have beene who because Nicodemus came to Christ by night and yet went in the common way of the Priests and Scribes in open conversation have therefore resolved that if they bee true to God and his religion in their inward parts it is no matter though they joyne with all people where they come in outward duties of the religion of the place where they live Amongst the tenants of Gods holy Tabernacle they are reckoned who speake truth in their hearts here is truth and as the heart is the feat of it so the tongue voyceth it here is but one truth in both for there is a double conformity required in speaking of truth 1 Of the speech with the minde to speake as we thinke 2 Of the minde with the thing it selfe that wee embrace truth in our minde as the thing is Saint Augustine saith it is not Davids meaning that in corde loquamur veritatem ore mendacium in heart we speake truth and lye with our mouthes Therefore David calleth such as have this truth in their inward parts such as walke uprightly and the vertue here required of us is integrity and sincerity And it is an unfained desire in the servants of God to approve themselves such as they seeme As this hath reference to God it is free from hypocrisie as to men it is voyd of guile This vertue is rewarded with grace and glory Regula signorum the rule of signes 1 The upright is sound in his conscience before God The hypocrites care is ut videatur that he seeme 2 The upright are most carefull of the Commandements of God the hypocrite is more observant of the commandements of men 3 The sincere man loves religion for it selfe the hypocrite for other ends 4 The upright hateth sinne in himselfe the hypocrite in others 5 One makes conscience of all the other but of some sinnes 6 The upright love the best and most righteous but despise the wicked the hypocrite despiseth and hateth all that are better than he 7 The care of the upright is for the greater duties of the law but the hypocrite is for Mint and Cummin Nullus in magnis magnus in minimis nothing in great things great in nothing 8 The upright is humble the hypocrite proud He that lifteth up himselfe his soule is not upright in him 9 The upright is bold as a Lyon the hypocrite flyeth nemine persequente when no man followes 10 The upright is never removed he persevereth to the end but the hypocrite is as the morning cloud and as the morning dew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his profession for a time 11 The upright joyne duties of piety and charity the hypocrite parteth them shew of religion none of charity no truth in the inward parts 2 Davids faith And in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisedome 1 Here is the way found to amend all by knowing wisedome 2 Here is the seate of this knowledge and wisedome in the hidden part 3 Here is Davids confidence that God will make him know 1 Know wisedome sinne makes us fooles for all sinne is folly all sinners fooles Take heed you walke circumspectly not as fooles but as wise Can there be a greater folly then to leave the fountaine of living water and to make our selves cisternes that hold no water sinne is departing from God it is an evill heart of unbeliefe that doth so We have warning of it Take heed brethren lest there be in any of you an evill heart of unbeliefe to depart from the living God for God saith If any man draw backe my soule shall have no pleasure in him Where are we then yet are wee in the presence and within the verge of the power of God within the sight of his eye within the reach of his right hand and his right hand will soone finde out all his enemies It is Davids saying when he fled from the face and furie of his rebell sonne Absolon if God thus say I have no delight in thee here am I let him doe to me as it seemeth good unto him he must tarry by it there is no slying from his hand It is our folly then by sinne to depart from him who hath us alwaies in his sight and power 2 It is our folly to sinne and offend him to whom we must resort for all good things For in him we live move and have our being every good and perfect gift comes from him of him we have our daily bread he formed us in the wombe he tooke us thence on him wee depend from our mothers breast and if by sinne we goe away from him by repentance wee must returne to him with shame enough as she did who said I will goe and returne to my first husband for then it was better with me than now God knowes that our necessities will force us to him againe and he mendeth our pace with his rod. I will goe and returne to my place till they acknowledge their offence and seeke my face in their affliction they will seeke me early 3 It is folly to sinne and thereby to hazard the losse of those things which we affect most here such as concerne our temporall welfare for we hold the things of this world by no other tenâ—re but of his good pleasure To hazard the losse of grace here and glory hereafter for onely godlinesse hath the promises of this life and of that which is to come the knowledge of wisedome doth helpe all but that is not sapientia carnis the wisedome of the flesh or saeculi hujus of this world which is carnall sensuall and divellish this is foolishnesse with God and befooleth us It is wisedome to salvation the wisedome of God it growes not in us it is infuâ—ed into us and the Apostle calleth it wisedome from above Hee describeth it by the effects which it worketh in them that