WILFULL IMPENITENCY THE GROSSEST Selfe-Murder All they who are guilty of it Apprehended Tryed and Condemned in these SERMONS Preached at Rochford in Essex not long before his death by that able faithfull and laborious Minister of Jesus Christ Mr. William Fenner B.D. and made publick by one of his unworthy fellow laborers PROV. 1.24 25 26 Because J have called and ye have refused I have stretched out my hand and no man regarded But ye have set at nought all my counsell and would none of my reproof J also will laugh at your calamity and mock when your fear commeth JOHN 5.40.43 And ye will not come to me that ye might have Life J am come in my Fathers name and ye receive me not if another shall come in his own name him ye will receive Velle meum Domine misericordiae tale est de redeundo ad te quale est velle tuum de meâ ad te reversione Gul. Paris de Rhetor Div. â— 14 Quid agit liberum arbitrium Breviter respondeo salvatur Bern. de Lib. Arb. Gr. Non velle in causâ est non posse praetenditur Sen. LONDON Printed by E.G. for Iohn Rothwell at the Signe of the Sun and Fountaine in Pauls-Church yard 1648. TO The Right Honorable ROBERT RICH Baron of Leez in Essex and Earle of Warwick abundance of spirituall blesings in Jesus Christ PAul being upon a propheticall wing for the Lord had powred upon him not onely an Apostolicall but a Propheticall spirit doth foretell in the 2 Tim. 3.1 That in the last dayes perilous times shall come Those who are full of carnall self-love and unthankfulnesse will much increase the danger of this last Age of the World The Lord roote up all such weedes out of our hearts God hath I hope given Your Honour such a measure of love to the publique and so active a spirit to do good to others as will helpe to lessen the danger of these evill times And I would be so thankfull for favours received that I might not be ranked among this dishonourable Catalogue which here Paul sums up of such as make bad times worse It is your Honours happinesse and advantage as it was once said of the Duke of Guise in France that hee 〈◊〉 put obligations upon all that you can ingage very many and amongst the rest I must ever acknowledge my selfe one who in one of the greatest turnings of my life by the good hand of God upon mee in your free consent and noble bounty have had so much comfort in the nearest and dearest relation that I never envied any other but finde matter of everlasting praises to God for his goodnesse to my selfe therein And being under so great obligations when I can produce nothing of my owne worthy your acceptance I take leave to act the part of a Midwife to this happy Birth which may call your Honour Father as will appeare by the following Letter that it was ultimately intended for your spiritâ— all advantage And it were 〈◊〉 a kinde of sacriledge to keepâ—that holy issue from you that is so much your owne It joyes the soules of mee and many more of your praying servants that they have so much occasion to prayse their God on your behalfe for so many able and faithfull Ministers of the Gospell of the first second and third magnitude that your prudent fatherly care hath fixed where you as Patron have beene trusted Oh the many Chariots and horse-men of Israel that your noble Father and you have brought triumphantly into Essex herein you did happily Patrizare the Lord continue the like care to build and repaire his house in these who survive you from Generation to Generation that so your house may still bee honorably supported Ecclesiasticall story speakes of one Henricus Auceps when hee did fight against the Hungarians made this vow to God That if the Lord would give him victory against his enemies hee would purge his Country from Simony which at this time mightily abounded therein Wee want men of such an heroicall zealous disposition in England Oh that all Patrons were more mindfull of their high trust then they would not so often betray the soules of people by putting off a friend c. with a living to some unworthy Chaplaine Doubtlesse there is many a damned creature roaring in Hell cursing covetous Patrons as well as unfaithfull Pastors For whose Bloud in part at least they must bee accountable to the Father of spirits and Judge of the quick and the dead A most heavy reckoning when the sins of so many Congregations to which Patrons are accessary by sending ignorant and scandalous Ministers amongst them are made theirs whereas the least of their owne sins unrepented of will sucke them eternally God who is faithfull will not forget your labour and cost of love to the truely Reverend man of God Master Hooker who is now singing Hallelujahs in Heavenly Mansions when hee was persecuted by the * Archi flamen of Canterbury Hee will pay abundantly for the protecting and nursing his Children Heb. 6.10 I know not how better to expresse my deepe sence of your most reall favour the comfort whereof I dayly enjoy then by taking the humble boldnesse to beseech your Honour to adde one thing more which indeed is the â—num necessarium whereby you will gaine that better part which shall not be taken from you Namely that you would study and pray that you may walke in the light and heate of that glorious Gospell constellation for Ministers are Starres and the * Angells of the Churches which you have endeavoured to fix in your Orbe Your Honour hath beene often at Sea and there beholding the wonders of God in the deepe have beene taught to wrestle with him for mercy It is an old saying hee that would learne to pray let him goe to Sea Besiege Heaven with your unwearied importunities that the Arke of the Gospell which you have provided for thousands may be your owne everlasting Sanctuary And that you feasting upon their danties may bee fat and flourishing in your last dayes standing stedfast in these shaking times and immoveable keeping Faith and a good conscience which too many having put away concerning Faith have made Shipwracke more and more abounding in the Worke of the Lord forasmuch as you know your labour is not in vaine in the Lord This through the grace of Christ shall be the earnest Prayer of him who is My LORD Your Honours most obliged servant THOMAS HILL To the Right Worshipfull my much Honored friend Sir NATHANIEL RICH I Have been often thinking what to send to you at last this Theme which I had lately treated of in the Pulpit came into my minde it s of infinite use and necessity and a truth little examined considered or layed to heart yet marvelous necessary for humiliation to all the children of God and of great weight for the
