and yelling They shall never more bee heard tho with much violence they throw their serikings into the Aire and cry with sighes and groanes as piercing as a sword Not but that the Gates of Heaven and armes of mercy may stand wide open untill their last breath But alas They have already so hardened their hearts that they cannot repent After thine hardnesse saith Paul and heart that cannot repent They now but howle upon their Beds they doe not cry unto God with their heart as the Prophet speakes Hos. 7.14 Their earnest and early crying in this last extremity is onely because Their feare is come upon them as desolution and their destruction as a whirlewinde When they cast out their considerations for comfort It is not the whole Creation can possibly help them for they must stand or fall to the Tribunall of the everlasting God mighty and terrible the Creator of the ends of the Earth If they looke up to God the Father that Prov. 1.24.26 comes presently into their heads with much horrour and quite kills their hearts Because Hee hath called all our life long and all that goodly time wee refused Hee will laugh now at our calamity and mocke when our feare is come Iesus Christ as they strongly conceive and un-mooveably conclude against themselves hath now to them for ever closed up His wounds as it were and will not afford them one drop of His blood because they have so often by comming unworthily spilt it in the Sacrament persecuted Him in His members and despised Him in the Ministry The blessed Spirit because in the Day of visitation they repelled all his inward warnings and holy motions preferring Satans impure suggestions before His sacred inspirations doth now in their own acknowledgement by the equity of a just proportion in this Day of vexation leave them to eat the fruit of their former wilfulnesse and reape the reward of their owne wayes Thus these forlorne wretches are disclaimed forsaken and abandoned of Heaven and Earth God and Man of all the comforts in this life and blessings of the World to come And so by finall despairing of Gods mercy the greatest of sinnes they most unhappily and cursedly follow Iudas the worst of men into the darkest and most damned nooke in Hell 2. Others die senselesly and blockishly They demeane themselues upon their dying Beds as tho there were no immortality of the Soule no Tribunall aboue no strict account to bee given up there for all things done in the flesh no everlasting estate in the world to come wherein every one must either lie in unspeakeable paines or live in un-utterable pleasures In their life time they were never woont to tremble at Gods judgments or rejoyce in his promises or much trouble themselves with the ministry of the Word or about the state of their soules All was one to them what Minister they had whether a Man taught to the kingdome of Christ or a generall Teacher or an ignorant Mangler of the word or a dissolute fellow or a Dawber with untempered morter or a dumbe Dog If they were neither Whores nor Thieves but well accounted of amongst their neighbours thriued in the world prospered in their outward state prouided for posterity slept in a whole skinne were not vexed on the Lords day with any of these precise Trouble-townes They were well enough and had all they looked for either in this world or in the world to come Wherefore at their death by reason of their former disacquaintance with spirituall things and God not opening their eies they are neither afflicted with any feare of Hell or affected with any hope of Heaven they are both un-apprehensive of their present danger and fearelesse of the fiery lake into which they are ready to fall In these regards they are utterly untouched die most quietly and without any trouble at all And it is their ordinary Answere when they are questioned about their spirituall state and How it stands with them betweene God and their owne Consciences I thanke God nothing troubles me Which tho they thinke it makes much for their owne credit yet alas It is small comfort to judicious By-standers and such as wish well to their Soules But rather a fearefull confirmation that they are finally giuen ouer to the spirit of slumber and sealed up by divine justice in the sottishnesse and security of their owne senselesse hearts for most deserved condemnation Thus these men as One speakes live like stocks and die like blocks And yet the ignorant people saith Greeneham will still commend such fearefull deaths saying He departed as meekely as a Lambe Hee went away as a bird in a shell when they might as well say but for their featherbed and their pillow hee dyed like a beast and perished like an Oxe in a ditch 3. Others die formally I meane they make very goodly shewes and representations of much confidence and comfort Having formerly beene formall Professours and so furnished with many formes of godly speeches and outward Christian behaviours And the spirit of delusion and spirituall Selfe-cousenage wich in their life time detained them in constancy of security and selfe-conceitednesse about the spirituall safty of their soules without any such doubts troubles feares temptations which are woont to haunt those who are true of heart for ordinarily such is the peace of unsound Professors continuing their imaginary groundlesse persvasion and presumption in the height and strength unto the end for their very last breath may bee spent in saying Lord Lord open unto us as wee see in the foolish Virgines and those Mat. 7. I say such men as these thus wofully deluded and fearefully deceiving others may cast out upon their last beds many glorious speeches intimating much seeming confidence of a good estate to God-ward contempt of the world willingnesse to die readinesse to forgiue all the world hope to bee saved desire to bee dissolved and goe to Heaven c. They may cry aloud with a great deale of formall confidence Lord Lord Mercy Mercy in the name of Christ Lord Iesus receive our spirits c. And yet all these goodly hopes and earnest eiaculations growing onely from a forme not from the power of godlines are but as I said somewhere before as so many catchings and scrablings of a Man over-head in water He strugles and strives for hold to save Himself but he graspes nothing but water it is still water which He catches and therefore sinkes and drownes They are all but as a spiders web Iob. 8. 14.15 Vpon which One falling from the top of an house laies hold by the way for stay and support Hee shall leaâ—e upon his house but it shall not stand Hâ—e shall hold it fast but it shall not endure O how many descend faitlâ— an ancient Father with this hope to eternall trauailes and torment How many saith an other worthy Doctour goe to Hell with a vaine hope of Heaven whose chiefest
Come life come death come Heaven come Hell come what come can here will I sticke for ever And if ever I perish they shall plucke mee out of the hands and rent mee from betweene the armes of this mighty glorious and dearest Redeemer of mine 6. And having now taken Christ as a Saviour to free him from the miseries of sinne hee is willing also to take him as a Lord Husband and King to serve love and obey him For every one that is truly Christs doth as well thirst heartily and syncerely indeavour after mortification conquest over corruptions sanctification purity new-obedience ability to do or suffer any thing for Christ as for pardon of sinne and salvation from hell And therefore he willingly takes upon him his yoake which tho so called yet is easie and light enters in earnest into the narrow way which tho it bee every where spoken against as it was in Pauls time Act. 28.22 yet in truth and upon triall is most pretious profitable and pleasant See Prov. 3. Happy is the man that findeth wisedome to wit in the word to walke in the wayes of God Shee is more pretious then rubies and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her Length of dayes is in her right hand and in her left hand riches and honour Her wayes are wayes of pleasantnesse and all her pathes are peace Hee now for the short remainder of his abode in this vale of teares vowes and gives up the flower and prime of all his abilities loves joyes endeavours performances in any kinde to the highest Majesty and consecrates all the powers and possibilities of body and soule to doe him the best and utmost service hee can any wayes devise unto his dying day And still grieves and walkes more humbly because hee can doe no better For then hee casts his eyes upon God the Fathers free love and Christs deare passion hee thinks with himselfe and so hee well may that if hee were able to doe him as much service as all the Saints doe both in this and the Church above with addition of all Angelicall obedience it were all infinitely lesse then nothing towards the discharge of his debt and incomprehensible everlasting obligation 7. And being thus incorporated into Christ he presently associates himself to the brotherhood to the Sect that is every where spoken against For so is profession accounted Act. 28.22 After that Peters hearers were pricked in their hearts they were counselled to repent believe be baptised c. and to save themselves from that untoward generation He now beginnes to delight himselfe in them whom hee heartily hated before I meane the people of God Professours of the truth and power of religion and that as the most excellent of the earth the only true Noble Worthies of the World worthy for ever the flower fervency and dearenesse of his most melting affections and intimate love And hee labours also might and maine to ingratiate himselfe into their blessed communion by all ingagements and obligations of a comfortable fruitfull and constant fellowship in the Gospell By an humble mutuall entercourse and communication of holy conference heavenly counsell spirituall encouragements consideration one of another confirmation in grace and in assurance of meeting in heaven c. resolved to live and die with these neglected happy Ones in all faire and faithfull correspondence sweetest offices of Christianity and constant cleaving to the Lord Iesus and his glorious cause Nay assured to raigne with them hereafter everlastingly in fullnesse and height of all glory joy and blisse For if once this divine flame of brotherly love bee kindled by the Holy-ghost in the hearts of true hearted Christians one towards another it hath this propertie and priviledge above all other loves that it is never after put out or quenched but burnes in their brests with much affectionate fervor with mutuall warmth of dearest sweetenes here upon earth and shall blaze eternaly with Seraphicall heate in the highest heavens hereafter In the meane time he makes cōscience of sympathizing both with their felicities and miseries His heart is enlarged with lightsomenesse or eclipsed with griefe as hee heares of the prosperity or oppression of Gods people I the rather here mention this marke of the true convert because it is so much required nay infinitely exacted at our hands in these heavy times of the Church And therefore may bee to every one of us an evident Touch-stone to try whether our profession bee vitall or formall If those terrours which I have heretofore many times threatned out of Gods Booke against all those pittilesse and hard-hearted Caniballs which take not the present troubles of the Church to heart upon purpose to breake in pieces those flinty Rockes which dwel in some mens brests and to drive us all to compassionatenesse prayer dayes of humiliation and parting from our evill wayes I say if they have beene thought by any to have been pressed too precisely and peremptorily heare what I have since seene in Austin and what a peremptory censure hee doth passe upon those who want a fellow-feeling in such a case If thou hast this fellow-feeling thou art of that blessed body and brotherhood if not thou art not And here can I hardly hold but were it incident I should desire to cry out with a voice lifted vp like a trumpet against all those prophane Esaus swinish Gadarens senselesse Earth-wormes who all this while that so many noble limbes of that great blessed body of the Reformed Churches have laine in teares and bloud did never take to heart to any purpose or trouble themselves at all with their grievous troubles but have sottishly and securely laine at ease in Zion liable to that horrible curse denounced against Meroz Curse yee Meroz sayd the Angell of the Lord curse yee bitterly the Inhabitants thereof because they came not to the help of the Lord against the mighty Iudg. 5.23 They have not helped the people of God so much as with any hearty fellow-feeling wrastling with God in praier set daies to seeke the returne of Gods face and favour c. Men they are of the World which have their portiō in this life who feele nothing but worldly losses know nothing but earthly sorrowes rellish nothing but things of sense If they be stung with a deare yeare rot of cattel losse by surety-ship ship-wrack robbery fire c. they houle and take-on immoderately But let Ioseph bee afflicted Gods people in disgrace the Ministry hazarded Christ spouse sit in the dust the Daughter of Zion weepe bitterly and have none to comfort her c. And these mercilesse mē are no whit moved They have not a teare a groane or sigh to spend in such a ruful case Whereby they infallibly remonstrate unto their owne consciences that they are no living members of Christs mysticall body have no part in the holy fellowship of the Saints no spark of spiritual
their beauty and magnitude which in their continuall and contrary motions are neither repugnant intermixt or confounded By these potent effects wee approach to the knowledge of the Omnipotent cause and by these motions their Almighty mover Whensoever therefore that most implacable and everlasting enemy to Gods glory and the good of his Children shal go about to pervert and crosse by his blasphemous injections these sober and sacred conceptions of the thrice glorious ever-blessed Deity planted in thy minde by his owne Word and this visible World bid him by the example of thy Lord and Master avoide and avant trample upon his hellish spite appeale unto Gods righteous Throne with protestation of thine innocency damning them unto the Pit of Hell in thy Iudgement and hating them not without horrour from the very heart-roote and so truly resisting them crying mightily unto God for pardon wherein soever thou shalt faile about them and for power against them and then possesse thy humble soule in patience and peace 8. Being humbled by them making an holy use of them perusing and applying the considerations and counsels in hand for comfort in them and conquest over them doe not by any meanes continue to afflict and torture thy spirit about them Let them now passe away and bee packing abandon them with an holy detestation contempt and slighting without any such dismayednesse and terrour as most unworthy of any longer taking to heart or notice of much lesse of that carking and trouble as to terrifie in-dispose dis-able thee for a chearefull discharge of either of thy Callings particular or generall Divines hold even godly sorrow unseasonable when it unfitteth the body or minde to good duties or to a good and chearefull manner of doing them how much more would they not have these hellish distractions and intrusions to dishearten thee in this kinde But least of all of that pestilent prevailing as to fill thine heart with extraordinary astonishment horrour and doubting whether such monstrous injections bee incident to sanctified soules a saving state and habitation of the holy-Ghost and so to put thee into a habit of heavy walking and secret sadnesse by reason of continuall questioning the soundnesse of thy conversion the constancy of Gods love unto thee former assurance of an immortall Crowne and whether it bee possible that Iesus Christ should dwell in a soule hanted with such horrible thoughts Procurement of which miseries molestations is the Adversaries only aime For so immesurably malicious is He that if he cannot plunge thee into the pit of hell and everlasting flames in the World to come yet will be labour might and maine to keep thee upon the Rack and in as much terrour as hee can possibly all thy life long in this vale of teares Suffer then this advise to sinke seriously into thy heart Being illightned rightly informed and directed about them let them no longer astonish thy spirit detaine thee in horrour hurt thy heart or hinder thee in any duty to God or man or in an humble comfortable and confident walking with thy God as thou art woont or of thy former sweet communion with Iesus Christ. And the rather because First It is the