God in those words of the Prophet Daniel O Lord let thine anger be turned away leâ—…t because of our sinnes and the sinnes of our Fathers Hierusalem and thy people be made a reproach For as in the eyes of that All-seeing Majestie a Thousand years are but as one day so are as many generations but as one man Now in a single offender 't is mercy that expects repentance a long time though for neglecting it the punishment be infflicted afterward with greater severity So is it in respect of whole Nations 't is the goodnesse of God that throughout so many ages attends their conversion yet must that Kingdome dread the more fearfull ruin which hath enlarged her transgressions by perpetuity Amalek rebelled in the time of Moses and was then threatned with eternall hatred as appears Exodus 17th at the 14th verse but succeeding ages and the sinnes of Amaleks posterity brought down that horrour of punishment of which Saul 1 Sam. 14. was ordained to be Executioner Nor was posterity then punisht for the Fathers sinne alone for as 't is evident Amalek still maintained enmity against Israel the people of God whereas had they from a conscience of their Fathers sinne sued out pardon for those first offences probably the punishment had not been of so high a nature where the transgression should have been found of lesse continuance Neither may this conscience of sinne past arise onely from a fear of Temporal afflictions No unhappy and Frail men that we are we may be again and again perplexed with the guilt of those very transgressions which we once thought and verily perswaded our selves were forgiven For the infant-issue must needs faint when the Mother languisheth and when our Faith is so mix'd with doubting our joy must needs be subject to much inconstancy and if in the case of eternal salvation it self our confidence may be buffetted sometimes with contrary fears and almost degenerate into despair much more as to the matter onely of Forgivenesse of sin may our peace be again molested with perplexity In the 51th Psalm while David entreats pardon of God for that complicate sin which he committed in the case of Bathshebah and Vriah that is murthering the Husband and defiling the Wife see he becomes burthened on the sudden with the conscience of all his former transgressions there he makes confession of his original guilt and humbly entreats pardon for all his Actual offences Dele omnes iniquitates meas saith he at the 10th verse Lord blot out all mine iniquities whatsoever and at the 12th redde mihi laetitiam c. O give me the comfort of thy help again and Stablish me with thy free Spirit And if a justified man may not be again troubled with a conscience of sins past whence came that prayer of this same Prophet â—…s 25th at the 6. verse Remember not O Lord the sinnes of my youth shall we think David so carelesse as not to have long before this time entreated pardon for his youthfull transgressions or that God himself so little regarded his prayer whom his very soul loved as that though he had begg'd yet he had not obtained pardon for them no doubt he had of a long time felt good assurance and a sensible Testimony that such his sinnes were forgiven him and yet upon consideration of those many miseries which befell him from Sauls malice and Doegs treachery he groans again under the former burthen and begins to accuse the sins of his youth as cause that his riper years were expos'd to such afflictions But what do you say a man once purg'd may be so many waies burthened again with a conscience of sinne may his past offences again after purgation after his being justified and acquitted from them by the blood of Christ affright him with fear sometimes of Temporal sometimes of eternal punishment where 's then the Truth of my Apostles Doctrine worshippers once purg'd have no more conscience of sin To answer you briefly it holds in these two senses First and absolutely in respect of that conscience of sinne which we called ex parte victimae they that are once purg'd in the blood of the lamb do not with those Hebrews which my Apostle deals with in the Text again thirst after any further sacrifice but their consciences rest fully assured that all sinnes whatsoever may be perfectly done away by Christs one and great oblation Secondly it may be understood also in some sense in respect of that conscience of sinne which we called ex parte reatus but not so absolutely here as in the other because not at all times nor upon all occasions For the Saints have many fallings there is no man living that sinneth not even the just man himself as the Scripture speaketh falleth that is sinneth more or lesse grievously seven times a day and by consequence wounds and loads his conscience with the guilt of sinne however it is certain that at some times also the true servants of God men truely justified and regenerate have their hearts so sprinckled with the blood of Christ by faith and are so united with God by a full assurance of the forgivenesse of sin and sense of Gods love and favour towards them that they have no conscience that is no sense no fear of guilt at all for any of their offences whatsoever For as they are at some special times assured of their salvation so are they likewise in the same hours of comfort assured of the remission of all sin Fear not then thou fainting Christian fear not nor be dismaied although thy tender and timorous conscience affrights thee sometimes perhaps with the remembrance even of those transgressions whose pardon thou hast heretofore upon sure