seeing that thou our God hast punished us lesse then our iniquities deserve and hast given us such a deliverance as this Should we again break thy Commandments wouldest thou not be angrie with us untill thou hadst consumed us As if he should say Shall we not regard both thy judgements and thy favours And because some had done thus therefore he saith O my God I am ashamed to lift up my face to thee O my God Consider moreover how thou hast sinned against the means of Gods Word so often calling upon thee standing at the doore and knocking stretching out his hands all the day long and that thou hast sent him away with a refusall This neglecting the Lords call and refusing to hear his Word and obey it is a most fearfull sin and fearfully threatned in Gods Word Prov. 1.24 Because I have called and ye have not heard and have stretched forth mine hand and no man regarded But ye have set at nought my counsell and would have none of my reproof I also will laugh at your calamitie and mock when your fear cometh Then shall they call upon me but I will not answer they shall seek me early but shall not find me There cannot be a more fearfull threatning then this and yet ye see it is but just and proportionable which shews the offence to be exceeding great And indeed how great a sin must it be that the great God should vouchsafe to speak to us base creatures and that thou in the mean time shouldst not daigne to hear him or hearing him refuse to obey him Now this thou hast done so often as ever thou hadst the occasion of the Word and either slighted to hear or didst not do the thing thou heardst Thou must not think that it was a man onely that thou didst misregard to hear or to obey but even God himself whose Ambassadour he is O that we would consider this rightly that when we hear the Word it is the great God whom we hear or whom we misregard according to that of the Apostle that they received the Word not as the word of 〈…〉 as it is indeed the Word of the living God This would make us truly to acknowledge the greatnesse of our by-past offences in this point and for time to come to hear with greater attention to better purpose but because this is not sensible enough considered by us therefore is it that we cannot see the greatnesse of this sin to wit to heare the word of God negligently This sinne is also fearfully threatned Isa 6. v. 12.66.4 Ier. 7.13 all which shewes that the contempt yea neglect of Gods word is not so small a sin as we apprehend it to be how then shouldest thou be humbled who hast been so often guilty of this sin See we not when Malefactors are broght to the place of the execution even for crying sins that yet this sin cries louder in their consciences then all the rest as is to be seen by their confessions further consider how thou hast sinned not onely in generall against the light of Gods word but even in particular against the Gospel against the offer of mercy and hast neglected so great a salvation Now this makes thy sins to be exceeding sinfull it is fearfull to sin against the very light of nature as is clear by the testimonies of the Lords wrath upon Belshazzar Dan. 5. and upon these Rom. 1. They had but the very light of nature and yet because they abused even but that light because when they knew God they glorified him not as God neither were thankfull therefore he gave them over to a reprobate minde and far more fearfull is it to sin against the light of the written Law for that was a clearer light and so we see the transgressors of the Law were precisely and peremptorily punished every transgression received a just recompence of reward But most fearfull and sinfull of all is it to sin against the most clear light of the Gospel and the offer of salvation in it as is clear out of these two places Heb. 2.1 Heb. 10.28 29. And our Saviour saith plainly that it shall be easier in the day of judgement even for Sodome and Gomorrah then it shall be for the neglecters of the Gospel Consider then how thou hast sinned in this last kind and so how great thy sins must be Were the breakers of the Law severely punished yea even those who had nothing but the light of nature O what deservest thou what need hast thou to be humbled that hast sinned against the highest light if by humiliation thou do not prevent it it shall be more tolerable for Sodom then for thee Now the thing that makes sins against the Gospel to be so sinfull is this because they are against not onely the Lords Commandment but his most loving entreaties and that by his tender mercies and the precious merits of his Son and therefore notwithstanding these to disobey and so to despise the offer of grace is and must be exceedingly sinfull for it is no lesse then as the Apostle cals it to neglect so great a salvation to tread under feet the blood of Christ and to count the blood of the Covenant an unholy thing for by the Law the Lord commands us indeed so to do but the tenor of the Gospel is by intreating to win obedience out of love I beseech you by the mercies of God Rom. 12.1 If a just King should out of Authority command his Subject any reasonable lawfull thing and he should disobey certainly his disobedience were great and greatly to be punished But if the Prince laying aside his Authoritie or with his Authority should request and allure with benefits and yet be neglected what punishment thinkest thou were that person worthy of Now the case is thy own the Lord thy God hath more