Papists of venial and mortal sins is to be discarded altogether as a rotten distinction The Papists may rather according to their own practice call sins venal because they set sins to sale and grant Indulgences for money and so hope to make a good Market of Peoples bad lives thereby intending to inrich the Popes Coffers and the Priests Purses But they in the mean time presumptuously derogate from the Merits of Jesus Christ by presumptuously arrogating to themselves a power of forgiving of sins upon the payment of moneys for Indulgences Against them may be justly retorted the same censure which the Apostle pronounced against Simon Magus Acts 8. 20. for offering of money Thy money perish with thee because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money As for Popish Pardons and Indulgences both Givers and Takers are abominable because they undervalue the pardoning Mercy of God in Jesus Christ It 's an undoubted sign of all those who love God to hate evil So saith the Psalmist Psal 97. 10. Ye that love the Lord hate evil And this hatred must be an universal hatred of all manner of sins without exception and it must be a perfect and irreconcileable hatred Deadly fewds such as Chronicles mention between Family and Family were barbarous and abominable and tended to the utter subversion of many Families But here a deadly fewd is lawful i. e. to perpetuate our hatred and enmity against all manner of sins and corruptions David declares his utter hatred and indignation against all the Enemies of God Psal 139. 23 24. I hate them O Lord that hate thee And am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee I hate them with a perfect hatred I count them mine enemies David hated their sins rather than their persons though he loved their persons yet as they were God's enemies for their notorious rebellions against God he hated them with a perfect hatred It 's an universal charge enjoyn'd by the Apostle Rom. 10. 9. to all without exception Abhor that which is evil and cleave to that which is good Not only one Cockatrice but all the breed of Cockatrices are of a poisonous and destructive nature and mischievous to mankind and therefore not only such as come to maturity but those also which are in the Egg ought to be destroyed So every sin is of a poisonous and mischievous nature and therefore ought to be stifled in the firâ—â— conception and be prevented from proceeding to any ripeness For any Woman to stifle and destroy the fruit of her womb though the conception be very early is abominable murther in the sight of God and if such courses be practised they tend to the rooting out a succession of all mankind But as for all manner of sins and wickedness though newly committed and gone no further then a thought yet that very evil thought should be checkt and disallowed The School men have coyn'd quaint notions and amongst them are mention'd motus primo primi let them not mince nor extenuate sins by such Cob-web distinctions for those beginnings to speak more plainly which by them are call'd primo primi are sinful those first risings and motions as sinful are to be destroyed mourned for and never suffered to proceed to any further maturity Sect. 2 2. As there must be a refraining and 2. An endeavour to practise all Gods commands abstaining from all manner of sins so there must be an endeavour to obey all Commands and practise all Duties Hereupon the Psalmist professeth Psal 119. 6. Then shall I not be ashamed when I have respect unto all thy commandments It is an infallible and undoubted sign of a gracious heart neither to divide in duties nor in commands neither to make exceptions and distinctions as if one grace was to be got and not another Neither may we plead a dispensation from any duty whether it be commanded in the first or second Table For instance whoever he be that pretends a strict observation of the Sabbath day I mean only the Lords day Sabbath and pretends a hatred of swearing and lying and of all manner of Idolatry and yet this man is dishonest and unjust in his dealings he is without doubt an errand Hypocrite and likewise whoever he be that pretends to deal justly and uprightly between man and man and to pay every one his own which is both necessary and commendable and yet this man makes no conscience at all of observing the Lords day nor of keeping his Word or Oath nor of using the Name of God with reverence such a man is but a meer formalist and a stranger to the power of godliness For the same God who commands one duty commands another and laies an equal obligation to yield ready and chearful obedience unto both Tables For the whole Law of God is copulative and Lex Dei est uta tota copulativa Illyric one Commandment is joyn'd to another as a link of the same golden Chain Hence it appears in Deuteronomy Deut. 5. 18 19 20 21. that there is a concatenation and connexion between all the Commandments of God Neither shalt thou commit adultery neither shalt thou steal neither shalt thou bear false witness against thy neighbour neither shalt thou desire thy neighbours wife neither shalt thou covet thy neighbours house his field or his man-servant or his maid-servant his ox or his ass or any thing that is thy neighbours From which Scriptures we conclude That there ought to be an equal regard unto one Commandment Qâ—jcquid 〈◊〉 cum si equaliâ—er sit as well as another for there is one only holy Lord God who commands one Commandment in the Decalogue as well as an other This was the very trade or grand employment which St. Paul did drive Acts 24. 