ways of God and People of God Oh such say they have the Spirit that they be Holy and they are so strict that they will not do such and such things as others do This is a degree of Blasphemy and borders upon the brink of the unpardonable Sin These are stiled by the Apostle Revilers 1 Cor. 5.11 6.11 and they as such shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven The giving out of the Spirit upon plain meaning people in the measure it now is is a new thing but not therefore to be despised and reviled Every Town and Family almost doth abound with this wickedness and dreadful provocation and 't is the saddest sign upon the generality of people whatsoever only 't is to be hoped they do it through Ignorance as Paul did 1 Tim. 1.13 and God as he hath done may humble and convert many of them to the praise of his Grace only let sinners that have been frequently shewed the desperate wickedness of such speeches of scoffing at the Spirit and Holiness and call it Hypocrisie tremble lest God give them up when they sin against Conviction and the clear light of the word in this matter Had I time to reason a little in the power of the Lord with such souls why Consider seriously and in good earnest Can you be so sottish and so wilfully blinded that have heard or read the Scriptures to imagine that you are God's and Christ's and have not the Spirit and are not made Holy nor crying to God that you may be holy He that hath not the Spirit of Christ is none of his And without Holiness you shall not see the Lord How dare you then in the Atheism and devilish wickedness of your hearts scoff at the very Name of the Spirit and Holiness The lowest place in Hell will be yours that have been so often admonished of this unless God smite you to the Earth for it True Converts have the saddest Humiliation for this sin as they have been more or less guilty of it 2. Or you that are not so desperately carried forth in this open ungodliness of speaking evil of what you know not but yet make little Conscience of lying for your profit or in excusing a matter so you may do it covertly and count it a venial small sin or you that when provoked swear prophanely and desperately tearing the Name of the great and dreadful God wreaking your anger and wrath upon the Name of God and the blood of Christ your Tongues are set on fire on Hell and the Spirit of Disobedience the Devil worketh in you not a drop of the Grace of God in you 3. Or you who have your petty Oaths by your Faith by your Lady and by Creatures or make mention of the Name of God and Lord in your ordinary Discourse vainly and as a by-word crying Oh Lord upon every slight occasion and for God's sake and Christ's sake do this and this in poor trivial matters verily there is nothing of the New-Creature in you And yet these great Prophanesses you call your infirmities and 't is your infirmity to swear when angry and provoked and you say you forget your selves when you mention the Name of the Lord God sleightly or through Ignorance plead for it that you may do so I tell you Souls they are your reigning damning sins who are frequent in them And in carnal prayerless families as most are how oft in a day may these ungodly speeches be heard by men women and children If the fear of God were upon you or any work of Grace you durst not do it nor indeed could do Therefore do but observe your selves a day and see how often you are here guilty and tremble before God and go and humble your selves at his feet that you may find mercy and have another heart and mouth given unto you Pray and cry and wait for the good treasure of the Word of Grace in your hearts and 't will be otherwise with you 4. Yea you who are engaged in worldly Discourses on the Sabbath-day in your families at your doors in the streets in idle and vain jesting you are not of God born again by his Spirit you take no delight in the Word of God the meditation of your heart is not in it you speak little of it because you savour it not Tremble you Worldlings who shew it this way at that Word 1 John 5.5 They are of the world therefore speak they of the world and the world heareth them If ye are of the world you are not as yet of Jesus Christ the power love of this present World ruleth in you and that may damn you for ever Know sinners you that make little Conscience of vain prophane words though you pretend to make some conscience of your word of promise to Men for your credits sake and so think you have grace all which a Turk will do that by your words you shall be judged and of idle words you shalt give an account at the day of Judgment and by thy words thou shall be condemned Mat. 12.36 37. Such words as we have opened to be damning sins And therefore do not put off this guilt from you in saying 't is your infirmity and so make light of it but know 't is guilt which will send you to Hell if the Lord humble you not and change you 'T is a certain Rule a prophane heart and a prophane mouth a carnal heart a carnal tongue a worldly heart a worldly yea Sabbath-days tongue Therefore you are not New-Creatures in the least and therefore begin with the heart that the heart may be smitten of God for this sin and changed and seasoned with the word and grace of Christ upon you and it will be better with you and you will have a tongue to speak well of the Spirit and the things of God and his People and to speak for God and reverently of his Name and delight your selves in it 2. Let this be a word to such as through grace are become New-Creatures in Christ that you would shew it in this discovery in a new Tongue that you give not your selves that liberty of vain carnal much less prophane Discourses as formerly as indeed you will not if you be new Creatures Men's Converse do either lye among such as are wholly carnal and worldly or such as savour that which is good As to the former as in all our carriage so especially in our Words there is great caution to be had 1. Not to mix our selves with them unnecessarily unless we find we have strength enough through a dependency on the Lord to avoid their snares and do it with a purpose of heart to do them good by reproving or counselling them Many a good soul hath been sadly worsted by mixing unnecessarily with vain prophane or frothy company 2. If Providence cast thee amongst them sometimes it may be the Wisdom of a Child of God to keep silence as David Psal 39.1 I said I
pitty for my own holy Name ver 21. Thus saith the Lord God I do not this for your sakes but for mine holy Names sake ver 22. I will sanctifie my great Name ver 23. And when the Lord had shewed what he would do for the poor Jews in special and so for all Sinners taken into Covenant with him that he would sprinkle clean water upon them cleanse them from their Sins give them a new heart put his Spirit upon them write his Laws in their hearts and so take them to be his people he again concludes with the same ground as before that all this was still for his own Name ver 32. Not for your sakes I do this be it known unto you c. And yet that he would as certainly and fully do it as if all the engagements from man in the world had been upon him as undoubtedly make good every part and article of the Covenant he adds ver 36. I the Lord have spoken it and I will do it you may safely abide by it Neither should his grace and power come hardly from him as poor doubting souls surmise as if 't were as much as ever the Lord could do to give out mercy and grace to poor Sinners but saith the blessed God in another place upon the same account having given out the promises of Grace in the New Covenant Jer. 32.37 and so on He subjoyns I will do it with my whole heart and my whole soul mark it poor souls with my whole soul will I pardon you love you never turn away from you to do you good and never suffer you to turn away from me If poor souls for whose sake I put it should here ask what is this Covenant what do you mean by it only a word here God at first when he made man agreed with man to be his God to give him life for ever upon these terms that man would keep the Law that God gave him and 't was a Law that would have given all glory to the Creator preserved the creature in a holy and blessed order and been a blessing to the whole Creation but man transgressing here the blessed God from his own good pleasure for his names sake gives out another Covenant provides in it terms of reconciliation for the first breach of the first Covenant sends his eternal blessed Son Jesus Christ to be a mediator of this new Covenant gives him commission to offer it to all and that freely and to let the World know that if any Sinner in the World never so great come and put up his plea make his claim enter his claim accept of this Covenant and new agreement with God accept of the terms of it give up himself mutually to God back again then will God be his God and that upon better terms than before with Adam pardon own love bless unite to himself never suffer him to fall mercy built upon an unmoveable foundation The foundation of God standeth sure 2 Tim. 2.19 This briefly is the meaning of the New Covenant upon which all our mercy is built now from first to last from the first to the top-stone of it from Election to Glory all is done and made good for the Lords own glorious Names sake Souls elected the Covenant transacted between God and Christ Jesus Christ sent the Sinner called forgiven justified sanctified adopted kept glorified All for his Names sake See the promises running thus in most places Isa 43.25 I even I am he that blotteth out thy transgressions Why for my own sake Purge away our sins for thy Names sake Psal 79.9 This is the bottom of all This name he hath revealed in Jesus Christ Exod. 23.21 Now because the further clearing of this blessed truth is my design through Grace in the next discourse I shall speak but a word more by the way of use only Vse 1. If it be thus that whatever God gives out to poor souls is for his own Names sake that this is the plea a poor Sinner hath let it then be for your information and instruction that you have no other plea to be heard in Heaven but this the plea of Jesus Christ being upon the same bottom Don't make a sorry pile of carnal duties and works and say for the sake of these Lord do me good and pardon where I have failed the Lord may send fire from Heaven to consume thee and them because of their pollution and that 't is a cursed offering but never hear thee and bless thee upon such a plea No no say in thy soul and that from full conviction If ever I have any thing from God on this side Hell it must be for his own Names sake I expect I plead I wait upon no other ground Vse 2. If the Lord's Names sake be the only plea for grace then let poor Sinners drawing near to God by Jesus Christ be perswaded that 't is a good plea and most acceptable before the Lord. Now this is the way of the heart of poor creatures from rooted self-love and pride we think if God could give out good unto us for our sakes it were something if there were any thing to be beheld in us that were commendable to the Lord I could go with some confidence but seeing 't is thus that I am nothing else but vile before him how can I go to him with what face or how can he give out unto me Sinner be as low as thou wilt or canst but reason not so with thy self If God can as freely as fully do thee good all good for his own Names sake and hath thereby the more glory by it why shouldest thou so stand upon thy terms with God and not be as willing as contented to accept of Mercy all mercy for Gods own Names sake as well as for thy sake 'T is thy pride be it known unto thee Sinner as thou thinkest thou art and not thy lowliness know for thy comfort God can more readily easily do thy soul good upon the terms he now is for his own sake and so the thing be done thy soul pardoned blessed saved and all shall end in everlasting love upon thee let the Lord have all the Glory though thou hast nothing to boast of for thy own sake And yet also know that when the Lord saith he doth it for his own sake he doth not exclude that he hath no respect and love unto thee but that the great and highest motive with God was and is his own Name his own glorious grace why he ever had a thought of good to an undone creature that there was no motive in the creature unless misery which is no glory but all is done given estated upon souls undone poor Sinners freely for his own sake 3. Let it exhort souls to make use of this plea therefore and that with great though humble confidence It never failed poor Souls since the world was that made use of it when they were low and helpless and eyed
for it see how you cast back mercy upon the face of God who would freely be reconciled with you pass by all the grievous injuries you have done him enter into a Covenant with you bestow his Christ upon you fit you for communion with himself here and for ever And all this you have sleighted and yet must unavoidably be for ever damned without it Sinner who can plead for thee when thou shalt go on to despise neglect slight such grace To Hell without pity of God Angels or Men when freest mercy and grace shall be slighted I do therefore stand this day in the Name of Jesus Christ to acquaint you that he will save you freely if you will come unto him be your sins what they will so you come not as righteous but as sinners to him so you take his Righteousness to cover you and his Spirit of grace to unite you to him and make you holy and will give up your selves unto him All which he will help if you will come and cry to him yea if you cannot come he will draw you if you are unwilling he will make you willing if you have no heart he will give you heart What more Wretched man or woman that shall stand off one moment longer Is not Hell too good for thee if thou shalâ— now turn thy back upon such grace Let me have your Answers this day Let me know that sinner that will go home resolved to be as careless as he formerly hath been as well-opinioned of himself as much resolved against Holiness as thoughtless of being damned if he withstand the Lord in his Free-grace one day more Oh! Will not your hearts stir dead stupid Souls Shall God's Free-grace his Christ go a begging this day and will not a sinner come up to his terms Old sinners that are going into the grave and Hell too will not you accept of Free-grace of Christ the Spirit this day that are upon the brink of the grave and everlasting burnings and have many a thousand sins yet unpardoned Is all this nothing to you but rest in a blind hope of mercy without coming to Jesus Christ without care of being made holy and fit for Heaven Oh you have been fast asleep in sin deceived by your own hearts abused by the Devil forty fifty sixty years Is' t not time for you to bethink your selves to go and cry to the Blessed God Oh Grace Pardon Christ Heaven upon any Terms My righteousness I have trusted in are poor Cobwebs my Confidences vain Oh for a drop of Free-mercy and grace from that Ocean that is in God and 't were better than all I have done for Heaven yet Oh Lord Now now I come to thee Is there free-mercy and grace for one that hath slighted it Yea though thou hast gone on frowardly in thy own heart yet he can heal thee Isa 57.17 18. And you that are younger 't is a desperate thing now in times of Gospel-Light when it glares upon your faces to shut your eyes to go on in the way of your own hearts to slight Gospel-Grace to harden your selves and cry hereafter hereafter Alas thou knowest not what shall be on the morrow the Thread of thy life is quickly cut with a stroak from God Beside to go on long from year to year against the loud and frequent Call of Jesus Christ against Convictions that thou shouldst do otherwise is the way to be given up to utter hardness and the Lord to move upon thy heart no more There 's a day of grace to every Soul which if he suffer to set and go down upon him he is irrecoverably lost for ever Look to it you younger men and maidens that have yet no work upon you that are the same you were under the means you have lived that have not the Spirit of grace and mourning upon you when others are praying and wrestling with the Lord and taking the Kingdom of Heaven by violence Oh up and be stirring the day of grace hath shined long upon you Hold out no longer Come Come Come you careless Sons and Daughters and the way is open to you The door of Free-grace is open Christs Arms are open you may be saved and blessed for ever if you come in now you are invited I can take no excuse Come or say I am resolved for Hell and to venture the utmost in the condition I am in Oh bold and fearless Atheism What shall I say to thee if that be thy Resolution But I cannot be so answered Say you Sinners as if I should name you are you for Heaven or Hell for Free-grace or your own patch'd-up righteousness for carnal ease or any Pains for Heaven for your Lusts or for Holiness for Jesus Christ or the Devil let thy heart answer in good earnest this day Now shall I at least have this Answer Hold I am resolved for the Free-grace of God for the Lord Jesus Christ If all the sinners in the Congregation yea in the World should turn their backs upon him The Word of the Lord hath overcome Oh Lord Jesus may I come such a Wretch as I come Yea saith the Lord Jesus Rev. 22.17 Whosoever will let him come Grace is as free as ever it was Say then Oh Lord I come draw me and I will come Into the Arms of Free-grace I throw my self my Righteousness is an abominable thing Ah! a Christ upon any terms Oh let let me creep unto thy Blessed Feet let me have the lowest Room in thy Heart Take what way thou wilt to purge me so I may but get well unto thee Now Lord as much Holiness as thou wilt let thy precious blood wash me all over Well go thus and acquaint the Lord Jesus with it from day to day wait he will speak to thee love to hear more from him and of him in his Gospel and thou biddest fair for Heaven yea there will presently be joy in Heaven for thee In a word I protest against you in the Name and Authority of God and the Lord Jesus Christ who hath sent me if you shall withstand the grace of God in Jesus Christ freely most freely offered you I shall be a Witness against you And if any sinners in the World shall be certainly damned you are they who neglect this great Salvation 'T is come to this I would saith Jesus Christ and ye will not What ado to have a sinner that 's sinking to Hell to come to the Lord Jesus Christ to be freely saved What should a guilty sinner do but come to a free Saviour to be saved and accept of his terms which are so blessed with a thousand hearts if he had them Now say how am I straightned till I get to him I would go and weep my heart out to him had I a heart to do it Now I leave what hath been spoken to the good pleasure of God and the work of his Power who is able to send away every Soul trembling and resigning
