to be ignorant of our â—elves 3. What evils follow this Ignorance â—f our selves and what benefits self-knowâ—â—dge would procure 4. How we should â—â—prove this doctrine by Application and â—â—actice Of the first but briefly I. SElf-knowledge is thus distinguished according to the object 1. There is a Physical self knowledge when a man knows what he is as a man What his soul is and what his body and what the compound called man The Doctrine of Mans Nature or this part of Physicks is so necessary to all that it is first laid down even in the Holy Scriptures in Gen. ch 1 2 3. before his Duty is expressed And it is presupposed in all the moral passages of the word and in all the preaching of the gospel The Subject is presupposed to the Adjuncts The Subjects of Gods Kingdom belong to the Constitution and therefore to be known before the Legislation and Judgement which are the parts of the Administration Morality alway presupposeth nature The Species is in order before the separable Accidents Most ridiculously therefore doth Ignorance plead for it self against Knowledge in them that cry down this part of Physicks as Humane Learning unnecessary to the Disciplâ—â— of Christ What excellent holy Meditations of Humane nature do you find oft in 〈◊〉 and in Davids Psalms Ps 139. concluding 〈◊〉 the praise of the incomprehensible Creator ver 14. I will praise thee for I am fearfully and wonderfully made Marvellous are thy works and that my soul knoweth right well 2. There is a Moral Self-knowledge very necessary And this is The knowing of our selves in Relation to Gods Law or to his Judgement The former is the knowledge of our selves in respect of our Duty the second in respect of the Reward or Punishment And both of them have respect to the Law of Nature and Works or to the Remedying Law of Grace The Ethical knowledge of our selves or that which respecteth the Precept and our Duty is twofold The first is as we have performed that Duty The second as we have violated the Law by non-performance or transgression The first is the knowledge of our selves as Good the second as Evil. And both are either the knowledge of our Habits good or evil or of our Acts How we are Morally Inclined disposed or habituated or what and how we have Done We must know the Good estate of our Nature that we were created in the Bad estate of sinfull nature that we are fallen into the actual sin committed against the Law of nature and what sin we have committed against the Law of Grace and whether we have obeyed the call of the Gospel of salvation or not So that as mans state considered Ethically is threefold Institutus Destitutus Restitutus Infirmatus Deformatus Reformatus the state of Upright nature the State of Sin Original and Actual and the state of Grace we must know what we are in respect to every one of these And as to the Judicial knowledge of our selves that is as we stand related to the Promises and Threatnings the Judgement the Reward and Punishment we must know first what is due to us according to the Law of Nature and then what is due to us according to the tenour of the Law of Grace By the Law of Nature or of Works Death is the Due of fallen mankind but no man by it can lay claim to Heaven All men are under its curse or condemnation till pardoned by Christ but no man can be Justified by it By the Promise of the Gospel all true Believers renewed and sanctified by the Spirit of Christ are Justified and made the sons of God and heirs of everlasting glory To know whether we are yet delivered from the condemnation of the Law and whether our sins are pardoned or not and whether we are the children of God and have any part in the Heavenly Glory is much of the self-self-knowledge that is here intended in the Text and that which most nearly concerneth the solid comfort of our souls II. BUt is all self-ignorance a shame or dangerous Answ 1. It is no other shame then what is common to humane frailty to be ignorant of much of the mystery of our Natural Generation Constitution Integrall parts and Temperament There is not a nerve or artery or vein nor the bredth of a hand from head to foot but hath something unknown to the most excellent Philosopher on Earth This little world called Man is a compound of wonders Both Soul and Body have afforded matter of endless controversie and voluminous Disputations to the most Learned men which will not admit of a full decision till we are past this state of darkness and mortality 2. There are many Controversies about the nature derivation and punishment of Original sin which a humble and diligent Christian may possibly be ignorant of 3. The degrees of Habitual sin considedered simply or proportionably and respectively to each other may be much unknown to many that are willing and diligent to know And so may divers actual sins such as we know not to be sin through our imperfect understanding of the Law and such as through frailty in a crowd of actions escape our particular observation And the sinfulness or Aggravations of every sin are but imperfectly known and observed by the best 4. The Nature and beauty of the Image of God as first planted on created man and since Restored to man Redeemed the manner of the Spirits acccess operation testimony and inhabitation are all but imperfectly known by the wisest of Believers The frame or admirable composure or contexture of the New-man in each of the renewed faculties the connexion order beauty and special use of each particular grace are observed but imperfectly by the best 5. The very uprightness and sincerity of our own hearts in Faith Hope Love