sorrowes stirred yet take him from the Minister and his chasing conscience and he grows cold again presently because he wants an inward principle of life Which point might make us to take up a bitter lamentation for every naturall man It is said Exod. 12. 30. that there was a great cry in Egypt for there was not an house wherein there was not one found dead Oh Lord in some townes and families what a world of these are there Dead Husband dead wife dead servants dead children walking up and downe with their sinnes as Fame saith some men doe after death with their grave-cloathes about them and God onely knowes whether ever they shall live againe or not How doe men lament the losse of their dead friends O thou hast a precious soul in thy bosome stark dead therefore lament thine estate and consider it seriously First a dead man cannot stir nor offer to stir A wicked man cannot speake one good word or do any good action if heaven it selfe did lye at stake for doing of it nor offer to shake off his sins nor thinke one good thought Indeed he may speak and think of good things but he cannot have good speeches nor good thoughts as an holy man may thinke of evill things as of the sinnes of the times yet the thought of those evill things is good not evill so è contra Secondly A dead man feares no dangers though never so great though never so neare Let Ministers bring a naturall man tidings of the approach of the devouring plagues of God denounced he feares them not Thirdly A dead man cannot bee drawne to accept of the best offers Let Christ come out of Heaven and fall about the necke of a naturall man and with tears in his eyes beseech him to take his blood himselfe his Kingdome and leave his sinnes hee cannot receive this offer Fourthly A dead man is starke blinde and can see nothing and starke deafe and heares nothing hee cannot taste any thing so a naturall man is starke blind he sees no God no Christ no wrath of the Almighty no glory of Heaven He heares the voyce of a man but he heares not the voyce of God in a Sermon hee savoureth not the things of Gods Spirit Fifthly A dead man is senselesse and seeles nothing so cast mountaines of sinne upon a wicked man he feeles no hurt untill the flames of hell break out upon him Sixtly A dead man is a speechlesse man he cannot speake unlesse it be like a Parret Seventhly he is a breathlesse man A naturall man may say a Prayer or devise a prayer out of his memory and wit or hee may have a few short-winded wishes but to powre out his soule in prayer in the bosome of God with groanes unutterable he cannot I wonder not to see so many families without family prayer Why They are dead men and lie rotting in their sinnes Eightly A dead man hath lost all beautie So a meere naturall man hath lost all glorie Hee is an ugly creature in the sight of God good men and Angels and shall one day be an abhorring to all flesh Ninthly A dead man hath his wormes gnawing him So naturall men have the worme of conscience breeding now which will be gnawing them shortly Lastly Dead men want nothing but casting into the grave So there wants nothing but casting into hell for a naturall man So that as Abraham loved Sarah well while living yet when shee was dead he seekes fora burying place for her to carry her out of his sight so God may let some fearefull judgement loose and say to it take this dead soule out of my sight c. It was a wonder that Lazarus though lying but foure dayes in the grave should live againe O wonder thou that ever God should let thee live that hast beene rotting in thy sin 20. 30. perhaps 60. years together III. Every naturall man and woman is borne full of all sin Rom. 1. 29. as full as a Toade is full of poison as full as ever his skin can hold Minde Will Eyes Mouth every limbe of his body end every piece of his soul is full of sin their hearts are bundles of sin hence Salomon saith foolishnesse is bound up in the heart of a child whole treasures of sinne An evill man saith Christ out of the evill treasure of his heart bringeth forth evill things nay raging seas of sinne Isaiah 20. nay worlds of sinne The tongue is a World of mischiese what is the heart then for out of the aboundance of the heart the tongue speaketh so that looke about thee and see what ever sinne is broached and runnes out of any mans heart into his life through the whole world all those sinnes are in thine heart thy minde is a nest of all the soule opinions berisies that ever were vented by any man thy heart is a stinking sink-hole of all Atheisme Sodomy Blasphemy Murther Whoredome Adultery Witchcrast Buggery so that if thou hast any good thing in thee it is but as a drop of Rosewater in a bowle of poison where fallen it is all corrupted It is true thou feelest not all these things stirring in thee at one time no more than Hazael thought he was or should be such a blood sucker when he asked the Propheâ— Elishab if he were a dog but they are in thee like a nest of snakes in an old hedge Although they break not out into thy life they lie lurking in thy heart they are there as a filthy puddle in a barrell which runs not our because thou happly wantest the temptation or occasion to broach and tappe thine heart or because of Gods restraining Grace by Feare and Sham Educaeion good Company thou art restrained and builded up and therfore when one came to comfort that famous picture patterne and monument of Gods justice by seven yeares horrour and grievous distresse of conscience when one told him hee never had committeed such sins as Manasses and therefore hee was not the greatest sinner isince the Creation as he conceived hee replyed that hee should have beene worse than ever Manasses was if he had lived in his time and been on his throne Master Bradford would never looke upon any ones lewd life with one eye bnt he would presently reâ—urne within his owne breast with the other eye and say In this my vile heart remaines that sinne which without Gods speciall grace I should have committed as well as â—ee O mee thinkes this might pull downe mens proud conceits of themselves especially such as beare up and comfort themselves in their smooth honest civil life such as through education have beene washed from all soule sinnes they were never tainted with whoredome swearing drunkennes or prophanenesse and here they think themselves so safe that God cannot finde in his heart to have a thought of damming them Oh consider of this point which may make thee pull thine haire from thine head and turn thy cloaths
to sackloth and run up and down with amazement and palenes in thy face and horrour in thy conscience and teares in thine eyes What though thy life bee smooth what though thy outside thy sepulcher be painted oh thou art full of rottennes of sin within Guilty not before men as the sinnes of thy life make thee but before God of all the sinnes that swarme and roar in the whole world at this day for God lookes to the heart guilty thou art therfore of heart-whordom heart-sodomy heart-blasphemy heart-drunkennes heart-buggery heart oppression heart-idolatry and these are the sinnes that terribly provoke the wrath of almighty God against thee Isay 57. 16. for the iniquitie of his covetousnesse saith our Translation I smote him but the Hebrew renders it better the iniquitie of his conscience which is the sin of the heart and nature I smote him As a King is angry and musters up his army against rebels not only which brings his souldiers out to fight but who keepes souldiers in their trenches ready for to fight These sins of thine heart are al ready arm'd to fight against God at the watchword or alarum of any temptation Nay I dare affirme and will prove it that these sinnes provoke God to anger and are as bad if not worse than the sinnes of thy life for 1. The sin of thine heart or nature it s the cause the wombe that conteines breeds brings forth suckles all the bitter all the troope of sins that are in the life and therefore giving life and being to all other it s the greatest sin 2. Sinne is more abundantly in the heart than in the life An actuall sinne is but a little breach made by the sea of sinne in thine heart where all sinne all poison is met and mingled together Every actuall sinne is but as a shred broken off from the great botrome of sinne in the heart and hence Christ saith out of the aboundance of the heart the mouth speaketh and out of the evill treasure of the heart wee bring forth evill things A mans spending mony I meane sinne in the life is nothing to his treasure of sin in the heart 3 Sinne is continually in the heart Actuall sinnes of the life flie out like sparkes and vanish but this brand is alwaies glowing within the toade spits poison sometimes but it retaines and keepes a poysonfull nature alwayes Hence the Apostle calls it sinne that dwells in mee that is which alwaies lies and remaines in mee So that in regard of the sins of thy heart thou doest rend in peeces and breake 1 All the lawes of God 2 At one clap 3. Every moment of thy life Oh! mee thinkes the thought of this might rend an heart of Rocke in peeces to thinke I am alwayes grieving God at all times whatsoever I do 4. Actuall sinnes are onely in the life and outward porch sinnes of the heart are within the inward house One enemy within the City is worse than many without A traytor on the throne is worse than a traitor in the open field The heart is Christs Throne A swine in the best roome is worse than in the outward house More I might say but thus you see sinnes of the life are not so bad nor provoke Gods wrath so siercely against thee as the sinnes of thine heart Mourne therefore not so much that thou hast not beene so bad as others are but look upon thy blacke feete looke within thine owne heart and lament that in regard of the sins there thou art as bad as any mourn not so much meerly that thou hast sinned as that thou hast a nature so sinfull that it is thy nature to be proud and thy nature to be vain and deceitfull and loath not only thy sins but thy selfe for sin being brimfull of unrighteousnesse But here is not all consider fourthly 4. That what ever a naturall man doth is sinne as the inside is full so the outside is nothing else but sinne at least in the sight of an holy God though not in the sight of blind sinfull men Indeed hee may doe many things which for the matter of them are good as he may give Almes pray fast come to Church but as they come from him they are sinne as a man may speak good words but we cannot endure to heare him speake because of his stinking breath which deâ—iles them some actions indeed from their generall nature are indifferent for all indifferences lye in generals but every deliberate action considered in Individuo with all its circumstances as time place motive end is either morally good or morally evill as may be proved easily morally good in good men morally evill in unregenerate and bad men For let us see particular actions of wicked men 1. All their thoughts are only evill and that continually Gen. 6. 5. 2. All their words are sinnes Psal 50. 16. their mouthes are open Sâ—pulchers which smell filthy when they bee opened 3. All their civill actions are sin as their eating drinking buying selling sleeping and ploughing Prov. 21. 4. 4. All their religious actions are sins as comming to Church Praying Prâ— 15. 8 9 28. 9. Fasting and mourning roare and cry out of thy self till dooms day they are sins Isa. 58. 5. All their most Zealous Actions are sinnes as Iehu who killed all Baals Priests because his action was outwardly and materially good therefore God rewarded him with temporall favours but because hee had a Hawkes eye to get and settle a Kingdome to himselfe by this meanes and so was Theologically evill therefore God threatens to bee revenged upon him 2. King 10. 6. Their wisedome is sinne Oh men are often commended for their wisedome wit and parts yet those wits and that wisedome of theirs is sinne Rom. 8. The wisedome of the flesh is enmity against God Thus all they have or doe are sins For how can hee doe any good action whose person is filthy A corrupt Tree cannot bring forth good fruit thou art out of Christ therefore all thy good things all thy kindnesses done unto the Lord for the Lord as thou thinkest are most odious to him Let a woman seeke to give all the content to her Husband that may be not out of any love to him but only out of love to another man he abhorres all that shee doth Every wicked man wants an inward principle of love to God and Christ and therefore though hee â—eekes to honour God never so much all that hee doth being done out of love to himselfe God abhorres all that hee performes All the good things a wicked man doth are for himselfe either for selfe-credit or selfe-ease or selfe-contentment or selfe-safety Hee sleepes prayes heares speakes professeth for himselfe alone hence acting alwayes for himselfe hee committeth the highest degree of idolatry hee pluckes God out of his throne and makes himselfe a God because hee makes himselfe his last end in every Action for a man puts himselfe in