it is renewed it is fetcht in again to Jesus Christ 8. The heart of it self is unbelieving Take heed lest there be in you an heart of unbelief Hebr. 3. Now when the heart is made New there is a Work of Faith with power 2 Thess 1.11 And then the soul is made sensible of that bitter root of Unbelief that is naturally in their hearts and they find it the hardest work in the world to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of sins to fix on Promises and that a believing heart is a special gift of God and a work of the Spirit which while a poor sinner was shut up under Unbelief he felt not Vse 1. To unchanged persons who are the same in heart as ever they were Oh learn by what hath been opened what is the natural make and frame of them There is in you a Rebellious heart against the Lord and wilful obstidacy against his Word and Spirit and therefore 't is that you cast the Word of the Lord from you and in your hearts despise it and say This is not the Word of the Lord and we will not obey it You have hard and impenitent hearts and therefore you do not mourn for sin you have proud hearts and are well-conceited of your condition though damnable and therefore you do not humble your selves to God you have Hypocritical Hearts and see it not full of Hell of Uncleanness dead in sin and without feeling a heart divided between Christ and the World unbelieving and yet say you have Faith If thou canst not make out a Newness upon thy heart as we have shewed thou hast still thine old heart with its lusts and thy estate is as yet damnable let thy Knowledge Profession Outward-blamelessness be what it will 2. Oh therefore let this Word be yet for further Tryal of your Estate Can you say to the praise of free and rich Grace that God hath in some measure taken away your Rebellious Heart from you and you can stoop and yield to the power of Truth and rejoyce in it that God hath made your heart soft in some measure and the Pride of your hearts in the false conceit you had of your selves hath a stroak from God upon it that God hath shewed you your deep and cursed Hypocrisie and how your heart was divided and was wholly unbelieving and that the Remnants of these wickednesses in you of heart rebellion hardness pride hypocrisie pollution unbelief are your greatest burden and you mourn over them daily If this be not your Experience let that man or woman know he or she is a Hypocrite and Unbeliever and sees it not c. 3. Therefore let it convince you and exhort you to go and fall down before the Lord and beg him to open your hearts which naturally are shut up in Darkness and to abase you in the sense of your Rebellion and that he would even do this for you in much Mercy to take away a rebellious hard proud heart from you and would make your hearts pliable to the Word and make them soft and humble before him and to close with the whole heart with Jesus Christ through a work of Faith upon you Do this in the fear of the Lord and through his Grace coming upon you and see what God will do for you and you will be your own wonders that ever such abominations should lye hid in your hearts and yet you not be confounded in your selves in the sense of them 4. Let Souls that are through infinite grace under some heart-renewings know that they have never done with this Work till they come to Glory Yea Soul thou hast depths of rebellion pride hypocrisie pollution unbelief which yet thou hast not reach'd to and therefore as thou must ascribe all to Grace for what the Lord hath done upon thee and remember to thy greater humbling how much adoe the Lord had with thee to bring thy heart under so much as it is so to consider that the Candle of the Lord must more and more search thy dark and deep heart and 't is to be thy daily work or else all these evils will again much prevail upon thee Love therefore a searching Word from the Servants of Christ that are over you 6. The next Discovery of the Gospel New-Creature is this namely The Gospel New-Creature hath New Affections Briefly to instance in some of the chief 1. The New-Creature hath new fear The fear of an eternal Condition that first usually seizeth upon a convinced sinner the fear of a just and angry God against sin and at last upon its renewing a holy awful fear of God as great and holy and good a fear of sinning against him and that because he is gracious Naturally this affection of fear in a carnal heart is conversant about the loss of outward things about shame in the World and the like and so far as it respects God his Soul 't is a slavish fear of breaking out of some grosser sins only lest God should damn him but not fearing the Lord with a gracious Son-like fear a fear that purifies the Heart a fear that is mixt with a blessed love of God and delight in his ways 2. The Heart is exercised with new Sorrow A godly sorrowing for sin such sins which were once the delight of the Heart such a sorrowing that works an Indignation against the Darling sins a taking of a kind of Revenge of our selves for it a vehement desire after pleasing of God and Holiness 2 Cor. 7.11 There is a sorrowing over a crucified Christ and a sorrowing after him and well is a poor soul when it can go in secret and have this affection most exercised with sighs and groans and tears and sad complaints against it self 3. There is a new joy by degrees instilled in the Soul of which though there are various measures to the Children of God yet every New-Creature can go thus far though not in that vigour of Spirit he would do that when the Spirit is free from great distempers it can say he hath some joy that he is deliver'd from the dominion and thraldom of lusts that 't is its joy to go before God I will go unto God my exceeding joy Psal 43.4 Even when under some disquietness of Spirit as verse 2. Why dost thou cast me off Yea will a poor soul say God and Communion with him could I see his face would be my greatest joy And the carnal joy of the heart when it breaks forth leaves the soul but more in heaviness and the New-Creature would have his joy run spiritual 4. Upon this the New-Creature hath New delights The Word of God becomes his delight seeking the face of God and the People of God Delight thy self in God Psal 37. And his chief delight is in the Saints Psal 16.3 The heart cannot as it could formerly delight it self in folly and in vanity and in vain carnal ways and people but is rather burthened with
be spoken of this Discovery of the New-Creature in its shewing it self in a new Lip 9. The 9th Discovery of the New-Creature Such as are New-Creatures in Christ they will have New-Company As soon as a soul is new forming up in Christ he saith as David Depart from me ye evil doers for I will keep the Commandments of my God Psal 119.115 Depart from me all ye workers of Iniquity for the Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping Psal 6.8 I am a Companion of all them that fear thee and of them that keep thy Precepts Psal 119.63 So the primitive Saints as soon as converted they become Companions of the reproached Ones of the Lord and took joyfully the spoiling of their Goods with them Heb. 10.34 And so Moses chose affliction with the people of God before Riches and Honour with the Prophane Heb. 11.26 Now this real Converts do 1. Because wicked and carnal men will act and speak wickedly against God and his ways and people which a heart broken and made tender cannot endure to hear and observe David said it was like a sword in his bones Psal 42.10 when wicked men reproached the Lord and his servants 2. Converts are in great danger to be tempted to sin as Joseph in Pharaoh's house by the company of wicked and carnal persons the Devil will lay snares especially for weak Souls It will be hard for weak souls to pass without guilt by mixing with them 3. Saints will contract deadness and indisposition by their company it causeth old Lusts to stir and other sins of heart to be working The carnal part will be too ready for complyance with them how hard to come off from them not worsted 4. Such as are New-Creatures in Christ have quite different Spirits from wicked and carnal men different principles different ends and therefore they must needs avoid them and cannot take satisfaction and contentment with them unless under great temptation Vse 1. To sinners unconverted who take pleasure in your carnal merry company but are burthened with the company of godly and you secretly disdain them and the Devil suggests to you that they are Hypocrites know this and be assured of it and your Consciences must acknowledge it that ye are yet in your sins and haters of Holiness and you love not the appearance of it Certainly you are none of these New-Creatures and you cannot know your selves by a better Character than by the company you most delight in You do not make choice of your most intimate company by their Godliness but from wordly ends or mirth or good fellowship as you stile it or generosity or some such carnal end verily the grace of God is not in you and your condition is damnable 2. As ever you would find mercy look up to the Lord to turn your hearts to himself and then to those that fear him Break off from your vain company who engage your hearts to vanity What saith the Wisdom of God A Companion of fools shall be destroyed Prov. 13. No such fools how witty or prudent or civil soever otherwise as carnal souls that delight in vanity Oh hearken to the instruction of the wise and your soul shall live I confess this is the hardest pluck in conversion but yet it must be done with a vigorous resolution through grace when once the bands are broken and you come to find as you will abundant more sweetness in the Lords ways verily you shall never repent your so doing And such as have some desires towards goodness and have some better thoughts than you have had formerly of good people you will make little progress in grace and peace and comfort to your own souls till you do this till you can abhor your selves for your vanity and prophaness among carnal men and can with full purpose of heart cleave to the Lord and overcome fear or shame or whatever such cursed evils that are in your way and all your rocks of offence you will make little of it as to evidence any sound work in your hearts and peace with God by Jesus Christ one days accompanying with carnal men will set you more backward in the matter of godliness than many days after will help on 3. Let such as would evidence the New-Creature be very watchful in this matter and not to touch pitch lest they be defiled mix not your selves unnecessarily as hath been exhorted in the last head among carnal men unless you have a good and holy end in it so as Jesus Christ did going among great sinners to do them good which indeed bespeaks a great strength of grace and a Christ-like spirit and Saints should be much with God for it And among your selves that Saints do still better and not worst one anothers Spirits when they come together the more you are with Saints the more you love them and delight in them Have a compassionate healing spirit to one anothers infirmities and be not offended but look upon and love the appearance of God in each other And remember that receiving and doing of good is your great business till you come to Heaven Yea let all that have a new work upon them diligently find out the Company of Saints such as are visibly joined to the Lord and to each other to enjoy Ordinances holily and to help one another Heaven-ward Woe to him that is alone saith the wisdom of God Let not gracious Souls content themselves in pollutions of worship and without the company of the godly such do decay wither make a poor shift to hold out in their profession grow worldly or are overtaken with the Errours of the times as for the most part they are the solitary professors who are drawn aside from Gospel-truth and not such as it hath been unduly charg'd who are in the fellowship of the Gospel for that end and purpose to help strengthen pray for watch over each other 10. Such as are New-Creatures in Christ they have if I may so speak new feet namely to walk with God in a new conversation The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord and he delighteth in his way Psal 37.23 I have saith David refrained my feet from every evil way that I may keep thy word This New-walk of a Saint of a New-Creature is a large field that I may hint the most material things of it 1. A New-Creature doth more and more set himself to walk with God 1. As under the eye of God considering that the jealous eye of the Lord is still upon him Thou compassest my path and my lying down and art acquainted with all my ways Psal 133.3 2. To keep Communion with God to be conversing with God speaking with God and unto God and waiting to hear God speak unto him 3. To walk in Jesus Christ As ye have received Christ Jesus the Lord so walk ye in him Col. 2.6 which is to walk in the Life of Christ in the Light of Christ in the Love of Christ
