saving worke thereof Therefore plow up all by sound saving sorrow labour to have thy heart burthened for sin and estranged from it and this is good husbandry indeed the want of this was the wound of the thorny ground as you may see in the parable those hearers had much of the world in them much ease and profit and pleasure and these choaked the word and made it utterly unfruitful and so they never received comfort nor mercy afterwards This is that which the Prophet David saith A contrite and an humble heart O God thou wilt not despise If you would have your hearts such as God may â—ake delight in and accept you must have them broken and contrite David saith The Lords voice breaketh the Cedars of Libanus So the voice of the Lord like lightning must thunder into the corrupt heart of sinfull creatures A contrite heart is that which is powdered all to dust as the Prophet saith Thou bringest us to dust and then thou sayest returne againe yee sonnes of men So the heart must be broken all in pieces to pouder and the union of sinne must be broken and it must be content to be weaned from all sinne as you may make any thing of the hardest flint that is broken all to dust So it is with the heart that is thus fitted and fashioned If there be any corruption that the heart lingers after it will hinder the worke of preparation If a man cut off all from a branch save one sliver that will make it grow still that it cannot be ingrafted into another stocke So though a mans corrupt heart depart from many sinnes scandalous abominations yet if he keepe the love of any one sinne it will be his destruction as many a man after horror of heart hath had a love after some base lust or other and is held by it so fast that he can never be ingrafted into the Lord Jesus This one lust may breake his necke and send him downe to hell So then if the soule onely can be fitted for Christ by â—ound sorrow then this must needs pierce the heart before Christ can come there but the heart cannot be fitted for Christ without this and therefore of necessity the heart must be truly wounded with sorrow for sinne The last reason is this because by this meanes the heart comes to set a high price upon Christ and grace either the grace of God offered in the gospell or that good way which God hath commanded us to walke in If the heart finde the greatest evill to be in horror and vexation then ease and quietnesse from these will be the greatest good but now the soule seeth grace to be truly precious because it seeth sinne to be truly vile and this is the end why the Lord makes the soule see the vilenesse of sinne that the heart may be brought to see the excellency in Christ and prize him above all Now there are two questions to be answered First whether this sound sorrow be a work of saving grace and such a worke as cannot be in a reprobate Secondly whether God doth worke this in all men that are truly converted and brought home to Christ and whether he workes this in all alike or no. For the first whether is this a worke of saving grace yea or no and such as cannot be in a reprobate for answer to this First I will shew the order that this worke hath to the other workes Secondly I will shew the difference of this from sanctifying sorrow and yet it comes to be sanctifying sorrow For the order first the heart in this worke is not yet conceived to be in Christ but only to be fitted and prepared for Christ. If you stoppe here in your consideration and despute not of any worke to come it is only in the way to be ingrafted into Christ but so that undoubtedly that soule which hath this worke upon it shall have faith powred into it for this is the meaning of that place The Lord Iesus came to socke and sâ—ve that which was lost Now to be lost is not because a man is sinfull and miserable in himselfe but he is lost that seeth the evill of sinne and the punishment that comes therby comes to be lost in his owne apprehension in râ—gard of his owne estate and he that is thus lost shall be sure to have Christ and salvation by him It was the end why Christ came and therefore it shall be fulfilled But he that is truly sensible of his sinne and the vilenes of it and abhors himself for it he is truely lost he is not yet settled on Christ for then he were safe enough but he is truly sensible of his lost estate and therefore shall have faith and Christ though yet he partake not of them yet he shall be everlastingly saved and redeemed by Iesus Christ. Quest. And therefore this is an idle question what if a man die in this worke of preparation before he come to have faith I say it is an idle question because it is impossible that he which is thus prepared for Christ and grace but he shall have them before he die As the Prophet saith Behold I will send my messenger before me to prepare my wayes When the heart is fitted and prepared the Lord Christ comes immediatly into it The teÌ„ple is the soule the way is the preparation for Christ so as the soule is yet to be conceived as in the way of preparation for Christ not to have any formall worke of grace whereby he is able to do anything for himselfe The next thing is the difference of the sound saving sorrow from sanctifying sorrow and you must know there is a double sorrow First there is a sorrow in preparation Secondly there is a sorrow in sanctification The sorrow of the soule in this preparative worke of it is thus to be conceived when the word of God leaves an impression upon the heart of a man so that the heart of it selfe is as it were a patient and onely beares the blow of the Spirit the Spirit of the Lord and the over-powring force of the same forceth the soule to beare the word and hence come all those phrases of Scripture as wounded pierced pricked and the like only in the passive voice Because the soule is a patient and the Lord by the almighty hand of his Spirit breakes in upon the soule so that this sorrow in preparation is rather a sorrow wrought upon me then any worke comming from any spirituall ability in my selfe This is sorrow in preparation when I am a patient and wherein I receive the worke of the Spirit and am forced and framed by the spirit to doe that which I doe in this kinde But then Secondly there is a sorrow in sanctification and that is thus that sorrow that doth flow from a spirituall principle of Grace from that power which the
his sinnes on the teaster of his bed this is thy covetousnesse and thy pride and for these thou shalt be plagued Looke upon these sinnes they are thine owne thou hast deserved punishments to be inflicted upon thee for them thus we see the grouÌ„ds how meditation must be raised We see how we may bring meditation home to the heart we see how also we may get the life power of meditation I thought to have propounded an example that you may see the practice of the truth delivered as imagine it were the sinne of the opposing of the word I would breake my soule withall first by meditation cast the compasse of this sin looke into the word see whatsoever the word hath revealed of this sinne The text saith by this meanes the anger of the Lord is marvelously provoked in so much that he will laugh at the destruction of such Nay by this meanes Christ himselfe is despised nay our condemnation is hereby sealed irrecoverably 2. Chron. 36.16 the text saith They despised Gods word till the wrath of the Lord arose and there was no remedy Nay hereby we aggravate our condeÌ„nation For Christ saith Mat. 11.22 Woe be to thee Bethsayda Woe be to thee Chorazin for if the mightie workes which have beene done in thee had beene done in Tyre and Sidon they would have repented in dust and ashes But it shall be easier for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgement then for thee Nay the Author to the Hebrewes saith 2.3 How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation The case of such a man is desperate how shall we escape Thus you see the reach how farre this sinne goeth gather up all then and tell your hearts of this when they rebell and oppose the word of God How dare I doe this what provoke God so farre as to laugh at my destruction what despise Christ and his Spirit nay make my case irrecoverable and aggravate to my condemnation but if the heart will not stoope under this then call for conscience conscience to your charge and then conscience comes and chargeth the soule on paine of everlasting condemnation to heare and to be humbled And if this will not doe intreat the Lord to take the rod into his owne hand and bring these truths home unto the soule that it may never be quieted till it be humbled this is the course I would have you take to bring the truth home to your soules When the minister hath done his sermon then your worke beginnes you must heare all the weeke long he that never meditates of his sinnes is never like to be broken hearted for his sinnes take notice of this The text saith of these converts They were pricked in their hearts This clause of the verse discovers unto us that which brings in this shiverednesse and contrition of spirit which the Lord cals for at the hands of his servants Now give me leave to make way for my selfe by opening of the words that having taken away all the vaile from them you may more clearely see the truth delivered First let me shew you what this piercing or pricking of the heart is Secondly what is meant by heart You must know that sound sorrow or sorrow soundly set on is here meant by pricking and this word pricking resembles sorrow in three degrees For the word in the originall imports not only a bare pricking but a searching quite through and we have no word in our English tongue to answere the same word but onely a shiverednesse of soule all to pieces I say there are three things wherein pricking resembles sorrow First the body cannot be pricked but there must be some paine some griefe some trouble wrought by it and accompanying of it Secondly it is the separation of one part from another as the naturall Philosophers couceive and as the Physitian gives us to understand it is the sundering of two parts Thirdly the parts being thus pricked there is the letting of it out and if any blood or water be in that part thus pricked so answerably in this sound sorrow in heart there are three things I meane in that sorrow which is set home by the Almighty First there is a great griefe and vexation of soule Secondly by reason of the burthen that lieth upon the heart that cursed knot and union and combination betweene sinne and the soule comes in some measure to be severed and parted the soule being thus grieved with the sinne is content to be severed from it this is the thing we aime at Thirdly this knot of corruption being loosened and this closure being broken and the souldring betweene sinne and the soule being removed there is now a passage for the letting out of all these corruptions that the heart may be taken from under the power of sinne and be subject to the power and guidance of God This is the true nature of sorrow And by the way consider this unlesse the Lord should thus wound and vexe the soule the heart that prizeth corruption as a God as every naturall man doth would never be severed from it did the soule see onely the delight in sinne it would never part from it and therefore God is forced to make us feele this that we may be severed from our sinnes and be subject to him in all obedience Secondly what is meant by heart not to tyre you with any matter of signification this word implieth two things specially which concerns our purpose both may be implied and intended but the first is mainely implied and intented it is not the naturall part of a man which is in the middest of the body that is a fleshly heart but it is the will it selfe and that abilitie of â—oule whereby the heart saith I will have this and I will not have that As the understanding is setled in the head and keepes his sentinell there so the will is seated in the heart when it comes to taking or refusing this is the office of the will and â—t discovers his act there As our Saviour saith Where your treasure is there will your hearts be also And as the Apostle saith a man confesseth with his mouth and beleeveth with his heart So then they were not onely pricked as with a pinne but this sorrow seiseth upon the soule and pierceth unto the very will it was not outward overly sorrow but that which went to the very root and entred into the very heart From these words thus opened the Doctrine I might have handled from this point is that sins unpardoned are of a piercing nature they were not onely pricked because they heard the words but their sins peirced them but I will not meddle with this point though otherwise is were very usefull The use is this might take off the Imagination of those that thinke there 〈◊〉 no delight but in sinfull courses they are much deceived There is no gall but in sinne and there is no sorrow but from sinne
of sin as it is sinne he cannot lay aside his sorrow so long as sin prevailes and gets head against him and dogges him up and downe nothing will content him but the removall of his sinne That soule which was cured by any other meane save onely by Christ was never truly wounded for sinne If ease cures him then horrour was his vexation If honour cure him then shame was his burthen If riches cure him theÌ„ poverty did most of all pinch him but if the soule were truly wounded for sin then nothing can cure him but a Saviour to pardon him and grace to purge him for what is that to the soule to have ease and liberty nay to be in heaven if he have a naughty rebellious heart nay if it were possible for him to be in heaven with his sinfull heart it would tyre him and burthen him there Therefore those soules that are cured by any thing saving by Christ those soules were never truly wounded for sinne as sinne It may be horror and vexation lay heavy upon theÌ„ but it was not the stroke of sinne that did trouble them Then gather up all he that which out of the vilenesse which he seeth in sinne is content to take shame to himselfe and will not meddle with his sinne neither carelesly nor willingly and is not cured by any thing saving by Christ this man behaveth himselfe truly in the first place Thus much of the tryall Secondly againe the soule is restlesse in importuning the Lord for mercy and will not be quieted till it get some evidence of Gods favour the soule will take on nay it will not be contented unles it can finde some glimps of acceptance through the goodnesse of God in Christ. This is plaine if a man be burthened with a weight or some heavy load that is laid upon him if that he be fallen under his burthen he lyeth there like to die and if there be none neere to succour him all his care is to cry out for helpe and though he seeth no man yet he cryeth out O help help for the Lords sake Saul was without sight three daies and no doubt he prayed to God all that while as if he had resolved to give him no rest till he had found mercy this is the nature of true sorrow it ever drives a man to God whereas reprobate sorrow drives a man from God Nay it may be though the heart thinkes it shall never finde mercy yet the Lord carryeth on the soule in an earnest desire and using the meanes and wil not off from God and from his word and sacraments and ordinances Nay though he sometime concludes that he shall never get mercy nor get power against his corruptions and then one saith You had best leave off all Nay saith the soule I cannot be worse then I am if I goe to hell I will goe this way There is a kinde of sorrow in the heart which is heavenly and godly but reprobate sorrow even drives a man from God and maks him say if I am damned I am damned if I be a reprobate I am so O â—hou wretch is this all If a poore creature that is pressed under his burthen cryeth for helpe when almost nature strength doth faile he crieth still for helpe and that is all he can say and so he dyes and this is the last word that he speaks with a soft still voice O help help So it is with the soule of a poore languishing sinner when the heart is burthened with the vilenesse of the nature of sinne and the separation from God by the same he doth not now cry ease and liberty and riches Lord No he cries mercy mercy Lord on this vile heart of mine and give me power against these mighty lusts after many means using when he is going the way of all flesh his last word is mercy Me thinkes I see this poore soule slyding away and saying how many sinnes have I committed Oh mercy mercy Christ. And this is the last word he speaketh and so he dies and no question but mercy shall be given him It is not a Lord have mercy upon me and God forgive me will serve the turne No it is otherwise if ever God set home this worke he will make you restlesse in seeking mercy and nothing shall content you but mercy to pardon your sinnes and grace to subdue them and the soule thinkes if mercy would but shine upon him and if his sinnes were taken away that they might never hinder him in a ChristiaÌ„ course he were a happy man this is the frame of the soule that is truely weary of sinne When the young man came to Christ and played fayre and a farre off and said he could do any thing Well said Christ if thou canst doe any thing then goe and sell all that thou hast and give it to the poore but he went away sorrowfull from Christ saith the text he did not come to Christ sorrowful but weÌ„t away sorrowfull from Christ whereas if he had beene burthened with sinne as sinne he would have come to Christ sorrowfull and say Now I see Lord the world is a heavy burtheÌ„ O Lord help me against it give me mercy to pardon me and grace to remove it But our Sauiour heard no more of the young man and as it is in the text this pricking of heart made the Jewes come to Peter sayingâ— Men and brethren What shall wee doe They did not as a great many say now a dayes if the minister were far enough off from me and I from him I were happy I cannot be quiet for him these are reprobate speeches but the sinner that is truly humbled and burthened with sinne as sinne he comes home and is resolved to wait for mercy till the Lord sheweth mercy to him Carnall sorrow sent Iudas and Achitophel to the gallowes but godly sorrow ever drives a man to God When Ionah was in the Whales belly he said Lord though I cannot come to thy temple I will looke towards it so a sorrowfull soule that is truly burthened with sinne will say though I cannot come to heaven yet I will looke up to heaven and though I never finde mercy yet for mercy will I wait thy mercy onely Lord shall content me The next thing is this we thinke of all things our sinne most pleasant and nothing so grievous as Gods commandements and therefore will these sinnes wherein we have taken so much content will these so wound the soule why should sinne so wound and pierce the soule The reasons are these three The first is this the soule must be pierced with sinne because it is the greatest evill of the soule and therefore if the heart doe but truly apprehend it it cannot but it must be most of all burthened with it If a man beare two weights on his backe that is most grievous which is most heavy if he feele the burthen as the nature of it requires it will most
