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
the roome of God aswell by making himselfe his finis uttimus as if he should make himself primum principium Sin is a forsaking or departing from God Now every naturall man remaining alwayes in a state of separation from God because hee alwayes wants the bond of union which is Faith is alwaies sinning Gods curse lyes upon him therefore hee brings out nothing but briers and thornes Object But thou wilt say if our praying and hearing bee sinne why should we doe these duties wee must not sinne Answer 1. Good duties are good in themselves although comming from thy vile heart they are sinnes 2. It is lesse sinne to doe them than to omit them therefore it thou wilt go to hell goe in the fairest path thou canst in thither 3. Venture and try it may be God may heare not for thy prayers sake but for his names sake The unjust Iudge holpe the poore widow not because hee loved her or her suite but because of her importunitie and so be sure thou shalt have nothing if thou doest not seeke what though thou beest a dog yet thou art alive and art for the present under the Table Catch not at Christ snatch not at his bread but waite till God give thee him it may be thou maiest have him one day Oh wonder then at Gods patience that thou livest one day longer who hast all thy lifetime like a filthy Toade spet thy venome in the face of God that hee hath never beene quiet for thee oh looke upon that black bill that will one day be put in against thee at the great day of account where thou must answer with flames of fire about thine eares not only for thy drunkennesse thy bloody oathes and whoring but for all the actions of thy short life and just so many actions so many fins Thou hast painted thy face over now with good dueties and good desires and a little honesty amongst some men is of that worth and raritie that they thinke God is beholding to them if hee can get any good action from them But when thy painted face shall be brought before the fire of Gods wrath then thy vilenesse shall appeare before men and Angels Oh know it that as thou doest nothing else but sinne so God heapes up wrath against the dreadfull day of wrath Thus much for mans misery in regard of sinne Now followeth his misery in regard of the consequents or miseries that follow upon sinne And these are 1. Present 2. Future First Mans present miseries that already lie on him for sinne are these seven that is First God is his dreadfull enemy Psal. 5. 5. Quest. How may one know another to be his enemy Ans. 1. By their lookes 2. By their threats 3. By their blowes So God 1. Hides his face from every naturall man and will not looke upon him Isay 59. 2. 2. God threatens nay curseth every naturall man Gal. 3. 10. 3. God gives them heavie bloudie lashes on their soules and bodies Never tell me therefore that God blesseth thee in thine outward estate no greater signe of Gods wrath then for the Lord to give thee thy swinge as a Father never lookes after a desperate Sonne but lets him run where he pleases And if God be thine enemy then every creature is so too both in Heaven and Earth Secondly God hath forsaken them and they have lost God Ephes. 2. 12. It 's said that in the grievous famine of Samaria Doves dung was sold at a large price because they wanted bread Oh! men live and pine away without GOD without bread and therefore the dung of worldly contentments are efteemed so much of Thou hast lost the sight of God and the favour of God and the speciall protection of God and the government of God Caines punishment lyes upon thee in thy naturall estate thou art a Runagate from the face of God and from his face thou art hid Many have growne madde to see their houses burnt and all their goods lost Oh but God the greatest good is lost This losse made Saul cry out in distresse of conscience 1. Sam. 28. 15. The Philistians make warre against me and God is departed from me the losse of the sweetnesse of whose presence for a little while onely made the Lord Jesus himselfe cry out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me whereas thou hast lost God all thy life time Oh thou hast an heart of brasse that canst not mourne for his absence so long The damned in hell have lost God and know it and so the plague of desperate horrour lyeth upon them thou hast lost God here but knowest it not and the plague of an hard heart lyeth upon thee that thou canst not mourne for this losse Thirdly They are condemned men coÌ„demned in the court of Gods justice by the law which cryes treason treason against the most high God condemned by justice merey by the Gospel which cryes murder murder against the sonne of God Iohn 3. 18. so that every naturall man is damned in Heaven and damned on earth God is thy allâ—seeing terrible Iudge Conscience is thine accuser an heavie witnesse His word is thy Iayle thy lusts are thy Fetters In this Bible is pronounced and writ thy doome thy sentence Death is thy hangman and that fire that shall never goe out thy torment The Lord hath in his infinite patience reprived thee for a time O take heed and get a pardon before the day of execution come Fourthly being condemned take him Iaylor he is a bondslave to Satan Eph. 2. 3. for his servants yee are whom ye obey saith Christ. Now every naturall man doth the Devillsâ—drudgery and carries the Devillspack and howsoever he saith he defyeth the Devill yet he sinnes and so doth his worke Satan hath overcome and conquered all men in Adam and therefore under his bondage and dominion And though he cannot compell a man to sin against his will yet he hath 1 Power First to present and allure a mans heart by a sinfull temptation Secondly to follow him with it if at first he be something shie of it Thirdly to disquiet and wrack him if he will not yeeld as might be made to appeare in many instances Fourthly besides he knowes mens humours as poore wandering beggerly Gentlemen doe their friends in necessitie yet in seeming courtesie he visits and applyes himselfe unto them and so gaines them as his owne Oh he is in a fearefull slavery who is under Satans dominion who is 1. A secret enemy to thee 2. A deceitfull enemy to thee that will make a man beleeve as he did Evah even in her integrity that he is in a faire way yet most miserable 3. He is a cruell enemy or Lord over them that be his slaves 2 Cor. 4. 3. he gaggs them so that they cannot speake as that man that had a dumbe devill neither for God nor to God in prayer he starves them so as no
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