Divine Characters OR The True Christian Discovered AND The Hypocrite Detected In Three Treatises The first Treatise shewing That both Saints and Unconverted Sinners ought daily to go to God in Jesus Christ for Pardon of their sins because they are many and great The Second Treatise shewing How we are to expect Salvation not from any Righteousness of our own but by the Righteousness of the alone Mediator JESUS CHRIST how we shall be made Partakers thereof and Evidences of the Truth of it The Third Treatise shewing The Gospel-Evidences of a True Christian as they are experienced by those who are truly Believers and the false Appearances thereof plainly refuted To which is added The Summe and Substance of the Christian Religion in a SHORT CATECHISE LONDON Printed in the Year 1695. Divine Characters In Three Treatises The First Treatise Shewing that both Saints and Unconverted Sinners ought daily to go to God in Jesus Christ for Pardon of their Sins because they are many and great PSAL. XXV 11. For thy Names sake O Lord pardon mine Iniquity for it is great IN this Psalm you have David's sins laid in with weight upon his Conscience and in the deep sense of their guilt pleading with God about mercy and pardon The sense of that one great sin in the matter of Vriah meant especially in the Text brought in the sense of other sins of his youth upon him as is usually Gods way in humbling a sinner and at ver 7. you have him at the feet of God begging as for his life as to the remission of them all Remember not the sins of my youth nor my transgressions According to thy mercy remember thou me for thy Goodness O Lord And here at the Text for thy Names sake O Lord c That which I design to lay before you from the words is to open to you and press upon you the weight and blessedness of a pardoned condition that you may be awakened to it while the day of mercy lasts and may indeed be in very good earnest about it till through infinite grace you may obtain it and live and dye in the sweet and blessed peace and comfort of it through our Lord Jesus Christ That which I intend to give out from hence through the spirit of grace assisting is but as previous and preparatory to the opening of a justified estate and the New Creature in Christ that if God will your consciences may be brought to a thorough a wakening a spiritual sight and conviction of sin and a self-emptyness which is the good and safe way of a Soul to Jesus Christ which from this Scripture take in these plain Observations Obs 1. That great and weighty concernment that should most of all take up the thoughts of the hearts of poor sinners is that their sins may be pardoned 2. Such who come to God by Jesus Christ to have their sins pardoned they look upon them as great sins for it is Great 3. The great reason of Gods pardoning a sinner and the Plea that a poor sinner hath with God is that God will pardon for his own Names sake 1. To begin with the first proposition viz. That great and weighty thing that should most of all take up the thoughts of the hearts of all the Children of men is that their sins may be pardoned This may be evinced from the frame of blessed David's spirit and other the pardoned ones of the Lord up and down the holy Scriptures exercised with such a violence and importunity with the Lord in this matter of the Pardon of their sins as if they had no other thing besides what conduced thereunto to beg of God in the world and all that God gave them in the world as indeed it is not were nothing without it therefore you have them thus wrestling with God about it According to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my trangressions Psal 51.1 If there be any mercy in Heaven let a poor guilty soul have a drop of it yea David layeth a kind of violence upon God Psal 65.2 As for our transgressions thou shalt purge them away thou shalt do it I cannot must not will not be denyed this thou shalt do it for me So Moses interceding for the people Exod. 39.9 If I have found grace in thy sight O Lord let my Lord I pray thee go amongst us for it is a stiff-necked people and pardon our iniquity and our sin and take us for thine Inheritance with what vehemency of heart doth Moses cry if I have any favour with thee let it be laid out this way Oh Lord let my Lord c. Otherwhiles when the blessed sense of a pardoned condition is upon their hearts Blessed is he whose trangressions is forgiven Blessed man or woman as ever he was born Blessed He and only blessed and fully blessed and for ever blessed whose sins are pardoned And then admiring the blessed God in such riches of Grace as to pardon sinners Who is like to thee a God pardoning iniquity Mic. 7.18 Thou art a God ready to pardon gracious and merciful c. Neh. 9.17 Psal 103.1 2 3 10. Bless the Lord oh my soul and all that is within me bless his holy name why what had the Lord done see verse 3. Oh who forgiveth all thine iniquities who forgiveth and forgiveth All great sins a well as less sins of nature as well as life sins before conversion and sins since conversion sins of knowlege as well as of ignorance for David was under all these yet All All All forgiven and that freely too only because the Lord is gracious verse 8. and so forgiven them as never to come before him any more As far as the East is from the West so far hath he removed our trangressions from us verse 12. I shall hint some Reasons of the Truth why it is that the pardon of sins doth or should so greatly take up the hearts of sinful creatures Reason 1. The pardon of sin should thus greatly take up the hearts of all that indeed expect pardon because 't was the greatest thing if I may so speak that ever took up Gods heart how a sinner might be pardoned He laid forth more of his wisdom and goodness about it than in the making of the Heavens and the Earth The framing of the New Covenant the giving out of his eternal Son Jesus Christ God manifested in the flesh such a Glorious way of reconciling justice and mercy through the death of Christ the choicest piece of divine Wisdom that ever was brought forth they were all conversant about and their proper tendency was about this great and weighty concernment how and that a sinner might be pardoned when Moses had that blessed enterview and parley with the Lord Exod. 33. 34. and Moses getting nearer and nearer to God who was glimpsing out a ray of glory upon him breaks out Show me thy glory I will saith God I will shew thee what way of Glory I
most design to my self among the Sons of men I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy And as if this had not been enough the heart of the blessed God was so infinitely taken with it Chap. 34.5 6. The Lord comes nearer to him descended in a Cloud and stood with him there and as if meerly to have spoken what he had before said to Moses Namely That he should have mercy had not been enough at verse 6. He proclaims it and makes it as his proper Name and most glorious Title The Lord the Lord God Merciful and Gracious c. verse 7. forgiving iniquity c. As if forgiving iniquity were the great design of glory he had upon the world his heart most affected and taken up with it this is the first reason poor sinners should have their hearts most taken up about the pardon of sins because the heart of the infinite wise and blessed God is most taken up about it 2. The pardon of sin should so greatly take up the heart of a poor guilty sinner because Nothing is a Blessing to a man till his sins are pardoned but All a curse The Scripture is well known that proves it among many Deut. 28.15 16. If thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God to observe to do all his Commandments and his Statutes which I command thee this day that all those curses shall come upon thee and overtake thee Cursed shalt thou be in the City and cursed shalt thou be in the field Cursed shall be thy basket and thy Store Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body and the fruit of thy Land the encrease of thy kine and the flocks of thy sheep Cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in and cursed shalt thou be when thou goest out the Lord shall send upon thee cursing vexation and rebuke in all that thou settest thine hand for to do c. Now that Soul that doth not hearken to the voice of God according to the tenour of the New Covenant to come unto Jesus Christ to have his sins pardoned to have the spirit given him to walk before God in all his ways is in an unpardoned condition and so liable to all these curses now under the old Testament God did more usually come forth in visible stroaks of punishment upon outward mercies But under the New Testament his judgments especially upon such as are under the Gospel are more spiritual as blessings to his people run in a more spiritual way as in cursing them with hardness and blindness of heart having resisted the truth but yet though such outward curses are not so visibly and frequently executed though sometimes they are yet unpardoned unconverted sinners enjoy not their outward good things as a blessing but they serve but to further their damnation if their hearts are not through infinite grace made soft and turn unto the Lord that they may be pardoned Now to have outward mercies and be hardened in an impenitent estate under them is a far greater curse than to have them smitten or imbittered from the Lord though with the heaviest hand This is the 2d Reason of the point Every thing is a curse while such to an unpardoned sinner therefore 't is of the greatest weight to have his heart taken up about it 3. The person of an unpardoned sinner is hated of the Lord therefore the weight of it is very great Psal 5.5 Thou hatest all workers of iniquity All be they what they will high or low rich or poor God hates them and while they are workers of iniquity they are certainly unpardoned what they may be in the decree of God is nothing to that sinner in this condition While he is a worker of iniquity he hath no ground for any other apprehension of God unless he turn in unto him now what a dreadful thing is it to be hated of that great and righteous God a drop of whose wrath is able to scortch the Soul with uspeakable torment yet such is the condition of a wretched unpardoned sinner therefore 't is his great concernment to look to it c. 4. While a sinner is unpardoned he is under the Law What that is I shall if God will further discover he stands bound over to the most exact fulfilling of it under the penalty of Hell bound to make God satisfaction to the utmost upon the least breach and being under transgression of it is under wrath and condemnation if he abide so without Remedy There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus but All condemnation to those that are out of Christ Jesus as all unpardoned sinners are therefore 't is a condition above all others to be weighed and considered and not to be rested in one moment 5. Neither the Prayers nor Alms nor any other duty of an unpardoned sinner are at all accepted with the Lord. This wretched sinners will not admit of but think if they perform any duty to God he accepts of it and that indeed it makes an attonement for their sins take that one eminent place in Isa 1.15 Though you make many prayers yet I will not hear you mark it you that think because you make or say as you style it many good prayers sure God hears you No saith God I will not hear why see verse 16. they were not washed from their sins therefore the Prophet calls them to come to the Lord that they might be pardoned verse 38. 'T is true when a poor sinner hath his heart smitten for sin and comes to the Lord upon the account of promises of grace and pardon through Jesus Christ with full purpose of heart to cleave unto the Lord and so begs for pardon and all things that do accompany pardon and salvation then God hears his cryes at the very first breathing of his soul Lam. 3.56 but not till then doth God regard the multitude of his Prayers Alms Worship Keeping conscience to men therefore certainly if nothing be accepted with God till in a pardoned condition such an estate requires great and deep thoughts of heart of it 6. Upon all this it will follow That an unpardoned sinner will have no other word from the Lord Jesus Christ at his coming but go ye cursed Everlasting darkness and wrath and woes and all misery must be his portion for ever If he dye in his sins Joh. 8.29 his soul must be eternally damned without all remedy Live and dye unpardoned and be damned unpardoned When Jesus Christ shall come neither he himself nor Saint nor Angel will or can speak one word for a soul that dyes unpardoned though the soul screek out for a drop of mercy it will be answered with nothing but the Ecchoes of the screekings of other desperate souls ready to be hurled with it into the same everlasting burnings no eye to pitty there though Ministers and Saints did warn invite weep mourn pity when
thou hast Christ and Grace than with them But say canst thou canst thou well be without the pardon of thy sins Canst thou well live and dye hated by the great and righteous God Canst thou well be where the fire it never quenched and the worm never dyes Say canst thou well miss the presence of the ever blessed God to all eternity Are damned screeking Spirits good company for ever and ever Away away sinner to the blessed God betake thy self put it not off an hour longer to crying repenting mourning to God for free pardon for Christ for the Spirit and look up to the Lord to give thee a heart to do it wait humbly and carefully on the Gospel of Grace preached and yet though thou hast hitherto been idle thou mayest attain unto this blessedness as well as the blessedst Saint in the world if thou wilt be serious diligent earnest as so weighty a matter requires about it The good Lord give thee a heart to do it 2. Do not rest in false Evidences false hopes of pardon Many sinners might seem to have got pardon and gone well to Heaven if they had not vainly and foolishly hoped so Oh rest in nothing and never rest without it as I have pressed thee in love till thou canst say from a well grounded Gospel-evidence wrought forth with fear and trembling Now I have the blessedness that accompanies pardoned souls Now oh now rejoyce with me blessed souls I am I am a Child of God I have access to the blessed God and my soul pleads with him every day Ah now God my God doth love me Now I am justified in a state of Justification from which my God will never let me fall Ah my sins though great shall be remembred no more no more I shall be kept safely kept in all my ways if I fall the Lord will take me up and I shall not utterly fall however it is or may be with me as to the world and the things of it I am rich though poor worthless nothing in my self with all the riches unsearchable riches of my Christ I am an Heir of God I need nothing Oh the sweetness peace joy contentment Heaven of such a blest and for ever blest condition Now tell me sinner and let it stick with thee till thou art got well to Heaven is not is not the pardon of thy sins the work of the greatest weight before thee on this side the grave which is that I first promised thee to prove to thy Conscience from the first Observation 3. I might hence insist to stir up poor souls who have been awake for Heaven and have been and are crying and waiting for the pardon of your sins to be in this matter with all your might because you see 't is wonderfully weighty and concernable to you beyond all imaginations get your doubts and fears and misgivings of heart well removed see from whence your doubts do arise and follow them home to your hearts and then be with the Lord much and in his Word and Ordinances till the Lord make it clear day in thy Soul and thou walk in a sweet spirit of Adoption before him 4. Let pardoned ones whom it doth cost much as to means to get it made good to you make much of your comfort and do not Trisse it nor sin it away and keep the sense of a pardoned condition warm and lively upon your spirits and then you will love the Lord much Luke 7.47 Lord thou hast forgiven much as much as to any Oh let me let me love love much very much Conviction of sin and self-emptiness THe second Consideration we observed from the words and proposed to be opened was this Obs 2. Such who come to God to have their sins pardoned they look upon them as great sins Pardon mine iniquity for it is great c. The Original word as well signifies Many as Great my sins are great and many many great sins lye upon me pardon Oh pardon them Oh Lord c. Thus you have this blessed man David in several Psalms aggravating his sin Psal 38.4 Mine iniquities are gone over my head and are a burden too heavy for me to bear against thee only have I sinned Psal 51. So blessed Paul Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners whereof I am the chief that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful Rom. 7.13 So Peter at the first Glimpse of Christ and a word from him falls upon his knees crys out Depart from me for I am a sinful man c. Luke 5.8 So the Publican God be merciful to me a sinner agreat vile sinner nothing else but a sinner So the Prodigal Father I have sinned against Heaven and in thy sight c. Luke 18.13 15.21 In the opening of this Point first I would shew Why such as come in a right way for pardon do look upon their sins as great sins 1. How they come to see them so 2. When a sinner may be said to have seen his sins so great as a pardoned soul should do 1. Sinners that come to God for pardon and find it do look upon their sins as great sins because against a great God great in power great in justice great in holiness I am a worm and yet sin and that boldly against a God so great for a worm to lift up himself against a great and infinite God Oh this makes every little sin great and calls for great vengeance from so great a God 2. Because they have sinned against great patience despising the goodness forbearance and long-suffering of God which is call'd treasuring up of wrath Rom. 2.4 5. Oh saith a poor abased sinner at Gods feet How have I wearied the patience of God! I have not wearied thee saith God but thou hast been weary of me and hast made me to serve with thy sins and wearied me with thine iniquities Isa 43.23 24. Oh this is an humbling and heart-breaking word to a poor soul before the Lord this makes his sin appear great indeed I have wearied the blessed God with my sin and yet he calls upon me that he may pardon me ver 25. of the same Chapter This greatens sin to purpose to a poor soul that hath abused much patience 3. Sins do appear great because against great mercies Oh against how many mercies and kindnesses do sinners sin against and turn all the mercies of God into sin Oh saith a poor soul drawing near to God I turned all the mercies of the Lord against him took his mercies and fought against him with them and served the Devil and my lusts with them if God will come and account with me for them how shall I answer him 4. That which greatens sin in the eyes of poor sinners that cry for pardon is that they have sinned against great light light in the Conscience this heightens sin exceedingly especially to such as are under Gospel-means and is indeed the sin of all in this Nation
