more then for ninetie and nine iust men that neede no amendment of life And when he saith there shall be ioy in heauen he doeth not exclude the God of heauen for what ioy can be in heauen and among the cratures of heauen if the God of heauen remaine displeased therfore thy repentance remoueth all cause of loathing from God and receiueth therein all content and in particular it giueth content to the Angels of heauen All cause of loathing offence is taken from them and in place thereof they reioice and are glad for thy conuersion It is said in the same place of the Gospel Likewise I said vnto you there is ioy in the presence of the Angels of God for one sinner that conuerteth See how thy conuersion altereth the case thy sinne maketh the Angels to loath thee as a filthy and abominable creature thou art no sooner conuerted and changed by thy repentance but they which loathed thee before doe now loue thee they which held the abomminable before doe now esteeme thee as honorable What neede is here of taking away of life to take away and remoue the offence of the Angels repent and it is done amend thy â—…se and thou hast their loue and as thy â—…epentance recouereth loue and grace iâ—… heauen so doeth it in the earth in the Church and among her children What else is the Church but the number of them that by the calling of God are turâ—…ed from their wickednes and infidelitie And can the Church hate the children that by repentance and regeneration are borne againe vnto her the Church inuiteth and calleth to repentance saying Come and let vs goe vp to the mountaine of the Lord to the house of the God of Lacob and he will teach vs his â—…ies and we will walke in his pathes The Church altogether calleth to repeÌ„tance the watchmen and pastors in the Church lift vp their voice as a trumpet and reproue the sinne of the people and teach them the way and will of God and call by doctrine the people and flocke set vp the example of their life according to the commandement of our Sauiour Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good workes and glorifie your father which is in heauen And they call by example all that are truly turned vnto God doe desire that all other may truely turne to God And how then can it he if thou repent thee of thy sinne and turne to the Lord in amendment of life but that the Church and her children that lothed thee before should now loue thee and what is then become of this great and fearefull obiection what neede haue we of killing and murdering the sinner mortifie thy earthly members war against thy fleshly lusts cease from thy sinne and doe that which is right in the sight of God and these reasons that seemed iniustice to vrge a necessity of thy death are vanished away And thou maiest liue to glorifie God and finishing thy daies on earth with comfort and maiest and shalt liue hereâ—…fter in heauen Al which is ouerthrown with thy wicked resolution Besides these reasons that seemed to proue it a matter of iustice when yet â—…othing can bee deuised more vniust â—…ou hast other reasons that seeme to â—…ooue it a matter of aduantage when â—…deed it were the greatest of all losses 〈◊〉 can hoppen vnto thee First thou â—…kest by doing execution vpon thy 〈◊〉 that thou shalt glorifie God in thy â—…th whom thou neuer haddest care to â—…lorifie all the daies of thy life and this cannot but turne to thy aduantage to 〈◊〉 found so zealous of Gods glory that 〈◊〉 art willing to furder it with the 〈◊〉 of thy life Secondly thou thinkest 〈◊〉 by cutting of thine owne life thou 〈◊〉 then cease to sinne which during 〈◊〉 life thou hast not done but hast continued to multiply iniquity euery day And indeed he that is dead is freed from â—…ning after the manner of the liuing â—…or when Achan was stoned hee could â—…eale no more When Zimri was thrust â—…orow the body by Phinâ—…as hee could commit fornication no more When Achitophel had hanged himselfe and Ioab had smitten Absolom they could conspire in treason no more And this cannot but turne to thy aduantage that thou shalt no more sinne against God Thirdly thou thinkest that thy death shall 〈◊〉 with it an end of all thy troubles of all thy paine of all thy feare and indeed it bringeth with it an end of all the momentary troubles of this life both past present and to come Famine hauing once killed the famished shall hunger no more the sword hauing once slaine the dead shal neuer feare wounds any more If sicknesse haue deuoured and brought to the graue the consumed parts shall grone and languish no more The fire the water the prison the racke the tyrant the hang-man can torment and kil no more And in one word death deliuereth from all the labours troubles dangers and euils of this life if there be not other troubles and euils of another world it freeth from all and this thou esteemest so great an aduantage as that euen the most fearefull should for it desire seeke and imbrace death These reasons also let vs examine that thou maiest not bee deceiued and perish The first reason seeming to proue it a â—…atter of aduantage is this thou thinkest by doing this execution that thou â—…alt glorifie God by thy death whom thou hast had no care to glorifie all the daies of thy life And some beneficiall reward must needs be due vnto thee for so great care of glorifying God I might wonder