of a poisonous and destructive nature and mischievous to mankind and therefore not only such as come to maturity but those also which are in the Egg ought to be destroyed So every sin is of a poisonous and mischievous nature and therefore ought to be stifled in the firâ—â— conception and be prevented from proceeding to any ripeness For any Woman to stifle and destroy the fruit of her womb though the conception be very early is abominable murther in the sight of God and if such courses be practised they tend to the rooting out a succession of all mankind But as for all manner of sins and wickedness though newly committed and gone no further then a thought yet that very evil thought should be checkt and disallowed The School men have coyn'd quaint notions and amongst them are mention'd motus primo primi let them not mince nor extenuate sins by such Cob-web distinctions for those beginnings to speak more plainly which by them are call'd primo primi are sinful those first risings and motions as sinful are to be destroyed mourned for and never suffered to proceed to any further maturity Sect. 2 2. As there must be a refraining and 2. An endeavour to practise all Gods commands abstaining from all manner of sins so there must be an endeavour to obey all Commands and practise all Duties Hereupon the Psalmist professeth Psal 119. 6. Then shall I not be ashamed when I have respect unto all thy commandments It is an infallible and undoubted sign of a gracious heart neither to divide in duties nor in commands neither to make exceptions and distinctions as if one grace was to be got and not another Neither may we plead a dispensation from any duty whether it be commanded in the first or second Table For instance whoever he be that pretends a strict observation of the Sabbath day I mean only the Lords day Sabbath and pretends a hatred of swearing and lying and of all manner of Idolatry and yet this man is dishonest and unjust in his dealings he is without doubt an errand Hypocrite and likewise whoever he be that pretends to deal justly and uprightly between man and man and to pay every one his own which is both necessary and commendable and yet this man makes no conscience at all of observing the Lords day nor of keeping his Word or Oath nor of using the Name of God with reverence such a man is but a meer formalist and a stranger to the power of godliness For the same God who commands one duty commands another and laies an equal obligation to yield ready and chearful obedience unto both Tables For the whole Law of God is copulative and Lex Dei est uta tota copulativa Illyric one Commandment is joyn'd to another as a link of the same golden Chain Hence it appears in Deuteronomy Deut. 5. 18 19 20 21. that there is a concatenation and connexion between all the Commandments of God Neither shalt thou commit adultery neither shalt thou steal neither shalt thou bear false witness against thy neighbour neither shalt thou desire thy neighbours wife neither shalt thou covet thy neighbours house his field or his man-servant or his maid-servant his ox or his ass or any thing that is thy neighbours From which Scriptures we conclude That there ought to be an equal regard unto one Commandment Qâ—jcquid 〈◊〉 cum si equaliâ—er sit as well as another for there is one only holy Lord God who commands one Commandment in the Decalogue as well as an other This was the very trade or grand employment which St. Paul did drive Acts 24. 16. To keep a conscience void of offence towards God and towards man The Apostle did not shift and put off this grand negotiation from himself as if he were unconcern'd and therefore left it to others but it 's said herein do 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I exercise my self Neither did the Apostle sit fast and loose and as we say exercise himself by fits and starts only but he made it his business exercise and imployment for it 's said alwaies Neither 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 will any sort of conscience at a venture serve the turn because there are many bad consciences but the Apostle only values and exerciseth a conscience 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 void of offence And such a conscience in its extent and latitude is a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or an infallible note of the sincerity of that heart which in the Apostles language keeps a conscience void of offence toward God and toward men Farther the said Apostle makes mention of three significant Adverbs which comprehend the whole duty of man viz. soberly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 righteously and godly As to all commands and to all sorts of duties