have it 1 It is pure for it maketh us so the word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and signifieth chast to which Saint Paul alludeth I have prepared you for an husband to present you a chast Virgin to Christ Christ is our high Priest and in the law it was ordained that the high Priest should marry a Virgin not a widow or a divorced woman or prophane or an harlot not a widow because he could not have her first love not a divorced woman because she had forsaken her first love not a prophane person because she could not yeeld him holy love not an harlot from whom hee could neither expect first honest or onely love so that if we desire to be espowsed to Christ wee must be pure able to yeeld him our first our holy our onely love and the wisedome which is from above worketh this effect 1 Puritatem scientiae the purity of science 2 Conscientiae the purity of conscience 1 Scientiae of science or knowledge against 1 Vanitie which affecteth idle and unprofitable studies 2 Selfe
break our spirits from these plausible and delightfull streins of wit though wee know that it was the fall and ruine of man he sought many inventions The taste that hath bin long used to the Onions and Garlick of Aegypt cannot like Manna the food of Angels a long time But as Physicians for the body finding their intemperate patients disease do forbid them all kinde of meats that fewell their disease and limit them to a diet with which they thrive well and recover health so must our soules for cure of these diseases be strongly kept from such studies and knowledge as do but encrease vanity and restrained to the Manna of Gods holy Word the most wholsome bread and sincere milke and strong meate of the inward man Custome will wean us and the sweet wholsomnesse of this better diet and the experienced vegetation and spirituall battening of the soule by it will in the end approove vaine studies to be no better then the husks of the swine in a farre Country But the Word of God to be the bread of our own fathers house even the bread wher with he feedeth his owne family sufficiently the bread that strengtheneth mans heart And when we have once fed of this heartily that wee desire some drink to it hee will bring us to his house of wine for whom he admitteth to eat of his bread he inviteth also to drinke of the wine that hee hath mingled Yong stomacks affect raw and unripe fruits do charge their bodies with diseases therby It is a breaking and extreme pain to them to be restrained from them So doe yong wits exercise themselves and consume time in the raw fruits of green heads and feed the appetite of their yet undiscerning spirit All this must be unlearnt and forgotten to make room for saving knowledge though wee part with this as Hannibal did from Italie or Lots wife from Sodome 2 A broken heart The heart is the first-born in us Natures eldest sonne in the production of man It is soveraigne in the body it rules and commands all the rest In the Creation of it in Adam it was Cormundum cor perfectum A clean heart a perfect heart for all that hee made was exceeding good Since the fall of man it hath gotten an ill name The heart is deceitfull above all things and desperatly wicked who can know it I the Lord search the heart And you shall see how he found it generally in men God saw that the wickednesse of man was great in the earth and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart were onely evill continually the margent of the Kings Bible rendreth the word in full signification Every desire and purpose of the heart 1 God promiseth his people to take the stony heart out of their flesh Here iâ— cor durum an hard heart Our hearts are hardned by the custome of sin 2 There is cor pravum an evill heart Take heed that there be not in any of you an evill heart of unbelief to depart away from the living God This is an heart infected with the corrupt love either of falshood to forsake the truth of God as Hereticks or of vanity to preferre the pleasures of this life before the good old way This is the sin of filii saeâ—uli the children of this world 3 Cor perversum a froward heart hee that hath a froward heart findeth no good This is a peevish and contradictory evill nature that cannot live under awe and rule but resisteth the good motions of the Spirit You have alwayes resisted the Holy Ghost 4 Cor laquâ—us the heart which is a snare as the adulterous womans Salomon saith Her heart is snares and nets Such hearts have all flatterers that gloze with us and break our heads with their oile Such have all impostors and deceitfull fair-spoken pretenders of love who secretly lie in wait to undermine us and do us hurt Such as face it for shew to be religious and have seven abominations in their hearts 5 There is also a plaguy heart So Salomon What prayer or supplication shall be made by any man or by all thy people Israel which shall know every man the plague of his own heart In the diseases of the body the venome and malignity of the disease hasteth all it can to the heart to destroy that and there it endeth But in spirituall diseases the heart hatcheth and spawneth sin the issue of concupisence and seminateth it in the affections and desires For out of the heart come adulteries murthers c. These be those painfull swellings and ulcerous sores which sin breedeth in the heart of man a very plague in the heart Yet for all this our God saith to us My sonne give me thy