well pleased that any minister should meet with the base haunts of his heart and if the word hit wound that master-sinne of his hee is marvelous content therewith hee cares not from whom the help comes The sharpest and keenest reproofes that will shake his very heart and draw blood out of sinne and the most powerfull deliverer of Gods word that divides betweene the marrow and the bones hee likes best Nay though the great Cannons roare and Gods ordinances worke mightily upon his heart so that his corruptions may bee killed and subdued hee blesseth the Lord and saith Blessed be the Lord I have had a good day of it the Lord layed battery against this wretched heart of mine I blesse God for these reproofes and judgements threatned my heart is in some measure broken under them I hope my corruptions have gotten their deaths wound this day Thirdly as hee desires to see sinne killed in himselfe so hee is not able to see sinne in others but so farre as God hath put authority and opportunity into his hands he pursues it with deadly indignation As a man that hates a murderer hee will not onely keepe him from his owne house but hee pursues him even to the place of Justice So the Soule that truly hates sinne will not onely keepe sinne from his owne heart but hee will plucke it from the hearts of others so farre as possibly he may When Haman had a spleene against Mordecai hee was not onely desirous to kill him but hee would kill all the nation of the Iewes this was hatred indeed so it is with a broken heart If a broken hearted father have had a proud heart and hath beene wearyed with it hee labours to kill all the brood of those cursed distempers in his children Lastly hee labours to crosse and undermine all those occasions and meanes that have given any succour to his corruptions of heart the soule hath such a secret grudge against the thriving of sinne that it lothes all occasions that may maintaine his sinne as the drunkard and adulterer hate the place where they went in to commit sinne As in warre haply they cannot take the enemy but they will drive him out of the Country and burne downe all his Forts and fill up all his Trenches that hee may finde no provision so the heart that truly hates sinne and hath beene truly broken for it will hate all occasions and whatsoever may be any meanes to strengthen it Even all these proud and whorish lockes and these Spanish cuts all these wanton and garish attires and light behaviours which were nothing else but the Tent wherein his vaine filthy light heart hath lodged Thus it was with Mary Magdalen the reason why it is so is this because the heart that hath beene broken for sinne and burdened with the evill of it hath now found by wofull experience that sinne is the greatest evill of all others and therefore for the preservation of it selfe it will hate that sinne which separates betweene God and the Soule and with which the safety of the soule cannot stand Every thing in reason desires the safety and preservation of it selfe the soule knowes sinne to be the greatest enemy and therefore it is most invenomed with violence against sinne and â—aith Whence come all these miseries and what is the mint out of which all these plagues and Judgements come Is it not my sinne It is not povertie it is not sicknesse nor disgrace that pincheth mee but my sinne first caused all these It is the poyson of sinne in povertie and the poyson of sinne in shame and the wrath of God in all these by reason of my sinne These evills were not evill to mee but that my sinnes make them so Had I a heart to feare GOD and to love him and depend upon him in poverty God would inrich mee and in shame hee would honour mee and in misery hee would comfort mee It is not povertie nor shame that doth hurt mee but sinne lyes and venomes my soule And therefore the soule now cryes Men and Brethren What shall I doe to bee freed from these corruptions Great are the evills that I have found and marvellous are the plagues that I have felt by reason of my sinnes but farre worse will that portion bee that I shall have in hell in endlesse torments hereafter this will bee the perfection of all misery let it bee any thing rather then this it is better here now to be plagued then everlastingly damned The first Use is a ground of admirable comfort and strong consolation to all such as have found this dislike and hatred of sinne hee may be sure his heart hath beene broken for sinne and so consequently hee shall certainly have Christ and grace I doubt not but every soule is perswaded of this and saith Indeed if I could finde my soule greeving within me for my rebellions and sinnes then I did not doubt it but how shall I know whether my soule hath beene ever as yet truely wounded for sinne as sinne Answ. I answer if thou hast this hatred and thy heart is carried against thy sinnes with an utter indignation against them then certainely thy soule hath been truly broken indeed sometimes a man doth hate his sinnes more then ever he hath been burthened with them but thus it is commonly if thy hatred be good thy sorrow hath been sincere for how can thy heart goe against sinne except thou have found some evill in it and how canst thou be an enemy to corruption except thy heart hath beene wounded with it therefore let me advise all those that desire to have an evideÌ„ce of the worke of grace in their soules to goe in secret and examine their hearts whether they can make hue and cry after their corruptions can you be content that all your sinfull distempers even those that would affect you most should be made knowne either in publique by the ministry of the word or in private by some faithfull Christian and can you be content that he should come home to your hearts and dragge out your corruptions before the world then you have beene wounded for sinne and are enemies against it as David saith Trie me O Lord and examine me and prove my heart and my reines and see if there be any wickednesse in me He deales like a good subject that lockes all the doores and bids the officers search if there be any traitor in his house if any one hide the traitor he is a traitor himselfe in so doing so David as it were sets open the doore of his heart and saith Good Lord if there any wickednesse in me yet not discovered Lord let that word that Spirit and that messenger of thine finde it out reprove me convince me Lord and discover my hypocrisie and pride of heart This is an honest heart certainly Secondly when thou hast found out thy sinne by the help of the minister then
79.26.187 83.2.18 103.3.6 119.36.13 59.83 Pro. 8.19.24 Esay 5.19.49 7.18.5 17.11.29 Ier. 4.3.162 15.42 8.6.12 31.29.12 Lam. 3.19.82 20. ib. Eze. 16.16.223 30.31.244 Ezek. 36.31.11 Dan. 12.4.83 Hos. 2.2.65 15.211 3.3.175 Zac. 11.10.13 Mal. 3.45.22 Mat. 7. last 62 12 37◠43 21.45.66 27.4.240 46.57 Luke 3.11.64 12. ib. 19.10.58 23.40.222 29.42.36 Ioh. 6.44.171 Acts 3.17.38 Acts 4.22.69 5.3.235 16.30.180 Ro. 7.7.38 8.15.138 2. Co. 3.2.62 Eph. 3.19.215 20. ib. 1. Th 5.8.213 2. Ti. 1.17.138 3.14.84 4.1.72 Tit. 1.13.72 Heb. 6.19.212 2. Pet. 2.8.82 Re. 22.17.173 CHristian Reader thou hast here some sermons brought to light which by reason of the Authors absence are presented to thy view both with some lesser escapes and in more homely termes then his judicious eye would have suffered The principall faults I have here corrected those which are smaller may in the reading be easily discerned Page 30. for many read may p. 51. f. the r. they p. 63. f. sorces forces p. 78. f. carelesse carelessenesse p. 89 f. slave salve and line 32. insert is p. 94. ◠cup. p. 98. f. wherfore whereof p. 173. f. brad bad p. 142. and so in other places for happily perhaps p. 149. f. it him p. 67. f. fece fence p. 275. f. pulked plucked p. 56. blot out not p. 119. blot out this and that p. 143. blot otu the. p. 149. blot out and so forth p. 153. blot out for it is so in the second place p. 155. blot out which p. 160. blot out how I dispute p. 141. blot out in the second place p. 112. l. 11. blot out those evils and. THE SOVLES PREPARATION FOR CHRIST ACTS 2.37 Now when they heard this they were pricked in their hearts and said to Peter and the other Apostles Men and brethren what shall wee doe to bee saved IN this great worke of preparation for Christ Observe two things First the dispensation of the worke of Grace on Gods part he pulls a sinner from sinne to himselfe Secondly the frame and temper of spirit that God workes in the hearts of those that he doth draw and that makes its selfe knowne in two particulars partly in Contrition partly in humiliation For our better proceeding in the prosecution of these two maine points I shall handle them severally and at large And first we will sift out what this Contrition and humiliation is that we may not deceive our selves and thinke we have them when it is nothing so This Contrition as I conceive is nothing else but namely when a sinner by the sight of sinne and vilenesse of it and the punishment due to the same is made sensible of sinne and is made to hate it and hath his heart separated from the same and the sight of sin makes it selfe knowne in three particulars First when the soule is sensible of sinne Secondly when it hath a hearty and sound sorrow for the same and an earnest detestation of it Thirdly when he hath his heart separated from his corruptions All these are not wrought so much by any power that is in us as by the Almighty power of God working in us for the sinner would not see his sin but the Lord forceth him as the holy Prophet saith Thou holdest my eyes waking I am so troubled that I cannot speake the Lord holds sinne to a carnall sinfull wretch so that his sinne walkes and sleepeth and goeth with him nay the soule of a poore sinner would beat backe the blow and would not have the word to touch him he labours to shift off the arrowes of the Almighty which the Lord shooteth into the soule but the Lord will not suffer him so to doe Thy arrowes sticke fast in me and thy hand presseth me sore Psalm 38.2 As if the Prophet had said I would faine have beate backe thine arrowes but they sticke fast in me and I would have shaken off the burden that lay upon me but thine hand presseth me sore so then at last when the sinner sees hee cannot shake off the arrowes then he is content to bee separate from his corruptions This is in generall in the text wherin you shall plainly see these three particulars fully expressed First the sight of sinne by the hearing of Peters words and it was not by the bare hearing of his words onely but when Peter came somewhat roundly home to them and said This is Christ Iesus whom ye have crucified then followes the former worke namely the acknowledgement of their sinnes and the first cause that made them see their sinne was a particular application of their sinnes hee came punctually and particularly to them and said you are they that have crucified the Lord Christ this touched them and made them see their sinnes Secondly the daily and serious meditation and apprehension of their sinnes and of those truths which were delivered in the word hearing that is daily pondering and considering of the evills that were committed by them and shewed to them Thirdly they were pricked they did not pricke themselves but the Lord followed that truth that was delivered and by his Almighty hand did make that word prosperous to their soules and though they would not pierce themselves yet the Lord pierced them The second part of it is in these words They were pricked in their hearts not in their hands or eyes but in their hearts The third part is the separation from sin in these words Men and brethren what shall we doe Whatsoever you would have us to doe we will doe it and whatsoever sinne is forbidden wee are content to be rid of it nay nothing was too hard or too much for them Give mee leave to take a doctrine by the way from the words they when they heard this who were these they see this in the 36. verse them that had crucified the Lord of life What will some say is it possible that ever they should be so pierced frō their sinnes it was said of Iudas that betrayed Christ it had been good for that man that he had not beene borne What shall we thinke of those that murther Christ. If Iudas was damned for betraying of Christ then much more they for killing of him Is it possible the Lord should doe good unto them yes even they came to be pricked in their hearts From these words this doctrine ariseth It is possible for the most stubborne sinners upon earth to get a broken heart They that stoned the Prophets and killed them that were sent unto them and sleighted all the meanes of grace they that refused Christ and would not heare him they are now brought upon their knees and are resolved now if any course might bee taken to get Christ and mercy Titus 12.13 one of their owne Prophets said the Cretians are alwayes lyers evill beasts and slow bellies a man would thinke it a vaine thing to medle with them they are such desperate wretches but the text saith Reprove them sharply that they may be sound in the faith so
that a Cretian which is a filthy beast by a sound reproose may come to bee a glorious Saint and whereas the Jewes had loaden the Lord with their sinnes therefore it was just with God to ease himselfe of his burden and so send them and their sinnes downe to hell together Thus a man would think but the Lord did not so as we may see in Esay I am he that blotteth out all thy transgressions for my owne name sake I will remember your sinnes no more and as the Apostle saith the Gentiles were full of all unrighteousnesse worse then they almost could be for all kind of degrees of sinne and yet many of them became full of all holinesse Such were some of you saith the Apostle and in another place we may see that a Scarlet sinner may become a Saint in nature we know this scarlet is such a deepe die that all the art under heaven cannot alter it Yet the Lord can make of a Scarlet sinner a milke white Saint I doe not say it will ever be and it doth alwaies come to passe but it is possible The reason is taken from the Lords Almighty goodnesse and power the Lord is able to supply all wants and amend that which is amisse nay he is able to do more then that thou standest in need of When the Lord made heaven earth he did not spend all his strength that he was able â—o help no more No no he is All-sufficient still he is not onely able to continue that good which the creature hath but to make a glorious supply of whatsoever is wanting as David saith He pardoneth all thy iniquities and forgiveth all thy sinnes not some but all otherwise he were not All-sufficient unlesse he had a salve for every sore and a medicine for every malady if our sinnes were more then God could pardon or if our weakenesses were more able to ouerthrow us then his strength to uphold us he were not All-sufficient Indeed there are some things which the scripture saith God cannot doe but it is not because of the want of power in God but because there is a weakenesse in the creature As God cannot deny himselfe but the more and greater our sinnes and wickednesse are the more will the strength and glory of his power appeare in pardoning of them and where sinne abounds there grace abounds much more in the pardoning of the same Christ is All-sufficient in power to procure mercy for all thy sinnes and the Spirit is all-sufficiently able to apply the satisfaction of Christ to thy soule and therefore be thy condition never so fearefull the sinne against the holy Ghost onely excepted there is power and mercy in the Lord to pardon thee and it is possible for thee to finde mercy The first use is for reproofe and it checks the desperate discouragement that harbours in the hearts of many poore sinners that if they finde no power in theÌ„selves no succour in the meanes they doe question in this case and presently conclude an impossibilitie to receive mercy and they thinke there is no hope of pardon as heretofore they have had no care in sinning because they cannot see how it may be they suppose it cannot be This bringeth a great indignity to the Lord Jesus Christ and a great discouragement to themselves why the Lord hath hardnesse and difficulties at command When the seige about Jerusalem was marvellous sore and every man did despaire of any comfort or succour the Prophet said before to morrow this time shall a measure of fine flower be sould for a shekle and then a Lord on whose hand the King leaned said If the Lord should make windowes in heaven how can this thing be and the Prophet said unto him thou shalt see it but not eat of it so it is with many that begge often and the Lord answereth not so that the soule is marvellously starved and the flood of iniquitie comes in amaine upon the soule and all his sinnes come to his view and the heart beginnes to reason in this manner If the depths of Gods mercies should be opened can all these sins be pardoned and can this damned soule of mine be saved Surely this cannot be It is just with God wee should seeke mercy given to others as bad as wee and yet wee not taste of it because wee distrust the Lord. Cains sin was so much the greater because hee said it could not be forgiven so it is a horrible sinne to say the Lord is not so mercifull as the Devill is malitious and that the world and a sinfull heart 〈…〉 able to damne me then God is to save me if 〈…〉 so God were no God and Christ no 〈…〉 and the Spirit no comforter this is a 〈…〉 sin our selves and the devill above God the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh therefore check all those discouragements of soule which too much prevaile with us Secondly it is a ground of great incouragement to provoke the hearts of all wicked men under heaven to looke out of that condition wherin they are for some mercy because the most wicked of the world may be wrought upon and the most prophane heart may be pierced Who therefore would not have his heart quickned up to seeke out for recovery from that estate wherein he is All you poore creatures if there be any here present as I doubt not but there are Oh you poore and ungodly sinfull creatures my soule pitties you you that have had your hands imbrewed in the blood of Christ and whose sinnes are written with a pen of Iron and are seene in every corner of the street you that are thus in the gall of bitternesse and yet in the kingdome of darkenesse though your case for the present be very desperate yet here is a little twigge in the middest of the maine sea whereupon you may lay hold And this may make you looke up the Lord may shew mercy unto you as proud as stubborne and rebellious as you have had mercy If you have the hearts of men looke for mercy though your estate be fearefull for the present yet it may be good God hath not set the scale of condemnation upon your sinnes he hath not yet sent you to hell Consider this whatsoever thou art thou yet livest upon the earth and enjoyest the meanes and it is possible yet to have all thy sinnes pardoned oh lay about thee goe home say Good Lord were they pierced in their hearts that pierced the Lord Iesus and were their soules wounded In conclusion then why may not my prophane sinfull heart be humbled and pierced It may be so if the Lord say Amen it will be thus that disease is not past remedy that hath beene cured in others therefore let this stay thy heart as bad as thou have been humbled and brought home and therefore why not thou But the soule will say Can all these abominations be removed and is it possible
