that Act of his patience no less than his power Now I beseech thee let the power of my Lord be great according as thou hast spoken The Lord is long-suffering c. where you see he makes his patience his power And so it is indeed if you consider what sin is Shall I say no more of it than this which God saith Levit. 26.21 It is contrary to God 1 It is contrary to the works of God 1 Sin contrary to Gods works As soon as God set up and perfected the frame of the world sin gave a shrewd shake to all it unpin'd this frame and had like to have pull'd all in pieces again And had it not been for the promise of Christ all this frame had fallen in pieces again If a man should come into a curious Artificers shop and should with one blow dash in pieces a Piece of Art which cost him many years study and pains the contriving of it How could he bear with it Thus sin did and yet that God should forbear Oh! Omnipotent patience 2. But yet further It is Contrary to Gods nature 2 Sin contrary to Gods Nature God is holy sin unholy God is pure sin is filthy and therefore compar'd still to the most filthiest things in the world to the Poyson of Aspes to Ulcers Soars c. If all the Noysom Pollutions in the world met in one common Stuk it would never equal the Pollution of sin God is good perfect Good Sin is evil universally evil There is good in all other things Plague Sickness Hell it self in a kinde hath a good in it None in sin Sin is the Practical-blasphemy of all the name of God It is the Dare of his Justice the Rape of his Mercy the Jeer of his Patience the Slight of his Power the Contempt of his Love It is every way contrary to God 3. It is contrary to the will of God God bids us Do this 3 Sin contrary to the will of God Sin saith I will not do it Sanctifie my Sabbath I will not sanctifie it Here is Contradiction And who can endure Contradiction It is set down as a great piece of Christs sufferings Heb. 12.3 That he indured the contradiction of sinners against himself certainly it was a great suffering How can a Wiseman indure to be contradicted by a fool And here that Christ who was The Wisdom of the Father should bear with such contradiction from fools here vvas a great piece of Suffering Now sin is a contradiction of God Sets Will against Wisdom and the Hell of a wicked Will against an Heaven of Infinite Wisdom And that God should bear vvith such sinners here is a Wonder You knovv in all the Creatures Contrariety makes all the Combustion It makes all the War in nature it causeth one Element to fight against another Fire against Water Water against Fire It will make very Stones to sweat and burst asunder Travel through the vvhole Creation and you shall not see Any Creature that can bear vvith its Contrary And that God and Sin should be Contrary and yet the Sinner live in the World Here is a Wonder a VVonder of Patience 2 Admire Gods mercy in pardoning sin 2. Is sin so Great an Evil Let us then fall down and Admire the greatness of Gods mercy in pardoning sin You see how the Prophet cryes out and Admires Mic. 7.18 Who is a God like unto thee That pardoneth iniquity and passeth by the Transgressions of the remnant of his heritage It is one of the Greatest works that God doth in the world To pardon sin A work in which he declares All his glorious Attributes His Wisdom his Power his Justice his Mercy his Holiness c. in pardoning sin Men that have cheap and slight thoughts of Gods Pardoning-Mercy have thereby an evident sign They never had a pardon never knew what it was indeed To have a pardon If ever any work in the world did put God to it then this of the Pardon of sin And if ever God do intend thee any good he will instruct thee and rectifie thy judgement in this Touching the Pardon of sin Therefore doth God humble men at their Bringing-in To raise up their esteem of a pardon To advance the greatness of his own Mercy in Pardoning sin And indeed we should not need such great Preparations and Humiliations in coming to Christ if we had but Greater thoughts of the Pardon of sin Men make no more of a Pardon than to Cry God Mercy Swear an oath and then say God forgive me Or say Lord have mercy on me when I dye It was said of Lewis the 11. King of France that He wore a Crucifix in his hat and when he had sinned he would but kiss his Crucifix and then all was done And so the Papists make it no more but a Crucifix and a Confession Ah! my Brethren if ever God mean good to you he will make you Know what a Pardon is Isa 55.7 when God would draw men up to Shew them a Pardon he calls them Above all the World My thoughts are not as your thoughts nor your ways my ways saith the Lord. If they were then I could not multiply Pardons But as the Heavens are higher than earth so are my thoughts above your thoughts and my ways above your ways I am infinite If Gods Creating-mercy were so great as David vvith doubled Admiration sets it out Psal 8.1 and the last verses O Lord our Lord how wonderful is thy Name in all the world who hast set thy Glory above the Heavens What is then his Pardoning Mercy 3. Lastly Is sin so Great an Evil Then see What cause we have to humble our souls before God this day That vve have had such slight thoughts of sin vvho hath thus judged sin to be the Greatest of all Evils What slight thoughts have vve of sin vve can svvallovv it vvithout fear vve can live in it vvithout sense vve can commit it vvithout remorse All vvhich shevvâ— vve have but slight thoughts of sin vve do not apprehend sin to be such an evil as indeed it is Nay Hovv faulty are Gods people themselves here What mean thoughts have they of sin They are not so watchful against it not so Burdened vvith it not so troubled for it as they ought to be All vvhich shevvs that though sin do appear to them to be A great Evil and The Greatest of all other Evils yet they do not apprehend it to be so Great an Evil as it is Now that you may be able to have some suitable conceptions of sin to the greatness of it that you may be able to see sin exceeding sinful I will briefly present it to you in these Six Glasses 1. Look upon it In the Glass of Nature which though it be but a Dim-Glass a Blown-Glass Sin hath dimmed it yet is this able to discover a great deal of the evil of sin The very Heathen themselves have seen and judged many