there 's nothing more abaseth a soul than this nothing makes it more difficult to believe pardon when humbled for it therefore 't is that many poor souls fear that they have sinn'd the unpardonable sin against the Holy Ghost because they have sinned against knowledge and light which though while they are humbled before the Lord it cannot be that they have so sinned unpardonably yet in as much as 't is the sin that borders next upon the sin against the Holy Ghost it much greatens sin to a poor soul under the sense of it Such a sinner is said to reproach the Lord Numb 15.30 31. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good and doth it not to him it is sin James 4. last To him it is sin that is great sin of which God will take the severest account Therefore such as have the Profession of Christianity and the knowledge of the Word in some measure and yet go on impenitently in sin they are the greatest sinners in the world and will have the greatest damnation and this circumstance in sin makes or should do so such souls that never lived in notorious sins be under deep abasement because though their Sins were not so gross as many others yet they were against great light and knowledge which makes every little sin continued in great in the account of God and great in the account of the sinner when he comes before the Lord in the sense of it Oh I pleased my self in sins that I knew to be sins and was convinced by the Word of God of them yet I went on and loved them 5. Continuance in sin much greatens sin to a poor soul that is after pardon especially such as are not very early converted God will wound the hairy scalp of such a one that goeth on still in his trespasses Psal 68.21 Oh I added sin unto sin saith a poor soul spending the choice time of my youth in sin when I might have been getting the knowledge of Jesus Christ and honouring of God This lay close upon David's spirit as appears in this 25th Psal 7. Oh remember not the sins of youth c. Yet we do not find that David's youth was notoriously sinful but in as much as he spent not his youth to get knowledge and to serve the Lord fully 't was his burden and complaint before the Lord much more such whose youth was spent in nothing but vanity prophaneness lying swearing prophaning of the Sabbath sports past-times excess of riot and the like when God lays it in upon their Consciences must be greivous and abominable to their souls 6. Multitudes of sins do make sin appear great this made David cry out for multitude of mercies Psal 51. and Psal 40.12 Innumerable evils have compassed me about mine iniquities have taken hold upon me so that I am not able to look they are more than the hairs of my head therefore my heart faileth me One sin but a sinful thought is worthy of a thousand Hells much more multiplyed numberless infinite sins in thought words walkings calling worship in all I have done I did nothing else but sin Therefore the least sinner in the world is a great sinner when God lays his account before him 7. Another thing that greatens sin is that it was against purposes and resolutions of forsaking such and such sins and yet all broken sometimes against solemn vows against prayers This consideration upon many a poor soul sticks hard and lays low and makes his sin grievous indeed that against purposes vows prayers he should return to his sin this makes him cry out Oh my sin is great great indeed Doth will the Lord pardon such a Wretch c. 8. Sin appears great when seen by a poor soul because it was reigning sin Rom. 5. 6. Sin reigned to death c. Oh saith a poor humbled sinner I did not only commit sin but I was the servant and slave of sin I obey'd sin as a Lord and that willingly I obey'd it in the lusts thereof where God Christ his Spirit Word Law should have dwelt and reigned there sin and lusts bore sway and had the command of my soul A little sin when a reigning sin is a great sin All that sin can do is but to rule the sinner and so it doth the least sinner that is under it though it break not forth into gross notorious actings against the Lord and this doth much greaten it 9. Sin in the fountain makes it great As it may be said there is more water in the fountain than in the pools and streams it makes because there is a continual issuing and flowing out of it which is able to make far greater streams So in the nature in the heart is there as in the fountain and therefore 't is more there than in the breakings forth of it in the outward man so that though a sinner in his youth hath been restrained from many great sins yet in as much as sin in the fountain was as full as in any sinner in the world though restrained and pent in which the sinner was not beholding to his own heart for it renders him a great sinner before the Lord when savingly enlightned The want of this consideration makes outwardly righteous persons not look upon themselves as great sinners they see and feel not sin infinite in the fountain of it which mostly greatens it above all the actings of it in this life 10. A sinner drawing nigh to God for pardon sees his sin as great because thereby he was led captive by the Devil at his will He that committeth sin is of the Devil 1 John 3.8 committeth sin so as in a state of sin under the power of sin and not born of God why such a one is of the Devil under the power of the Devil of the Devil and not of God and this because of sin which gives this dominion to the Devil Oh saith a poor Creature I that was the creature of God and should have lived to him lived to the Devil and the service of him and took part with him against Christ his Word his Saints and was an enemy to them This greatens my sin before the Lord. 11. Sin appears great because great is the wrath of God against sin sinners are said to heap up wrath Rom. 2. and they are called the Children of wrath God to manifest his displeasure against sin pours out everlasting wrath upon an unpardoned sinner to leave the sinner under endless torment of soul and body God hates nothing but sin and for sin and so hates it that infinite endless wrath must be the vengeance of it Oh when God gives a sinner a glimpse of this Oh the greatness of every little sin to deserve such wrath How shall I flee from and escape the wrath to come who can stand before such wrath who can bear it 12. The way of any sinner's deliverance from such wrath shews sin to be exceeding great in the price
and ransom that is paid for the salvation of him from his sins the price of the blood of the eternal Son of God How great was sin how sinful and damnable the nature of it in the eye of the righteous God when justice could not be satisfied but by such a way Oh saith a poor soul that comes for pardon what a damnable thing is sin which was once nothing to me that redemption from it is at such a rate God had no greater a price to give than what he laid down to save a wretched sinner from his sin Oh 't was great sin that must crucifie the Lord of life and glory therefore doth my soul hate it 13. Lastly This consideration also greatens sin in as much as a poor creature hath drawn and tempted others to sin with him especially such as have lived more vainly and loosly and it lies hard upon many a poor soul after thorough conviction Oh how many have I drawn to sin not only by my example but encouragement and perswasion that may be now in Hell for such sins or are under a state of impenitency and hardened by me Oh this is an abasing consideration to a poor convinced humbled sinner when God smites his heart with it Vse 1. Before we go further let us labour to apply this to the consciences of all I have shewed you the matter we are upon is the weightiest that ever took up God's heart the pardoning of a sinner and therefore how should it swallow up the hearts of poor undone souls that are so infinitely concern'd in it I beseech you therefore lay to your hearts what hath been spoken as to the greatness of sin and consider If souls that come to God by Christ for pardon see their sins as great sins and 't is their great trouble they cannot see them greater First then This may serve to take off that woful deceit of heart and delusion of the Devil of poor careless souls that dream of pardon and yet never in any measure thus saw their sins as great this shews the heart was never touched of God never smitten for sin as yet this is the way indeed of unpardoned sinners they are lessening their sins to God and themselves finding out circumstances to lessen them of others tempting them and the Devil and the like and many or most of Men or Women allow themselves in the same or they were overtaken or the like they think they can easily pacifie God again and that God makes not so great a matter of it thus a deceitful heart and a cheating Devil juggle together and sooth Conscience in a damnable peace And such souls call their great reigning sins their infirmity and God will not be so exact as some of the Preachers make him here 's a sinner rivetted in a cursed estate But now take a Soul whom God as I shall shew hath made sensible of sin and the weight of pardon and comes to the feet of the Lord for it 't is quite otherwise Oh my sins Wretch that I was and am were little sins to me before but now they are great sins I called it my infirmity to lye swear prophane the Sabbath allow my self in any excess but now I see 't was reigning sin soul-damning sin great oh great sin Oh that I am out of Hell Oh the patience of God! Is there mercy for such a wretch What a wonder will it be if I get to Heaven How great will that mercy be that pardons me 2. Therefore in the second place Examine how it is with you and whether you have had some such workings of heart Have you been before the Lord in David's posture Oh mine iniquity is great Oh I I have sinned against a great God wearied great patience turned great mercies into sin Oh I have sinned against great light How shall I be pardoned Sins continued in and multiplied from my youth up and these against serious purposes under the reign of it there 's an infinite fountain of all evil within me If I have been any way restrained no thanks to my own heart for it Oh saith a poor soul I was led by the Devil befool'd by the Devil served the Devil against God and now what can I challenge at the Hands of God What belongs to me but wrath great wrath everlasting wrath infinite Wrath If one sin deserves a thousand Hells what do innumerable transgressions do If Mercy be not infinite How shall I look up to God or how shall God look down upon me Oh I say let your Conscience answer hath it been thus in some good and real measure though not so deep as your soul desires I know there are degrees and I also know till God come to let out himself in such a way as ☞ this that sin is great and greater in mine eye then ever we make but slight work of it in our spirits want of this makes many in these days run away with pleasant notions of Grace Christ Light though blessed be the Lord for ever for the more glorious Revelation of all these but I speak of abuses but sin was never great by the appearance of God and so they wanton with such Notions which at last wear off and so they come to nothing but a reproach to the Gospel 3. In the third place therefore let it serve to exhort sinners to look back upon your lives even from your youth up You may find one more of the discoveries mentioned of the greatness of sin that you will fall under especially such as have been given to the prophaness and vanities of the age you live in lying swearing prophaning of the Sabbath to riot ungodly pastimes and sports reviling the Godly or other more secret wickednesses and pollutions any of which may bespeak thee in a state of sin and wrath joyned with thy living in the neglect of known duties upon which neglect God hath pronounced a curse as the neglect of secret or Family-prayer Jer. 10. ult Or if thou hast not been engaged in gross sins but hast been sober and well carriaged from thy youth up yet thou mayst be still in a state of sin but go a little more soberly to Hell and in more danger of being damned in thy civil sober carriage than great sinners with which thou art apt to compare thy self and seeing thy self not so bad as them thinkest all is well but remember well what hath been proved that sin is greater in the Fountain than the streams though it make a greater noise or shew to others in the stream of ones life thou hast a Hell in thy nature an infinite fountain of any wickedness that ever any of the Sons or Daughters of men did commit an Idolater an Adulterer a Murderer a Sodomite a Devil in thy Heart and whole frame of thy Nature In a word one sin which thou callest little reigning but in thy heart and cherished there is enough to send thee to Hell as if thou wert the veriest
Reprobate living Remember the same Paul that thought himself a blameless man Philip. 3.6 afterwards cries out of exceeding sinfulness Rom. 7.13 yea the greatest the chief of sinners 1 Tim. 1.15 But I hope to meet with thee and with thy conscience as to this conviction more hereafter The next inquiry will be when a poor soul may be said to be under such a discovery of the greatness of sin as may lead him to get pardon through Jesus Christ 1. One discovery I have named already which is such a soul doth not go about to lessen his sin but greeaten it to his greater abasement 't is his fear he doth not see his sins great enough to lay him low enough before the Lord. 2. When such a sight and discovery of sin it begets trouble upon the spirit In Psal 28. you have David under a great discovery of sin and he cries out there is no rest in my bones because of my sin I am troubled I am bowed down I go mourning all the day such a trouble that will not admit of peace and healing but from Jesus Christ till it can take hold of Jesus Christ in a promise of Grace and Pardon and come to him and close with him to be justified and Sanctified by him and in him as I am at large to shew if God will I speak this because there is a trouble for sin that often ends in a more dangerous peace Many poor creatures have for a time been troubled for sin and they have made one shift or other to quiet themselves it may be leave their sins and do a little something more but never come in a Gospel-way to Christ which I am also through grace to evidence in the discovery of a false Conversion However so it is that every soul that is unbottomed from a false peace a peace in sin or resting in his duties he comes under trouble more or less in and for his sin as he gets to pardon 3. God smites a soul for some special particular sin Jer. 3.13 Only acknowledge thine iniquity that thou hast transgressed against the Lord thy God and hast scattered thy ways under every green tree c. General acknowledgment of Sins comes to nothing 't is the note of a Hypocrite but particular Sins lying upon the soul speak forth spiritual convictions when joyned I mean with other workings of heart we are now setting forth So Christ dealt with the woman of Samaria Joh. 4.16.29 Found her at and smote her in her particular Sin 4. As God smites so the sinner is in particular confession before the Lord loads his heart with Sin till it breaks Object But who will not confess himself a Sinner you will say Answ Truly few in a Scripture saving sense A word or two more to this That confession of sin before the Lord is a duty and such as hath the promise of forgiveness of Sin such places of Scripture will clear Psal 32. I acknowledge my sin unto thee and mine iniquity have I not hid I said I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin Prov. 28.13 He that covereth his sins shall not prosper but he that confesseth and forsaketh them shall find mercy If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins 1 John 1.9 This being a duty to which so blessed promises are annexed 't is of much concernment to souls that are very serious about forgiveness to have it stated aright according to Scripture and saving Experience There is a confession of sin that doth not entitle to the promise which a hypocrite may reach to so Pharaoh Exod. 9.27 I have sinned this time the Lord is righteous and I and my people are wicked here 's confession but no pardon so Judas Matth. 