Repentance and Obedience is usually unknown to Incipients or young beginners in Religion and to the weaker sort of Christians how old soever in profession and to melancholy persons who can have no thoughts of themselves but sad and fearfull tending to despair and to lapsed and declining Christians and also to many an upright soul from whom in some cases of special tryal God seems to hide his pleased face And though these infirmities are their shame yet are they not the Characters or Prognosticks of their misery and everlasting shame 6. The same persons must needs be unacquainted with their Justification Reconciliation Adoption and Title to everlasting blessedness as long as they are uncertain of theie sincerity Yea though they uprightly examine themselves and desire help of their Guides and watch and pore continually upon their hearts and wayes and daily beg of God to acquaint them with their spiritual condition they may yet be so far unacquainted with it as to pass an unrighteous judgement on themselves and condemn themselves when God hath justified them But 1. To be totally ignorant of the excellency and capacity of your immortal souls 2. To
as he goeth further for the world and setteth it nearest to his heart and holds it fastest and will do most for it and consequently loveth it better then Christ he is no true Christian nor in a state of grace The Scriptures put this also out of doubt as you may see Mat. 10.37 38. Luke â—4 26 27 33. He that loveth Father or Mother more then me is not worthy of me c. Whosoever doth not bear his Cross and come after me cannot be my Disciple Whoâ—ver he be of you that forsaketh not all that â—e hath he cannot be my Disciple Know â—e not that the friendship of the world is â—nmity with God Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God â—am 4.4 No wonder then if the world must be renounced in our Baptism Love not the world neither the things that are in the world If any man love the world the love of the Father is not in him 1 John 2.15 You see by this time what it is to be Regenerate and to be a Christian indeed by what is contained even in our Baptism and consequently how you may Know your selves whether you are sanctified and the heirs of heaven or not Again therefore I summon you to appear before your consciences and if indeed these Evidences of regeneration are not in you stop not the sentence but confess your sinfull miserable state and condemn your selves and say no longer I hope yet that my present condition may serve turn and that God will forgive me though I should die without any further change Thosâ— Hopes that you may be saved without reâ—generation or that you are regenerate wheâ— you are not are the pillars of Satans forâ—tress in your hearts and keep you froâ— the saving Hopes of the Regenerate thaâ— that will never make you ashamed Upâ—hold not that which Christ is engageâ— against Down it must either by Graâ—â— or Judgement and therefore abuse noâ— your souls by underpropping such an ill-grounded false deceitfull hope You have now time to take it down so orderly and safely as that it fall not on your heads and overwhelm you not for ever But if you stay till death shall undermine it the falâ— will be great and your ruine irreparable If you are wise therefore Know your selves in time II. I have done with that part of my special Exhortation which concerned the unregenerate I am next to speak to those of you that by Grace are brought into a better state and to tell you that it very much concerneth you also even the best of you to labour to be well acquainted with your selves and that both in respect of 1. Your sins and wants and 2. Your Graces and your duties I. Be acquainted with the root and remnant of your sins with your particular inclinations and corrupt affections with their quality their degree and strength with the weaknesses of every grace with your disability to duty and with the omissions or sinfull practises of your lives Search diligently and deeply frequently and accurately peruse your hearts and wayes till you certainly and throughly know your selves And I beseech you let it not suffice you that you know your states and have found your selves in the Love of God in the faith of Christ and possessed by his Spirit Though this be a mercy worth many worlds yet this is not all concerning your selves that you have to know If yet you say that you have no sin you deceive your selves If yet you think you are past all danger your danger is the greater for this mistake As much as you have been humbled for sin as much as you have loathed it and your selves for it as oft as you have confessed it lamented it and complained and prayed against it yet it is alive Though it be mortified it is alive It is said to be mortified as to the prevalency and reign but the relicts of it yet survive were it perfectly dead you were perfectly delivered from it and might say you have no sin but it is not yet so happy with you It will find work for the blood and spirit of Christ and for your selves as long as you are in the flesh And alas too many that know themselves to be upright in the main are yet so much unacquainted with their hearts and lives as to the degrees of grace and sin as that it much disadvantageth them in their Christian progress Go along with me in the carefull observation of these following Evils that may befall even the regenerate by the remnants of self-ignorance 1. The work of Mortification is very much hindered because you know your selves no better as may appear in all these following discoveries 1. You confess not sin to God or man