THE SINCERE CONVERT DISCOVERING THE PAVCITY OF TRUE BELEEVERS And the great difficulty of Saving Conversion By THO. SHEPHEARD sometimes of Immanuel Colledge in Cambridge MATTH 19. 30. Many that are first shall be last and the last shall be first LONDON Printed by T. P. and M. S. for Humphrey Blunden at the Castle in Cornhill 1641. To the Christian Reader IN these evill and perilous times God hath not left us without some choyce mercies Our sinnes abound and his mercies superabound The Lord might justly have spoken those words of death against us which of old he did against the Iewes I have taken away my peace from this people loving kindnesse and mercies which had he pulled from us we had had cause enough to mourne with Rachel and to refuse comfort for all our happinesse lyes wrapt up in peace loving kindnesse and mercy But God is yet good unto Israel he commands deliverances for Jacob he over-rules all the powers of darkenesse and tells the sonnes of Belial men of corrupt mindes and cursed practises that they shall proceed no further but that their folly shall be manifest unto all He makes all enemies all devills all creatures to further his owne glory and the good of his peculiar people When times are naught and dangerous he saith Come my people enter into thy chambers and shut thy doores about thee hide thy selfe as it were for a little moment till the indignation be over past If troubles threaten life he saith When thou passest through the waters I will be with thee and through the rivers they shall not over flow thee when thou walkest through the fire thou shalt not bee burnt neither shall the flames kindle upon thee for I am the Lord thy God c. When enemies are incensed feare and sorrowes multiplied he saith Feare thou not for I am with thee be not dismayed for I am thy God J will strengthen thee I will helpe thee yea J will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousnesse Behold all they that were incensed against thee shall bee ashamed and confounded they shall bee as nothing and they that strive with thee shall perish Such words of comfort and life doth God speake unto his And among other mercies he stirres up the spirits of his servants to write many precious truths and tractates to further the everlasting good of his beloved ones If the bottomlesse pit be open and smoake rise thence to darkeâ— the ayre and obscure the way of the Saints Heaven also is opened and there are lightnings and voices to enlighten their spirits and direct their pathes Had ever any age such lightnings as we have Did ever any speake since Christ and his Apostles as men now speake We may truely and safely say of our Divines and writers the voice of God and not of man Such abundance of the Spirit hath God powred into some men that it is not they but the Spirit of the Father that speakes in them What infinite cause hath this age to acknowledgthe unspeakable mercy of God in affording us such plenty of spirituall Tractates full of Divine necessary conscience searching truths yea precious soule-comforting and soule-improving truths such whereby Head heart and soule-cheating errours are discovered and prevented such as soundly diâ—â—erence true grace from all seemings and paintings No time no Nation exceeds us herein and shall we that abound in truths be penurious in praises Coâ—sider Reader whether Spirituall truths be not worthy of thy choysest prayses Every Divine truth is one of Gods eternall thoughts it 's Heaven-borne and beares the image of the most High Truth is the glory of the whole sacred Trinity Hence the Spirit is called Truth 1 Joh. 5. 6. Christ is called Truth Joh. 14. 6. and God himselâ—e is said to be the God of Truth Deut. 32. 4. It is so delightfull to him that his eyes are ever upon the Truth Ier. 5. 1. and when the onely wise God would have men make a purchase he counsels them to buy the Truth And is it not good couâ—sell is it not a good purchase Can you bestow your paines or lay out your money better If you bee dead in sinnes and trespasses Truth is the seed of a new life of a heavenly birth Iames 1. 18. If you be in any bondage Truth can make you free Iohn 8. 32. If compassed about with enemies Truth can shield thee Psal. 91. 4. If you be full of fisthy thoughts and lusts or any impâ—rities the Truth can sanctifâ—e you Ioâ— 17. 17. If darkenesse and faintnesse possesse your soules Truth is lumen pâ—pulum animae the light and life of the soule Psal. 119. 105. Let us then advance our thoughts of Truth and rate it aâ—ove all subluâ—irie things and buy it though it cost us all it is no Simonâ— it is not too deare you cannot overvalue Truth It is sister to the Peace of God which passeth all understanding See how God himselfe estimates his word and truth Psal. 138. 2. Thou hast magnified thy word above all thy Name Whatsoever God is knowne by besides his word is heneath his word Take the whole Creation which is Gods Name in the greatest letters it 's nothing to his word and truth Therefore Christ tells the Pharisees it is easier for heaven and earth to passe then one tittle of the Law to faile If the least Jod or Tittle of the Law be prized by God above all the world let us take heed of undervaluing the great and glorious Truths of the Gospell and settle it as a Law upon our hearts that wee can never overprize or yeeld sufficient praise for any truth Men can praise God for the blessings of the field the seas the wombe and of their shops but where is the man that praises God for this blessing of blessings for Truth for good Bookes and heavenly Treatises Men seldome purposely lift up their hearts voices to heaven to praise God for the riches of knowledge bestowed upon them In good Bookes you have mans labour and Gods truths The tribute of thankes is due for both that God inables men to so great labours and that he conveyes such precious treasure through earthen vessels David thought it his duty to praise God for Truth Psal. 143. 2. and hath left it upon record for our imitation He saw such excellency and found so much sweet gaine by Truth that hee must breake out into praises for it Reader give over thy old wont of slighting and censuring mens labors Experience hath long since told thee that no good comes that way Now learne to turne thy prejudices unto praises and prove vvhat will be the fruit of honoring and praising God for Truths dispensed by his faithfull â—ervants Let me tell thee this is a chiefe vvay to keepe Truth still amongst us If â—ruths be not received with the love of them and God honoured for them presently strong delusions come and Truth must
suffer or fly God hath made good that promise in Jeremie he hath revealed to us abundance of peace and truth and we through ingratitude have ferfeited both Our peace is shaken and who can promise himself with Hezekiah there shall be peace and truth in my dayes Peace may faile thee but let not Truth Every good Christian may and should say with the good King there shall be Truth in my daies if not peace and truth I will so far honor truth as to receive the love of it I will hold it fast by faith hold it forth by practise praise God daily for it and venture all in defence of it So did the Martyrs whose memory is sweete and whose reward is great It is better suffering for truth then with truth yet if Truth must suffer or can die better it is to dye with Truth then out-live it But that Truth may live and we live by truth let us magniâ—ie God much for truth for his word and good bookes that spring thence Some pâ—obably may say it s enâ—ugh to praisâ— God for his word other books are not â—â—nti Wilt thou praise God â—or the Seâ— and â—e unthankfull for the rivers and springs Wilt thou lift up thy voyce for the great Waters and be silent for the silver drops and showers If the former raiâ—e affect thee be not ingratefull for the latter God would have men to value his servants and praise him for their labours But they have errors in them Be it so shall we refuse to praise God for the Flowers and the corne because there be some weeds in the garden and thistles in the field Prejudice not thy selfe buy reade take thy delight here is a garden without weeds a corne field without Cockle or darnell thorne or thistle Art thou a Sincere Convert here are truths sutable solid and wholsome thou maiest feed and feast without feare The Authour is one of singular piety inward acquaintance with God skild in the deceits of mens hearts able to enlighten the darke corners of the little world and to give satisfaction to staggering spirits His worke needs not the purple of anothers commendation to adorne it But because custome not necessity for it's truths prorogative to travaile without a pasport I say because Customo causeth Truth to crave and to carry Epistles Commendatory know that the worke is weighty quick and spirituall and if thine eye be single in perusing it thou shalt find many precious soule-searching soule-quickning and soule-enriching truths in it yea be so warned and awakned is that thou canst not but blesse God for the man and matter unlesse thou be possest with a dumbe devill To conclude Christian Reader take heed of unthankfulnesse spirituall mercies should have the quickest and fullest praises Such is this worke thou foresawâ—est it not thou contributedst nothing to the birth of it It 's a preventing mercy By it and other of the same nature od hath made knowledge to abound the waters of the Sanctuary are daily increased and growne deepe Let not the waters of the Sanctnary put out the fire of the Sanctuary If there be no praise there is no fire If thy head be like a winters Sunne full of light and heart like a winters earth without fruit feare Iest thy light end in utter darkenesse and the tree of knowledge deprive thee of the tree of life The Lord grant thou mayest finde such benefit by this worke as that thy heart may be ravished with truth and raised to praise God to purpose and made to pray Lord still send forth thy light and truth that they may leade us So prayes Thine in Christ W. Greenhill An Introduction to the Worke. THe knowledge of Divinity is necessary for all sorts of men both to settle and establish the good and to convert and fetch in the bad Gods principles pull downe Satans false Principles set up in mens heads loved and beleeved with mens hearts and defended by their Tongues whilest strong holds remaine unshaken the Lord JESVS is kept off from conquering of the soule Now Spirituall Truths are either such as tend to enlarge the understanding or such as may worke chiefly upon the affections I passe by in this knowing age the first of these and being among a people whose hearts are hard enough I being with the latter sort For the Vnderstanding although it may literally yet it never savingly entertaines any truth untill the Affections be therewith smitten and wrought upon I shall therefore here prosecute the unfolding of these Divine Principles First that there is one most glorious God Secondly that this God made all mankind at first in Adam in a most glorious estate Thirdly that all mankind is now fallen from that estate into a bottomlesse gulfe of sinne and misery Fourthly that the Lord Jesus Christ is the onely means of Redemption out of this estate Fifthly that those that are saved out of this wofull estate by Christ are very few and these few are saved with much difficulty Sixthly that the greatest cause why so many dye and perish in this estate is from themselves either 1. By Reason of their bloudy Ignorance they know not their misery or 2. By reason of their Carnall security they feele not they groane not under their sinne and misery 3. By reason of their Carnall confidence they seeke to helpe themselves out of their misery by their own duties when they see or feele it or 4. By reason of their false faith whereby they catch hold upon and trust unto the merits of Christ too soone when they see and feele they cannot helpe themselves The Contents of this Treatise THat there is a God Page 3 4. That this God is most Glorious p. 16. The happinesse of them that forsake all for this God p. 15. A Discovery of Atheisme p. 10. Whence terrors of Conscience arise p. 8. An Explanation of Gods Attributes p. 17. We should make God to be Our God p. 14. God made all Mankind at first in a glorious and happy estate p. 25. Wherein this glory or blessednesse of man did appeare p. 26. How Adams estate was Ours p. 29. Wee are more perfectly righteous in Christ then we could ever have beene in Adam p. 32. How to get the Image of God renewed in us p. 40. A Discovery of such as content themselves with a certaine measure of holinesse p. 34. How justly God may require perfect obedience to all the Law of every man and curse him if he cannot performe it p. 30. Mans misery in respect of Sin p. 42. Every naturall man is dead while hee lives p. 48. The haynousnesse of Adams sin p. 96. Sinnes of the Heart are worse then sins of the Life p. 55. Every Action of wicked men is sinfull p. 57. Whether good duties ought to be performed by naturall men seeing their best Actions are siâ—nes p. 61. Mans misery in respect of the Consequents of sinne p. 63. Mans fearefull flavery under Sathan p. 67. How to
upon these duties and strivings that have beene but poore Physitians to them Oh looke up here to the Lord Jesus who can doe that cure for thee in a moment which all creatures cannot doe in many yeares What bolts what strong fetters what unruly lusts temptations and miseries art thou lockt into Behold the Deliverer is come out of Sion having satisfied Justice and paid a price to â—anisome poore Captives Luc. 4. 18. with the Keyes of Heaven Hell and thy unruly heart in his hand to fetch thee out with great mercy and strong hand who knowes but thou poore prisoner of Hell thou poore Captive of the Devill thou poore shackled sinner mayst be one whom he is come forâ— Oh looke up to him sigh to Heaven for deliverance from him and be glad and rejoyce at his comming This strikes terrour to them that though there is a meanes of deliverance yet they lye in their misery never groane never sigh to the Lord Jesus for deliverance nay that rejoyce in their bondage and dance to Hell in their bolts nay that are weary of deliverance that sit in the stockes when they are at prayers that come out of the Church when the tedious Sermon runs somewhat beyond the houâ—e like prisoners out of a Jaile that despise the Lord Jesus when he offers to open the doores and so let them out of that miserable estate Oh poore creatures is there a meanes of deliverance and dost thou neglect nay despise it Know it that this will cut thine heart one day when thou art hanging in thy gibbets in Hell to see others standing at Gods right hand redeemed by Christ thou mightst have had share in their honour for there was a Deliverer come to save thee but thou wouldst have none of him Oh thou wilt lye yelling in those everlasting burnings and teare thy haire and curse thy selfe from hence might I have been delivered but I would not Hath Christ delivered thee from Hell and hath he not delivered thee from thine Alehouse Hath Christ delivered thee from Sathans societie when he hath not delivered thee from thy loose company yet Hath Christ delivered thee from burning when thy faggots thy sins grow in thee Is Christs bloud thine that mak'st no more account of it nor feelest no more vertue from it than in the bloud of a chicken Art thou redeemed dost thou hope by Christ to be saved that didst never see nor feele nor sigh under thy bondage O the devils will keepe holiday as it were in hell in respect of thee who shalt mourne under Gods wrath and lament Oh there was a meanes to deliver us out of it but thou shalt mourne for ever for thy misery And this will bee a bodkin at thine heart one day to thinke there was a deliverer but I wretch would none of him Here likewise is matter of Reproofe to such as seeke to come out of this misery from and by themselves If they be ignorant they hope to be saved by their good meaning and prayers If Civill by paying all they owe and doing as they would be done by and by doing no body any harme If they be troubled about their estates then they lick themselves whole by their mourning repenting and reforming Oh poore stubble canst thou stand before this consuming fire without sin Canst thou make thy selfe a Christ for thy selfe Canst thou beare come from under an infinite wrath canst thou bring in perfect righteousnesse into the presence of God This Christ must doe else he could not satisfie and redeeme And if thou canst not doe thus and hast no Christ define and pray that heaven and earth shake till thou hast worne thy tongue to the stumps endeavour as much as thou canst and others commend thee for a diligent Christian mourne in some Wildernesse till doomes day digge thy grave there with thy nayles weepe buckets full of hourely teares till thou canst weepe no more Fast and Pray till thy skin and bones cleave together Promise and Purpose with full resolution to be better nay reforme thy head heart life tongue some nay all sinnes live like an Angell shine like a sunne walke up and downe the world like a distressed Pilgrim going to another Countrey so that all Christians commend and admire thee Die ten thousand deaths lie at the firebacke in Hell so many millions of yeares as there be piles of grasse on the earth or sands upon the Sea-shore or starres in heaven or motes in the Sun I tell thee not one sparke of Gods wrath against thy sinne shall be can be quenched by all these duties nor by any of these sorrowes or teares for these are not the blood of Christ. Nay if all the Angels and Saints in heaven and earth should pray for thee these cannot deliver thee for they are not the blood of Christ. Nay God as a Creator having made a law will not forgive one sinne without the blood of Christ Nay Christs blood will not doe it neither if thou doest joyne never so little that thou hast or doest unto Jesus Christ and makest thy selfe or any of thy duties copartners with Christ in that great worke of saving thee Cry out therefore as that blessed Martyr did None but Christ none but Christ. Take heed of neglecting or rejecting so great salvation by Jesus Christ. Take heede of spilling this potion that onely can cure thee But thou wilt say this meanes of redemption is onely appointed for some it is not intended for all therefore not for mee therefore how can I reject Christ It is true Christ spent not his breath to pray for all Iohn 17. 