he should so abuse Bathsheba that good woman and bring her to sin If David himself may thus complain how much more may we complain and loath our selves for the deal of rottenness that is in our hearts O what windings and fetches are there Austin himself saith I can hardly tell when to believe my own heart so I say what a company of windings and turnings and tricks and starting-holes are there in the hearts of Gods people sometimes we are ready to think we have the good we have not and what evasions have we to put off any good duty if we have not a minde to doe it what put offs what tricks to slip our neck out of the collar if we doe not like it what a company of deceits are in the heart So what a company of slights to doe evil such a company of blindings and besottings and carnal reasons and foolish arguments as if we did well in doing it whereas it is but the falseness of our hearts As Mr. Hearn saith It is better for a man to be delivered up to the Devil then to his own heart We read of a man delivered up to Satan as Paul saith and yet we read that that man was brought home again but we never read of any man brought home that was delivered up to the corruptions of his own heart therefore if God hath made us see the falsenesse of our own hearts and made us humble our selves before him for it and made us to endeavour more and more after sincerity what a mercy of God is this but the people of God have cause to complain of the falseness of their hearts Thirdly Is it so that we must be upright then let this serve to exhort us that we would be upright more and more for this is that which the Lord doth look for and especially look for What though we should do things never so good for the matter yet if we do them not with an upright heart all is nothing though the children of Judah fasted and that for 70 years together four times in a year they sought the Lord extraordinarily yet because they did not seek him thoroughly he did not count it sincerely done Zach. 7.4 5. As who should say You did not fast unto me Doubtless they themselves thought they were very religious what not only to doe the duties of religion but to doe extraordinary duties no question they thought this was very much yet every one were cast off because their hearts were not upright before him Amâ—ziah the Text saith did those things that were good in the eyes of the Lord yet the Text makes this exception against him that it was not with an upright heart 2 Chron. 25.2 Consider first That God delights only in an upright heart Prov. 11.20 They that are of a froward heart are an abomination to the Lord but those that are upright in their wayes are his delight Upright Prayer and upright hearing of the Word and upright Preaching of it upright walking in a mans Family and upright carriage in a mans conversation when a man carries himself uprightly in all his wayes this man is a delight to God as he saith Isa 66.2 I can look over heaven and earth but at him will I look that trembleth at my Word The prayer of the upright is his delight Prov. 15.8 When a man can make faithful pleas to the throne of grace for mercy faithful pleas that God would pardon him faithful pleas that God would enable him and accept him and he doth not make these pleas falsly but his own heart can say there is no sin but he sets himselfe against it and there is no commandement but he sets himself to obey it but the sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to him he cannot abide it let them pray a thousand prayers God abhors their prayers if they have not upright hearts So 1 Chron. 29.17 see what David saith as who should say Lord thou hast pleasure in uprightness and then certainly thou hast some pleasure in me for with an upright heart and in the sincerity of my soule have I sought thee Now on the contrary if a man be not upright before God if a man have a loose conversation and he be not sincere the Lord abhors that man Secondly Consider that this is the totall summe of all that God requires in the Covenant of grace that they should be upright and faithful in his Covenant as when he made his Covenant with Abraham Gen. 17.1 he saith Walk before me and be upright This is that God requires and he would be an Almighty God unto him and bless him and do him good to all generations 1 Sam. 12.24 It is the saying of Samuel to the people Only fear the Lord and walk before him with an upright heart As who should say this is the onely thing and God requires no more if God had required more he might lawfully have done it if he had required the fulfilling of the Law to the utmost rigour he might have done it but this is the onely thing that God doth stand upon that we should be upright before him he doth not look that we should be Angels upon earth but that we should be sincere and not goe a whoring from him wittingly and willingly Thirdly Consider The least faith the least grace and goodness if it be with uprightness is better then all the goodly performances of the whole world God liked more of the poor womans two mites then of all the abundance that the Scribes and Pharisees cast into the Treasury And he that gives a cup of cold water to a Prophet in the name of a Prophet shall not lose his reward Therefore you shall see many poore beggarly things over those things that other men have done have been accepted whereas the building of Hospitals and Colledges have been rejected though a man have but a little knowledge as many of the Martyrs hardly