grounds no way distrusted be not much troubled at them seeing thou hast the remedy almost in thine own hands Whensoever thou findest them thus to return upon thee distracting thy thoughts and disturbing thy repose cast thy self upon God confesse them again wash them both in the blood of Christ by Faith and in thine own tears by contrition and hearty sorrow so shall thy good God who doubtlesse upon thy first repentance did truely remit and pardon them unto thee upon thy second confession and tears make thee become a second time and much more certain of thy absolution I say confesse them again For although the Iesuite Salmeron I mean be pleased to give us such an observation as this in his commentaries upon this chapter ad iterandas confessiones nullâ lege arctamur aut Evangelicâ aut Apostolicâ There 's no Law ties us to make often confession of the same sinne viz. which we have once already duly confessed yet though lawes be silent I think I have shewed examples namely of that man after Gods own heart that royal penitent and Prophet King David of the Prophet Daniel and diverse others that might be alleged which although they tye not our belieâ—…e perhaps as to a matter of Faith or Divine precept as the Iesuite pretends yet I suppose their bare practice deserves our Imitation better and is more safely followed than his opinion especially in caâ—…es of great distresse and where special comfort is necessary to quiet and allay the Agony of Spirit But I shall not enter into surther controversie with him God who comforteth Hierusalem comfort the mourners that are in Israel comfort all such as groan under the conscience and guilt of sinÌ„ne restore True peace unto their souls give them all necessary and full assurance of the remission of their sins here through Faith in the blood of Christ and afterwards advance them to Glory and to the Fruition of those comforts which shall never fail by the same Jesus Christ our Lord to whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost three Persons one Eternal Almighty and most merciful God be all Honour and Adoration given of all creatures now and for ever Amen THE END
for his contentment was his riches This man abounds in all things and yet is therefore still poor because he 's not Satisfied We may all of us behold mine Apostle and from him take a pattern how to rectify our affections he desires not Gifts but Fruits and delights more in the Philippians Faith than in their liberality This likewise shews the Crookednesse of those perverse Christians who preferre their own profit before the Salvation of their brethren and would more delight to see the Philippians become their Tributaries than Christs Disciples He that rules a Family must hence learn to take more pleasure that his servants are good than that they are profitable for if they labour their Masters encrease either for hope of reward onely or for fear of offence this is but eye-service neither Fruit nor Gift unlesse perhaps ye account that given which ye pay for But when they become Trusty for conscience sake when they are industrious and truly diligent not as in the sight of man but God then are their labours Fruits and a Christian Master must more joy to see his Servants Faith than his own Commodity That your Actions must be Fruits not Gifts onely I have shewed unto you in my First part from the Nature of the things themselves in this Second part I have shewed it from the Authority of the Apostles choice I must reiterate my exhortation once more Bring forth Fruits if not for these reasons yet for your own commodity Remember that great Audit which you must one day make with the Lord of Heaven then Fruits will abound to your account which I made my last part and must now be handled That may abound to your account There 's a great correspondency between the written and the eternal word between Christ and the Scriptures They have both of them humbled themselves for us He to the death of the Crosse This to the dulnesse of our capacity For how often does not the Scripture speak of God as of a mortal man It gives him both eyes and eares and Feet and hands in some places it supposes him an Husbandman in others a Shepheard some places make him a man of War and clothe him with harnesse to the battel and in my Text he is an Auditor The Lord hath sought a man after his own heart saith the Scripture of David first of Kings at the 13th chapt. how Sought God is every where and may spare that enquirie what needs he to seek who sees all at once Non quod nesciat ubi sit quaerit sed per hominem more hominum loquitur quia sic loquendo nos quaerit as Saint Austin speaks in the 17. of the City of God at the 5th chap. he did not seek David because he was ignorant where he was but he so speaks because he seeks us for we are then found when we understand him That we might become learned God is said to have Books too The Books were opened saith Saint Iohn Revel. 