9. much lesse his bloud for all therefore he was never intended as a Redeemer of all But that he is not intended as a Deliver of thee How doth this follow How dost thou know this But secondly I say Though Christ be not intended for all yet he is offered unto all and therefore unto thee And the ground is this chiefly The universall offer of Christ ariseth not from Christs Priestly office immediately but from his Kingly office whereby the Father having given him all power and dominion in heaven earth he hereupon commands all men to stoop unto him and likewise bids all his Disciples and all their successours to goe and preach the Gospell to every creature under Heaven Mat. 28. 18 19 For Christ doth not immediatâ—ly offer himselfe to all men as a Saviour whereby â—hey may be incouraged to serve him as a King but first as a King commanding them to cast away their weapons and stoop unto his Scepter and depend upon his free mercy acknowledging if ever he save me I will blesâ—e him if he damne me his name is rightâ—ous in so dealing with me But that I may fasten this exhortation I will shew these foure things I. The Lord Jesus is offered to every particular person which I will shew thus What hast thou to say against it
and honour life and all to thee Luk 18. Let nothing be sweet unto thee but him and nothing shall be sweet unto him but thee Fourthly give away thy Rags forsake thine own Righteousnesse for him he will give away all his Robes and Righteousnesse to thee Phil. 3. 8 9. Thou shalt stand as glorious in the sight of God howsoever thou art a poore sneake in thy selfe as an Angel nay as all the Angels because cloathed with his Sonne Christ Jesus his Righteousnesse Now tell me will you have Christ He is offered to you Yes you will all say Yea with all mine heart But will you have him on these termes upon these IIII. conditions Now because men will flatter themselves and say Yes III. I will shew you foure sorts of people that reject Christ thus offered First The sleighty unbeleever that when he heares of an offer of Christ and should wonder at the love of the Lord in doing this he makes nothing of it but goes from the Church and sayes Wee must give Ministers the wall in the Puâ—pit and poore men they must have somewhat to say and preach for their living There was a good plaine Sermon to day the man seemes to meane well but I thinke he be no great Scholler and so makes no more of the offer of Christ then of the offer of a straw at their feet If a good bargaine be offered them they will forget all their busâ—nesse to accomplish that yet they make light of this offer Matth. 22. 5. Secondly The desperate unbeleever that feeing his sinnes to be so great and seeling his heart so hard and finding but little good from God since he sought for helpe like Cain flyeth from the presence of the Lord like a mad Lion he breaks his chaines of restraining grace and runneth roaring after his prey after his cups queanes lusts c. and so will not honour Christ with such a great cure of such great sinnes that he shall never have the credit of it nor will be beholding to him for such a kindnesse Thirdly The presumptuous unbeleever that seeing what sinnes he hath committed and it may be having a little touch and some sorrow for his sinnes catcheth at Christ hoping to be saved by him before ever he come to be loaden with sinne as the greatest evill or Gods wrath kindled against him as his greatest curse and so catching at Christ hopes he hath Christ and hoping he hath Christ already shuts out Christ for the future and so rejects him Mich. 3. 11. You shall have these men and women complaine never of the want but onely of the weaknesse of their Faith they will not be beaten off from thence let them heare never so much of their misery nor see never so much of their sinnes yet they will not be beaten off from trusting to Christ. Fourthly The tottering doubtfull unbeleever one that is in a question whether he had best have Christ or no. He seeth some good in Christ that he would gladly have him for as there I shall have Heaven and pardon and grace and peace and yet he seeth many things he dislikes with Christ as namely then farewell merry meetings pastimes Cards and Dice pleasure and sinfull games and hence they totter this way and that way not knowing whether they had best have Christ or no Iam. 1. 6 7. these people reject Jesus Christ. IV. And now come and see the greatnesse of this sinne 1. It 's a most bloudy sinne it 's a trampling under foot the bloud of the Sonne of God Heb. 10. 21. 2. It 's a most dishonouring sinne for as by the first act of Faith a man glorifieth God by obeying all the Law at an instant in Christ so by rejecting him thou dost break all those Lawes of God in an instant and so doest dishonour him 3. It 's a most ungratefull sinne it 's despising Gods greatest love which the Lord takes most heavily 4. It is a most inexcusable sinne for what have you to cast against Iesus Christ Oh my sinnes are so great thou wilt say But take Christ his Bloud will waâ—h thee from all thy sinnes Oh! but mine heart is hard and my minde blind Yea but take me and I will breake thine heart open thine eyes A new heart is Gods gift and he hath promised to create it in us Oh! but then I must forsake all my pleasures Thou shalt have them fully continually infinitely in Christ. Oh! but I cannot take Christ. Oh! but Christ can give thee an hand to receive him as well as give away himselfe 5. It is a most heavy sinne What sinne will gripe so in Hell as this Ioh. 3. 19. God the Father shall strike the Devils for breaking the Law of the Creation but God the Sonne shall strike thee and the Comforter himselfe shall set himselfe against thee for despising the meanes and offers of Redemption The Devils might never have had mercy but thou shalt think with anguish and vexation and madnesse of heart I might have had a Christ he was offered unto me mercy wooed this stubborne proud heart to yeeld But O Rocke of Adamant that I was it did not affect me Oh fly speedily to this Citie of Refuge least the pursuer of bloud overtake thee Away then out of your selves to the Lord Jesus Heaven and earth leave thee and have forsaken thee now there is but one more that can doe thee good and deliver thy soule from endlesse sorrow goe to him and take hold on him not with the hand of presumption and love to thy selfe to save thy selfe but with the hand of faith and love to him to honour him I am well enough already what tell you me of Christ This is the damning sinne of these times when men have Christ offered unto them foretelling them else of wrath to come they say they are well hence feeling no judgement here they feare no wrath hereafter hence being well they feele no need of Christ hence till they dye they never seeke out for a Saviour Men will not come into the Arke already made for them before the floud arise The world makes so much of those it nurseth up that they are unwilling to come to heaven when they are called to come home But it may be Christ hath not redeemed me nor shed his bloud for me therefore why should I goe to him It may be it is true may be not yet doe thou venture as those Ioel 2. who knowes but the Lord may returne It is true God hath elected but few and so the Sonne hath shed his bloud and dyed but for a few yet this is no excuse for thee to lie downe and say what should I seeke out of my selfe for succour Thou must in this case venture and try as many men amongst us do now who hearing of one good living fallen twenty of them will goe and seeke for it although they know onely
every swine hath his swill and every wicked man his lust for no unregenerate man hath fruition of God to content him and there is no mans heart but it must have some good to coÌ„tent it which good is to be found onely in the Fountaine of all good and that is God or in the cisterne and that is in the creatures hence a man having lost full content in God he seekes for and feeds upoÌ„ contentment in the creature which he makes a God to him and here lyes his lust or sinne which he must needs live in Hence aske those men that goe very farre and take their penny for good silver and commend themselves for their good desires I say aske them if they have no sinne Yes say they who can live without sinne and so they give way to sinne and therefore live in sinne Nay commonly all the duties prayers care and zeale of the best Hypocrites are to hide a lust as the whore in the Proverbes that wipes her mouth and goes to the Temple and payes her vowes or to feed their lusts as Iehu his zeale against Baal was to get a Kingdome There remaines a root of bitternesse in the best Hypocrites which howsoever it be lopt off sometimes by sicknesse or horrour of conscience and a man hath purposes never to commit it againe yet there it secretly lurkes and though it seemeth to be bound and conquered by the Word or by prayer or by outward crosses or while the hand of God is upon a man yet the inward strength and power of it remains still and therefore when Temptations like strong Philistines are upon this man againe he breakes all vowes promises bonds of God and will save the life of his sinne Secondly no unregenerate man or woman ever came to be poore in spirit and so to be carried out of all duties unto Christ if it were possible for them to forsake and breake loose for ever from all sinne yet here they sticke as the Scribes and Pharisees and so like zealous Paul before his conversion they fasted and prayed and kept the Sabbath but they rested in their legall righteousnesse and in the performance of these and the like duties Take the best Hypocâ—ite that hath â—he most strong perswasions of Gods love to him and aske him why he hopes to be saved He will answer I pray reade heare love good men cry out of the sinnes of the time And tell him againe that an Hypocrite may climbe these staires and goe as farre Hee will reply True indeed but they doe not what they doe with a sound heart but to be seene of men Marke now how these men feele a good heart in themselves and in all things they doe and therefore feele not a want of all good which is poverty of spirit and therefore here they fall short Isa. 66. 2. there were divers Hypocrites forward for the worship of God in the Temple but God loathes these because not poore in Spirit to them onely it is said the Lord will looke I have seene many Professors very forward for all good duties but as ignorant of Christ when they are sifted as blocks And if a man as few doe know not Christ he must rest in his duties because he knowes not Christ to whom he must goe and be carried if ever he be saved I have heard of a man that being condemned to dye thought to be saved from the Gallowes and to save himselfe from hanging by a certaine gift he said he had of whisâ—ling so men seeke to save themselves by their gifts of knowledge gifts of memory gifts of prayer and when they see they must dye for their sinnes this is the ruine of many a soule that though he forsake Aegypt and his sinnes and flesh-pots there and will never be so as he hath beene yet he never commeth into Canaan but loseth himselfe and his soule in a wildernesse of many duties and there perisheth Thirdly if any unrâ—generate man come unto Christ he never gets into Christ that is never takes up his eternall rest and lodging in any thing else but Jesus Christ Heb. 4 4. Iudas followed Christ for the bagge he would have the bagge and Christ too The Young man came unto Christ to be his Disciple but he would have Christ aâ—d the world too they will not content themselves with Christ alone nor with the world alone but make their markets out of both like whorish wives that will please their husbands and others too Men in distresse of conscience if they have comfort from Christ they are contented if they have salvation from hell by Christ they are contented but Christ himselfe contents them not Thus farre an Hypocrite goes not So much for the first Doctrine observed out of the Text. I come now to the second Doct. 2. That those that are saved are saved with much difficulty or it is a wonderfull hard thing to be saved The gate is straight and therefore a man must sweat and strive to enter both the entrance is difficult and the progresse of salvation too Jesus Christ is not got with a wet finger It is not wishing and desiring to be saved will bring men to heaven hells mouth is full of good wishes It is not shedding a teare at a Sermon or blubbering now and then in a corner and saying over thy prayers and crying God mercy for thy sinnes will save thee It is not Lord have mercy upon us will doe thee good It is not comming constantly to Church these are easie matters But it is a tough work a wonderfull hard matter to be saved 1 Pet. 4. 18. Hence the way to Heaven is compared to a race where a man must put forth all his strength and streâ—ch every limbe and all to get forward Hence a Christians life is compared to wrastling Ephe. 6. 12. All the policy and power of hell buckle together against a Christian therefore he must looke to himselfe or else he falls Hence it is compared to fighting 2 Tim. 4. 7. a man must fight against the Devill the world himselfe who shoot poysoned bullets in the soule where a man must kill or be killed God hath not lined the way to Christ with velvet noâ— strewed it with rushes He will never feed a slothâ—ull humour in man who will be saved if Christ and Heaven would drop in their mouthes and if any would beare their chaâ—ges thither If Christ might be bought for a few cold wishes and lazy dâ—sires he would be of small reckoning amongst men who would say lightly come lightly goe Indeed Christs yoke is easie in it selfe and when a man is got into Christ nothing is so sweet but for a carnall dull heart it is hard to draw in it for There are foure straight gates which every one must passe through before he can enter into Heaven There is 1. the straight gate of Humiliation God saveth none but first he humbleth them now it is hard to passe through the gates