Tempters earnest end only out of pure spite to put this imposture and unnecessary vexing perplexities upon thee Secondly The more thou art troubled with them and takes them to heart for that is it hee would have the more violently and villanously will he presse them upon thee and terrifie Thirdly They are not thine but his fearefull sinnes Hee alone must answer for them at that great and last Day and thou goe free It is his malicious madnesse of such a prodigious nature and notoriousnesse as is beyond conceit and above all admiration onely fit for a Divell That Hee may trouble thee temporally Hee mightily aggravates his owne eternall torment In a second place let mee tender unto thee an Antidote which hath been found soveraigne and succesfull this way The summe of it is this Let the tempted Christian labour to worke and extract by the blessings of God some spirituall good out of the horrible hell of these most hatefull abominable blasphemous suggestions And if Satan once see that thou sâ—cks honey out of his poyson comfort out of his cruelty medicine out of his malice hee will have no heart or hope to goe on no courage or contentment to continue the temptation Take it in the sense if not in the same wordes without any variation or enlargement as it was applied and prosper'd Spitefull and malicious Fiend cursed enemie to heaven and earth by the mercies of God hough thy purpose be most pestilent yet thou shalt not hurt or have any advantage against mee hereby Thy base and dunghill injections tending to the dishonour of my God and my Christ c. shall make mee 1. More hate thine infinitely hatefull and revengefull malice against that thrice-glorious and ever-blessed Majesty above 2. With more feeling and dearenesse to adore and love the glory and sweetnesse of my God and my Redeemer For the more excessive and endlesse I feele thy spite against Him the more I know is his incomprehensible excellency and worth 3. To pray oftner and more fervently that my God would rebuke thee and cast this extreme malice of thine as dung upon thine owne face 4. To bee still more humbled under the hand of my mighty Lord because I cannot bee more humbled and with more resolution and abhorrence abominate and abandon such prodigiously-senselesse and hellish blasphemies of His for I am sure they are none of mine into the bottomlesse bottome of that darkest Dungeon In the blackest horrour whereof they were most maliciously and monstrously hatched 5. To take up a strong argument and answer against an other of thy cursed injections tending to Atheisme and the not Being of those endlesse joies above Because I most plainely and palpably feele thee an invisible spirit casting into my imagination such horrid absurd and ridiculously impious thoughts which cannot possibly spring ordinarily or naturally from any power or possibilitie of mine own soule I know thereby and assure my self that there is also an infinite most wise and glorious Spirit which created both me and thee And will in due time chaine Thee up for ever in the Pit of Hell and bring mee at length by the blessed merit of his only dearest Sonnes bloodshed into the bosome of his owne glory and everlasting blisse 6. To confirme mine owne heart with stronger assurance which is no meane benefit that I undoubtedly belong unto God and am in a gracious state For thou well knowest and so doth mine owne Soule that thou never troubledst me to any purpose with these ougly blasphemous thoughts while I yet lay starke dead in sinnes and trespasses and drown'd full deepe in vanity and lust in carnall loosenesse and sensuall courses Then thou being the strong Man possessedst mee wholly and all was quiet because all was
Ioannes percelebrem illam concionem in Ecclesiâ recitavit cujus exordiumest Herodias denuò insanire denuò commoveri denuò saltare pergiâ— denuò â—â—put Ioinnâ—s in disco accâ—pere quaerit Socra Hist. Ecclesiast Lib. 6. cap. 16. c Let none marvâ—ll why I 〈◊〉 medâ—le with 〈◊〉 especially in this time of peace and prosperity of the Gospell as tho it were unnecessary and unseasonable For Austâ—â— tels us truly Illi maxime perseâ—â—untur Ecclesiam qui â—â—â—reâ—â—iani nolunt benè vivere Per hos enim opprohrâ—um habet Ecclesia ab his inimicitias sustineâ— quando corripiuntur quando male vivere non permusuntur quando cum eis vel verbo igitur iâ—si mala in suis â—ordibus meditantur erumpendi occasionem requirunt In Psal. 30. pag. 205. Those especially persecute the Church who professing Christianity will not live graciously c. Ier. 20.2.3 1. King 22.24.25 1. Maccab. 9. Acts 12.23 Acts and Monuments pag. 1787. Nullus semel ore receptus pollutas patitur sanguis mansuescere fauces d Cum quotidiè nostram sanctificationem blasphemant quid aliud blasphemant quà m spiritum sanctum Aug. Tom. 10. par 1. pag. 45. e Et nulli nocentiores habentur quà m qui sunt ex omnibus innocentes Lactant. lib. 5. Cap. 9. f Bonus vir Cajâ—s Seius sed malus tantùm quia Christianus Tertul Apol. pag. 1. g 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Act. 24.5 h 2. Timot. 4.17 Ezek. 2.6 i I know the Booke is not of divine authority and therefore the Place quoted taken only from the hand of an humane Historian And so conceiue of it But we see the Authors conceite of that wicked man If any thinke that God is said to have had no mercy upon him onely in respâ—ct of deliveranâ—e from his disease Heare what some say in the case Antiochus was indâ—ed reâ—lly and seriously grieved and acknowledged that his affliction was for His sins lib. 1. cap 6. â— 11. 〈◊〉 was nâ—t truly penitent for the offence committed against God and his neighbâ—â—◠〈…〉 his owne calamity and misery and therefore could not obtaine mercy to remision of 〈…〉 of the punishment So also the damned in Hell know and confesse that they are panâ—sheâ— for their sinnes but have not true repentance for their offence against God Of this easure and glosse let the Authours render a reason themselues In Antioche saith Cyprian Anâ—ichrâ—â—us expressus De Exhort Martyr ij Cap. 11. Est quaedam precum omnipotentia k Cùm Arrius Constantinopoli in Ecclesiae communionem recipiendus esset Alexander eâ—us urbâ—s Episcopus toâ—â nocte in templo prostratus oravit Deum ut Ecclesiam praesenti periculo liberaret de Arrio blasphemiarum poenas reposceret Postridie Arrius mâ—gnâ suorum catervâ in templum deductus inter cundum corripitur horribilibus ventris torminibus laxatâ—que alvo petit latrinam in quâ sedens vnâ— cum excremenâ—is effudit jecur intestina impuramque animam sortitus soedum suaque impietate dignum exitum Sozom. lib. 2. cap. 28. Bucol Anno Christi 336. l When the wicked perish there is shouting Prov. 11.10 m Haec forma praecipuè notat laxat eos qui eâ—ant in aliquâ dignitate seu authoritate uterant judices seniores plebis qut sedere convemâ—e solebant in loco publicorum judiciorum ubi de Râ—p rebus sorysageadum erat Iudicia enim exercebantur inportis Ruth 4. Putatis hoc fratres Christo tantummodò conâ—â—giâ—se Quotidie illi in membris ejus contingit quando forte necesse erit servo Dei prohiâ—erâ—eb ietatâ—s luxurias in aliquo velfundo vel oppido ubi non auditum suerit verbum Dei August in Psal. 69. Putatis Catholicos defuisse aut deesse posse qui causâ humanae gloriae paterentur Si non essent hujusmodi homines non dâ—â—ereâ— Apostolus si tradidero corpus meum ut ardeam charitatom auâ—em non habeam nihil mihi prodest Sciâ—bat ergò esse posse quosda qâ—i hoc jactatione â—acerent non dilectione August in Psal. 44. pag 474. This humour also haunted the Heathen amongst whom the most wicked did in some sort desire to leave some remembrance of themselves to posterity Witnes that unknowne fellow who of set purpose did burne the Temple of Diana in Ephesus who being demanded wherefore he did it answereâ— that hee determined by some notable villany seeing by vertue hee could not to leave some memory behind him after his death Hence it was that sometimes they would adventure desperately and passe thorow with extraordinary courage many corporall afflictions for praise of men or to bee any waies famous in following ages Ezek. 13 11. Isai. â— 15 The Prophet which telleth lyes is the taile Ezek. 13.10 Isai. 9.5 Matth. 7.23 Many having served their appetites all their lives presume to thinke that the severe CommaÌ„dements of the All-powerfull God were given but in sport and that the short breath which we draw when death presseth us if wee can but fashion it to the sound of mercy is sufficient O quà m multi saith a reverend Father cum hâc spâ— ad aeternos labores bella descendunt Rawl in the Preface to His History of the World Many coÌ„ceit as great an efficacy in these five words Lord have mercy upon mee spoken with their last breath for their translation of their soules into heaven as the Papists doe of their five words of consecration for the transubstantiation of their Hoste Dike a Osiander Cent. 4 pag. 174. b Epiphan Her 80. Many of the Turkes â—ight by turning Christians have saved their lives and would not chusing rather to dye and as iâ— is reported also to kill themselves then to forsake their damnable superstition Hist. of the Turkes pag. 284. The Assasins are a company of most desperate and dangerous meÌ„ among the Mahometans who strongly deluded with the blind zeale of their superstition and accounting it meritorioâ—s by any meanes to kill any great enemy of their religion for the performaÌ„ce therof as men prodigall of their lives desperately adventure theÌ„selves unto all kind of dangers Histor. of the Turkes pag. 120. a Vir pius ex periÌ„culis vires majores colligit Eos non vis temporis non Principis terror non oratio non invidia noÌ„ metê° no accusator non calummator non bellumapertè inferens non clandestinas insidias struens non in speciem noster non alienus non aurun hoc est occultus tyrannus per quem nunc multa sursum deorsumque velut in talorum ludo sactantur non verboâ—â—m illecebrae non minae non diuturna repetita exilia solt enim honorum proscriptioni in eos propter magnas iâ—as divitias quae in paupertate sitae sunt nihil licuit non aliud quidpiam absentium aut praesertium aut in expectaâ—ione positorum extulit aut adducere potuâ—t ut detertores fierent Iâ—rmò contrà ex ipsis periculis vires
of that Antichristian cut-throate Position Of keeping no oath nor faith with Infidells and Hereticks unhappily undertooke to absolve Vladisâ—aus the King the rest whom it did concerne from that solemne oath for confirmation of a concluded peace taken of Him upon the Holy Evangelists and of Amurath by His Ambassadors upon their Turkish Alcaron Whereupon they resolutely breake the league raise a great Army presently and against their oath and promise set upon the Turke with periury and perfidiousnes accompanied with Gods curse exposed the Christian party to a most horrible overthrow in that bloudy battaile of Varna and cast upon the Profession of Christ such an aspersion and shame that not all the bloud of that rope of Popes which constitute Antichrist could ever be able to expiate Looke upon the story and consider what a reproch and inexpiable staine doth rest upon the face of Christian religion by this wicked Stratagemme of Popish treachery and that even upon record to all posterity For Amurath the Turkish Emperour in the heate of the sight pluckt the writing out of His bosome wherein the late league was compris'de and holding it up in his hand with his eyes cast up to Heaven said thus Behold thou crucified Christ this is the league thy Christians in thy Name made with Me which they have without cause violated Now if Thou be a God as they say Thou art and as wee dreame reuenge the wrong now done unto Thy Name and Mee and shew thy power upon Thy periurious people who in their deeds deny Thee their God 2. Secondly Sith a stocke of grace and the comforts of a sound conscience be onely able to crush all crosses out-face all aduersaries take the sting out of all sorrowes and sufferings and serve in the evill Day as a soveraigne Antidote to save the Soule from sinking into the mouth of despaire and extremest horrour then three sorts of people here offer themselves to be censured and are to bee frighted and fir'd out of their damned security and cruell case 1. Those fooles Sonnes and daughters of confusion and sloth who having a price in their hands to get wisedome yet want hearts to lay it out for spirituall provision before hand They enioy by Gods rare and extraordinary indulgence and favour life strength wit health and many other outward happinesses nay the most glorious Day of a gracious visitation that did ever shine upon Earth many golden and goodly oportunities many blessed seasons and sermons to enrich their foules abundantly with all heavenly treasures and yet they are so farre from spending their abilities entertaining those mercifull Offers and apprehending such happy aduantages for their true and eternall good that they most unworthily and unthankfully abuse mispend and dis-imploy all their meanes time and manifold mercies to serve their own turnes attaine their sensuall ends and possesse the Present with all the carnall contentment they can possibly devise These vassals of selfe-love and slaves of lust are so lull'd upon the lap of pleasure by the Syren songs of Satans solicitors and so drunke with worldly prosperity by swimming down the current of these corruptest times with full saile of sensuality and ease that they fall asleepe for all the while of the happy Harvest in this life for Inning grace into the Soule under the Sun-shine of the Gospell wasting their pretious time of gathering spiritual Manna in grasping gold clasping about the Arme of flesh sâ—ruing themselves by all wajes and meanes into high roomes crowning themselves with Rose-buds tumbling voluptuously in the pleasures and glory of this false and flattering world But alas poore soules what will they doe in the evill Day When after the hot gleame of earthly glory and a short calme cut ouer the Sea of this world they are come into the Port of death to which all windes drive them and having there let fall that last Anchor which can never be weighed againe shall be set in the land of darkenes the dust whereof is brimstone and the riuers burning pitch where they shall meete with whole Armies of tempestuous and fiery plagues and the envenomed Arrowes of Gods unquenchable anger shall sticke fast for ever in their Soule flesh where they shall never more see the Light nor the Land of the living but be drowned in everlasting perdition in the Lake even a boyling Sea of fire and brimstone where they can see no banke nor feele no bottome What will these sleepers in Harvest say when they shall be awaked at that dreadfull Houre out of their golden dreames and in their hands shall finde nothing but the iudgement of God growing upon their thoughts as an impetuous storme death standing before them unresistable like an armed Man sin lying at the doore like a bloud-hound and a guilty conscience knawing at the heart like a Vulture When they shall lie upon their last Beds like wild Bulls in a net as the Prophet speakes full of the wrath of God saying in the morning would God it were Even and at Even would God it were morning for the feare of their heart wherewith they shal feare and for the sight of their eyes which they shall see I say in what case will they be then Then But my words doe faile mee here and so doth my conceit For as none knowes the sweetnesse of the Spouses kisse but the Soule that receives it so neither can any one conceive this damned horrour but He that suffers it The Lord of Heaven in mercy awake theÌ„ in the meane time with the peircing thunder of His sacred and saving Word that they may be happily frighted fired out of their amased Soule-murdring sloth before they feele in Hell those fearefull things wee so faithfully forewarne them of To rouse them out of this cruell carnall security let them entertaine into their most serious thoughts such considerations as these Consider 1. Why thou camest into this world There is not so much as one Age past since Thou layest hid in the loathed state of being nothing Above fiue thousand yeeres were gone after the Creation before there was any newes of Thee at all And thou mightst never have bin God had no neede of Thee He gave Thee a Beeing onely out of His owne meere bounty Infinite millions shall never bee which might have bin as well as Thouâ— Gods omnipotency is equally able and active to have prodâ—ced them as Thee And no parts of that vast Abysse of Nothing can possibly make any resistance to Almightinesse And besides being so that Thou must needs have a being there is not any Creature that ever issued out of the hands of God but thou mightest haue bin that either for the kinde or for the particular All is One to Him to make an Angell or an Ant To create the brightest Cherub or the most contemptible Flie For in every creation no lesse then Omnipotency must needes bee the Efficient and no more then Nothing is