sins to be the greatest of evils Though Spiritual sins were hid from them their light was not able to discover Infidelity and Gospel-sins yet Moral-sins they have discovered and have avoided them and would hazard themselves nay and suffer too rather than they would commit such sins The examples of Plato Scipio Cato and many others will clear this And all this was discovered by the Glass of Nature done by Nature but not by meer Nature fallen but by Nature well-husbanded by Nature improved by the implantation of Moral Principles together with Restraining Grace and other common gifts of the Spirit The Greatness of their Hatred against sin the Greatness of their Care to avoid sin the Greatness of their Sufferings rather than they would commit sin might be enough to discover to us the Greatness of the Evil of sin But pass by this 2. The second Glass wherein you may see the greatness of sin is The Glass of the Law A Glass which discovers sin in all its Dimensions the Guilt Demerit Filthiness and Sinfulness of sin Hence the Apostle Rom. 7.7 saith I had not known sin but by the Law that is I had not known sin so hainous as it is I had not known sin in the wideness and latitude of it I had not known the sinfulness of sin if it had not been for the Law if the Law had not been a Glass to have discovered sin to me This discovered sin in its Greatness David Psal 119.96 I have seen an end of all Perfection but thy Law is exceeding broad that is by revealing the compass of sin in proportion to its Wideness and Greatness Oh! This will discover to thee more nakedness in one sin than all the world can cover more indigency in one sin than all the Treasures of created righteousness in heaven and earth are able to supply more obliquity and injustice in one sin in a very wandring thought than all the Deaths of men and Annihilations of Angels are able to Expiate Search into the Law and thou shalt discover Thousands of sins which fall under Any One Law of God Oh! Here is A Glass 3. Look upon sin in The Glass of the Griefs Woundings Peircings and Sorrows which the Saints have found 1. In their Admissions and first Entrance into the state of Grace 2. In their Relapsings and Turnings again to folly 1. For the first See what Groans Humiliations they have indured in their first admissions into an estate of Grace in Manasseth 2 Chron. 33.12 in Paul Acts 9. in the Converted Jews Acts 2.37 when the nails which peirced Christ now stuck in their hearts as the arrow in the stags side How many of the Saints have there been who have been cast into a bed of miserable sorrow lain bed-rid under the stroke of Justice perhaps for many years And all this for sin No age is without a Thousand examples of it 2. Look upon the sorrows and breakings which the Saints have indured upon their Relapsing into sin See in Peter in David Read what sad expressions he hath in Psalm 6. from vers 1. to vers 7. and in Psalm 32.3 4 5 verses So Psalm 51. How doth he complain how his Soul is troubled his bones are broken his eyes are consumed with sorrow his bed swims with tears And all this for sin Here is a Glass wherein you may see the Evil of sin to be the Greatest Evil. Yea and the least sin when God sets it on will do all this 4. Look upon sin in Adam and there see the greatness of it That one sin of Adam hath brought All the Miseries Sickness Death c. upon All his Posterity since that time It hath been the Damnation of thousands of millions of men and still it runs on Gods justice is still unsatisfied if it were there would be a stop We should Dye no more Be sick no more c. Oh! Here you may see sin sin in its Extensiveness 5. Look upon sin in Christ See there what Humblings what Breakin gs what Woundings what Peircings what Wrath it brought upon Christ himself It was that which mingled that Bitter Cup with such woful ingredients which had we but fipt of it when it was so tempered would have laid our souls under more wrath than All the damned in Hell do suffer Christ did Bear Pure Justice for sin Nay it made him who was God as well as man sanctified by the Spirit to that work strengthned by the Deity To sweat drops of blood and even to struggle and seem to draw back and pray against the work of his own Mercy and to decline the business of his own coming into the world Ah! none knows but Christ nor is a finite understanding able to conceive what Christ underwent when he was to Bear sin and with that To wrestle with the infinite wrath and justice of the infinite God the Terrors of death and the Powers of the world to come Here is a Glass wherein you may see The greatness of sin The wideness of sin The guilt of sin The demerit of sin All which are set out to the life in the Death Sufferings Breakin gs and Woundings of the Son of God You that make light of sin go to Christ and ask him How heavy it was even that which you make so light of which pressed him down to the ground And the least sin would have pressed thee and all the pillars of heaven to the Bottom of Hell for ever 6. A sixth Glass Look upon sin in the Damnation of the soul for ever that nothing would satisfie the justice of God but the Destruction of the Creature No Sickness no Prisons no Blood no Sufferings but the Sufferings of Hell And those not for a Time but for Ever Ah! see here the greatness of sin which might be further amplified by the consideration of the preciousness of the soul which yet sin ruines to all eternity And therefore would you know sin Quaere Damnatos Ask the damned what sin is Lay thy Ear to Hell and hear those Skreechings those Howlings those Roarings of the Damned And all this is for sin Oh they are dear-bought pleasures which must be thus payed for with everlasting pains Thus you see what sin is by all these Glasses And therefore Oh! how ought we to be Humbled for our slight thoughts of sin which is so great an Evil USE Now if it be so Then see what need we have to Aggravate sin to the utmost in our confessions of sin because all we can say of it will fall infinitely short of the Haâ—nousness of sin You can aggravate no sin so high as to raise it above it selfe as to make sin greater than it is You can have No Magnifying Glass to greaten sin above the Greatness of it You have such Glasses to make greater other things above their own higness which are able to present small things great mean things of vast bigness But you have no Glass to multiply sin and make sin