and flames of hell for a heart as stiffe as a stake to bow as hard as stone to bleed for the least prick not to mourne for one sin but all sinnes and not for a sit but all a mans life time Oh it is hard for a man to suffâ—r himselfe to be loaden with sin and prest to death for sinne so as never to love sinne mâ—re but to spit in the face of that which he once loved as dearely as his life It is easie to drop a teare or two and be sermon sick but to have a heart rent for sinne and from sinne 〈◊〉 is is true humiliation and this is hard 2. The straight gate of Faith Eph. 1. 19. its an easie matter to presume but hard to beleeve in Christ. It is easie for a man that was never humbled to beleeve and say 't is but beleeving but it is an hard matter for a man humbled when he seeth all his sinnes in order before him the devill and conscience roaring upon him and crying out against him and God â—rowning upon him now to call God Fathâ—r is an hard worke Iudas had rather be hanged than bâ—leeve It is hard to see a Christ as a rocke to stand upon when wee are overwhelmed with sorrow of heart for sin It is hard to prize Christ above ten thousand worlds of pearle 't is hard to desire Christ and nothing but Christ hard to follow Christ all the day long and never to be quiet till he is got in thine armes and then with Simeon to say Lord now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace 3. The straight gate of Repentance It is an easie matter for a man to confesse a mans selfe to be a sinner and to cry God forgivenesse untill next time but to have a bitter sorrow and so to turne from all sinne and to returne to God and all the wayes of God which is true repentance indeed this is hard 4. The straight gate of opposition of Devills the world and a mans owne selfe who knock a man downe when he begins to looke towards Christ and Heaven Hence learne that every easie way to Heaven is a false way although Ministers should preâ—ch it out of their Pulpits and Angels should publish it out of Heaven Now there are nine easie waies to Heave as men thinke all which leade to Hell 1. The common broad way wherein a whole parish may all goe a breadth in it tell these people they shall bee damned their answer is then woe to many more besides me 2. The way of civill education whereby many wilde natures are by little and little tamed and like wolves are chained up easily while they are young 3. Balams way of good wishes whereby many people will confesse their ignorance forgetfulnesse and that they cannot make such shews as others doe but they thanke God their hearts are as good and God for his part accepts they say the will for the deed And My sonne give me thine heart the heart is all in all and so long they hope to doe well enough Poore deluded creatures thus thinke to breake through armies of sinnes devils temptations and to breake open the very gates of Heaven with a few good wishes they think to come to their journeys end without legs because their hearts are good to God 4. The way of formalitie whereby men rest in the performance of most or of all externall duties without inward life Mark 1. 14. Every man must have some Religion some fig-leaves to hide their nakednesse Now this Religion must be either true Religion or the false one if the true he must either take up the power of it but that hee will not because it is burdensome or the forme of it and this being easie men embrace it as their God and will rather lose their lives than their Religion thus taken up This forme of Religion is the easiest Religion in the world partly because it easeth men of trouble of conscience quieting that Thou hast sinned saith conscience and God is offended take a book and pray keepe thy conscience better and bring thy Bible with thee Now conscience is silent being charmed downe with the forme of Religion as the devill is driven away as they say with holy water partly also because the forme of Religion credits a man partly because it is easie in it selfe it 's of a light carriage being but the shadow and picture of the substance of Religion as now what an easie matter is it to come to Church They heare at least out wardly very attentively an houre and more and then to turne to a proofe and to turne downe a leafe here 's the forme But now to spend saturday at night and all the whole Sabbath day morning in trimming the Lampe and in getting oyle in the heart to meete the bridegroome the next day and so meete him in the word and there to tremble at the voice of God and suck the brest while it is open and when the word is done to goe aside privately and there to chew upon the word there to lament with teares all the vaine thoughts in duties deadnesse in hearing this is hard because this is the power of godlinesse and this men will not take up so for private prayer what an easie matter it is for a man to say over a few prayers out of some devout booke or to repeate some old prayer got by heart since a childe or to have two or three short-winded wishes for GODS mercy in the morning and at night this forme is easie but now to prepare the heart by serious meditation of God and mans selfe before he prayes then to come to God with a bleeding hunger-starved heart not only with a desire but with a warrant I must hâ—ve such or such a mercy and thereto wrastle with God although it be an houre or two together for a blessing this is too hard men thinke none doe thus and therefore they will not Fifthly the way of presumption whereby men having seene their sins catch hold easily upon Gods mercy and snatch comforts before they are reached out unto them There is no word of comfort in the Booke of God intended for such as regard iniquitie in their hearts though they doe not act it in their lives Their onely comfort is that the sentence of damnation is not yet executed upon them Sixthly the way of sloth whereby men lye still and say God must doe all If the Lord would set up a Pulpit at the Ale-house doore it may be they would heare oftner If God will alwaies thunder they will alwaies pray if strike them now and then with sicknesse God shall be payed with good words and promises enow that they will be better if they live but as long as peace lasts they will run to Hell as fast as they can and if God will not catch them they care not they will not returne Seventhly The way of carelesnesse when men feeling many difficulties passe
Or else they say commonly thou hast sinned but comfort thy selfe despaire not Christ hath suffered and thus skin over the wound and let it fester within for want of cutting it deeper I say theâ—efore because they want a faithfull watch-man to cry fire fire in that sleepy estate of sinne and darknesse vvherein they lye therefore whole Townes Parishes generations of men are burnt up and perish miserably Lam. 2. 14. Secondly because they have no leisure to consider of their misery when they have the meanes of revealing it unto them as Foelix Acts 24 25. Many a man hath many a bitter pill given him at a Sermon but he hath no leisure to chew upon it One man is taken up with suites in Law and another almost eaten up with suretiship and carking cares how to pay his debts and provide for his owne another hath a great charge and few friends and hee saith the world is hard and hence like a Mole rootes in the earth week-dayes and Sabath-dayes the world thus calling them on one side and lusts on another and the Devill on the other side they have no leisure to consider of Death Devill God nor themselves Hell nor Heaven The Minister cryes and knockes without but there is such a noise and lumber of tumultuous lusts and vaine thoughts in their hearts and heads that all good thoughts are sad unwelcome guests and are knockt downe presently Thirdly because if they have leisure they are afraid to knovv it Hence people cry out of Ministers that they damne all and will heare them no more and they vvill not bee such fooles as to beleeve all that such say the reason is they are afraid to know the vvorst of themselves they are afraid to be cut anâ— therefore cannot indure the Chirurgion they thinke to be troubled in mind as others are is the very high-rode to despaire and therefore if they doe heare a tale how one after hearing of a Sermon grew distracted or drowned or hanged hiâ— selfe it shall be an item an a warning to them as long as they â—â—ve for troubling their heads about such matters Men of guilty consciences hence flie from the face of God as prisoners from the Iudge as debtors from the Creditor But if the Lord of Hosts câ—n catch you you must and shall â—eele with horrour of heart that which you feare a little now Fourthly because if they be free from this foolish feare they cannot see their misery by reason that they looke upon their estâ—tes through false glasses and by vertue of many false principâ—es in their minds they cheat themselves Which false Principles are these principally I vvill but name them First They conceive God that 〈◊〉 them will not be so cruell as to damâ—â— them Secondly because they feele no misery but are very well therefore they feare none Thirdly because God blesseth theÌ„ in their outward estates in their Corne childreÌ„ calling friends c. would God blesse them so iâ— he did not love them Fourthly because they thinke sinne to be no great evill for all are sinners so this cannot mischieve them Fifthly because they thinke Gods mercy is above all his workes though sinne be vile yet conceiving God to be all mercy all honey and no justice they thinke they are well Sixthly because they thinke Christ dyed for all sinners and they confesse themselves to be great ones Seventhly because they hope well and so thinke to have vvell Eightly because they do as most do who never crying out of their sinnes while they lived dying like Lambs at last they doubt not for their parts doing as such doe they shall dye happily as others have done Ninthly because their desires and hearts are good as they thinke Tenthly because they doe as vvell as God will give them grace and so God is in the fault onely if they perish These are the reasons and grounds upon which profane people are deceived Novv it follovveth to shew the grounds on which the finer sort miscarry Secondly Hollow Professors cheat and cozen their ovvne soules It is in our Church as it is in an old Wood where there are many tall Trees yet cut them and search them deeply they prove pithlesse saplesse hollow unsound creatures These men twist their ovvne ruine vvith a finer thread and can juggle better then the common sort and cast mists before their owne eyes and so cheat their ovvne soules It 's Ministers first work to turne men from darknesse into this light Act. 26. 18. and the Spirits first worke to convince men of sinne Ioh. 16. 9. and therefore it's peoples maine worke to know the worst at first of themselves Novv the cause of these mens mistaking is three-fold First the spirituall madnesse and drunkennesse of their Vnderstanding Secondly the false bastard peace begot and nourished in the Conscience Thirdly the sly and secret distempers of the Will First There are these seven drunken distempers in the understanding or minde of man whereby he commeth to be most miserably deceived First the understandings Arrogancie You shall never see a man meane and vile in his owne eyes deceived Psal. 25. 9. but a proud man or woman is often cheated Hence proud Haman thought surely hee was the man whom the King would honour vvhen in truth it was intended for poore Moâ—decay For pride having once overspread the mind it ever hath this property it makes a penny stand for a pound a sparke is blown up to a flame it makes a great matter of a little seeming grace and therefore the proud Pharisee when hee came to reckon with himselfe hee takes his poore counter that is I am not as other men nor as this Publican and sets it downe for 1000. pound that is hee esteemes of himselfe as a very rich man for it So many a man because hee hath some good thing in himselfe as hee is pittifull to the poore hee is a true man though a poore man hee was never given to wine or women Hee magnifieth himselfe for this title and so deceives and over-reckons himselfe There are your Bristow-stones like Diamonds and many cheaters cozen Countrey folkes with them that desire to bee fine and know not what Diamonds are So many men are desirous to be honest and to be reputed so not knowing what true grace meanes therefore Bristow-stones are pâ—â—rles in their eyes A little seeming grace shines so bright in their eyes that they are halfe bewitched by it to thinke highly of themselves although they be but glittering seeming jewels in a swines snout A cab of Doves dung was sould in Samaria's time of famine at a great rate a man living in such a place where all about him are either ignorant or prophane or civill a little morall honesty dung in respect of true grace goes a great way and is esteemed highly of and he is as honest a man as ever lived A man that lookes through a red glasse all things appeare red a man