27.3 4. I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood so Saul 1 Sam. 15.29 I have sinned for I have transgressed the Commandment of the Lord Here are verbal inforced confessions when the hand of God was upon them and yet did not end in mercy The confession of a Hypocrite proceeds only from judgment felt or feared but that which is sincere and ends in mercy and pardon goes upon better grounds 1. As first Confession that hath the promise of pardon is accompanied with hatred of sin So in that blessed draught of the New Covenant Ezek. 36. I will save you from your uncleannesses c. verse 29. and verse 31. Then shall you remember your own evil ways and your doings that were not good and shall loath your selves in your own sight for your iniquities and for you abominations Then when God comes in a way of mercy and pardon then God will make them remember their wickednesses that they had even forgotten and had thought that God had forgotten them also They thought they were good ways before but now the Lord shews them they were not good and they loath themselves Sin is not only a terror but a loathsom thing to them hateful to the soul that is under this conviction 2. Whence secondly Saving confession respects the pollution of sin They shall loath themselves c. That thou mayest remember and be confounded and never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame when I am pacified toward thee In that 38th Psal David is in self-loathing this doth arise as presently I shall shew from a glimpse of Gods holiness which I humbly conceive no reprobate in the World doth reach to to loath sin because it makes him an unholy Creature 3. It follows therefore that such confession follows sin to the root to the fountain there sees it most abominable odious infinite So David Psal 51.5 I was shapen in iniquity c. A Hypocrites confession ends in outward gross sins from terror only and reacheth not to heart-sin pollution of nature and if he can reach to reform such outward gross sins he hath done as he thinks the utmost but never comes to loath and so to mortifie through the spirit sin at the root But sincere souls touched by the Holy Ghost with a saving sense of sin do drive sin home to its original to its root in the universal corruption of heart and nature and there the severest edge and indignation against it is let forth 4. Brokenness of heart for sin is an effect of such confession Psal 51.17 Isa 61.1 57.15 And this ariseth upon sense of Gods patience goodness love as hatred of the pollution of sin ariseth from a sight of Gods Holiness Pharaoh crys out he had sinned when he smarted with punishment but was still under the plague of his hard heart Ex. 9.27 34. There is indeed a kind of brokenness that the hammerings of terrour by punishments or by the Word may work which may a little wear and rough-hew the heart and yet go no further but yet leave the heart under its natural hardness but now that which is the Spirits saving work kindly melts
through grace to forsake Sin every Sin in heart and life He that confesseth and forsaketh his sins shall find mercy Prov. 28. as before Mark well that famous promise Isa 55.7 Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon Here 's forsaking ways and thoughts Sins of Heart and Life and not a forsaking or leaving of some great Sins but forsaking and warring against a sinful disposition sinful thoughts and not only a meer leaving of sin but a returning to the Lord which he cannot do if held under the love of but one Sin and a turning to God only upon the account of free mercy and then God abundantly pardons A good word suited to a poor soul under the sense of sinning abundantly therefore need of abundance of mercy and pardon Vse 4. Therefore the next Use will be of Examination Have you been under such a trouble as before opened about Sin and the pardon of it Such a trouble that would not be quietted but by clasping about Jesus Christ hath the Lord smitten you with the deep sense of a particular Sin your bosome Sin and thereby been brought to a deep sense of the evil of all Sin Have you been upon your knees your faces in as peculiar a confession as you could hating loathing Sin and your selves in it Oh have you driven Sin to the root the fountain Oh there 's a Hell of it within Say do you know what it is to gave broken hearts under the weight of Sin and the sense of the Patience Grace and Love of God held forth to you in Jesus Christ Do you know what soul-abasement is acknowledging in confusion of face that you are worthy of nothing from the Lord for ever not so much as a glimpse of mercy a good look from him because you have so sinned against him Have you glorified God though he never pardon you and is he holy and blessed though you are banished from him for ever Have you been so reduced to see that there 's not the least attom of good to commend you to the Lord and so lain down as nothing else but a Sinner before him thousands of Sins to damn thee but not a drop of righteousness to cover thee and so creep to the seat of mercy infinite free mercy yea hast thou seen and felt the difficulty of such a self-emptiness that thou wouldst rather part with all thy Sin than thy self-righteousness ☞ A poor soul would take up from Sin upon conviction of the damnableness of it and be more righteous and holy but to be reduced first to nothing nothing else but a poor vile unrighteous weak empty creature and so to Christ here the pride of heart sticks Now soul be narrow and close in the search of this for fail here and fail in all Vse 5. Let it exhort you that have never been under any trouble about your Sin and the pardon of it that you do not ward off and get from under such convincing searching words that may trouble you Many poor sinful Creatures resolve they will never hearken to such a word as shall trouble them and cannot bear such preaching as would trouble their Consciences One word with you Why soul Hast thou been dishonouring God abusing his patience and mercy transgressing his Holy Commands slighting his Grace and yet thou must not be troubled for it Wilt thou have thousands of Sins upon thy Soul unpardoned and tread upon the brink of Hell every step thou goest and not be troubled about it It seems then thou resolvest not to trouble thy self much about that petty business as thou makest it of being damned for ever or saved for ever No nothing about Sin Guilt Pardon Heaven and Hell must trouble thee Alas poor deluded creature what care it there to get to Hell peaceably for never any one got to Heaven so that was never troubled about getting his Sins pardoned Away away with such a cursed peace and let it now trouble thee that thou hast put off this work so long that Sin and thy Soul have been at such a peace so long Be now at a professed war against it and take part with the Lord and his word that it teaching thee how yet to arive at the blessed Haven of Peace not with Sin but with the blessed God against whom thou hast so greatly Sinned Oh look unto him to smite a hard secure heart to strike a Bosome Hellish Lust for whose peace thou hast so long and so foolishly contended yea go in secret and fall down before the great God parcitularly confessing and shaming thy self hating loathing humbling till thou cry out as David here Oh pardon what a great matter 't is for any poor soul to be pardoned Now great mercy for a great Sinner or I am lost for ever Out-sinned pardon thou hast not if thou comest in this posture to God for it But you may further enquire how doth God bring a poor Soul to this pass to such a deep sense of Sin such a fight of himself so as to be thus before the Lord in self loathing and abasement Only now a Word 1. When a Soul is brought to this pass God lets out an appearance of himself in measure upon a poor creature such a glimpse of light and purity that makes the creature fall down and cry out Oh I am vile vile as the dust I tread on 2. God gives out the Spirit in the word which convinceth and searchech the soul shews its condition state sin the damnableness and pollution of it the greatness of it as was shewed The spirit opens the holiness and spirituallity of the Law Rom. 7.9 and shews the Sinner as in a glass what he is The spirit gives a Sight of Jesus Christ pierced with the Sins of such as come unto him Zach. 12.10 These do cause loathing and bitterness upon the Soul of a poor Sinner drawing near to the Lord for pardon Therefore 't is great wisdom to be where God speaks where God appears where God gives out his spirit which is usually in the word preached powerfully and setting thy self in secret to muse and ponder about an eternal condition or when the afflicting Hand of God is upon thee do not say I am not so great a Sinner as to make so much ado about Pardon or Heaven if that be thy temper thou art the most likely to be in the road-way to Hell in peace that will end in woes and sorrows of any Soul in the world Oh wait for Gods appearance and every little Sin will be great a Hell of Sin within thee though outwardly civil and sober wait for the Spirit in the Word and go and pray for it 'T is one thing to know Sin by the Letter of the Law which commands this and forbids that and another thing to know see feel Sin and the infinite
evil of it the exceeding Sinfulness and Pollution of it by the conviction of the Spirit so as to see it most in the fountain in thy nature and there loath and bewail it because it makes thee unclean and unholy and unlike God and unfit for God or holy communion with him Which is the way and most certain evidence of the Spirits saving conviction of Sin as distinguishing from that which a hypocrite may have and carries a soul to the fountain opened Zach. 13.1 that its iniquity may be throughly cleansed Vse 6. If Sinners that come to God for mercy and pardon see their Sin as great then it will follow that great Sinners may be pardoned and saved You that are great Sinners old Sinners Oh hearken to this you that are yet within the reach of Grace and Mercy and Pardon if you will come to Jesus Christ for it the greatness of your Sin is no bar to you but if you fail of pardon 't is because you will not come to Christ for it and accept it upon Gospel-terms you will not have pardon with a new heart and new life or you make a slight matter of pardon or you think 't will come of course or you are afraid to enter into a serious review and debate with your selves because your Sins are so great they will terrifie you or take you off your pleasure and peace of your minds and joy in the world Away away with any of these pleas though thou hast sinned much greatly long with all thy might come to Jesus Christ and those great Sins are no more before his blood to wash them away than the least Sin if any be little that ever was committed and pardoned Isa 1.18 Do not hence say securely Oh 't is well that great Sinners may be pardoned I ever thought so what need so much ado Do not thus harden thy self and make such a cursed use of so Blessed a Truth but therefore come in lay down thy weapons with which thou hast been fighting against God wilt thou hold up rebellion and yet cry pardon Is it equitable thou shouldst expect it No fall down at the feet of that God against whom thou hast so greatly sinned in the posture hath been shewed thee and then though sin hath abounded yet grace doth much more abound Rom. 5. last Great Sinners have become great Saints 1 Cor. 6.11 Such were some of you Who were they Idolaters Adulterers Revilers Sodomites c. and such like You that have been such like God may have as much Glory in your pardon as he hath had dishonour by your Sin Only be not such a Devil to thy self as to turn thy back upon it and when thou hast thus long rebelled to tell God he must stay thy leisure for thy acceptance of his pardon thy Sins are too sweet to leave as yet I tell thee Soul and I have shew'd it that Gods pardons cost him dear and are precious and if thou deal thus they may be lockt up in Heaven from thy wretched Soul to all Eternity Who but a desperate wretch but would take mercy and grace from Heaven that may make him blessed for ever when God offers it by his dear Son let thy Sins be never so great why wretched Man or Woman Hast thou not done God wrong enough already but must thou stay yet longer in thy cursed Sin and wrong him yet more Hast not done enough already to damn a thousand Souls but wouldst do more and make as sure of Hell as thou canst I beseech thee Sinner great Sinner young or old do not put me off nay do not put the Lord off with a pardon in his hand a promise of Grace ready to be sealed by the Holy Ghost if thou wilt now from thy Soul readily say why then be it so Lord Jesus I come to thee if the terms be leaving all this deceitful Sin and to be made like unto thee be it so I accept of it tear my lusts from my heart I have served them long enough too long Oh now if there be any mercy in Heaven let me have it save me not in but from my Sins Oh Lord for they are great great indeed I will saith the Lord and he speaks it in Ezek. 36.29 I will save you from all your uncleannesses 't is as much as if the Lord should have now spoken it from Heaven Mark every tittle in such a promise Now thou cryest Oh will will the Lord save I will saith the Lord Oh but will he save me from such uncleannesses yea from uncleannesses what from All yea from All thy uncleannesses fall down and Adore and cry out Oh grace free rich infinite glorious grace admire Angels Saints Sinners Behold one of Gods wonders A great sinner saved Vse 7. And so seventhly it may serve to exhort blessed souls brought into a state of peace and pardon still to keep an eye upon the greatness of mercy If mercy were not great how could any Sin be forgiven Thus this blessed man David is breathing forth Blessed is he whose iniquities are forgiven Oh bless the Lord Oh my soul who forgiveth all thine iniquities Oh how great is thy mercy towards me and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell So should pardoned called redeemed souls see themselves call'd and taken out of Hell it self Out of a Hell of abominations pollutions wrath under which they were fast held by the power of darkness Say did ever such a soul get to Heaven shall I not be the wonder of Heaven and Hell how I got to Heaven and escaped that wrath into which thousands that were better than I are now plunged there 's no other reason but because mercy is great greater than the greatnesses of Sin with which I shall conclude the second Point namely When Sinners come on to find pardon they see their Sins great Obs 3. The great reason of Gods pardoning a sinner and the plea that a poor convinced sinner hath with God is that he will pardon for his own Names sake For thy Names sake Oh Lord pardon c. That is not for any worth that is in a poor creature not for my sake but for thy own glories sake thy mercy sake grace and mercy will be hereby glorified God gets himself a Name by the pardoning of a poor Sinner that Name which he proclaims to Moses Exod. 34.6 The Lord merciful and gracious c. Now God hath given forth the ground of this plea in the New Covenant where his Name is thus made most glorious And when he had given forth a brief and blessed draught of the tenor of the New Covenant Ezek. 36.21 The Lord gives out this as the great reason often mentioned why he would take such a way of making another Covenant wherein he wills all undertakes all does all works all as resolved it should be a Covenant and a way of grace that surely should hold He gives out this I say as the ground of all I had