heart being so bad as it is it is not worth the giving or receiving Therefore to make it a sacrifice to God we must break it A broken and a contrite heart God will not despise Wee must thresh and breake and melt and grinde our hearts to make them a present for him Two wayes may the heart of man be thus broken 1 By outward afflictions 2 By inward compunction 1 For outward afflictions These are of great force to break an hard heart to melt an iron heart to humble a proud heart to tame a rebellious heart to recover a stray heart God often worketh upon the hearts of sinners this way And David found this physick very healthfull to him Before I was afflicted I went astray but now I keep thy Word It was good for me that I was afflicted Saint Paul being to part with his friends and seeing them all teares for the grief therof saith What meane you to weep and to break my heart The heart of man is easily broken with griefe Elijah grew weary of his life So did Jonah both desire of God that they may die Job and Jeremy had their hearts so broken with sorrows that they abhorred life and never did any more earnestly desire to live then they did to be cut off from the land of the living Many of these fits and sharpe agonies come upon us wee find the Romane stories full of examples of those whom the outward crosses of life have so wearied that they have preferred to die by their own hand rather then to live out the furious assault of temporall disgrace or pain Wee have losses in our goods grief for our friends heavinesse for the losse of children or their unthriving courses in the world manifold sicknesses molestation by suites and such like grievances store God is pleased to use these as meanes to breake our hearts and they doe worke with some for in the day of their affliction they will seeke God diligently And when the judgements of God are upon the earth the inhabiters of the world will learne righteousnesse But an heart thus broken onely with outward tribulations is not alwayes a sacrifice for sinne For murmurers and male-contents and
hostility wherin he proclaims open war against the Church of God hath his secret insinuations by which he windeth himselfe into the hearts of men So he entred into the heart of Iudas and Saint Peter saith to Simon Magus Thy heart is not right in the sight of God Sathan had beene secretly working upon his heart into which he had infused some gall of bitternesse Against this Davids receipt was Absconds in corde sermonem tuum ut non peccarem contra te I have hid thy word in my heart that I might not sinne against thee When he let that word goe Sathan came in and sowed the seeds of lust Intravit mors per feâ—esâ—ras Death came in at the windowes he let it in by his eyes for no sooner did his eye looke but his heart did lust and then all his parts proved instruments of sinne and traitours to the spirit of God that was in him This setteth us a worke to furnish our secret part with wisedome for so it will be a fortification against open warre and a privy coat against a sudden stabbe of temptation This wisedome though thus secretly stored cannot be concealed but it will speake in the tongue the language of Canaan For ext of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh It will be seene in the face for the wise doe set their faces toward Ierusalem and you may see by their lookes which way they are bound all their workes and whole conversation will taste of it The greatest hinderance to good conversation to good workes and to repentance of our evill waies is the unsoundnesse and rottennesse of our secret part that is 1 Vanity in our understanding when wee busie our thoughts and exercise our wits either onely in the things which concerne this life what we shall eat what we shall drinke where with we shall be cloathed for which the heathens take care who know no God to take that care for them or when we spend our braines in impertinent disquisitions studying genealogies and intricating our thoughts in vaine questions which are not worthy our study 2 Our inward part is mortally diseassed by corruption of our will when wee live in a perpetuall pursuit of our owne desires and goe in the way that seemeth good in our owne eyes for so the strength of sinne is the law and the more we are restrained the more we strive both against the Commandement that biddeth and forbiddeth and against the word of exhortation that putteth the Commandement upon the conscience And against those good motions of the spirit of God and of his good Angels which continually labour to compose us to obedience The way to heale all this is by wisedome in this secret part for that will teach 1 For the world there is no cause to care for the Lord careth for us and for impertinent studies the word will shew us unum necessarium the one thing needfull against the vanity of minde 2 For our will this wisedome will correct it and teach it subjection to the will of God whose will is our best friend for by that we were chosen created redeemed saved fiat voluntas tua thy will be done 3 Davids faith Thou wilt make me to know The naturall man doth not perceive the things of the spirit of God neither can he They that are born sinners are born fooles darkened in their understandings and hardened in their hearts the light that is in them is darkenesse and therefore quâ—ntâ— tenebrâ— how great darknesse Therefore they must be made to know wisedome and none but