iustly to heare this reason come from thee for they which intend to doe 〈◊〉 such thing vnto themselues haue little care or thought of Gods glory and I am sure they haue no rule for it that by destroying themselues they do gloryfie God and may thinke that God would haue them by any such course seeke to glorifie him This was a tricke of the prince of darknesse cunningly â—…ut vpon thee who turning his selfe into an Angell of light when he goeth about both to destroy thee and to dishonour God by this vngodly fact would make thee beleeue that it were a holy and vertuous action seruing greatly to the glory of God And with this cunning the subtill Serpent hath preuailed too far with many weake ones God deliuer thee from him Indeed God is honoured greatly by the destruction of the wicked as he saith to Moses When the children of Israel going out of Aegypt were directed to goe by the way of the Red-sea through the Wildernesse Pharao will say of the children of Israel they are tangled in the land the Wildernesse hath shut them in and I will harden Pharaos heart that hee shall follow after you So I will get me honour vpon Pharao and vpon all his host And after when Pharao with his host was come forth after Israel and God
had commanded Moses to goe toward the sea to lift vp his rod and streich out his hand vpon the sea that a way being opened in the diuided waters Israel might goe thorow he said Behold I will harden the hearts of the Aegyptians that they may follow them and I will get me honour vpon Pharao and vpon all his host vpon his Chariots and vp on his Horse-men Then the Aegyptians shal know that I am the Lord when I haue gotten me honour vpon Pharao vpon his Chariots and vpon his Horse-men And how was this honour gotten but by destroying those wicked men for after they were entered in betweene the waâ—…ts at Gods commandement Moses stretched forth his hand vpon the sea and the sea returned to his force early in the â—…ning and the Aegyptians fled against 〈◊〉 but the Lord ouerthrew the Aegyptians in the middest of the sea So the water returned and couered the Chariots and the Horse-men euen all the hoast of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them there reâ—…ained not one of them Heere was honour gotten by the destruction of the Aegyptians But marke how he speakes of it I will get me honour vpon Pharao and vpon all his Host. Hee got it they did not giue it him they had no intent to doe him honor and to make his name glorious but he tooke it hee wrought it out for himselfe by his mighty power in their destruction hee made himselfe â—…nowen to be a iust a mighty and vpright God that giueth to euery man according to his workes and respecteth to mans person and is able to bridle tyrants and to cut of the vngodly whatsoeuer they be Thus he glorifieth himselfe by winning the praise of a holy iust and omnipotent God when he cutteth off the wicked and bringeth them down into destruction They that perish had no intent to glorifie him nor may they looke for any thankes or reward in regard of the glory that God hath by them for they neuer studied to yeeld him any such praise he wonne it altogether against their minde and purpose And so in thy case if thou shouldest persist in thy vngodly purpose and shouldest out of thine owne daies by killing thy selfe thy frowardnesse and wickednes should turne to his praise his iustice should appeare to his great glory But to thee no thankes nor reward should be due as if thou haddest intended and laboured to bring glorie to his name for what hast thou doâ—…e that thou canst thinke agreeable to his will and worthy of his acceptation and reward Did he euer giue thee any authority to take away the life of any shew thy commission and warrant from God that thy obedience and care to set vp Gods praise may appeare in thy lawfull and warrantable action Many trespasses of subiects deserue death and it is the Kings honour that wickednesse in his people be punished but is it lawfull presently for a priuate man to kill that trespasser because hee hath iustly deserued death he that doth it without authority and warrant from the King shall hee not bee culpable of murder If authority be giuen thee it is thy praise to doe iustice if thou haue no authority that act of iustice will be thy sinne it will bee iustice to him that is slaine but it will be murder in thee that diddest take away his life So howsoeuer thy sinne doe deserue death yet if thou kill thy selfe without authority and God neuer gaue authority nor wil giue to any to kill himselfe thou sinnest presumptuously and insteede of honouring God doest dishonour him first in committing wickednesse and secondly in preuenting the noble honour of God which he might haue won in forgiuing thy sinne Gods glory is sought and often wrought by aduenturing thy life in his seruice yea by loosing thy life in his seruice this hee often requireth and euer rewardeth Therein a man truely sheweth that he preferreth Gods glory before his owne life Thus the Prophets and Apostles and all holy Martyrs haue glorfied God by aduenturing first and loosing at last their liues in his seruice It is their comfort their glory their saluation so to yeeld vp their liues to the seruice of the giuer of it But Gods glory is not sought nor wrought by them that in their