profest opposing of God himselfe a sinfull creature joynes side with the devill and the world and comes in battaile array against the Lord and flies in the face of the God of hosts they are called haters of God Psam 83. That is when they see grace in another man in such a man and in such a woman and hate them for it little doe they thinke that they hate the God of heaven and his holy nature and if it were possible they would have no God in heaven to take notice of their sins call theÌ„ to account for them as the wise man Gamaliel said to the Pharesies and elders refraine your selves from these men and let them alone for if this Counsell or worke be of men it will come to nothing but if it be of God you cannot destroy it lest you be found fighters against God you make nothing of opposing the Gospell and preaching thereof I tell you that there is never a creature that lives in any such sinfull course but he is a fighter against God and he resists the Lord as really as one man doth another And as Stephen saith You stifnecked and uncircumcised in heart you have resisted against the holy Ghost You must not thinke that you resist men onely no poore creatures you resist the Spirit and so aime at the Almighty in opposing of the meanes of grace What a fearefull condition is this I pray you in cold blood consider this and say thus Good Lord What a sinfull wretch am I that a poore damned wretch of the earth should stand in defiaÌ„ce against the God of hosts and that I should submit my selfe to the devill and oppose the Lord of hostes And as you resist the Lord so you doe also passe the sentence of condemnation upon your selves and seale up that doome which one day shall be executed upon the wicked in hell at that great day of accompt that looke what God shall do theÌ„ the same thou dost now by sinning this is the doome or as I may say the necke verse of the wicked and the last blow as now thou doest depart from God by sinning so then thou shalt depart froÌ„ God for ever A wicked man forsakes God and pluckes his heart from under the wisdom of God that should inform him in the way of life and the soule saith God shall not blesse me God shall not be God unto me but I will live as I list and I will run down post hast to hell and when our hearts beginne to rise against God and his ordinances and your soules beginne to goe against the Lord I tell you what I would thinke with my selfe suppose I heard the voice of the Archangell crying Arise yee dead and come to Iudgement and the last trumpet sounding and the Lord Jesus comming in the heavens with his glorious Angells and did see the Goats standing â—â— the left hand and the Saints on the right hand and with that I did heare the terrible sound Depart ye cursed would you be content to heare that sentence passe against your soules Oh what lamentation and woe your poore soules would make in those dayes and therefore consider it well and say that I doe that in sinning which the Lord will doe in the day of Judgement shall I depart from the Lord and withdraw my selfe from mercy and say Christ shall not rule over me and save me shall I doe that against my selfe which the Lord shall doe in that day God forbid There are two things hardly knowne what God is and what our sinnes are or else we hardly apply the knowledge of them to our selves Objects But some will object and say if sinne be so vile in it selfe then why doe not men see it Answ. To this I answer the reason why men see not their sinnes though it be so vile it is mainely upon these two grounds First because we judge not of sinne according to the word and verdict of it but either in regard of the profit that is therein or the pleasure that we expect there from The Usurer lookes on his profit that comes by sinne and the adulterer his pleasure and Iudas saw the money but he did not see the malice of his owne heart nor the want of love to his Master and this made him take up that course which he did but when he threw away his thirtie pence the Lord made him see the vilenesse of his sinne it came cleerly to his sight and therefore he cryed out I have sinned in betraying innocent blood As bribes blind the eyes of the wise and pervert judgment so sin bribes the eyes of the soule and therefore the Tradseman seeth much profit come by cozening false measures and so gives way to himselfe therein but he sees not the sin so the oppressor seeth the morgages pawnes that come in but he cannot see his sin till he be laid on his death bed and then the Lord sheweth him all the wrong that he hath done Secondly another reason why we see not the vilenesse of sinne is because we judge the nature of sinne according to Gods patience towards us as thus a man commits a sin is not plagued for it and therefore he thinkes God will not execute judgements upon him at all all things continue a like saith the wicked man as if he had said you talke of the wrath of God that shall be revealed froÌ„ heaven against all ungodlines where is the promise of his comming doe you not see that such a man is an oppressor a prophane persoÌ„ yet growes rich and thrives in the world and because God spares a wicked man still for the present therefore he thinkes all are but words he shall be free from the punishment to come as the Prophet saith in the name of the Lord These things hast thou done and I kept silence when thou wast upon thy Ale-bench and there thou didst speake against holinesse and purity and because I did beare yet and say nothing therfore thou speakest wickedly that I was even such a one as thy selfe The wicked man takes Gods patience to be a kinde of allowance to him in his sinne as the wise man saith because sentence against an evill worke is not speedily executed therefore the hearts of the sonnes of men are wholy set in them to doe mischiefe as the Prophet saith they call the proud happy ye that worke wickednesse are set to doe evill they that tempt God are delivered As who should say you say that the wrath of God is incensed against swearers and drunkards and the like but we see them prosper and because they doe prosper thus their hearts are set to worke wickednes but howsoever it is true the Lord doth sometime beare with wicked men the longer God staies the greater account they shall make and the heavier judgements they shall receive from God See what Iob saith thou sealest up my transgressions in a bagge and
and I would have a man to bind his heart hand and foote that they may not dare to have any brabling against the revealed will of God that so what ever truth is delivered though never so crosse and contrary to our corrupt nature the soule may be willing to be under the blow of it and let the strength of the word come full upon the heart And this will make us feelingly to understand our conditions as in Iob when God had taken downe his proud heart see how he submits himselfe Behold I am vile what shall I say I will lay my hand upoÌ„ my mouth I have sinned but I will go nâ— further as thogh he had reasoned thus with himselfe I have I confesse pleaded too much for my selfe I have made more shift for my selfe theÌ„ was needfull I have gainsaid thy word but now no more Now if any man seeme to quarrell take up armes against the truth of God let that man know he was never truly huÌ„bled for his sins It is a sinfull rebellious spirit that carries it selfe thus against God his word the shifts whereby the soule labours to beate backe the power of the word may be reduced to these three heads First the soule hath a slight apprehension of sin and thinketh that it is not so hainous and so dangerous as those hot spirited ministers beare men in hand this is usually the common conceit of all men naturally and even of us all more or lesse to make a slight account of sinne and that for these foure respects First in respect of the commonnesse of it because that every man is guilty of it we slight it what saith one Good now what then are not all sinners as well as we though we have many faylings yet we have many fellowes If we were drunkards or whoremongers then it were somewhat Thou sayest true indeed thou hast many fellowes in thy sinnes and thou shalt have share with many fellowes in the punishment to come there is roome enough in hell for thee and all thy fellowes hell hath opened her mouth wide nay the more companions thou hast had in thy sinnes the more shall be thy plagues Quest. O saith one all the world lies in sinne and we doe no more then the world doth Answ. But if the world lies in sin Christ never prayed for the world and he will never save the world What a senselesse thing is this to be such a 〈◊〉 as God hates Is this all thy pleasure that thou art a hater of God What ods is it for a man to be stabbed with a penknife or with a speare or for a man to be murdered in the streets or in his bed so though thy sinnes be not hydious blasphemies and the like yet if they be petty oathes they are enough to sinke thy soule It is not your great swearer but no swearer shall come into the Kingdome of heaven the text saith not no great liers shall enter into heaven but no liers shall enter into heaven What differeÌ„ce is there between a man that goes to hell for open rebellion and a man that goes to hell for civill profession and what difference is there betweene an open adulterer and a secret adulterer Quest. But some will say are not all sinfull by nature and are not some saved and why not I as well as others Answ. For answer I say no man is saved by nature but if any be saved the Lord opens his eyes and breakes his heart and so it must be with thee too if ever thou thinkest to receive any mercy from God Secondly there is also a naturalnesse in a sinfull course and they say it is my nature and infirmity and I am of a cholericke disposition I shall sometimes sweare when I am angry and I cannot but be drunke sometimes when I light into good company Quest. What would you have of us Saints on earth Answ. I either Saints or Devills never sanctified never saved never pâ—rged never glorified as the Apostle Saint Iohn saith He that hath this hope purgeth himselfe as he is pure he striveth with his whole endeauour to be pure and alwayes he hath a respect to all Gods commandemeÌ„ts And as the author to the Hebrewes saith pursue faith and holinesse without which no man can be saved If thou dost say if it were an honour to pray in my family if Gentlemen and Knights did it I would doe it I tell thee if holines doth seeme to fly away by disgrace persecution theÌ„ you must pursue it Nay dost thou say it is thy nature to sinne Then I say the greater is thy wickednesse if it be thy nature so to doe We hate not a man because he drinkes poyson but we hate a â—oad because it is of a poysonus nature therfore rather mourne the more for thy sinnes because it is thy cursed nature so to doe And say Lord did only temptations or the world allure me to this there were some hope that thou wouldest have mercy upon me but O Lord I have a cursed nature and though there were no Devills nor world no temptations outwardly yet this cursed nature of mine would sinne against thee They that have received Christ have a new nature and therefore if I have a carnall corrupt nature then my condition is most fearefull And say did temptations the world allure me then there were some hope of mercy but it is my nature to sinne and therefore my estate and condition is most miserable wretched Oh wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of death Thirdly many say words are but winde and all this winde shakes no corne And so when we presse men to the inward worke of the soule not onely to keepe men from the halter but to tell them they must pull downe their proud hearts and be humbled for their sinnes and the like then they reply thoughts flie away suddenly and thoughts are free To which I answer these words are such winde as will blow downe thy soule into the bottomlesse pit of hell It is not I that say so but our Saviour himselfe By thy words thou shalt be justisfied and by thy words thou shalt be condemned though you make nothing of your swearing and idle thoughts and revilings of Gods people yet the God of heaven will require them at your hands and you shall either receive acquittance from Christ of them or else vengeance for ever for them For the Lord commeth with thousands of his Saints in flaming fire to punish not onely murtherers and adulterers and the like but all ungodly ones the Lord will call thee to an accompt for all thy abominations nay for all thy speeches against the people of God upon thy ale-bench when thou diddest tosse theÌ„ too and fro and the Lord will set thy sinnes in order before thee nay he will call thee to an accompt for them for all thy thoughts though
they are sudden and quickely passed over as the Prophet Ieremiah saith O Ierusalem wash thy heart from wickednesse how long shall thy vaine thoughts remaine in thee Whatsoever men thinke of thoughts yet they are the very life and sinewes of sinne and they are brought forth by meditation of a mans corruptions in this kinde A man may sinne more in thought then in any other kinde whatsoever both in regard of the vilenesse of sin and his unavoydablenesse thereof A theefe cannot robbe all the towne but a covetous man may wish all in the towne were hanged that he might have their goods and so an adulterer cannot commit sinne with every woman in the towne but he may lust after both the godly and prophane and he may commit adultery both with the chast and unchast too in his thoughts A man may sinne infinitly in this kinde and never have done for no company nor place can hinder an adulterer from sinning and lusting nor the malicious man from envying in his heart nor the covetous man from desiring the goods of other men Though thou darest not cut the throat of a minister yet thou canst malice all the ministers in the countrey Fourthly the soule hath a strange inward resolution of â—leaving to sinne whatsoever can be said or done to the contrary And this inward resolution of the soule hath a delight in corruptions though he die and be damned for the same this plucketh the heart from the word and layeth so many mists upon the understanding that it cannot see the truth when the soule hath nothing to say for it selfe it falls to open and profest reviling of Jesus Christ and defying of him and hence it is that after many good arguments the soule stands as it were at a set and saith I will not beleeve it though there were five thousand Ministers to perswade me to it and why doth he so hath he any argument to alledge No not a word but he that is proud will be proud and he that is a swearer will sweare and will not make conscience of any thing this comes from a proud and a sturdy heart When Ieremiah would have convinced the people of their sinnes and of the punishments threatned to them they said Thou speakest falsly there is no such matter So it is with many a carnall heart now a dayes if the minister of God will not please their phantasies then all the businesse is they knew all this before when as indeed they knew nothing at all Therefore saith God Take heed there be not in any of you a root of bitternesse if the soule heareth the law and blesseth himselfe in his wickednesse and saith I shall have peace though I walke after the imaginations of my owne heart the Lord will not spare that man but the Ielousie of the Lord shall smoake against him this roote of bitternesse is nothing else but sin and a resolution to continue in it For the Lord Jesus sake consider this there are too many of these in the Congregation wilt thou not beleeve Gods word I tell thee thou deniest almost that there is a God and thou renouncest the Lord Jesus Christ and salvation by him thou saiest in effect there is no God and that there is not any meanes of grace revealed What devillish blasphemy is this Let me speake to the terror of all such hearts hell never entertained any such thoughts the devils in hel for ought I know have not any such profest resolutions the devils beleeve and tremble the devills beleeve that the Scriptures are the word of God and they know there is infinit mercy in God but they shall never tast of it and they know all the plagues threatned shall come upon them and they snake and tremble at the remembrance of it What do the devills consent to the word of God conceive of it and know that it is the truth of God and shall be made good upon them Then good Lord of what a strange temper art thou that wilt not beleeve it that wilt not consent that it is true the devill is not worse then thou art in this case I must confesse that the consideration of these passages sometime makes the soule of a poore minister shake within him and were it in my power as it is not the first worke that I would doe should be to humble and breake the hearts of all such vile wretches but all that I can or will doe is this that which the holy man Moses spake and he spake it with a marvellous caution you that never came to the height of this horrible contempt take heed that there be not any man among you that saith It shall goe well with me whatsoever the minister saith It is as much as your soules are worth and to such as are guilty of this sinne I wil give the same counsell that Peter gave to Simon Magus who had a base esteeme of the gifts of the Spirit O saith Peter pray that if it be possible the thoughts of thy heart may be forgiven thee It is a fearefull thing it is a marvellous opposing of grace And for you whose eyes God hath opened goe home consider of the miserable estate of all such as lie in this sinne goe to prayer and send up requests in the behalfe of all such poore creatures and say Is it so Lord that there are many such who have the name of Christians that will not be reformed nor humbled good Lord that many that have the name of Christians will not come in thy word will not prevaile nor take place in their hearts Good Lord breake their hearts in pieces breake in upon them and let thy word overcome them in mercy and compassion and bring them to the true knowledge of sinne here and happinesse hereafter And thus much of the first Cavill Secondly the soule saith I confesse I see more now then ever I conceived of before I did not conceive that sinne was so haynous and so dangerous as it is Now I see it is marvellous great and dangerous yet this is my hope that whatsoever falls it will not light upon me and therefore what need I care I hope to prevent it and then all will be well When the word comes faire full upon the conscience of a man and would pierce his heart and meets him in every place as the angell did Balaam he will have some fetch or other to put by the word and he saies I hope for all this the danger shall not fall upon me Now the way that the soule useth to put by the word and to prevent the danger threatned appeares in these three particulars The first is this how ever sinne is never so vile in it selfe and he is guilty thereof yet he thinks the God of heauen doth not attend to his sinnes or else he is not so just or righteous that he will punish him for them Indeed if he were some