so penitently and sensibly as you ought because you know your selves no better Did you see your inside with a fuller view how deeply would you aggravate your sin How heavily would you charge your selves Repentance would be more intense and more effectual and when you were more contrite you would be more meet for the sense of pardon and for Gods delight Isa 51.15 66.2 It would fill you more with godly shame and self-abhorrence if you better knew your selves It would make you more sensibly say with Paul Rom. 7.23 24. I see another Law in my members warring against the Law of my mind and bringing me into captivity to the Law of sin which is in my members O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death And with David Psal 38.18 I will declare my iniquity I will be sorry for my sin 40.12 They are more then the hairs of my head 32.5 I acknowledged my sin unto thee and mine iniquity have I not hid I said I will confess my transgressions to the Lord and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin Repentance is the Death of sin and the knowledge of our selves and the sight of our sins is the life of Repentance 2. You pray not against sin for grace and pardon so earnestly as you should because you know your selves no better O that God would but open these too-close hearts unto us and anatomize the relicts of the old man and shew us all the recesses of our self-deceit and the filth of worldliness and carnal inclinations that lurk within us and read us a Lecture upon every part what prayers would it teach us to indite That you be not proud of your holiness let me tell you Christians that a full display of the corruptions that the best of you carry about you would not only take down self-exalting thoughts that you be not lift up above measure but would teach you to pray with fervour and importunity and waken you out of your sleepy indifferency and make you cry O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me If the sight of a Lazar or cripple or naked person move you to compassion though they use no words if the sight
terrible avenger and you may confess his judgements to be just but can you amicably embrace the consuming fire and love to dwell with the everlasting burnings O therefore as ever you would have the Love of God to animate and sanctifie and delight your souls study the greatness of his Love to you and labour with all possible speed and diligence to find that Christ by his spirit is within you It is the whole work of sanctification that Satan would destroy or weaken by your doubts And it is the whole work of sanctification that by Love would be promoted if you knew your interest in the Love of Christ 12. It is the knowledge of Christ dwelling in you and so of the special Love of God that must acquaint you with a life of holy Thankfulness and prase These highest and most acceptable duties will be out of your reach if Satan can hide from you that mercy which must be the chiefest matter of your Thanksgiving Will that soul be in tune for the high Praises of the Lord that thinks he meaneth to use him as an enemy Can you look for any cheerful thanksgiving from him that looks to lie in hell will he not rather cry with David Psal 6.5 In death there is no remembrance of thee in the grave who shall give thee thanks Psal 30.9 What profit is there in my blood when I go down to the pit shall the dust praise thee shall it declare thy truth shall the damned praise thee or shall they give thee thanks that must be scorched with the flames of thine indignation Can you expect that Joy should be in their hearts or cheerfulness in their countenances or praises in their mouths that think they are Reprobated to the fire of Hell Undoubtedly Satan is not ignorant that this is the way to deprive God of the Service which is most acceptable to him and you of the pleasures of so sweet a life And therefore he that envyeth both will do his worst to damp your spirits and breed uncomfortable doubts and fears and wrongful suspitions in your minds Whereas the Knowledge of your interest in Christ would be a continual storehouse of thanksgiving and praise and teach your hearts as well as your tongues to say with David Blessed is the man whose transgression is forgiven whose sin is covered Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity and in whose spirit there is no guile Be glad in the Lord and rejoyce ye Righteous and shout for joy all ye that are upright in heart Psal 32.1 2 11. Bless the Lord O my soul and all that is within me bless his holy name Bless the Lord O my soul and forget not all his benefits Who forgiveth all thine iniquities Who healeth all thy diseases Who redeemeth thy life from destruction and crowneth thee with loving-kindness and tender mercies Psal 103.1 2 3 4. O Lord my God I cried unto thee and thou hast healed me O Lord thou hast brought up my soul from the grave thou hast kept me alive that I should not go down to the pit sing unto the Lord O ye saints of his and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness for his anger endureth but for a moment in his favour is life Psal 30.2 3 4 5. Thanksgiving would be the very pulse and breath of your assurance of Christ dwelling in you You would say with Paul Eph. 1.3 4. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in celestials in Christ According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and blameless before him in Love having predestinated us to the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his will to the praise of the glory of his grace wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved In whom we have redemption through his blood the remission of sins according to the riches of his grace wherein he hath abounded toward us c. Thus faith and assurance as they have an unspeakable store to work upon so it is natural to them to expatiate in the praise of our Redeemer and to delight in amplifications and commemorations of the ways of grace Just so doth Peter begin his first Epistle Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance incorruptible undefiled that fadeth not away reserved in Heaven for you who are kept by the power of Goâ— through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time wherein ye greatly rejoyce c. No wonder if the Heirs of Heaven be inclined to the language and the work of Heaven I think there are few of you that would not rejoice and by your speech and countenance express your joy if you had assurance but of the dignities and dominions of this world And can he choose but express his Joy and Thankfulness that hath assurance of the crown of life What fragrant thoughts should possess that mind that knoweth it self to be possessed by the Spirit of the living God! How thankfull will he be that knows he hath Christ and Heaven to be thankfull for What sweet delights should fill up the hours of that mans life that knows the son of God liveth in him and that he shall live in Joy with Christ for ever How gladly will he be exercised in the praises of his Creator Redeemer and Sanctifier that knows it must be his work for ever No wonder if this Joy be a stranger to their hearts that are strangers to Christ or strangers to their interest in his love No wonder if they have no hearts for these celestial works that have no part in the celestial inheritance or that know not that they have any part therein How can they joyfully give thanks for that which they know not that they have or ever shall have or have any probability to attain But to that man that is assured of Christ within him Heaven and Earth and all their store do offer themselves as the matter of his Thanks and do furnish him with provisions to feed his Praises What a shame is it that an assured heir of Heaven should be scant and barren in comfort to himself or in Thanks and Praise to Jesus Christ when he hath so full a heap of Love and mercy to fetch his motives from and hath two worlds to furnish him with the preciousest materials and hath no less then Infinite goodness even God himself to be the subject of his Praise O give thanks unto the Lord for he is good because his mercy endureth for ever what ever others do Let Israel say let the house of Aaron say let them that fear the Lord say that his mercy endureth for ever Psal 118.1 2 3 4. The
Justification then now thou standest as afar off and darest scare look up to heaven but smitest on thy breast and saist Lord be mercifull to me a sinner Luke 18.11 12 13 14. Not that extortioners unjust adulterers or any that are ungodly are justified or can be saved while they are such Nor that a smiting on the breast with a Lord be mercifull to me a sinner will serve their turn while they continue in their wicked lives But when thou art brought to accuse and condemn thy self thou art prepared for his grace that must renew and justifie thee None sped better with Christ then the woman that confest her self a dog and begged but for the childrens crums And the Centurion that sent friends to Christ to mediate for him and as being unworthy to come himself and unworthy that Christ should enter under his roof For of the first Christ said O woman great is thy faith be it unto thee even as thou wilt Mat. 15.27 28. And of the second he saith with admiration I have not found so great faith no not in Israel Luke 7.6 7 8.9 Though thou art ready to deny the title of a child and to number thy self with the dogs yet go to him and beg his crums of mercy Though thou think that Christ will not come to such a one as thou and though thou beg prayers of others as thinking he will not hear thy own thou little thinkest how this self-abasement and self-denyal prepareth thee for his tenderest mercies and his esteem When thou art contrite as the dust that 's trodden underfeet and poor and tremblest at the Word then will he look at thee with compassion and respect Isa 66.2 For thus saith the high and lofty one that inhabiteth eternity whose name is holy I dwell in the high and holy place with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the contrite ones For I will not contend for ever neither will I be alwayes wroth for the spirit should fail before me and the souls which I have made Isa 57.15 When thou art using the self-condemning words of Paul Rom. 7.14 to 25. I am carnal sold under sin what I would that do I not and what I hate that do I. For I know that in me that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing I find a law that when I would do good evil is present with me A Law in my members warring against the Law of my mind and bringing me into captivity to the Law of sin when thou criest out with him O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death thou art then fitter to look to thy Redeemer and use the following words I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. When thou didst exalt thy self thou wast obnoxious to the stormes of Justice which was engaged to bring thee low But now thou humblest thy self thou liest in the way of Mercy that is engaged to exalt thee Luke 14.11 18.14 Mercy looketh downard and can quickly â—pie a sinner in the dust but cannot leave him there nor deny him compassion and relief Art thou cast out as helpless wounded by thy sin and neglected by all others that pass by Thou art the fittest object for the skill and mercy of him that washeth sinners in his blood and tenderly bindeth up their wounds and undertakes the perfecting of the cure though yet thou must bear the Surgeons hand till his time of perfect cure be come Luke 10.33 34 35. Now thou perceivest the greatness of thy sin and misery thou art fit to study the greatness of his mercy with all Saints to strive to comprehend what is the breadth length depth height and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge Ephes 3.18 19. Now thou hast smitten upon the thigh and said What have I done Jerem. 