the Author of this following Treatise blessed be the Father of mercy the Fountaine of every good and perfect gift for his and many others fruitfull labours who may condescend to parley with poore Christians at their Tables in their Shops to follow them at the plow as Reverend Mr. Greenham was wont to doe endeavouring to rectifie and reduce them He knew how to deale wisely with subtile adversaries that he might have the more advantage against them grants them as much as he could with consistency to his owne principles that so he might the more easily confound theirs Onely you will be so candid as to consider that herein hee speakes ad populum And therefore as the ancient Fathers often useth the liberty of speaking like a Preacher rather then as a Doctor of the Chaire I reckon this a very strong argument to confute the power of Free-will to any spirituall action in a gratious manner the wofull experience of mine owne wretched heart being naturally so desperately wicked opposite to any spirituall good But this will not convince others onely by the way I would know how it comes to passe if Arminius Doctrine bee true that we have Free-will to choose that which is truly good why Arminians are not all very good men Will not this bee an aggravation against them at the dreadfull day of judgement Therefore the Lord is most admirably gratious in giving us such Masters of the Assemblies to fasten such Scripture truths as may hold us fast and close under the Covenant of Grace He was a blessing to the Colledge where he was fellow of Pembrooke Hall in Cambridge which hath bin a fruitfull nurcery to this Church and an ornament to the University and after a burning and shining light in Staffordshire He delighted much in preaching in an Evangelicall way from place to place as pitying many poore pining seduced soules under blinde and superstitious Ministers The Lord fill their hearts with compassion to them who have power in their hands to supply them that so millions do not perish for want of vision Afterwards the noble Earle of Warwick fixed him at Rochford in Essex where hee did speake and doe great things to the honour of Free Grace Hee lived there more by acting vigorously to his great Lord and Master Jesus Christ in a fewe Yeares then most of us his Brethren doe in many O that we who are left behinde in these conflicting times could more punctually and closely follow his example Jt is not studying the groundlesse fopperies of Popery nor the immersing our minds wholy into some dry disputes concerning some externalls and formes about Religion as too many do now a dayes being engaged in a party that will spiritualize us or our hearts so much as Studying and Preaching over the Covenant of Grace The mysterious and Heavenly secrets of the Gospell rightly opened and wisely applyed will by Gods blessing breed a Gospell spirit in thee leave a gratious tincture upon the spirits of Teachers and Hearers whereas possibly for want of this there may be a legall tartnesse and severity in the Spirits and Tongues of able and good men The gratious and powerfull Lord who onely teacheth to profit annoynt all his Saints with that holy unction that they may be able to discerne of things that differ clearely to distinguish betwixt truth and error And that he may to this and other happy purposes blesse abundantly this savourly acute and solid Treatise shall be the earnest Prayer of him Who is thine in and for the Lord Jesus THOMAS HILL A Table of the Contents THe reason why the wicked do not repent nor come out of their sins is not because they cannot though they cannot but because they will not Page 8. 7 Demonstrations to prove it The wicked think they have power to repent but will not do according to their thoughts ibid They will not try whether they can repent or no p. 9 They refuse the helpe which God offers them p. 10 They will not use the power which God hath given them p. 11 They grow worse by the meanes afforded them p. 13 Their Cannot is voluntary p. 14 They are content with their cannot p. 15 The first ground of the Doctrine Every man can do more good then he doth and shun more evill then he doth p. 17 This appeares by these following considerations If a man can do no more then he doth nothing can hindes him but his will ibid. If a man can do no more then he does and yet will not he must needs voluntarily hinder himselfe from doing that which he cannot p. 18 Jf a man will not do that he can neither will bee that which he cannot if he could p. 19 If a man 〈◊〉 â—ot do that he can can or can-not all is one to him all sticks at his will p. 20 If a man will not doe that which he can this will make a mans conscience when it comes to speake in sober sadnesse thanke himselfe for his perishing p. 21 Arguments to prove the first Ground p. 22 Because God doth complaine against the wicked for the voluntary doing no more good then they doe ibid. Because otherwise there were no room for prayse nor dispraise p. 23 Because there would be no roome for the Sword of the Magistrate p. 24 Because though a carnall man cannot put off the old man yet it is not his nature to commit this sin at this time and in this manner ibid. A wicked man can do more good c. Because a godly regenerate man may avoide more sin then he doth p. 25 The ground further proved by Particulars The will hath dominion over all the outward acts of the members p. 26 Every man hath naturall affections in hine by which he may doe more then he doth and shun more evill then he doth p. 27 God hath given to every man naturall counsell and naturall Reason and Prudence p. 30 That is first in order which is naturall and afterwards that which is spirituall and if a man stick there he sticks at a will-not p. 31 The second Ground Every wicked man is slothfull and negligent p. 34 Five demonstrations to prove it Every wicked man doth imagine more cannots then then there be p. 35. He makes every little difficulty a cannot when as nothing but an impossibility is a cannot p 36. A slothful man turns his very abilities into cannots 37. p He doth voluntarily naile himself unto cannots p. 38 He putteth forth by halves that power which he hath p. 39 There is more in a wicked man then by reason of sluggishnesse he putteth forth p. 40 Six Arguments to prove this It a signe it is in him p. 40 Because when God doth convert a sinner he doth not put in new powers and faculties into the soule
he lie a little longer and therefore does he presume to lie a while longer So thou art loth to come out of thy sinnes yet time enough yet thinkst thou thou hast secret thoughts thou art able to shift for Heaven afterwards tush an unhappy youth may make a good old man and a young Saint an old Devill Hence it is that the whoremaster he can plead did not David commit adultery too as though he could yet up againe as well as he the drunkard was not Noah drunk as though he were able to repent as well as he The Theife on the Crosse did not he repent at last gaspe as though he could shift as well at last so they thinke they can leave of their sinnes for a need and therefore the reason why they do not is onely because they will not He that thinks he hath a hundred pound of his own in his purse and yet will not give a poore body a halfe penny what 's the reason he will not open his purse to give because he cannot No he thinkes he hath it and can but he will not so the reason why thou art not reformed is thou wilt noâ— 2. Demonstration because thou dost not so much as trye whether thou canst or no Therefore thou dost not sticke at a cannot but a will not when a master bids his servant carry a sack of Corne to the Mill I cannot sayes he but cant you try sayes his Master cannot you go about it no he will not try why then he is wilfull if his master should see him swetting and striving to carry it it were something then