knew how many Sacraments there were yet having uprightness died at stake so if a man have but a little faith with sincerity it shall pass when a thousand presumptuous fools shall goe to hell Fourthly Consider God will wink at manifold and grievous faults so there be sincerity and uprightness Asa his faults were horrible faults 1 Kings 15.14 yet his heart was perfect What a company of faults had he what an horrible failing was this that he should cast the very Prophet of God into prison that reproved him Now God answers he had his failings and horrible ones yet he was a good man for his heart was upright before me Asa was not himselfe in that businesse Asa was not Asa then his heart was upright with the Lord. So good Jehosaphat a man that was grievously besmeared with corruptions and infirmities and those no small ones how fearfully did he marry his daughters into a most devillish Family as if he had no fear of God before his eyes he married them to the house of Ahab and
change but a real change to a man If you would know the meaning of the phrase A relative change is this when there is a change in a man from that he was before but the change doth not lye in a man as the change of Justification before he was not Justified now he is Justified the man is changed but he is not changed in himself but it stands only in Gods imputation he is not just in himself but by imputation just Now the real change is When God doth purifie and make up the defects in a man more and more that is a real change so that I say Regeneration is not only a relative change whereby God accounts a man as a child but it breeds a real change in a man it gives a man a spiritual Being for the Spirit of God when it comes to work this work is a fruitful principle of all good in that man more and more Therefore the Apostle saith The fruits of the Spirit are joy peace long-suffering c. Gal. 5.22 'T is true the Spirit doth not bring forth these Graces till after a man is regenerate but by working that Regeneration which makes the soul to bring forth these fruits and making the heart an honest heart and so a good ground to bring forth these seeds the Spirit is a fruitful principle of all good in that man Thus you see the Third Thing viz. Wherein Regeneration consists Now the Fourth Thing is the Reasons of this Point Why the Spirit of God doth work this work of Regeneration The First Reason is Because it is meerly according to the Will of God Man hath no power at all man hath no activity it is meerly at the pleasure of God whether he will do it or no Jam. 1.18 Of his own Will begat he us he only had an hand in it he only did it and it was meerly at his good Will and Pleasure he might have chosen whether he would have done it or no it is no fruit of our liberty it is no brood of our breeding it is meerly the free act of God in a man Joh. â— 44 No man cometh to me except the Father draweth him There Christ sheweth it this bringing of a man to be in Christ it cannot be from any man except the Father draw him except he send forth his heavenly Spirit he can never come to Christ all our sufficiency is from God we cannot so much as think a good thought we cannot renew our thoughts we cannot renew our inclinations or our wills or our affections we can do nothing of our selves it is only his work therefore seeing it is such a special work it must be only the Spirit of God that must work it it is a glorious work a supernatural work this new Birth is such a Birth as comes from above Psal 110.3 Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power c. saith the text that is all that are born of God they are brought forth in the day of Gods power in the day wherein God is pleased to put forth his power in them therefore they are called the seed of Christ Isa 53.10 They are his seed but unless he begets them by his Spirit they can never be so Therefore if we consider the greatness of the work it sheweth plainly it must needs be the effect of the Will of God and his good Pleasure towards man and therefore must be wrought by the Spirit Secondly Another Reason is Because it is not a work of this world It is a work of another world it is none of the creatures of this life it is beyond the sphere of the activity of any natural agent they cannot reach it Joh. 1.13 Which were born not of the will of the flesh nor of bloud c. It is not of mans Will he cannot so much as Will it or Desire it effectually he cannot wish it truly nay his heart had rather have the world nay saith he It is not of the Will of the Flesh that is a man may go and beget another Child in the world because it is of the Will of the Flesh it is in the power of the Will of the Flesh Gods power going along with him but this is not so whatsoever a man be though he hath never so many excellent parts it is not in the Will of the Flesh to do it Then again it is not of Bloud it is no terrene or earthly thing this new creature is otherwise made than any new creature in the world besides therefore he concludes it is only born of God it is God only that is the great Author of this great work it descends down meerly from above Thirdly Because it is so far from being wrought by any power in man or any counsel in man or any endeavours in man it is so far from that as that a man is totally against it A man is an enemy unto it a man hath reluctancy and repugnancy against it he would not be regenerate when a man doth think he desires heaven and to be regenerated of God he doth apprehend