31.19 8.6 thou art fitter to look unto him that was wounded and smitten for thy transgressions and to consider what he hath done and suffered how he hath born thy grief and carried thy sorrows and was bruised for thy iniquities the chastisment of our peace was laid upon him and we are healed by his stripes All we like sheep have gone astray we have turned every one to his own way and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of 〈◊〉 all Isa 53.4 5 6 c. Art thou in doubt whether there be any forgiveness for thy sins and whether there be any place for Repentance Remember that Christ is exalted by Gods right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour to give Repentnace unto Israel and forgivness of sins Act. 5.31 And that he himself hath spoken it that All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men except the Blasphemy against the Spirit Math. 12.32 And this Forgiveness of sins thou art bound to believe as an Article of thy Creed that it is purchased by Christ and freely offered in the Gospell Mercy did but wait all this while till thou wast brought to understand the want and worth of it that it might be thine When a Peter that denyeth Christ with oaths and cursing goeth out and weepeth he speedily finds mercy from him without that he but now denyed within When so bloody a persecuter as Paul findeth mercy upon his prostration and confession and when so great an offender as Manasseh is forgiven upon his penitence in bonds when all his witchcraft Idolatry and crueltyes are pardoned upon a repentance that might seeme to have been forced by a grievous scourge what sinner that perceives his sin and misery can question his entertainment if he come to Christ Come to him sinner with thy load and burden Come to him with all thy acknowledged unworthyness and try whether he will refuse thee He hath professed that 〈◊〉 that cometh to him he will in no wise 〈◊〉 out Joh. 6.37 He refused not his very murderers when they were pricked at the heart and enquired after a remedie Act. 2.37 And will he refuse thee Hath our Physicion poured out his blood to make a medicine for distracted sinners and now is he unwilling to work the cure Fusus est saâ—guis medici factum est medicamentâ—â— frenetici saith Augustine O siner 〈◊〉 thou art brought to know thy self know Christ also and the cure is done Let thy thoughts of the Remedie be deeper and larger and longer then all thy thoughts of thy Misery It is thy sin and shame if it be not 〈◊〉 Why wilt thou have twenty thoughts of sin and misery for one that thou hast of Christ and mercy when mercy is so large and great and wonderfull as to triumph over misery and Grace aboundeth much more where sin hath abounded Rom 5.20 Inspice vulnera pendentis sanguinem mâ—rientis pretium redimentes cicatrices reâ—â—â—gentis Caput habet inclinatum ad oscular dum cor apertum ad diligendum bracâ—id extensa ad
damnation af Hell you may see in Mat. 23. Paul thought it his duty to tell Elymas Acts 13.10 that he was full of all subtilty and mischief the child of the devil and the enemy of all righteousness a perverter of the right wayes of the Lord. And Peter thought meet to tell Simon Magus that he had neither part nor lot in that matter that his heart was not right in the sight of God that he was in the gall of bitterness and bond of iniquity Acts 8.21.23 The charge of Paul to Timothy is plain and urgent 2 Tim. 4.1 2. I charge thee before God and the Lord Jesus Christ who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his Kingdom Preach the word be instant in season and out of season reprove rebuke exhort And to Titus chap. 1.13 Rebuke them sharply that they may be sound in the faith Judge now whether Minsters must deal plainly or deceitfully with you and whether it be the searching healing truth that they must bring you or a smooth tale that hath no salt or savour in it And would you have us break these Laws of God for nothing but to deceive you and tell you a â—ie and make the ungodly believe that he is godly or to hide the truth that is necessary to your salvation Is the Knowledge of your selves so intolerable a thing to you Beloved Hearers either it is true that you are yet unsanctified or it is not If it be not it is none of our desire you should think so We do all that we can to cure the mistakes of troubled Christians that think themselves worse then indeed they are But if it be true tell me Why would you not know it I hope it is not because you would not be remembred of your wo and so tormented before the time I hope you think not that we delight to vex mens consciences with fear or to see men live in grief and trouble rather then in well grounded peace and joy And if indeed you are yet unregenerate that is not long of us that tell you of it but of your selves that wilfully continue it Do we make you ungodly by telling you of your ungodliness Is it we that hinder the forgiveness of your