God can doe it he teacheth man knowledge and David beleeveth that he will doe it Christ saith All shall be taught of God for he offereth himselfe a teacher to all Wisedome cryeth in the streets and uttereth her voyce in the high wayes and calleth the simple and ignorant to her schoole to be taught Wisedome hath many auditors few proficients many truants that come not to schoole many dull and indocile that learne little but David beleeveth two things 1 That God will teach him 2 That he will make him know our apprehensions are often more quicke to conceive wisedome then either our memories to retaine it or our affections to embrace it We are never said truely to know wisedome till wee know the want of it the giver of it the value of it and the right use of it Seneca could teach his schollars that the inquisition and posing of students in Philosophy is Non quantum in philosophia sed quantum in vita profecerint Not what profit they have received in philosophy but how much in their lives The way of furnishing us with this wisedome is 1 By the Word working upon our understandings for that giveth light to the simple 2 By the spirit stirring up our spirits and setting them aworke If any man love God he is taught of God David now repenting and returning to himselfe hath faith in the goodnesse of God that he will give him this wisedome to repaire him which sheweth that our wisedome may for a time be lost for David had it before and guided all his former waies with discretion but being overtaken with this temptation he committed folly wisedome for a time departed from him his understanding was darkened his heart was hardened sinne had possessed his inward and secret part the hid man of the heart So that he is now to learne wisedome againe and so is cast much behind hand And make him to know it in his hidden part Great comfort here is given to the true penitent for his sincere repentance removeth both sinne and punishment and quickeneth the graces of God in him so that though he stumble he cannot fall quia Dominus supponis manum because the Lord putteth under his hand his faith layeth hold upon that hand and keeps him upright VERSE 7. Purge me with hysope and I shall be cleane wash mee and I shall be whiter than snow 3. HE returneth againe to supplications and he hath many suits to God 1 For his purgation from the pollution of his sinne Verse 7. 2 For comfort against his sinnes and the punishment of them Verse 8. 3 For pardon of them Verse 9. 4 For newnesse of life Verse 10. 5 For a constant course of the grace and favour of God Verse 11. 12. 13. 6 For particular pardon of his last great sinne Verse 14. 7 For ability to performe the service of Gods holy worship Verse 15. 16. 17. 1 For purgation from sinne hee doubleth his request here as in an important businesse dearely concerning him for 1 He findeth himselfe so foule with his sinnes as he needeth washing and purging and he needeth Gods washing 2 To shew yet his pollution more he presseth to bee washt with hysope 3 To shew what innocency and purity he affecteth he first desireth to be made cleane he resumeth the suit and expresseth his desires in full measure he would be whiter than snow 1 His importunity to be washt
departed from the word of the Lord in sparing the life of an enemy David in taking away the life of a friend Had he not cause to feare at least an equality in his punishment whom he had exceeded in his sinne no question but God giveth his graces with his holy callings and we hazard the withdrawing of them from us when we embrace sinne Wee finde examples too frequent in all sorts of men that they doe lose by their falling into sinne the graces of God which commonly doe follow their lawfull callings When Kings leave good counsell and embrace enemies of their state to the grievance and vexation of the Common-wealth on when they turne sensuall and attend onely their loose delights God taketh from them the spirit of government When Ministers study nothing but riches or honour or follow pleasures God taketh from them the spirit of prophecie In ordinary mechanicall and manuall professions many excellently able in their way perish and drowne their abilities in idlenesse in gaming in drinking c. Yet when any of these come againe to themselves and refraine these evill courses the spirit of God returneth againe to them and they doe well Saul had many graces of the spirit but the maine hee wanted and the other he lost and that example putteth David into this suite Spiritum sanctum tuum ne ausera◠take not thy holy spirit from me VERSE 12. 2. SUpplicat he prayeth for herein also hee is double and desireth two things first restitution secondly confirmation 1 His restauration Restore to me the joy of thy salvation he meaneth that inward spirituall joy which before he had in the faith of his salvation For having fallen so foully and thereby deserved so ill at the hands of God hee was jealous of himselfe that he had lost the favour of God and the salvation of his soule The word in the originall hath Jesus in it The joy of thy Iesus for he beleeved that Iesus the Saviour should come of his seed That was joy to him and his sinne did shake his faith therein ne Deus ei offensus subtraheret quod pacatus promiserat formidavit hee feared lest God offended should withdraw that which being pleased he had promised So before him Saint Augustine understood David Redde exultationem salutaris tui