20th that is the particular Testimonies of every ones private conscience And again another Book was opened that is the Sacred register of Gods eternal Decree My Text adds to this library for it implyes Books too namely Books of Account So Zanchius unfolds the Metaphor hic Deo tribuit librum the Apostle faith he in this place attributes to God the use of a Book wherein there stands the formal draught of an exact account Here he writes his expenses namely the things wâ—…iâ—…h he hath given us and here are his receipts too that is the duties which we have returned to him again here he notes our Trespasses or Debts and here likewise he sets down our weeping payment our tears those fruits of Faith which so farr abound unto our accounts that they turn our revenging creditour into a loving Father Put my Tears into thy Bottle are they not noted in thy Book Saith David a weeper in the 56th Psalm at the 8th verse for so runs the original it is a word varyed from {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Sepher which signifies a Book He that hath mercy upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord Prov. 19th the Lord borrows our works of Charity and puts them into his receipts See then Beloved do not such Fruits abound to our advantage they make our God become our Debtour and our Accounts must then needs be easy when we our selves are become the Creditors who gives a Disciple a cup of cold water only in the name of a Disciple verily I say unto you he shall in no wise lose his reward saith our Saviour Mat. the 10th at the last verse The thing here to be given is scarce worth the valuing and yet if this water be Fruit if it issues as well from his heart that gives it as from the Fountain from whence it is drawn how doth it abound to our account It both cancels our debts and entitles us to a farther Benefit it gives us not a Freedom only but a reward Are our works then of so high a price can they both discharge the debts we owe and yet leave us so rich that we may purchase too Indeed our Saviour seems to intimate it Come yee blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom prepared for you before the world began for your Fruits have abounded to your accounts I hungred and yee gave me meat I thirsted and yee gave me drink c. Here 's no mention of offences at all it seems then our works shall both Satisfie those debts and also purchase a Kingdom for us But lest with that purple whore we become drunk with a conceit or pride of Merits we must understand that our accounts are to passe before such an Auditor whose only Mercy is our satisfaction Indeed in his Reckonings our Fruits shall passe for current coyn but yet 't is his bounty that gives them value A Creditour if he please may accept of Brasse for Gold and of Iron instead of Silver though all our righteousness be as a stayned cloth yet God in mercy may both pardon and crown our works and when he so deals with us we are not beholding to the worth of our coyn but unto the bounty of our Creditour not unto the merit of our desert but unto the mercy of our Redeemer Come ye Blessed of my Father {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} So the Greek hath it possess ye the Kingdome by title of Inheritance Mark Beloved we are heirs not purchasers and we obtain the Kingdom not by our own desert but by Gods free adoption and yet that all the world might know his sentence to be equal he adds for I hungred and yee gave me meat I thirsted and yee gave me to drink your Fruits make it manifest that you are the Sons of me your Father and thus do they abound to your accounts The Civilians distinguish between Dominium Possessio between the right of Title and the form of taking possession You know a man may have Title
indifferency their mouths would scarsely have offended their {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} nâ—… would their Consciences have ever check'd for eating part of the Heathenish Sacrifices But their knowledge or persuasion concerning that being but doubtâ—…ul and imperfect begat in them that affliction which might well be called a weak Conscience I mean ex parte causae because it proceeded from so grosse a weaknesse in their understanding Neither yet do I free Conscience it self from partaking somewhat in the calamity of Adams fall whereby as the other Faculties of the Soul so likewise this of Conscience hath lost much of her primitive Integrity It 's now become dull and unapt to attend so exactly as it should to what the understanding directs it s become sluggish and will not alwayes speak though knowledge hath given its full and cleer information No doubt David knew perfectly that to be an Adulterer was by the law of God to be accursed yet how long did his sleepy Conscience conceal the sad consequence which she should have inferred and suggested to him upon his attempt with Balshebah How long did she forbear to tell him Thou hast committed Adultery with Vriahs wife Therefore thou art accursed David was many Months some say a whole year before his Conscience spake to him and wakened him to that good Confession I have sinned against the Lord Nay this power was so farr decayed and as it were stupifyed in him that probably it had still continued silent had not Nathan prompted it God must send a Prophet to supply the negligence of his carelesse Conscience that so though it of it self had no power to speak yet with Rock and Mountains to help it it might be able to give an Eccho to what he should deliver when he made that dreadful remonstrance to David 2 Sam. 12. 