notorious wretch as a murtherer or an adulterer or a theef or such like then he had cause to feare but God will not bring him to an account for every smal sin That this is the sleight of the soule I will shew you and then shew you how to avoid it It is ordinary with every carnall heart more or lesse to reason as Eliphaz with Iob How doth God know can he judge through the darke thicke cloudes are a covering to him that he seeth not he walketh in the circuits of heaven It is the guise of wicked men to say so Nay it is that which the hearts of Gods people are driven to a stand withall when they consider the passages of wicked men now God seeth them and doth not punish them they say How doth God know and Is there knowledge in the Almighty When the Prophet saw the way of the wicked to prosper their eyes to start out with fatnesse he saith Doth God see this and not punish it as if he had said Did God care for all that is done here below could he brooke such strange oppositions of his word and his gospell and his members I doubt not but that there is many an adulterous heart that thinkes a darke night shall cover all his abominations and the malicious man that contrives evill against Gods children he thinkes that God considers not his course or else that God will not trouble himself to execute Judgement upon him for all his sinnes As the Prophet saith The Lord will not doe Good nor Evill he is marvelous quiet he will not trouble himselfe neither for the good that doth befall nor for the evill that is deserved by us Nay this is the bane of our ministery when people heare of many Judgements denounced against sinne and sinners I tell you what they thinke of all this they thinke they are words of course If the adulterer or drunkard did consider that no such person should inherit the kingdome of heaven durst they goe on surely no. But they thinke they are but the words of some hot spirited minister to awe and scare men and keepe them in compasse and they will not be perswaded but God is more mercifull then so that he should punish for every small sinne they thinke this is more then reasonable Let him make speede saith the wicked that we may see it and let the Counsell of the most High draw nigh that we may know it As if they had said You ministers tell us much of Gods wrath against Ierusalem let us see those enemies and let the word of the Lord come to passe now all these words are but winde c. These are the carnall cavills of gracelesse persons To which I answer It is desperate ignorance and marvelous Atheisme of heart whereby the devill labours to keepe men in sin the Lord knowes thy thoughts long before if thou wouldest hide thy selfe from the Lord in the darke the day and the night are all one with him nay the Lord will search Ierusalem with candles the word in the originall signifies to tracke her Nay he will not leave searching till he finde thee out for the wayes of man are before the Lord and he ponders all his doings and if our hearts condemne us God knoweth all things and is greater then our hearts Doth thy Conscience checke thee for vaine thoughts and cursed devices then God knoweth much more by thee then thou knowest by thy selfe God did see Achan stealing the wedge of Gold and David in his adultery and he seeth all the malice of thy heart against his Saints and all thy uprising of heart against Gods word Nay the Lord seeth all the prankes of the adulterer in the darkest night and God is just to bring all things to judgement and thee also to an accompt for them In vaine it is for wicked men to digge deepe to hide their counsell from the Lord These things hast thou done said God and I kept silence and therefore thoughtest I was altogether such a one as thy selfe but I will reprove thee and set all thy sinnes in order before thee You must not thinke God is so gentle No he will set all your sinnes in order before you if not here for your humiliation yet hereafter for your everlasting confusion the drunkard shall then see all his pot companions and the adulterer his mates and the unjust person all his trickes nay God wil not bate thee one thought of thy heart be where you will God will finde you out with his judgements and say Lo here is thy pride here is thy murther here are all thy abominations this is the wretch that could carry fire in the one hand and water in the other these are thy sinnes and this shall be thy punishment Secondly if God be so mighty say they that he knowes all Object and will call us to an accompt for all then it is but sorrowing so much the more and that we will doe afterwards and this will make all well enough it is but repenting Answ. To this I answer Doe you make a but at it be not deceived God is not nay cannot be mocked and therefore delude not your owne soules every repentance will not serve the turne thou mayest have remorse of heart and repent and cry to God for thy sinnes and this tormenting of thy heart will be but a forerunner of thy everlasting damnation hereafter the Lord may deale with thee as Moses said of the people of Israel You returned and wept before the Lord but he would not hearken to your voice So the time may come that all weeping and wailing will not serve the turne You see Iudas wept and brought backe the thirty pieces of silver he had marvelous horrour of Conscience he tooke shame to himselfe and made restitution and yet a damned creature for ever Thou that thinkest it such an â—asâ—e matter aske thy owne heart this question Canst thou bee content to lay open all thy cursed sinfull courses and all the wrong that thou hast done Consider what a hard matter it is to bring thy heart to it to confesse all thy close adulteries and when thou hast done all this thou mayest be as farre from salvation as Iudas was who went and hanged himselfe therefore it is not every sorrow will serve the turne and bring comfort to thy soule but it must be repentance of the right stampe And againe dost thou thinke thou hast repentance at command this is that which cuts the throat of mens soules and deprives them of all the benefit of the meanes of grace thou art not sure though thou shalt live thou hast power of thy selfe to repent savingly and shall any man be so senselesse as to hang his happinesse on that which cannot help him If thou didst consider thy owne weakenesse thou wouldest not say that repentance is in thine owne power Remember what the Apostle saith Proving if peradventure
would thinke this man to be in a miserable condition And yet all this is but a beame of Gods indignaâ—tion If the beames of Gods wrath be not hot what is the full sunne of his wrath when it shall sease upon the soule of a sinfull creature in full measure The third consideration is this Nay yet if thou thinkest to lift up thy self above al creatures and to beare more then they all then set before thine eyes the sufferings of the Lord Jesus Christ he that creats the heavens and upholds the whole frame thereof when the wrath of God came upon him onely as a surety he cries out with his eyes full of teares and his heart full of sorrow and the heavens full of lamentations My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Oh thou poore creature if thou hast the heart of a man gird up the loines of thy mind and see what thou canst doe Doest thou thinke to beare that which the Lord Jesus Christ could not beare with so much sorrow Yet he did indure it without any sinne or weaknesse he had three sippes of the Cuppe and every one of them did sinke his soule and art thou a poore sinfull wretch able to beare the wrath of God for ever Now beloved seeing all objections are answered and the things made plaine labour to do that which you may have comfort in Submit your selves to the good word of the Lord and not only be willing and coâ—tent to be thus enlightned but labour for it that thou maiest prevent the Judgements deserved by the same Now that I may the better prevaile with you consider these three motives first it is the only old way to heaven for God never revealed any other but this way in the old law the only way for the leaper to be cleansed was to come out into the congregation and to cry I am uncleane I am uncleane This leaper was every sinner this meanes of curing was the sight of his sinne and as he did so must every sinner confesse his sin take shame to himselfe and say It is my proud heart and this my loose life c. This true sight of sinne is the only doore to life and salvation who would not goe that way which is the right the ready way if ever you receive mercy at the hands of the Lord it must be by this way or not at all I pray you take heed and doe not find a shorter cut to heaven the further you goe the contrary way the further you must returne back againe this hath cozened many a man more then he doth imagine As a traveller when he is loath to goe through some filthy lane he will breake through the fence and goe through the meadow that he may save the foule way at last when he hath gone up and downe and cannot get out againe he is forced with much losse of time to goe backe againe and goe through the lane So it is with many sinfull wretches in the world and this hath cost them deare They will not goe this way by sorrow for sinne to see the filthinesse thereof and their cursed abominations but they will have a new way to receive mercy comfort from God yet at last they are driven to a stand and then they will heare the minister of God and when he saith Christ came to seek and to save that which was lost that is those poore sinners that saw themselves lost and consider the plagues of their heart And when Christ workes savingly he opens the eye and awakens the conscience and a man must confesse before he can find mercy then the soule saith I never saw this worke upon my soule I was never lost No where broke you over then you would needs to heaven a new way you are like the thorny ground that would receive the word with joy Nay I le assure you you must come backe againe and see all those abominations which have been committed in secret by you and discover them or else there is no meanes to come unto life Let us search try our waies saith the Church you must not thinke that Christ will pardon all and you doe nothing No first see your sinnes and then you shall receive mercy pardon for them Secondly the worke by this meanes will bee much more easie then at another time If thou once get thy conscience convicted and thine eyes opened the worke will goe on clearely and easiâ—y Many of Gods people will strike in with you and many good Christians will pitty you and pray for you and you shall have many helps this way and therefore is it not better now to have your conscience awakened when you may have helpe then afterward when there is no remedy When any of Gods people fast or pray they will remember you what saith one Doe you know such a man yes very well what is he oh he was the most shamelesse drunkard that ever the sun did see or the earth beare Was he so oh but now God hath opened his eyes and awakened his conscience he was never so frolike before but now he is as much wounded now his heart is broken his conscience flies in his face It were good to remember him though he hath beene a wretch and a profest opposer of Gods people yet let us remember him Yes that I will I know his burthen is great I have found it and I hope so long as I have a knee to kneele and a tongue to speake I shal remember him And then they pray for him and say Good Lord who can beare a wounded soule Good Lord thou hast humbled him and made him see himselfe vile and miserable let him see thy mercy in Christ. What a comfort is this to have a whole countrey pray for him in this maner Object But some will object and say This is something dangerous and drives men sometimes to a desperate stand and therefore is it not farre better to be as we are and not to awake this severe Lion A man cannot conjure downe his conscience when it is up once Answ. To this I answere you must see your sinnes that is the truth of it doe not thinke to put it off the Lyon will roare and that conscience will be awakened one day it is better to be awakened now then to have your eyes opened in hell when there is no remedy Thirdly set upon this worke the issue will be very successefull oh what a comfort will it be to a poore soule in the time of death when he shall come to render up his soule into the hands of God that all his sinnes are wiped out And then to heare those glad tidings from heaven Be of good comfort poore soule thou hast seen thy sinnes therefore I will not see them thou hast remembred them and mourned for them therefore I will never plague thee for them Who would not see his sinnes that Christ may cover them in that
they are wise enough to take their meat and to apply the word to themselves Answ. To this I answer three things I confesse it is true the Lord blessed be his name hath made his word more evidently knowne then formerly and yet there is a great deale of knowledge wanting in the most sort of men nay I can speake it by experience that the meaner ordinary sort of people it is incredible and unconceiveable what Ignorance is among them Nay I will be bold to justifie it that he that thinkes himselfe the wisest in understanding if we come home to him by way of examination we shall make it known to him that he knowes little or nothing of which he should and ought to know But Imagine men had the knowledge of the word that is not the maine end of preaching to instruct men but to worke upon their hearts When a man hath taught men what they should doe he is but come to the walls of the Castle the fort is in the heart the greatest worke of the ministery is to pull downe the wills of men that know the truth of God and hold it in unrighteousnesse Nay they that doe know it how dull are they in the performances of these duties God calles for at their hands so that we had not onely need to mince their meat for them but even to put it into their mouthes nay they sleepe with meat in their mouthes I appeale to you that are inlightned in the knowledge of the truth doe you not finde dulnesse of minde and indisposednesse of spirit in the performances of those duties God calls for at your hands It was spoken by a reverend Divine that the freest horse needs sometimes a spur to pricke him forward so I say the best Christian needs a sharpe reproofe to pricke him forward in a Christian course But thirdly if reason cannot prevaile they dash this preaching out of countenance Object and say when men want matter to make up their sermons then they ransacke mens consciences and apply unto them their particular sinnes and so they make up their sermons Answ. To this I answer againe then our Saviour Iesus Christ wanted matter he presseth their faults to the Scribes and Pharises seven times together nay in the sixt of Iohn he presseth on truth nine times his aime and end was namely that he was the bread of life he followeth it and setleth it on them Now in these mens judgements Christ wanted matter he had not wherewith to spend the time therfore he spake to the hearts of men and came home to their Consciences but to say the truth the ground of their cavills that are cast against this kinde of preaching is because this troubles the hearts of those to whom we speake brings vexation to the soules Do we want matter for our preaching no but this I say it is an easie matter for any man to observe truths out of a text to lay forth a point this is an easie thing for any one that hath a judgement inlightned in the Scripture but for a minister of God in the worke of examination to drive the soule of a carnall man to a stand that he cannot escape to make him goe away and hang the wings in so much that the soule shall be humbled or else goe away and snarle at the truth and reproofe delivered Or for a man to uphold a soule in the time of trouble to comfort it and take away all doubts I say this is the hardest matter for a minister to accomplish under the Sunne in the worke of the ministery I speake for these two passages that all the world may know what belongs to the worke of the ministery and also that al the world may know if men take any distaste at this kinde of preaching we care not it is our dutie The third use is for exhortation if this be our duty it ought to stirre up the heart of all the people of God to set an edge on their affections that they should desire this manner of teaching and when God maketh his truth thus knowne to us we should submit to the power thereof You have most need of this and there is most profit in this and therefore your hearts ought to be more inlarged to the coveting and submiting thereto And therefore you that are hearers suffer me to provoke you to it when the time comes that you are to approach to the house of God pray unto the Lord that he would direct you and that the minister may come home to your hearts bring your hearts to the word as the people did their sacrifices in the old law they brought them and laid them on the Altar that the Priest might kill them and divide them So bring your hearts under the power of Jesus Christ that they may be cut and divided that you may be let blood in the right veine that your corruptions may bee subdued that they may have their deaths wound given them take up that resolution of the Prophet David I will heare what the Lord saith to my soule I will not heare what the Levit saith to the Courtier or to the commons but I will see what the Lord saith to me Oh say some the minister speakes home to such a one he touched him to the quicke What is that to thee Will anothers mans salve cure thee therefore labour that the Lord may come home to thy particular that the Lord may salve thee and cut thee and save thee for thy everlasting comfort You are wise for the things of this life you will be content to part with any thing that may procure your comfort if a father were now on his death bed making his will every child would thinke what doth my father give me For if a man be bidden to a Feast he is not content only to have the meate set before him but if the master of the feast will carve for him he will take it kindly Every faithfull minister is the father of the people and they are his children they are the Stewards of the Lords house and give to every one their portion terrour to whom terrour belongs and comfort to whom comfort belongs Therefore when you come into the congregation and see the minister giving and parting to every one his doale reproofe here and instruction there looke up to heaven and labour to get some thing to thy owne particular and say as Esay did in another case something for me Lord something for me instruct me reprove me make knowne my sinnes and discover my abominations when the dainties of salvation are distributing You that are at the lower end of the table thinke with your selves will the dish never come to the lower end Oh that the Lord would now guide the minister to lay his hand on the sore of this cursed infidelitie of minde Oh that the Lord would knocke downe that sinne of mine this day And if thy heart be any whit
inlightened and touched thou wilt be much contended and comforted as David said to Abigail when shee came to disswade him from going against Nabal to destroy him she said Vpon me my Lord be this iniquitie why Blessed be God saith David that sent thee this day to meet me and blessed be thy counsell which hath kept me this day from comming to shed blood and avenging my selfe So if thou hast a good heart thou wilt not goe away repyning and fretting at the word and say the minister meant me crosseth me Take heed of this tempter of heart and if God bee pleased to carve out to any man those particular fruits that concerne his good goe away and blesse the Lord say blessed be his good word and his poore servant that met this day with my sins I never observed that pride I never observed that malice I never discovered that carelesse what became of Christ I cared not what became of his ministers I respected not what became of his name I regarded not but the Lord hath shewed me my sinnes and blessed be God for that good worke which hath beene communicated to my soule by his servant And observe this so farre as the heart is fearfull that the minister should meet with his sins so farre the heart is naught Nay if it be thus if your consciences testifie against you that you are loath to have your sinnes dealt roundly withall you thinke the ministers should be mild and not use such bitter reprehensions and sharpe reproofes I beseech you thinke of it seriously you deale with your sinnes in this kind as David did with Absalon when Ioab was to goe out he gives him charge to use him kindly and gently that is doe not kill him but take him prisoner that was his speech deale kindly for my sake with the young man Absalon Dost thou deale so with thy sinnes thou wouldest have the minister deal kindly with drunkennesse and adultery and malice do not kill drunkennesse but only take him prisoner keep him in reforme the outward face of drunkennesse that we may not be drunken in the open streets but in a corner and so that men may not sweare at every turne but when they come among gentlemen that they doe it cunningly The case is cleare thy soule if it be of this temper it never hated sinne it never sorrowed for sinne it never found the word of God working upon it for the subduing of sinne Imagine there were a traytor or rebell come into the towne that sought to take away the Kings life nay suppose he were thy enemy or the like will any one say that man hates an enemy that cannot endure to have an enemy discovered attached and brought to execution No sure but he loves him he covers him he hides him and would not have him knowne he is a lover of a traitor and a traitor himselfe else why doe you harbour a traitor you cover him that he cannot come to judgment and therefore you are a friend unto him so it is in this case Canst thou say that thou hatest sinne thou hatest malice and covetousnesse and loosenesse and prophanesse and in the meane time thy soule saith I cannot endure that the minister should discover these I cannot endure that he should attach them and arrest my soule for my covetousnesse and adultery and the like My heart riseth and I would cover it and hide it nay I can beare it out sometimes and say the traytor is not here I am not the drunkard I am not the adulterer you talke of but if the minister will pursue thy soule then thou shuttest the doore against him If it be thus with thee I tell thee thou art a friend to the traytor thou never hatedst thy sinne thou wert never yet brought to a true sight or sorrow for it Wee will now proceed When they heard this saith the text the word in the originall caryeth a continual act when they had heard there was not an end but the sting of the word did still stick in their hearts When they walked on the way that sounded in their eares I have crucified the Lord of life and when they lay downe that came into their mindes I have shed the blood of the Lord and when they arose this was their first thought I have consented thereunto and imbrewed my hands therein this stucke upon the spirits of thē and the sting of the truth would not away but after they had heard it it remained still in their hearts The doctrine is this that serious meditation of our sinnes by the word of God is a speciall meanes to breake our hearts for our sinnes After they had heard this notes a continuall action the truth of God still stuck in their stomackes the arrowes of God would not out the Apostle shot some secret shot into their soules which came home to their hearts and consciences when they heard this that is the musing and meditating and pondering of this when they could hold no longer they could beare no more but came to the Apostles and said what shall we doe Sometimes God brings a man into the Church to carpe at the minister and to see what he may have against him now if the Lord sting the conscience of that man he will heare you all the weeke after and say me thinkes I see the man still he aymed at me he intended me and me thinkes I heare the word still sounding in mine eares he is alwaies meditating on the word in this kind And a serious meditation of sinne discovered by the word is a special meanes to pierce the soule for the same this is the power of meditatiō whē David had considered the glory of wicked men how their eyes started out with fatnes and they had more then heart could wish and who but they in the world they were not troubled they were not molested then he thought they were the only men in the world when he had considered and mused of this it pierced his soule and he was vexed with it this went to the very intrailes of him and therefore that place is marvelous pregnant It was the meanes whereby Lot was so touched with the abominations of Sodome that righteous man dwelling among them in seeing hearing vexed his righteous soule from day to day with their unlawfull deeds Many saw and heard besides Lot and yet were not vexed but he vexed himselfe that is the meditation of those evils bringing them home to his soule vexed him and troubled him and the word is a fine word implying two things first the search and examination of a thing Secondly the racking and vexing a man upon the triall So it was with Lot he observed all the evils he weighed them and pondered them and then he racked his soule and vexed himselfe with the consideration of them the same word that is used here for vexing is used in the matter of a storme