what sweat what blood hee hath laid out to save us and how easily hee might have damned us Oh! this melts and dissolves the soul the soul even crumbles into dust and dissolves into water under the thoughts of it You see this set down in Ezek. 36.31 Then shall you remember your doings Then when when God shall expresse love as you see vers 25 26. why thâ—n will the soul say to it self as Absolom to Hushi is this thy kindness to thy friend art thou so cruel to him who hath been so kinde to thee so evil to him who hath been so good to thee Oh these thoughts do lay a man in the dust God hath taken such a way to justifie and save men that if wee bee but men it will break our hearts that wee have offended him Who is it that can read over that place without tears Isa 43.24 25. Thou hast bought mee no sweet Cane with money neither hast thou filled mee with the fat of thy sacrifices but thou hast wearied mee with thine iniquities and hast made mee serve with thy sins thou hast made my mercy to serve my patience to serve with thy sinnes even to look on while thou abusedst mee And what would a man imagine now would follow after this Therefore I will plague thee I will punish thee But read and wonder and read withhold from tears if thou canst if any spark of ingenuity bee in thee I even I am he who blotteth out thine iniquities for my own names sake and will not remember thy sins Here was the wonder of mercy 2. It ariseth from the love of thy soul to God The love of the person offended doth cause a godly man to mourn that hee hath offended him You see David Psal 51. Against thee against thee have I sinned godly sorrow sincere mourning is an ingenuous mourning scarce a thought of Hell and damnation comes into the mind if they do alas these do not trouble him so much as his sin that hee hath grieved and offended so good a God by Sin Hence Zachary hath this expression Zach. 12.10 They shall look upon him whom they have pierced and they shall mourn c. In which there is nothing but pure love the expression is observable the Prophet doth not say they shall mourn as a son for a Father there may bee self-love in that a child may see himself undone in the loss of a father but hee saith they shall mourn as a father for a son in which there is pure love But now with Hypocrites it is neither the consideration of Gods love to them nor any love or good will which they bear to God that makes them mourn but indeed love to themselves they have Sinned and are afraid God will damn them for Sin therefore it is terror no principle of love to God which draws them to mourn for Sin As they hate Sin only in reference to hell so they mourn for Sin only in reference to hell What St. Augustine saith of fear of sin I may say of sorrow for Sin Hee that fears sin for Hell fears not to Sinne but to burn but hee hates sinne indeed who so hates sin as hell it self Qui gehennam metuit non peccare metuit sed ardere So he who sorrows for Sin for fear of hell and wrath hee is not sorry for sin but howles for fear of hell but he sorrows truly who is more grieved for sinning than he is afraid of burning 7. Character Sincere mourning is a friutfull mourning There are paenal tears and fruitful tears Worldly sorrow that is paenal sorrow it is a weeping to weeping but godly sorrow is a fruitful sorrow a weeping to repentance and amendment as the Apostle Godly sorrow works repentance not to bee repented of 2 Cor. 7.10 There is a great deal of difference between the pains of the gout and of a woman in travel the one is pain to pain no fruit of the pain meer torture the other is pain to ease travel to rest a travel to birth Other sorrow is a sorrow to sorrow this is a sorrow to joy as Christ expresseth it under the parable of a woman in travell Sincere mourning is a fruitfull mourning for repentance is like the waters of jealousy which either rot or make fruitful And first It is a heart humbling sorrow 2 It is a soul fattening sorrow by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better 3 It is a grace strengthning a grace increasing sorrow And therefore doth God preserve such springs as these in the hearts of his people on purpose to water the seed of holinesse the garden of graces in the hearts of his people Every grace within us doth look fresh every disposition within us buds shoots forth after a showre of repentant tears that man who hath such springs as these within him his graces must needs flourish they cannot wither nor decay Observe it A mourning Christian is evermore a thriving a growing Christian 4 It is a divorcing sorrow it breaks the league and union between heart and Sin There is a league between the heart and sin they are as neer together as the skin to the flesh as the flesh to the bones the bark to the tree Godly sorrow doth divorce between a mans heart and sinne separates between them it sets the soul at a distance with sin Unsound hearts may mourn may lament sin but leave not Sin they Sin and Repent and Repent and Sin as if their Sinning did but make matter for repenting c. This is like the Drunken mans round his drink goes out in tears and then to drink again Pharaoh could say hee had sinned but hee left not his Sinne Saul could say hee had Sinned too yet hee retained his sinne Judas said the like yet if he had lived he had been the same if God had not changed his heart No if a man should have lain as long in flames as Cain hath and should come out of hell red hot out of flames hee would bee the same man still All the terrors of God all the horrors in the World all the flames of hell cannot change the heart These may dare a man make a man afraid to sin but not hate Sin this must come from a principle of Grace a Gospel work The justice of God may terrify the heart the power of God may awe the heart but it must be the love and mercy of God which must thaw the heart must change the heart Now godly sorrow doth work a change in the soul Job 34.32 such a man saith with Job If I have done iniquity I will do it no more hee lamenteth sin and leaveth Sin he confesseth and forsaketh Sin God forgives and he also foregoes sin Beside these fruits I might name many more which are the fruits of sincere mourning It worketh peace our tears end in joy it worketh spiritual tranquillity of Conscience as it worketh a change And besides these you have seven