16. To keep a conscience void of offence towards God and towards man The Apostle did not shift and put off this grand negotiation from himself as if he were unconcern'd and therefore left it to others but it 's said herein do 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I exercise my self Neither did the Apostle sit fast and loose and as we say exercise himself by fits and starts only but he made it his business exercise and imployment for it 's said alwaies Neither 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 will any sort of conscience at a venture serve the turn because there are many bad consciences but the Apostle only values and exerciseth a conscience 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 void of offence And such a conscience in its extent and latitude is a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or an infallible note of the sincerity of that heart which in the Apostles language keeps a conscience void of offence toward God and toward men Farther the said Apostle makes mention of three significant Adverbs which comprehend the whole duty of man viz. soberly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 righteously and godly As to all commands and to all sorts of duties
commanded in the Word of God we must make it our business to manifest our thorow and impartial obedience not picking and chusing as if when we had perform'd an easier duty then we might obtain a dispensation for a greater commandment But all such manner of halving and dividing is odious and abominable in the sight of Almighty God for every divided heart is faulty as the Prophet saith Hos 10. 2. Their heart is divided therefore they shall be found faulty Wherefore Universality of the subject the whole man which in a comprehensive acceptation takes in all the members of the Body and faculties of the Soul Universality of the object the whole Law and Universality of time and place are essentially requisite to the compleating of the obedience of every sincere hearted Christian This Character searcheth very near the heart and he who hath it without all question is a sincere hearted man By this Character let us in an especial manner try our selves even by the universality of our hatred of all manner of sins and by the universality of our obedience unto all God's commands and by the universality of our endeavours to grow in every grace Universality is both a divisive and constitutive difference for it distinguisheth a half nominal and formal outside Christian from a sincere Christian and it constitutes a Child of God CHAP. X. Where the Heart is upright with God it is without guile and hypocrisie THe tenth Character of sincerity is Charact. 10. A spirit without guile Sect. 1. a spirit without guile and hypocrisie Nathanael had this testimony from Christ John 1. 47. Behold an Israelite indeed in whom is no guile And to have a spirit without guile is that grand distinguishing Character which the Psalmist appropriates to a blessed man Psal 32. 1 2. Elessea is he whose transgression is forgiven whose sin is covered Blessed is the mâ—n unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity 〈◊〉 in whose spirit there is no guile Who are they who are thus blessed Such whose sins are forgiven and not imputed to them And who are they whose sins are forgiven and not imputed to them Such in whose spirit there is no guile Only those who are pure in heart shall see God Purity of heart is one of those transcendent Beatitudes mention'd in our Saviours Sermon upon the Mount Matth. 5. 8. Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God They are said to be pure in opposition to profaneness and pure in heart in opposition to hypocrisie They only shall be partakers of the blessed Vision whose hearts are pure i. e. sincere with God True Believers whose hearts are upright and their lives holy they shall see some manifestations of God by his Word and by his Providences and they shall see the footsteps and out-goings of God in the Sanctuary But what they see here is but little in comparison of what they shall see and enjoy in glory For saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 13. 12. we see through a glass darkly but then face to face Now I know in part but then shall I know even as also I am known Sect. 2 Every upright person is compounded of three signisicat words which comprehend the whole duty of integrity And they are simplicity singleness and sincerity The first word is simplicity and this 1. Simplicity is opposite to a double heart and to such a heart as is usually call'd a heart and a heart This simplicity of the heart was a ground of the Apostles rejoycing and of all true Believers For saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 1. 12. For our rejoycing is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity c. And it 's the high commendation ascrib'd to the Children of Zebulun 1 Chron. 12. 33. that they were not of a double heart St. James stamps a brand of infamy upon a double minded man in that he is unstable in all his waies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 James 1. 