Regeneration in a wrong way and heaven in a wrong way so as he apprehends it he doth Will it he thinks of heaven as of a fine place and a place full of pleasure and therefore desires it but that he should alwayes be with God that he should alwayes be praysing and thinking of God and minding of God and have his heart weaned from all other things and set it on God this is heaven but he hates these things and so hates heaven so he Wills that which he apprehends to be Regeneration but Regeneration is when a man hath a new heart and when he is a new man he was wordly before but he is now brought to be spiritual he was proud before but he is now come to be humble but the heart cannot abide this therefore let the Lord fling in abundance of throws into a natural mans heart to begin some preparatory work this way to make a man begin to look out towards heaven he flings all away he is weary of them quickly as a man at a Sermon perhaps may have throws concerning the new Birth but the corruption of his heart will throw all way he cannot endure them they are contrary to the corruption of a mans nature nay when God comes to work upon his own people what a deal of pleading is there with the world the flesh and the Divel that they may not be cast out Therefore when Peter saw that through the grace and power of God this work was wrought in those he wrote unto 1 Pet. 1.3 Mark how he speaks Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again to a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead He lifts up his hands to heaven and blesseth God that ever this work was wrought he saw so much
with him and I am with him and I will be with him I am ready to dye with him I profess my self to be his Disciple he had no heart in the world to stand for Jesus Christ he had no heart to appear in pleading for him and expose himself to danger for him he was now called to it but he had no heart at all sin it is even like ashes cast upon the fire the fire cannot then send forth its heat so sin doth even cast ashes upon the soul that it cannot express such life as otherwise it would The first reason is because sin is a soul killing thing it is like Mare Mortuum the fishes dye as soon as ever they come there so when the Divel hooks a man into sin he hooks him into the dead sea as the Apostle saith of the Ephesians you were dead in sins if the Divel can but hook a man into sin he is presently in the dead sea Hos 13.12 it is said of Ephraim when he offended in Baal he died c. before when their affections were up and they trembled before God they were lively but when they gave way to sin and iniquity the Church presently died they withered away more and more till they came to nothing therefore the Apostle calls the Law of sin the Law of death the Law of the spirit of Christ hath freed us from the Law of sin and of death Rom. 8.2 sin doth even bring a man to deaths door it doth weaken all the powers and faculties of the soul that a man cannot stir to any duty it makes a man like a snake that is frozen with the cold it cannot stir so it is with a man when he gives way to sin and iniquity it freezeth all the powers that are in him and lesseneth all the powers of Gods spirit it is even like a weight as the Apostle calls it Heb. 12.1 If a man should have a great weight upon his back fetters upon his legs how can that man go he must needs go very dully so it is with sin and iniquity when a man gives way to it it is like plumets of lead like great weights and burthens that clog a mans heart and affections it makes them dull and lumpish and heavy to any thing that is good as Christ speaks of the cares of this life if a man give way to them they will overcharge the heart they will lie heavy that the heart cannot stir Luke 21.34 sin poysons all the soul it poysons the mind that a man cannot look upon things as he did it poysons a mans heart though his heart were deeply affected towards God it is strange if a man give way to sin how it will take off the affections from God it separates between God and the soul and comes between God the fountain of life and the soul and therefore must needs be a killing and deading thing Secondly Sin is a deading thing because it doth grieve the holy spirit of God that dwels in a man you know all the quickning of a Christian consists in the gracious assistance of Gods spirit as long as Gods spirit is pleased to go along with us and work our works for us then we can pray and deny our selves then we are fitted to every good word and work but if the spirit of God retire if it withdraw and suspend his actions and forbear his operations what can a man do a man is even a block without the spirit of God now though the spirit of God delight never so much in doing good to the Saints and delight in accompanying of them and aâ—â—iâ—ting of them and enlarging of them in all their wayes yet if they give way to sin directly he will be grieved and sent sad back again to heaven as it were and when the spirit of God is grieved all must needs go sad and heavy with the child of God suppose a child of God give way to vain talk and discourse you shall see what the Apostle saith this will grieve the spirit of God grieve not the spirit of God whereby ye are sealed to the day of redemption Eph. 4.13 he speaks of that very sin if a man give way to it the spirit of God will be grieved though formerly he was pleased mightily to help yet now he will withdraw and then how dully shall a man go on so if we