and by the same power doth uphold them to which first Being all the creatures must owe their homage and conformity Now though such a glimmering of light can never suffice to lead a soul to the true worshipping of God as the Apostle there argues yet it leaves the creature without excuse which is that I am proving from it 6. All the Children of men do sin presumptuously wilfully and obstinately against the Law of God mans sin being not so much from his weakness to obey the law though weak he is but from the rebellion of his will against God and his law as it is in the case of disobeying the call of the Gospel also Now whatsoever a man doth presumptuously and wilfully it leaves him without all excuse and this is it that is charged upon the Children of men by the holy Ghost in the word that their sin was obstinate rebellion against the great God From all these the truth of the Assertion doth appear that every Transgressor of the Law is without all excuse before God 7. As the Creature hath no excuse for his sin so it follows he hath no pretence against the righteous judgment of God We are sure the judgment of God is according to truth Rom. 2.2 and Chap. 3.4 That thou may'st be justified in thy savings and clear when thou art judged that is whatever any sinner may dispute to the contrary God is righteous when he judgeth if the Law be just and holy and good once written in his his heart and had a power to have kept it that God hath given out this law again to him the remnants of it in his heart so much to be known of God in the Creatures and that he sins presumptuously and wilfully against God and so blessed a law made for his own good certainly must every sinner conclude the Lord is righteous when he judgeth and every mouth must be stopped Vse 1. If it be so that no sinner in the world hath any justifiable excuse for his sin then let this truth come in into your consciences and strike off all vain pretences and wretched excuses when you have sinned against the Lord which usually are such as these when sinners break forth into this or that rebellious way they cry Oh! 't is my nature my natural disposition and then they think that excuseth or allayeth the matter whereas it aggravates for we our selves corrupted our natures Saith another I have been so accustomed to such a way to drink to excess sometimes to swear to use the Lords name vainly and as a by-word whereas the custom of sinning is the greatest and most grievous aggravation of it Saith another 't is my company that draws me or the example of others or 't is my temptation when they are under the Spirit that worketh in the children of disobedience Or that they do keep the Law as well as they can and think this will excuse Whereas nothing no plea that ever a sinful deceitful heart put up or that the Devil suggests can before God excuse any sinner in the world rich or poor knowing or ignorant from the exact and perfect keeeping of the Law if they are under the Law but upon one transgression of it the law doth most justly condemn and curse them Nothing is more natural to fallen man under sin than when having sinned to devise an excuse and thinks and surmiseth that because such an excuse will be taken by his own blinded Conscience therefore God will also accept of it and so flatters himself in his own eyes till his iniquity be found to be hateful Psal 36.2 Thus Adam as soon as he had sinn'd he thought how to excuse the matter puts it off to the woman and the woman to the Devil which trade sinners have well learnt and have driven it on ever since to their own damnation Observe this if every sinner yet under the law and the power of sin had not some vain pretence and excuse to ensilence conscience and foolishly thinks to insinuate unto God he or she must needs fall down before the Lord see all their pretences and coverts to be damnable flatteries and soul-cheatings and so Judge themselves and pronounce God most righteous if he damn them for ever Oh therefore Sinners Away with all your pretences no more excusing but judging and go to the great God and fall down at his feet crying out Oh I am a Transgressor the Law condemns me no excuse will be taken my mouth is now stopped whatever God do with me he is most holy and righteous If I were going to Hell I must justifie God and cannot say unto him why doest thou thus Thus 't is with a poor soul when the Lord by his word and spirit discovers sin reveals the law lays it in upon the conscience discovers the Holiness and Exactness of his Justice that the law shews no mercy but crys out for fulfilling or pronounceth absolute condemnation then I say a sinner crys out Oh I am cast by the Law I am gone by the Law All my Pleas are found too light All my endeavours to keep it is worth nothing if guilty in the least while I am under the law I must find out a righteousness elsewhere another way or Condemnation just condemnation is my portion for ever Here 's the first stroak of a convinced sinner when God is outing him from himself and all his Coverts or Excuses and brings him naked to put on the righteousness of his Son Jesus Christ freely held out in the Gospel which is the work in hand 2. If no excuse can be heard or taken for the the transgression of the Law for but one breach of it but every mouth is stopped how much less will any excuse be taken for withstanding the Gospel of grace by Jesus Christ Saith our blessed Lord If I had not come and spoken unto them they had not had sin that is not so great sin and comdemnation but now they have no cloak nor excuse for their sin If a righteous law leave all the world without excuse much more a Gospel that offers free grace and pardon and righteousness by Jesus Christ to any sinner condemned by the Law that will come in as so condemn'd and accept of the free gift of Righteousness by him But that I may yet a little further labour to bring in the sense of Guilt upon the soul I shall prove every soul guilty before God of the transgression of the Law and shew what the sense of guilt is which few there are that have in a saving way Observ 3. Every soul in the world is guilty before God of the transgression of the Law And all the world may become guilty before God This hath been proved where we have shew'd that All have sinned and come short of the glory of God This guilt is threefold which is set home upon every sinners heart when convinc'd of sin by the spirit 1. The guilt of Adams sin which stands charg'd
upon every sinner in the world while under the law Rom. 5.18 2. The guilt of the corruption of our natures sin in the fountain as I have shewed which is likewise upon every Son or Daughter of Adam they are all corrupt Psal 14.1 wherein lies the exceeding sinfulness of sin 3. The guilt of actual rebellion against God sin brought forth and acted in the outward man against God Now under this threefold guilt is every sinner in the world while under the Law the effect of which if not reconciled is punishment suitable to the guilt which is Thou shalt surely dye And The wages of sin is death Eternal Death Rom. 6. last Vse 1. This may therefore inform and convince that every sin brings guilt upon the soul and so deserves death and everlasting wrath from God you that make light of sin to lye to prophane the Name of the Lord be in worldly discourses on the Lords day in any way of sin whatsoever weigh this in thy conscience there 's not the least sin but makes thee guilty before the Tribunal of God God the Law Angels Conscience are all witnesses against thee where 's the soul that will think to avoid this charge shall I prove every soul of you guilty and that before God If this were proved by the power of the word in the conscience I know what and I shall shew it you will be the effect of it lay your Consciences to the Word and if thou art found guilty before the Lord this day go home with the sense of it upon thy soul and do as a guilty sinner should do 1. Consider first as to what concerns God immediately the Law requires thou shouldst have no other Gods but him Exod. 20. which Jesus Christ interprets is to love the Lord thy God with all thy Heart with all thy Soul Now hath God had thy whole Heart and Soul darest thou say so Hath not the world had more of thy Heart than God Dost not thou love the World and the things of it Do not thy Affections Thoughts Desires of thy Heart even day and night go after it Yea you cannot but grant that 't is so Then God and Angels are witness that thou art guilty of the damnable sin of Idolatry And such a one shall not as such enter into the Kingdom of God Eph. 5.5 Know by that Scripture A covetous heart may send thee to Hell as well as any sin in the World No Covetous man who is an Idolater shall enter into the kingdom of God Read over the place every day and tremble at it Here 's guilt already enough to damn thee 2. Thou hast worshipped God superstitiously and idolatrously after the Traditions and Commandments of Men You that are elderly people are all guilty here in a grevious manner in the time of your ignorance and superstition coming to Sacraments with sins upon your Souls from which sins your are not converted and changed to this day which the Apostle calls eating and drinking damnation or judgment under which guilt you still lye and would heap up more of this guilt were not some more tender of your Souls than your selves Art thou not now ready to cry out Oh hold hold you need go no further my Conscience is smitten Oh! guilt great guilt lyes upon me Oh that 't were the cry of many Souls before the Lord how might it end in mercy that shall be for ever 3. But yet further to pursue thy Conscience for that 's the nature of guilt doth not the Lord require in his law that thou shouldst not take his Name in vain Exod. 20.7 Now sinner stave off this guilt if thou canst How oft hast thou abused and profaned this great and dreadful Name the Lord thy God by swearing or in thy by words crying Oh Lord Oh God for God's sake for Christ's sake upon every foolish vain occasion with no more reverence of His Name than the most common name in the World And some of you have as many days as you have lived since your Child-hood been frequently guilty of this great evil which thou hast made a small matter of which if ever God pardon it it will appear to be odious guilt from the height of thy Heart-Atheism How oft hast thou heard the Word and thy Heart been after the World and thine eyes gazing up and down that 't is easie to discern thou regardest not what is spoken from God to thee and the same in Prayer How oft hast thou babled over the Lords Prayer like a Charm with no reverence of Gods Majesty upon thy Soul In thy bed it may be in a drowsie manner or if otherwise not understanding the Words thou speakest much less thy Heart affected with them or it may be saying over the Creed and the Commandments or some Book of Prayers as abundance do grievously prophaning God's Name and offering Lip-labour which his soul abhorreth yea know what hath been often proved that thy prayers and all thy worship and good deeds as thou callest them are an abomination to the Lord while thou art in thy sin an unconverted and unholy person yea the way of thy worship in which thou placest thy greatest confidence hath been the highest aggravations of thy sin in offering up to God that which his soul hateth Isa 1.11 12 13 14 15. When you make many prayers saith the Lord I will not hear you c. And as to the sanctifying the Sabbath which thou shouldst make a holy rest unto God thou hast made it a meer fleshly rest consuming the day upon thy lusts in vanity idleness carnal and worldly discourses in families in the streets to the high dishonour of the Name of God and hardening of thy heart against the truths of God rendering thereby the preaching of the Gospel wholly unprofitable to thy soul A carriage far unlike a man that hath the grace of God upon him and a most invincible argument to thy Conscience that thou makest not God his word ordinances sabbaths a holy delight and knowest not the excellency and sweetness of Communion with him say sinner and lay thy Conscience to this conviction is hearing and that with love praying praising meditating conferring of holy things the very Heaven of thy soul and so longest for such Exercises as the joy and strength of thy heart Nothing less Thy own Conscience being Judge but hear drowsily and negligently it may be despisingly revile the Preacher speak evil of the word out of thy gross ignorance and hatred to be reformed speak vainly carnally worldly with such as are like thy self Here 's guilt enough to send thee to a thousand Hells if God smite not thy heart for it and thou turn not unto him for pardon and a better heart to be given to thee Add to all this an unthankful and unholy use of Gods good Creatures it may be thou hast been betray'd by the devil and thy own ready heart to some secret sins which thou thinkest enough if thou canst
the law Now mark you The same Law can't at once justifie and condemn bless and curse quit and judge save and condemn if it therefore condemn in the least it cannot quit by all that ever a soul hath done or may do towards fufilling it I instanced before if a man that lives under the law of England all the laws of it and he be found a transgressor of one law that is to be punished with death it will not be a good plea for him that he never brake any other law that deserves death No saith the Judge you must dye for this so as I have shew'd the law pronounceth death to the breach of any one Commandment any part of one as well as to the breach of the whole Therefore he that pleads as the Pharisee did and was never the more accepted that he is no murtherer no blasphemer no thief no adulterer 't is all one as if thou hast ever had an unholy thought in thy heart as thou hast had thousands as thou art under the Law thou art condemned if this indeed had been the tenour of the law as it was a Covenant between God and the first Adam that if thou and thy posterity shall endeavour to keep the law as well as you can though you sail in some part yet you shall be accepted then this had been a good plea before God that you have so endeavour'd to keep it but 't is not so the Covenant doth not run so but as hath been shewed it runs thus Here 's a holy and righteous law saith God the matter of the Covenant between us if you break it in any one least part of it and but once you are condemn'd and all your other righteousness shall not be imputed to you This hath been proved from several Scriptures and I think 't is the hardest thing in the World to be spiritually and practically convinced of it such is the exactness of the Law that it admits of no bartering of no terms whatsoever it still crys fulfill me to the utmost or dye 3. The third Reason which strikes off all hope of acceptance with God by keeping the Law as well as you can is taken from the sinfulness of those very duties and works which you place such acceptance in There is a sinfulness in every such duty though the matter of the duty be good yet the manner of performing it by any natural man is wholly sinful yea there 's a mixture of sin in the most holy performances of any regenerate soul in the world which he is sensible of but I am dealing with the natural man as to his opinion of his good keeping the law I say there 's nothing but sin in their performances the principle they proceed from is wholly sinful viz. a corrupted polluted heart and nature Can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit Mat. 7.18 Can a corrupt fountain send forth sweet waters James 3.11 No more can a corrupt defiled heart bring forth any duty or work but what is loathsome to God full of all impurity This a natural man is not able to see nor consider of till convinc'd by the Holy Ghost and therefore 't is that he rests only in performing the matters and bulk of duties to God and his Neighbour but with what heart and the unholiness of it he weighs not Upon this account it is that the Scriptures speak at such a rate of natural Men that they are an abomination to the Lord Prov. 15.8 That his soul hates them he cannot away with them they are iniquity they are a trouble to him Isa 1. And that he casts them back as dung upon their faces Mal. 2.3 Therefore if there be more than sin enough in that best keeping of the Law towards God or Man to damn a soul for ever Certainly a soul shall be never the better nor at all accepted for such a keeping of it That which in it self hath sin nothing but sin in the manner of it cannot be a means to quit a soul from other sin by which he hath brought guilt upon himself let this be well considered and nothing but a Christ would be your cry to purpose indeed 4. The fourth Reason or Convincement of this truth that the best endeavour to keep the law will not give you more acceptance with God nor take away any guilt from off thy soul is because such duties and keeping the Law are but of the outward man which is far from reaching the Compass of the law The law is spiritual Rom. 7.14 that is it reacheth to the inwards parts to the motions of the heart as hath been before hinted and not only to the outward man therefore our blessed Lord seeing the Jews insisting so much that they were outwardly blameless spends a large discourse Mat. 5.6 7. to beat them off their confidence in being outwardly righteous and proves a man a murderer by the Law for one wrathful thought in his heart Mat. 5.21 22. Upon this conviction you have him as oft as he spake to the Jews that we may see the weight of this Doctrine See Luke 16.19 15. And the Pharisees also who were covetuous heard all these things and they derided him And he said unto them ye are they which justifie your selves before men but God knoweth your hearts for that which is highly esteemed amongst men is an abomination in the sight of God Jesus Christ was convincing the wickedness of a covetous heart the Jews who were carnal and formal made a slight matter of this seeing they were outwardly blameless and wronged no body Ay but saith Christ God knoweth your hearts and his eye is most upon them and though you are outwardly righteous before men and this is a matter highly esteemed of among men that you are righteous and blameless yet 't is an abomination to God see how severe the Lord is in pressing of this it being the great let of his Ministery and of the Jews stumbling at the Gospel as it is with us Mat. 23. his last Sermon I conceive he preacht to them verse 25. Woe unto you Scribes and Pharisees Hypocrites for ye make clean the outside of the cup and platter but within they are full of extortion and excess so with the same woe pronounced verse 27. Ye are like unto whited sepulchers which indeed appear beautiful outward but are within full of dead mens bones and of all uncleanness verse 28. Even so also ye outwardly appear righteous unto men but within ye are full of Hypocrisie and iniquity Mark the Lords words within ye are thus and thus as if the Lord should say God regards not what you are outwardly and your observing the law with the outward man seeing you have abundance of all iniquity within which every unregenerate soul in the world hath so you may see that an outward keeping of the law stands for nothing in the account of God whatever it do with men and your selves which you hear Jesus Christ gives