discontent and impatience grudging at the troubles that hee hath laied vpon them and despairing of his helpe to support and deliuer them doe kill themselues because they will not suffer Therein they truely shew themselues enemies of Gods glory grudgers at Gods will preferring euen to the losse of life their owne wil before Gods will their owne vniust will refusing to beare the correction of God before his iust will in correcting them Can there be a more proud a more wilfull a more wicked and obstinat opposition against God then this that a man shall say I wil die before I will indure this at Gods hands and after to doe it because hee may not haue his will against God Neuer any Prophet neuer any Apostle or holy man euer did so There is no comfort nor glory in it but dispaire horror and eternall confusion in it This therfore is a most false and wicked reason Thou shalt truely glorifie God if thou amend thy life thou shalt but dishonour and offend him in ending thy life Thy second reason grounded vpon supposed aduantage is this Thou thinkest that by cutting of thy life thou shalt sinne no more And to cease from sinne thou holdest to bee very pleasing vnto God and so it will proue beneficiall to thee This reason is full of fraude For first where thou thinkest that after death thou shalt sinne no more I deny it to be true in all men otherwise then thus that they can no more sinne after the manner of this world they cannot betweene death and the resurrection giue their members that laie leueles in the graue and turue to dust As weapons of vnrighteousnesse vnto sinne Ahabs false Prophets being dead can lie vnto him â—…o more Ioab being dead can murder â—…o more the swearer the adultery tho thief being dead can with their tongues blaspheme no more with their hands rob spoile no more nor pollute their members by vncleannesse any more but doth it follow therefore that they sinne no more is not the hatred of God sin impatiency in suffering deserued damnation is it no sinne can any imagine that damned soules haue laied off al maliciousnesse and that those men that while they liued and were called vpon to serue the Lord were allured by many blessings giuen and by promise of many more were threatned with Gods iudgements and felt also some fauourable and easie corrections would yet neuer hearken to the voice of God would neuer loue him neuer feare him neuer cease from sinne neuer regard to amend their waies but continued obstinate and died in their ignorance stubbornnesse malice and all their sinne can any imagine that these assoone as they are
fall into misery is of infinite variety no man can number the seuerall miseries and troubles that sinne hath made our life subiect vnto yet they may be reduced to two generall heads for either they are iudgements vpon the inward man inward miseries and afflictions vpon the soule or else they are outward iudgements vpon the outward man in outward things that touch not the peace of the soule The inward iudgements and miseries which follow the fall into sin and wherinto for sinne man falleth are either the blinding of our vnderstanding and the hardening of our heart often inflicted as punishments of foregoing sinnes and such was the iudgâ—…ment of God vpon Pharao whose heart God hardened and such a iudgement and misery the Apostle Paul telleth vs the Gentiles fell into as a punishment of precedent sins when he saith Wherefore also God gaue them vp to their hearts lusts vnto vncleannesse to deâ—…ile their owne bodies betweene themselues And in many more words he recordeth that iudgement or they are those feares and terrours of heart that cast vs downe from hope that empty our soules of comfort fill them with feares and make vs as it were to stagger shrinke and fall in our faith of this kind is that iudgement that God threaâ—…neth by Moses in these words the Lord shall simite thee with madnesse and with blindnesse and astonishment of heart when a man is amased and confounded with his feares that hee knoweth not which way to turne him for comfort and helpe and deepe fallen into this miserie were they whom Esay speaketh of saying The sinnes in Sion are afraid a feare is come vpon the hipocrites who among vs shall dwell with the deuouring fire who among vs shall dwell with the euerlasting burnings They conceiued no otherwise of God then of a consuming fire and therefore feare possessed altogither their hearts hope vanished faith had no abiding there And all these inward miseries falling immediately vpon the soule and the facultie thereof tend chiefely to this to ouerthrow our faith by decay of it to ouerthrow vs for faith is the firme standing of our soule grounded vpon the assurance of Gods mercy Therefore doeth the Apostle vse this phrase Watch you stand fast in the faith quit you like men and be strong Because he that hath the stronger faith standeth the more strong and steadfast and hee that hath the weaker faith standeth more weakely and loose and thoug the faith of the Saints of God once giuen vnto them neuer totally decaieth for as the Lord Iesus saith hee praied for the continuance and confirmation of Peters faith to whom he said I haue praied for thee that thy faith faile not So he praied for all his chosen ones that beleeue in him when he said to his father I pray not for these alone but for