should give way to the suffering of our hearts not to be affected with God and his truth not to see God in all his wayes in all his goodness and dealings that we should not be thankful this will quench the spirit of God it will quench its motions as if a man should pour pail-fuls of water upon the fire so this will quench the spirit of God 1 Thes 5.18 19. there is a manifest dependence between all those exhortations and this is certain let a man once not be affected with God let him not see Gods goodness in all his wayes let him not be affected with Gods mercy and loving kindness it will quench the spirit of God and then consider what a lamentable case a man shall be in Thirdly Sin must needs dead a mans heart because it doth put a most woful bitter hard task upon the soul to go through for you know hard tasks stir up reluctancy against them when a man hath an hard task to go through the very thought of it dulls him it is like a stone upon his heart now let a man sin against grace and the goodness of God and Gods gracious dealing let a man sin against these it doth put a man to a most hard task to go through to go and humble himself before Almighty God and the soul shall find a world of conflicts that he is loth to come to it loth to deal about this bitter business to go about to renew his repentance with bitter remorse for his sins it is like a desperate debtor that hath run himself over head and ears in debt the very thought of coming to a reckoning is death to him he cannot abide to think of it it is like a boy that hath made false Latine if his Master should call him to construe and pearse it and give a rule for every word he knows it is not according to rule he hath not looked after rule and every thing is false now he cannot abide to come to construe and pearse it so when a man hath provoked God by his sins and hath broken his covenant and slighted his ordinances when God calls him to construe and pearse what do you make of such an action and such a word and such a thought the heart is even afraid of these things as a dog is of a whip it is an hard task to be brought to this as David when he had yielded to his security and idleness and unwatchfulness and so had given way to Satan you may see what an hard task he brought upon his soul and how his soul was ever
afraid to go about humiliation how many frowning looks doth a man cast upon the pykes he must go through if he mean to obtain mercy it even deads him as a dagger at his heart David was loth to come to this to come to a reckoning to come to be humbled when Bathsheba sent him word that she was with child then God called him to a reckoning to be humbled God told him to his face it is high time to be humbled and ashamed God hath been laying rods in brine for thee and to bring thee upon the stage and to make thee odious and vile in the sight of the world yet he was loth to come to a reckoning he shun'd it and shut his eyes from seeing it he devised tricks to send Vriah home to his Wife and when this would not be but Vriah carried himself constantly with feeling of the case of the Church that then lay in the field against their enemies this could not but call for humbling yet he shunned it still and instead of humbling himself he went further into the briars and made Vriah drunk thinking then he would go home it is impossible but he should see the hand of God in all this that he gave him a warning to down on his knees but he shunned it again and instead of humbling himself he devised the death of Vriah and when news came Vriah is dead which one would think should have been as an hammer to have knockt him down he puts this off the sword kills one as well as another and till the Lord was pleased to set it on he could not be brought to humble himself thus it is sin puts an hard task upon a man a man may easily slip into sin it is a merry way unto it but when a man is once in he cannot get out again without tearing and rending and abasing and casting himself down before God this is an hard task and the soul shall find abundance of reluctancies and the very thought of it deads the soul unless the Lord be the more merciful A fourth reason why sin deads a man is because sin defiles the conscience for sin is a dead work and it goes into the conscience and defiles it until it be purged by the blood of Christ Heb. 9.14 sin is a dead work and the winding sheet of it is the conscience presently as soon as a man doth iniquity this dead work runs into the conscience and catcheth hold and this defiles the conscience and puts guilt into it and nothing in the world more deads a man then a guilt conscience why because it knocks a mans fingers off from that which should enliven and quicken him it makes him see that he doth defile Gods promises if he medle with them Isa 38.16 the promises of God are the things by which men live now when the conscience is guilty it doth even knock a mans fingers off from the promises it tells him this guilt must out first before he can apply the promises nay the very hearing of the promises deads his heart and this is the reason why good people as long as they have not clear consciences rather call for Sermons of judgement then of mercy and their consciences say the promises doe not belong to me I know God is an holy God and his promises holy and it is no meddling with them without holinesse therefore when a man gives way to sin he must needs dead his heart because he defiles his own conscience and therefore