sins by letting you know that they are not forgiven O no! We strive for youâ— conversion to this end that your sins may 〈◊〉 forgiven you and you hinder the forgiâ—â—â—ness of them by refusing to be be convetteâ— When God forsaketh stubborn souls 〈◊〉 resisting his grace note how he expreâ—â—seth his severity against them Mark 4 1â— That seeing they may see and not perceiâ—â— and hearing they may hear and not underâ—stand lest at any time they should be converted and their sins should be forgiven them You see here that till they are converted mens sins are not forgiven them And thaâ— whoever procureth the forgiveness of theâ—â— sins must do it by procuring their Conversion And that the hindring of their Conversion is the hindering of their forgiveness And that blindness of mind is the great hinderance of conversion when men do noâ— perceive the very things which they see not knowing the reason and the sense and end of them but the out-side only Noâ— understand the things which they hear And therefore undoubtedly the Teacher that brings you a Light into your minds and first sheweth you your selves and your unconverted and your unpardoned state iâ— he that takes the way to your Conversion and forgiveness As the fore-cited Text sheweth you Acts 18.26 I send thee to open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light that they may first know themselves and then know God in Jesus Christ and from the power of Satan who ruled them as their Prince and captivated them as their Jaylor unto God whom they had forsaken as a Guide and Governour and were deprived of as their Protector Portion and felicity that they may receive forgiveness of sins which none receive but the converted and an inheritance among them that are sanctified for Glory is the inheritance of the Saints alone Col. 1.12 and all this through faith that is in me by believing in me and giving up themselves unto me that by my Satisfaction Merits Teaching Spirit Intercession and Judgement it may be accomplished Truly Sirs if we knew how to procure your conversion and forgiveness without making you know that you are uncoverted unpardoned we would do it not trouble you needlesly with so sad a discovery Let that man be accounted a butcher of souls not a Physicion for them that delighteth to torment them Let him be accounted unworthy to be a Preacher of the Gospel that envieth you your peace and comfort We would not have you think one jot worse of your condition then it is Know but the very truth what case you are in and we desire no more And so far are we by this from drivinâ— you to Desperation that it is your Desperation that we would prevent by it which can no other way be prevented When you are past Remedy Desperation cannot be avoided And this is necessary to your Remedy There is a conditional Despair and an Absolute Despair The former is necessary to prevent the latter and to bring you to a state of Hope A man that hath the toothache may perhaps despair of being eased without drawing the tooth or a man that hath a gangrened foot may despair of life unless it be cut off that so by the cure he may not be left to an Absolute despair of life So you must despair of being pardoned or saved without conversion that you may be converted and so have hope of your salvation and be saved from final absolute despair I hope you will not be offended with him that would perswade you to Despair of living unless you will eat and drink You have no more reason to be offended with him that would have you despair of being pardoned or saved without Christ or without his sanctifying Spirit HAving said so much of the Necessity of Ministers endeavouring to make â—nregenerate sinners know themselves I shall next try what I can do towards it with â—hose that hear me by proposing these few Questions to your consideration Quest 1. Do you think that you were â—ver unsanctified and in a state of wrath and condemnation or not If not then you are not the off-spring of Adam you are not then of humane race For the Scripture telleth you that We are conceived in sin Psal 51.5 And That by one man sin entred into the world and Death by sin and so death passed upon all men for that all have sinned and that by the offence of one judgement came upon all men to condemnation Rom 5.12.18 And that All have sinned and come short of the glory of God Rom. 3.23 If we say that we have no sin we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us 1 John 1.8.10 And the wages of sin is death Rom. 6.23
filled is an insufficient evidence of the life of grace and will do as little for the soul of the giver as for the Body of the receiver And how little hazardous or costly Love is found among us either to enemies neighbours or to Saints Did we better know our hearts there would be more care and diligence used to bring them to effectual fervent Love then to those duties that are of less importance and we should learn what this meaneth I will have mercy and not sacrifice Mat. 9.13 12.7 which Christ sets the Pharisees twice to learn More instances of greatest duties extenuated I might add but I proceed 8. Another instance of unobserved corruption of the heart is The frequent and secret insinuations of selfishness in all that we do toward God or man When we think we are serving God alone and have cleansed our hearts from mixtures and deceit before we are aware self-interest or self-esteem or self conceit or self-love or self-will or self-seeking do secretly creep in and marr the work We think we are studying and preaching and writing purely for God and the common good or the benefit of