him and â—ore torments of the inner parts So that the wormes rose up out of the body of this wicked man and whiles hee lived in sorrow and paine his flesh fell away and the filthinesse of his smell was noysome to all his army Herod in the height of his hatred against the Gospell and pride in imprisoning and persecuting the Apostles was eaten up of wormes in a most fearefull prodigious manner Gardiner gaping for newes of the dispatch of those two blessed Martyrs of Iesus Latimer and Ridley at Oxford deferred his dinner untill three or foure of the clocke at afternoone delighting more in drinking the bloud of the Saints then in his ordinary foode But upon the returne of his Post Hee fell merrily to his meate And marke what followed The bloudy Tyrant saith the Story had not eaten a few bittes but the sudden strokâ— of God His terrible hand fell upon him in such sort as immediatly he was taken from the table and so brought to his bed where he continued the space of fifteene dayes in such intolerable anguish tormeÌ„ts that all that â—eane while during those fifteene dayes he could not avoyde by order of urine or otherwise any thing that hee received Whâ—â—eby his body being miserably inflamed within who had inflamed so many good Martyrs before was brought to â— wretched end For further inlargement of this Point looke into the Stories of the primitive Church Acts and Monumentâ— Theater of Gods iudgements 4. A cry farre louder then the noise of many waters or voice of greatest thunder knocks continually with strong importunity at Gods iust Tribunall for a showre of fire brimstone and an horrible Tempest to be rained downe upon their heads I meane a cry of bloud wrongs disgraces and slanders wherewith they have loaden the Saints of God Rev. 6.10 And they cryed with a loud voyce saying How long O Lord holy and true doest thou not iudge and avenge our blood on them that dwell upon the earth 5. They are the principall provokers of Gods wrath against a nation Their hatefull heate overflowing gall and scornefull carriage against Gods people doth ripen apace His fiercest indignation fill up full the vialls of His vengeance and draw downe upon a kingdome a desperate and finall ruine without all remedy But they mocked the messengers of God and despised His words and mis-used Hiâ— Prophets untill the wrath of the Lord arose against his people till there was no remedy 2. Chron. 36.16 6. Their spitefull spirits being once thorowly set on heate with this fire of hell and infernall rage against the grace of God and His people commonly continue in flâ—me and fury untill their fearefull and finall confusion And they being once flesht as it were with the bloud of the Saints at lest by scoffes slanders for even lewd and lying tongues are keene razours and sharpe swords scourges and scorpions that fetch bloud they feede insatiably upon the damned sweetnesse of such supposed cursed revenge untill they be seizd upon with irrecoverable ruine and fall amongst the firers of their malice and Arch-persecutors of all Professours the fiends of Hell This is my meaning This pestilent and crying Sinne of persecution is like the gulfe of drunkennesse which Austin compares to the Pitt of Hell into which when a man is once fallen there is no redemption or returne A Persecutour is rarely or never â—eclaimde Either by miracle or Ministry mercy or misery Fire from Heaven falling upon the first Captaine and His fâ—â—y did not fright the second Captaine and His fifty from pressing upon Elijah to apprehend him 2. Kings 1.10.11 The souldiers who came to take Iesus as soone as Hee had said I am Hee were strangely upon the suddaine stroke downe to the ground Ioh 18.6 and yet this miracle did never a whit mollifie and abate the malice of the Priests and Pharisees against Him Not even the Miniâ—â—ry of Christ Himselfe though He spoke as never Man spake Not that of Stephen whose face appeared to His Hearers as it had beene the face of an Angell not that of the Apostles freshly filled with the holy Ghost from heaven did at all dis-enrage or â—ame those fellowes which were possest with this fâ—ule spirit of scornefull contradiction See Luc. 4.28.29 And 16.14 Act. 7 54. And 2.13 Not all those horrible miraculous plagues of Aegypt were able to quench Pharaohs fury against the people of God untill he was choakt in the red Sea No kindnesse from David though extraordinary and matchlesse 1. Sam. â—4 11. And â—6 9. could turne Saâ—ls heart from hunting him as when One doth hunt a Partridge in the mountaines And no marvaile tho they be not mooved by all or any of these meanes for they scorne persecute and contemne the very meanes which should amend them and the onely Men who should convert them Whether of the two thinke you is likelier to recover That man who being dangerously sicke yet entertaines the Physition kindely and takes patiently what is prescrib'd or Hee who having a Potion presented unto Him very soveraigne for his recovery throwes the glasse against the wall spils that pretious Receipt and drives the Physition out at doores Conceive proportionably betweene the Persecutour and the lesse pestilent sinner who meddles nor maliciously against the Ministry 7. They are already in the pestilent Path and very hie-way that leads to sinne against the Holy Ghost The horriblenesse and height of which dreadfull villany may bring upon them even in this life impossibility of pardon Matth. 12.31.32 and liablenesse to that flaming iudgement â—iery indignation threatned Heb. 10.26 c. And that they are growing towards this sinne if they be not quite gone that way appeares because they despitefully traduce with much malice and mischiefe persecute the very workes of Grace and graces of Gods Spirit shed into the hearts and shining in the lives of the children of light 1. Ioh. 3.12 Psal. 38.20 1. Pet. 4.4 If a man would drinke sweare swagger revell and roare with them If he durst bee an Ignorant an Vsurer a Sabbath-breaker a Worldling a doter upon and defender of heathnish superstitious customes a practiser or Patrone of Old anniversarie fooleries and rotten vanities an incloser gamester good-fellow c. Oh! then Hee should bee the onely Man with them entertain'd into their hearts and houses with all affectionate embracements of kindnesse and acceptation but if the same man by the mercies of God once begin to breake from them and out of the snares of the Devill to dis-rellish and detest his former wayes of nature and naughtinesse to love and reverence the most searching Ministry to reade the Scriptures and best bookes to sanctifie the Lords Day to pray in his family to renounce resolutely His running with them to the same excesse of riot to abandon and abominate their lewd and licentious courses In a word to turne Christian Oh! then Hee is an arrant Puritane a Precision an
enjoyed can procure or minister one jote of ease to a Soule afflicted in this kinde and thus trembling under the terrours of God In such an Agony and extremity haddest thou the utmost aide and an universall attendance from Angels and men couldest thou reach the top of the most aspiring humane ambition after the excellency and variety of all worldly felicities were thy possessions as large as East and West were thy meate continually Manna from Heaven every day like the day of Christs resurrection Were thy apparell as costly and orient as Aarons Ephod nay thy Body cloth'd with the beauty of the Sunne and crownde with Starres yet for all this and a thousand more thy heart within Thee would bee as cold as a stone and tremble infinitely above the heart of a woman entring into travell of Her first Childe For alas who can stand before the mighty Lord God Who dare pleade with Him when Hee is angry What spirit of man hath might to wrastle with His Maker Who is able to make an agreement with the Hells of Conscience or to put to silence the voyce of desperation Oh! in this conflict alone and wofull wound of conscience no Electuary of Pearle or pretious Baulme no Bezoars stone or Vnicornes horne Paracelsian quintessence or Potable Gold No new devise of the Knights of the Rosie-Crosse nor the most exquisite extraction which Alchymy or Art it selfe can create is able any whit or at all to revive ease or asswage It is onely the hand of the holy Ghost by the blood of that blessed Lambe Iesus Christ the holy and the righteous which can binde up such a bruise Vses 1. Counsell to the unconverted That they would take the stings out of their sinnes and prevent the desperatenesse and incurablenesse of this horrible wound by an humble sincere universall turning unto the Lord while it is called To Day For assuredly in the meane time all the sinnes they have heretofore committed in thought word or deede at any time in any place with any company or to which they have bin any wayes accessary are already upon record before the pure Eye of that high and everlasting Iudge written exactly by the hand of divine Iustice in the Book of their consciences with a pen of iron with the claw of an Adamant with the point of a Diamond or if you can name any thing which makes a stronger deeper and more lasting impression there they lye like so many Lions asleepe and Giants refreshing with wine gathering much desperate poyson and sâ—inging points that whensoever hereafter they shall bee effectually and finally awaked by Gods angry hand they may torment most ragingly and teare their wofull Soules in pieces everlastingly when there is none to helpe Now wee may see and observe many times one little sin at least in the worlds account and conceite of carnall men to plunge a guilty conscience into the depth of extremest horrour and a very Hell upon Earth As I have heard of and knowne in many One for a sudden unadvised imprecation against Her owne Soule in case She did so or so Another for a thought conceived of God unworthy so great a Majesty Another for covetously keeping a thing found and not restoring it or not inquiring after the Owner Another for an adulterous project without any actuall pollution Another by concurring with a company of scoffing Ishmaels onely once and ere Hee was aware by lifting up the hands and casting up the eyes in scorne of Gods people c. Yet afterwards they sadly revising these miscarriages in cold blood some of them some five or sixe yeeres after God beeing then pleased to represent them with terrour and their native stings were cast into that affliction of conscience and confusion of spirit that their very bones were broken their faces fill'd with ghastlinesse and feare their bodies possessed with strange tremblings and languishing distempers their very vitall moysture turned into the drought of Summer In which dreadfull perplexity they were in great danger of destroying themselves and of being swallowed up of despaire If the guilty sense then of one Sin when God sets it on and sayes unto it Torment drawes so many fiery points of stinging Scorpions after it charges upon the excellency of the understanding with such hideous darkenesse rents the heart in pieces with such desperate rage grindes into powder the arme and sinewes of all earthly succour melts like Dew before the Sunne all those delights and pleasures which the whole world offers or affords to comfort in such a Case In a word makes a man so extreamely miserable That Hee would make Himselfe away wishes with unspeakeable griefe that Hee had never been that Hee might returne into the abhorred state of annihilation that Hee were any other Creature that Hee might lye hid world without End under some everlasting Rocke from the face of God Nay that Hee were rather in Hell then in His present horrour I say it being thus what unquenchable wrath what streames of brimstone what restlesse anguish what gnashing of teeth what knawing of conscience what despairefull roarings what horrible torments what fiery Hells feeding upon His Soule and flesh for ever may every impenitent wretch expect when the whole blacke and bloudy Catalogue of all His sinnes shall bee marshold and mustered up together at once against Him every one beeing keened with as much torturing fury as the infinite anger of Almighty God can put into it after that Hee hath accursedly with much incorrigible stubbornnesse out-stood the day of His gracious visitation under this glorious Sun-shine of the Gospell wherein Hee either hath or if Hee had been as provident for His immortall Soule as carking for His rotten Carkasse might have enioyed very powerfull meanes all His life long And yet all the while neglected so great salvation forsooke his owne mercy and so iudged Himselfe unworthy of everlasting life If a lighter Sinne many times lite so heavy when the Conscience is illightened How will thy poore Soule tremble under the terrible and untolerable weight of all thy sinnes together When all thy lyes all thy oathes all thy rotten speeches and railings All thy bedlam passions and filthy thoughts All thy Good-fellow-meetings Ale-house-hauntings and scoffings of Gods people All the wrongs thou hast done all the goods thou hast got ill all the time thou hast mispent Thy prophanation of every Sabbath thy killing of Christ at every Sacrament thy Non-proficiency at every Sermon Thy ignorance thy unbeliefe thy worldlinesse thy covetousnesse thy pride thy malice thy lust thy luke-warmenesse impatiency discontentment vaine-glory Selfe-love The innumerable swarmes of vaine idle wandring and wicked imaginations In a word all the pollutions distempers and estrangednesse from God in thine heart all the villanies vanities and rebellions of thy whole life I say when all these shall bee charged upon thy gracelesse Soule by the implacable indignation of that highest Majesty whose mercy Ministry and long suffering thou
our owne wee shal bee Pastours feeding our Selves not our flocke The Authour of the imperfect commentary in Chrysostome sorted by some Body into Homilies upon Matthew seemes to intimate that the cause of the overflowing and rankenesse of iniquity is the basenesse of these Self-preaching men-pleasers Tolle hoc vitium de Clero saith Hee Take this fault from the Clergy to wit that they bee not men-pleasers and all sinnes are easily cut down But if they blunt rebate the edge of the Sword of the Spirit with dawbing slattery temporizing or strike with it in a scabberd garishly and gaudily embroiderd with variety of humane learning tricks of wit frier-like conceits c. it cannot possibly cut to any purpose it kills the Soule but not the sinne They are the onely men howsoever worldly wisedome raue and unsanctified learning bee besides it selfe to beate downe sinne batter the Bulwarks of the Deuill and build vp the Kingdome of Christ who setting aside all private ends and by-respects all vaine glorious covetous and ambitious aimes all serving the times proiects for preferment hope of rising feare of the face of Man c. addresse themselves with faithfulnesse and Zeale to the worke of the Lord seeking sincerely to glorify Him in converting mens Soules by the foolishnesse of that Preaching which God hath sanctified to save them that beleeve In a word who labour to imitate their Lord and Master Iesus Christ and His blessed Apostles in teaching as men having authority in demonstration of the Spirit and power And not as the Scribes By embroidered Scabberd I meane the very same which King Iames not long before His Death did most truly out of His deepe and excellent wisedome conceive to bee the Bane of this Kingdome To wit A light affected and unprofitable kinde of preaching which hath been of late yeeres taken up in Court Vniversity City and Country Heare something more largely what reason led His royall iudgement to this resolution and desire of reformation His Maiesty beeing much troubled and grieved at the heart to heare every day of so many defections from our religion Both to Popery and Anabaptisme or other Points of separation in some parts of this Kingdome And considering with much admiration what might bee the cause thereof especially in the Raigne of such a King who doth so constantly professe Himselfe an open adversary to the superstition of the One and madnesse of the other His Princely wisedome could fall upon no One greater probability then the lightnesse affectednesse and vnprofitablenesse of that kind of preaching which hath been of late yeares too much taken up in Court Vniversity Citty and Country The usuall scope of very