no wonder that there is so much deadnesse up and downe when there is hardly a clear conscience in the Country nay good people how slightly doe they deal in this case and hinder their own life and quickning because they have not a care to come before God with a cleare conscience The fifth Reason is Because sin doth either utterly destroy or mightily weaken all assurance of welcome with God and therefore no marvel if it dead the heart for if a man cannot look for comfort and entertainment with God when he goeth to him it takes man off from that willingness to come into Gods presence it makes a man shie of God and of Jesus Christ and his Ordinances it makes a man that he hath no desire to pray almost nay sometimes he hath no heart at all nay sometimes he totally omits the duty he is so afraid he cannot goe to God without carnal feares and mis-givings and horrours and this takes the heart quite off for a time that he cannot pray at all it is like a childe when he hath committed some villany that he knows his father knowes he is shy of coming into his fathers presence he is afraid to come where his father is he knowes be shall be chid and hear of his doings so it is in this case it is not thus with wicked and ungodly men for they can look God in the face but Gods own people when they sin against God it must needs take off that cheerful willingness to goe before God that delight to be in his presence that comfort in prayer sinne makes it an irksome thing sinne makes a man to have little heart to deal with God for the heart doth not love to be caught by God in Satans company or of any lust as a servant cannot abide that his Master should take him in any villany or unfaithfulnesse if he hath been unfaithful it would kill his heart that his Master should take him in it so it is with Gods children let them sinne against God it doth dull and dead their hearts in regard of the throne of grace it makes them have small heart to come before it See it in Jonah when he had fled away from God and had put off Gods charge and was gone downe to Joâ—pâ— and was shipped into the Sea see whether he had any minde to pray or call upon God or no he had none in the earth nay he was afraid of God and shy of his presence he knew he should be upbraided indeed when God laid it upon his conscience then Jonah prayed but he did not pray before that if he did it was as good as nothing So it is noted of David when he had committed his sins he confesseth he roared to God but we can hear of no prayer but when God sent Nathan then he could pray it is the title of the 51. Psalm A Psalm of David when Nathan came to him then he could pray but all the while sinne lay upon his soul he could not pray or if he did he did but roar he came before God with horror and unbelief and dismay and had no comfort Now when a man is privy to sin what man that hath the knowledge of God how ill God likes these courses how ill he likes a mans pride and security and neglect of worship and service how can it chuse but the thought of these things should gall his heart And thus we see for the general that it is sinne
the standing desire of our souls and the daily request and suit we have at the throne of grace that God would quicken us there is no grace we have more need of then this and indeed it is that which sets all other Graces a work if we did know how ready God would be to welcome such a suit we would be more ready to pray to God for it there is no man so tenderly welcome to God as he that prayes for quickning the more he is weary of deadness and common professing of God the more welcome to God he would fain fear God indeed and please God indeed when a man is possessed with deep studies how to attain to this this man is a welcome man to the throne of grace therefore let us stir up our selves to this there is no mercy better then this that God should quicken us Psalm 119.156 Great are thy tender mercies quicken me O Lord He takes here quickning for all Gods gracious mercies and tender compassions he takes the quickning of his heart as a gracious effect of Gods infinite mercy to his soul if we had but this how welcome would good duties and opportunities of doing and receiving good be unto us The fifth meanes is to be diligent and to take earnest and effectual pains in this work and in all Christian duties in all the worship of God there is a secret blessing of God upon those that take pains even in the meanest calling you shall have poor Widows that have four or five small children to keep yet being painful it is a wonderful thing what a blessing of God is upon them that they make a shift to live and never come to trouble the Parish such a blessing of God there is upon the diligent as Solomon saith The band of the diligent maketh rich Prov. 10.4 So it is in regard of spiritual life there is a secret blessing of God upon the men and women that labour and are diligent about the meanes of grace and are careful to take paines to have them made profitable to their souls upon those that are diligent in prayer and striving against sin diligent in hearing of the Word diligent in partaking of the Sacrament when it comes and diligent about the Sabbath that they may not lose the benefit of it it is a wonderful blessing that shall accompany such men they shall thrive in grace when as others shall be like Pharaohs lean kine that devoured all their fellows and yet were lean and ill-favoured still it is not the greatness of a mans comings in that