interest in thee then all the kings in the world and is more worthy to be obeyed then they all also he hath been commanding thee and not onely so but requesting beseeching thee and that not by any common favours but by his tender mercies and the precious merits of his Son and renewing the offer of salvation and remission of thy sins to leave such and such sins and to do such and such duties but thou wouldest not O then how great and how just shall be thy damnation is not this to tread under feet the blood of Christ O that this were considered if a Subject should rebell against his Prince his punishment should be both just and great But if the Prince notwithstanding all that had past would of his free grace offer him a free remission and pardon and intreat him to accept of it and no more to continue in his rebellion and yet neverthelesse he should despise the pardon and continue in his former rebellion what punishment can be devised sufficient for such a one Just such is the case of such who sin against the Gospel the Lord offers freely
and take deeper root in the same then any care of the things of the life to come So if they seek the kingdom of heaven at all yet it cannot be said that they keep the rule Seek first or chiefly the kingdom of heaven 2. They be not diligent but slothfull desires wishing to dye the death but not willing to be at the pains to live the life of the righteous either they do nothing at all for it or at least not all that they should do they may perhaps leave many sins as was to be seen in Herod not do all that is commanded as is to be seen in the young man in the Gospel notwithstanding he did seem to have a very forward and fervent desire of salvation still they stick and stand at something and howsoever they seek the kingdom of heaven yet adde they not this and the righteousnesse thereof 3. They be not stable nor constant desires but fits and starts unconstant motions like the morning dew so that if they work at all yet do they not work out their salvation So that you have no reason to be put by the comfort of this point because of any desires in the wicked and unregenerate this way your desires being 1. deep and serious such as could not be put off but with satisfaction in some measure in the point it self 2. You seeking first the kingdom of heaven your heart running more upon this point of your own salvation and it going neerer unto your heart then the things of this 〈◊〉 3. You seeking the kingdom of heaven and the righteousnesse thereof and that ye have a respect to all Gods Commandments declining no duty entertaining no sin and in thus doing ye shall not be ashamed Lastly thy desires being stable and constant although it may be not in a like degree thou working out the work of thy salvation Q. The time was sometimes indeed that I could have said so much of the desires of my salvation that they were serious that they were not slothfull that I wrought out my salvation with fear and trembling but now I finde such slacknesse remissenesse security that makes me greatly doubt that my desires have not been such as they should A. This is indeed an ill to be regrated prayed and striven against even this great and ordinary ill of security But for your comfort understand that one and the same degree of desire and diligence is not to be expected alwayes no not in the best of Gods children especially their desires being more sharp their care their fear their diligence more great in the beginning of their conversion that as ye heard before they may be well entred in the course of Christianitie and well buckled with all Christian duties but many times afterwards there will be a falling away from their first care and diligence even the wise Virgins will slumber Christs own Spouse sleeped when her heart waked But herein stands the difference betwixt the instabilitie and inconstancie of the wickeds desires and of the godlies That the godly although they remit sometimes somewhat of the degree of their desires and cares this way yet do they never altogether return to their former securitie which they had before their wakening and conversion they may fal from their first care and diligence but not from all care and diligence the wise Virgins did slumber but were not dead the Spouse slept but her heart waked there will be ever something wakening and stirring the hearts of Gods children whereas the wicked grow altogether as secure and sluggish yea more like water heated which grows colder then before This no doubt if you apply it to your self will give you some resolution and comfort And thus far for this point 2. Now for the second point it is also true that the wicked and unregenerate may have a sight of their own corruptions wickednesse and sinfulnesse but it is also far from the degree and kind of that sight of sin and corruption which the regenerate and Gods own children have who have gotten the eye-salve the speciall illumination of the Spirit and are inlightned by that true light who lighteneth every man that cometh into the world they see more then flesh and blood can reveal unto them The difference may be especially seen in these foure particulars 1. The wicked and unregenerate although by the light of nature or a generall illumination they see some outward grosse corruptions corruptions of their flesh as fornication murther c. yet see they not their inward secret corruptions no lesse reigning and raging in them and no lesse odious unto God their pride their hypocrisie their infidelity their impatience their spirituall idolatry and whoring after the creature they see not the filthinesse of the spirit 2 Cor. 7. 