17. Thou art the man Thou hast slayn Vriah the Hittite with the sword and thou hast taken his Wife to be thy Wife and therefore thou art accursed the sword shall not depart from thy house thy wives shal be given to thy Neighbour I consesse then this Faculty of the Soul Conscience is in it self some time distempered and may then very well undergoe the censure and name of a Sinning Consciece But my Text speaks of another sort of Malady which troubles and infests the Conscience while Conscience is in it self in perfect health and diligently accuseth Sin only the worshippers themselves are out of Tune they are distempered The Discase then that I am now to declare and treat of is a Malady not so much in as from the Conscience Conscience now supplyes the place rather of a Discoverer than a Receiver and may properly enough bear divers special Appellations according as it stands divided or looking unto several degrees of Sin I will name only two at present There is conscientia peccati ex partereatus A Conscience which not only Testifies we have sinned but affrights us too with the guilt of Sin and makes us out of a Iense of our own unworthinesse and the deepnesse of our guilt to doubt of pardon which fear yet if it be moderate doth not utterly dismay or drive us to despair of it Secondly there is conscientia peccati ex parte victimae a Conscience which not only questions our Sins but our Attonement too not only tells us we want a pardon but that to procure it we stand in need of a farther Sacrifice This is it which my Apostle chiefly insinuates according to St. Chrysostomes exposition {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} in that the Jews did offer Sacrifice it shews that they had a Conscience which accused themselves of Sin but that they did it continually argues they had a Conscience too which accused their Sacrifices of imperfection Whether I have now rightly named Conscience of Sin a Disease or not let Galen himself be judge Bring him a man whose guilty thoughts do most clamorously affright him with the fearful alarums of some crying Sin let him see his countenance distracted his face withered his flesh consumed Let his bones be vext as were Davids in this case and let his moisture be like the drought in Summer either his rules contain noâ—… a perfect survey of our bodily infirmities or else they must confesse this man distempered But could we see likewise those aniatus ictus as Socrates speaks in Tacitâ—… those wounds and stripes which so dreadfully afflict his threatned Soul could we see his confused thoughts choaking one another could we see how all his Meditations and purposes are made abortive before they be halfborn we should soon conclude him not only Sick but that his Disease is past Galens help that no earthly Pharmacon or Dose how Soveraign soever to the Body can do him good and consequently that he ought to be sent to my Apostle for remedy which is contained in my second part and I am now to speak of it namely of The Remedy of this Disease Part 2. We â—…eed not distrust the efficacy of that Medicine wherein the Physician himself disdainâ—…s not to become the chief ingredient and this will appear to be our case if you 'l but hear Saint Iohn describe the potion The blood of Iesus Christ saith he chap. the first of his first Epistle cleanseth us from all Sinne This then is that Divine Catholicon that all-sufficient remedy which God from all eternity ordained for the cure of mankind and which in the fullnesse of time he sent into the world to that purpose that is actually to effect the work by altering of Religion and changing the present shadows and imperfections into Truths and substances the many and but empty Ceremonies by which the world was then busiâ—…d into one absolute and well-pleasing Sacrifice So my Text hath it {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} This great cure was to be wrought at once and is therefore perfect because it needs no repetition For that faith which the Synagogue professed was therefore necessarily attended with a conscience of sins because she expressely taught and prescribed to her followers a reiteration of sacrifices for that must needs cause them to suspect the sufficiency of each former Attonment But the very Tenour of our most holy profession fully cures us of that doubting disease in as much as it plainly assured us that Christ having once suffered the wrath of God exacts no further satisfaction So my Apostle in the 9th chap. of this present Epistle at the 26th verse In the end of the world saith he hath he appeared once to put away sinne by the sacrifice of himself Dares Rome then tread the steps of old Hierusalem doth she affect to turn this very remedy into a disease For what else is her sacrifice of the Masse wherein their profession is that they dayly offer up again the body of Christ thinking by their sacrilegious repetitions to adde some new suficiency to that great oblation So truely may it in these Christian
times be verified of that City what was observed of her being yet in Paganism Roma magnam sibi assumpsisse videbatur Religionem quae nullam respueret falsitatem T is the acknowledgment of Leo the great as they call him one of her own Prelates in his first Sermon upon the Nativity of Saint Peter and Saint Paul Rome saith he therefore thought her self to be above all other Cities in the world chiefly Religious because she became the common receptacle of all their Idolatâ—…ies And what else is her practice at this day she 's willing to professe the name of Jesus and therein joynes with the Christians she 's content to impart Divine worship to Images and therein concurres with the Gentiles Besides she 's factious too for the daily repetition of expiatory sacrifices and therein accords with the Jews themselves So that it may seem now a point of injustice to deny the Roman Church the Title of universal seeing she so friendly communicats with all Religions I but yet Rome will still seem Orthodox for all this and hath learn't from her Doctors of Transubstantiation at least to evade and delude where she cannot satisfy Let my Apostle then