many Preachers is noted to bee a soaring vp in Points of Divinity too deepe for the capacity of the people or a mustring vp of much reading or a displaying of their own wits c. Now the people bred up with this kinde of teaching and never instructed in the catechisme and fundamentall grounds of religion are for all this aiery nourishment no better then abrasae Tabulae meere Table Bookes ready to bee filled up either with the Manualls and Catechismes of the Popish Preists or the Papers and Pamphlets of Anabaptists c. In another place hee resembles with admirable fitnesse the vnprofitable pompe and painting of such Selfe-seeking discourses patched together and stuft with a vaineglorious variety of humane allegations to the redde and blew flowers that pester the corne when it stands in the fields where they are more noysome to the growing crop then beautifull to the beholding eye They are King Iames his owne words Whereupon a little after hee tells the Cardinall That it was no decorum to enter the Stage with a Pericles in his mouth but with the sacred Name of God Nor should his Lordship Saith his Maiesty have marshalled the passage of a Royall Prophet and Poet after the example of an heathen Oratour These things being So how pestilent is the Art of Spirituall Dawbing What miserable men are Men-pleasers who being appointed to helpe mens Soules out of hell carry them headlong and hoodwinkt by their vnfaithfulnesse and flatteries towards euerlasting miseries Oh how much better were it and comfortable for every man that enters upon and undertakes that most waighty and dreadfull charge of the ministery a burden as Some of the Ancients elegantly amplify it able to make the shoulders of the most mighty Angell in heaven to shrinke under it to tread in the steps of blessed Paul by vsing no flattering words nor a cloake of covetousnesse nor seeking glory of men but preaching in season and out of season not as the Scribes but in the demonstration of the Spirit and of power Keeping nothing backe that is profitable declaring unto their hearers all the counsell of God holding the Spirituall children which God hath given them their glory ioy and crowne of reioycing still watching for the Soules of their flocks as they that must giue account Heb. 13.17 The terrour of which place Chrysostome professeth made his heart to tremble I say by such holy and heavenly behaviour as this in their ministery To be able at least to say with him in sincerity not without vnspeakeable comfort I take you to record this Day that I am pure from the blood of all men Let us bee moved to this course and frighted from the contrary by consideration of the different effects and consequents of plaine dealing and dawbing in respect of comfort or confusion Faithfulnesse this way 1. Begets those which belong unto God to grace and new obedience See Peters piercing Sermon Act. 2.23.37 2. Recovers those Christians which are fallen by remorse and repentance to their former forwardnesse and first loue See Nathans downe-right dealing with David 2. Sam. 12.7.13 3. Makes those which will not be reformed inexcusable See Pauls Sermon to Foelix Act 24.26 How strangely will this fellow be confounded more then vtterly without all excuse when hee shall meet Paul at that great Day before the highest Iudge 4. It is right pleasing and profitable to vpright hearted men and all such as happily hold on in a constant and comfortable course of Christianity Doe not my words do good to him that walketh vprightly Micah 2.7 It makes them still more humble zealous watchfull heavenly minded c. 5. Hardens the rebellious and contumacious See Isa. cap. 6. In which faithfull ministers are also unto God a sweet savour of Christ 2. Cor. 2.15 6. And the Man of God himselfe shall hereafter blessedly shine as the brightnes of the firmament and as the Starres for ever and ever And all those happy Ones which hee hath puld out of Hell by his downe-right dealing shall raigne and reioyce with Him in unknowne and vnspeakeable Bliste through all eternity But now on the otherside the Effects of Dawbing and men-pleasing are most accursed and pestilent in
anguish as tho many fiery Scorpions stings stuck fast in them Either lead us to the sight of that blessed Anti-type of the Brazen Serpent to coole and allay the boyling rage of our guilty wounds or we are vtterly undone Either bring us to the Blood of that just and holy One which with execrable villany wee have spilt as water upon the ground that it may bind up our broken hearts or they will presently burst with despaire and bleed to eternall death Give us to drinke of that soueraigne Fountaine opened by the hand of mercy for all thirsty Soules or else wee dye There is nothing you can prescribe and appoint but wee will most willingly doe Wee will with all our hearts pluckâ— out our right eyes cut off our right hands We meane part with our beloved lusts and dearest sinfull pleasures abominate and abandon them all for ever from the heart root to the Pit of Hell If wee can bee rid of the Devills setteâ—â— welcome shall bee Christs sweete and easy yoke In a word wee will sell all even all our Sinnes to the last â—ilthy ragge of our heretofore doted vpon minion delight So that wee may injoy our blessed Iesus whom you have told us and wee now beleeve God hath made both Lord and Christ c. Now when wee shall see and find in some measure the hearts of our Hearers and spirituall Patients thus prepared both by legall dejections and terrours from the spirit of bondage and also possessed with such melting and eager affections wrought by the light of the Gospell and Offer of Christ When their Soules once begin to feele all sins even their best beloved One heauy and burdensome to prize Iesus Christ far before all the world to thirst for Him infinitely more then for riches pleasures honours or any earthly thing to resolue to take him as their husband and to obey Him as their Lord for ever and all this in truth I say then and in this case wee may haue comfort to minister comfort Then upon good ground wee may goe about our Masters command Isa. 40.1 which man-pleasers many times pittifully abuse Comfort yee Comfort yee my people I meane in respect of spirituall bondage Speake yee comfortably to Ierusalem and cry unto Her that Her warre is accomplished that Her iniquity is pardoned Wee may tell them with what a compassionate Pang and deare compellation God Himselfe labours to refresh them Isa. 54.11 Oh thou afflicted and tossed with tempest that hast no comfort behold I will lay thy stones with faire colours and lay thy foundations with Saphirs c. Wee may assure them in the word of life and Truth that Iesus Christ is theirs and they are His And compell them as it were by an holy violence not without a great deale of just indignation against their lothnesse to beleeue and holding off in this case to take his Person His merit His blood all His Spirituall riches priviledges excellencies And with Him possession of all things even of the most glorious Deity it selfe blessed for ever See 1. Cor. 3.21.22.23 Ioh. 17.21 But now in the meane time untill sense of Spirituall misery and poverty raise an hunger and thirst after Iesus Christ before such like preparations and precedent affections as have been spoke of be wrought in the hearts of men by pressing the Law and proclaiming the Gospell and that in Sincerity for the degree and measure wee leave it to God as a most free Agent in some they may bee stronger in some weaker the preaching or promising of mercy as already belonging unto them is farre more unseasonable and unseemely then Snow in Summer raine in harvest or honour for a foole It is upon the matter the very Sealing them up with the Spirit of delusion that they may never so much as thinke of taking the right course to bee converted What sottish and sacrilegious audaciousnesse then is it in any Dawber to thrust his prophane hand into the treasury of Gods mercy and there hand over head without any allowance from his highest Lord to scatter His dearest and most orient pearles amongst Swine To warrant salvaon to any unhumbled Sinner To strengthen the hands of the wicked who never yet tooke sinne to heart to any purpose and thirst farre more such true Gadarens are they after gold satisfying their owne lusts and perking above their brethren then for the blood of Christ by promising them life To assure meere civill men and Pharises who are so farre from the sense of any spirituall poverty that they are already swolne as full as the skin will hold with a selfe-conceit of their owne rotten righteousnesse that they shall bee saved as well as the most puling precisian Especially sith there is such a cloud of witnesses to the contrary as you have heard before Besides all which upon this occasion take two or three moe Heare a most faithfull and fruitfull workman in the Lords harvest of great skill experience and successe in the most glorious Art of converting Soules which makes mee more willing to vrge his authority and esteeme His judgement in Points of this nature None saith hee can prove or shew president that faith was wrought in an instant at first without any preparation going before Nor can it bee conceived how a man should beleeve in Christ for salvation that felt not himselfe before in a miserable estate and wearied with it and desired to get out of it into a better As the needle goes before to pierce the cloth and makes way for the threed to sew it So is it in this case Afterward Hee tells us how and in what manner order these predispositions and preparative Acts required for the plantation of faith and so securing us of the right season and a comfortable calling to assure men of Spirituall safety are wrought in such as God is drawing unto Iesus Christ. Hee requires from the law First Illumination Secondly Conviction Thirdly Legall terrour From the Gospell by the helpe of the Spirit First Revealing the remedy Secondly Beliefe of it in generall Thirdly Support in the meane time from sinking under the burthen and falling into despaire Fourthly Contrition Which is attended with some kind of First Desire Secondly request Thirdly Care Fourthly Hope Fiftly Ioy. Sixthly Hungring and thirsting after mercy and after Christ. Seventhly Resolution to sell all to wit all sins not to leave an hoofe behind c. And thus saith hee God brings along the man that Hee purposeth to make His. And when he is at this passe God seales it up to him inables him to beleeue And saith Sith thou wilt haue no Nay Bee it unto thee according to thy desire And God seales him up by the Spirit of promise as surely as any writing is made sure by sealing of it Then he beleeves the word of God and rests and casts himselfe vpon it And thus hee finds himselfe discharged of
some places also in the Book of God which being rightly handled and powerfully applied seeme to have a speciall keennesse to strike at and cut asunder the iron sinewes of the most obstinate heart And of more aptnesse to serve for the rowsing and awaking of meere civill men formall Professours Pharisies and foolish Virgins out of their desperat slumber of spirituall Selfe-deceit Such as these Deut. 29.19.20 And it come to passe when hee heareth the words of this curse that hee blesse Himselfe in His heart saying I shall have peace though I walke in the imagination of mine heart to adde drunkennesse to thirst The Lord will not spare Him but then the anger of the Lord and His jealousie shall smoke against that man and all the curses that are written in this Book shall lie upon Him and the Lord shall blot out his name from under Heaven Ps. 78.21 God shall wound the hairy Scalpe of such a One as goeth on still in his trespasses Pro. 1.24.28 Because I have called and yee refused I have stretched foorth my hand and no Man regarded c. Then shall they call upon mee but I will not answer they shall seeke me early but they shall not find mee Pro. 29.1 He that being often reproved hardeneth his neck shall suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy Ezek. 24.13 In thy filthinesse is lewdnesse because I have purged thee and thou wast not purged thou shalt not bee purged from thy filthinesse any more till I have caused my fury to rest upon thee 1. Pet. 4.18 If the righteous scarcely bee saved Where shall the ungodly and the sinner appeare 1. Ioh. 3.9 Whosoever is borne of God doth not commit sinne 1. Pet. 2.17 Love the brotherhood Heb. 12.14 Without holinesse no man shall see the Lord. Iam. 2.19 The Divels also beleeue and tremble Luke 13.24 Strive to enter in at the strait gate for many I say unto you will seeke to enter in and shall not bee able Math. 10.14.15 And whosoever shall not receive you c. Veriâ—y I say unto you it shall bee more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the Day of judgement then for that city And. 11.12 And from the dayes of Iohn the Baptist untill now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence and the violent take it by force And 5.46 And if you salute your brethren onely what doe you more then others and vers 20. I say unto you That except your righteousnes shall exceed the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisees ye shall in no case enter into the Kingdome of heaven These fellowes represented to the eye of the World a goodly and glorious shew of freedome from grosse sinnes I am not saith the Pharisee Luke 18. as other men are extortioners unjust adulterers c. Of workes First Of righteousnesse I give tithes of all that I possesse Secondly Of Piety Hee went up to pray Thirdly Of mercy Besides fasting and prayer they gave almes Mat. 6. c. And yet Christ speakes thus peremptorily to his hearers Except your righteousnesse exceede the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisees c. ye shall in no case enter into the kingdome of heaven Hee saith not simply yee shall not enter But yee shall in no case enter And yet how many who come short of these will bee very angry if the ministers tell them that they shall certainely come short of the kingdome of heaven I have done with dawbing and plaistering over rotten hearts with plausible perswasions that they shall not bee damned I meane that most cruell and accursed trade of strengthening with lies the hands of the wicked that hee should not returne from his wicked way by promising him life Ezek. 13.22 Whereby thousands are sent hood-winckt to hell more is the pitty even in this blessed time of the Gospell And I come now to another errour about comforting afflicted Consciences Which is this 2. When the spirituall Physition promiseth comfort applies the promises assures of mercy acceptation and pardon 1. When the ground of griefe is not in truth trouble for sinne but some outward trouble Some in such a case may cast out by the way some faint and formall complaints of their sinnes and seeme to seeke direction and satisfaction about the state of their Soules when as the true root and principall Spring of their present heavinesse and hearts-griefe is some secret earthly discontentment the biâ—â—ng and bitternesse of some worldly sting It may bee the losse or desperate course of some over-loved child decay and going backward in their estate feare of falling into beggery some unexpected discontents and disappointments after marriage Some great disgrace and shame fallen upon them in the eye of the world Some long and tedious sicknesse pinching them extremely for want of peace with God and patience to passe thorow it Or the like In this case after the man of God by his best wisedome and searching experimentall tryals and Interrogatories fitted for that purpose whereby he may give a strong conjecture if not a peremptory censure hath discovered the Imposture Let his desire and endeavour be to turne the torrent of worldly teares and taking on for transitory things upon sinne When a veine is broken and bleeds inward or a man bleeds excessively at the Nose the physition is wont to open a veine in the arme so to divert the current of the blood that it may bee carried the right way for the safety and preservation of the party Doe proportionably in this point Let such know First That sorrow of the world worketh death It dries the bones consumes the marrow chils the blood wastes the Spirits eates up the heart shortneth life and cutteth off too soone from the day of gracious visitation It is a base thing for an immortall Soule to bee put thus out of tune and temper with mortall things most unworthy it 's heavenly birth breeding under the ministery and everlasting abode Secondly That sorrow spent upon the world is like a perfum'd precious water throwne into the channell or sinke-hole which would make a sweet sent in an humbled soule and helpe excellently against the noisome savour of sinne Fire put into the thatch would turne all into combustion Dung placed in your parlour would impoison all But lay the one upon the hearth and it would warme and comfort the other upon the land and it fatneth and makes fruitfull So sorrow misplaced upon earthly things fills a man with swarmes of carking confusions and brings many devouring Harpies into the heart but being turned upon sin and former sinfull courses which is the onely right proper profitable vse thereof it may procure a great deale of ease and enlargement to the heavy Spirit and helpe to bring foorth fruits meet for repentance Thirdly That the tithe perhaps of taking on trouble of mind vexation of Spirit sadnesse and sorrow about worldly things in respect of the bulke and quantity if sincere and