8. He is unsixt unplaced and so unsettled as you know not what to judg of him nor as we use to say where to find him A man may as soon hold the wind in his hand as hold fast an unstable man A second word is singleness Now 2. Singleness singleness and uprightness differ only in the sound of the name pronounced they agree in the same sense altogether as being of a synonimous signification Of this singleness of heart we have a clear evidence of the Primitive Converts Acts 2. 46. They continued daily 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with one accord in the Temple and breaking bread from house to house and eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart praising God It 's the observation of judicious Mr. Calvin upon the place Quia in laudando Deo non potest esse cordis simplicitas nisi constet in omnibus vitae partibus ideo certum est ejus fieri mentionem hoc sensu quod fideles eain ubique colueriat Calv. in Loc. That simplicity of heart and praising of God are joyn'd together And the reason he gives is this Because in praising of God there cannot be simplicity of heart unless it consist in all the parts of our lives c. This single and undivided heart is highly esteem'd of in the sight of God Wherefore we are commanded to turn unto the Lord with all our hearts Joel 2. 12. And the Psalmist professeth Psal 119. 10. With my whole heart have I sought thee O let me not wander from thy commandments An entire single one heart are all one in sense and such a one only obtains acceptance in the sight of God the searcher of all hearts A third word is godly sincerity so I 3. Sincerity 2 Cor. 1. 12. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 site cerâ call it because it 's so call'd by the Apostle godly sincerity or the sincerity of God Hereby is necessarily to be infer'd that we must not only be sincere in all that we do towards men but in all that we do towards God Simplicity and godly sincerity are joyn'd together by the Apostle and they cannot be parted asunder The Apostle likewise prays for the Philippians Phil. 1. 10. That ye may approve things that are excellent that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ. In this place here are two significant words to be explained one is sincere 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Original and according to the received Etymology derived from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sol and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 judico And this is as most say an allusion to the practise of Eagles who turn the faces of their young ones to look upwards towards the Sun and if they cannot behold the Sun they throw them down as spurious and not of the breed of Eagles Thus far this allusion may be improved That all our thoughts words and actions should be so genuine and so rightly ordered as they
may behold the Sun of Righteousness and be approved of by Almighty God Another word to be opened in that Text is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Qui inoffenso cursu pergit Qui non possit offendi qui nusquam offendat inoffensive in the Original it's 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. We should so look to our steps as that we may not stumble and we should walk so prudently as we may neither give nor take offence This inoffensive walking the Apostle injoyns in the extent and latitude of it 1 Cor. 10. 32. Give none offence neither to the Jews nor to the Gentiles nor to the Church of God The same Apostle gives in special charge to the Corinthians 2 Cor. 6. 1. We then as workers together with him beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain And how must they evidence their not receiving the grace of God in vain He adds verse 3. Giving no offence in any thing that the Gospel be not blamed All Ministers in an equal manner ought to keep up the honour of their Ministry by a faithful and diligent discharge of their duty and by the holiness of their lives and conversations Many foul-mouth'd rash Censurers are so ignorant as not to distinguish between the Ministers and Ministry and therefore blame the whole Ministry for the default of some particular Ministers Wherefore Ministers and People especially such as are Professors of Religion must labour to walk so unblamably as they may what in them lies preserve the Reputation and Honour of the Gospel-Ministry Inoffensive and circumspect walking is the wisest walking See saith the Apostle Ephes 5. 15. how circumspectly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 you walk Not only the matter but the manner is required and this precise walking is the wisest walking Not as fools but as wise They who walk in dissolute courses and live without God in the World they are the fools and so will be found to be another day And an especial effect of circumspect wise walking consists in redeeming of time Redeeming the time because the daies are evil Ephes 5. 10. He then whose heart is without guile evidenceth it so to be in the integrity of his life and conversation as a good tree is known by the good fruits which it bears And this upright walking is the only sure and safe walking but the contrary thereof is alwaies accompanied with variety of dangers and mischiefs As Solomon saith Prov. 10. 9. He that walketh uprightly walketh surely but he that perverteth his waies shall be known CHAP. XI Of Mortification of the Deeds of the Body THe eleventh Character of a sincere Charact. 