i. Christi quis enim sine illo sanari potuit nam in principio erat verbum tempora variata sunt non fides restore the joy of thy salvation that is of Christ For who can bee saved without him the times are changed not faith Our observations from hence are 1 That Davids joy was in making sure of his salvation he had now made experience of a carnall and sensuall joy he findeth it loathsome and defiling and the end bitternesse therefore he returnes to the pursuit of that joy So in a better minde the Church said I will goe and return to my first love for then it was better with me than now The truth is there is no such joy here as in the favour of our God and the faith of our salvation with him David once said Thou hast put gladnesse in my heart more then in the time that their corne and wine and oyle increased This is our summum bonum our chiefe good and upon our deathbeds we hearken to them that speake comforts to us of our salvation when we must part with all here But the Apostle would have it the maine care and businesse of our whole life to worke out our salvation with feare and to make our election sure As the Sea-man regardeth so the businesse within boord as alwaies observing the way of his ship and also looking to his Chart and Compasse for the accomplishing of his voyage In the comforts and joyes of life in things temporall we ever hope that to morrow will be better than to day and when that comes we fall short still Deterior semper posterior dies seldome comes a better But for the joy of our salvation the more we taste of it the more we thirst after it and as we grow in grace we increase in spirituall joy and as our tast so our desire of eternall life doth increase that we thinke long till we appeare before our God in Sion 2 Sinne depriveth us of this joy for when our conscience accuseth us of having done that which displeaseth our God how can we hope that he who is not the God of our obedience should be the God of our salvation Sinne is a thing so hatefull to God that his soule abhorreth it Adam the first sinner hid himselfe Caine beleeved himselfe banisht from the presence of the Lord. The spirit of God departed from Saul sinne turneth our prayers into it selfe If I regard wickednesse in my heart Dominus non exaudiet me the Lord will not heare me sinne turnes our praises of God into the sacrifice of fooles There can be no peace to the sinner so long as we continue in a state of sinne without search of Gods gratious pardon wee are in the deepe pit if we then despaire the pit shutteth its mouth upon us if yet we hope there is no health in our bones because of our sinne till God hath sealed our pardon and that his spirit doe witnesse with ours that wee are in his favour Doe not our owne corruptions and the evill counsels of the ungodly and the temptations of Sathan worke strongly upon us when they prevaile against the joy of our salvation We under value that joy very basely when we change it for any other that holds out in number weight and measure that filleth the measure full and presseth it downe and maketh it runne over Dic animae meae salus tua sum say to my soule I am thy salvation let mee have thy word for that and then as Saint Augustine saith hic ure hic seca here burne here cut me we shall not feare them that kill the body for if wee had all the joyes of the world we could hold them but during this life this joy survives our death Satietie of other joyes breeds surfet of this thirst beati qui esuriunt c. blessed are they that hunger c. Whereas David desireth to be restored to this joy we see our evill condition we cannot tell when we be well when we have joy the best and truest joy that can be we part with it for vanitie of vanities and when we feele the want of it we complaine It is the weakenesse of our judgement we cannot value good things so priceably in the possession of them as in the subduction Carendo magis quà m fruendo by wanting more then enjoying is an old rule of our imperfect reason Godlinesse should ever be joyned with contentednesse and our desires should be limited to our enjoyings when wee affect any thing beyond Gods allowance we are often abated in the allowance and our vast and unlawfull desires are corrected by withdrawing from us the good that
griefe so inward as in anima in the soule yet so sensible as nos vidimus we saw it How were the rivers of their bloud which runne in the channels of their veines to water the earth of which they are made frozen and congealed that they had neither mercy to pitty their fathers sonne nor so much tendernesse as to looke another way nos vidimus we saw Seeing malice and envy had taken away their hearts why had it left the eyes open to let in so unpleasing a sight Thou shouldest not have looked on the day of thy brother Thou shouldest not have looked on their affliction in the day of their calamity oculi augâ—â—â— dolorâ—m commonly that the eye sees not the heart grieves not here the mercies of the brethren were all turned eruell 4 I but perchance Ioseph might thanke his owne stout heart for their cruell usage of him for many times our own untemperate carriage in afflictions brings fewell to the fire that scorcheth us and blowes more breath into the tempest of winde that bestormeth us But Iosephs brethren have not this excuse they confesse their brother resisted them not but with humble entreaties they confesse he besought us The petition of a soule in