everlasting health or endlesse horrour of an immortall Soule Hence it was that that One of a thousand and learned Doctour in this heavenly Mystery did so farre differ from all Dawbers with untempered Mortar and the ordinary undoing-courses in this kind But now comming to the salving of this Sore saith Hee I shall seeme very strange in my cure and so much the more bee wondred at by how much in manner of proceeding I differ from the most sort of men herein I am not ignorant that many visiting afflicted consciences cry still Oh comfort them O speake ioyfull things unto them Yea there bee some and those of the most learned who in such Cases are full of these and such like speeches Why are you so heavy my Brother Why are you so cast downe my Sister Bee of good cheare Take it not so grievously What is there that you should feare God is mercifull Christ is a Saviour These bee speeches of love indeed but they often doe the poore soules as much good herein as if they should powre cold water into their bosomes when as without further searching of their Sores they may as well minister a Malady as a Medicine For as nutritive and cordiall medicines are not good for every sicke Person especially when the Body needeth rather a strong Purgation then a matter restorative and as in carnative medicines may for a time allay the paine of the Patient but after the griefe becommeth more grievous So the comfortable applying of Gods promises are not so profitable for every One that is humbled especially when their Soules are rather further to be cast downe then as yet to bee raised up so those sugred consolations may for a while over-heale the conscience and abate some present griefe but so as afterwards the smart may bee the sorer and the griefe may grow the greater Hereof ensueth this effect that comfort seemeth to cure for a while but for want of wisedome in the right discerning of the cause Men minister one Medicine for another and so for want of skill the latter fit grindeth sorer then the former Calvine also that great Pillar and glory of the Christian World for syncere and sound Orthodoxe doctrine concurres in judgement with this blessed Man of God and so I doubt not doe all the faithfull Ministers of Iesus Christ Let this bee the first degree of Repentance when Men feele that they have been grievous offenders and then the griefe is not to bee immediately cured as Impostors deale flatteringly and nicely with Mens consciences that they may favour themselves as much as may bee and bee notably deceived with superficiall dawbing The Physition will not forthwith asswage the paine but will consider what may bee more expedient Perhaps hee will increase it because a sharper Purge will bee necessary Even so doe the Prophets of God when they see trembling Consciences doe not presently apply sweet consolations but rather tell them that they must not dally with God and stirre up those who are so forward of their owne accord that they would propose unto themselves the terrible iudgement of God that they may yet bee more and more humbled Another excellent and skilfull Work-man in the great mystery of saving Soules tells us truly That the promise of salvation is not straight belonging to one terrified in conscience but to one that is not onely terrified for His punishment but is contrite-hearted for sinne which is the worke of the Gospell Let not these bee weary of the yoke of God and the Law and make over much haste out of this state for so may they undoe themselves For some withstanding their terrour have withstood their salvation c. Even as an impatient Patient gets the Chirurgion to pull out the Tent and Corrosive or pâ—ls it off himselfe as soone as it begins to smart a little and so thinkes it is searcht enough and now layes saith Hee on healing plaisters But afterward breakes out againe worse then ever whereas if the Corrosive had been let lie on till it had eaten out the corruption indeed then it might have been whole long agoe If Dawbers in this kind did rightly understand and acknowledge or had ever had any experimentall feeling in their owne Soules of Christs Rule and the Holy Ghosts method which is first To convince of sinne to deject and humble in the sight of the Lord with apprehension and sense of a most abominable and cursed state before there follow a conviction of the righteousnesse of Christ to raise up See Ioh. 16.8 or of the necessity of the worke of the spirit of bondage to fit and prepare for Christ and comfort I say then they would not deale so ignorantly and overly in a matter of so deare and everlasting importance They would not so hastily hand over-head without all warrant and wisedome without any further search discovery or dejection offer mercy pardon and all the promises to a man formerly wicked onely for some faint and enforced confession of sinnes or because now beeing overtaken by the evill day Hee howles upon his bed not for any true hatred of sinne but for present smart and expected horror c. But would labour to let the spirit of bondage have it's full work and lay Him open more at large in the true colours of his skarlet sinnes and not onely cause a bare confession of them but such a conviction which may stop his mouth that Hee hath not a word to speake but trembles to see such a sinke Sodom and Hell of sinne and abomination in Himselfe c. O how oft have I heard many a poore ignorant soule in the Day of sorrow beeing mooved to humble Himselfe in the sight of the Lord that Hee might lift Him up first to get His heart broken with the abhorred burden of all His sinnes and then to bring it thus bleeding to the Throne of Grace that Christ might binde it up I say beeing thus intreated To answer Yes yes with all my heart I am sorry for my sinnes with all my heart I trust in Iesus Christ with all my heart and thus whatsoever you can counsell or advise Hee doth it with all His heart Whereas alas Poore heart as yet His understanding is as darke as darkenesse it selfe in respect of any I say not onely saving knowledge but almost of any knowledge at all and his heart in respect of any true remorse as hard as a Rocke of flint Now those unskilfull Physitions of the Soule who in this and the like cases will needs without any more adoe without any further illightning or labour threape mercy and comfort upon them are like those foolish sheapherds as Marbury calls them who when they want skill to helpe their poore sheepe out of the ditch are driven to play the miserable comforters and to take some other indirect course as many use to doe in such cases to cut the sheepes throate in time to make him Mans meate lest it should
refreshing which sprung out of that promise upon her forlorne and fearefull soule or the excesse of that love which shee bore ever after to those blessed lines to the mercy that made them and to the blood that sealed them An other terrified in conscience for sinne resolves to turne on Gods side but the crie of his good-fellow companions strength of corruption and cunning of Satan carrie him backe to his former courses A good number of yeares after hee was so throughly wounded that whatsoever came of him he would never returne againe unto folly Then comes into his minde the first of the Proverbes whence hee thus reasoned against himselfe So many yeares agoe God called and stretched out his hand in mercy but I refused and therefore now thâ— I call upon him hee will not answer though I seeke him early I shall not finde him Whereupon was his heart filled with much griefe terrour and slavish feare But the Spirit of God leading him at length to that place Luke 17.4 If thy brother trespasse against thee seven times in a day and seven times in a day turne againe to thee saying I repent thou shalt forgiue him He thence happily argued thus for himselfe Must I a silly sinnefull man forgive my brother as often as hee repents and will not then the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort entertaine mee seeking againe in truth his face and â—avour God forbid From which hee blessedly drew such a deale of divine sweetnesse and secret sense of Gods love that his trembling heart at first received some good satisfaction and afterward was setled in a sure and glorious peace An other godly man passing through his lâ—st sicknesse with such extraordinary calmâ—nesse of conscience and absolute freedome from temptation that some of his Christian friends observing and admiring the singularity of his soules quiet at that time especially questioned him aboue it He answered that he had stedfastly fixed his heart upon that sweetest promise Isa. 26.3 Thou wilt keepe him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee because hee trusteth in thee And his God had graciously made it fully good unto his soule And so must every Saint doe who would sound the sweetnesse of a promise to the bottome make it the arme of God unto him for sound thorow-comfort Even settle his heart fixedly upon it and set his Faith on worke to broode it as it were with it's spirituall heate that quickenesse and life may thence come into the soule indeed For God is woont to make good his promises unto his children proportionably to their trust in them and dependance upon his truth and goodnesse for a seasonable performance of them Now all these promises in Gods blessed Booke which addes infinitely to their sweetnesse and certainty are sealed with the blood of Iesus Christ Heb. 9.16 and confirmed with the Oath of Almighty God Heb. 6.17.18 God willing more abundantly to shew unto the heires of promise the immutability of his counsell confirmed it by an oath That by two immutable things in which it was impossible for God to lie wee might have a strong consolation who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us Oh what a mighty and pretious invitation is this to beleeve perfectly The speciall Aime of Gods oath whereas his promise had been more then infinitely sufficient was to strengthen our consolation And therefore every heart true unto Christ ought hence to hold fast not a faint wavering inconstant but a strong stedfast and unconquerable comfort Otherwise it sacrilegiously as it were robs God of the glorious end for which hee swore 5. The free love of God Which how rich and glorious how bottomlesse and boundlesse a treasure it is of all gracious sweetnesse abundant comfort and endlesse bounty appeares in this that Iesus Christ blessed for ever that unvalew-able incomparable Iewell came out of it For God so loved the World that hee gave his onely begotten Sonne that whosoever beleeveth in him should not perish but have everlasting life Ioh. 3.16 And therefore every syncere servant of Christ when upon a serious and sad survay of his Christian waies finds himself to come so far short of that which God requires and himselfe desires That his prayers are very faint his sorrow for sinne very scant his love unto the brethren too cold His spending the Sabbaths very unfruitfull His spirituall growth since he gave his name to Christ very poore His profiting by the meanes hee enjoyes most unanswerable to the power and excellency thereof His New-obedience almost nothing c. For so hee is wont to vilifie himselfe Whereupon hee is much cast downe and out of this apprehension of his manifold unworthinesse concludes against himselfe that hee hath little cause to bee confident in the promises of life or to presume of any part and interest in Iesus Christ and so begins to retire the trembling hand of his already very-weake Faith from any more laying-hold of comfort I say in such a Case being true-hearted he may safely and upon sure ground have recourse to this ever-springing Fountaine of immeasurable mercy and raise up his drooping soule against all contrary oppositions with unspeake-able and glorious refreshing from such places as these Hos. 14.4 I will love thee freely Isai. 55. Ho every one that thirsteth come yee to the waters and hee that hath no money come yâ—e buy and eate yea come buy wine and milke without money and without price And Chap. 43.25 I even I am hee that blotteth one thy transgressions for my owne sake and will not remember thy sinnes Revel 21.6 I will give unto him that is athirst of the Fountaine of the water of life freely c. God never set the Promises on sale or will ever sell his Sonne to any Hee never said Iust so much sorrow so much sanctitie so much service or no Christ But Hee ever gives Him freely Every truly humbled heart which will take him at the hands of Gods free love as an Husband to bee saved by him and to serve him in truth may have him for nothing Yet I must adde this there was never any who received the Lord Iesus savingly but hee laboured syncerely to sorrow as much for sinne to bee as holy to doe him as much service as hee could possibly And when hee reflected upon his best hee ever desired it had been infinitely better 6. The sweete Name of the Lord. Which hee proclaimes Exod. 34.6.7 wherein he first expresseth his essence in one word The Lord The Lord. Which doubled is effectuall to stirre up Moses attention Secondly three Attributes first His power in one word Strong Secondly His justice in two formes of speech not making the wicked innocent visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and upon childrens children unto the third and fourth generation Thirdly but his speciall goodnesse and good affection towards repentant and beleeving sinners in seven