rather do a thing himself than be beholding to another therefore upon Conviction of guilt he sets himself to make up the breach to satisfie God by some attonement or other that his own heart can contrive his sorrowing and repenting he hopes may pacifie God or some new sacrifice of more performances or being better for the time to come Thus the heart works secretly and upon his own account God letting forth some mercy as he thinks where he fails he hopes to make up any breach that sin hath made between God and his soul and thus he is still upon the Old Covenant under the law 3. A Sinner is more apt to keep to the Law than go to Christ from a secret pride of heart he would not be found at a total loss with God to be wholly undone and unable to do any thing towards his own peace and salvation A soul naturally had rather part with all sin and have his nature made perfectly holy than be quite undone in himself and come to have all his righteousness in another in Jesus Christ And here it is that most souls stick in the coming off their own bottoms to be justified in Jesus Christ In a word Man had rather do any thing than come a poor destitute sinner to Jesus Christ for all 4. Because 't is not suitable to the Light of natural reason that a soul should satisfie God or become righteous any other way than by his own endeavour to be righteous in another is of Divine Revelation which till a Soul hath he cannot let go the principle of self-justification The next thing to be considered will be this if all men are under the Law and the curse of it under the guilt of the whole law without all excuse before God under an impossibility of attaining righteousness or acceptance with God by the best keeping of the Law and yet a natural and strong aptitude to rest upon the law and that a soul may reform and take up be strict in obedience and yet still be under the law how then may a soul know whether in the way of his Obedience he be yet under the Law and not under Grace Some Discoveries I shall lay down at present resolving a fuller discussion of this And by the way know and consider that though thou art under the the profession of the Name of Jesus Christ and pretendest Salvation by him yet practically and really thou may'st be still under the Law 1. If thou hast never been convinc'd of this close evil in thy heart of resting on thy praying and repenting and endeavouring to keep the Law as well as thou canst I say if the Spirit of the Lord hath not convinced thee of it and of the great danger of it and so humbled thee and brought thee off it thou art certainly under the Law as yet 2. If thou dost not watch against this evil and dost not find a great difficulty not to rest upon a performance of any duty to God thou dost then certainly rest upon it 3. If thou art well satisfied that thou art kept from outward gross sins and the sin of thy 〈◊〉 is not thy greatest burthen mourning under the weight of it then thou must know that thou art yet under the law 4. If thou thinkest God will accept of the will for the deed if thou dost as well as thou canst in every duty so as to accept thee thereby as if it had been done perfectly this also bespeaks thee under the Law 5. If thou canst not experience how the Lord by the light and working of his word and spirit hath brought thee off thy legal foundation thou wast building upon and shew'd thee that such things as thou didst account gain became but loss unto thee for Jesus Christ Phil. 3.7 6. If thou art not troubled about the Hypocrisie of thy heart and not abased for it even in thy best performances then thou art yet upon the bottom of the Law and restest in it 7. If thou art not mostly troubled about believing and dost not find it the most difficult work of thy soul if no complaint to God of an unbelieving heart then thou art indeed a Hypocrite and under the Law 8. If thou art not humbled to God for the sinful mixtures of thy duties the deadness distraction of them and so seest thy acceptance cannot be in them but in Jesus Christ then thou restest in them 9. If thou dost not give up thy self to the leadings of the Spirit and doest not find that in the main of thy course thou art led by the Spirit then thou art under the Law Gal. 3.18 But if ye are led by the spirit ye are not under the Law 10. If thou art not troubled about thy inward growth in mortification of all sin and more holy Communion with God then thou art also under the Law One under the Law that is somewhat strict and conscientious may grow in the bulk of outward Duties but not in inward Holiness 11. If thy care be not to live in the sense of thy Justification by grace through Jesus Christ and to preserve the light and peace of a justified state which thou hast been called to by grace then thou livest in self-justification 12. If thy great care be not if thou findest it not thy greatest difficulty to be kept a poor empty creature in thy self and live in the fulness of Christ if self-fulness self-exaltation be not the great evils thou watchest against at least in some measure thou art sensible of the roots of them then thou art yet under all I have been proving the law guilt and a curse and all thy duties and doings as I have shew'd abhorred of God Examine thy heart by these particulars over and over and if by these thou canst not make out that thou hast been through rich grace brought off from thy own foundation upon the law and so come with much difficulty to the Gospel-grace and righteousness by Jesus Christ and that if thou hadst been let alone in peace in thy former state thou hadst been certainly damned sure thou art then as yet void of any interest in the Gospel saving righteousness thy pretended faith and hope and duties and works and conscience all 's in vain Now the soul that hath the blessed experience of all these and can say I have through infinite mercy been brought off my own foundation and I have found the difficulty of it I find my heart apt to settle upon my own performances and 't is that I would watch against and I can experience the sin of my Nature the greatest burthen and cry out of it daily before the Lord the Hypocrisie of my heart is an abhorring to me I do find believing the hardest work of my soul I do mourn under the sinful mixture of my duties I do give up my self to the spirits leadings I am troubled about my inward growth and humbled for the shortness of it I would learn more and
that this is a way of God's own ordaining Jesus Christ was set forth for this very end even by God himself and therefore the soul is brought to this conclusion to venture the Issue of its life and eternal salvation upon it and so throws it self as in a sinking condition upon the grace blood righteousness of Jesus Christ sink or swim live or perish saved or damned there the soul casts Anchor there it pitcheth to this it will stand or fall before the righteous God if there be not enough in the blood of Jesus to give it acceptance with God the Soul resolves to Hell it must There saith a poor self-emptied Soul I cast even away my self if it might be upon it Phil. 3.9 3. The soul is brought on to believe the report that God in his word makes concerning his Son Jesus Christ and of the price value merit and all-sufficiency of his blood to save a poor sinner even to the utmost that comes to God by him Heb. 7.25 to answer all the wants and distresses of a poor soul namely in pacifying the Justice of God fulfilling the Law making attonement removing guilt procuring remission of sins reconciling to God Rom. 5.9 10. Much more being now justified by his blood we shall be saved from wrath through him For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son much more being reconciled we shall be saved by his Life In all which things the soul is enabled to believe the report of the Gospel that the blood and death of Jesus Christ can do all this for poor sinners that shall pitch upon it 4. In this working of faith the soul comes to see and fasten upon an absolue unlimited Free promise where any sinner that will may come to Jesus Christ and so have the vertue of his death and blood applied to it and therefore that he as well as any other sinner in the world may come to him and make claim to his blood and plead it before God whosoever will let him come Rev. 22. Now saith a poor self-emptied sinner I do not find that I am any where excluded but invited and called upon to come to the Lord Jesus and claim an interest in his blood and that I may plead it even at the throne of his Justice and that I may warrantably safely upon good grounds given out from the mouth of God himself take hold of the Lord Jesus in such a Promise and there is no sin or unworthiness can exclude me unless I will frowardly and wretchedly exclude my self I do not find saith the poor soul that any sin is too great for the Sacrifice of that blood of Jesus so the sinner will come to it yea that 't is the greatest sin and the top of condemnation not to come to it that I more injure God by standing off from Jesus Christ than by all the filthiness blasphemies ungodlinesses my Soul ever wallowed in Heb. 10.29 The Blood of Christ is a price sufficient for the sins of the whole World therefore saith a poor soul for mine He is the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world and therefore he can take away mine and I am freely called and invited to it and 't is my Rebellion not to come what can I have more And so sense of Peace and Reconciliation falls in upon the Soul 5. The Soul by its often renewing of such Acts of Believing comes at last to see the blood of Jesus Christ appropriated to him now it can stay it self upon the word of promise and can sometimes rejoyce in believing If I roll my self upon the blood of Jesus I have the Word of God for it that I shall be saved we shall be saved from Wrath through him not it may be but we shall be saved and all upon the account of being justified by his blood Rom. 5.9 which justification ariseth upon this believing we have mentioned Thus have I opened the nature of Faith as it is precisely justifying as it applies and appropriates the blood and righteousness of the Lord Jesus for Remission of sins and Justification unto eternal Life I might insist upon the discovery of the effectual operations of Faith in the Soul as may distinguish it from a meer belief of the History of the death of Jesus Christ take two or three 1. When the Soul by Faith doth act upon the blood of Jesus Christ for justification it doth also bring the power and efficacy of it for purging of the Soul Heb. 9.14 How much more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternal Spirit offer'd himself without spot to God purge your Conscience from dead works to serve the living God So Acts 15.9 Purifying your hearts by faith There is a purifying vertue in the blood of Jesus Christ upon the souls of Believers they are for the purging away the filth as well as the guilt of sin there 's no believing soul but crys out Purge me Oh Lord purge me and throughly from my filth 2. The soul hath a secret yet real fellowship with the death of Jesus Christ to crucifie and destroy the body of sin in a justified believer which ariseth from its union with Christ Rom. 6.5 6. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death we shall be also in the likeness of his Resurrection knowing that our old man is crucified with him that the body of sin might be destroyed that henceforth we should not serve sin Every true believer can really say I am or I would be Crucified with Christ Gal. 2.20 Which the Apostle there brings in as an effect of Justification by Faith 3. Every justified believer looks upon this as one great end of his Justification that he might live to God Gal. 2.19 That I might live unto God Likewise reckon ye your selves to be dead indeed unto him but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord Rom. 6.11 Every justified Believer doth thus reckon of himself I am to be dead to sin but alive to God I am to yield my self to God verse 13. To have my fruit unto Holiness verse 22. 4. Faith that justifies doth through the Spirit work the Soul to Gospel-obedience to all the Laws and Ordinances of Jesus Christ which shall be revealed to be the Will of Christ from the Command of Jesus Christ and from a principle of love to Jesus Christ John 15.10 5. A justifi'd believer will deny himself for Christ take up his cross and follow him let any sufferings be proposed to a called believer and let him know it is for Jesus Christ and that soul unless under a temporary desertion or temptation will choose and embrace those sufferings and undergo them with some chearfulness Luke 14.26 27. 7. Every justified believer hath a Marriage Vnion with Jesus Christ Ephes 5.25 26 32. The soul hath chosen Jesus Christ having broken off from all other lovers hath betrothed it self unto Christ in an