11. Mortifiation of the Deeds of the Body Sect. 1. Heart is Mortification of the Deeds of the Body i. e. all manner of Lusts and the evil fruits of corrupt nature Carnal lusts and all the works of the flesh must be mortified And that we may the better know what they are the Apostle gives us a large Catalogue of the works of the flesh Gal. 5. 19 20 21. Now the works of the flesh are manifest which are these adultery fornication uncleanness lasciviousness idolatry witchcraft hatred variance emulations wrath strife seditions heresies envyings murthers drunkenness and such like Our duty is to confer the strength of our best endeavours to set upon the practice of mortification of all those fore-mentioned and not of those only but of all other sins For not only one particular member not only one particular act not only one particular affection or faculty must be mortified but the habit nature and constitution even the whole body of sin must be mortified Every sin must have a mortifying blow and not only be left half dead but dead altogether I have heard an observation made of two eminently Learned and Dr. Job Reynolds and Dr. Guil. is bitaker Valiant Champions of the Truth that one of them fought so long with his Adversary that he conquer'd and slew him in his Disputations the other did not only slay his Adversary but buried him Thus must we deal with every sin our endeavour must be to destroy all our sins utterly to kill and bury them that so they may never rise against us in this World to our shame nor in the World to come to our condemnation Where-ever we find the cursed fruits of sin we must utterly destroy them neither must sin only be destroyed in the fruits but in the roots also both root and branch must be pluckt up When the plague of Leprosie was spread in any house God gave a special command That the Priest should break down the house and the Levit. 14. 45. stones of it and the timber thereof and all the morter of the house Sin is a spiritual infectious Leprosie and wherever it is it ought to be rooted out The morter of a Leprous house may not be made use of for daubing of any house no more may any sin be mingled in the worship of God We read of the barbarous cruelty of Pilate Luke 13. 1. who mingled the bloud of the Galileans with their sacrifices But it 's most just for God to reject all our services and destroy us when we mingle our sins vain fancies and sinful inventions with the purity of his worship Nadab and Abihu are standing examples and warning-pieces against offering strange fire unto the Lord. And that is strange fire which is after our will-worship and devised by our own brains and not according to divine Institution We have the History upon record Lev. 10. 1. And Nadab and Abihu the sons of Aaron took either of them his censer and put fire therein and put incense thereon and offered strange fire before the Lord which he commanded them not And there went out fire from the Lord and devoured them and they died before the Lord. We may not offer to God the lame and the blind And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice is it not evil and if ye offer the lame and sick is it not evil offer it now unto thy Governor will he be pleased with thee or accept thy person Mal. 1. 8. saith the Lord of hosts As for all those who put such a high affront and indignity upon God as to offer the refuse and worst of their services as if they thought any good enough for him they incur that dreadful curse Mal. 1. 14. But cursed be the deceiver who hath in his flock a male and voweth and sacrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing for I am a great King saith the Lord of hosts and my Name is dreadful amongst the Heathen If then we would offer any acceptable sacrifice unto God we must mortifie our sins and corruptions and offer unto God the best of our services the male in the flock and the best male Sect. 2 Although the Lord commanded the sacrifice of Bullocks and Rams c. yet he rejected the sacrifices of the Jews and had no respect to their
persons nor to their sacrifices Thus the Lord expostulates the case with them Isai 1. 12 13. When ye come to appear before me who hath required this at your hand to tread my courts And the Lord forbids them to bring such kind of sacrifices verse 13. Bring no more vain oblations incense is an abomination unto me Quest But might not they truly have replied that incense oblations sacrifices c. were all of Divine institution God commanded them all why then should not they yield obedience to the command accordingly Answ I answer They were commanded to offer sacrifice but they offered sacrifice in a wrong manner For in every service which we perform to God we should do it in a right manner and for a right end not only the action it self but the manner of performing it must be regarded The Jews rested only in the Ceremonial service and in the multitude of external sacrifices having no regard at all to their own hearts and lives these they should have offered up to God pure and holy but their hearts were exceeding foul and their hands were full of bloud therefore God rejected both their persons and their sacrifices For thus saith the Lord verse 15. When ye spread forth your hands I will hide mine eyes from you yea when you make many prayers I will not hear your hands are full of bloud First then before we can offer any acceptable sacrifice unto God we must set upon the practice of mortification and slaughter of all our sins Wherefore the special charge of the Apostle is Col. 3. 