2. Although they see sin in the branches and fruit yet see they it not in the root and fountain they see not into that originall corruption of their nature the blindnesse errour and vanity of their minds the great aversnesse and rebellion of their wils the inordinatenesse and earthlinesse of their affections the deadnesse of their consciences the hardnesse whoring hypocrisie and desperate wickednesse of their hearts they see not that body of death Rom. 7.24 3. They see not all their spirituall wants but think themselves as is to be seen in the Church of Laodicea to be rich and to have need of nothing to beleeve in Christ as well as any to love God as well as any c. 4. And lastly they see not the manifold imperfections of their best services but with the Pharisee rest upon the bare outward performance not pondering their own hearts nor considering that the Lord ponders them the wayes of a man seem good in his own eyes but the Lord pondereth the heart whereas the children of God on the contrary acknowledge all their righteousnesse to be but a menstruous cloth In a word the naturall and unregenerate mans light and sight of sin is but like an ordinary light whether candle-light or day-light while entring into a roome will discover any great or grosse filthinesse whereas the light of the regenerate is like the light of the Sun-beams which entring into a place discovers the very small moats in it This is clearly to be seen in Paul Rom. 7. before his regeneration and the coming in of the light of Gods Spirit by the Law he had a good conceit of himself he saw not concupiscence to be sin but afterwards he gets afar other sight of sin and of himself For I was alive without the Law once but when the Commandment came sin revived and I dyed Thou then who 1. seest thy inward corruptions thy secret and spirituall ones as well as the outward and grossest 2. Who seest the corruption of thy nature as wel as thy actuall transgressions 3. Who seest thy spirituall wants that thou art poore miserable and naked 4. And who seest a great imperfection in thy best services that they are
thou harbourest some sin and wilt not submit thy neck to the yoke of some duty or other O then thy desire thy care thy wakening thy wound hath not been serious hath not been deep enough to bruise out all corruption thou shalt be ashamed and disappointed of the Religion thou hast because thou hast not respect unto all Gods Commandments He that offends in one is guilty of all thou regardest iniquitie in thy heart the Lord will not hear thy prayer thou art but counterfeit coyn for thou wantest the Lords stamp and seal to wit to depart from iniquitie even every iniquitie thou givest not all diligence to make thy calling and Election sure by well doing even every sort of well doing Adde to thy faith vertue c. which thou wouldst do were thy desire and care but serious Lastly be thy thoughts heart affections otherwayes taken up all the day long and run more upon other things then upon the plealing of God the making of thy own calling and Election sure the keeping of a good conscience And doth thy contentment or discontentment thy grief and joy peace or unquietnesse arise from other grounds at night Then be sure some other thing goes nearer thy heart then God or Christ or thy own soul thy care is not serious thou fulfillest not the rule thou seekest not first the kingdom of heaven thou art not herein exercised alwayes to keep a good conscience thou doest not set the Lord alwayes before thee and so canst not conclude that he is at thy right hand and so shalt not be moved MEANS OF HUMILIATION VVE have already spoken of the generall directions concerning the working of Gods Spirit in the hearts of his children how we ought to carry our selves upon the discovery of the want or weaknesse of any grace or work of Gods Spirit in our souls to wit not to give place to despair but first of all by earnest and frequent prayer to have our recourse to God who gives liberally to all and upbraids none and who hath promised not to deny his holy Spirit to them that ask it Now although this be a good and main way to obtain what we want yet we must not rest here but to prayer must joyn the use of the means or else we shall not speed pray we never so diligently The Lord will have us put to our hand and therefore commands us work out c. And to this we are commanded even to humble our selves although it be the work of Gods Spirit I tell you that a point very much to be taken heed to was that in using the means it is not enough to use the means in generall the Word and the Sacraments but we should consider the particular means the fittest and nearest means to beget or strengthen such a grace and for want of this we may take very great pains in generall and we shall hardly speed and therefore we should see how far the work is proceeded in c. And as what our wants be and where the stop lyes and then to pray and to use means most diligently and to use the particular and neerest means and therefore I thought it most needfull to lay out the nearest and most particular means of this work of humiliation that so we using them the Lord blessing and concurring by his Spirit those who have not found this humiliation at all as yet may have it wrought in