Righteousness satisfying both Gods Commanding and his Condemning Justice doing my services bearing my scourges Hence hee is called Jehovah Tsidkenu The Lord our Righteousness by Faith having communion with this Righteousness as if it were our own a Righteousness wrought by us Hence Job 33.26 God shall render to man his Righteousness that is the Righteousness of Christ which is called ours by Faith and is as much ours to justifie and save us as His to glorifie him Hence the Apostle Rom. 8.1 There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ that is to such as are Beleevers for they are all one And why no condemnation They are sinners as well as others It 's true they are And therefore the Apostle doth not say There is nothing worthy of condemnation in them But There is no condemnation Because Christ hath taken away the guilt and condemning power of sin hee hath answered all our debts canceld all Books satisfied for all our sins which did binde us over to condemnation and wrath of God So that wee may say There is no condemnation to such As for the Law it cannot condemn us because wee appeal from the law to the Gospel from the Court of Justice to the Court of Mercy So that the Law hath nothing to do with us And as for the Gospel that cannot condemn us because wee are Beleevers The Gospel doth not require what sinners wee have been what sins wee are guilty of but whether the appealer do beleeve whether wee bee Beleevers or no which being once cleared wee are justified You see this in the poor Publican Hee was dragged forth into the Court of Justice and was there cast Yet the sentence took no hold of him because of his appeal to the Throne of Grace the Court of Mercy where by Faith pleading nothing but Gods Mercy and his own misery God bee merciful to mee a sinner hee went away justified saith the Text Luk. 18.14 And this is the first Royalty of Faith It is an Heart-clearing-Grace which it doth by producing one who hath cleared all and by making us one with him in all hee hath done giving us an interest in all Second Royalty Second Royalty of Faith It s an Heart-cleansing-Grace 2. Faith is an Heart-cleansing-Grace An Heart-purifying and purging-Grace Hence Act. 15.9 it is said Their hearts were purified by Faith Faith opens a way for a stream of blood to run through the soul whereby the soul is washed not from the guilt of sin only but from the filth of sin also The Blood of Christ doth cleanse us from all sin not only from the guilt but from the filth of sin Hence the Apostle If the blood of Bulls and Goats and the ashes of an Heifer sprinkled upon the unclean did purifie the Flesh How much more shall the Blood of Christ who through the Eternal Spirit offered himself without spot purge and cleanse our Consciences from all dead works to serve the living God Heb. 9.13 14. And Faith doth cleanse the Heart 1. Argumentatively 2. Operatively 1. Argumentatively By way of Argument where in Faith takes up Arguments 1. From God 2. From our selves From God and that 1. From his Nature Hee is an holy God and therefore hee will have an holy People A pure God and therefore hee will have a pure People Hence Lev. 11.44 Ye shall be Holy for I am Holy I the Lord your God am Holy The like Lev. 19.2 And Peter urges the same 1 Pet. 1.15 16. As he which hath called you is Holy so be ye Holy in all manner of Conversation For it is written Bee yee Holy for I am Holy 2. From his Mercies 1. In Redeeming us 2. In calling us 3. In Justifying us 4. In promising to glorifie us 1. In Redeeming us Hath Christ dyed for mee and shall not I live to him Hath hee shed his Blood for mee that I should bee Holy and clean And shall I delight in uncleanness Pro me filius Dei jugulatus and filthiness was hee slain for mee and shall I delight in sin Hath hee suffered so much to purifie mee and shall I bee unclean still hath hee done so much to wash mee and shall I bee filthy stil 2. In calling us 1 Pet. 1 15 16. As hee which hath called you is Holy so bee you Holy in all manner of Conversation it is an holy Calling 2 Tim. 1.9 that calleth us to Holiness and Faith a purged ear that hearkeneth to that call 3. In Justifying us Hath hee freed mee from the damning Nature of sin and shall I delight in the defiling nature of sin hath he freed mee from the guilt of sin and shall I love the filth of sin Hath hee done so much to wash mee and shall I bee filthy still Hath hee suffered so much to purifie mee and shall I delight in uncleanness still Hath hee made mee a Member of Christ and shall I bee a filthy Member of so holy a Body Hath hee made mee a Branch and shall I be a polluted-Branch of so holy a Stock Hath hee lifted up the light of his Countenance on mee and shall I ever countenance sin hath hee smiled on mee and shall I ever smile upon sin 4. In Promises to glorifie us 2 Cor. 7.1 Having therefore such precious promises let us cleanse our selves from all filthiness both of Flesh and Spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God As if hee had said Seeing God hath been so mercifull and gracious to us to make us precious Promises let this put us on self-purging and self-purifying Thou look'st for an holy-Heaven and wilt thou not bee holy Thou hopest for Salvation and wilt thou not purifie thy self Hee that hath this Hope purifies himself as God is Pure 1 Joh. 3.3 Thus doth Faith take up Arguments from God his Nature his Mercies 2. It takes Arguments from our selves 1. From the necessity of being cleansed 2. From the conveniency thereof 1 From the Necessity Because otherwise wee can have no assurance of Justification They who are freed from the guilt of sin are freed from the filth of sin They who partake of the Blood of Christ for pardon partake of the water of Christ to purge Christ came by Water and Blood They who will have him a Redeemer must have him also a Refiner to take away their Swiniâ—h nature to wash them inwardly not outwardly for so may a Swine bee 2. Because otherwise wee can never have Assurance of Salvation They who look for new Heavens must have new hearts They who look for Glory must have Grace First Grace then Glory For without Holiness no man can see the Lord. No unclean thing shall enter into the Kingdome of Heaven hee that hath this hope will fit himself for the Place hee will labour to bee a pure person as hee desires to injoy a pure place Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God A pure God a pure Heaven a pure Place requires a pure