souls and perhaps little observe how subtilly selfishness insinuates and makes a party and byasseth us from the holy ends and the simplicity and sincerity which we thought we had carefully maintained so that we are studying and preaching and writing for our selves when we take no notice of it When we enter upon any office or desire preferment or riches or honour in the world we think we do it purely for God to furnish us for his service and little think how much of selfishness is in our desires When we are doing Justice or shewing mercy in giving alms or exhorting the ungodly to repent or doing any other work of Piety or Charity we little think how much of selfishness is secretly latent in the bent and intention of the heart When we think we are defending the truth and cause of God by disputing writing or by the sword or when we think we are faithfully maintaining on one side order and obedience against confusion and turbulent disquiet spirits or the Vnity of the Church against division or on the other hand that we are sincerely opposing Pharisaicall corruptions and hypocrisie and tyrannie and persecution and are defending the purity of Divine worship and the power and spirituality of religion in all these cases we little know how much of carnal self may be secretly unobserved in the work But above all others Christ himself and the Holy Ghost that searcheth the hidden things of the heart hath warned one sort to be suspicious of their hearts and that is those that cannot bear the dissent and infirmities of their brethren in tolerable things and those that are calling for fire from heaven and are all for force and cruelty in religion for vexing imprisoning banishing burning hanging or otherwise doing as they would not be done by proportionably in their own case He tells his two Disciples in such a case Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of Luke 9.55 As if he should say You think you purely seek my honour in the revenge of this contempt and opposition of unbelievers and you think it would much redound to the propagation of the faith and therefore you think that all this zeal is purely from my spirit But you little know how much of â— proud a carnal selfish spirit is in these desires You would fain have me and your selves with me to be openly vindicated by fire from heaven and be so owned by Goâ— that all men may admire you and you may exercise a dominion in the world and you stick not at the sufferings and ruine of these sinners so you may attain your end but 〈◊〉 tell you this selfish cruel spirit is unlike my spirit which inclineth to patience forâ—bearance and compassion So Rom. 14.1 2 c. 15.1 2. Him that is weak in the faith receive ye who art thou that judgest another mans servant Why dost thou judge thy brother and why dost thou set at nought thy brother We shall all stand before the judgement seat of Christ Every one of us shall give account of himself to God We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak and not to please our selves Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification So Gal. 6.1 2. Brethren if a man be overtaken in a fault ye which are spiritual restore such a one in the spirit of meekness considering thy self lest thou also be tempted Bear ye one anothers burden and so fulfill the Law of Christ So also men are fouly and frequently mistaken when they are zealously contending against their faithfull Pastors and their brethren and vilifying others and quenching love and troubling the Church upon pretence of greater knowledge or integrity in themselves which is notably discovered and vehemently prest by the Apostle James 3.1 c. where you may see how greatly the judgement of the spirit of God concerning our hearts doth differ from mens judgement of themselves They that had a masterly contentious envious zeal did think they were of the wiser sort of Christians and of the highest form in the School of Christ when yet the Holy Ghost telleth them that their wisdom descended not from above but was earthly sensual and divelish and that their envy and strife doth bring confusion and every evil work and that the wisdom from above is neither unholy nor contentious but first pure and then peaceable gentle and easie to be entreated Jam. 3.17 You see then how oft and dangerously we are deceived by unacquaintedness with our selves and how selfish carnal principles ends and motives are oft mixed in the actions which we think are the most excellent for wisdom zeal and piety that ever we did perform O therefore what cause have we to study and search and watch such hearts and not too boldly or carelesly to trust them And it is not only Hypocrites that are subject to these deceitfull sins who have them in dominion but true Believers that have a remnant of this carnal selfish principle continually offering to insinuate and corrupt their most excellent works and even all that they do 9. The strong eruption of those passions that seemed to be quite mortified doth shew that there is more evil lurking in the heart then ordinarily doth appear How calmly do we converse together how mildly do we speak till some provoking word or wrong do blow the coals and then the dove appeareth to partake of a fiercer nature and we can perceive that in the flame which we perceived not in the spark When a provocation can bring forth censorious reviling scornfull words it shews what before was latent in the heart 10. We are very apt to think those affections to be purely spiritual which in the issue appear to be mixed with carnality Our very love to the Assemblies and ordinances of