them and such of us who have found it in some measure may get it increased and strengthened and so all of us may be taught how to give obedience unto this exhortation Humble your selves under the mighty hand of God I. The first and indeed a main mean to work humiliation in us is seriously to miditatâ— upon the law the threatnings thereof and to apply them to our selves in particular considering withall the truth of him that hath pronounced them This by the concurrence of Gods Spirit will be a notable meane both to bring us to a right sight of our sinnes and to humiliation for them for as the Apostle saies By the Law is the knowledge of sinne it is the glasse and mirrour that only can let us see the foule spots of our souls And again to consider the threatnings will bring us to humiliation While I was without the Law I lived but when the Commandement came sin revived and I dyed would you then take a course to get this worke of humiliation wrought First of all get the cleere knowledge of Gods Law and examine thy self by it lay the rule of the Law to thy own heart and so see how great a transgressour thou art for want of this the most part of men and women live in sin without knowing that they sin and so without either repentance or amendment which is both pitifull and dangerous pitifull in regard of the Lords holy will dangerous to your own souls all will say they are great sinners but I fear they see not wherein and so can neither repent nor amend O but if thou wouldest apply the law to thy self thou wouldest see that thou hast bin and still art an exceeding great transgressour Consider the first Command and see if thou dost not sin exceedingly against it if thy heart does not whore and commit spirituall adultery with the creature delighting and trusting more in it then in the Creator God blessed for ever and thou shalt find also that thou puttest thy self most frequently in Gods place making thy self the utmost end of all thy actions which how horrible sins they be I leave to thy self to judge Was not this last Herods fault whom the Lord destroyed Consider the second Command and thou shalt see there be many points of Gods worship that thou I fear dost altogether neglect as that of meditation and conference and that all of them are for the most part superficially and slightly discharged by thee and that thou comest within the compasse of that curse Wo be unto them that do the work of the Lord negligently Consider the third Command and not to speake of thy frequent prophaning of Gods name see what either thou hast done or spoken to the honour of Gods name notwithstanding it is the many things that thou wast made for Look to the 4th Command and see how thou hast sanctified the Sabbath in thy thoughts and discourses yea see if thou hast not done in this point against thy light and even refused to return and hast hated to be reformed chosen rather to displease the immortall God then mortall men chosen rather to follow thy own will then the will of God and that notwithstanding he hath recommended it as a special point of his will unto thee and hath bidden thee remember to keep it holy Consider the fifth Command ye that are superiors whether ye render to those that are under you that which is just and equall And ye that are inferiors if ye give your superiors that honour and respect in your hearts
hath no quarrell against thee and shall not punish thee is he now lesse offended then before No he hath told thee but thou wilt not beleeve it that he will not hold thee guiltlesse thou shalt not escape unlesse thou humble thy self and amend 4. Was the Lord so zealous of keeping his Sabbath that he caused that man that gachered some few sticks to be stoned to death Is there not then great wrath abiding thee who so often hast profaned his Sabbath and doest so still unlesse thou prevent his wrath by humiliation and amendment 5. Did the Lord expresse his anger in such a degree against uncleannesse and fornication that for it he made 23 thousand of his people to fall in one day in the wildernesse and hast thou not need to hasten and humble thy self for thy uncleannes or else the like anger is attending thee 6. Was he so offended with the Israelites for their lusting and intemperance in dyet and not being content with the sober dyet the Lord had allowed that while the meat was in their mouthes the Lords wrath fell upon them and hast thou not need to be truly humbled for thy manifold over-sights in the point of diet and temperance whether in eating or drinking 7. Was Ananias and Saphira so fearfully punished for their lying and wilt thou make but a jest of it Surely thou wouldst condemne the Lord of crueltie thou hast need to esteeme otherwise of it to weigh it in the ballance of the sanctuary and to be humbled under the mightie hand of God for it In a word to conclude this point Thinkest thou O man that doest the same things that thou shalt escape the judgement of God Is the Lord changeable or is he not as greatly offended now as then or have we to do with another God or will he look to thy person more then to others or are thy sins lesse then others Something thou must think that thy heart trembleth not because of these judgements what ever thy thought may be assure thy self thou shalt find that they have the advantage of thee if thou wilt look either to preeminencie of persons or greatnesse of sins for the persons they were a naturall Olive as the Apostle speaks