Christ is such a Rock as doth derive vertue and strength unto the structure and building Indeed a man may build a weak house upon a strong foundation and the house fall for all that because the rock is a dead thing and cannot impart any of its strength unto the structure But it is not so here Bee the building never so weak yet this Rock can hold it up because it diffuseth its strength into the building Hence 1 Pet. 2.4 5. Christ is called a living not a dead Rock A living stone To whom comming as to a living Stone wee also as lively-stones are built up a spiritual house Which shews the transformation of the building into the nature and firmnesse of the Rock Thus you see Faith is a soul-securing-grace It sets a man upon a soul-securing-bottome It makes God our security who is called The strong-God The mighty-God The Rock of Refuge A defense A Shield A Tower A Fort. An High-place Mich. 4.8 The Tower of his Flock The strong hold of the daughter of Sion A Covert from the storm Isay 32.1 2. Faith makes All-God our security It ingages all-God to be our security His Power And is not this able to secure us His Wisdome And will not this secure us His Truth And will not this secure us His Mercy And cannot all this secure us Hee who trusts in the Lord Mercy shall compasse him on every side Hee is hemm'd in with Mercy Or mercy imbraceth him on every side to secure him As trust doth compasse mercy so mercy doth compass trust As trust imbraceth mercy so mercy imbraceth trust It is not Faith it self that doth secure us But Faith doth make God our security It sets a man upon a soul-securing-bottome on a soul-securing-God on a soul-securing-Power on a soul-securing-Mercy Therefore needs must a Beleeving a Trusting-soul be secure 2. It instates the soul in soul-securing-promises The promises of preservation from trouble Promises of Deliverance out of trouble All the promises which God hath made of Security Faith instates the soul into them all Hee hath promised When wee passe through the waters he will be with us and the waters shall not overflow us When we pass through the fire the flame shall not kindle upon us Isa 43.2 Hee hath promised Hee will stand at our right hand and wee shall not bee moved Psal 16. He will never leave us neither forsake us Heb. 13.6 The Gates of Hell shall never prevail against us Mat. 16.18 Hee hath promised to bee a Tower a Rock a Refuge a Covert from a storm an hiding place in time of Danger c. And it is faith that doth instate us into these Soul-securing-Promises As there is no promise to us till wee beleeve so if once wee beleeve all the Promises are ours Look into the word of God and what promises soever there are made for securing the soul All these are thine 3. Faith doth instate us into soul-securing-Priviledges 1 It makes us the Sons and Daughters of God John 1.12 13 As man as received him to them hee gave power or priviledge to become the Sons of God Even to as many as beleeved in his name Gal. 3.26 You are the children of God by faith in Christ And will not a father secure his child 2. Faith makes us the Spouse of Christ the members of Christ It ingrafts us and unites us into him And will he not secure his members 3. It make us the inheritance of Christ Hee hath promised to bee a Tower to his Flock A strong-hold to the Daughters of Sion These are all soul-securing-priviledges And therefore beleeving souls shall be secure Oh! Then Would you bee secured from the evil-day would you bee secured in the evil day Labour for Faith This alone secures the soul It sets a man upon a soul-securing-bottome Instates a man in soul-securing-promises Gives him right to soul-securing-priviledges Abrogate fears Surrogate Faith Down with fears which betray the succour of the soul and set up beleeving Sixth Royalty 6 Faith is an heart-humbling Grace 6 Royalty of Faith It s a soul-humbling Grace Whether it bee a Legal or whether it be an Evangelical Faith it works humiliation The one a Legal humiliation and casting down The other an Evangelical-humiliation we shall in this cheifly deal with the first It is said of Ahab that he humbled himself put on sackcloath and went softly And this was the fruit and effect of his Legal-Faith whereby hee beleeved the truth and certainty of Gods Judgements denounced against him and his house The men of Nineveh when Jonah preached that sad Sermon Jonah 3.4 Yet forty days and Nineveh shall bee destroyed It is said They beleeved God That is The truth of that message which Jonah brought from God And it follows as an effect of this Faith They humbled themselves and proclaimed a fast and put on Sack-cloath and sate in ashes from the King upon the Throne to the meanest of them And my Brethren Faith hath a great influence into the work of self-humbling 1 It takes up self-humbling Considerations From God the justice of God the threatnings the curses God hath denounced against sin 2. Faith doth Realize all this to the Soul which God hath said against sin Faith doth not make these things more reall then they are but doth Realize things to the Soul not imaginary but real things which being lookt upon as reall things do humble This is the Reason why one when he hears of Gods threatnings denounced against Sin goes home and lyes in the dust is humbled and cast down as Josiah when hee read the book of the Law And another stands up out-faceth Hell and the curse He is never humbled nor cast down It is because the one he looks upon these things are reall and true the other hee looks upon them as fancies Imaginary things If men beleeved that all that evil which God hath threatned against Sin were true they could not drink down sinne as water nor eat the bread of Sin with such delight as they do If the swearer did beleeve there were a flying Rol gone out against him as Zachary saith If the Drunkard did see death in the Pot c. If I say wicked men beleeved the Reality and Truth of these things they could not go on so quietly in their wicked courses but would be humbled Hence the Apostle sets this down for the ground why the Preaching of the word was not profitable to them Because it was not mixed with Faith in them that heard it They did not beleeve what they heard and so neither the word of Terror nor the word of Comfort did profit them As the promises of God are not quickning raising comforting except there bee Faith so the Threats are not Killing humbling working if Faith be not there Wee may preach till our spirits fail and spend our labour in vain our strength and pains for nought if the things which God speaks and we preach be not beleeved If you