5. Mortisie therefore your members which are upon the earth fornication uncleanness in ordinate affection evil concupiscence and covetousness which is idolatry Not a◠lust may be spared All carnal lusts may be compared to those brats of Babylon which are appointed for utter destruction To this purpose we may apply that of the Psalmist Psal 137. 8 9. O daughter of Babylon who art to be destroyed happy shall he be that rewardeth thee as thou hast rewarded us Happy shall he be that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones Quest Some make it a Question though good Christians make no Question of it at all Whether self-murther be lawful Answ For Answer It 's murther in the highest degree and an apparent breach of the sixth Commandment Thou shalt do no murther As no murther should be committed against another much less against a mans self But for every one of us to slay our sins and destroy our corruptions is no self-murther for then a Christian lives best of all when he hath slain his sins and corruptions We must make it our daily prayer that God would destroy our sins and save our Souls Every sin we must account a Benhadad design'd for destruction Therefore Benhadad being appointed by God for utter destruction Ahab by sparing him brought inevitable ruine upon himself and his people For thus saith the man of God to Ahab by the word of the Lord 1 Kings 20. 42. Because thou hast let go out of thy hand a man whom I appointed to utter destruction therefore thy life shall go for his life and thy people for his people If then we give quarter to any one sin and hug it in our bosomes we take a speedy course to destroy our own Souls for by shewing foolish pity to spare any one sin we prove cruel to our precious Souls we our selves being the greatest enemies to our selves Sect. 3 Farther we must take special cognizance of such sins as either are secret unknown to any man or else such as come not within the verge of the punishment of the Law of man as wanton and amorous glances vain frothy discourse and covetousness on which God sets a peculiar brand of infamy Col. 3. 5. and calls it Idolatry Now Idolatry is a sin of a high aggravation for it indeavors to rob God of his honour and to ascribe that honour and glory to Mammon and worldly rich men which is only due to the eternal Creator God blessed for ever Likewise we must observe what a wide difference the Apostle makes between carnal living and the practice of mortification the difference is as great as between life and death and so are the different effects and issues of both For saith the Apostle Rom. 8. 13. Ifye live after the flesh ye shall die but if ye through the spirit do mortifie the deeds of the body ye shall live We read of that glorious Victory which the Lord wrought for Israel against Amalek an inveterate enemy after this Victory was obtained we read that Moses built an Altar and called the name of it Jehovah Nissi for he said because the Lord hath sworn that he will have war with Amalek from generation to generation Exod. 17. 15 16. Quest The Question may be askt Why was war to be made and continued from generation to generation against Amalek Answ The Answer is obvious they were cruel and bloudy Enemies destitute of all manner of mercy and bowels of compassion and therefore God chargeth Moses to make a Record of this signal Deliverance And the Lord said unto Moses write this for a memorial in a Book and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under Heaven Quest But it will be further askt Wherein consisted the particular sin of Awalek Answ For Answer Moses gives a full relation Deut. 25. 17 18 19. Remember what Amalek did unto thee by the way and smote the hindmost of thee even all that were feeble behind thee when thou wast faint and he feared not God Therefore it shall be when the Lord thy God hath given thee rest from all thine enemies round about in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it that thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under Heaven thou shalt not forget it As war by Gods appointment should be waged against Amalek so it 's the appointment of God that we should continue fighting and warring against our sins and corruptions In this case onely it's lawful to perpetuate a deadly fewd and remain alwaies implacable and irreconcileable against all our sins we must not make the least peace nor admit of any parly for peace for any sin though it be of long standing custom and antiquity and pleasing to flesh and bloud To what hath been mentioned I will add for further explication two significant words viz. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of which the Apostle makes an emphatical mention 1 Cor. 9. 27. But I keep under my body and bring it into subjection lest that by any means when I have preached to others I my self should be a cast-away The first word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rendred I keep under my body but there lies in the word a greater emphasis for the word signifies to beat the body black and blue and further yet in