to all the truthes delivered in a Sermon and commend it too but goe a way and shake off all truthes that serve to convince them And hence many men when they examine themselves in generall whether they have grace or no whether they love Christ or no they think yes that they doe withall their hearts yet they neither have this grace or any other what ever they thinke because they want a reflecting light to judge of generalls by their owne particular courses For tell these men that he that loves another truely will often thinke of him speake of him rejoyce in his company will not wrong him willingly in the least thing Now aske them if they love Christ thus If they have any reflecting of light they will see where they have one thought of Christ they have 1000. on other things Rejoyce nay they are weary of his company in word in prayer And that they doe not onely wrong him but make a light matter of it when it is done all are sinners and no man can live without sin Like a sleepy man fire burning in his bed-straw he cryes not out when others haply lament his estate that see a farre off but cannot helpe him Isay 42. 25. A man that is to be hanged the next day may dreame overnight hee shall be a King why because hee is asleepe hee reflects not on himselfe Thou mayest goe to the Devill and be damned and yet ever thinke and dreame that all is well with thee Thou hast no reflecting light to judge of thy selfe Pray pray therefore that the Lord would turne your eyes inward and doe not let the Devill and delusion shut you out of your owne house from seeing what Court is kept there every day Fiftly the understandings impiety whereby it lessens and vilifies the glorious grace of God in another whence it comes to passe that this deluded soule seeing none much better then himselfe concludes if any be saved â— shall no doubt be one Isay 26. 10 11. Men will not behold the Majesty of God in the lives of his people many a man being too light yet desirous to goe and passe for current weighs himselfe with the best people and thinkes what have they that J have not what doe they that J doe not and if he see they goe beyond him he then turnes his owne ballance with his finger and makes them too light that so he himselfe may passe for weight And this vilifying of them and their grace judging them to be of no other mettall then other men appeares in three particulars First they raise up false reports of Gods people and nourish a kennell of evill suspitions of them if they know any sin committed by them they will conclude they be all such if they see no offensive sinne in any of them they are then reputed a pack of Hypocrites If they are not so uncharitable having no grounds they prophesy they will hereafter be as bad as others though they carry a faire flourish now Secondly if they judge well of them then they compare themselves to them by taking a scantling onely by their outside and by what they see in them and so like children seeing stars a great way off think them no bigger nor brighter then winking candles They stand a far off from seeing the inside of a child of God they see not the glory of God filling that temple they see not the sweet influence they receive from heaven and that fellowship they have with their God and hence they judge but meanly of them because the out side of a Christian is the worst part of him and his glory shines chiefly within Thirdly if they see Gods people doe excell them that they have better lives and better hearts better knowledge yet they will not conclude that they have no grace because it hath not that stamp that honest mens money hath But this prank they play they think such and such good men have a greater measure and a higher degree of grace then themselves yet they dare be bold to thinke and say their hearts are as upright though they be not so perfect as others are And so vilifie the grace that shines in the best men by making this gold to differ from their owne copper not essentially but gradually and hence they deceive themselves miserably not but that one starre or sincere Christian differs from another in glory I speake of those men onely that never were fixt in so high a sphere as true honesty dwells yet falsely father this bad conclusion that they are upright for their measure that they have not the like measure of grace received as others have Sixthly the understandings idolatry whereby the mind sets up and bowes down to a false image of grace that is the minde being ignorant of the height and excellence of true grace takes a false scantling of it and so imagins and fancies within it selfe such a measure of common grace to be true grace which the soule easily having attained unto conceives it is in the state of grace and so deceives it selfe miserably Rom. 10. 3. And the minde comes to set up her image thus First the minde is haunted and pursued with troublesome feares of Hell Conscience tells him hee hath sinned and the Law tells him he shall die and Death appeares and tells him he must shortly meere with him And if he be taken away in his sinnes then comes a black day of reckoning for all his privie prankes a day of bloud horrour judgement and fire where no creature can comfort him Hence saith hee Lord keepe my soule from these miseries hee hopeth it shall not prove so evill with him but feares it will Secondly Hereupon hee desireth peace and ease and some assurance of freedome from these evils For it is an Hell above ground ever to be on the wrack of tormenting feares Thirdly That he may have ease he will not swagger his trouble away nor drowne it in the bottome of the cup nor throw it away with his Dice nor play it away at Cards but desires some grace and commonly it 's the least measure of it too Hereupon he desires to heare such Sermons and read such Bookes as may best satisfie him concerning the least measure of grace for sinne onely troubling him grace onely can comfort him soundly And so Grace which is meate and drinke to an holy heart is but Physicke to this kinde of men to ease them of their feares and troubles Hereupon being ignorant of the height of true grace he fancieth to himselfe such a measure of common grace to be true grace As if he feeles himselfe ignorant of that which troubles him so much knowledge will I then get saith he â—f some foule sinnes in his practise trouble him these he will cast away and so reformes If omission of good duties molests him he will heare better and buy some good Prayer-booke and pray oftner And if he be perswaded such a man is a very
honest man then he will strive to doe as he doth and now he is quieted When he hath attained unto this pitch of his ovvne now he thinkes himselfe a young beginner and a good one too so that if he dyeth he thinkes hee shall doe well if he liveth he thinkes and hopes he shall grow better and vvhen he is come to his ovvne pitch here he sets downe his state fully satisfied And novv if he be prest to get into the estate of grace his answer is That is not to be done now he thankes God that care is past The truth is beloved 't is too high for him his owne legges could never carry him thither all his grace comming by his owne working not by God Almighties power Let a man have false weights he is cheated grievously with light gold why because his weights are too light So these men have too light weights to judge of the weight of true grace therefore light clipt crackt pieces cheat them Hence you shall have those men commend pithlesse saplesse men for very honest men as ever brake bread why they are just answerable to their weights Hence I have not much wondered at them who maintaine that a man may fall away from true grace The reason lyeth here They set up to themselves such a common worke of grace to bee true grace from which no wonder that a man may fall Hence Bellarmine saith That which is true Grace veritate essentiae onely may be lost not that grace which is true veritate firmae soliditatis which latter being rightly understood may be called speciall as the other common grace Hence also you shall have many Professors hearing a hundred Sermons never moved to grovv better Hence likewise you shall see our common Preachers comfort every one almost that they see troubled in minde because they thinke presently they have true grace Now they begin to be sorrowfull for their sinnes 'T is just according to their owne light weights For the Lords sake take heed of this deceit True grace I tell you it 's a rare pearle a glorious Sun clowded from the eyes of all but them that have it Rev. 2. 18. a strange admirable almighty worke of God upon the soule vvhich no created power can produce as far different in the least measure of it from the highest degree of common grace as a Devill is from an Angell for 't is Christ living breathing raigning fighting conquering in the soule Downe therefore with your Idoll grace your Idoll honesty true Grace never aimes at a pitch it aspires onely to perfection Phil. 3. 12 13. And therefore Chrysostome calls Saint Paul insatiabilis Dei cultor A greedy insatiable devouring worshipper of the Lord Almighty Seventhly The Understandings errour is another cause of mans ruine And that is seene principally in these five things these â—ive errours or false conceits First In judging some trouble of minde some light sorrow for sinne to be true Repentance and so thinking they doe repent hope they shall bee saved for sinne is like sweet poyson while a man is drinking it dovvne by committing of it ther 's much pleasure in it but after the committing of it there is a sting in it Prov. 23. 31. 32. then the time commeth when this poyson workes making the heart swell vvith griefe sorry they are at the heart they say for it and the eyes drop and the man that committed sin vvith delight now cryes out vvith griefe in the bitternesse of his soule O that I beast that I am had never committed it Lord mercy mercy Prov. 5. 3 4. 11. 12. Nay it may be they vvill fast and humble and afflict their soules voluntarily for sinne and now they think they have repented Isai. 58 3. and hereupon when they heare that all that sinne shall dye they grant this is true indeed except a man repent and so they thinke they have done already This is true At what time soever a sinner repents the Lord will blot out his iniquities But this Repentance is not when a man is troubled somewhat in mind for sinne but when he commeth to mourne for sinne as his greatest evill as if he should see all his goods and estate on a light fire before him and that not for some sinnes but all sinnes little and great and that not for a time for a fit and away a Land-floud of sorrow but alwaies like a Spring never dry but ever running all a mans life-time Secondly In judging the striving of conscience against sinne to be the striving of the flesh against the Spirit and hence come these speeches from carnall blacke mouthes The Spirit is willing but the flesh is weake and hence men thinke they being thus compounded of flesh and spirit are regenerate and in no worse estate then the Children of God themselves as sometime I once spake with a man that did verily thinke that Pilate was an honest man bâ—cause he was so unwilling to crucifie Christ which unwillingnesse did arise onely from the restraint of conscience against the Fact So many men judge honestly yet simply upon such a ground of themselves they say they strive against their sinâ—es but Lord be mercifull unto them they say the flesh is fraile and hence Arminius gives a diverse interpretation of the seventh Chapter of the Romans from ordinary Divines concerning which Paul speakes in the person of an unregenerate man because he observed divers gracelesse persons as hee saith himselfe having fallen and falling commonly into sinnes against conscience to bring that chapter in their owne defeâ—ce and comfort because they did that which they allowed not vers 15. and so it was not they but sinne that dvvelled in them And so many among us know they should be better and strive that they may grow better but through the power of sin cannot conscience telleth them they must not sinne their hearts and lusts say they must sinne and here forsooth is flesh and spirit Oh no here is conscience and lust onely by the eares together Which striving Herod Balaam Pilate or the vilest Reprobate in the World may have Such a vvarre argueth not any grace in the heart but rather more strength of corruption and more power of sinne in the heart as it 's no vvonder if a horse run avvay vvhen he is loose but when his bit and bridle is in his mouth now to bee wilde argueth he is altogether untamed and subdued Take â—eed therefore of judging your estate to bee good because of some backvvardnesse of your hearts to commit some sinnes though little sinnes for thy sinnes may be and it is most certaine are more powerfull in thee then in others that have not the like struglings because they have not such checks as thou hast to restraine thee Knovv therefore that the striving of the Spirit against the Flesh is against sinne because it is sinne as a man hates a Toad though he be never poisoned by it But the striving of thy conscience against
sinne is onely againe sin because it is a troubling or a damning sinne The striving of the spirit against the flesh is from a deadly hatred of sinne Rom. 7. 15. But thy striving of conscience against sinne is onely from a feare of the danger of sinne for Balaam had a mind to curse the Israelites for his monies sake but if he might have had an house full of silver and gold which is a goodly thing in a covetous eye it is said hee durst not curse them Thirdly In judging of the sincerity of the heart by some good affection in the heart Hence many a deluded soule reasons the case out thus with himselfe Either J must be a prophane man or an Hypocrite or an upright man Not profane I thanke God for I am not given to whoring drinking oppression swearing Nor Hypocrite for I hate these shewes I cannot indure to appeare better without then I am within therefore I am upright Why Oh because mine heart is good mine affections desires within are better then my life without and what ever others judge of me I know mine own heart the heart is all that God desires And thus they foole themselves Prov. 28. 