those things to his minde the plagues due thereunto so that he cannot escape the dint therof It is the nature of our own hearts that we are loath to read our owne destiny which will be our bane and confusion meditation calls over the thoughts of a man tells him the reasons are good the arguments found the Scripture plaine thy sinnes evident Conscience you know it therefore heart you must doe it saith meditation take heed of drunkennesse saith meditation you heard what the minister said these sinnes are against God and the wrath of God is gone out against you for these sinnes these will be your bane and will bring you to everlasting destruction And when meditation doth thus yawle at the heart the minde still musing and the heart still pondering of sin at last it is weary therefore unburdened therewith the issue of the argumēts is this if meditation brings in sin more powerful more plainely to the soule if it be that which binds and fastneth it and setleth it upon the soule then the point is cleare that serious meditation of sinne is a special meanes to bring a soule to the sight and sorrow for sinne The uses are three the third is the maine we will presse on unto it If it be so that meditation is thus powerfull and profitable both for contrition of the heart and to bring in consolation to the heart then what shall we thinke of those men that are unwilling to practice this dutie nay what shall we thinke of that untowardnesse of heart which is in us against the command of this duty It is a word of reproofe against this practice and it falls marvelous heavy upon us all more or lesse in this kinde for we are marvelous guiltie in this kinde that we are tardy in this duty a man had as good bring a Beare to the stake as a carnall heart to the consideration of his owne wayes much more loath is he to ponder seriously and meditate continually upon his sinnes no men are so farre from musing of their sinnes that they disdaine this practice and scoffe at it what say they if all were of your minde what should become of us shall we alwayes be poring on our corruptions so we may hap to runne mad if we were of your opinion thus we slight and put it off and trample on this duty which is so profitable the poore will not meditate on his sinnes he hath no time the rich they need it not the wicked dare not and so no man will in this case What shall a man set his soule on a continuall racke say they shall a man drive himselfe to a desperate stand and trouble himselfe unprofitably cannot men keepe themselves when they are well this is the course and frame of the world and wee may complaine of this carelesse and heedlesse age as Ieremiah did of his time Ier. 8.6 No man repenteth him of his wickednesse saying What have I done there is no questioning nor searching no musing no man saith What have I done no man saith these are my sinnes these are my wayes no man lookes over his course and conversation he doth not apprehend his sinne and that is the reason we heare of no humbling of no repenting but every man runneth into sinne as the horse rusheth into the battell hence it is that there are so māy uncleane beasts in the Arke In the old Law if there were any beasts that chewed not the cud he was counted uncleane the chewing of the cud is serious meditation of the mercies of God to comfort us and of our sinnes to humble us there are many ungodly persons in the bosome of the Church that muse not of their sinfull wayes the Prophet Ieremiah saith Were they ashamed when they had committed abominatiōs nay they were not at all ashamed neither could they blush he adds a reason in the eleventh verse They could not be ashamed why because they cry peace peace let the minister speake what he can and denounce what judgement he will they promise thēselves peace quietnes they consider not their wayes and therefore their hearts are not distempered therewith nor troubled at the consideration thereof nay there are many that count it an excellencie a cunning skill if they can drive away and shake off the sight of sinne if they can put off the meditation of any thing the word reveales they make it a marvelous excellent piece of skill and what they doe themselves they would have others doe also but they that now will not see nor consider nor meditate of their sinnes the truth is they shall see them as the Lord saith by Esay 26.11 When thy hand is lifted up they will not see but they shall see and be ashamed So I say you that will not see your sins but say What needs all this stirre let the minister say what hee will shall we be mad men to be troubled and shall we be fooles to be disquieted with the consideration of our sinnes well you will not muse upon your sinnes now but the time will come that the Lord will set all your sinnes in order before you and you shall not be able to looke off them And hence it is that when a man hath lived wickedly all his dayes and comes to lye on his death bed then all his sinnes come to his remembrance and then conscience flies in his face and sayes here is a cup for a drunkard and for an adulterer now he seeth nothing but sinne and hell and damnation due to him for his sinne and then he cries out he is damned You might have seene something before then if you had seene them to be humbled for them you should never have seene them to be damned for them If there be but any occasion of basenesse offered to the view of the drunkard which way doth he not use to compasse his carnall delights and shall the drunkard and prophane wretch be so eager in lingering after sinne that he may commit it and be damned for it and shall not a man so labour to see his iniquities that he may be humbled for them before God and receive mercy from God in the pardon of the same Shall the reprobate hale judgements on their soules and bend all their meditations that way and shall not they that desire to see God in glory doe the same The Second use is for instruction from the former doctrine delivered we may collect that loose vaine joviall company is the greatest hindrance to preparatiō for Christ and the greatest obstacle to the worke of grace that can be possible this is not forced but followeth clearly from the former truth in this manner thus I reason That course which takes away the minde from musing and the understanding from meditating on his evill way that course is the greatest hindrance why the heart is not humbled and fitted for the Lord for meditation brings in contrition and that prepares the heart for Christ but
and pitch of meditation thus farre see and affect and drawe your hearts to the consideration of your sinnes that the soule may be forced to goe to Christ and use all meanes to find him pray for a Christ heare for a Christ use all meanes and see a need of a Christ to blesse thee in all thy services and see a need of a Christ to pardon thy sinnes and then you take a right course And thus much for the second passage now we see how to follow meditation home that the soule may be affected therewith and holden thereto Ay but you will say our thoughts are dull and our meditation fraile and our wants heavy and little good we get by this meditation we fall to sinne againe how shall we come to get the life of meditation that it may be to us as it ought to be I answer the meanes to make meditation powerfull are two I confesse after a man hath mused and pondered it is possible that a corrupt heart may recoile and fall backe againe therefore there are two helpes to put more life into meditation First labour to call in the helpe and assistance of conscience that meditation may be more fruitfull and powerfull conscience is a great commander it is Gods vicegerent and chiefe officer and God is the general overseer of all the affaires of the world but conscience hath authority to execute Judgement according to the sentence God hath revealed and hath a greater command with the heart then bare meditation hath understanding and reason are but the underlings of the wil they are but servaÌ„ts subjects to the wil and these only suggest and advise unto the will what is good as a servant may suggest to his master what is good and yet his master may take what he list refuse what he please in this kind But conscience hath a greater command Rom. 2.15 conscience is said to accuse or excuse a man and conscience comes with a law and a command as the Apostle saith 1. Iohn 3.20 If our hearts condemne us conscience makes the heart to yeeld I compâ—â—e it thus look as it is happily with a man that is in debt if a man have a writ out for him he is not troubled greatly with that he will not goe to prison because of that nay though he shew it him yet he will not goe but if he brings the Sergeanâ—â—o arrest him then he must go and and then he must be imprisoned whether he will or noe So it is here meditation brings in the writ and sheweth a man his sinnes layeth open all his duties neglected so many hundred duties omitted so many thousand sinnes committed so many prophanatioÌ„s of Sabbaths so many oathes so many blasphemies but the soule saith What is this to me I have sinned and others have sinned and I shall doe as well as others but conscience is a Sergeant and Sergeants do your office these are your sinnes and as you will answer it at the day of Judgement take heed of those sins upon paine of everlasting ruine When conscience begins thus to arrest a man then the heart comes and gives way to the truth revealed and conscience thus settles it upon the heart The Second meanes whereby meditation may get power upon the soule is this we must cry crave and call for the spirit of humiliation and contrition that God by that blessed spirit of his which in Scripture is called the spirit of bondage would set to his helping hand assist conscience his officer take the matter into his owne hand and because there are many rebellious corruptions that oppose Gods truth we must call to heaven for helpe that God would seise upon the heart and breake it A perverse heart will linde the Judgement and say I will have my sinnes though I be damned for them and when conscience comes and saith I will beare witnes against you for your pride and covetousnesse and prophanesse They resist conscience Looke as it is if a Sergeant arrest a man he may escape his hands or kill the Sergeant but if the Sheriffe or the King himself come take the prisoner in hand then he must goe to prison whether he will or no so it is here though a corrupt heart can stoppe conscience stay conscience yet there is a commanding power of Gods spirit the spirit of humiliation And when God comes from heaven to aide his officer the heart must stoope and be governed Looke as it is with a child that is under government his father perhaps bids the servant correct him now it is admirable to see how the child will taunt with the servant and struggle with him mightily now when the father heareth this he saith Give me the rod and he tells the child you would not be whipped but I will scourge you and he will set it home and plague him so much the more because he resisted the servant So it is here the Lord hath revealed his will and sent his ministers to discover your sins and verrifie your hearts it is strange to see what resistance we finde one scornes to heare and rebells against the minister Well however the voice of the minister or the word cannot make the blow fall heavy enough for the time yet if the Lord take the rod into his owne hand he will make the stoutest stomack stoope and the hardest heart come in when the father takes the rod into his hand and lets in hell fire he will set it home take it off who will or can the Apostle cals it the spirit of bondage and observe the place When the spirit of bondage commeth then commeth feare The spirit of bondage is said to be the spirit of feare as who should say the Lord sheweth a man his bondage by the Almighty power of his Spirit and will make the soule feele it and stoope unto it In Iob the Lord doth shew unto men their workes and then he commands them to returne he openeth their eare to discipline saith the text and commandeth that they returne from iniquity he openeth the eye and maketh a man see his sinnes and then he commands the heart to returne whether it will or no. When the Lord doth shew unto man his sinnes and holds him to his sinnes that he cannot looke off them this is the worke of the spirit of bondage when conscience hath done his duty and yet his mouth is stopped then the Lord himselfe comes and however the word by the mouth of the ministery could not prevaile yet God will set the sun-light of his spirit to your soules and then you shall see your sinnes and stoope under them When a man would cut off the sense of sinne yet where ever he is and what ever he doth the Lord presents his sins to him when he goeth in the way he reades his sinnes in the pathes when he is at meate his sinnes are before him when he goeth to lie downe he goeth to read
punishable by the Law of man were abominable and God was incensed against them but what will every wicked thought sinke the soule into hell unlesse God pardon it and is God so just and so severe and will he punish all sinners and must I answere for all my petty oathes If I shall be condemned for my words and thoughts it is a strange thing well I will inquire further of the matter it is marvelous hard if it be true Many a man hath beene thus and goeth no further for the present Well then Secondly he resolves to heare the minister againe and he fals to reading and conferring with others to try if it be so as the minister before revealed unto him and commonly he goeth to heare the same minister againe and by this meanes what with hearing and reading conferring he seeth the thing he doubted of is too certaine and that the thing be questioned before is without all doubt the Law is just the word is plaine if God be true this is true The wages of sinne is death Yea of every sinful thought and He that beleeveth not is condemned already so that now the sinner beginnes to consider that the condemnation threatned sleepes not and that God hath him in chase and that punishment that God threatens shall be executed upon him sooner or latter thus the soule from a generall amazement comes to see that it is so and by this meanes he is surprised with a sudden feare of spirit in expectation and suspition of what is discovered left God should lay it upon him in so much that the soule saith What if God should damne me God may doe it and what if God should execute his vengeance upon me the soule feareth that the evill discovered will fall upon him the nature of his feare is this he knoweth there is cause of feare and he cannot beare the evill when it is come He saith I am a sinfull wretch and God may damne me for ought I know and what if God should damne me this is the reason of those phrases of Scripture Wee have not received the spirit of bondage to feare againe the spirit that shewes our bondage and thence comes this feare Hence it is that the Apostle saith to Timothy God hath not given us the spirit of feare That is the spirit of bondage that workes feare therefore the Lord saith by Moses Thy life shall hang in doubt before thee and thou shalt feare day and night thou shalt have no assurance of thy life It is with a soule in this feare as it was with Belshazzar when he commanded the cups to be brought out of the house of the Lord that he and his nobles and his concubines might quaffe in them brave against the God of Israel then came a hand writing against him on the wall and when he saw it his thoughts troubled him and his face beganne to gather palenesse and his knees knocked one against another as if he should say surely there is some strange evill appointed for me and with that his heart began to tremble and shake Just so it is with this feare he that runnes ryot in the way of wickednesse aud thinkes to despise Gods Spirit to hate the Lord Almighty and to resist the work of his grace and saith within himselfe Let us goe heare the minister that we may cavill at him and persecute him Now it may be there comes this feare and hand-writing against him and who knowes but that it may be thus with thee whosoever thou art for this is a note of the child of the devill to hate Gods servants and ministers Now when a wicked man heares this he saith the word of God was profestly spoken against him and these are my sinnes and these are the Judgements and plagues threatned against them and therefore why may not I be damned and why may I not be plagued and thus his heart is full of feare he begins to reason with himselfe what is this the nature of sinne and are these the Judgmēts of God denounced against sinfull creatures why then what if God should lay these Judgemēts upon my soule and who knoweth but God will doe so to me this day plucke me out of the land of the living I am sure my sinnes are such and Gods Judgements are such threatned against them and therefore why may not this be and when he goeth to bed he reasoneth thus what if I never rise more and when he goeth from home what if I never returne more and God may take me with my meate in my mouth and cast me downe into hell fire for ever The soule being in this estate and the heart being thus pestered and plagued with the feare of Gods wrath that followeth a man like a Jailor he is hindred still that he cannot sinne so freely but still the wrath of God pursueth him and saith Do you not feare that God may take you away in the act of sinning and in the middest of your chambring and wantonnesse The heart being thus pestered with this feare it is not able to endure it he labours to drive away this trouble and dread from his mind and still he thinkes God is against him and he heares some behind him saying Thou must come to Judgement and be plagued Now the soule labours to drinke away and play away this Sorrow Another man haply that was a prodigall before riseth now early and will be exceedingly busied about his occasiōs all the day long that these things may take up his mind the reason is there lyeth something at the heart and he cannot tell which way to drive away his feare but he labours all in vaine For this is to make up walls with untempered morter which will presently fall downe it is as much as a man should labour to ease himself of sinne by sinning to give a man cold drinke in a hot burning feaver Thirdly in the third place the Lord pursueth the soule and when the heart cannot be rid of this feare the Lord beginnes to let fly against the soule of a sinner and discharges that evill upon him which was formerly feared and affliction enters into the heart The nature of feare is to feare an evill to come now the Lord makes the soule to see that it is not only great drunkards adulterers that are threatned but every sinfull thought and idle word The soule would faine have driven away this feare but the Lord will not let him but saith these curses shall kindle upon thee and shall continue for ever to thy perdition And hence comes this sorrow the Lord lets in some veine of his vengeance and some secret displeasure of his and makes sinne to stabbe the soule and then the curse lyeth upon him and the Lord as it were kindles the fire of his wrath upon him really and makes him see this is that which he feared Now his conscience is all on a flame within him and