them also which shall beleeue in mee thorough their word Yet the faith of the Saintes suffereth sometimes an eclipse or deceasing at some other times an increasing whereby as in the increasing of their faith they stand fast and are full of comfort so in the deceasing of their faith their footing becommeth slipperie and they take many sore falles feele their hearts oppressed with feare as it was with Dauid when he cried out My God my God why hast thou forsaken mee and art so far from my health and from the words of my roaring And when he complained at another time saying Mine heart trembleth within mee and the terrors of death are fallen vpon mee feare and trembling are come upon mee and an horrible feare hath couered mee In this manner their faith at that time being in the wane the righteous oppressed with a weight of anguish and feare doe often fall through the shrinking of their faith and feele themselues sore bruised in their soules But yet such is the mercy of God that he doeth not suffer the righteous being fallen into these inward iudgements and miseries to fall for euer And if it be a blinded vnderstanding or a hardned heart that they are fallen into he raiseth them vp out from a blinded vnderstanding by sending the knowledge of the 〈◊〉 As the Lord Iesus sent Paul among the ignorant Gentiles with this commission I send thee to open their 〈◊〉 that they may turne from darkenes to light c. And he raiseth them vp from hardnes of heart by mollifying their hearts as hee promiseth by Ezekiel saying I will take away the stonâ—…e heart out of your body and I will giue you an heart of flesh And if they be fallen into any feare and terror of conscience he raiseth them vp by repairing their faith and by reuiuing their comfort To that end he bringeth to their remembrance the large promises of his grace the boundles measure of his mercy the riches of his free vnchangeable loue and then doeth hee make them remember that they haue a mediator that died for their sinnes and rose againe for their iustification and ascended into heauen to prepare a place for them and sitteth on the right hand of his father in highest fauour and greatest authoritie to make intercession for them continually vrging the vertue of his death and bloudshedding that hath taken away the sinne of the world who is the prince of peace that hath made their peace and is that beloued sonne in whom the father is well pleased making vs accepted in that his beloued To the same end doeth he spread the beames of his louing countenance and cause the light thereof to shine within their consciences sending downe the spirit of adoption into their hearts to beare witnes with their spirits that they are the sonnes of God so raking together the sparkes of their almost smothered faith from among the cold ashes of anguish and feare where it lay deepe couered giuing heate and life vnto it with the warming fire of his comfort so that they begin to lift vp their heads and to reioice their hearts and to shake of their their sorrow and feare and to glorie in God saying with the blessed virgin My soule magnifieth the Lord and my spirit reioiceth in God my Sauiour And with the Prophet Dauid Thou hast tnrned my mourning into ioy thou hast loosed my sacke and girded mee with gladnes And that God doeth thus not suffring the righteous to fall and languish in these inward miseries for euer besides the experience of Gods elect daily renewed with light and grace and daily refreshed with comfort and peace the scriptures also doe testifie it to be the gracious manner of Gods dealing with his chosen The Prophet saith of him Hee healeth those that are broken in heart and bindeth vp their soares These words can be referred to no other worke of God for the more sure and full performance whereof God sent his sonne into the world who came to call sinners vnto repentance and to seeke and saue them that
darknes Or else hauing in time of our securitie giuen way vnto our owne lusts vnto the worlds allurements and to Satans temptations our sinnes are called to remembrance are set in order against vs with full manifestation of the wickednes of them of all that wrath that they haue kindled ni heauen and of all that punishment that they haue deserued in hell to the incredible terror of our conscience Vnder these two heades of the lustes of the flesh and accusing thoughts of the dominion of sinne and the reward of sinne fall all those spirituall burdens that are heauie to the honest minde and to the humbled spirit And of these I haue giuen aduice in the second place that if it happen to be last learned yet it may be longest remembred And because the burden of accusing thoughts is euen as the gates of hell for it is true that Saint Gregorie saith Inter multiples humanae animae tribulationes among the manifold tribulations of the soule of man and the innumberable troubles of afflictions Nulla est maior quam conscientiâ—… delictorum there is none greater then the conscience of our sinnes Hee might haue said none like it none equall vnto it for in other troubles which are in a sort without vs and striue to breake in vpon the heart the troubled man saith Gregorie Ingressus in interiora mentis penetraliâ—… entering in into the closet of his heart there calleth vpon God where no man seeth yea also he shutteth the