makes a man rich but the well-managing of it there is many a rich Heir comes to poverty when as another that was never born to a foot of Land yet with pains and labour and industry is well able to live and give more to any good use then twenty base idle fellows let a man hold but a little ground twenty acres he may grow more rich upon it being a good husband then another man that holds twenty times as much and is a spend thrift and lazy and careless and never looks how business goes forward there is a blessing of God upon labour and industry as Solomon saith Prov. 13.11 He that gathers by labour shall increase So it is here it is not he that lives under the best Ministery that is most quickned but he that lives under a poor Ministery and is diligent he is better then hundreds that live under the powerfull Preaching of the Word and never are carefull to improve it It is noted of Johns hearers that many of them had more life then they that sate under Christs Ministery It is noted of Job though he dwelt in Midian where was no meanes of grace yet he had more grace and life in his heart then almost all the Church of God that dwelt in Zion there was hardly a man in all Israel like Job Paul though he came into the Vineyard after all the Apostles yet by his labour and diligence he gat before most of them all so a man that sits under the Ministery and takes pains with his heart that the Sermons he heares may do him good that he may be the better for them if a man labours to get good by the Sacrament to get good by conference if he labour to have every Ordinance of God made profitable to him this man with a little grace shall grow more then thousands that goe on idly and yet have more helps then he therefore if we desire to be quickned let us be diligent and take pains and not go with our hands in our bosomes like Solomons sluggard Sixthly Another means is to exercise that grace we have there is never a man in this Congregation hath so little grace but if he did exercise it so far as it would goe who knows how much quickning he might quickly have which of you do not know that there is a God and that there is a Heaven and an Hell and the Principles of Religion if you would but make conscience to make use of all the checks of conscience and the knowledge you have if you would but make use of the relentings you have now and then and the motions you have now and then if you would but make use of them and exercise them this is the way to quicken you let a man have but a little knowledge and let him exercise it and improve it and frame his life and conversation accordingly knowledge shall be multiplied to this man and so again let a man have any relentings any meltings now and then at a Sermon and exercise these strike while the iron is hot and put them to the utmost this is the way to be quickned as it is the saying of one Every thing is increased with the exercise of its own kind as it was with the bread in the Disciples hands while they were distributing of it it increased so it is with the graces of Gods spirit peculiar and saving graces and common graces let a man exercise the graces of Gods spirit this is the way to abound in them and to have them quickned and strengthned and made more and more operative in a man therefore let us exercise all the graces of Gods spirit and improve them all grace is like a snow-ball the more it is rouled up and down the bigger it grows so let a man but go and improve all the graces of Gods spirit that he hath bestowed upon him there will be addition to every one of them by repenting a man may learn to repent and by relenting a man may learn to relent and by striving against sin he may learn to strive against sin more and more The last means is to consider the examples of the worthies in all ages and such as are even in our dayes we should consider these and these will quicken us up to be more forward when St. James would quicken up the Christians to whom he writes to waite
up and he could not work it out soundly to his dying day Now is not this a most grievous thing the very consideration of this how should it provoke us to shake off this deadness Can that body do well that hath lost his expulsive faculty when distempers arise it cannot expell them it must needs be the destruction of the body so when the life of the soul is either in part or wholly taken away how can he work out his corruptions and distempers that daily arise in him we have need of grace and life and quickning we are tempted every day and the corruptions that dwell in us are ever boyling up Now if we have not the expulsive faculty to purge them out the heart must needs be in a woful condition Motive 6 Sixthly This sin of deadness in some sense is worse then any other sin and that in six respects First Other sins for the most part are in one part of a man as drunkenness is in the appetite and covetousness is in the concupiscible faculty and pride and ostentation is in the heart and ignorance is in the minde but deadness is in all the whole man as it is with a languishing disease other diseases one may be in the head another in the neck another in the back but a Consumption runs over all the whole man So it is with deadness as it was with the Church of Laodicea when they were grown dead and careless he chargeth them that they were dead all over Thou art poor and blind and miserable and naked this heaps all miseries upon a man such a man is like unto Judah From the crown of the head to the