he would say he stuck at a cannot but when he will not be at the paines to try he stickes at a will not So thou stickst at a will not thou dost not every daâ—in arenam discendere sweat at good duties thou dost not study and labour every day how to shun all temptations and prevent all thy sinnes thou dost not go about the cleansing of thy Family the purging of thy House thou wilt not go about it and therefore the reason is because that thou wilt not Nay it s all one whether thou hast power yea or no To what end should God give thee power for thou wilt not use it Nay how dost thou know but when thou goest about it thou mayest meet with though some power but thou wilt not try cut down thy drunken signe and trye never let drinking and swilling be in thy house and trye set up constant holy conferences and trye frequent Prayer in thy Closet and trye c. But I have tryed againe and againe and yet it will not do every day try though si crebro jacias alias aliud jeceris though thou hast thrown the Dye a hundred times yet next time may be thou shalt throw a good cast But thou wilt not try I would have healed Babell but shee would not be healed The field of the slothfull is all growen over with Thornes and Nettles had covered all the face thereof and the stone wall thereof was broken down Prov. 24.31 what 's the reason he hath not a good crop because the ground would not beare it no how does he know he will not try hee will not plow it and harrow it and weed it and manure it and sow it he will not try therefore t is because hee will not 3. Demonstration God offers thee many good motions of power I will helpe thee and I will inable thee and thou wilt not be helped God casts in these good motions and thou casts them out Stand ye in the wayes and so aske for the old paths and walke therein and ye shall find rest to your soules but they sayd we will not walke therein O do but aske for the good way and labour to walke in it I 'le helpe you and assist you but we will not say they I set watchmen over you saying hearken to the sound of the Trumpet but they sayd we will not hearken vers. 17. This is plaine English as we say you will not ye have preaching every Sabbath and every weeke but ye will not God sends you good motions every day and houre but ye will not when a beggar will not be helpt why does he starve what because he cannot chuse no he starves because he will starue O sayest thou I do heare the word and I cannot heare it better I do pray dayly and I cannot pray better c. thus thou retortest upon God as the unprofitable servant Lo there thou hast that is thine Lo here 's the best fayth thy spirit helpes me to here 's the best obedience that thy power inabled me to c. Lo there thou hast that is thine thou helpest me with no more I was not able to do better quo ore potes hoc dicere sayes Gualter with what face canst thou say thus is this all that God hath offred to inable thee ah thou wilfull creature The Lord hath offred to helpe thee to a thousand times more but thou wouldst not be helped 4. Demonstration God hath not only offred thee power to do more and thou wilt not take it but also given thee more power and thou wilt not use it therefore the reason why thou dost not is because thou wilt not God hath given thee one talent of power at the least why dost thou not put it out to the merchandizers and occupy with it {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} sayes Chry. The power that God hath vouchsaft thee is thy talent Why didst thou not imploy it to the utmost every Sermon gives thee new power a new price so every good counsell gives thee a new power what art thou better every blessing thou hast had gives thee a new power wherein are thou purer does God give thee but eyes thou hast more power to glorify him then he that hath not c. Every mercy helps thee with new power but wherein dost thou use it God hath given thee good memory how hast thou stuft it meanes and maintenance how hast thou honoured God why c. thine own conscience accuseth thee thou hast wasted his goods wasted them upon belly and back which have devoured more thoughts then ever his worship could have thou hast wasted them upon thy credit in the World and thy pleasure and thy lusts and thy fleshly desires How is it that I heare this of thee Thou shalt heare one day of this dismall watchword give account of thy stewardship for thou mayst be no longer steward What dost thou talking of thy want of power I could not do thus and I could not do that where are my goods that I lent thee give account for thy memory Lord I remember this and that Tale this and that Bawble thou evill and unprofitable servant thou and why couldst thou not remember my Commandements as well give account for thy wit Lord I have contrived businesses bargaynes with it I
have jested quirped been merry with it thou evill and unprofitable servant thou why wouldst thou not be witty for God and for the good of thy soule c. God hath given a great deale of more power then ever thou bringest to act and therefore thou art wilfull 5. Demonstration the more power thou hast to repent the more thy will is against it The more meanes that God doth vouchsafe the more Preaching the more knowledge the more reproofes the more inlightnings the more power thou hast to repent the more thy will is against it Bernard sayes such a one is a perverse man that God is feigne to say to quid faciam tibi what shall I do unto thee O Ephraim what shall I do unto thee for thy righteousnesse goes away like the dew Hos. 6. 4. The more meanes thou enjoyest the more thy righteousnesse goes away one would thinke the more the Sunshine of the Gospell ariseth the more your righteousnesse should encrease it goes the more away like the dew the more the Sun riseth the more it vanisheth away like many of you the more preaching you have the farther ye are off a man might be acquainted with you heretofore but now that you have been soundly rebuked for your sins the further you flie of nay some of you that were somewhat forward hertofore are mockers now some of you that were somewhat towardly heretofore are more coveteous and Waspish and Passionate and Worldly like the weeds the more they are pluckt up the more they doe grow or like the Earth the more it is washed the dirtier it proves so the more means ye have to be inabled to good the wilfuller ye are 6. Demonstration because thy cannot is a voluntary cannot thou hast wilfully brought the most part of thy cannot upon thee I cannot give to the poore sayst thou yea but thou hadst it once and thou hast wilfully spent it thou hadst Lands and Meanes and commings in but thou hast spent it at the Ale-house thou hast consumed it on the game-house Thus thy cannot is a voluntary cannot causa â—ausae est causa causati thy will was the cause of thy cannot and therefore thy will is the cause of thy not giving to the poore I cannot reade sayes one and no marvile if I be ignorant but thy Parents would have set thee to Schoole and thou wouldst be a trewant therefore thou art willingly ignorant I cannot remember a Sermon sayes another no wonder though I repeat it not in my Family but forget it as I do but thou hast willingly ram'd it