made the Spouse of Christ Christ doth en-noble his Spouse Christ doth adorn and beautifie his Spouse Ezek. 16.10 11 12 13. I cloathed thee with broidred work and shed thee and covered thee with silk I decked thee with Ornaments c. Wee shine with the beams of his Justice Holiness Riches Graces Christ is made to us Wisdome Justification Sanctification and Redemption 1 Cor. 1.30 Of his fulness wee all have received and Grace for Grace Joh. 1.16 Nay 5. Faith makes us the Members of Christ who is such an Head as doth en-noble his Members Christ throws more Glory and Honour upon the meanest Member of his Body than all the World is able to make us heirs of It were better to bee the meanest Member of Christ than to have all the Glory of the World out of Christ better to bee the meanest twig in this Vine Meliùs non â—â—se quà m sine Christo esse than to bee the most glorious branch in the World out of Christ Better it is not to bee at all than not to bee in Christ 3. Faith puts us upon Soul-in-nobling imployments It puts a man upon Prayer Holy exercises Communion with God which are noble Imployments above the World Faith makes the soul live high above the World above the Earth Faith carries the soul to Heaven makes it live were it had its First breath and being makes our way to lye above our Conversation to bee in Heaven our joyes to bee there our affections there our hearts there By Faith Enoch walked with God hee conversed with God had to do with God daily the great God of Heaven and Earth daily in supplications and meditations and holy conversation All which are noble imployments The higher the person wee have to do withall the more noble are the imployments And they are such as do in-noble the Soul No man hath to do with God in any way but hee is in-nobled by it Moses face shone when hee had been conversing with God God doth shed Glory upon all those who have to do with him None have to do with a glorious God but are made glorious None with an Holy God but are made holy If you have to do with him in Prayer or any of his Ordinances hee sends you still better away 4. Faith doth intitle us unto a Soul-in-nobling Inheritance unto Heaven unto Glory It makes us not only Sons of God but Heirs Every Son is an Heir nay and a Joint-Heir with Christ unto that eternal inheritance of Glory Rom. 8.17 Hence the Apostle 1 Joh. 3.2 Now wee are the Sons of God but it doth not yet appear what wee shall bee but wee know when hee shall appear wee shall bee like him for wee shall see him as hee is Then when Christ who is our life shall appear wee shall also appear with him in Glory Col. 3.4 Wee shall bee Citizens of Heaven Faith doth intitle us to Crowns of Glory To that House not made with hands eternal in the Heavens 2 Cor. 5.1 To an inheritance incorruptible and that fadeth not reserved in Heaven for us 1 Pet. 1.5 To a far more exceeding and eternal weight of Glory 1 Cor. 4.17 Which Inheritance is so certain by Faith to Beleevers that the Apostle saith Wee sit together with him in heavenly places Ephes 2.6 wee sit now with him in respect of our Union by Faith and shall sit with him hereafter in our Communion with his Glory when wee shall bee invested with those Royal Robes of Glory Thus you see Faith is a Soul-in-nobling-Grace It makes God a Father Christ a Brother Angels fellow-servants Heaven our Inheritance It brings a man into a noble kindred a noble family the family of Heaven and makes all the family of Heaven our kindred It brings a man unto noble acquaintance puts a man upon noble imployments intitles a man unto a noble inheritance invests us with in-nobling Priviledges and begets us a noble spirit a spirit suitable to all these suitable to our Father our Kindred our Acquaintance our Imployments our Inheritance The whole frame of Christianity turns upon the hinge of Faith As the Bloud through the veins so Faith runs through every vein of the whole body of Religion It is the staff of our strength the support of all our comfort and the life of our soul In my discourse of which I have though indeed the Priviledges of Faith requires an Angel rather than a Man to make relation of it yet I say I have adventured to lay down diverse Royalties and Priviledges of this Grace wherein all that I have said or can say falls short of the excellency of it When I have told you what I can you may say as the Queen of Sheba when shee found the Truth to exceed the Relation that the one half hath not been told you Coelum Deus so Coelum fides non patiuntur Hyperbolen I cannot here Hyperbolize I cannot play the Mountebank to set down more in the Bill than is in the Physick more in the Relation than is in the Balsome All I can say will fall short of the preciousness of Faith Yet mistake mee not whatever I have said or shall say of Faith I speak not of Faith absolutely but of Faith relatively The Act with its Object Wee will not make a Christ of Faith nor raise up Faith any higher than wee may set up Christ with it by it above it Well then to proceed wee have laid down diverse glorious Priviledges or Royalties of Faith wee have yet more remaining such as these Twelfth Royalty 12. Faith is a Soul-fatning-Grace The beleeving Christian is the thriving Christian 12. Royalty of Faith In a Soul-fatning-Grace It is such a Grace as doth nourish and strengthen the soul It weakens corruption but strengthens Grace It starves the flesh but fattens the spirit It is indeed a sin-starving-Grace Faith will not feed and fuel lust It will neither entertain nor maintain corruptions Faith will abridge sin of that nourishment those dainty bits which it met withall in an unbeleeving heart It will not lay in provision for lust Unbeleef is the Caterer and the Provider for sin Sin hath its full desire in an unbeleeving heart whatever it lusts after it shall have nothing shall bee wanting to feed lust If a man bee addicted to the lust of uncleanness there is nothing the lust doth desire but an unbeleeving heart will make a supply of It shall have Books Ballads Plaies for the purpose It shall have obscene objects and pictures to gaze upon There shall bee nothing wanting for the fomenting and cherishing of the corruption nothing shall bee denied that may oile and increase the flame of lust All a man hath all his power all his riches his estate shall bee laid out for the fewelling of his corruption and so I might shew in other lusts But now Faith it starves sin it will not hold out the dugg to nourish a corruption It will not provide