sole of the foot there was no sound part Isa 1.6 It is a general disease it is like the deluge that drowned the whole world it drowns the whole man I confesse drunkenness and adultery and such particular sinnes may kill and damn a man but I say by accident deadness is worse then they 't is true drunkennesse and adultery and prophanesse are worse but why are they worse but because they have this deadnesse too but if they could be taken alone and a man might have a living heart towards God otherwise they should not be worse then deadness Secondly Other sins are against one commandement of God or two or so but this deadnesse is against all the commandements of God it is a sin against prayer for we should pray with life it is a sin against hearing for we should hear with life it is a sin against the Sabbath for we should keep it with delight it is a sin against all the Ordinances of God for we should come to them all with life and affection Suppose a servant his Master should bid him do a thing he bids him goe to one place he goes to another he goes drinks and swills another servant he goes about that his Mr. bids him but whatsoever his Mr. bids him do he goes about it slothfully and by halfs this servant is a worse servant then the other why because this servant offends in all the business he hath to do whatsoever his Mr. sets him about he marrs it and doth it to halfs So deadness of heart it disables a man to every duty to whatsoever God requires of a man and this is one of the reasons why he that breaks one of the commandements of God is said to break them all Jam. 2.10 11. Why because he deads his heart a man that gives way to sin against any one commandement deads his heart to all and so by reason of that deadness he becoms guiâ—lty of all Thirdly Other sins are not so deep in the soul but this deadness is deeper then all a man will be willinger to lay down any â—in then deadness and to take up any duty then quickning a man had rather do any thing if he may do it without life if the bare hearing praying and profession will serve turn may be he will do that but to do all with life this the heart is loth to come to when it comes to lay out all the strength and vigour of the whole man upon God the heart cannot abide this Judah was content to turn to God but to do it with life this they would not do Jer. 3.10 Treacheâ—ous Judah hath not turned to me with the whole heart c. He doth not deny but they turned unto him but they would not do it with their whole heart with life with all their power and strength thus they did not turn unto him As it was with the Ruler in the Gospel he was content to observe the commandements of God not to murther not to commit adultery not to steâ—l not to swear All these have I observed from my youth saith he but when Christ came to call for life that he should sell all forsake all and follow him that is the life of a man the soule and heart of a man must be put forth he was sad at that saying So Laodicea was content to do any thing the spirit of God layeth nothing to her charge he chargeth her with no particular sin but lukewarmnesse onely she would do any thing but to be fervent and zealous in it to lay out her strength for God that she would not do so that we had need to take heed of deadness of all other sins it is a deep sin and is the harder to be gotten â—ut and the harder it is to be gotten out the more paines is to be taken Fourthly other sins may be but acts as a man may be drunk but he may not have the habit of drunkenness as Noah was drunk but he was not a drunkard we see David committed adultery but he had not the habit of adultery but deadness is an habit Eph. 2.1 Now when a man leaves sin in a dead manner he leaves it but his affections are not crucified to it he doth good duties but he is dead to them this man comes neer to the estate of sin now an estate of sin is worse then any particular act of sin Fifthly Other sins are the first death of the soul we are all under trespasses and sins Rom. 5. Death passed upon all men for that all have sinned We are all by nature the children of wrath we were all once dead but now if after we are Christians we grow dead again we grow twice dead of all sins we should take heed of deadnesse for that causeth the second death not the second death of damnation but of being dead after a man hath been quickned as Saint Jude speaks ver 12. twice dead so we are twice dead Now other sins do make a man but once dead but after the Gospel hath come among us and hath stirred up our hearts and quickned us in some measure if we grow remiss and dead and cold again we are twice dead or at least grow and tend that way and so our estate is more dangerous therefore how should we