of sinne upon it that whereas before the heart did finde much sweetnesse in these base courses the Lord makes them as bitter as gall or wormewood And then the soule begins to reason thus with it selfe and faith Is it such a thing to be drunke is it murther to envy my brother and can none such enter into the Kingdome of heaven when the soule seeth God taken away heave separated from him he saith Is this the pleasing sin that I have loved and is this the nature of my pride to have God resist me this lies heavy upoÌ„ the heart and at last the soule is resolved to part with his sinne and never to love it more Good Lord do what thou wilt with me only take my soule and save me and take away my lusts and corruptions The heart is content at length that Christ should doe all and now the match is made the sight of sinne from the punishment of it will never separate the soule from sinne nor breake that union that is betweene them Iudas had it in a great measure and God pluckt his sweet morsels from his mouth and made him confesse his sinnes and take shame to himselfe so God doth with many and makes them say I have beene a drunkard and an adulterer and a desperate opposer of God and his ordinances But though Iudas loathed the horrour punishment of sinne yet he had a murtherous disposition still he that had killed Christ went and murthered himselfe too Now from these former conclusions I reason thus If a mans sinnes be his God and if there cannot be two Gods in one heart and if those corruptions of the heart must of necessity be cast out and if the heart will not part with sinne till it be wearied with it and that is done by godly sorroâ—â— then it is a matter of necessity that the heart must be pierced and there must be a separation betweene sinne and the soule before Christ will marry the soule and rule in it or else there shall be two Gods in one heart which cannot be The second thing in this answere is this some may say oh I never found this worke in me Now therefore you must know how ever this worke is wrought in all for the substance of it yet in a different maner in the most For the fashion that God useth in framing the heart is different two men are pricked the one with a pinne the other with a speare two men are cut the one with a pen knife the other with a sword So the Lord deals kindly and gently with one soule roughly with another and handles it marvelous sharply and breakes it all to pieces There is the melting of a thing and the breaking of it with hammers this I say the rather to checke the imagination that harbours in the heart of some men otherwise holy and wise and yet mistaken in this point they thinke the Lord never workes grace but in this extraordinary manner It is true God sometime must use this affrighting of spirit and when proud spirits come to grapple with the Lord he will make their fâ—urdy hearts to buckle And it is true there must be a cleare sight of sinne and the heart must be wearied with the vilenesse of iâ— and be content to part with sinne This is wrought in all but that it must be in all in this extraordinary fearefull maner as it is in some the word saith it is not neither is God bound to any manner there is a difference among persons As for example First if the person be a scandalous liver and an opposer of God and his grace and sets himselfe against the Lord Jesus Christ if he set his mouth against heaven and professe himselfe an enemy to God and to his truth Secondly if a man have harboured a filthy heart and continued long in sinne hath been a close adulterer and continued long in it Thirdly if a man have been confident in a civill course Lastly if God purpose to do some great workes by him In all these foure cases he layes a heavy blow upon the heart commonly the nature of these persons requires it First when any one hath beene an opposer of God and his grace if the Lord should deale gently with him other vile wretches would be ready to say such a man is gone to heaven though he be thus and thus yet the Lord dealt lovingly with him and therefore though I continue in these courses I shall doe well enough Nay delude not thy selfe for the Lord will bruise him and rend the kall of his heart and make him seek to a faithfull minister for direction to a poore Christian for Counsell whom before he despised and the world shall know what it is to oppose God and to persecute his children as he broke Pauls heart and made him say I am he that have persecuted the Saints Commonly the Lord will not shew mercy to such as these are in hugger mugger but wil make the world see their humiliation as they have seen their rebellion and opposition Thus the Lord deales with the secret theefe close adulterer the Lord pluckes away their corruptions makes them vomit up their sweet morsels and then they will say these are my sins and this heart of mine is hardened by the continuance in them And therefore it is that the Lord workes in this manner But if the soule be otherwise trained up among godly parents and live under a soule-saving ministery that saith you cannot goe to heaven by a civill course and you cannot have any dispensation for your prophanation of the Sabbath I say if a man live under such a ministery keepe good company the Lord may reforme this man and cut him off from his corruptions kindly and breake his heart secretly in the apprehension of his sinnes and yet the world never see it In both these we have an example in Lydia and the Iaylor Lydia was a sinfull woman and God opened her eyes and melted her heart kindly brought her to a tast of his goodnesse here and glory hereafter But the Iaylor was an outragious rebellious wretch for when the Apostles were committed to prison he layed them up in stockes and whipped them sore O saies he now I have gotten these precise â—ellowes into my hands I wil have my penny-worths of them Now there was much worke to bring this man home when the Apostles were singing Psalmes there came an earth-quake which made the Prison doores to fly open and the prisoners fetters fall off but yet the Iaylors heart would not shake at last the Lord did shake his heart too and he came trembling and was ready to lay violent hands upon himselfe because he thought the prisoners had beene fled but the Apostles cried to him Doe thy selfe no harme for we are all here with that he fell downe before them and said Men and brethren what shall I doe to be
himselfe displeased with me it is the God of all grace and comfort that hath filled my heart with the venom of his wrath if there be any pitty or compassion in you lend helpe and succour such poore distressed soules if a woman be in travell and her strength faileth her oh what bitter cries shee puts forth with that all her neighbours come to helpe her and when they have done all they can they pray to heaven for that they cannot doe themselves And as it is with a man that is swounding away they runne for strong cordiall water and for this man and that friend to succour him and they cry all help help for the Lords sake he is cleane gone this is all well it is a worke of mercy and pitty But men brethren and fathers you know not the heart breaking sorrows that are in the soules of these poore creatures he lies as it were in childbed and is in the very pangs of conversion and his heart is even now at a ha even now to be converted and loosned from sinne and to have Christ brought into his soule O that God would send some amongst you that you might see some experience of it Oh faith the poore soule will these and these sinnes never be pardoned and will this proud heart never be humbled thus the soule â—ighes mournes and saith Lord I see this and feele the burthen of it and yet I have not a heart to be humbled for it nor to be freed from it Oh whence will it once be did you but know this it would make your hearts to bleed to heare him it is not the swounding away of a man in a qualme No No the sword of the Almighty hath pierced through his heart and he is breathing out his sorrow as though he were going downe to hell and he saith if there by any mercy any love any fellowship of the spirit have mercy upon me a poore creature that am under the burthen of the Almighty O pray and pitty these wounds and vexations of spirit which no man finds nor feeles but he that hath been thus wounded It is the signe of a soule wholy denoted to destruction that hath a desperate disdaine against poore wounded creatures O saith one I hope you have hearing enough have you not it may be you will tumble downe into a well or hang your selfe will you not Oh fearefull is it possible there should harbour such a spirit in any man there is not a greater brand of a man denoted to destruction then this I doe not say onely he is starke naught for the present but it is a fearefull brand of a man denoted to eternall destruction if the devill himselfe were upon earth I cannot conceive what he could doe worse When the woman was about to be delivered the Red Dragon was there ready to destroy the child see what the Prophet David saith of such Lord powre out thy wrath upon the heathen that know not thee and the Kingdomes that have not knowne thy name let thy wrathfull displeasure take hold of them that adde iniquity unto iniquity let them not come into thy righteousnesse let them be blotted out of thy booke What 's the reason of this why did David make this imprecation and say Lord seâ— open the gates of hell that thy wrath may fall upon the soules of such as these are the text saith they persecute him whom thou hast smitten the Lord smites a poore sinner and thou art ready to persecute him too the Lord hath wounded him wilt thou stabbe him to the heart Good Lord adde iniquity to iniquity The sin is marvelous and the curse unconceivable When Amaleck met Israel and tooke them at advantage because they were weake and weary Remember saith the text what he did to thee in the way how he feared not God and the Lord saith I remember what Amaleck did to the people of Israel goe therefore and blot out his name from under heaven and kill all both young and old This is a true type of such as are enemies to the poore Saints of God that are thus desolate and wounded in their consciences their being in the wildernes was a type of the Saints conversion and their comming to Canaan was a type of the Saints ariving at the heavenly City Jerusalem Now canst thou jeere at the Saints that are thus wounded and canst thou wound them further and pierce him to the heart and discourage him The Lord will remember thee in the day of thy death and as thou hast shewed no mercy so shalt thou receive no mercy in that day I have knowne many such opposers of God and his Grace that have beene forced to lay violent hands vpon themselves and when the Lord hath gotten some of them upon their sick bed they lye roaring there and the Lord layes his full wrath vpon them If there be any such in this congregation I pray God let them see some sudden veine of his vengeance that if it be possible they may finde and feele the waight of this trouble of conscience that they themselves also may finde mercy from the Lord. The second part of the Vse is this as we must pitty those thus wounded so hereby we see the best way to send help to such as are wounded in their hearts the woâ—nd is in the heart therefore let the salve be applyed to the heart It is in vaine to tell a poore wounded soule of Hawkes or Hounds or the like hee is not wounded in his body but in his heart the physicke must be applyed to the part diseased If the head be sick or sore you must not apply a salve to the arme and if the brest be ill you must not apply a salve to the foot so it is a vaine thing to offer riches or pleasures or profits to a man that is wounded in his conscience for sin the wound is not there if the wound were in disquietnesse then pleasure will cure it if the wound were in poverty then riches would cure him if the wound were in basenes and contempt then honours would cure him No thy heart is wounded and the conscience is terrified in the apprehension of Gods wrath And therefore apply the spiritual Balme of Gilead even the blood of Christ the case is cleare that all the Crosses and Crucifixes and Agnus dei in the world al the popish pardons can doe no good to a wounded Conscience There is never a popish shaveling under heaven can cure a wouÌ„ded soule hee cannot apply that spirituall salve that should comfort him hee may delude him and lead him into the commission of sinne but he cannot minister any true comfort unto him thus they cure a poore Christian by searing of his conscience and make him sinne so much the more and neuer be troubled for sinne as if a man should kill a sicke person and say now he feeles no hurt so it often fals out that a man
let us admire and blesse this good God and not quarrell with his ministers nor providence and say other men have comfort and therefore why am I so troubled and disquieted how now It is endlesse mercy that thou livest therefore downe with thy proud heart and stifle those distempers of Spirit and say The Lord hath broken and wounded me but blessed be his name that I may come to Church and that he hath not dealt with me as I have deserved but in goodnesse and mercy I hope God in his season will doe good to my soule Secondly let us be wise to nourish this same blessed worke in our hearts for ever let us have our hearts more and more strengthened because thereby our hearts will be more more inabled to beare and undergoe any thing if you have but a little glimpse of hope cover it and labour to maintaine it and if ever God let in any glimpse of mercy into your hearts let it not goe out it is ever good to take that way that God takes the Lord sustaines our hearts with hope hope is the sinewes of the soule therefore strengthen it As a marriner that is tost with a tempest in a darke night when he sees no starres he casts anchor and that cheares him this hope is the anchor of the soule whereby it lookes out and expects mercy from God the poore soule seeth no light nor comfort nothing but the wrath of an angry God and he saith God is a just God and a jealous God even that God whose truth I have opposed is displeased with me then the soule is tossed and troubled and runnes upon the rockes of despaire how shall the soule be supported in this condition you will finde this true one day therefore looke to it before you vile drunkards are now sayling in a faire gale of pleasure and carnall delight but when the Lords wrath shall seaze upoÌ„ you wheÌ„ he shal let in the flashes of hel fire then you are tossed sometimes up to heaven now downe to hell therefore cast anchor now and this hope will uphold you for this hope is called the anchor of the soule Thou dost not yet see the Lord refreshing of thee but it may be otherwise The people of NiniviÌ„e said Who knowe's but God may repent this upheld their hearts and made them seeke to the Lord in the use of the meanes and the Lord had mercy on them If you belong unto the Lord he will come against those drunken proud hearts and rebellious hearts of yours and dragge them downe to hell and make them sorrow for their sinnes And remember this against that day Who knowes but the Lord may shew mercy and therefore yet heare and pray and fast and seeke unto him for mercy We fence those parts of our bodies most that are most pretious and the hurt whereof is most dangerous Hope is called the helmes of salvation and the assurance of Gods love is the head of a Christian now take away a Christians head and he is cleane gone the devil ever labours for that and saith You come to heaven prove it Loe you thinke God hath need of drunkards and adulterers in heaven and will God provide a crowne of glory for his professed enemies Hath God made heaven a hog-fâ—ie for such uncleane wretches as you are No no there is no such expectation of mercy this wounds the head of the soule but hope is the helmet that covers the head of a Christian makes him say I confesse I am as bad as any man can say of me heaven is a holy place and and I have no goodnesse at all in me yet there is hope the Lord may breake this proud heart of mine and take away these distempers of Spirit Now by this meanes the head of a Christian is kept sure Quest. But some will say how shall we maintaine this hope in our hearts and by what meanes may we feed this hope Answ. The meanes are especially three First take notice of the Al-sufficiencie of God as he hath revealed himselfe in his word say not as many do I cannot conceive it or I cannot finde it but what doth the word say Is not God able to pardon thy sinnes away then with those I cannot conceive it and the like Is there any thing hard for me saith God Whatsoever thy estate is there is nothing hard to him that hath hardnesse at command when our Saviour said It is as easie for a camell to goe through the eye of a needle as for a rich man to goe into heaven Good Lord said they Who can be saved But Christ said with God all things are possible if you looke unto man how he is glued to the world so that all the ministers under heaven cannot pull him away but still he will lie and cozen Reason and Judgement cannot conceive how this man should be saved but with God all things are possible See what the Apostle saith Abraham above hope beleeved under hope that he should be the Father of many nations this he did because he knew he which had promised was able to performe it and this did feed his hope he did beleeve above hope in regard of the creature under hope in regard of God As if he had said I have a dead body but God is a living God and Sarah hath a barren wombe but God is a fruitfull God It may be thou sayest Object if any exhortatioÌ„ would have wrought upon me then my heart might have beene brought to a better passe but can this stubborne heart of mine be made to yeild And can these strong corruptions of mine be subdued Howsoever thou canst not doe it Answ. yet God can quicken thee and although thou art a damned man yet he is a mercifull God this all-sufficiencie of God is a hooke whereon our soules hang when the Apostles had prayed that the minds of the Ephesians might be opened and that they might be able to know the love of Christ because some one might say how shall we know that which is above knowledge the text saith Now to him that is able to doe abuÌ„dantly above all that we can thinke or aske according to his mighty power that worketh in us to him be glory As though he had said though you cannot thinke or aske as you should yet God is able to doe exceeding abundantly more then we can thinke or aske so then no more but this we are not able of our selves to thinke a good thought yet there is sufficient power in God and though we are dead hearted and damned wretches yet there is sufficient salvation in God Let us hang the handle of hope on this hooke Secondly the freenesse of Gods promise marvelously lifts up the head above water as the beggar saith The doale is free why may not I get it as well as another This sometimes dasheth our hopes when the soule begins to thinke what mercy is offered he saith