26. This is one of the greatest causes and grounds of mistake amongst men that thinke best of themselves they are not able to put a difference betweene the good desires and strong affections that arise from the love of Jesus Christ. Selfe-love will make a man seeke his own good and safety hence it will pull a man out of his bed betimes in the morning and call him up to pray it will take him and cary him into his chamber towards evening and there privately make him seeke and pray and tug hard for pardon for Christ for mercy Lord evermore give us of this bread But the love of Christ makes a man desire Christ and his honour for himselfe all other things for Christ. It is true the desires of Sonnes in Christ by faith are accepted ever but the desire of servants men that worke onely for their wages out of Christ are not Fourthly In judging of Gods love to them by aiming sometimes at the glory of God Is this possible that a man should aime at Gods glory and yet perish Yes and ordinary too A man may be liberall to the poore maintaine the Ministery be forward and stand for good things whence he may not doubt but that God loves him But here is the difference though a wicked man may make Gods glory in some particular things his end yet he never makes it in his generall course his utmost and last end A subtle Apprentice may doe all his Masters work but he may take the gaine to himselfe or divide it betwixt his Master and himselfe and so may be but a Knave as observant as he seemes to be So a subtle heart yet a vile villanous heart may forsake all the world as Iudas did may binde himselfe Apprentice to all the duties God requireth outwardly at his hands and so doe good works but what 's his last end It 's that hee might gaine respect or place or that Christ may have some part of the glory and he another Simon Magus would give any money sometimes that he could pray so well know so much and doe as others doe and yet his last end is for himselfe but how can you beleeve if you seeke not that glory that comes from God sayes Christ there 's many seeke the honour of Christ but doe you seeke his honour onely Is it your last end where you rest and seeke no more but that If thou wouldest know whether thou makest Christs glory thy last end observe this Rule If thou art more grieved for the eclipse of thine owne honour and for thine owne losses then for the losse of Gods honour it is an evident signe thou lovest it not desirest it not as thy chiefest good as the last end for thy summum bonum and therefore doest not seeke Gods honour in the prime and chiefest place Sinne troubled Paul more than all the plagues and miseries of the world Indeed if thy name be dashed with disgrace and thy will be crossed thy heart is grieved and disquieted but the Lord may lose his honour daily by thine owne sinnes and those that be round about thee but not a teare not a sigh not a groane to behold such a spectacle As sure as the Lord lives thou seekest not the Lords name or honour as thy greatest good Fifthly In judging the power of sinne to be but infirmitie for if any thing trouble an unregenerate man and makes him call his estate into question it is sinne either in the being or power of it Now sinne in the being ought noâ— must not make a man question his estate because the best have that left in them that will humble them and make them live by faith therefore the power of sinne onely can trouble a man Now if a man doe judge of this to be onely but infirmitie which the best are compassed about withall hee cannot but lie downe securely and thinke himselfe well And if this errour be setled in one that lives in no one knowne sinne it is very difficult to remove for let the Minister cast the sparkes of hell in their faces and denounce the terrour of God against them they are never stirred why because they thinke here 's for you that live in sinne but as for themselves although they have sinnes yet they strive against them and so cannot leave them for we must have sinne as long as we live here they say Now marke it there 's no surer signe of a man under the bloudy raigne and dominion of his lusts and sinnes than this that is to give way to sinne though never so little and common nor to be greatly troubled for sinne for they may be a little troubled because they cannot overcome sinne I deny not but the best doe sinne daily yet this is the disposition of Paul and every child of God he mourneth not the lesse but the more for sinne though he cannot quite subdue them cast them out and overcome them As a prisoner mournes the more that he is bound with such fetters he cannot breake so doth eyery one truely sensible of his woefull captivitie by sinne This is the great difference between a raging sinne a man will part with all and a sinne of infirmity a man cannot part withall a sinne of infirmitie is such a sinne as a man would but cannot part with it and hence he mournes the more for it A raging sinne is such a sinne as a man happily by vertue of his lashing conscience would sometimes part withall but cannot and hence mournes the lesse for it and gives way unto it Now for the Lords sake take heede of this deceit for I tell you those sinnes you cannot part withall if you groane not day and night under them saying O Lord helpe me for I am weary of my selfe
and my life will certainly undoe you You say you cannot but speake idely and thinke vainely and doeill as all doe sometimes I tell you those sinnes shall be everlasting chaines to hold you fast in the power of the devill untill the Judgement of the great day And thus much of the understandings corruption whereby men are commonly deluded Now followeth the second Secondly in regard of the false bastard peace begot in the conscience Why should the Campe tremble when Scouts are asleepe or give a false report when the enemies are neare them Most men thinke they are in a safe estate because they were never in a troubled estate or if they have beene troubled because they have got some peace and comfort after it Now this false peace is begot in the heart by these foure meanes 1. By Sathan 2. By false teachers 3. By a false spirit 4. By a false application of true promises 1. By Sathan whose kingdome shall fall if it should be divided and be alwayes in a combustion hence he laboureth for peace Luke 11. 21. When the strong man keepeth the palace his goods be in peace that is when Sathan armed with abundance of shifts and carnall reasonings possesseth mens soules they are at peace Now looke as Masters give their servants peace even so the devill 1. By removing all things that may trouble them and 2. By giving unto them all things that may quiet and comfort them as meat drinke rest lodging c. so doth Sathan deale with his slaves and servants First by removing those sins which trouble the conscience for a man may live in a sinne and yet never be troubled for that sinne for sinne against the light of conscience onely troubles the conscience as children that are tumbling and playing in the dust they are not troubled with all the dust nay they take pleasure to wallow in it but onely with that whether it be small or great that lights in their eyes And hence that young man came boasting to Christ that hee had kept all the commandements from his youth but went away sorrowfull because that dust that sinne he lived in with delight before fell into his eyes and therefore was troubled Now marke the plot of the Devill when he can make a man live and wallow and delight in his sinnes and so serve him and yet will not suffer him to live in any sinne against conscience whereby he should be troubled and so seeke to come out of his woefull estate he is sure this man is his owne and now a poore deluded man himselfe goes up and downe not doubting but he shall be saved why because their conscience they thanke God is cleare and they know of no one sinne they live in they know nothing by themselves that may make them so much as suspect their estate is bad Matth. 9. 13. I came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance that is such an one as in his owne opinion is fish whole every sinne being a child of Gods sicknesse he is never without some kinde of sorrow but some sins onely being a naturall mans sicknesse they being removed he recovers out of his former sorrow and growes well againe and thinkes himselfe sound but the Lord Jesus never came to save such therefore Satankeepes possession of them For the Lords sake looke to this subtilty many thinke themselves in a good estate because they know not the particular sinne they live in whereas Satan may have stronger possession of such as are bound with his invisible fetters and chaines when those that have their pinching bolts on them may sooner escape Secondly By giving the soule liberty to recreate it selfe in any sinfull course wherein the eye of conscience may not be pricked and wounded Servants when they are put alwayes to worke and never can goe abroad are weary both of work and Master that Master pleaseth them that giveth them most liberty To be pent up all the day long in doing Gods worke watching praying fighting against every sinne this is a burden this is too strict and because that they cannot endure it they thinke the Lord lookes not for it at their hands Now Satan gives men libertie in their sinfull courses and this libertie begets peace and this peace makes them thinke well of themselves 2 Pet. 2. 19. There 's many rotten professors in these dayes that indeed will not open their mouthes against the sincere hearted people of God yet they walke loosely and take too much liberty in their speeches liberty in their thoughts liberty in their desires and delights liberty in their company in their pastimes and that sometimes under a pretence of Christian liberty and never trouble themselves with these needlesse controversies to what end or in what manner doe I use these things whereas the righteous man feareth alway considering there is a snare for him in every lawfull liberty May not I sinne in my mirth in my speaking in my sleeping Oh! this liberty that the Devill gives and the world takes besots most men with a foolish opinion that all is well with them Thirdly by giving the soule good dyet meate and drinke enough what dish he likes best Let a Master give liberty yet his servant is not pleased unlesse he hath meate and drinke and food so there 's no wicked man under Heaven but as he takes too much liberty in the use of lawfull things so he feedeth his heart with some unlawfull secret lust though all the time they live in it it may be it is unknown to them Luk. 16. Dives had his dish his good things and so sang himselfe a sleepe and bad his soule take his ease and rest yea observe this dyet is poysoned in it selfe but ever commended to the soule as wholsome good and lawfull They christen sinne with a new name as Popes are at their election if he be bad they call him sometimes Pius if a coward Leo c. So covetousnesse is good husbandry company keeping good neighbourhood lying to save their credit from cracking but a handsome excuse and hence the soule goes peaceably on and beleeves he is in a good estate Fourthly by giving the soule rest and sleepe that is cessation sometimes from the act of sinne hence they are hardly perswaded that they live in sin because they cease sometimes from the act of sinne as no man doth alwayes sweare nor is he alwayes drunk nor alwayes angry They think onely their falls in these or the like sinnes are slips and falls which the best man may have sometimes and yet be a deare child of God Oh! Satan will not alwayes set men at his worke for if men should alwayes have their cups in their hands and their queanes in their armes if a covetous man should alwayes root in the earth and never pray never have good thoughts never keepe any Sabbath if a man should alwayes speake idely and never good word drop from him a mans conscience would never be
quiet but shaking him up for what he doth but by giving men respite from sinning for a time Satan getteth stronger possession afterwards as Matth. 12. 43. When the uncleane spirit is gone out of a man it returnes worse Sampsons strength alwayes remained and so doth sinnes strength in a naturall man but it never appeares untill temptation come Fifthly By giving the soule faire promises of Heaven and eternall life and fastning them upon the heart Most men are confident their estate is good and though God kills them yet will they trust in him and cannot be beaten from this Why oh Satan bewitcheth them For as he told Evah by the Serpent shee should not dye so doth he infinuate his perswasions to the soule though it live in sinne he shall not dye but doe well enough as the precisest Satan gives thus good words but wofull wages the eternall flashes of Hell II. By false Teachers Who partly by their loose examples partly by their flattering doctrines in publike and their large charitie in private dawbing up every one especially that is a good friend unto them for honest and religious people and if they be but a little troubled applying comfort presently and so healing them that should be wounded and not telling them roundly of their Herodias as Iohn Baptist did Herod Hereupon they judge themselves honest because the Minister will give them the beggerly pasport and so they goe out of the world and dye like Lambes being wofully cheated Matth. 24. 11. Looke abroad in the world and see what is the reason so many feed their hearts with confidence they shall be saved yet their lives condemne them and their hearts acquit them the reason is such and such a Minister will goe to the Ale-house and he never prayes in his Family and he is none of these precise hot people and yet as honest a man as ever lives and a good Divine too Ahab was miserably cheated by foure hundred false Prophets Whilst the Minister is of a loose life himselfe he will winke at others and their faults least in reproving them he should condemne himselfe and others should say unto him Physitian heale thy selfe Theeves of the same company will not steale from one another least they trouble thereby themselves and hence they give others false Cards to saile by false Rules to live by their unconscionable large charitie is like a gulfe that swalloweth Ships soules I meane tossed with tempests and not comforted Isa. 54. 7 8. and hence all being fish that commeth to their net all men thinke so of themselves III. A false spirit This is a third cause that begets a false peace as there is a true Spirit that witnesseth to our spirits that wee are Sonnes of God Rom. 8. 16. So there is a false spirit just like the true one witnessing that they are the Sonnes of GOD 1 Iohn 4. 1. we are bid to try the spirits now if these spirits were not like Gods true Spirit what need tryall As what need one try whether dirt be gold which are so unlike to each other And this spirit I take to be set downe Matth. 24. 23. Now looke as the true Spirit witnesseth so the false spirit being like it witnesseth also First The Spirit of God humbles the soule So before men have the witnesse of the false spirit they are mightily cast downe and dejected in spirit and hereupon they pray for ease and purpose to lead new lives and cast away the weapons and submit Psal. 66. 3. Secondly the Spirit of God in the Gospel reveales Jesus Christ and his willingnesse to save so the false spirit discovereth Christs excellency and willingnesse to receive him if he will but come in It fateth with this soule as with Surveyors of Lands that take an exact compasse of other mens grounds of which they shall never enjoy a Foot So did Balaam Num. 24. 5 6. this false spirit sheweth them the glory of Heaven and Gods people Thirdly Hereupon the soule commeth to be affected and to taste the goodnesse and sweetnesse of Jesus Christ as those did Heb 6. and the soule breakes out into a passionate admiration Oh â— that ever there should be any hope for such a vile wretch as I am and have been and so joyes exceedingly like a man halfe way wrapt up into Heaven Fourthly Hereupon the soule being comforted after it was wounded now calleth God my God and Christ my sweet Saviour and now it doubts not but it shall be saved why because I have received much comfort after much sorrow and doubting Hos. 8. 2 3. and yet remaines a deluded miserable creature still But here marke the difference betweene the witnesse of each spirit The false spirit makes a man beleeve he is in the state of grace and shall be saved because he hath tasted of Christ and so hath been comforted and that abundantly But the true Spirit perswades a man his estate is good and safe because he hath not onely tasted but bought this Christ as the wise Merchant in the Gospel that rejoyced he had found the pearle but yet stayes not here but sells away all and buyes the pearle Like two Chapmen that come to buy Wine the one tasts it and goeth away in a drunken fit and so concludes it is his So a man doth that hath the false spirit but the true spirited man doth not onely taste but buyes the Wine although he doe not drinke it all downe when he coÌ„meth to taste it yet he having been incited by tasting to buy it now he calls it his owne So a child of God tasting a little of God and a little of Christ and a little of the promises at his first conversion although he tastes not all the sweetnesse that is in God yet he forsakes all for God for Christ and so takes them lawfully as his owne Againe the false spirit having given a man comfort and peace suffers a man to rest in that estate but the true spirit having made the soule taste the Love of the Lord stirreth up the soule to doe and worke mightily for the Lord. Now the soule cryeth out What shall I doe for Christ that hath done wonders for me if every haire on my head were a tongue to speake of his goodnesse it were too little Nehem 8. 10. the joy of the Lord is our strength Psal. 51. 12. Vphold me with thy free spirit or as the Chaldean paraphrase hath it thy kingly spirit the Spirit of Adoption in Gods childe is no underling suffering men to lye downe and cry my desires are good but flesh is fraile No It is a kingly spirit that raignes where it liveth IV. False applying of true promises is the last cause of false peace And when a man hath Gods Spirit within and Gods hand and promise as he thinks for his estâ—â—e now he thinkes all safe Thus did the Iewes they said Wee have Abraham to our Father and so reputed themselves safe God having made them promise