in this Text nay in a solemn discourse of two whole chapters not barely pronounce alone which yet were more than enough where such a Majesty dictates the words let him not I say barely pronounce but logically prove and conclude that Christ can but once be offered up shee l make him understand it de sacrificio cruento onely of the bloody Sacrifice of the Crosse not of that unbloody one of the Altar and so with the same words both corrupt his sense and yet seem to condescend to his conclusion Thus doth Truth never suffer more dangerous attempts than when she falls into the hands of learned impiety But my Text soon quits her by the suggestion of this one interrogatory After Christ his bloody passion remains there a conscience of sinnes or no ex parte victimae do our affrighted thoughts as yet inform us that the greatnesse of our sinnes exceeds the sufficiency of his oblation if so then is the sacrifice of the Crosse as insufficient as were those of the Jewes but if this doubt be absolutely removed which my Apostle cleerly enough insinuates in the Text then is their sacrifice of the Altar as Sacrilegious as were those of the Gentiles For what can more derogate from that Divine Attonement than that it should stand in need of a daily supply what other thing were this than to Crucifie again the Lord of life for he must in some sort be daily slain that 's daily offered and so shall the Romane Priests supply the like place at this day under the Pope which the Roman Souldiers once did under Pilate But they yeeld you 'l say perhaps the oblation of the Crosse to be most absolute and that the sacrifice of the Masse is onely requisite to make us capable or actually partakers of those Benefits which the sacrifice of the Crosse obtained for us at Gods hands and which the wisdome of God found good to conveigh unto us by that means viz. by means of the Mystical and unbloody sacrifice of the same body in the Masse what 's this one sacrifice required to apply another and by consequence a third will be necessary to apply the second and so we shall runne multiplying of sacrifices in infinitum for what shall hinder where shall we stop an absurdity as hatefull to Religion as nature Indeed should God have given us his sonne in sacrifice and yet have denied us a participation in his sufferings what had it been but to have dealt with his Church 〈◊〉 the Poets feign that Iupiter did with their Tantalus that is shewed her onely the means of her recovery and indeed to torture her rather than releeve her For there can be no more bitter affliction than to be barr'd the enjoying of that good which is in our view and whereto a probable hope hath already intitled us God therefore as he is rich in mercy so is he bountifull in declaring it and he that hath not spared his Son to save us denies not his holy Spirit to testifie unto us the Truth of our recovery No sooner then doth the Court of Heaven by virtue of this remedy pronounce us Iustified from our sinnes but it presently dispatcheth the Spirit of Comfort to bear that joyfull newes to our afflicted souls that we are there inâ—…old for the Sonnes of God Rom. 8. 16. And while our soul is afforded due entertainment by those sweet acclamations of Abba Father it puts to silence all clamour of conscience and makes her smile who was wont nothing but to frown and threaten Then the blood of Christ growes Eloquent and speaks better things to us than that of Abel for that spake only vengeance upon sinne committed this speaks nothing but salvation upon sinne pardoned The remedy thus applyed cures this conscience of sinnes too ex parte reatus for there can remain no more guilt no fear of punishment where the holy Ghost himself vouchsafes to testifie that Christ hath satisfied what we have deserved But Alas we oft times dispossesse this Spirit and suffer wickednesse to encroach upon his Territories and then how can it sing the Lords Song in a strangeland â—…ow can that be a fit place for the Ditties of Sion where Babylonish iniquity hath usurp'd the scepter No when we sinne that is grieved and silent and where the Spirit tunes not the Anthemes of peaâ—…e Conscience will not be long to towl the sad grones of desperation Thus are our very souls subject to relapses being as lyable to the distempers of sinne as our bodies are to the assaults of sicknesse And must we then yet seek a further remedy doubtlesse such a pretence is wholy inconsistent with my Apostles Doctrine {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} To cure all conscience of sinne we need with him but one purgation but once to be purged Indeed it is true both in the point of justification and in that of the passion we can but once be justified but once be purged yet may the sense of these benefits be subject to reiteration For a righteous man though he be alwaies justified yet doth not perhaps alwaies feel it we can but once be purged yet we oft lose the sense of this remedy and it requires yet a further cure to make us become certain of our recovery Against this Disease viz. uncertainty and doubtfullnesse of our justification were those tears of David in the 51. Psalm Lord saith that Royal penitent restore unto me the joy of thy salvation laetitiam exoptat saith one not untruely non justificationem he prayes not for justification but Comfort that God would then impart unto him on earth the joy of that sentence which questionlesse was long before pronounced in Heaven If therefore with that good King thou art desirous to cure this conscience of sinne that is to