and as in part he cannot say it so in part he can say it though he hath a great deal of feare and terror and affrightment and in some measure he cannot say it yet in some measure he can Mark 9.24 the man there that came to Christ as he could not simply say that he did believe so he could not simply deny it but he partly did and partly did not Lord I believe help my unbeliefe though he could not say he had the grace of faith so he could not deny it but other men though they would faine say it yet they cannot in spight of their teethes it makes it appeare unlesse they be presumptuous that they do but deceive themselves and rock themselves asleep in a fooles paradice but the people of God that are called indeed as they cannot say they are so so they cannot deny it Secondly They that are called of God effectually though they do not know it but it may be speak bitter things as though they were not called and deny it many times yet it is only in their haste in an odd fit that is come upon them I sayd in my haste all men are lyars Psal 31.22 it was only in his haste it was only in a pang that came upon him but now other men they do not say it in their haste neither is it only in a passion when they question their effectual calling but they speak it in their sober witts nay they are never in their sober witts but then for when they think it is otherwise then they are in a passion in their haste they are then in their sober witts and speak most judiciously when they say it is not so Thirdly A godly man as he will say he hath no grace so he will let others say so too and it will humble him so much the more and he will be the more abased and caused to seek out more then ever he did before but an hypocrite though he will say in company sometimes I was never yet wrought upon yet if he hears another say so he begins to mince and saith you are mistaken Sir blessed be God I have beeen wrought upon they cannot endure to heare that another should say so but they make as though they had assurance and these and these gifts and graces though their own consciences witness to their teeths that they have it not yet they cannot abide others should say so but a child of God will not exercise himself in things that are too high for him as he is to seek so he is concent to be taken to be such a one and when the people of God suspect him it humbles him and drives him nearer to God Fourthly Such persons that are effectually called indeed though they are very ungrounded and to seek in regard of their effectual calling yet they most love and esteem those that tell them of it that they may be better grounded and see God better when a man comes to them and tells them you are hypocritical and secure and you neglect duties in your families and you must give over this and that those that are effectually called of God indeed will love those that are most sound and most rip them up as it was with Paul when he was converted at first the Disciples questioned him Act. 9.26 they would not believe that he was a convert did Paul now stomack them and shew himself offended no Paul did go on to manifest the truth of his grace more and more till at last it did manifest it self so those that are effectually called they love those most that are godly and question most their sincerity and it humbles them and they love a life to be in such company and they cannot abide those that dawbe them up with untempered morter but an hypocrite though his own conscience questions it and he is as one in a wilderness and in darkness that knows not whither he goeth yet he cannot abide another should beare him down so Fifthly The uncertainty of the people of God breaks their hearts and pulls them down before God it bursts their hearts and tears and rends them that they are not able to endure they must have the favour of God and the light of this countenance and know where they are and the things given them of God and they count themselves to have done nothing till they come to this as David was in this case Psal 55.5 he was in a miserable case as if he were quite lost what did this make him do I went to God and mourned in my prayer and cryed unto him as you may see in the beginning of the Psalm it made him mourne before God till the light of his countenance shined upon his soul but a wretched heart that hopes he is called though his conscience doubts of it this breaks not his heart nor awakens him but his vaine hopes build him up and so he is kept off from being right as he ought to be Againe those that are effectually called though they be uncertaine yet they believe they shall be certaine and they follow hard after God till he give them assurance and they build upon it that they shall have it one day and this builds them up as it was with Mr. Moore of Norwich a reverend Divine in all his Sermons for the most part he would in one passage or other move his people to get assurance in the end he sickened himself and called for all the good people in his parish and told them you know what Doctrine I have delivered to you and amongst the rest this was one that I frequently beate upon that you would labour to be assured now I must tell you that I never had assurance to my selfe but I did ever look for it and now by the mercy of God I have it and as I preached this doctrine to you when I was living so now I say unto you being a dying man labour to get assurance so that he did verily believe that he should have it in the end though as yet he had it not and this stayed his soul to go on in all his wayes as David when he was cast down and had much ado to keep his hold and had no assurance at that time Why art thou cast down O my soul why art thou disquieted within me hope thou in God for I shall yet praise him who is the health of my countenance and my God Psal 42.11 though he were cast down and dejected this was his stay I shall yet praise him c. he did verily believe he should rejoyce in his holy name and overcome those distresses and have the Lords mercy sealed to his soule and have his mouth filled with his praises Why art thou cast down O my soul I shall yet rejoyce in his holy name I shall yet shew forth his prayses I shall yet be able to apply his promises and be able to say he is my God