habits are infused in the soul whereby the New Creature is formed up in believers Hence it is that all grace and holiness is infused into the Soul as distinguish'd from Common grace that at last withereth John 15.6 If a man abide not in me he he is cast forth as a branch and is withered c. therefore a necessity of being in Christ 4. Without being in Christ the power and reign of sin the body of sin will not be destroyed no destroying the body of sin by any possible endeavours but by the influence of the death of Jesus Christ and a real fellowship therewith which cannot be attained but by being planted into Christ Rom. 6.5 6. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection Knowing this that our old man is crucified with him that the body of sin might be destroyed that henceforth we might not serve sin All the proper mortifying power that Believers have of the body of sin is drawn from fellowship with the death of Jesus Christ which fellowship ariseth only from being one with him 5. The Image of God cannot be renewed upon us but in Christ As we have born the images of the Earthly we shall also bear the Image of the heavenly 1 Cor. 15.19 So Rom. 8.29 we are made conformable to the Image of his Son by union a Soul is made partaker of the fulness of Jesus Christ as all grace is laid up in him and of that fulness partakes by measure of every grace from him John 1.16 And of his fulness have all we recieved and grace for grace that is Grace according to the pattern of Jesus Christ partaking of every grace in him according to the measure allowed to every Member and Branch in him 6. Without being in Christ no duty is accepted with God by being in Christ we are accepted in the Righteousness of Christ whereby all the duties of a child of God are accepted with the Father 1 Pet. 2.5 as performed by a Principle of life from Jesus Christ and offered up to God in the name and Righteousness of Christ otherwise let praying and all other duties be never so strictly frequently devoutly performed they find no accptance with God and the Soul is not bettered by them Without me ye can do nothing John 15. saith Jesus Christ 7. Without being in Jesus Christ there can be no holy fruit in conversation brought forth to God John 15.5 He that abideth in me and I in him the same bringeth forth much fruit All the fruit that is of our own stock comes to nought but the fruit that is brought forth in Christ from implantation into him is precious fruit unto Repentance Reformation Holiness and Righteousness and doing of any good unless it proceed from the life we have in Christ is Pharisaical and comes to nothing and will be burnt up in the day of the Lord wherefore sanctified believers are call'd the trees of Righteousness Isa 61. as planted engrafted into Jesus Christ whereby they bring forth all their savoury fruit unto God Vse See now the great and weighty and indispensable necessity of getting into Christ of having union with him the main pillar upon which hangs all your comfort do what ye will and be out of Jesus Christ and 't is an accursed loathed sacrifice do what thou wilt from thy own stock and 't is bitter fruit A dram of what is performed in Christ is of more worth than a mighty daily bulk of duties without it not hereby to lessen a believer as to muchness of duty but to shew the unacceptableness of all duties though never so many long devout till a poor soul performs all from a new principle and power of life in the soul from Jesus Christ and so a New-Creature Oh! that poor souls were throughly convinc'd of this who so they perform duties never consider this Oh! lay to heart thy dead condition and the infinite necessity of getting into Christ No life in thy soul no preserving of life till in Jesus Christ nothing of the divine nature upon thee no destroying of sin nothing of the Image of God upon thee that is saving no duty accepted no fruit unto God in thy conversation till thou hast the real experience of this blessed Mystery in thy soul of being one in Christ through the spirit till thy soul knoweth what union and fellowship with the Son of God meaneth Therefore souls that fall short here their knowledge profession conversation is lost labor as to the great matter of eternal life and salvation 2. If all that are truly and savingly New-Creatures are in Christ then a New Creature any other way is but a semblance and appearance of it and not so indeed and reallity if from our selves from the power of the Law upon the Conscience or upon any other account whatsoever And therefore I still say the more we consider of this matter of the more narrow enquiry do we find it to be There is a semblance and likeness of being New-Creatures which is not really so a semblance of Holiness a holy fruit which is not truly so but will at last wither and hence all the withered Professors in this day as we shall presently shew I shall not here speak of such as pretend to no manner of change inward or outward such as are in all things the same they ever were as such as live in known gross sins they have no appearance or pretence of claim to the Title and Character of the New Creature by their own concession and acknowledgment they are still the same as ever they were therefore not so much as pretend to be made new to such I shall if God will apply a further word before we have done Only now of the Semblance of the New Creature falsly so called but not really so 1. A soul being convinc'd of the damnableness of such and such a sin from the Law and the power of the Word upon the Conscience that a soul living continuing in it shall never enter into the Kingdom of God As from such a place as 1 Cor. 6.9 10. Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not enter into the Kingdom of God Be not deceived neither Fornicators Adulterers Idolaters nor Effeminate nor Abusers of themselves with Mankind nor Thieves nor Covetous nor Drunkards nor Revilers nor Extortioners shall inherit the Kingdom of God And such were some of you c. I say from this or the like Scripture a soul may be convinced that if he continued in any of these gross wickednesses he shall never see the face of God and so may take up from the gross outward Acts of them or at least from a frequent commiting them now this person may go no further and because he hath left some special gross sin he thinks himself a true Convert and a New-man and may flatter himself with the conceit of being the New-Creature we are to
eyes now I have heard the Lord himself speak to my soul now I have seen the Lord and my heart is taken with him Now I savour the Word of Grace and the Ministration of the Gospel is a sweet savour in Christ to me the Name of Jesus Christ is as good Ointment to me Now I feel a body of sin and groan under it and press after the destroying and crucifying of it Souls If this be not your Experience you are dead your are without the Life of God and Christ in you Oh! Go to God Sinner as you have been exhorted and cry to him to open your ear to hear and your eye to see Be convinced that as yet your Ear hath been stopt as to hearing the Lord himself speak to you Oh say Wo is me that I am where the Lord useth to speak under the Ministration of his Gospel and yet he never spake to my Soul Doth the Lord love me and never speak to me Pity Lord Pity a poor deaf blind stupid unsavoury Wretch and breath life into me and then wait for the Lords Voice in his Word Now let the Spirit himself speak unto me and unveil my heart that I may see into the Mysteries of Jesus Christ and may savour them upon my poor Soul 2. Let living Souls in Christ exercise their Spiritual Senses keep the Ear open to and waiting for the Spirits Voice be prying into the Mystery of God in Christ and all Gospel-Truth get a clearer sight of Jesus Christ till you shall be infinitely taken with him and love him for himself And keep the heart savoury and the precious scent of Gospel-grace upon your Spirits and labour so to feel the weight of the body of sin how it poiseth polluteth cloudeth the Soul that you may come to that frame to cry out to be delivered from it And let it be abundant matter of Praise to the Riches of Grace that God hath given life and senses to your Souls which he might have left under the death of sin to all Eternity 5. The next Discovery of our Gospel-New-Creature is this namely He hath a new heart So Ezek Chap. 18.31 Make you a new heart and a new spirit which the Lord hath in Free-grace promised in the New-Covenant Chap. 36.26 A new heart will I give you Which I shall precisely consider and shew particularly wherein the heart is made new 1. The heart naturally in its old corrupt frame is a Rebellious heart Jer. 5.23 This people have a rebellious heart The usual complaint of the Prophets Now when the Lord makes the heart new he begins to take away the Rebellion of heart as it naturally opposeth the Word Power and Spirit of God and the heart is made obedient and pliable to the Power of the Word the Spirit 's Teachings Isa 1.19 If ye be willing and obedient you shall eat the good of the Land but if you refuse and rebel ye shall be devoured c. My people shall be willing in the day of my power Psal 110. The heart of it self is stubborn obstinate unwilling to stoop to the power of Truth to yield to Jesus Christ but when it is made new it becomes of a yieldable frame to the practical Obedience of Gospel-Truths 2. The heart as an effect of the former is naturally hard and impenitent Rom. 2.5 cannot mourn for sin But when 't is made new God makes it soft Ezek. 36.27 I will take away the stoney heart out of your flesh and I will give you a heart of flesh which is a soft and tender heart whereby a Soul can pour out its complaints to God Yea the heart will pour out it self like water to the Lord Lam. 2.19 The heart receives impressions of truth as by its softness 't is more and more wrought to a new frame as in the hand of the Lord. 3. The Heart is naturally proud and makes the sinner self-conceited and well opinioned of his own condition and will not suffer the sinner to abase himself to God and to take shame to himself But when a new work of God is upon it the sinner humbles himself under the mighty hand of God bears his reproach before him and crys out Oh! What shall I do for an humble heart Lord take away subdue pride in a wretched Creature James 4.10 Now he becomes a poor self-emptied Creature undone helpless and to a full Christ he at last goes 4. The Heart is naturally Hypocritical The Hypocrite in heart heaps up wrath Job 36.13 Now when God makes the Heart new then it begins to be sincere in some good measure for God before the poor deceived sinner thought he did all with a good heart that he did bear much upon that he did all with a good heart but when God shews him his heart by the Candle of his Word and Spirit then the poor Creature sees what a Hell of Hypocrisie was and is within him that he acted in all his Duties as from himself so to himself and not uprightly unto God But when the Lord new frames the heart then the Soul is after new sincere holy aims for God in all it does is most abased for selfish and hypocritical mixtures and would account nothing well done but as God is designed in it and labours to walk in simplicity of heart and godly sincerity as of God and in the sight of God c. 2 Cor. 1.12 5. The old heart is full of all uncleanness and impurity and cares not to be cleansed So saith Christ to the Jews Matth. 23.27 Within you are full of dead mens bones rottenness and of all uncleanness But now when the New-Creature is forming up then the heart is after purifying Purifie your hearts ye double minded James 4.8 Then what a blessedness would a pure heart be saith a poor creature Oh! that my heart were cleansed Wash thine heart saith God Jer. 4.14 Oh! that it were washed saith the New-Creature And this is one of the most special works a New-Creature will be after as he is more formed up in Holiness to keep the heart pure as a Temple for God 6. The Heart naturally is dead as already hinted and feels not its own deadness but when renewed then the heart doth live that seeks God Psalm 22.26 It feels and mourns over its own deadness and crys out Quicken Oh quicken me Oh God! No Duty is well performed then but as the Heart lives in some measure in that Duty Now it feels its own burdens pollutions lusts corruptions carnality earthiness and bewails it before the Lord. 7. The Heart is naturally divided between Christ and the World Christ and Lusts Hosea 10.2 Their heart is divided But under its renewings the heart as to the main bent of it makes a whole close with Christ the great business of a Soul then is to give the whole heart up to Christ and fears he can never do it fully and singly enough and when the heart lusteth after other things so far as
will take heed to my ways that I sin not with my tongue I will keep my mouth with a bridle when the wicked is before me I say it may be sometimes best for a Child of God to do so there 's a secret conviction goes forth by the silence of a servant of God oftentimes and to have them as soon as we can so it be not done scornfully but humbly and civilly I do not mean a total silence but a weariness When you are cast among carnal persons as to your Callings necessarily Take heed of giving your selves a full liberty multiplying of words unnecessarily but be reserved and watchful that by any thing you say or indeed any other carriage the person you converse with be more hardned in his carnal course or be offended more against the ways of Godliness which indeed a Child of God should most heedfully consider in all his ways Oh 't is a blessed and gracious design rather to better than worst all we converse with 3. If you have a heart as you are to look up to God for a heart to reprove what may be reprovable as often it may be your duty or to commend the ways of God unto them to render them acceptable and precious and comfortable or any good word of the Lord to mention to them or of an etetnal condition let this be done 1. Seasonably 'T is a great matter for a servant of God to speak fitly to wind off another from a carnal Discourse into good things to insinuate them discreetly here is much Wisdom and 't is to be ask'd of God 2. With meekness Not sharply nor rashly nor proudly nor censoriously but with a meek and gentle spirit shewing all meekness to all men 2 Tit. 2. That they may perceive you do it not to censure them nor with vain ostentation but that it proceeds from an honest heart and unfeigned love to them This is to be done when we find mens spirits in the most serious capacity and we having endeavoured to sweeten them and to get some room and respect in their Affections 3. That it be done savourly and feelingly not slightly that it may appear what we give out to them is upon our own hearts and what we do really feel and enjoy which carries much convincement with it 2. If Providence cast you among God's People as this indeed should be our choice 't is not well to part from each other without something of God his Word Grace Goodness Providence People their own Hearts Temptations Comforts according to what is upon their Hearts or what they conceive may be of best use to those we speak to considering their condition or temptations or falling short or in what if stronger Christians we may our selves be helped and encouraged and not to give way to indisposition or temptation or fear we shall speak as Hypocrites which is sometimes a snare but to have a ready mind and chearful delight to do it Not but the people of God may in due season speak of their Callings and of Affairs and Occurences in the World yea and sometimes that which may beget chearfulness so we watch our hearts in it and take heed of an uncomely inordinateness in it But do you tremble at obscene Words wrathful words to be suddainly provok'd to speak passionately at taunting jeering words reproaching others or censorious of others vain-glorious words of which much might be spoken to every particular 3. As this may humble the people of God for the sins of the Tongue their vanity and unprofitableness so let it stir them up to look for grace suitable in this so weighty a matter That our Lips may be as a Well of Life and may savour of what is holy and good in God's sight Some Directions yet as to this Duty 1. Get in much good Treasure in the Heart As our Saviour speaks Mat. 12. The more good Treasure of the Word of Grace of Experiences of sweetness of comfort the more ready we shall be to give forth and also receive in from others 2. Do not follow your fancy in speaking what it still dictates but your judgment Many good men too too much follow a working fancy though there may be a sober chearful Exercise of it in season but we are too apt to run forth to excess The Devil will kindle Squibs upon the Fancy which we must rather quench than feed and bring forth 3. Keep some good thing upon the Heart some good Word you daily take in as was directed as to your Thoughts some comfortable Experience of God the sense of what you received in an Ordinance that you may discourse of the Word last heard Psal 45.1 My heart is enditing of a good matter my Tongue is the Pen of a ready Writer Oh blessed when 't is so with gracious Souls I muse on the works of thy hands Psal 143. My meditation of God shall be sweet Psal 104. 4. Pray for a good frame of heart and keep it so Pray till the heart be made tender savoury quickned enlarged with the sense of God's Majesty Holiness and Goodness upon your Spirits and then watch to keep them so a savoury Heart and a savoury Mouth 5. Be not provoked by the vain and frothy Language of others though they may be good men to comply with it We are too apt to take encouragement to that which may be evil because 't is the liberty another good man takes which is often a snare 6. Keep the fear of the Lord upon thy Heart a holy awe of God and his Presence one of the choicest Duties of a Saint especially in this matter The fear of God makes the Spirit serious and yet mixt with comfort and a comely chearfulness Psal 4.4 Stand in awe of God and sin not I might also lay down Motives to this choice Duty It doth much please and delight the Spirit of God it brings in much good to the soul Gracious conference is an Ordinance of God and blest to the quickning establishing succouring and refreshing the hearts of Saints Accustom your selves to it and you will find indispositions wear off and you will do it out of a ready mind and gracious delight Only be not only a talker from Notions in the Head nor affect a disputing wrangling Knowledge usually the effect of Pride but do it from Heart-experience in some measure or what you would fain get more upon your hearts And let it not be only a talking-knowledge but an humble walking-knowledge Remember to thy continual abasement how many sinners thou hast helped Hell-ward by thy lewd vain prophane speeches by thy reviling at the Lords ways and people and how thou hast encouraged and hardened them this way in sin Oh now let thy work be through infinite grace to tell sinners that there is more good infinitely in Jesus Christ than in the way of folly Now draw as many as thou may'st according to thy measure of grace to Jesus Christ and Heaven-ward And thus much