and thou art but the wilde Olive And if he spared not the naturall Olive how little lesse will he spare thee who art the wilde Olive Again if thou wilt compare their sins and thine thou wilt find thy own to be greater For 1. their sins were against the Law onely but thine are against the Gospel and for this consider Heb. 2. If the Word spoken by Angels c. 2. We read for the most part in all their exemplarie punishments that it was but for one act of sin onely but which of thy sins hast thou not frequently committed so that thou hast contracted a custome of sinning This may be clearly seen by comparing the particulars before spoken of with our sinning He once brake the Sabbath once blasphemed c. So that it is apparent thy sins are the greater This I speak the rather because we have all shifting hearts deceitfull above all things which are ready to think that the sins of those who were exemplarily punished were greater then ours are and that they had some extraordinary thing in them which made the Lord extraordinarily to punish them and so their examples work not so effectually upon us but on the contrarie ye see our sins are clearly greater Our Saviour saw this corruption and deceit of our hearts and therefore he saies to the Jews Think ye that these upon whom the Tower of Shiloh fell were greater sinners then the rest No saies he they were not But unlesse ye repent ye shall all likewise perish So say I to you think not but thou art as great yea a greater sinner and therefore unles thou repent thou shalt perish unles thou humble and amend Thou shalt surely die the death Was not the naturall Olive spared and shalt thou Was one act of sin so severely punished and shalt thou who hast reiterated many acts of the same kinde passe unpunished shall they who sinned against the Law be punished thou who neglectest so great a salvation escape O but saiest thou how comes it to passe then that the Lord deales otherwaies with sinners now a daies then of old for men do as it were get leave to sin and passe unpunished The Apostle gives the reason of this in the words I cited before saying These things befell them that they might be examples to us upon whom the ends of the world are come The reason that the Lord dealt more peremtorily with them and more exemplarily was not that their sins were greater and ours lesse but because they lived as it were in the beginning of the world the Lord would make them examples for succeeding ages he would let us see in the persons of few how he is offended with all guilty of the like sins whereas with us living in the ends of the world when examples shall be of lesse use and when the time of generall punishment is at hand there is no reason that sinners should be precisely and exemplarily punished but yet thou shalt be as surely and as severely punished yea and more III. A third meane to helpe to humble us is to consider the greatnesse of Gods anger against sin and how odious sin is in his sight and presence we should first lay this ground that our sins provoke the Lord to anger and wrath and then we should consider how fearefull a thing the anger of the Lord is for the first it is clear I a. 1. They have provoked the holy one of Israel to anger the Apostle saies that For these things the wrath of God cometh upon the children of men yea every sin does provoke him and that most highly to wrath although not all alike yet certainly I say every one most high or else the punishment of every sin would not be eternall and intolerable torment but so it is and therfore every sin even the least provokes the Lord highly to wrath Now this ground being laid for our humiliation we should consider what a fearefull thing this wrath and anger of God is that we may be the more humble seeing we our selves are lyable unto it The Scripture sets it down most fearfully using strange and fearful terms not onely of anger and wrath but of indignation of fury and putting both in one The furie of his indignation the fiercenesse of his wrath The wise man saies that the wrath of a King is like the roaring of a Lion what then must be the wrath of the King of kings for even these kings are advised in Psal 2. to kisse the Sâ—n lest he be angry and they perish in the way when his anger is kindled but a little how fearfull then must his anger be when it is kindled to the full The Prophet Neh. 1. saies Who can stand before his indignation And
Covenant of reconciliation even he shall intercede for him that he be not cast out of it again Jesus Christ our Saviour is the Mediator of the New Testament in such a sort not onely to enter us once in the Covenan with his Father but which is most comfortable when we fail he is ready to intercede for us He sits at the right hand of the Father making request for us And hence is it that this Covenant is so sure and so everlasting a Covenant This point is also notably and clearly set down and made good by that style that Daniel Nehemiah Ezra give unto God O Lord who keepest Covenant and mercie A sweet saying and style for both on his own part he keeps Covenant and then for us when we break and sin he hath mercie for us So in the Scripture we have it more then once that sweet combination of mercy and truth Psal 57. He will send out his mercie and his truth Psal 25. all his wayes are mercy and truth c. His truth is to perform his promise his mercie is to cover our sins and to pardon them that they be no impediments for him to perform