themselves to some general and common duties of a Christian And there are many men who are mended thus They will hear a Sermon and do some outward duties But they are not new made And this is but like the putting of a new peece of cloath into an old garment the rent will bee made worse Christ sets this down in the parable The unclean spirit is cast out for a time but afterward returneth with seven spirits worse than himself and so his last end proves worse than his beginning Mat. 12.43 c. 3. There is a Formal Change when men in outward appearance do seem to walk in all duties of holiness and to forbear the commission of any gross sin And yet never had their hearts wrought upon All this while it is but their practises not their Principles that are truly changed And these are the men that do so much Of these St. Paul speaks 2 Tim. 3.5 Having a form of godliness yet denying the Power From such turn away By which phrase I told you was implied that though an Hypocrite hath nothing in him which is essential to a Christian as a Christian yet may hee bee the compleat Resemblance of a Christian in all those things which are not essential to him Hee may bee the compleat picture of a godly man from top to toe in every member every limb every duty for the externals of it 4. There is a Spiritual Change wherein the frame and constitution of the inward man is changed and all is made new 1. Not new for substance of soul and body 2. Not new for faculties of soul and body As new understanding new will c. Here a mans new Practises flow from new Principles Here are not only new Wayes but here is a new Heart Hee hath a new Life in him a new Spirit in him by which hee is moved And the want of this is the great Crack the great Fault the Ground why a man may do much in the wayes of God and yet miscarry at last But there will bee one great Objection which seems to throw down all this The Objection is this Object Nature cannot act ultra Sphaeram above it self Nature cannot go any further than Nature As wee say of the Water Quantum descendit tantum ascendit Water can rise no higher than it falls So may it bee said of Nature Nature cannot act above Nature cannot act above her Principle But to do these things is above the power of Nature Therefore hee who doth these duties is above a state of Nature Answ For answer of this Wee say it is true in the Main A man that hath no more than meer Nature in him cannot act above meer Nature But Nature may bee strengthened from above There may bee higher Principles set in Nature which may inable a man to go higher than common Nature though not yet above one in state of Nature A man may bee inabled to act above Nature yet the Principle is not so high as to inable a man to act above a man in the State of Nature For the better clearing of this Wee may consider Nature in diverse forms or ranks 1. There is meer Nature with those reliques as some say But rather I say restored Principles which God gave to man after hee had lost all that hee might bee a Man not a Devil For when by sin wee had lost all if God had not out of pitty to mankinde restored something wee should have been as bad as Devils in the world one devoure murther commit all outrage upon another Now in this state something may bee done not much 2. There is nature civilized and moralized Nature refined by moral Principles which whether they bee in nature before and so but husbanded and improved or whether they were some common gifts of the Spirit wee will not now dispute but conclude this latter Now by these a man may bee inabled to do above the common sort of men hee having higher Principles than meer nature fallen and therefore is able to do more in all the works of morality works of Justice Righteousness Charity c. This you see in the Heathens who far excelled the common sort of men their Principles being far higher 3. There is Nature sublimated and raised yet higher by implantation of higher Principles than these are by the help of which a man may bee inabled to do above the purest natures of the Heathens and yet but Nature The knowledge of God of Christ of Sin of Grace Heaven Hell together with the implantation of some general Principles common gifts and graces of the Spirit may so sublimate a man that by the help of these a man may not only bee wrought up to do more than meer Nature fallen but more than Nature strengthened with moral Principles is able to do You see this in Judas Demas Herod c. whose actions were above meer Nature as comming from higher Principles but yet not above men in the state of Nature This work upon men though not so much as spiritual yet it is more than meer Moral Though hee have not so high a Principle as a spiritual man yet is his Principle higher than a meer moral mans And by the help of that common Illumination general workings of the Spirit broken workings of humiliation hee may bee inabled to pray hear read confer fast profess and what not for all outwards and yet want the Sanctifying Spirit of Christ There may bee a supernatural work of the Spirit upon some men whereby nature may bee strengthened from above and yet they may want the saving work of the Spirit You see then distinguished Heb. 6.4 There were some who were inlightened and had tasted of the Heavenly gift This was a Supernatural work but yet this was not a Saving work vers 9. I am perswaded better things of you and such as accompany salvation though I thus speak Thus you see the Objection cleared And the fourth thing laid open viz. Where the fault is that a man may do thus much and yet bee unsound I adde but thus much to it more 1. Hee is a man who was never humbled for sins And this is a sure Rule The heart never broken was yet never sound 2. Hee is a man that was never truly cast out of himself and therefore can go no higher than himself in all hee doth 3. Hee is a man was never fully changed hee walks in new wayes with an old heart 4. Hee is a man who is carryed upon holy works with a slavish spirit Hee would sin but dares not Hee doth Duty but hath no minde to do it What the Apostle saith of himself the good I would do I do not and the evil I would not do that do I Hee on the contrary must say if hee speak truth The good I would not do I do and the evil I would do that I do not I dare not Hee is a man who hath no principle of spiritual life in him Hee