with matters of the World or hast weakened it with drinking and therefore thou art wilfully forgetfull c. The unprofitable servant was curst that had layd up his pound safe in a Napkin hee did not lesson it nor imbezele it but onely layd it up and yet hee was cursed because he did not {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} sayes Chrysost. hee was cursed because he dâ—d not double his pound ah the wofull estate that thou art in if he were accursed that did lay up his pound what shall become of thee that dost lessen it hee did not double his abilities and therefore he was cursed thou dost not only not double thy abilities but thou dost lessen them God hath inabled thee to do many a thing and now thou art not able thou hast willingly lessened thine ability now then thou canst not excuse thy selfe that thou canst not because thou hast brought this cannot on thy selfe Thou canst not weepe at a Sermon but thou couldst once thou canst not resist such a lust but thou couldst once and thou hast willingly brought this cannot on thy soule and therefore this is all the cause because that thou wilt not 7. Demonstration may be thou canst not yea but thou art contented with thy cannot thou canst not be holy and thou art contented not to be thou canst not crucify thy lust and thou art contented with this cannot nay thou wouldst not be able Sir I tell you how you may put up this injury if you will but Sir you shall not make me put it up I will not be directed by you as it was with desperate Judah my people love to have it so Thou art carnall and thou lovest to be so were a man in the stockes and not able to get out yet if he be contented to be there though he cannot get out that is not the reason of his staying but hee will not thou canst not walke humbly and holily and thou lovest to have it so what would you have me so pure forsooth So then the reason is because that thou wilt not if thy will were not it thou wouldst never be content with thy cannot the Congregation is bad and thou Iovest to have it so the more custome thou shalt have for thy Ale-house like a bad Clerke of the Assises I heard one speake it my selfe he was glad there was so many Rogues hee had the more money so some of you are glad there be so many frequenters of the Ale-bench yee have the more custome yee love to have it so ye cannot reforme the sins of one another and yee love to have it so The Presuppositions premised and the Demonstrations prefixed it followes now that I lay down the grounds of this necessary truth Scil. The reason why a wicked man doth not turne unto God is not because he cannot though he cannot but because he will not He cannot say this at the day of judgement Lord thou knowest I left everey sinne that I could and I tooke all the best courses that I could to become a new creature but I could not A wicked man shall not be able to say thus without lying The man in the Gospel that had not on the Wedding garment could hee say Lord I was not able to go to the shop of the Gospel to seeke one No He was speechlesse Mat. 22.12 God finds out the hypocrite though but one and when once discovered hee is confounded and silenced with the guilt of his own wilfulnesse The first Ground THe first ground is this which is observed by our learned Divines at the Synod at Dort namely Every man can do more good then he does and shun more evil then he does though I confesse not in a gracious manner If I can prove this to be true it will necessarily follow that the reason why a wicked man does not returne is not because hee cannot but onely because hee will not Arguments to prove it 1. Consider if a man can do more then he doth nothing can hinder him from doing more then hee does but his will when the fire can burne more it doth burne more because it hath no will to come between the power of burning and the act of burning to suspend it The fire is a naturall agent and therefore burns as much as it can but a man is a voluntary agent and
therefore when he can do a thing and does not t is because his will comes between to suspend it So that the reason is this he will not Pilate hee had power to crucify Christ and power not to do it John 19.10 he had power not to do it why then does he crucify him not because he had no power to do otherwise hee confesses himselfe hee had power to do otherwise but he crucifyed Christ because hee would doe so When a man hath power to do a thing or not to do a thing It s the will that either suspends or determines 2. Consideration that if a man can do more then he does and yet will not he must needes voluntarily hinder himself from doing that which he cannot the reason is because a man must first do that which he can before he can come to that part which he cannot Suppose a lame man were to go to London from hence and not able to go one mile of the journey but there stands one at the Church-stile that offers if he will but crawle thither to carry him he is able to crawle so far as the Church-stile but he will not does not hee voluntarily hinder himselfe from going to London that which he can do must be done first before that which he cannot So yee that live in your sinnes you must first do that which you can before you can looke that God should helpe you to do that which you cannot if thou dost all that thou canst for ought that thou knowest Christ though he hath not absolutely engaged himselfe stands at the Church stile there ready to helpe thee There be men in the World whom hee is resolved to helpe thou dost not know but thou art the man Christ hath not told thee any thing to the contrary but only he bids thee do what thou canst canst thou not cut off thy long haire are no Sizers able to cut it have not you a Tongue in your heads ye that keepe disorders in your Alehouses cannot you say get you hence ye drunken companions here 's no entertainment for you you must do that which you can before you can expect Christs help to do that which you cannot and if you will not do that which you can you do voluntarily hinder your owne selves from doing that which you cannot Joshua could not stand before Ai nor hinder a close Achan from taking the golden wedge but when it was taken and known he was able to make him an example Joshuah he fasted and cryed unto God all day untill night that the Lord would mercifully save him and all Israel Now heare what answer the Lord gives him get thee up sayth he why lyest thou here Josh. 7.10 Israel hath sinned go and execute Iustice go and do that first and then I will answer thee about Ai for if Joshuah would not have done what he could the Lord would never have helpt him to do that which hee could not So thou prayst for mercy and grace oh that God would convert thee and pardon thee get thee up sayes God dost thou stand praying for mercy as long as such things and such things are not reformed thou hast drunkennesse in thy house go and reform that thou art in league with a sort of base lusts go and reforme them if thou wilt not do that which thou canst how canst thou be sure God will helpe thee to do that which thou canst not no thou stickst at a will not as long as thou refusest to do that 3. Consider if a man will not do that which hee