broken heart comes not to flout at the minister nay that is a sturdy heart but a broken heart shakes at the word of God if there come a promise a broken heart trembles lest he hath no share in it and if there be any command he trembles lest he should not be able to obey it but if the Lord meet with some maine lust as secret malice against the Saints of God and secret uncleannesse or the like if the Lord give a wipe at these things in the word thē this broken heart hath enough he hath his load and longs to be private he remembers that truth and the wound being fresh bleeds againe and he mournes againe and laies hold on his heart and saith Good Lord I was this malicious wretch I intended this mischiefe to thy Saints and if it had beene in my power I could have sucked their blood I was that uncleane wretch shall all these sinnes be pardoned and shall all these cursed abominations be removed Can these corruptions be subdued Brethren yee cannot be ignorant how a wounded heart is affected with every touch you that have broken hearts you know it I shall not need to tell you Therefore when ever the Lord comes to rake in those filthy and drunken hearts of yours they will shake within you and you will say this is my sinne and these are my abominations whereby God hath beene so much dishonored The third use is for exhortation if you know these things as I am perswaded you doe then be intreated in the name of the Lord Jesus to walke in that way which God hath revealed this is the basenesse of our hearts we are loath to unbuckle our vile and secret distempers they are shamefull themselves and yet we are loath to take shame for them Therefore deale openly freely with your soules confesse your sins freely that God may deale comfortably with you hath the Lord at any time let in this horrour into thy soule and is thy heart now troubled at the word and after all thy teares and paines and meanes using with uprightnesse doe thy corruptions still remaine are they not yet subdued as they might be canst thou not get any assurance of the pardon of them I say then cast away thy shamefull hiding and concealing of sinne and do not say what will the world and ministers say of me away with these shifts God cals thee to confession the Saints have done it and thou must nay thou wilt doe it if ever thy heart be kindly broken as it should be in some measure pleasing unto God and profitable to thy selfe Object But some will say how may we doe it Answ. For answere thereunto I will first give some direction how to doe it Secondly I will give some motives to worke our hearts to the same First be wise in chusing the party to whom you must confesse your sinnes for every wide mouthed vessel is not fit to receive pretious liquor so this confession is not to be opened to every carnall wretch that will blaze it abroad the minister to whom you confesse ought to have these three graces First hee must be a skilfull and able Minister of God one that is trained up and is master of his Art and so experienced that hee may be able in some measure to finde out the nature of the disease Not that any Minister under heaven can be so wife and holy as to give pardon to a poore sinner but onely hee is able ministerially to doe it under God Hee must be able to approve himselfe the Minister of God hee must have the tongue of the learned and be able to breake the heart and prepare the soule for Christ and then to apply the cooling promises of the Gospell to him There are many who in stead of curing of the soule kill it and by popping the Sacrament into a mans mouth thinke to send him to heaven but in conclusion send him to hell Secondly hee must be a mercifull Physitian one that will pitty a poore soule they that have experience of trouble and misery in themselves are most compassionate to others in distresse he that hath beene tossed in the sea will pitty others that have beene in the same danger If these people had gone to the Scribes and Pharisies they had beene well holpen No but they went to Peter and therefore found helpe when Iudas had sinned and betrayed his Master and his soule was full of horrour he went to the Pharisies and confessed his sinnes but what succour found he they answered him what is that to us Hast thou sinned then beare it and looke to it thy selfe so it is with carnall wretches what comfort yeild they to a poore distressed conscience they adde sorrow to sorrow and say it is nothing but melancholy he hath gotten this by hearing some fiery hot minister or by reading too much in some bookes of election and reprobation Lastly he must be a faithfull minister one that will not fit mens humors nor answere the desires of their hearts in speaking what they would have him but his faithfulnesse must appeare in two things First in dealing plainely with every one though a man be his patron or of what place or condition soever he be if he have a proud heart he must labour to humble him And Secondly as he must apply a salve fitting for the sore so he must be faithfull in keeping secret the sinne that is laid open to him that nothing may fly abroad no not after his death except it be in some cases Now what remaines but that you all be moved to take up this duty and provoke your hearts freely to confesse your evill waies to which purpose let me give you three motives First because it is a very honourable thing will exceedingly promote the cause of a Christian you will hardly yeild to this on the sudden a man doth thinke that if the minister knowes his vilenesse he will abhorre him for it But I assure you brethren there is nothing that doth more set forth the honour of a Christian and winne the love of a minister then this Indeed it is a shame to commit sinne but no shame to confesse it upon good grounds Nay when the heart comes kindly off it is admirable to see how a faithfull minister will approve of such persons his love is so great towards them O saith the minister it did me good to heare that man confesse so freely I hope the Lord hath wrought kindly in him certainely now he is in the way to life and happinesse oh how I love him I could even be content to put that man in my bosome Whereas this overly and loose dealing of yours is loathsome to us doe you thinke we perceive it not Yes we may feele it with our fingers and when you are gone I tell you what we thinke surely that man is an hypocrite he hath a hollow heart he is not willing to
take shame to himselfe for his sinne his confession never comes to the bottome Secondly confession is a matter of great safety I take this to be the only cause why many a man goes troubled and gets neither comfort in the pardon of the sinne nor strength against it because he comes not off kindly in this worke of confession When you doe nakedly open your sinnes to a faithfull minister you goe out in battaile against sinne and you have a second in the field to stand by you but especially there is comfort in this particular for the minister will discover the lusts and deceits and corruptions that you could not finde out and he will lay open all those holds of Sathan and that meanes of comfort that you never knew I am able to speake it by experience this hath broke the necke of many a soule even because he would goe out in single combate against Sathan and doe what he could not revealing himselfe to others for help was overthrowne for ever As it is with the impostumed part of a mans body when a man lets out some of the corrupt matter and so skins it never healing it to the bottome at last it cankers inwardly and comes to a gangrene and the part must be cut off or else a man is in danger of his life so when you let out some corruptions by an overly confession but suffer some bosome lust to remaine still as malice or uncleannesse c. Then the soule cankers and Sathan takes possession of it and the soule is carried into fearefull abominations Many have fallen fouly and lived long in their sinnes and all because they would not confesse freely therefore as you desire to finde out the deceitfulnesse of your corruptions confesse them from the bottome of your soules Thirdly this open and free confession may maintaine the secrecy of the soule for the onlâ— way to have a mans sinnes covered is to confesse them that so they may not be brought upon the stage before all the world Object Oh saith one this is contrary to common reason we are affraid to have our sinnes knowne that is our trouble we keepe our sinnes close because we would preserve our honour Answ. I say the only way for secrecie is to reveal our sinnes to some faithfull Minister for if we confesse our sinnes God will cover them if you take shame to your selves God will honour you but if you will not confesse your sinnes God will breake open the doore of your hearts and let in the light of his truth and the convicting power of his Spirit and make it knowen to men and Angels to the shame of your persons for ever If Iudas had taken notice of his sinne and yeilded to Christs accusation and desired some conference with Christ privately and said Good Lord I am that Iudas and that hell-hound that have received mercy from thee in the outward meanes and have been entertayned among thy people yet it is I that have taken the thirtie pence Lord pardon this sinne and never let this iniquity be laid to my charge I doubt not but though Iudas his soule could not be saved because that now wee know Gods decree of him yet God would have saved him from the publike shame that was cast upon him for it but he did not doe so but hidde his malice in his heart and professed great matters of love to Christ and kissed him and thus he thought to cover his sin wisely but what became of that the Lord forced him to come and to indite himselfe in the high priests hall before the temporall and spirituall counsell So you that keepe your sinnes as sugar under your tongues and will be loose and malitious and covetous still well you will have your thirtie pence still and they are layed up safe as Achans wedge of gold was remember this God will one day open the clossets of your hearts and lay you upon your death beds and then haply yee will prove mad and vomit up all were it not better to confesse your sinnes to some faithfull minister now If you will not give the Lord his glory he will distraine for it have it from your heart blood as Iulian the apostata said when the arrow was shot into his heart he plucked it out and cried saying thou Galilean thou hast overcome me the Lord distrained for his glory and had it out of his heart blood Now I come to the second fruit of contrition which is here plainly expressed and it is this A restlesse dislike of themselves and their sinnes as if they had said Men and brethren we care not what we doe against those evils of ours whereby the Lord hath beene so much dishonoured and we indangered command us what you will we must not rest thus so loathsome are our sinnes that we will doe any thing rather then be as we are So from hence the doctrine is this The soule that is truly pierced for sinne is carried against it with a restlesse dislike and distaste of it or thus Sound contrition of heart ever brings a thorow detestation of sinne this they professedly proclaime before the Apostles As if they had said thus much in more words You say we are they that have crucified the Lord of life and we confesse it oh happy had it beene for us if we had never listened to the plots of the Scribes and Pharisies but that which is past cannot be undone or recalled What must now be done if we rest here we perish forever can nothing be done against these our sinnes that have done so much against the Lord Jesus we must loath ourselves and our sinnes and we must get out of this eâ—â—ate or else we are undone for ever Now for the further opening of this point I will discover these three things First I will shew what a distaste and dislike this is Secondly wherein this hatred and dislike of sinne consists Thirdly I will shew the reason why it must be so For the first namely what dislike this is for the clearing of which you must looke backe to that which I spake before of godly sorrow For of the very same stampe and nature is this dislike and hatred of sinne and it is thus much in effect First there is a hatred in preparation and secondly a hatred in â—sanctification both are saving workes but both are not sanctifying workes vocation is a saving worke but not a sanctifying worke they are two distinct workes This hatred in preparation is that which the Lord workes upon the soule and smites upon the soule and thereby puts this kinde of turning into the heart not that the heart hath any powerfull inward principle of grace before for this is the first that the Lord workes so that as before the soule was forced to see sinne and to feel the burthen of it so the heart is now brought to dislike sinne this is a worke wrought upon the soule rather then any
here thou must not rest but thou huntest for the blood of thy corruptions and thou canst not be quiet till thou seest the death of them the soule can doe little of it selfe but it would have the Lord doe all for it so though thou have not sanctifying grace hast not power of thy selfe to kill thy corruptions yet thou makest all thy friends thou hast to use all meanes to sinke thy enemies that else would sinke thee As it is amongst men when a man hath found his enemy he followes the law hotly and he will have his life or else it shall cost him a fall he pursues him from one court to another and makes all the friends that he can that he may plague him and if all the law in the land will doe it he will have him hanged this is a right hatred indeed so the soule can doe little of it selfe yet it indeavours and makes a levy of forces and prayers and will not leave sin with life it pursues sin hotly and if all Gods words and all the promises and if the grace of Christ will doe the deed it will not rest til it see the decay of sinne and therfore it will even dragge sinne before the Lords tribunall and there cry for judgement and say Lord kill this proud malitious heart of mine these are thy enemies the enemies of thy grace Lord they sought my blood let me have their blood blood for blood tooth for tooth O let me see their destruction The second use is a word of instruction Is this contrition and doth it bring forth such fruits theÌ„ true brokeÌ„ godly sorrow is rare in the world and there are few that have it even amongst those that thinke themselves some body in the bosome of the Church therefore save me a labour and cast your eyes abroad in the world and enquire in the houses and villages where you dwell and knocke at your neighbours hearts and say is there any broken hearts here it will appeare there are but few broken hearts here to be found amongst the professors of the Gospell and so few shall be saved If this true hatred be a true evidence of broken heartednesse what wil become of a world of prophane persons that are caried on with the pursuit of sin from which they will not be pulcked the drunkard will have his cups and the adulterer his queanes and the chapman his false weights they are so farre from this dislike of sinne that they hate every thing save sinne they hate the godly magistrate that would punish them nay they hate the Lord himselfe and say it was pitty there was such a law made to punish sinne what shall we doe let us doe any thing rather then be hindered in our pleasures what shall we do that we may not be checked and reproved get you downe to hell and there you shall have elbow roome enough there you may be as wicked and as prophane as you will and that will be your portion unlesse the Lord be mercifull unto you Consider what the wise man speaks and doe not thinke a little humbling of your soules before God and a few prayers will serve your turne No no then shall they cry saith the text But I will not answer they shall seeke me earely but shall not finde me because they hated knowledge did not seek the feare of the Lord. Oh how feareful is the doom and how certaine is the desolation of such poore wretches Now the Lord for his mercies sake settle these truthes in every one of your hearts Amen FINIS What contrition is Psal. 74.4 Psal. 38.2 Doctrine Esay 45 23.2â— Rom. 29.30 Esay 7. 18. Reason Psalm 103.3 Vse 2 Kingâ— 2â— Vse 2. 3 Cautions Psal. 51. Doctrine Ezek. 36.31 Ierem. 31 29â— Iob. â—â— Iere◠〈…〉 What the true sight of sin is The property of iâ— Psal. 119.36 opened Zach. 11 10. What a horrible thing sinne is 1. Reason Esay 59. â— Reason 2. Reason 3. Psal. 83.2 Why men see not the vilenes of sinne Psalm 50.2 Eccles. 8.11 Mat. 3.45 Iob. 14.17 How to see our sinnes convictingly Pro. 2.19 Iob 13.27 Esay 17.11 Iob. 7.20 Reason Why God convinceth men of their sinnes Acts. 3.17 Vse 1. Luke 29.42 Vâ—e Questiâ—â— Meanes how to see sinne convictingly Marke 10.15 Meanes Rom. 7. Rom. 7.7 Meane 3. Iob. 40.3 1. Shift How the â—oule labouâ—s to beat backe the power of the word Why men make slight account of sinne Iohn 3.3 Heb. 12.14 Rom. 7. Mat. 12.37 Iud. 15. Psal. 50. Ierem. 4.15 How sinfull thoughts are produced Ier. 4â—â— Deut. 28.28.29 Acts. â— 22 2. Shift How the soule puts by the threatnings of the word Iob. 22 13. Esay 5.19 Zeph. 1.12 Prov. 5.21 1. Iohn 3.20 Psalm â—â— Rom. 2.14 Iude. â—â— Deut. 1.14 Mat. 27.3 2 Tim. 2.25.26 Revel 1.21 22. Luke 29.43 Ezek. 14.14 Prov. 2.38 Iob. 6 1â— Mat. 27.46 Motive 1. Luke 19.10 Lament 3.40 Motive 2. Motiâ—e 3. Vse 2. Cor. 3.2 Mat. 7. 〈◊〉 Why mens hearts are not wrought upon in the ministery Doctrine Luke 3.11.12 1 King â—0 â—1 Mat. 23.13.14 Titus 1.20 Object Hosea 2.2 Ezek. â—6 1 Reason 1. Mat. 21.45 Ionah 1.6 Reason 2. Vse 1. Acts 4.22 Kings 14. Vse 2. 2. Tim. â—â— Titus 13.13 Acts. 8.22 Vse 3. How to profit in hearing the word preached Psalm 58.8 2 Sam. â—4 25 A naughty heart discovered 2. Sam. 18 6. How to know whether wee hate sinne Doctrine Psalm 37. 2. Pet. 2.8 Two things in the word Mat. 14. â—4 Lorâ—enâ— â— 19.20 Question What meditation is Psalm 119.59 Dan. 12.4 2. Tim. 3.14 Iob. 5. last Ground 1. Iames 1 2.3 Ier. 8.12 Vse Iudg. 1.12 Deut. 32.6 Rom. 8.15 Iob. 36. â— 10 Prov. 1.26 Mat. â— 1◠〈…〉 Roâ— 8 1â— Psalm 51. â—8 Psalm 14.20 Rom. â— 1â— 1. Tim â— â—7 Iob. 7.19 Iob. 9.18 1. Sam. 12.19 Hosea 14.3 Acts. 9.17 Mat. 19.22 Ier. 4.3 opened Mat. 13. Psalm 51.17 Psalm 29.5 Psal. 90. Sorrow for sin makes us set a high price upon Christ. Quest. 1. Question 2. Answ. Luke 19.10 Answ. Mal. 3.1.2 Twofold sorrow What preparative sorrow is What sorrow in sanctification is Rom. 8.30 Every saving worke is not a sanctifying Simile Luke 19.10 The qualification of those whom Christ will save Iohn 6.44 Iohn 6.35 Mat. 11.28 Esay 61.12 Revel 22.17 Conclusion 1 Mat. 19.21.22 Conclusion 2 Mat. 6.22 Conclusion 3. Hosea 3.3 opened Conclusion 4. All are not alike wounded for sinne Acts 16. Acts 16.30 Mans heart is like a stone Vse 1. How to carry our selves towards such as are wounded for their sinnes Deut. 22.1.2.3 Iob. 19.21.23 Revel 12.4 Psal. 79.24.25.26 Deut. 25.17 Vse 2. Prov. 4.16.17 Genesis 2â— 2. Thes. 2.13 Luke 16.25 1. Kingâ— 21. Esay 6.7.8.9 Vse 3. Hosea 7.14 Maâ— 5. Amos 6.1 Psal. 5. â—â— Psal. 123.2 Doctrine Psal. 77.6.11 Ionah 2.4 The soule hath many shakings Luke 15.18 Reason 1. Esay 57.16 Reason Vse 1. Acts 9. Hosea â— 15 Ios. 7.24 Psal. 103. Vse 2. Hebr. 6.19 Ionah 3.9 1. Thes. 5.8 Meanes how to maintaine our hope when God seemes to walke contrary to us Mat. 15.24 Rom. 4.18.21 Ephes. 3.19.20 Meanes 2. Ezech. 36.26 Mich. 7.18 Esay 43.24.25 Meane Rom. 4.20 Doctrine Note Difference betwixt true and false confession of sinnes Luke 23.40 Note Ezek. 16.16 Luke 19.28 The hollow hearted confessions of hypocrites When a man is bound to confesse his sinnes Iames 5. 16. Popish confession whaâ— Vse 1. Iob. 10.11.12 Vse 2. Acts 5.3 opened To hide our sins a fearefull sinne Prov. 28.13 Vse 2 Esay 66.2 Vse 3. To whom wee should lay opeÌ„ our sins by confession A skillfull minister A mercifull Physitian Mat. 27.4 A faithfull minister and how knowne Motives to confesse our sins Motive 2. Motive 3. Doctrine Dislike and hatred of sinne what it is How the soule is prepared for Christ. Difference betwixt sorrow for sinne and hatred of sin Ezek. 30.31 Luke 19.8 Esay 30.21.22 Wherein a true dislike of sinne consists He desires to have his sinne discovered 1. Sam. 25.20.21 He labours to have his sinne killed He hates sin in others He hates all occasions and meanes of sinning Luke 7.38 Vse 1. Object How to know that your soules are truly broken for sin Psal. 39.24 opened Vse 2. Prov. 28.29 Prov. 1.28