anguish faire-spoken and humble hath pierced hard hearts and relented cruell intentions of evill but it wrought not here for 5 They confesse we would not heare They did heare the request of their brethren but they would not heare for they will not heare that doe not heare to doe what they are requested I have prest this example the more to declare how troubles awake the conscience from a dead sleepe and turn our eyes into our owne bosomes that if there lye a notoriouâ— unrepented sinne in the heart stoned as low as Jonah who lay asleepe in the bottome of the shippes Hold affliction will romage the ship and will cry as the Mariners to Ionah Awake thou sleeper and bring it above hatches Therefore it is wisedome by confession by repentance and prayer to quit our consciences so soone as we can of such sinnes Here is a sinne of bloud almost a full yeare old and though Nathan hath pronounced Gods pardon of it the conscience of David is not yet at rest his thoughts are upon it and his prayers be concerning it 2 Another of Sathans seasons to call such speciall sinnes to remembrance is when we are neare our end that is a season wherein many of the faithfull servants of God have dangerous and fearefull conflicts with Sathan After his 40. daies temptation of Christ in the wildernesse it is said that he departed from him for a season Once he borrowed the heart and tongue of an Apostle even of Peter to tempt him but Christ resented him and said Get thee behinde me Sathan but he confesseth a little before his passion The Prince of this world commeth but he hath nothing in me There is his advantage against us when any speciall sinnes lye upon the conscience unrepented then he hath something of his in us This makes many an aking heart upon death-beds for then judgement is at hand and the old flatterie of sinne Dominus tardabit the Lord will delay is removed by the sensible decay of the body and the evident symptomes of approaching death The widdow of Sarepta when her onely sonne was dead was in a storme at Eliah and said unto him What have I to doe with thee O thou man of God art thou come to call my sinne to remembrance and to slay my sonne Did the death of her sonne call her sinne to remembrance bethinke you then how our owne death in sight and sense will call all our sinnes to remembrance that we have done And in this Inventorie if there be any capitall sinne texted and recorded by the conscience in great and capitall letters not yet blotted out by our repentance and Gods gracious pardon how will that sin present it selfe to present remembrance how will it cruciate and torment the inward man even the hid man of the heart Judas his last words gushed out the bowels of his despaire as his last passion did the bowels of his body I have sinned in betraying innocent bloud he had not the heart to breath one miserere have mercy to comfort the agony of his despairing end The penitent convert thiefe on the Crosse was in a better minde he glorified God and his Sonne Christ by a free confession for he rebuked his blasphemous fellow thiefe saying Dost not thou feare God seeing we are in the same condemnation and we indeed justly for wee receive the reward of our deeds but this man hath done nothing amisse This had beene the Crosse of his soule as that he hung on was of his body if his faith had not nailed his sinnes as fast to Christ as Christ was nailed for them to his Crosse which he declared in the next words And he said unto Iesus Lord remember me when thou commest into thy kingdome which was answered with bodie mecum cris to day thou shalt be with me It is worthy our observing that Iesus Christ did institute the holy Sacrament of his Passion the evening before his suffering as it were acting his death in visible demonstration before he under-went it To teach how effectuall the death of Christ is against our sinnes and for preparation of the soule for her remove hence And from hence it is that the holy Church hath not only offered this Sacrament as the bread of our spirituall life to nourish it but hath commended it also to sicke persons upon their death beds as viaticum animae the provision of the soule so the Councell of Nice calleth it That the conscience being then purged from all sinne may receive Iesus Christ inâ—o it And in this holy action our search of our hearts will soone finde out any eminent and notorious sinne to confesse and repent it that the conscience may be disburthened and that the soule of man may be domus pacis the house of peace for otherwise we receive that Sacrament unworthily to our condemnation Our Saviour is precise in this If thou bring thy gift to the Altar and there remembrest that thy brother hath ought against thee More if God have ought against thee leave there thy gift Goe and be reconciled et offer and then bring it This is a Sacrament from God to us it is a sacrifice from us to God If any great extraordinary sinne lye upon the conscience we had best exonerate us thereof for we and our gift will else be unacceptable to him If God receive our gift he will not refuse us for he looketh first upon Abel then on his sacrifice we make our offering acceptable not that us Now because our sinnes lye so heavy especially our notorious sinne this or that particular transgression upon our conscience in the agonie of death Christ hath ordained a gracious remedy that upon our repentance the faithfull Minister of the Word should