can neither will hee do that which he cannot if hee could the servant that will not go five or six miles in a day which he can for his Master neither would he go a hundred miles for his Master if hee could you that can reforme outwardly at least if you would and yet will not neither would you reforme more if you could ye have money in your purses cannot you spend it better then upon swilling and drinking and gaming yee can well enough but yee will not So yee would do had you that true riches Luke 16.11 yee have naturall abilities if ye will not be faithfull in them so it would be if so be you had better ye that have morall and civill endowments if ye will not be faithfull in them neither would you if God should lend you more c. ye are able to avoid swearing and lying but yee will not neither would yee avoide all other sinnes if yee could if a man will not do that which hee can neither will hee doe that which hee cannot if hee could 4. Consider if a man will not do that which he can can or cannot â—all's one to him all sticks at his will I cannot repent and I cannot give over my sinnes sayest thou and I pray thee who told thee that thou canst not I am naked sayes Adam and who tould thee that thou wert naked sayes God Gen. 3.11 So may I say who told thee thou canst not does not thy own conscience tell thee t is because thou wilt not I cannot digge sayes the lazy Steward and to begge I am ashamed Luke 16 3. I cannot digge if he had a cudgell about his back it would make him to digge to beg I am ashamed sayes he he was not ashamed to cozen his Master of his goods but hee was ashamed to begge I have married a Wife and I cannot come Luke 14.20 No what did his wife tie his legges there is a Lyon in the way I cannot go out sayes the sluggard alas thy owne sluggish wilfull wils are this cannot Can or cannot all 's one to them they never come to trie whether they can yea or no the sluggard never lookt out to see the Lyon in the way but hee dreamt there was one there and hee was willing to believe it hee would not go out to see the idle steward did not trie whether he could digge yea or no if he had taken the Spade in his hand and gon about the worke 't were another matter but I cannot digge sayes he he never would put it to tryall but takes another course without trying of that so that all 's one can or cannot if a man will not do that which he can can or cannot all 's one to him 5. Consider if a man will not do that which hee can this will make a mans conscience when it comes to speake in sober sadnesse thanke himselfe for his perishing mens consciences do but jest with them now while they can say tush t is because I cannot believe and because I cannot repent but at the houre of conviction or the day of judgement at farthest then conscience will speake in sober sadnesse when I was hungry yee gave mee no meate sayes Christ when I was a thirst yee gave mee no drinke I was a stranger and yee tooke mee not in sick and in prison and yee visited mee not
a naturall conscience in thy breast but also direction in his Word to prevent it and if thou dost not thou wilt not are the lusts of thine appetite violent why then dost thou not forecast for to reine them Why dost thou not abstaine from going to Feasts awhile Why dost thou not stint thy Trencher with so much If thy lusts be on fire why dost thou feede them with fuell Are the lusts of anger and wrath predominant in thee thou rapst out an Oath before thou art aware why then dost thou not as Chrysostome would have thee Set forfeitures for every Oath Why dost thou not intreat Gods people severely to reprove thee and exact a fine of thee for every misgoverning word Why dost thou not bawke such acquaintance as may occasion thy Tongue to cast out Oathes why dost thou not club downe thy lusts with argument upon argument shall I be touchy to be damned and proud to be damned c. even arguments of selfe-love are able to knock them downe I do not know how No that 's because thou wilt not know they knew not neither will they understand Psal. 82.5 so thou knowest not neither wilt thou understand that 's the reason thou still walkest in darknesse why dost not thou oppose thy lusts at first rising non obtinebis ut desinat si incipere permiseris sayes Seneca thou canst never get victory except thou be here first in the feild The Lord hath given thee counsells on this fashion why dost thou not use them onely because thou wilt not hast thou impediments Clarancus had them too but hee overcame them sayes Seneca Why dost not thou if thou wilt not thou dost willingly perish thou might do more then thou dost but thou wilt not and thou mighst shunne more then thou dost but thou wilt not Fourthly because thou wilt say all these things are but naturall and morall and civill I may perish for all these but alas I am not able to do any thing spiritually I cannot believe I cannot repent though this be very true yet thy plea is no excuse for though they be naturall yet they are first First that 's in order which is naturall and afterwards that which is spirituall and if thou stickest there thou stickest at a will not The Lord hath taken a sufficient course to humble thee and thou wilt not be humbled thou sayest thou canst not obey spititually I grant it its most true nor repent spiritually why then wilt thou not be humbled that that canst not as God said to Pharaoh how long wilt thou refuse to humble thy selfe before mee Exodus 10.3 There is an externall humiliation as Ahabs humiliation thou mayst come to before that humiliation thou canst not expresse why art thou not humbled with that which thou mayst First then why dost thou not see thy case to be damnable Dost thou not know that judgement is past upon all to damnation Rom. 5.18 all men are damned out of Christ Whosoever is not a new creature is not in Christ but is a damn'd man to this day thou knowest the Lord himselfe doth say thus what hinders thee now from deducting a particular therefrom If upon all men then upon mee if all be damned to this day that are not new creatures in Christ then I am a damned man to this houre this logicke God doth vouchsafe thee why dost thou not reason on this fashion I am a damned man and a damned woman to this day if thou wouldst be brought to this passe there might be some hope of thee but thou wilt not thou wilt scrape up some hopes or other thou wilt not beleeve this Beleeve thus sayes God but I will not sayst thou no thou wilt have thy lust still and thou wilt not beleeve this if thou wouldst believe verily thou art a damned man because thou art not a new creature in Christ may be thou wouldst never have done til thou art one thou wouldst forsake all and follow Christ in all things but thou wilt not Secondly but I cannot sayst thou why then wilt thou not dispaire in thy selfe a man must despaire as he is otherwise hee can never get into Christ as long as a man lives and does after the flesh hee can have no true hope of mercy or pardon or any thing no hee is a dead man all the Angels of Heaven cannot help him if there were a thousand Christs he should perish without them and why wilt thou not despaire in thy selfe Despaire God forbid I 'le never despaire while I