in their flattering hope Hence observe those people that feldome come to a conclusion to a point that either they are in the state of grace or out of it that never come to be affected but remaine secure in their condition they commonly grow to this desperate conclusion that they hope God will be mercifull unto them if not they cannot helpe it like the man that had on his Target the picture of God and the Devill under the first he writ si tu non vis if thou wilt not under the other he writ ipse rogitat here 's one will Ninthly because men bring not their hearts under the hammer of Gods word to be broken they never bring their consciences to be cut Hence they goe on still securely with festered consciences Men put themselves above the word and their hearts above the hammer they come not to have the Minister to humble them but to judge of him or to pick some pretty fine thing out of the word and so remaine secure sotts all their dayes for if ever thy heart be broken and thy conscience be awaked the word must doe it but people are so Sermoâ—trodden that their hearts like foot-paths grow hard by the word Tenthly because men consider not of Gods wrath daily nor the horrible nature of sinne men chew not these pills hence they never come to be affected nor awakened Awaken therefore all you secure creatures feele your misery that so you may get out of it Dost thou know thine estate is naught and that thy condemnation will be fearefull if ever thou dost perish and is thine heart secretly secure so damnably dead so desperately hard that thou hast no heart to come out of it whatâ— no sigh no teares canst thou carry all thy sinnes upon thy backe like Sampson the gates of the Citie and make a light matter of them Dost thou see hell fire before thee and yet wilt venture art thou worse than a beast which we cannot beare nor drive into the fire if there be any way to escape oh get thine heart to lament mourne under thy miseries who knowes then but the Lord may pitty thee But oh hard heart thou canst mourne for losses and crosses burning of goods and houses yet though God be lost and his image burnt downe and all is gone thou canst not mourne If thine heart were truely affected the pillow would be washed with thy teares and the wife in thy bosome would be witnesse to thine heart-breakings in mid-night for those sinnes which have grieved the spirit of God many a time thou couldest not sleepe quietly nor comfortably without assurance If you were sicke to death Physitians should heare how you doe and if you were humbled we should have you in the bitternesse of your spirits cry out What shall we doe but know it thou must mourne here or in hell If God broke Davids bones for his adultery and the Angels backes for their pride the Lord if ever he saves thee will breake thine heart too Quest. But thou wilt say how shall I doe to get mine heart affected with my misery Answ. Take a full view of thy misery 2. Take speciall notice of the Lords readinesse and willingnesse to receive thee yet unto mercy for two things harden the heart 1. false hope whereby a man hopes he is not so bad as indeed he is â— No hope whereby a man when he seeth himselfe so notoriously bad thinkes there is no willingnesse in the Lord to pardon or receive such a monster of men to mercy and if neither the hammer can breake thy stony heart nor the Sunshine of mercy melt it thou hast an heart worse than the Devill and art a spectacle of the greatest misery 1. In regard of sinne 2. in regard of Gods wrath First in regard of sinne Thou hast sinned and that grievously against a great God thou makest no great matter of this No but though it be no loade to thee it 's a loade on the Lords heart Isa. 1. 24. and time will come he will make the whole sinfull world by rivers of fire and bloud to know what an evill it is For 1. In every sin thou dost strike God and fling a dagger at the heart of God 2. In every sin thou dost spight against God for if there were but one onely thing wherein a man could doe his friend a displeasure was not here spight seene if he did that thing Now tell me hath not the Lord beene a good friend unto thee Tell mee wherein hath hee grieved thee and tell me in what one thing canst thou please the devill and doe God a displeasure but by sinne yet O hard heart thou makest nothing of it but consider thirdly in every sin thou dost disthrone God and setteth thy selfe above God for in every sinne this question is put whose will shall be done Gods will or mans Now man by sinne sets up his owne will above the Lords and so kicks God blessed for ever adored of millions of Saints and Angels as filth under his feet What will this breake your hearts Consider then of Gods wrath the certainty of it the unsupportablenesse of it how that dying in thy sinnes and secure estate it shall fall for when men cry Peace Peace then commeth sudden destruction at unawares pray therefore to God to reveale this to thee that thine heart may breake under it Secondly consider of the Lords mercy and readinesse to save thee who hath prepared mercy and inâ—reates thee to take it and waiteth every day for thee to that end The third Reason of mans ruine is that carnall confidence whereby men seeke to save themselves and to scramble out of their miserable estate by their owne duties and performances when they doe feele themselves miserable the soule doth as those Hos. 5. 13. men when they be wounded and troubled they never look after Jesus Christ but goe to their owne waters to heale themselves like hunted Harts when the arrow is in them Rom. 9. 31 32. For the opening of this point I shall shew you these two things 1. Wherein this resting in Duties appeares 2. Why doe men rest in themselves First this resting in Duties appeares in these Eleven degrees 1. The soule of a poore sinner if ignorantly bred and brought up rests confidently in superstitious vanities Aske a devout Papist how he hopes to be saved he will answer By his good workes But enquire further what are these good workes why for the most part superstitious ones of their owne inventions for the Crow thinkes her owne bird fairest as whipping themselves pilgrimage fasting mumbling over their Pater-nosters bowing downe to Images and Crosses 2. Now these being banished from the Church and Kingdome then men stand upon their titular profession of the true Religion although they be Devills incarnate in their lives Looke up and down the Kingdome you shall see some roaring drinking dicing carding whoring in Tavernes and
blind Alehouses others belching out their oathes their mouthes ever casting out like raging Seas filthy frothy speeches others like Ismaels scoffing at the best men yet these are confident they shall be saved Why they say they are no Papists hang them they will die for their Religion and rather burne than turne againe by the grace of God Thus the Jewes boasted they were Abrahams seede so our carnall people boast Am not I a good Protestant am I not baptized doe I not live in the Church and therefore resting here hope to be saved I remember a Judge when one pleaded once with him for his life that hee might not be hanged because he was a Gentleman he told him that therefore hee should have the Gallowes made higher for him so when thou pleadest I am a Christian and a good Protestant yet thou wilt drinke and sweare and whore neglect prayer and breake Gods Sabbath and therefore thou hopest to be saved I tell thee thy condemnation shall be greater and thy plagues in hell the heavier 3. If men have no peace here then they fly to and rest in the goodnesse of their insides you shall have many a man whom if you follow to his chamber you shall finde very devout and they pray heartily for the mercy of God and forgivenesse of sinnes but follow them out of their Chambers watch their discourses you shall finde it frothy and vaine and now and then powdered with faith and troth and obscene speeches Watch them when they are crost you shall see them as angry as Waspes and swell like Turkies and so spit out their venome like Dragons Watch them in their journeyes and you shall see them shoot into an Alehouse and there swillâ— and swagger and be familiar with the scumme of the countrey for prophanenesse and halfe drunke too sometimes Watch them on the Lords day take them out of the Church once and set aside their best clothes they are the same then as at another time and because they must not worke nor sport that day they thinke they may with a good conscience sleepe the longer on the morning Aske now such men how they hope to be saved seeing their lives are so bad they say though they make not such shews they know what good prayers they make in private their hearts they say are good I tell ye brethren he that trusteth to his owne heart and his good desires and so resteth in them is a foole I have heard of a man that would haunt the Tavernes and Theaters and whore-houses at London all day but he durst not goe forth without private prayer in the morning and then would say at his departure now devill doe thy worst and so used his prayers as many doe only as charmes and spels against the poore weake cowardly devill that they thinke dares not hurt them so long as they have good hearts within them and good prayers in the chamber and hence they will goe neare to raile against the Preacher as an harsh Master if he doe not comfort them with this that God accepts of their good desires 4. If their good hearts cannot quiet them but conscience tells them they are unsound without and rotten at core within then men fall upon reformation they will leave their whoâ—ing drinking cozening gaming company-keeping swearing and such like roaring sinnes and now all the Countrey saith he is become a new man and he himselfe thinkes he shall be saved 2 Pet. 2. 20. they escape the pollutions of the world as swine that are escaped and washed from outward filth yet the swinish nature remaines still like Mariners that are going to some dangerous place ignorantly if they meet with stormes they goe not backward but cast out their goods that indanger tâ—eir ship and so goe forward still so many a man going towards hell is forced to cast out his lusts and sinnes but he goeth on in the same way still for all that The wildest beasts as Staggs if they be kept waking from sleepe long will grow tame so conscience giving a man no rest for some sinnes he liveth in he groweth tame He that was a wild Gentleman before remaines the same man still onely he is made tame now that is civill and smooth in his whole course and hence they rest in reformation which reformation is commonly but of some troublesome sinne and it is because they thinke it is better following their trade of sinne at another market and hence some men will leave their drinking and whoring and turne covetous because there is more gaine at that market sometimes it is because sinne hath left them as an old man 5. If they can have no rest here they get into another starting hole they goe to their Humiliations Repentings Teares Sorrowes and Confessions They heare a man cannot be saved by reforming his life unlesse he come to afflict his soule too he must sorrow and weepe here or else cry out in hell hereafter Hereupon they betake themselves to their sorrowes teares confession of sinnes and now the winde is downe and the tempest is over and they make themselves safe Matth. 11. 21. They would have repented that is the Heathen as Beza speakes when any wrath was kindled from Heaven they would goe to their sackcloth and sorrowes and so thought to pacifie Gods anger againe and here they rested so it is with many a man many people have sicke fits and qualmes of conscience and then they doe as Crowes that give themselves a vomit by swallowing downe some stone when they are sicke and then they are well againe so when men are troubled for their sinnes they will give themselves a vomit of prayer a vomit of confession and humiliation Isa. 58. 5. Hence many when they can get no good by this physicke by their sorrowes and teares cast off all againe for making these things their God and their Christ they forsake them when they cannot save them Mat. 3. 14. more are driven to Christ by the sense of the burden of an hard dead blind filthy heart than by the sense of sorrowes because a man rests in the one viz. in sorrowes most commonly but trâ—mbles and flyes out of himselfe when he feeles the other thus men rest in their repentance and therefore Austin hath a pretty speech which sounds haâ—sh that Repentance damneth more than sin meaning that thousands did perish by resting in it and hence wee see among many people if they have large affections they thinke they are in good favour if they want them they thinke then they are cast-awayes when they cannot mourne nor be affected as once they were because they rest in them 6. If they have no rest here then they turne morall men that is strict in all the duties of the morall law which is a greater matter than reformation or humiliation that is they grow very just and square in their dealings with men and exceeding strict in the duties of the first Table towards God as fasting