of the spirit 2. Or are they taken from hearing and that at the best your own hearts can tell There is much mixture in that Duty Oh! what abundance of the Week is in the Sabbath how much of the Shop in the Church what distractions in your best attentions what carnal hearts in your spiritual imployments what Pride what Prejudice what Infidelity what Dulness doth attend all your hearing 3. Nay yet further Are your evidences taken from Graces themselves yet these are not pure There is much mixture in them Our Graces themselves are full of Imperfections You know there is much blindeness with your Light much enmity with your Love much hardness of heart with your mourning for sin yea and much mud much worldly sorrow in your purest tears much Pride with your humility much murmuring with your patience As wee might show at large if need were But now these Evidences which are taken from our Justification they are pure without mixture Though the Faith which justifies us is imperfect yet the Grace which justifies us is perfect I say these Evidences are pure without mixture because they are such as have nothing of our own in them had they any thing of ours they would bee imperfect and impure but having nothing of ours but all Christs they are altogether perfect and pure Christ is all fair all perfect all pure Our sanctifying Righteousness is stained imperfect impure but our justifying Righteousness is pure and perfect If there were any stain or any imperfection in that it could not justifie it could not save us wee should bee undone for ever But that is pure that is perfect and wee in it As the Apostle saith Col. 2.10 In him wee are compleat Compleat in him though imperfect in our selves 3. These are the most satisfying Evidences Other Evidences admit of much questionings Though taken from Duties yea Graces themselves yet they admit of long disputes sharp incounters and assaults And when all is done yet they bring not such fulness of satisfaction to the soul But now Evidences taken from our Justification these are soul satisfying Evidences because the satisfaction of Christ is in them These Evidences are not fetcht from any thing in us or any thing done by us but from the satisfaction which Christ himself hath wrought for us And if there bee any dispute against this then may wee much more dispute against the other If Christ bee not a compleat Satisfier of Gods Wrath and Justice for our sins then these Evidences from the Satisfaction of Christ would do mee no good As the Apostle said of the Resurrection of Christ which was the declaration of that full satisfaction Christ had wrought If Christ bee not risen then our faith is in vain our hope in vain so here If Christ have not fully satisfied Gods Justice if hee hath not paid all the Debt answered all bils of Inditements against mee then my Faith is in vain then these Evidences can do my soul no good But if Christ hath fully satisfied Gods Justice then am I sure for this satisfaction is mine So that you see these are such Evidences as do not only quiet but satisfie conscience to the full Such as silence all doubts answer all scruples and objections that do arise Other Evidences they are not so full not so satisfactory They may afford a man some obvious Refreshment for a time to hold up the head from sinking but they bring not fulness of satisfaction into the soul But now this doth because you see it is taken from such things wherein God himself is satisfied and therefore no reason but wee should bee satisfied If the Creditor say enough shall not the Debtor bee satisfied 4. These are the most constant Evidences Floods and Rivers may fail but Springs are constant Such Evidences as are taken from any thing within us or any thing done by us may at least as to evidence fail us But such Evidences as are taken from without us as c. These are permanent and constant In the greatest drought here will bee Water enough Jer. 17.7 8. Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord and whose hope the Lord is for hee shall bee as a Tree planted by the Rivers of Waters and that spreadeth out her roots and shall not see when heat commeth but her leaf shall bee green and shall not be carefull in the year of drought neither shall cease from yeelding fruit Other Evidences are unconstant they may bee clear to day and bee clouded to morrow the heart is not ever in the same frame But now these are permanent abiding Evidences they are as sure as the Oathes Promise Covenant of God though not ever to sense yet they are ever sure to Faith though not ever to apprehension yet ever in truth Wee may ever conclude them though wee cannot ever clear them Conclude them wee may by Faith though wee cannot clear them to sense I might inlarge my self and go yet further to tell you these are the sweetest the most refreshing and comforting evidences But to conclude this use If ever you would have strong consolation if ever you would have a full and setled peace and comfort then hence draw your Evidences fetch your Evidences from Justification I know that which keeps you upon the racks of fears that which continues you in doubts and jealousies is this You take your Evidences too low either from something in you or something done by you and so you are forced to answer a multitude of Objections and reasons before ever you can finde a bottome to rest upon That which doth raise up new doubts and objections in your spirits and which causeth a fresh return of fears upon you is because you do not take your Evidences high enough You take them from Duties Prayers Dispositions present Affections And so upon every failing you are cast and all thrown down again new fears arise as if you never had any Evidence Were an Evidence sealed in the higher Court what Court shall dispute against it what can overthrow it But now if all this will not perswade you to fetch your Evidences higher but that you will still lye by these waters for comfort you will still fetch your Comforts and Evidences from Duties yet let mee thus far perswade with you that you would labour to clear the sincerity of your heart in these duties Otherwise all this something will bee nothing to you no bottome of Comfort They are but uncertain bottomes at the best but without sincerity to accompany them they will bee no bottomes an house not built on the Sand but built in the Air no foundation And this is the next use wee will come unto 3. Use If it bee possible for a man to do thus much and yet bee unsound Then what care ought there to bee to clear the soundness of our spirits in our performances You pray you hear you do much but ask the question to your selves Is my heart sound in all