live God is more mercifull then so and I hope I neede not despaire Christ dyed for sinners and I were a foole if I should despaire Thus thou pleadest with God for thy vaine hopes but why wilt thou sayes God why wilt thou plead with me thou hast transgressed against me Jer. 2.29 Thou pleadest for hopes and liest in thy sinnes why wilt thou marke the will is set on it and thou wilt plead thou might despaire of thy selfe but thou wilt not and therefore thou wilt wilfully perish Thirdly but I cannot pull downe my owne heart nor master mine one will sayst thou no Why then canst thou not goe and resigne it to God Lord here is a proud heart I cannot humble it Oh here is a stony heart I cannot breake it Lord do thou here is a rebellious heart I cannoâ— subdue it Lord do thou but thou wilt not resigne up this heart thou wilt not set about it as well as thou canst they will not frame their doings to turne unto God Hos. 5.4 they will not so thou wilt not frame thy selfe to do it as well as thou canst. And therefore thou dost willingly go on and thou art wholy inexcusable before God and when he sends thee to Hell thou shalt know thine owne will brought thee thither Thou mighst reforme thine outward man but thou wilt not thou mighst bridle thy lusts and thy passions but thou wilt not thou mighst take a thousand good opportunities but thou wilt not And therefore thou hast no excuse before God thou dost willingly perish It s true thou canst not may be but necessity is not it but thou wilt not indeed if thou didst every day labour to fight against thy lusts and resist to the utmost and couldst not then it were necessity but thou dost not nay thou wilt not Hee that resisteth and then cannot hee may plead Lord what a wofull necessity of sinning am I in but thou givest way to thy lusts aâ—d therefore thou art inexcusable and thou doâ—t willingly perish The second Ground THe second now follows Every wicked man is slothfull and negligent Thou evill servant and slothfull sayes Christ Mat 25.26 Thou hast beene lazy with the Talent I gave thee I gave thee preaching and teaching and thou hast beene lazy to heare it I have given thee knowledge of that which is good and thou hast beene lazy to improve it I have pulled thee to Prayer by the motion of my Spirit
and thou hast beene lazy at the duty Thou evill and slothfull servant I have given thee many a sweet opportunity to be ridde of that base lust that thou are most addicted unto and thou hast beene lazy to take it This is another ground of this Doctrine Now if this be so thou must lay the blame on thine own will and not on Gods denying thee power Because sloth is a fault of the will I cannot call him a sluggard that sticks at a cannot but onely him that sticks at a Will not He that labours and strives as much as hee can none will call him a sluggard but him that can labour more and will not Sloth is a voluntary fault of the will How long wilt thou sleep O sluggard Prov. 6.9 How long wilt thou its not a fault of impotency but of will Five Demonstrations to prove this First if thou be slothfull to good duties then thou dost only imagine a company of cannots I cannot do as I would sayst thou No why then art thou slothfull to make more imaginary cannots A slothfull man imagines more cannots then there be I cannot go this journey sayes he I shall be weary I shall be rob'd I shall fall off my horse I cannot travell it the way of a slothfull man is a hedge of Thornes But the way of the righteous is made plaine sayes Solomon the slothfull man he imagines there 's a Thorne hedge in his way I shall be prickt I cannot get over it what is there a Thorne hedge in the way No for the righeous that goes it hee finds it plaine hee sees none no there is no such Thorne-hedge in the way but he does imagine one and therefore his will not is his let not his cannot for hee does but imagine a cannot So dost thou say I cannot do thus and thus why then art thou slothfull to imagine more cannots and Thorne hedges then there are I cannot live then Oh I cannot go so often to Prayer and if I should do as you say I should be houted at up and downe you tell mee I am a Hell-hound for my pride and my passions Oh if I should believe this I should never have merry day more Alas all these are but imaginary cannots imaginary Thorne hedges I cannot be so strict neither can I put it up I say thou dost but imagine a company of cannots and therefore thou wilt not 2. Demonstration Jf thou bee slothfull to good duties then thou makest every little difficulty a cannot nothing but an impossibility is a cannot But if thou beest slothfull thou makest every little difficulty a cannot I cannot turne mine owne heart nor breake mine own heart but why then art thou slothfull to make every little diffiuclty a cannot a slothfull man makes every little difficulty a cannot The slothfull man will not plow by reason of cold and therefore shall hee beg in harvest and have nothing Hee will not plough by reason of cold hee sticks at a very little difficulty his fingers are so tender forsooth they must not ake his Toes are so Lady-like they must not smart because its a little diffcult therefore hee will not do it He will not plow by reason of cold Well beg then and yee will cannot you endure a little cold yea he could indure it but it would be difficult And therefore sayes the Text he will not Plough by reason of cold Hee does not stick at an impossibility for then indeed hee could not But the slothfull man will not plough by reason of cold he stickes only at a difficulty and therefore he will not nay if hee should labour soundly indeed his very labour would keepe him from being a cold the truth is its the labour of ploughing that he is against And therefore every little cold shall serve for an excuse So why art thou slothfull to count every petty difficulty a cannot It s an uncomfortable thing to be alwayes poring on my sinnes I cannot abide it troublesome to be Tongue-tyed What not speake a word but onely with warrant from Scripture I cannot abide it what never helpe my selfe at a dead lift by telling a lie never right my selfe by a little revenge never comply nor sort with such and such old acquaintance because they drop out an Oath now and then before they are aware O I cannot abide it What thus precise I am not able to abide it No cannot cannot thy stubborne will stoope to a little difficulty get thee to Hell and see if thou canst abide that and there thanke thine owne will for thy perishing 3. Demonstration if thou beest slothfull then thou turnest thy very abilities into cannots not onely all difficulties but also thine abilities into cannots Like a drone that is lazy hee loses his abilities that hee hath By much slothfulnesse the building decayeth Alas I am very dead-hearted sayst thou nay but O man the time was when God quickned thee at a Sermon why didst thou let it decay the time was when thou wert a little well affected why didst thou let it decay time was when thou wert soberer and lesse given to wrath and passions and why didst thou let these good conditions decay the Lord gave thee them heretofore and thou hast played the sluggard with them and therefore now they are decayed