refresht with that pretious blood of His c. 6. It is growing from appetite to endeavour from endeavour to action from action to habite from habite to some comfortable perfection and tallnesse in Christ. If it bee quite quencht and extingvished when the spirituall angvish and agony is over or stand at a stay never transcending the nature of a naked wish it is to bee reputed rootelesse heartlesse gracelesse There are Christians that lie as yet as it were strugling in the wombe of the Church who for a time at the least live spiritually onely by grievings and groanes by hearty desires eager longings affectionate stirrings of spirit c. There are also Babes in Christ young men in Christ strong men in Christ old Christians A perpetuall infancy argues a nullity of sound and saving Christianity The Childe that never passeth the stature and state of an Infant will proove a Monster Hee that growes not by the syncere milke of the Word is a true Changeling not truly changed Hee that rests with contentment upon a desire onely of good things never desired them savingly But here lest any tender conscience bee unnecessarily troubled I must confesse It is not so growing as I have said or not so sensibly at certaine times as while the pangs of the New-birth are upon us in times of desertion temptation c. Tho even then it growes in an holy impatiency restlesnesse longing c. Which is well-pleasing unto the Father of mercies in the meane time and which Hee accepts graciously untill Hee give more strength The Point thus cleared is very sweet and soveraigne but so that no carnall Man must come neere it no stranger meddle with it much lesse Swine trample upon it It is a Iewell for the true-hearted Nathanaels wearing alone Nay the Christian himselfe in the time of his Soules health height of feeling and flourishing of His Faith must hold off His hand Onely let Him keepe it fresh and orient in the Cabinet of His memory as a very rich Pearle against the Day of spirituall distresse As pretious and cordiall waters are to bee given onely in swounings faintings and defection of the spirits so this delicious Manna is to bee ministred specially and to bee made use of in the straits and extremities of the Soule At such times and in such Cases as these In 1. The strugglings of the New-birth 2. Spirituall Desertions 3. Strong temptations 4. Extraordinary troubles upon our last Bed 1. For the first When thou art once come so farre as I intimated before To wit that after a thorow conviction of sinne and sound humiliation under Gods mighty hand upon a timely and seasonable revelation of the glorious Mystery of Christ His excellencies invitations His truth tender-heartednesse c. For the desire I speake of is an effect and affection wrought ever immediately by the Gospell alone I say when in this Case thine heart is filled with vehement longings after the Lord of life If thou bee able to say with David My soule thirsteth after thee as a thirstie Land If thou feele in thy selfe an hearty hunger and thirst after the favour of God that Fountaine opened for sinne and for uncleannesse and fellow-ship with Christ Assuredly then the Well of life is already opened unto thee by the hand of thy faithfull Redeemer and in due time thou shalt drink thy fill He that is Alpha and Omega the Beginning and the End the eternall and unchangeable God hath promised it And amid the sorrowes of thy trembling heart and longings of thy thirsty soule thou mayst even challenge it at His hands with an humble sober and zealous confidence As did that Scottish Penitent a little before his Execution Hee freely confessed his fault to the shame as Hee said of Himselfe and to the shame of the Divell but to the glory of God Hee acknowledged it to bee so hainous and horrible that had hee a thousand lives and could he die ten thousand deaths Hee could not make satisfaction Notwithstanding said hee Lord thou hast left mee this comfort in thy Word that thou hast said Come unto mee all ye that are weary and laden and I will refresh you Lord I am weary Lord I am heavily laden with my sinnes which are innumerable I am ready to sinke Lord even to Hell without thou in thy mercy put to thine hand and deliver mee Lord thou hast promised by thine owne word out of thine owne mouth that thou wilt refresh the weary soule And with that Hee thrusts out one of his hands and reaching as high as Hee could with a louder voyce and a strained cryed I challenge thee Lord by that Word and by that Promise which thou hast made that thou performe and make it good unto mee that call for ease and mercy at thine hands c. Proportionably when heavy-heartednesse for sinne hath so dryed up thy bones and the angry countenance of God so parched thine heart that thy poore soule begins to gaspe for grace as the thirsty Land for drops of raine thou mayst tho dust and ashes with an holy humility thus speake unto thy gracious God O mercifull Lord God thou art Alpha and Omega the beginning and the end Thou sayest It is done of things that are yet to come so faithfull and true are thy decrees and promises And thou hast promised by thine owne word out of thine owne mouth that unto Him that is athirst thou wilt give of the Fountaine of the water of life freely O Lord I thirst I faint I langvish I long for one drop of mercy As the Hart panteth for the water brookes so panteth my soule after thee O God and after the yerning bowels of thy woonted compassions Had I now in possession the glory the wealth and the pleasures of the whole World Nay had I ten thousand lives ioyfully would I lay them all downe and part with them to have this poore trembling soule of mine received into the bleeding armes of my blessed Redeemer O Lord and thou onely knowest it my spirit within me is melted into teares of blood my heart is shivered into peeces Out of the very place of Dragons and shaddow of death doe I lift up my thoughts heavy and sad before Thee the remembrance of my former vanities and pollutions is a very vomite to my soule and it is full sorely wounded with the grievous representation thereof The very flames of Hell Lord the fury of thy just wrath the scorchings of mine owne conscience have so wasted and parched mine heart that my thirst is insatiable My bowels are hot within mee my desire after Iesus Christ pardon and grace is greedy as the grave the coles thereof are coles of fire which hath a most vehement flame And Lord in thy blessed Booke thou calls and cries Ho every One that thirsteth come yee to the waters c. In that great day of the Feast Thou stood'st and cryed'st with thine owne mouth saying
If any man thirst Let Him come unto mee and drinke And these are thine owne words Those who hunger and thirst after righteousnesse shall be filled I challenge thee Lord in this my extremest thirst after thine owne blessed Selfe and spirituall life in Thee by that Word and by that Promise which thou hast made that thou performe and make it good unto mee that lies groveling in the dust and trembling at thy feet Oh! Open now that promised Well of life For I must drinke or els I die Heare then and in a word is thy comfort In these hungrings and thirstings of the soule there is as it were the spawne of Faith semen fidei there is aliquid fidei in them as excellent Divines both for learning and holinesse doe affirme Howsoever or in what phrase soever it bee exprest sure I am such desires so qualified as before shall bee fulfilled satisfied accomplished possessed of the Well of life and that is abundant to put the thirsting Partie into a comfortable and saving-state as I said at first The words of Scripture are punctuall and down-right for this which I say Blessed are they which doe hunger and thirst after righteousnesse for they shall bee filled Mat. 5.6 If any man thirst let him come unto mee and drinke Ioh. 7.37 The Lord heareth the desire of the humble Psal. 10.17 Hee will fullfill the desire of them that feare Him Psal. 145.19 The Lord filleth the hungry with good things Luk. 1.53 Let Him that is athirst come And whosoever will let him take the water of life freely Rev. 22.17 Hâ— every One that thirsteth come yee to the waters c. Isa. 55.1 I will poure water upon him that is thirsty flouds upon the dry ground Cap. 44.3 These longings and desires this hunger and thirst before a sensible apprehension and enjoyment of Christ arise from a sense of the necessity and want of His blessed Person and pretious bloodshed which the afflicted Soule now prizeth before tenne thousand Worlds and for whose sake is most willing to sell all and to abandon wholly the Devils service for ever Those after a full entrance into the holy Path and joyfull grasping of the Lord Iesus in the armes of our Faith arise partly from the former taste of unutterable sweetnesse we found in Him partly from the want of a more full and further fruition of Him especially when He is departed in respect of present feeling as in times of desertion extraordinary temptation c. In the Passage that is past I understand the former in those that follow the latter 2. Secondly Concerning desertions I intend a larger and more particular discourse and therefore I passe by them here 3. Thirdly Wee may have recourse for comfort to this pretious Point in some speciall temptations of doubtfullnesse and feare about our spirituall state When spirituall life is runne as it were into the roote in some particulars and actuall abilities to exercise some graces and discharge some duties are returned to nothing for the present but groanes desires and longings to doe as God would have us For instance Thou art much afflicted because thou feeles the spirit of prayer not to stirre and worke in Thee with that life and vigour as it was woont but beginnes to langvish in the inward man for lacke of that vitall heate and feeling in the mutuall entercourse and commerce betweene God and thine owne Soule which heretofore hath many times warmed thine heart with many sweet refreshings springing from a comfortable correspondence between thy holy eiaculations and his heavenly inspirations betweene thine humble complaints at the Throne of Grace and his gracious answers Nay it may bee thou throwes downe thy selfe before His Seate of mercy in much bitternesse of spirit and for the time can say little or nothing the present dullnesse and indisposition of thine heart stopping all passage to thy woonted prayers and damming up as it were the ordinary course of thy most blessed heart-ravishing conference with thy God in secret But tell mee true poore Soule Tho at such a time and in such an uncomfortable Damqe and spiritual deadnesse thou feeles not thine heart enabled and enlarged for the present to poure out it selfe with accustomed fervency and freedome yet doth not that heart of thine with an unutterable thirst and desire long to offer up unto his Throne of Grace thy suites and Sacrifices of prayers and praises with that heartinesse and feeling with al those broken and bleeding affections which a grieved sense of sinne that hangs so fast on and an holy greedinesse after pardon grace and nearer communion with his heavenly Highnesse are wonâ— to beget in truly-humbled Soules If so Assure thy selâ—â— this very desire is a prayer of extraordinary strength dearenesse and acceptation with thy God I say with that thy mercifull Lord God who is as farre more compassionately and lovingly affected to his Childe then the kindest Father to his dearliest beloved Sonne as the infinite love of a tender-hearted God doth surpasse the faint affection of a fraile and mortall man Suppose thy dearest Childe were in great extremity and should at last grow so low and weake that it were not able to speake but onely groane and sigh and cast it's eye upon Thee as One from whom alone it look't for helpe Would not thine heart melt over thy Child a great deale more in that misery then ever before when it was able to expresse it's minde I am sure it would It is just so in the present Point For like as a Father pittieth his children so the Lord pittieth them that feare Him Nay and much more if wee consider the muchnesse and quantity For looke how farre God is higher then man in Majesty and greatnesse which is with an infinite distance and disproportion so farre doth Hee passe him in tender-heartednesse and mercy See Isa. 55.8.9 Thou mayst sometimes upon the awakening illumination and search of thy conscience after some drouzy repose and deeper sleep upon the bed of security some fouler ensâ—arement and longer abode in some knowne scandaloâ—s sinne after the Canker of earthly cares and teeth of worldly-mindednesse have ere thou bee well-aware with an insensible pleasing consumption eaten too farre into the heart of thy Zeale and other graces In the apprehension of some present terrour arising from a more serious and sensible survay of the now abhorred villanies and abominations of thine unregenerate time or from the grieved remembrance of thy falls and failings of thy sins and unservice-ablenes since thy conversion which I am perswaded trouble the Christian most and goe nearest to his heart c. I say in such Cases as these Thou maist feele such a fearefulnesse and faintnesse to have surprised the hand of thy Faith that it cannot so presently and easily recover it 's former hold nor claspe about the glorious justice and meritorious blood of Christ with that fastnesse and firmenesse of assent with that comfort and
Christ calls Him and set to His seale that God is true which not to doe shall ever bee an unmannerly madnesse and willfull cruelty to a mans owne conscience Hee is then quite gone out of His kingdome of darkenesse and an immortall Soule is pulld out of His Hellish Paw for ever This is the true reason why Hee so rageth when Hee sees a weary Soule make towards Iesus Christ for rest I have often foretold you of Satans methode and malice in managing His temptations in this kinde that beeing fore-warned yee may be fore-armed He plots first and prevailes with most amongst us to keepe them from terrour and trouble for sinne But if they bee once happily wounded that way then His next plot is to allay and take away the smart by outward mirth or dawbe and draw over a skinne onely with unsound and superficiall comfort But if Hee find that it bleeds still and will not bee stanched but onely by the blood of Christ and that no earthly pleasure can any whit asswage the paine then in a third Place doth Hee cast about and contend with all cruelty to keepe the poore Soule in a perpetuall sad slavish trembling that it may not dare to meddle with any comfort or apply the promises but cherishing the bruise against the counsell of the Prophets bleede inwardly still And this Point Hee plies with more eagernesse and fury because the very next step to wit but even reaching out of this spirituall Gulfe and griefe for sinne towards the mercifull hand of Christ holden out to helpe Him up is the next and immediate Act by which a man is quite and for ever puld out of His power and put into the Paradise of grace Or in a word and shorter thus Tho thou commest freshly out of an Hell of hainous sinnes and hitherto hast neither thought or spoke or done any thing but abominably yet if now with true remorse thou groans under them all as an heavy burden and syncerely longest for the Lord Iesus and newnesse of life thou art bound presently ipso facto as they say immediatly after that Act and unfained resolution of thy Soule to take Christ Himself and all the promises of life as thine own for ever All delaies demurres exceptions objections pretexts standing out scruples distrusts contradictions to the contrary are dishonourable to Gods mercy and free grace disparagement to the Promises derogatory to the Truth tender-heartednes of Iesus Christ an unnecessary detainement of the Soule in terrour and onely a gratification of that roaring Lion whose trade is to teare soules in peeces and torture them all Hee can For as soone as wee are poore in spirit we are presently blessed Mat. 5.3 As soone as we are weary of our sins the Hand of Christ is ready to take off the burden Mat. 11.28 As soone as wee thirst in the sense I have said the Fountaine of the water of life is set wide open unto us Rev. 21.6 As soone as we have got contrite and humble spirits wee become royall Thrones for the High and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity to dwell in for ever Isa. 57.15 And now come and take abundantly mighty Arguments and invincible motives which neither Man nor Divell nor natural distrust can ever any waies possibly disable Not to lie any longer being in the proposed and supposed state upon the racke of terror but to lay hold upon the Rock of eternity I meane to rest and establish thy trembling heart upon the Lord Iesus with everlasting peace and safty and after walke watchfully and fruitfully in the holy way untill thine ending houre 1. And first take notice that Iesus Christ God blessed for ever keeps an open house for all such hungry and thirsty soules Let him that is athirst come And whosoever will let him take the water of life freely Rev. 22.17 Whosoever will In whose heart soever the holy Ghost hath wrought an effectuall earnest hearty will that supernaturall syncere desire described before which prizeth the Well of life before the whole world and is ever accompanied with an unfained resolution to sell all for the Pearle of great price I say such an One may come and wellcome and that without bidding and drinke his fill of the Rivers of all spirituall pleasures If there were no more but this this is more then enough to bring Thee to Iesus Christ. If a Proclamation should bee made that such or such a great Man kept open house for all commers there need no more to bring-in all the poore hungry people in the Countrey without any further waiting or inviting But heere above all degrees of comparison the hunger is more importunate and important the Feast-maker more faithfull and sure of his word the fare more delicious and ravishing And why doest thou refuse Thou hast a warrant infinitely aboue all exception The Lord of life keepes open house for all that will come And thou knowest in thine owne Conscience and canst not deny but that Hee hath already honored Thee with that singular favour as to plant in thy Soule a will this way with a witnesse as they say For what wouldest thou not part with to have assurance of thy part in Iesus Christ What wouldest thou not give if it might be bought to heare Him speake peace unto thy Soule and say sweetly unto it I am thy salvation And therefore if thou come not in presently and take the comfort of this pretious Place and Promise setting to thy seale that God is true Consider by the premisses whether thy terrours and temptations bee not justly upon thee in the meane time 2. If this will not serve which God forbid then in a second Place Thou art invited solemnly by the Feast-Maker as it were Himselfe with his owne mouth which is an infinite mercy honour and comfort Come unto mee all yee that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest Mat. 11.28 Here is no exception of sinnes times or Persons And if thou shouldest reply Yea but alas I am the unworthiest man in the world to draw neere unto so holy a God to presse into so pure a presence to expect upon the sudden such glorious spirituall and heavenly advancement most impure abominable and beastly wretch that I am readier farre and fitter to sinke into the bottome of Hell by the insupportable waight of my manifold hainous sins I say then the Text tells thee plainely that thou mightily mistakes For therefore onely art thou fit because thou feeles so sensibly thy unfitnesse unworthinesse vilenesse wretchednesse The sorer and heavier thy burden is the rather shouldest thou come In a word it appeares by thine owne words expressing such a penitent apprehension of thy spirituall poverty that thou art the onely man and such as thou alone which Christ here specially aimes-at invites and accepts 3. Thirdly Hee knowing our frame our sluggish dull and heavy disposition our spirituall lazinesse naturall neglect of our owne