men will goe and try how they can live by shifts and working for themselves still Secondly because men are ignorant of Jesus Christ and his righteousnesse hence men cannot goe unto him because they see him not hence they shift as well as they can for themselves by their duties Iohn 4. 14. men seeke to save thēselves by their own swimming when they see no cable cast out to helpe them Thirdly because this is the easiest way to comfort the heart and pacifie conscience and to please God as the soule thinkes because by this meanes a man goes no further than himselfe Now in forsaking all duties a soule goeth to heaven quite out of himselfe and there he must waite many a yeare and that for a little it may be Now if a fainting man have Aquavitae at his beds head he will not knocke up the shopkeeper for it Men that have a Balsome of their owne to heale them will not goe to the Physitian Fourthly because by vertue of these duties a man may hide his sin and live quietly in his sin yet be accounted an honest man as the whore in the Pro. 7. 15 16. having performed her vowes can intice without suspition of men or check of conscience so the Scribes and Pharisees were horribly covetous but their long prayers covered their deformities Matth. 23. 14. and hence men set their duties at a higher rate than they are worth thinking they shall save them because they are so usefull to them Good duties like new apparrell on a man pursued with Hue and cry of conscience keepe him from being knowne Take heede of resting in duties Good duties are mens money without which they thinke themselves poore and miserable but take heed that you and your money perish not together Gal. 5. 3. The paths to Hell be but two The first is the path of sinne which is a dirty way Secondly the path of Duties which rested in is but a clearer way When the Israelites were in distresse Iudg. 10. 14. The Lord bids them goe to the Gods they served so when thou shalt lie howling on thy death-bed the Lord will say Goe unto the good prayers and performances you have made and the teares you have shed Oh they will be miserable comforters at that day Object But I thinke thou wilt say no true Christian man hopes to be saved by his good workes and duties but onely by the mercy of God and merits of Christ. Answ. It is one thing to trust to be saved by duties another thing to rest in duties A man trusts unto them when he is of this opinion that onely good duties can save him A man rests in duties when he is of this opinion that onely Christ can save him but in his practise he goeth about to save himselfe The wisest of the Papists are so at this day and so are our common Protestants And this is a great subtilty of the heart that is when a man thinkes he cannot be saved by his good works and duties but onely by Christ he then hopeth because he is of this opinion that when he hath done all he is an unprofitable servant which is onely an act or worke of the Judgement informed aright that therfore because he is of this opinion he shall be saved But because it is hard for to know when a man rests in duties few men finde themselves guiltie of this sinne which ruines so many I will shew two things 1. The signes of a man resting in duties 2. The insufficiency of all duties to save men That so those that be found guilty of this sin may not goe on in it First for the signes whereby a man may certainly know when he rests in his duties which if he doe as few professors especially but they doe he perisheth eternally First Those that never yet saw they rested in them they that never found it an hard matter to come out of their duties For it 's most naturall for a man to sticke in them because nature sets men upon duties hence it is a hard matter to come out of resting in duties For two things keepe a man from Christ. 1. Sinne 2. Selfe Now as a man is broken off from sinne by seeing and feeling it and groaning under the power of it so is a man broken from himselfe For men had rather doe any thing than come unto Christ there is such a deale of selfe in them therefore if thou canst not tell the time when thou didst rest in thy duties and then diddest groane to be delivered from these intanglements I meane not from the doing of them this is familisme and prophanenesse but from resting in the bare performance of them thou dost relye upon thy duties to this day These rest in duties that prize the bare performance of Duties wonderfully for those duties that carry thee out of thy selfe unto Christ make thee to prize Christ. Now tell me dost thou glory in thy selfe now I am some-body I was ignorant forgetfull hard-hearted now I understand and remember better and can sorrow for my sinnes if thou dost rest here thy duties never carried thee further than thy selfe Dost thou thinke after that thou hast prayed with some life now I have done very well and now thou dost verily thinke meaning for thy duties the Lord will save thee though thou never come to Christ sayest as he in another case now I hope the Lord will doe good to me seeing I have got a Priest into mine house Iudg. 17. 13. Dost thou inhance the price of duties thus that thou dost doate on them then I doe pronounce from God thou dost rest in them these things saith Paul I accounted gaine that is before his conversion to Christ he prized them exceedingly but now I account them losse and this is the reason why a childe of God commonly after all his prayers teares and confessions doubts much of Gods love towards him whereas another man that falleth short of him never questioneth his estate the first seeth much rottennesse and vilenesse in his best duties and so judgeth meanly of himselfe the other ignorant of the vilenesse of them prizeth them and esteemeth highly of them and setting his corne at so high a price he may keepe them to himselfe the Lord never accepteth them nor buyeth them at so high a rate Thirdly those that never came to be sensible of their poverty utter emptinesse of all good for so long as a man hath a penny in his purse that is feeles any good in himselfe he will never come a begging unto Jesus Christ and therefore rests in himselfe Now didst thou never feele thy selfe in this manner poore viz. I am as ignorant as any beast as vile as any devill O Lord what a neast and litter of sin and rebellion lurks in my heart I once thought at least mine heart and desires were good but now I feele no spirituall life Oh! dead
Men make a bridge of their own to carry them to Christ I meane they looke not after faith wrought by an omnipotent power which the eternall Spirit of the Lord Jesus must worke in them but they coÌ„tent themselves with a faith of their own forging and framing and hence they thinke verily and beleeve that Christ is their sweet Saviour and so doubt not but they are safe when there is no such matter but even as dogs they snatch away childrens bread and shall be shut out of doores out of heaven hereafter for ever for their labour All men are of this opinion that there is no salvation but by the merits of Jesus Christ and because they hold fast this opinion therefore they thinke they hold fast Iesus Christ in the hand of faith and so perish by catching at their owne catch and hanging on their owne fancy and shadow Some others catch hold of Christ before they come to feele the want of Faith and abilitie to beleeve and catching hold on him like dust on a mans coate whom God will shake off or like burrs and bryers cleaving to ones garment which the Lord will trample under foot now they say they thanke God they have got comfort by this means and though God killeth them yet they will trust unto him Mich. 3. 11. It is in this respect a harder matter to convert a man in England than in India for there they have no such shifts and forts against our Sermons to say they beleeve in Christ already as most amongst us doe wee cannot wrap off mens fingers from catching hold on Christ before they be fit for him like a company of theeves in the street you shall see an hundred hands scrambling for a jewell that is fallen there that have least nay nothing to doe with it Every man saith almost I hope Christ is mine I put my whole trust and confidence in him and will not be beaten from this What must a man despaire must not a man trust unto Christ thus men will hope and trust though they have no ground no graces to prove they may lay hold and claime unto Christ. This hope skared out of his wits damnes thousands for I am perswaded if men did see themselves Christlesse creatures as well as sinfull creatures they would cry out Lord what shall I doe to be saved True faith is a precious faith 2 Pet. 1. 2. precious things cost us much we set them at an high rate if thy Faith be so it hath cost thee many a prayer many a sob many a salt teare But ask most men how they came by their faith in Christ they say very easily when the Lyon sleepes a man may lye and sleepe by it but when it awakens woe to that man that doth so so while God is silent and patient thou mayest befoole thy selfe with thinking thou dost trust unto God but woe to thee when the LORD appeares in his wrath as one day he will for by vertue of this false faith men sinning take Christ as a dish-clout to wipe them cleane againe and that 's all the use they have of this faith They sin indeede but they trust unto Christ for his mercy and so lye still in their sinnes God will revenge with bloud and fire and plagues this horrible contempt from heaven Hence many of you trust unto Christ as the Apricock tree that leanes against the wall but it 's fast rooted in the earth so you leane upon Christ for salvation but you are rooted in the world rooted in your pride rooted in your filthinesse still Woe to you if you perish in this estate God will hew you downe as fuell for his wrath what ever mad hope you have to be saved by Christ. This therefore I proclaime from the God of Heaven to you 1. you that never felt your selves as unable to beleeve as a dead man to raise himselfe you have as yet no faith at all 2. You that would get faith first must feele your inability to beleeve and fetch not this slip out of thine own garden it must come downe from Heaven to thy soule if ever thou partakest thereof Other things I should have spoken of this large subject but I am forced here to end abruptly The Lord lay not this sin to their charge who have stopped my mouth labouring to withhold the truth in unrighteousnesse And blessed be the good God who hath stood by his unworthy servant thus long inabling him to leade you so farre as to shew you the rockes and dangers of your passage to another world FINIS Psal. 73. 1. Psal. 44. 4 Psal. 76 10. 2 Tim. 3. 8 9. Esay 26. 20. Esay 4 32. Esay 41. â—0 11. Revel 9. 2 Revel 1â— 19. Iohn â—1 15 16 â—7 The principall heads infisted upon Plin. lib. 1. Nat. Hist. Rom. 1. Groundes to prove a God Iohn 3. 3 Obj. Answ. Obj. Answ. Vse 1. A discovery of Atheisme Vse 2. Vse 3. Vse 4. Gods Essence An explanation of Gods Attributes Doct. 1. Quest. Ans. Quest. Ans. Eph. 4. 23 The Image of God in Man Prov. 8. Obj. Ans. Vse 1. Vse 2. Vse 3. Vse 4. Vse 5. A threefold reprehension Men that content themselves with a certaine measure of holinesse and go no further Rom. 2. 12 Vse 6. How to gaine the Image of God Rom 6. 7. Mans misery in regard of sin Vse The horrible nature of the first sin The hainousnesse of Adams sinne Secondly dead in sin Best actions of the wicked how sinfull Vse 2. How every Naturall man is dead while he livâ—â— Mar. 23. 37. 38. Fulnesse of sinne Iames 3. 6 Francis Spira Sins of the heart worse than the sins of the life Rom. 7. 4. Every action is sinfull as comming from a Naturall Man Lu. 16. 15 Rom. 3. 13 Isai. 13. 14 Ier. 20. â—3 Deut. 28. Obj. Ans. Why good duties must bee performed though we sin in doing them Mans present miseries Isai. 55. 6. Act. 28. 21. Mans fearfull slavery under Sathan 1 Pet. 2. 9 Mans future Miseries The terrour of mans particular judgement Obj. Ans. Why there must be a day of IudgemeÌ„t Quest. Ans. Quest. Ans. The manner of the last judgement Ecclâ—s ult ult Wherein consists the wrath of God Mat. 25. 41. The scope of knowing our miseries is to be humbled Doct. Quest. Answ. How men are redeemed Dan. 9. 24 Vse 1. Vse 2. Vse 3. Gal. 5. 2. Vse 4. Ob. Answ. The offer of Christ universall and why Mark 16. 15. The offer of Christ universall whâ—rein Ob. Ans. Prov. 9. 4. â— Cor. 5. 20. Pro. 1. 22 23. Obj. Ans. Obj. Ans. Obj. Ans. Obj. Ans. Obj. Ans. Obj. Ans. Obj. Ans. Obj. Ans. Quest. Ans. On what termes Christ may be â—ad Fouresorts of people that reject Christ. The great evill in rejecting Christ. Obj. Ans. Obj. Answ. Obj. Answ. Vse 5. Ob. Answ. Obj. Ans. Doct. 1. Luk. 22. 32. Few saved in all ages Isa. 1. 9. Ioh 1. 12. Rovel 3. 4. Act. 20. 28. 29. 30. Few shall be saved in all places Few shall be saved in England 1 Cor. 1. 29. Luk. 15. 24 25. Vse 1. Tit. 2. 14. Vse 2. Vse 3. Obj. 1. Ans. Obj. 2. Ans. Obj. 3. Ans. Obj. 4. Ans. Ezek. 33. 31 32. Obj. 5. Answ. Obj. 6. Answ. Obj. 7. Answ. Obj. 8. Ans. Rom. 2. 18 Obj. 9. Ans. Obj. 10. Ans. Luk. 13. 24. Obj. 11. Answ. Phil. 3. 6. 11. 2 Chron. 44. 4 5 6. Obj. 12. Ans. Obj. 13. Answ. Pro. 14. 12. Mat. 25. Vse 4. Quest. Answ. Wherein a childe of God goeth beyond an Hypocrite Doct. 2. 4 Straight gates to be passed through before we can enter into heaven Vse The false wayes to Heaven discovered The way of selfe-love Quest. Answ. How men plot their own ruin Ignorance the first Geneâ—â—ll Reason of mans tuine The 1. sort Reason Reason Reas. 4. 2. Sort. How men come to be deceived about their spirituall estates Estheâ— 6. 6. 2 King 10 18. How false peace is bred in the soule Ps. 38. 16. The second Reason why men ruine theÌ„selves Reas. 1. Nahum 1. 2. Reas. 2. Reas. 3. Reas. 5. Reas. 6. Rom. 1. ult Reas. 7. Reas. 8. Reas. 9. Reas. 10 Vse Quest. Answ. 1. How to get a broken heart 1 Thes. 5. 3 4. 2 Cor. 5. 19. 3. Generall Reason of mans ruine Wherein Mens Resting in Duties appeares Zeph. 3. 11. Rom. 2. 10 Why men doe rest in their good duties Reas. 1. Reas. 2. Reas. 3. Reas. 4. Vse 1. Ob. Ans. Signes of mens resting in Duties Signe 1. 2 things keepe us from Christ. Signe 2. Phil. 3. 8. Signe 3. Isa. 66. 2. Signe 4. Signe 5. Signe 6. Rom. 7. The insufficiency of any dutie to save a man Isay 6. 6. Gal. 3. 10. Obj. Ans. Good duties not to be cast off but our resting upon them Ob. Ans. Vse 1. Vse 2. Vse 3. 4 Generall reason of mans ruine Eph. 1. 19.