Thy quickning is decayed thy sorrowes for sinne decayed thy meltings decayed through much slothfulnesse the building does decay Hee that is slothfull in his worke is brother to a great waster So thou art a brother to a great waster because thou art slothfull 4. Demonstration If thou beest slothfull then thou dost voluntarily nayle thy selfe unto cannots There is many a sinne that now thou art a slave to that thou mighst have troden under thy foot but now thou canst not thou mightest have gone further and further on in reformation if thou hadst held on when thou wert going like a Coach its easier to make it runne on when once its going then stir it when once it stands still and now thou canst not now thou art nayled to it like the doore to his hinges Now thou canst pray and pray and grow nere the better heare and read and neer the holier as the dore turneth upon its hinges so doth the slothfull man on his Bed The dore goes to and fro to it goes and fro it goes it goes may be all the yeere long and still it hangs just upon the same hinges and after seven yeares travell it hangs there where it did it s nayled to its hinges So t is with a sluggish heart hee goes to a Prayer and from a Prayer to a Sermon and from a Sermon to a good duty and from a good duty and still he hangs just on the same hinges He hath gotten no ground is just where hee was so thou art just at the same passe after a thousand prayers and a thousand Sermons and millions of good duties still thou hangest on thy
it is in thee for a rod puts in no new but onely lashes up that which lay there as the Twigges of the rod have no vertue in them to put learning into the Boy but its a signe it was in him Ah thou wretch thou thy blood lies on thine owne head why then dost thou not now put thy selfe forth Thou canst but Oh it killes thee to thinke now of taking paynes after such things It kills thee now to goe to thy beads and lie at weeping crosse and be so holy forsooth Oh it kills thee now to take paines here abouts like the sluggard the desire of the sluggard kills him for his hands refuse to labour Hee desires to have a crop but it kills him to go to the Plough hee desires to have his markets but it kills him to go thither So thou desirest to go to Heaven but it kills thee to take paines Mortification Selfe-Denyall Repentance Humiliation Examination of Conscience Reformation of life Oh these kill thee to thinke of them A signe much is in thee but it killes thee to put it forth Fifthly A signe it is in thee because thou canst do a hundred times more then when thou art pleased like a wilfull lazy servant you could do it better if you were pleased sayes his Master So as long as thou art pleased thou canst be more religious a signe it is in thee Rhehoboams his first yeares were religious Peter Martyr observes 〈◊〉 was well pleased that same while hee saw it was for the establishing of his kingdome And the Levits came to him from Jeroboam so long hee was pleased and then hee was religious but afterwards not and why not afterwards too It s a signe it was in him but he was not well pleased So Joash did right in the sight of the Lord all the dayes of Jehoiada Why then hee was well pleased with Religion for it helpt him to root out Athaliahs faction Jehoiada had beene the Saveiour of his life the helpe of him to the Kingdome the Lord protector of his Nonage the establisher of his Scepter All this while Religion did please him but afterwards he would not do right in the sight of the Lord Why because other things now pleased him better but its a signe it was in him They on the rock they could heare and professe as long as the Gospell did please them they heard it with joy that pleased them well Yee know joy is a very pleasing thing and then they could be forward to professe it A signe it was in them but in time of affliction and persecution nay now the Gospell did not please them and therefore they fall off So thou canst love a child of God as long as he pleaseth thee nay thou canst commend him for his holinesse O it s a credit to thee to be acquainted with such a one But when some thing does not please thee then thou canst hate him in thy heart all these are signes it is in thee but thou wilt not put it forth Sixthly a signe it is in thee because thou wilt shew it in Hell there Dives shall shew it was in him to have regarded a godly poore Lazarus to have respected the salvation of his five brethren there hee shall shew it was in him to feare Hell more then he did Then the wicked shall say What hath pride profited us And what have riches and meanes advantaged us Then they shall see it was in them not to count them for hypocrites and Fooles and mad-Men that were more religious then themselves Wee fooles counted their life madnesse and wee had them in derision and lo they are received amongst the Saints Wisd. 5.3 4 5. And therefore it is in thee why then wilt thou not put thy selfe forth I say this will strike you all dumbe before God at the last day why would you not put you selves forth And how do you stand lazing and idling out the dayes of your owne peace Yee cannot have any one excuse First Yee cannot say no body hired you Indeed the carefullest servant in the World must of necessity be idle when none will imploy him why stand you here idle all the day long No man hath hired us Lord Math. 20.6 marke they have an excuse that they were never hired into the Vineyard That was more necessary idlenesse but you have beene hired nay you were hired very earley in the morning and therefore why stand you here idle all the day long Secondly now thou art in Gods Vineyard thou canst not say I cannot professe I cannot profit by hearing nor profit by praying c. Thou canst not say so for why dost thou not labour in all labour there is profit Never did a man labour but some profit or other hee did get but thou wouldst not labour but thou stoodest lazing and idling Faine wouldst thou be saved faine escape Hell and damnation and oh that this were to labour for it Like the sluggad that desireth a harvest and yet is idle O utinam hoc esset laborare Hee lies loytering and playing and oh that this were to labour Oh that this were to plough and to sow If his Bed were the Plough and his Pillow the Teeme hee would then drive it well So dost thou utinam hoc esset resipiscere thou goest on minding the things of this life carking and caring c. Vtinam hoc esset resipiscere O that this were to repent and this were to go to Heaven thou art negligent of Prayer and Faith and holinesse Christ Jesus save mee Thus cryes the drunkard Christ save mee and thus the worldling Christ Jesus forgive mee Thus like a sluggard thou wishest O that this were believing and serving of God Like the sluggard I say O that this were to labour thou mighst profit if thou wouldst labour in all labour is profit but thou wilt not labour and therefore inexcusable O what a speechlesse creature shall thou be before God at the last day This is the second ground of the Doctrine The reason why a wicked man does not turne unto God is not because hee cannot but because hee will not I say the ground of it is this Every wicked man is slothfull and negligent Stirre up your selves yee whose heart the Lord hath awakened Though the wicked bee slothfull will yee be slothfull also O what infinite reason hath the Lord to correct us every one of us all How wofully slothfull are our hearts I cannot master my unruly heart sayes one and I cannot cast out this same hard hearted Devill Thus wee say like the Disciples of Christ wee could not cast him out O faithlesse Generation how long shall I bee with you sayes Christ Cannot cast him out Why hee could go out by Praying and Fasting So these same distempers of heart these frozen-hearted Devills would go out soone enough by Fasting and praying but Oh wee are so lazy thereat and so cold and so dead and so