day of accompts there was never sâ—nner broken hearted but God did bind him up and there was never any truly wounded for sinne but God did ever heale and comfort him and therefore labour to looke your face in the glasse of Gods Law and so see your owne spots I confesse this is tedious to your sinnes the plagues due to them but looke thou on them that God may not If an adversary offer meanes of agreement we use to say suffer it not to come to the publike triall for the case is naught I say it will be so with every wicked mans case the Lord hath a controversie with every wicked man and it must be tryed in the publike day of judgment or else you must make a private agreement betweene God and your owne soules If there be any drunkard or adulterer or unjust person that is guiltie of any sinne you had better take up the matter in private Doe not feare to looke upon your sins but bring theÌ„ all out before the Lord and see the ugly face of them and intreate the Lord to seale up unto you the pardon of them that you may never be called to an accompt for them I tell you it is the most comfortable course in the world The last use for instruction to all my fellow brethren let me speake a word to them and to my selfe too let us all take that course in dealing with the people and Gods ordinances which God himselfe takes up As the steward disposeth of every thing at his masters will and the Apothecary orders drugges as the Physitian appoints so let it be with us to we are but stewards and Apothecaries let us take that course and use those meanes that God hath appointed for his peoples good God saith you must see your sinnes and be humbled for them and therefore let us labour to make men see them as the Apostle saith I hope we were made manifest to your Consciences Did not your Consciences say so that you could not gaine-say it we must take up that course the Scripture hath revealed and which the faithfull servants of God have ever used and which God hath ever blessed nay it is our wisdome so to doe Mathew the seventh and the last Christ taught the people with authority not as the Scribes there is a kind of commanding power which the word ought to have upon mens Consciences if a man be a sinner it will reprove him and command reproofes to sease upon him and if he be in distresse of Conscience it will command comfort to take place in his heart Give me leave to speake my thoughts and it is my judgement too What doth it profit a man to scrape up a little Greek and Latine together and to leave the sense of the Scripture undiscovered and the Conscience no whit touched nor the heart stirred He that knowes any thing this way though he were but an ordinary schoole-boy that had but any skill in the tongues if he could not doe it he should be scourged by my consenâ— But let it be in case of Conscience a poore soule comes to anguish of spirit the onely way to â—et this man on foote againe is to answer all his objections and questions and resolve all his doubts and to make the way good and the case cleare Alas this course is not knowne amongst us And in the way of examination if a man come to examine a sinner he takes away all his cavils and all his carnall shifts that he hath to hinder the word and forces the soule to say It is Gods word though he will not entertaine it Let a man try this course and he shall finde a marvellous difficulty this is the reason why our ministery thrives not and the hearts of men are not wrought upon because we labour not the right way to shew men their sinnes and to convince their conscience that they may not flinch out from the ordinances of God Nay I take it to be the speciall cause why after all the pretious promises that God makes knowne no man receives good by them We offer salves to them that know not whether they have any sores or no And we offer Physicke to those that we know not whether they have any disease or no we speake of grace Christ but people thinke they have no need of theÌ„ suffer me to speake my mind herein freely That ministery which doth not ordinarily humble the soule breake the heart doth not convert and draw to Christ but that ministery that doth not inlighten the mind and convince the soule of sinne that never humbles ordinarily and therefore never doth draw home to Christ Now we come to shew the causes why and the meanes how sinners come to see their sinnes The Apostle speakes it to their faces You are they that have committed this sinne you have crucified the Lord of life this is your sinne The Doctrine from hence is this A speciall application of particular sinnes is a chiefe meanes to bring people to a sight of their sinnes and to a true sorrow for them The Apostle doth not generally propound their sins but he comes home to their hearts and it is not onely done in this place but it hath beene the practice of all Gods faithfull ministers heretofore As Iohn Baptist he goes not cunningly to worke secretly to intimate some truths but he deales roundly with them and saith O generation of vipers who fore warned you to flie from the wrath to come And he shewes them their sinnes in particular And when the publicans came to be baptised he saith Receive no more then is appointed for you and he saith to the souldiers Doe violence to no man and be content with your wages he was the minister of humiliation and preparation and therefore he deales thus plainely with them When Ahab had slaine Naboth the Prophet Elias came to him and sayes In the place where dogs lickt the blood of Naboth shall dogges licke thy blood Ahab said Hast thou found me out ô my emenie And he said I have found thee out because thou hast sould thy selfe to worke wickednesse in the sight of the Lord and the text saith When he heard this he put on sacke-cloth and went softly This was the power of a particular reproofe though he were a miserable wicked man Thus did Paul deale with Peter wheÌ„ he halted before the Jewes he did plainly reprove him to his face and that not secretly but because he had sinned openly therefore he reproves him openly so also our Saviour Christ shakes up the Scribes and Pharisees And this is the rule in generall as the Apostle saith Reprove theÌ„ sharply that they may be sound in the faith Oh! but some will say If I doe thus plainly deale with them I shall discourage them altogether Answ. Nay it will make them sound Christians indeed see what the Lord saith Plead with your mother the word
in the originall is Call her into the Court call her by her name and say that shee is not my wife and I am not her husband And the Lord saith by Ezechiel Son of man cause Ierusalem to know her abominations he doth not say cause the country to know her abominations or the country to know the sins of the court but make Jerusalem know her owne abominations The reasons are these First because the word thus applyed hits sooner then otherwise it would A master commands a servant to do such a thing because he names him not one thinkes it is not he and another it is not he only because he is not named So when a minister saith in many things we sinne all he hits no man and so none are affected with it But now particular application brings every mans part and portion and not only sets the dish afore him but cuts him meat and carves for him and we doe in this cause as the nurse doth with the child she not onely sets the meat before it but she minceth it and puts it into the childs mouth the steward doth no◠onely say There is meat enough in the market but he buyes it and brings it home and sees it prepared and gives direction what is for every one The words of a faithfull minister are like arrowes which if they be shot a cocke height they fall down againe and do nothing but when a man levels at a marke then if ever he wil hit it So many ministers can tell a grave faire tale and speake of sinnes in generall and these common reproofes these intimations of sinne are like arrowes shot a cocke height they touch no man but when a minister makes application of sin in particular and saith O all you drunkards and adulterers this is your portion and let this be as venome in your hearts to purge out your lusts When our Saviour Christ lapped up the Pharises all in one speech it is said that they heard the parable and knew that he meant them Overly discourses that they are sinners and great sinners in other countries and you should doe well to looke to your wayes and the like These are like the confused noise that was in the ship when Ionah was asleep in it which never troubled him at last the Master commeth and saith Arise O Sleeper and call upon thy God And as a father observes they came about him and every man had a blow at him and then he did awake So because of generall reproofes of sin termes a farre off men come here and sit and sleepe and are not touched nor troubled at 〈◊〉 But when particular application commeth 〈◊〉 to the heart and a minister saith this is thy drunkennesse and thy adulterie and prophanenesse and this will breake thy necke one day what assurance hast thou got of Gods mercy and what canst thou say for heaven Then men beginne to looke about them There was never any convicting Ministery nor any man that did in plainnes apply the word home but their people would be reformed by it or else their consciences would be troubled and desperately provoked to oppose God and his ordinances that they may be plagued by it The word of God is like a sword the explanation of the text is like the drawing out of this sword and the florishing of it and so long it never hits But when a man strikes a full blow at a man it either woūds or puts him to his fēce so the application of the word is like the striking with the sword it will worke one way or other if a man can fence the blow so it is I confesse it is beyond our power to awaken the heart but ordinarily this way doth good Secondly as the word of God particularly applyed hits soonest so it sinckes deepest the words of the wise are compared to nailes fastened by the masters of assemblies the doctrine delivered is like the nailes pointed but when it is cleare and then particularly applyed it is like the setting on the nailes fast upon the hearts and consciences of men And this I take to be the reason why many that have come many times to oppose the ministers of the Gospell yet God hath broken in upon them and humbled their hearts made them see their miserable condition Gather up all then if a plaine and particular application of the word hits the heart soonest sincks deepest into the heart then it is a speciall meanes to worke a sight of sinne and affect the heart with sorrow for it But the former part is true Therefore the latter cannot be denied The first use is for instruction Here we finde the reason why plaine teaching findes such opposition why it is so cavilled at by all ministers others because thereby the eye of the soule comes to be opened and all a mans abominations are discovered and his conscience is pinched by the same Our Saviour saith He that doth evil hates the light lest his deeds should be reproved as a theefe hates the light and the lantorn-bearer because they shew his villany so they that are guilty of many sinfull courses and base practises hate the minister that brings the word with any power to their soules A malefactor at the Assises can be content to see an hundred men in the towne and is never troubled with them but if he sees one man that comes to give in euidence against him and knowes his practises Oh how his heart riseth with desperate indignation against that man Oh saith he this is he that seekes my life he will make my necke cracke so it is with this soule saving ministery it is that which brings in a bill of inditement against a man Now a man can be content to come and heare though it be never so many sermons but if a minister comes in for a witnes against him and begins to arraigne him and to indite him for his pride and malice and covetousnesse and to convince him of them and to lay him flat before the Lord his conscience Oh then he is not able to beare it What is the reason of this He can heare others quietly and say oh they are sweet men they deale kindly and comfortably Why The masse bites not as the proverbe is such a kind of ministery workes not at all and this is the reason why they are not troubled but goe away so well contented I have sometime admired at this why a company of Gentlemen yeomen and poore women that are scarcely able to know their A. B. C. Yet they have a minister to speake Latine Greeke and Hebrew and to use the Fathers when it is certaine they know nothing at all The reason is because all this stings not they may sit and sleep in their sinnes and go to hell hoodwinckt never awakened and that is the reason they will wellcome such to their houses and say oh he is an excellent man I
would give any thing I might live under his ministery It is just Ahabs old humour he could sute seasonably with foure hundred false Prophets and if there had beene five thousand more they should all have been accepted of him but when Iehosaphat said Is there never another Prophet of the Lord Oh yes saith Ahab there is one Micaiah but I hate him he never spake good to me that is he never soothes me up So it was the temper of the people mentioned in the Acts when the Apostle saw they were a rebellious people he deales plainely with them but they cryed Away with such a fellow he is not worthy to live What said they then it seemes we shall be cast off from the Lord and be his people no more they were not able to beare that people in this case deale with Gods faithfull ministers as the widdow of Sarepta did whē the Prophet had told her that the meale in the barrell and the oyle in the cruse should not decrease all this while he was welcome but when her child was dead Oh what have I to doe with thee thou man of God thinking indeed that the Prophet had killed her sonne So all the while we set the doores open wide that all the drunkards and adulterers in the country may goe to heaven you like us well enough and we are as welcome as may be and we are marvellous good preachers and you thinke us fit for the pulpit but if we come once to lay sinne to your charge and to threaten condemnation for it to say If God be in heaven you shall never come there if you continue in your sinnes oh then they are up in armes and say as the widdow did Are you come to slay our soules and awaken our consciences beloved this argues a spirit that never found the power of the word But it is our duties and we must doe it and howsoever it is not accepted of the wicked yet it shall finde entertainment with God and he shall give us our reward at that great day Secondly it is a word of reproofe suffer me to deale plainly in this kinde if particular application be so powerfull and so profitable let me speake a word of my selfe and to my fellow-brethren It falls heavy on us that are not willing to practice the same but rather oppose it in others that desire to doe it this plain and particular application is accounted a matter of sillinesse and want of wisedome and rashnesse and a thing which befits not a pulpit but a mans words must be sweet and toothsome and he must have a tender hand over men whosoever they be be they never so prophane Nay I dare say if the Devill himselfe were here he 〈◊〉 not be troubled ministers must lay bolsters under mens heads and sow pillowes under their elbowes that they may sit easily and not trouble drunkards and adulterers but let them be still in their sins and so let them goe downe to hell this is that which the Devill loves and takes much content in And it is certaine if he could prevaile no other course should be taken up if a great man be present or a patron that we looke for a living from if my eares had not heard it I could not have beleeved it it is strange to thinke how they daube this over If their sinnes be so grosse that all the Congregation would cry shame if he did not reproofe them what will they say reprove you we will not we dare not but beseech you and desire you as every man hath his infirmitie a word to the wise is sufficient c. I blame my selfe so farre as my base feare possesseth me but brethren what will become of preaching in conclusion if this may take no place in the hearts of people and yet notwithstanding all this there is one thing to be considered if there be but any upright hearted minister or sincere Christian that is more exact then ordinary what will the carnall ministers doe though they have no reason in the text no ground in the word to warrant them though they cannot condemne a poore Christian upon good grounds yet they will invent new wayes and wrest the Text to dishonour Gods name and then in all bitternes they can vent themselves against faithfull Christians and conscionable ministers and hence the hands of the wicked are strengthened and the hearts of Gods people are much daunted and the Gospell of Jesus Christ prevailes not in the heart of such as it is preached unto Let us see what it is that God requires of us marke the severe charge and command that the Apostle gives his scholar Timothy I charge thee before God and the Lord Iesus Christ who shall Iudge the quicke and the dead preach the word be instant in season and out of season reprove rebuke as if he had said the stubborne hearts of men need this specially reproving and therefore doing this is the maine thing that God requires and the maine end for which the word serves Sharp reproofes makes sound Christians He that heales overly hurts more then he heales are there not many to be humbled and are there not many lusts raigning in the hearts of men and women Let us therefore throw away this shamfull hiding and make our ministery knowne to the soules of those to whom we speake Object But some will object against this preaching that it is nothing but the rashnes of mens spirits a kind of rayling that fits not a pulpit Answ. To this I answere the Prophets of God ever used and practised it and the holy Apostles which were inspired in an extraordinarie measure of the spirit did imitate Christ and his Prophets and God commanded Esay to lift up his voice as a trumpet and shew my people their transgressions and the house of Iacob their sinnes That is tell the drunkard and adulterer of their sinnes Did Christ and his Apostles raile Are these men onely wise Oh fearefull that the soules of men should be so desperately transported against the truth of God you that have had any such thoughts against the power of God in the ministery of the word repent and pray that if it be possible the words of your mouthes and thoughts of your hearts may be forgiven The Apostles and Christ himselfe used this kind of teaching Woe unto you Scribes and Pharisies seven times together if Christ had now lived you would have said he had railed Oh fearefull I tell you this is the next sinne against the sinne of the holy Ghost Object Ay but Secondly they object in this last age of the world there is a difference to be put it is true if men were not taught this were necessary but now in these times of knowledge what needs all this adoe all those troubles and reproofes what shall we make men to be chamlings to mince their meat for them no set their meate set the word before them and