his mercie towards us Had he onely truth our comfort would be but small for we make the first breach and fail in the condition so that the Lord may without any breach of his truth and justice break his promise with us but when he joyns mercy with truth and is a God that keeps Covenant and mercie in this stands our comfort and happinesse and this is it that makes it an everlasting Covenant As also in that notable Psal 89. My faithfulnesse and my mercie shall be with him And again notably v. 28. My mercy will I keep for him for evermore and my Covenant shall stand fast with him His mercy endureth for ever How often repeated in Scripture a notable comfort against our renewed sins But of all most notably clearly and expresly is this surenesse and everlastingnesse of the Covenant set down in that same Psalm where the Lord professes which is indeed most wonderfull and sweet that although sin and the devill should have so far prevailed against us as to make us forsake Gods Law that though he may well visit our transgressions with the rod and our iniquitie with stripes so to bring us to repentance yet His loving kindnesse he will not utterly take from us nor suffer his faithfulnesse to fail so that he will not break his part of the Covenant for all this O the wonderfull goodnesse of God in his Son Christ who although we change every moment yet he changeth not whom he loves he loves to the end his gifts and his graces be without repentance Q. I hear that upon my repentance I shall have accesse to this precious Covenant though after seventy times seven times yea infinitely often for Gods wayes are not like mans wayes but are above them as far as the heaven is above the earth which is very comfortable and also that the Lord will take pains with me to bring me to repentance will visit me with the rod c. O but what if I continue in sin without repentance if I be not to be reclaimed no not by rods and so fall away altogether A. Thou shalt not get leave to do this for this is a part and a clause of this precious and sure Covenant Jer. 32.40 I will put my fear into their heart that they shall not depart from me to wit altogether or without returning this puts on the very top-stone of the surenesse of the Covenant That place is worth the noting for in it the Lord undertakes both his own part and ours This point is also notably and clearly set down Heb. 8. where the Apostle setting down the difference between the old Covenant and the new he saith of the old indeed they abode not in that Covenant but for this he saith I will write my Law in their hearts and put it in their inward parts So Ezek. I will put my Spirit within them and cause them to walk in my statutes to do them So ye may see that this is still a most sure and everlasting Covenant Q. But may it not be objected that this doctrine of the surenesse everlastingnes and steadfastnesse of the Covenant is ready to faster security and to prove an obstruction to Christian obedience A. It may well make one relent of that slavish or at the best selfish obedience flowing from fear and arising from self-love and self-respects But as for that acceptable obedience which flows from Faith and from the love of God The love of God constraineth me surely it doth greatly advance and fortifie it for why as ye see it fortifies faith exceedingly this point of the surenes of the Covenant and everlastingnesse on Gods part now faith produces this acceptable obedience faith which worketh by love the more faith the more working and that by love the more heartie and cheerfull obedience So whatsoever doctrine serves to increase faith in us to breed in us the full assurance of faith is so far from rendring us carnally secure and so sluggish as on the contrary it renders us spiritually secure it makes us the more working and diligent it addes spirit and life heart and courage to work Faith which worketh by love it both increases and rectifies our obedience whereas faith which is the tree being weak good works which are the fruit must be few as the assurance of Faith rouses up the soul to go on in a cheerfull and right course of obedience with an eye to God whereas otherwise all our obedience is at the best felfish if not slavish Do ye fast unto me saith the Lord and even for this restraint of fear to stand in aw and not to sin This Covenant for all the sweetnesse of it hath sufficient ground for as ye hear although the Lord for the main take not his loving kindnesse away yet neverthelesse he visits with the rod and with stripes even with sad and sore chastisements even where he is favourable he takes for all that vengeance for transgression even where he corrects in measure he suffers not altogether to passe unpunished Hence is that complaint Thou hast wounded me with the wound of an enemie and chastised me with the chastisement of a cruell one And again The Lord hath chastised me sore but hath not delivered me over to death There was never so much pleasure in thy sinning as thou who ever thou art shalt find bitternesse in thy chastisements for sin even although the main thing and the punishment be remitted so that thou hast need to stand in awe and not sin So that this Covenant though full of confidence yet hath some place also for fear and aw Obj. When I consider this surenesse and everlastingnesse of the Covenant surely I must think them happie that have propriety and interest in it but I fear that I have none that it belongs not