His soule in the Bundle of the living for ever now especially when Hee preferres the love and light of His countenance before life and would not willingly offend Him in the least sinne for all the World c. Let Him yet proceede further in Davids foot-steps and strengthen His fainting Soule with all that heavenly Manna of richest mercy which Hee hath heard read or knowne to have been showred downe at any time from the Throne of Grace into the heavy humble and hungry hearts of His afflicted hidden Ones Let Him refresh His memory with consideration of Davids deliverance by this meanes from deeper distresse Of that most memorable and triumphant resurrection as it were and recovery of those three worthy Saints of God Master Glover Mistris Bretâ—ergh Master Peacocke from greatest â—â—tremitie in this kinde into most un-utterable joyfull exultations of spirit And so of others within the Register of His observation remembrance and reading But principally and above all Let Him live and die Let Him rest and recreate Himselfe for ever with surest hold fast and sweetest thoughts upon that heavenly and healing Anti-type of the Red Sea the pretious Blood of the Lord Iesus And let Him ground upon it that tho Satan with all His hellish Hosts and utmost fury pursue his fearefull Soule like a Partridge in the mountaines even to the very brinke of despaire and mouth of Hell yet even then when all rescue and deliverance is neerest to bee utterly despaired of For it is the Crowne of Gods glorious mercy to save when the Case seemes desperate and there is no hope of humane helpe or possibility of created power to comfort I say then that Soule-saving Sea of His Saviours hearts-blood will most certainely and seasonably open it selfe wide unto Him as it did to those above-named blessed Saints and swallow up into victory Hell Death the Grave Damnation the present wofull desertion with all other adversary power and at length make Him a faire and pleasant passage thorow the sweetned pangs of death into the heavenly Canaan which flowes with joyes and pleasures un-mixed and endlesse more then either Tongue can tell or heart can thinke 9. Ninthly a spirituall desertion may seeme a proportionable fit and most proper punishment and meanes to correct and recover the Christian which out of infirmity and feare deserts the Lord Iesus and the Profession of His blessed Truth and Gospell If any bee ashamed of Him refuse to doe or suffer any thing for His sake who hath given unto us His owne hearts-blood it is most just that in such a Case Hee withdraw Himselfe in respect of all sense and feeling of divine favour and fruites of grace or any comfortable influence at all upon the Consciences of such Cowardâ—â— that so they being left to the darkenesse of their owne spirits and by consequent to the taste even of Hellish horrour for the time they may bee brought againe to themselves and taught by such terrours to returne and become infinitely more willing to embrace the Stake if the times should bee so cruell and kisse the instruments of death then langvish any longer in the despairing extremities of such a desertion to acknowledge it incomparably better to passe thorow the temporary bitternesse of Popish fire then to bee abandoned to everlasting flames Nay and that which is the greater Hell to bee robbed of and rent from Him in whose glorious presence alone is not onely life and all lightsomnesse even in this life but also fulnesse of ioy and pleasures for evermore in the life to come This Point appeares and is prooved by Gods dealing with some of our Martyrs in Qveene Maries time Thomas Whittell a blessed Martyr of Iesus was by the wicked suggestions of some Popish incarnate Divels drawne to subscribe to their Hellish Doctrine But considering in cold blood what Hee had done was horribly vexed and as Hee reports of Himselfe felt Hell in his conscience and Satan ready to devoure him Which terrible desertion and trouble of minde made Him quickly returne with great constancy and fortitude and turne a most invincible and un-mooveable Martyr Heare some passages from His owne Pen. The night after I had subscribed I was sore grieved and for sorrow of conscience could not sleepe For in the deliverance of my Body out of bonds which I might have had I could finde no ioy nor comfort but still was in my conscience tormented more and more c. And I said to Harpesfield sc. That my Conscience had so accused mee through the iust iudgement of God and His Word that I had felt Hell in my Conscience and Satan ready to devoure Mee And therefore I pray you Master Harpsfield said I let mee have the Bill againe for I will not stand to it When the Lord had led Mee to Hell in my Conscience through the respect of His fearefull iudgements against mee for my fearefulnesse mistrust and crafty cloaking in such spirituall and weighty matters yet Hee brought mee from thence againe c. See also the Story of Iames Abbes and Thâ— Benbridge Gentleman Act. and Monuments pag. 1864.2246 10. Tenthly God is many times forced by their frowardnesse luke-warmenesse worldly-mindednesse cowardlinesse Selfe-confidence falling from their first-love and other such spirituall distempers to visite and exercise His Children with variety and sometimes severity of crosses and corrections as losses in their outward state afflictions of Body disgraces upon their good name oppression by great Ones discomforts in Wives Neighbours Friends Children c. upon purpose to put life quicknesse fruitfulnesse and forwardnesse into them that thereby they may bee more gloriously serviâ—cable to Himselfe more profitable to others and more provident to treasure up peace unto their own Soules against an evill Day God humbleth us saith a worth Divine by afflictions and pricketh the swelling of our pride Hee cutteth and loppeth us to the end wee may bring forth the more fruit Hee filleth us with bitternesse in this life to the end wee might long for the life to come For those whom God afflicteth grievously in this World leave it with lesse griefe Hee who hath formed us to feare Him knoweth that our praiers are slacke and cold in prosperity as proceeding from a spirit that is cooled by successe and which are endited by custome The cries which our owne will produced are feeble in comparison of those which griefe expresseth Nothing so ingenious to pray well as sorrow which in un instant formeth the slowest tongues to an holy eloquence and furnisheth us with sighes which cannot be expressed c. But now many times this Physicke which pincheth onely the Body and wasteth us but in things of this World doth not so worke as Hee would have it and therefore Hee is constrained in love and for our good to proceede to more sharpe and searching Medcines to apply more strong and stirring Purges which immediately vexe the Soule As horrible and hideous injections A spirituall Desertion and
concerning the Man that trusteth in God if the fire hath proclaimed it selfe unable as much as to singe an haire of His head If Lyons beasts ravenous by nature and keene with hunger beeing set to devoure have as it were religiously adored the very flesh of the faithfull Man what is there in the World that shall change His heart overthrow His faith alter his affection towards God or the affection of God to Him Nay and besides sith I onely understand a temporary passive Desertion I must suppose it in Him also who sees full well and doth acknowledge from whence Hee is fallen is very sensible of His spirituall losse afflicted much with the absence of the quickning and comforting influence of grace and grieved at the heart-roote that Hee cannot doe His God service and performe holy duties with that life power and lightsomnesse as Hee was woont and thereupon resolves to give no rest unto His discontented Soule from cries complaints and groanes untill Gods face and favour bee turned towards Him againe and bring with it former feelings and fruitfulnesse now so highly prized and heartily praied for Which blessed behaviour doth clearely difference Him from the Back-slider a truly miserable and right wofull Creature indeede who insensibly falles from his forwardnesse first love intimate fellowship with the Saints and all lively use and exercise of the ordinances and divine duties and yet is never troubled to any purpose neither doth chalenge or judge Himselfe for it at all For wee are to know that the presence of spirituall weakenesses decaies and wants and absence of due dispositions accustomed feelings and former abilities of grace onely then argue a Backslider and are evill signes of a dangerously declining Soule when they are willingly carried without remorse or taking much to heart without any eager desire or earnest endeavour after more heate and heavenly mindednesse A Christian may be without Gods gratious presence and comfortable exercise of grace in present feeling and yet no Forsaker of God but rather left of Him for a time His heavenly wisedome for some secret holy ends so disposing while by grieving striving strong desires Hee unfainedly thirsts after and seriously pursues his former acceptation and forwardnesse Here then is comfort God hath hid his face from thee for a season and thou art left to the darknesse and discomforts of thine owne spirit and thereupon art grievously dejected thinkes thy Selfe utterly undone yet take notice that In a spirituall Desertion properly so called thou doest not willingly forsake God but God forsakes Thee or rather as Divines truly speake seemes to forsake Thee For Hee dealeâ— with Thee in this Case as a Father with His Childe who sometimes upon purpose still loving Him extremely hides Himself from Him as tho He were quite gone to make it discover and manifest it's love unto Him by longing seeking and crying after Him And that for excellent ends and ever for thy endlesse comfort first To trie whether Thou wilt trust in Him tho He slay Thee as Iob did Every Cock-boate can swim in a River every Sculler saile in a Calme In ordinary gusts any man of meaner skill and lesser patience can steere aright and hold up the head But when the blacke tempest comes a tenth wave flowes One deepe calls an other when the tumultuous darkenesse of the sky the roaring of that restlesse Creature represents terrible things and Heaven and earth are blundered together as it were with horrible confusions when nature yeelds spirits faint hearts faile then to stand upright and unshaken then to say with David I will not feare tho the earth bee removed and tho the mountaines bee carried into the middest of the Sea Tho the waters thereof roare and bee troubled tho the Mountaiâ—es shake with the swelling thereof Selah I say thatâ—s the Man which is found at the heart-roote indeede and steele to the backe and then is the invincible might and incomparable valour of Faith made knowne with a witnesse who ever hath Gods sure Word for the Compasse and the Lord Iesus at the Helme Then doth this glorious grace shine and triumph above nature sense reason worldly wisedome the arme of flesh and the whole Creation In such desperate extremities and sorest trials it shewes it selfe like the Adamant that nothing will breake the Palme tree that yeelds not to the waightiest burden the Shoote-Anchor that holds when other tacklings breake the oile that ever over-swims the greatest quantity of water we can poure upon it And with this improovement of the extraordinary power of faith God is exceedingly well-pleased and highly honoured Secondly To en-ure thee to patience obedience and submission to His blessed Will in every thing even extremest sufferings if Hee so please Thirdly To worke in Thee a deeper detestation of sinne and further divorce from the world Fourthly To quicken improove and exercise some speciall graces extraordinarily Thou didst hide thy face saith David and I was troubled Then I cried unto Thee O Lord c. Then was the spirit of praier put to it indeede and so was the grace of patience waiting and the like Fifthly To cause thee to prize more dearely and to keepe more carefully when it comes againe Gods glorious presence and the quickning influence of His grace and comfort Wee never apprehend the worth and excellency of any thing so well as by the want of it The un-interrupted secure enjoyment of the best things and even those that please us best without vicissitude and enter change is woont to breed such cheapnes and satiety and so dulls the Soules appetite that it is neither so affected with their pretious sweetnesse nor thankfully â—â—vished with the present possession of them as it ought Health is then highly valewed when sicknesse hath made us sensible of such a Iewell wee then rellish our food extraordinarily when wee have fasted longer then ordinary Rest doth then refresh us most when our bodies have been tired and over-travelled Sixthly To make thee conformable in some measure to Christs immeasurable spirituall sufferings Seventhly To manifest and make illustrious His mightinesse and mercy in thy deliverance and the power of Christs resurrection Wilt thou shew wonders to the Dead saith Heman Shall the dead arise and praise thee Selah Those whom the mercifull hand of God hath lifted up out of the depth of a spirituall desertion will easily acknowledge it as omnipotent a worke and wonder as to pull out of the mouth of Hell and raise a dead man out of the grave Eighthly To represent unto thee the difference of thy condition in this life and that which is to come This is our time of nurture not of Inheritance Here wee walke by faith not by sight Wee live by faith not by feeling In this vale of teares wee are killed all the day long But heavenly glimpses of unspeakeable and glorious ioy and spirituall ravishments of Soule are seldome and short Their