that his Disciples murmured at it that pleading of a cannot was a murmuring So when thou grumblest on this manner I cannot walk thus I cannot believe thus c. this is to murmur against God nay this will bring thee to Apostacy at last if thou suffer thy heart to plead thus May be now thou art a forward professor yet beest thou never so forward and favourest any lust and I cannot give it over I cannot root it out c. I say this will breake thy neck at the last if thou dost not looke to it So it was with those forenamed Disciples they were very forward Professors for they were the Disciples of Christ sayes the Text yet those Disciples they went away back and walked no more with Christ vers. 66. their pleading of their cannots drove them to Apostacy they went away back So thou wilt goe away back and fall into Apostacy if thou suffer thy heart to stand pleading of cannots in this manner Fourthly this is the sawsiest excuse of all excuses many sinners excuse their own selves but there is more mannerlinesse in all their excuses I pray thee have mee excused sayes one I have bought five yoake of Oxen and I pray thee have mee excused sayes the other I have bought a purchase I pray thee have mee excused These though wretched excusers and turned out from all mercy yet they were somewhat more mannerly but I cannot come sayest thou I have married a Wife and J cannot come Luke 14.20 this is a most sawcy excuse thou tellest Christ in plaine termes I cannot come q.d. yee may even save your labour to invite for this is the short and long as we say I cannot come This I put in only by the by I shewed you some of the deceits of the heart in pleading these cannots First How it lies unto God Secondly how it dallies with God Thirdly how hereby it puts off the word And then I shewed you the strong reason we have to be humbled under these will-nots First because heere cheifly lies the pride of the heart not in mens Cannots but in their will-nots Jer. 13.17 Secondly here lies cheifly the hardning of the heart Ex. 9.34.35 Thirdly here lies cheifly the stubbornenesse of the heart Deut. 21.18 Fourthly here lies chiefly the greatest despising of the Commandements of God Levit 26.15 Fifthly now to go on here lies the reason why Divines say that the conversion of a sinner is a harder worke then the Creation of Heaven and Earth for thus they do reason When God created Heaven and Earth hee had nothing to resist him as hee had nothing to helpe him he made all of nothing so he had nothing to resist him There was but one difficulty in the creation of Heaven and Earth but in the conversion of a sinner there be two difficulties First here is the same difficulty that was in creation for God makes a Convert of nothing he had nothing to helpe him not one thought not one desire not one good inclination and therefore the Scripture calles it a new creation whosoever is in Christ is a new creature 2 Cor 5.17 that is is created anew And therefore there was nothing praeixistent no not one thought all the thoughts of men are onely evill and that continually So there is the same difficulty that was in the Creation of Heaven and Earth and then Secondly there is another difficulty more then there was in the Creation for as there was nothing praexistent to helpe so there was nothing to resist But here is something to resist the will it resisteth now the Cannot does not resist No the bestowing of the new powers is no more then another Creation But the changing of the will is more then another Creation for the will it resisteth yea and it sets all the soule a resisting Carnall reason resisteth carnall desires they resist all the soule it resisteth and the greatest resistance of all is the resistance of the will for the will is the utmost strength of the soule And therefore here lies the infinite difficulty of the conversion of a sinner namely in the turning of the will it requireth more power then was required to the creation of Heaven and Earth God puts himselfe forth more when hee converteth a sinner then when hee created a World and therefore the Scripture calles the day of conversion of mens wills the day of his power Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power Psal. 110 3. In the day of thy power marke it s called a day of Gods power when hee converteth a people to be willing Why because the will did resist him nay God had his owne selfe to resist him anger steps in his way to resist him Convert him not Lord his wilfulnesse hath anger'd thee Justice stept in to resist him save him not Lord his sinnes have dishonoured thee Nay he had his mercy to resist him mercy steps in Lord hee hath abused mee save him not Indeed had a sinner yeilded as soone as hee sinned mercy would not resist him but mercy had bee dealing with him and hee abused all mercy And therefore hee had mercy to resist nay and wisdome one would thinke to resist too what a wilfull foole pitty him not Lord There is no reason hee should be pitied if hee will perish let him perish I say in the conversion of a sinner as there was nothing to assist him so there was all to resist The will does resist him nay God had himselfe as I may so speake to resist him yea and mercy to resist him it was not so in the Creation of Heaven and Earth The creature had never provoked God not to create it but the sinner hath provoked God never to convert him so that now God must have power over himselfe if hee meane to convert him Oh then what infinite reason hast thou to be humbled thou resistest God as Stephen told the Jewes you have alwayes resisted the Holy Ghost Acts 7.51 so thou hast resisted Gods spirit yea thy will does resist him and that is the strongest thing to resist in the World His word comes to convert thee and thou dost resist his motions his mercies his corrections his ordinances and all holy meanes to convert thee thou dost resist them nay his spirit contendeth within thee and thou dâ—st resist him I gave you five things to consider what it is to sticke at your wil nots I beseech you consider yet further First If you will not Gods Ministers have discharged their duties and have left your blood on your owne heads they can goe no further if you will not the Groome can but carry the Steed unto watering as we say if he will not drinke he cannot helpe it so they can't helpe it your blood lies upon your owne heads they have discharged their duties When Abrahams servant objected and how if the woman will not Abraham he answers if the woman will not be willing then thou shalt be cleare