dore of his heart against these assailing troubles keepeth peace within But malae conscientiae tribulationem perferens in arcano cordis deum non inuenit He that indureth this tribulation of an euill conscience of a wounded conscience still accusing findeth not God in the secret of his heart hath not that free as a retiring place where quietly he may conser with God but the plague beginneth within his heart and the fire is kindled in the mouth of the spring where the liuing waters of comfort should flow Therefore in that argument I haue laboured to be more full and not onely in a direct path haue led the afflicted sinner to see his sinne to bee pardonable and himselfe to be allowed yea commanded to craue forgiuenes of it and God also bound by promise to grant it which he will doe and hauing promised cannot denie to doe if we seeke it aright and may doe without any impeachment of his holy and seuere iustice hauing receiuâ—…d full satisfaction in the death and sacrifice of his Sonne But because the old serpent is subtile and the poore sinner is weake and that cunning craftsmaster of all tentations and snares doeth sophistically frame many dangerous arguments and putteth them into the minde and mouth of the affrighted and distempered sinner making him ouer wittie to disclaime his part in God and his inheritance in heauen and ouer confident in his feare and ouer resolute in his doubting so to driue him if it might bee and which the diuel doeth most desire into finall despaire therefore haue I at large answered those arguments out of the word of God and with the sword of the spirit I haue eat asunder the cords of those snaring obiections which the enemie had bound more fast and close then were the cordes of Gordius and â—… haue indeuoured to doe this in a plaine and familiar stile Others dedicate their workes to honorable patrons because they are worthy of honorable patronage I haue no such opinion of mine I offer my labour as a louing seruice vnto thee They seeke a defender I seeke a reader not one to countenance or commend what is written but one that might profit by that which I haue written and therefore I present it to thee that art wearie and laden together with my heartie praier vnto God for thee that it may be by Gods blessing a meanes of thy refreshing intreating thee to read it thorough againe to read all that part that concerneth the last burden which is the burden of accusing thoughts to thee the most heauie Learne thou to depend vpon God to feare him and to abstaine from sinâ—…e he will be vnto thee a Father of mercy and a God of comfort Vnto whose mercy in Iesus Christ I commend thee taking my leaue this 21. of Ianuary From my house in Wool-church in London Thine in the Lord IOHN HAIVVARD The Contents of the seuerall Chapters of this booke THE first Chapter sheweth the context And diuideth the text pag. 1. 2 The second Chapter maketh obseruation from the person instructing pag 3. 3 The third Chapter maketh obseruation from the person instructed pag. 6. 4 The fourth Chapter diuideth the instruction into a precept and a promise and in the precept sheweth what is ment by the name of burden and setteth downe the seuerall sorts of burdens pag. 9 5 The fift Chapter teacheth what it is to cast our burden vpon God in generall rules without reference to any particular sort of burdens pag 21. 6 The sixt Chapter giueth warning of two particular sorts of burdens that must not be cast vpon God pag. 31. 7 Our burdens to be cast vpon God being some secular some spirituall The seuenth Chapter teacheth how to cast the first secular burden of worldly cares and want of things necessarie vpon God pag. 36. 8 The eight Chapter teacheth generall rules how to cast the second secular burden of domesticall troubles vpon God pag. 52. 9 The ninth Chapter teacheth particular rules for the casting of particular domesticall troubles vpâ—…n God pag. 71. 10 The tenth Chapter teacheth how to cast the third secular burden of troubles more remote vpon God pag. 123. 11 The eleuenth Chapter teacheth how to cast the fourth and last burden of secular troubles which is the difficulties of our callings vpon God pag 140. 12 The spirituall burdens arâ—… either the rebelling lustes of the flesh the honest mans burden or accusing thoughts breeding terrors of conscience the humbled mans burden The twelfe Chapter teacheth how to cast the burden of rebelling lustes vpon God pag. 152 13 The thirtenth Chapter beginning with accusing thoughts if the sinner be charged in a generall confused manner with an euill heart teaching how to seeke ease by casting that burden vpon God pag. 172. 14 If the sinner be charged with particular sinnes and findes them done in the time of his ignorance the 〈◊〉 Chapter teacheth him how to seeke ease by casting that burden vpon God pag. 189. 15 If his particular sinne were committed against his knowledge but either the sodaine tentation gaue him no time to consider or the violent tentation left him no power to resist the fifteenth Chapter teacheth how to seeke ease by casting this burden vpon God pag. 197. 16 If his particular sinne were committed with full consent of will the sixteenth Chapter teacheth how to obtaine ease by casting this burden vpon God because onely the sinne against the Holy Ghost is vnpardonable And his sinne