sanctified unto her that it was a furtherance to a better grace namely to repentance and selfe-deniall and base esteeme of her selfe And I call repentance a better grace then ioy because howsoever ioy is a most excellent gift of the Spirit yet unto us repentance is more profitable For I make no question but that a mourning Christian may bee saved without ravishing ioy and that Christ may wipe away his his teares in heaven but no Christian shall bee saved without repentance and selfe-deniall For instance The darkenesse of our Spirits in spirituall desertions sets our Faith on worke extraordinarily In such a Case it hath recourse with more love and longing to all the fountaines of life The Person and Passion of Christ all the Promises Gods free grace His sweet Name and survaies them more seriously searches and sounds them to the bottome that by some meanes at least it may subsist and hold up the head in such an evill time and amongst so many terrours and boisterous tempests It is now put to the improvement of the very utmost of all it 's heavenly vigour and valour and inforced to put forth it 's highest and most heroicall Act even to cleave fast to the sure Word of God against all sense and feeling against all terrours tricks of Satan and temptations to the contrary And by this extraordinary exercise and wrastling it is notably strengthened and steeled for the time to come For as sloth idlenesse and want of exercise doth much emasculate and make our bodies more unactive and unable but hard-ship agitation and imployment doth much quicken and fortifie them So it is in the present Point Without oppositions and assault Faith langvisheth and lies hid but when stormes and spirituall troubles are towards it stirres up it selfe gathers it's strength and forces together casts about for subsidiary assistance by prayer Ministeriall counsell meditation upon speciall promises for the purpose experimentall recounting former deliverances mercies and favours upon our selves and others c. And so becomes farre more excellent and victorious for future incounters It furthers also Repentance In respect of first Sight of sins For thorow the glasse of spirituall Affliction we see more and them more monstrously vile The clouds of inward trouble especially unite as it were and collect the sight of our soules and so represent our sinnes more to the life and in their true colours where as the glistering of prosperity is wont to disperse and dazle it Secondly Of sense wee are then more apprehensive of divine wrath and weight of sinne when wee are terrified but with a taste of those immeasurable Seaes of bitternesse and terrour which it infinitely merits at the hands of God Thirdly Of hatred and opposition wee then grow into a more hearty loathing of that sweet meat which wee are too apt to tumble into our mouth hide under our tongue when wee feele it accompanied with such sower sauce and turned into gall and gravell within us Wee shall afterwards bee farre more watchfull and afraid to give entertainement or warmth in our bosomes to those Vipers which have so bitten and stung us It makes Selfe-deniall more resolute and thorow For the dearest and most desirable things of this life compared with Christ were never viler dung in our esteeme then at such a time Wee then finde that most true That tho all the Starres shine never so bright yet it is still night because the Sunne is gone But the alone presence of that Prince of light creates a comfortable and glorious day though never a Starre appeare So let us enjoy the Lord Iesus and no matter tho all the creatures in the World bee turned into Beares or Divels about us But if hee withdraw himselfe and the light of his countenance set out of our sight the confluence of all the comforts the whole Creation can afford will doe us no good at all It quickneth notably our New-obedience In respect of first Holinesse towards God and reverent heavenly behaviour about the first Table A generall taste and triall whereof wee may take by comparing Marriners in a storme and arrived in the Haven Prisons with Theaters Burialls with Banquets Beds of sickenesse and expectation of death with strength of youth and prosperous health and which is punctuall for my purpose fits of temptation with times of spirituall wellfare For as in the one state wee may observe too much presumption and putting farre from us the evill day forgetfulnesse of God security and sloth so in the other Trouble danger and distresse much alter the Case Wee shall then see them bitterly bewayling their former sinnes trembling in the dust seeking early Gods face and favour falling to prayer vowing better obedience and promising upon deliverance much holinesse and a happy change What mighty groanes of spirit proceede from the deserted in such a Case which are the strongest praiers tho in that agony they falsely complaine that they cannot pray How greedy are they of godly conference counsell and comfort out of the Word daies of humiliation of the most searching Sermons godliest company presence and praiers of the precisest Ministers How fearefull are they to heare any worldly talke upon the Lords day How sensible of the least sinne any dishonour of God and all appearance of evill In a word how busie are they about that One necessary thing Secondly Of compassionatenesse towards others Selfe-sufferings soften mens hearts towards their Brethren Personall miseries makes them pittifull and painefull to afford all possible help in times of distresse Experience of our owne weakenesses wants danger to sinke under the waves of Gods wrath and dis-ability to subsist by our selves begets a sweet mildnesse and gentle behaviour towards our neighbours whose assistance visitation and praiers wee now see wee stand in need of in extremities and evill times Prosperity is apt of it selfe to produce scornefulnesse insolency selfe-confidence and contempt of others But Gods hand upon us especially in afflictions of Soule teacheth us another lesson to wit how fraile weake and unworthie wee are Thirdly Of selfe-knowledge In times of peace and calmenesse looking thorow the false spectacles of selfe-love and conceitednesse we are ready to over-weene and out-prize our gifts to mistake shadowes for substances smallest Mites of vertues for richest talents the infant beginnings of grace for tallnesse in Christ But remove these deceiving glasses and let the touchstone of some sorer triall represent our selves unto our selves and wee shall more clearely see our spirituall abilities in their true nature and proportion Then all unsound semblances of selfe-conceited sufficiencies and former flourishes of unhumble assurance which like gilded Papers or Posts shewing gloriously in the Sunshine and seeming pure gold in outward appearance will vanish quite away and come to nothing in the fire of spirituall afflictions Then the weaknesse of our too much vaunted of Christian valour will bee discovered unto us and acknowledged of us when wee are put to wrastle
deale and converse with for recovery and cure This secret and saving influence I speake of might bee evidently discerned in Master Peacocke even at the worst Some reverend Ministers standing by his bed of sorrow asked him if they should pray for him Marke well his answer Take not the Name of God in vaine said hee by praying for a Reprobate Which words well weighed seeme to imply and represent clearely to a spirituall discerning judgement some good measure even of the highest degree of divine love preferring the glory of God before the wellfare of his owne soule rather willing to have the meanes of his salvation neglected then the Lord dishonoured One asking another time whether hee loved such an One meaning a godly man Yes saith hee Why For his goodnesse Another comming to him upon the Lords day willed him to put his hand to a note of certaine debts This is not a day for that said hee And at the same time hee would hardly suffer any to stay with him from the Sermon Beeing told of suffering plaisters out of Gods Word to rest upon his wounded soule Hee brake out thus Oh! if I had Oh! if it would please God I had rather then any thing in this or other three thousand Worlds By these we may see and other passages to the same purpose that our blessed God had a secret working and saving influence upon his soule even in the depth and hideous darkenesse of his most grievous desertion Here is love first unto God in a high degree secondly deare affection unto his Children and that for his Image shining in them thirdly love unto his Sabbaths and salvation of others fourthly vehement desires after grace and Gods favour All which were undeniable demonstrations of an undamned state to every understanding eye Nay unquestionable arguments of spirituall life and designation to eternall blisse Whereupon my resolution was then and protestation upon good ground That if all the powerfull eloquence which rested with in the reverent bosome of mine owne deare Mother the famous Vniversity of Oxford managed by the Sâ—raphicall tongue of the highest and most glorious Angell in heaven had been industriously set on worke for that purpose except I had heard my blessed Redeemer say I will rend a member from my Body and throw it away The holy Spirit say I will pull my seale from that Soule which I have savingly sanctifyed my gracious and mercifull Father say I wil this once faile forsake One of mine I could never have been possibly perswaded that that soule of his so richly laden with heavenly treasure and gifts of God never to be repented of so syncerely exercised in the waies of God and opposition to the corruption of the times c. should possibly perish 2. Secondly suppose thou shouldest walke in darkenesse and have no light in the sense of the Prophet for the residue and remainder of thy few and evill dayes in this vale of teares nay and dye so before comfort comes yet be not discomforted For fearing God and being upright-hearted thy Soule shall most certainely bee preserved in spirituall and eternall safety by staying upon thy God tho thou bee without any sense of joy and peace in believing This life tho never so long is but a moment to the life to come But the kindnesse is everlasting with which hee will have mercy on thee Thy sufferings are but short whatsoever they bee But thou hast eternity of joyes in the World above purchased and prepared for thee by the hearts-blood of that blessed Saviour of thine upon whom thy soule relies It is the Divels policy say Divines to procure for his slaves all the favours honours and advancements all the prosperities and pleasures hee can possibly lest if hee should not follow and fullfill their humours this way they might thinke upon seeking after and serving a new Master Noâ— caring to vexe or molest them in this World because hee knowes full well hee shall have time enough hereafter to torment them in Hell And wilt not thou contrarily be content if God so please to passe thorow this vale of teares even with Hemans horrour Psal. 88.15 Sith Heaven is so neare at hand and thou hast a little before thee an everlasting time to row in the bottomlesse and boundlesse Ocean of all glory and blisse in an endlesse variety of new and fresh delights infinitely excellent and sweet aboue the largest created conceite 6. Let us suppose a Christian in these three states And it is no uncouth thing to those who obserue or feele Gods secret and unsearchable dealings with his Children 1. First in a faire and comfortable calme and Sun-shine after the tempestuous troubles and travaile in the pangs of the New-birth when the light of Gods countenance the first refreshing warmth of his sanctifying Spirit the fresh sweetnesse and vitall stirrings of grace the ravishing consciousnesse of his happy conversion doe fill his soule as with marrow and fatnesse and feede it with a kindly and more lively disposition to all good and godly dueties 2. Secondly in a spirituall Desertion when the sense of Gods favour love and woonted presence the comfortable vse and exercise of the Ordinances graces and spirituall affaires langvish and leave him for a time 3. Thirdly In the state of recovery and restitution from such a fearefull Dampe and deprivation of divine comfort unto former ioyfull feelings and re-enjoyment of his Beloved so that his revived soule may sweetly sing My Beloved is mine and I am his Now I doubt not But that the middle of these three estates being accompanied with hearty griefe and groanes for Christs absence restlesse pantings and longings after a new resurrection as it were of the sensible and fruitfull operations of grace renewed desires and endeavours for regainement of accustomed surer hold by the hand of Faith patient and praierfull waiting for the returne of Gods pleased face c. is as pleasing and deare if not more to our mercifull Father as either of the other two Doe you not thinke that the Fathers of our flesh are as lovingly affected and meltingly mooved to heare the obedient Child sigh and sob cry out and complaine because they looke not kindly upon him but for triall of his affection have hid for a time the much desired beames of their fatherly favour under some affected angry frownes as when things are carried more currently and comfortably betwixt them without any great distast and discontentment or occasion to discover the mutuall impatiency of their loves one unto another And shall not the Father of our Spirits who loves us with the same love with which he loves the Lord Iesus himselfe surpasse as farre in affectionate compassion towards us in the like Case as an Almighty God doth a mortall Man He cannot chuse because the word is already gone out of his mouth Like as a Father pittieth his Childe so the Lord pittieth them that feare him Psa. 103.13 I am
about to bring in to prepare him thereby though the Divell himselfe meaneth not so for the pangs of the New-birth deeper humiliations and more vehement desires to get under the wings of Christ from that hellish Kyte Or hee may sometimes mingle these horrible stings with the terrours of spirituall travell upon purpose to hinder conversion by a diversion into By-wayes or frighting backe againe to folly and former courses But sure I am the ordinary object and speciall aime of Satans malice in this Point are only those who have happily escaped out of his clutches already and are fully and for ever freed from his damming fury and all-deadly hurt And I know not whether there bee any of these which doth not lesse or more at one time or other suffer under this horrour And yet every one of them thinks himselfe singular in this suffering and that it is not usuall for Gods Children to have such prodigiously foule and fearefull thoughts put into their heads which they dare not mention for their abhorred monstrousnesse neither remember without trembling Now by this dreadfull engine of the Divell which I thus talk of before I tell you what it is and no marvaile for what heart would not willingly retire or can chuse but tremble intreating upoÌ„ such a Theame I meane hideous iniections horrible thoughts blasphemous Suggestions monstrous conceits of the most holy pure and ever-glorious God His Word divine Truths the Lord Iesus blessed for ever or some way or other about spirituall and heavenly things framed immediately by Satan himselfe and with furious violence throwne into our minds infinitely against our wills at the grieselinesse whereof not only Religion but also reason Nay even corrupted nature and common sense stand astonisht shrug and shrink backe at the horrour and abhorre them extremely Some of Gods dearest Children and those that love him best Would you thinke it yet it is too true are sometimes so pestred with their irkesome intrusions that whatsoever they speake doe heare reade or think upon is wrested perverted and hellishly empoisoned with this temptation of blasphemy And they are ordinarily prest upon them with most importunity and impetuousnesse when they are best busied and exercised in the holiest duties as in praier hearing or reading the Word singing of Psalmes dayes of humiliation c. In the first place For a comfortable support in such a Case peruse ponder well upon and apply such considerations and counsels as these 1. In this terrible temptation also thou becomes but conformable to thy Lord and Master which bought thee with his dearest blood and to many of his blessed Saints Was there ever suggestion in conceit or word or any possibilitie of being like unto this in execrablenesse and horrour That the King of Saints in whom dwelleth all the fulnesse of the Godhead bodily should fall downe and worship the Prince of Hell and vilest of Creatures And yet this most horrible blasphemie was injected into the most holy imagination of Iesus Christ with which it was infinitely more impossible to be any waies tainted or stained then the fairest Sunne-beame with the foulest Dirt. But hee endured it and conquered And that for our sakes only and safety even for such excellent endes as these first That when wee are â—et upon by Satan in the same kinde and so hideously assaulted that upon the first sense we are ready to sinke under the suddaine fright and to thinke that none in the world are so but wee yet in cold blood wee may comfortably recover our selves and presently conceive that our Case is not singular and incompatible with a saving state for even the Sonne of God himselfe surpassed us in the same suffering Secondly That hee might take the venome sting and guilt from this hatefull and horrible temptation for all His to the Worlds end Thirdly That having himselfe tasted the Divels malice herein hee might out of His owne feeling and experience more tenderly take to heart our troubles and terrours that way more mightily fortifie and free our spirits against the invasion and surprise of all such prodigious injections and flashes of Hell 2. It is the concurrent judgement of learned and holy Divines that these monstrously blasphemous thoughts and satanicall suggestions resisted and not consented unto are not our sinnes but our crosses Or suppose there should be any tainture on our parts yet condemning them in our judgements and abhorring them with our heartes wee may bee most assured that the blood of Iesus Christ is infinitely more mighty and soveraigne to take away the venome and vilenesse of them then the Divell malicious and subtilâ— to inject I will imagine that some bloody Popish Powder-Traytor had prest upon thee at that time and suggested thus Wee are plotting and purpose to blow up the Parliament with Gun-powder To destroy at one blow the King Queene Prince Nobility c. And afterward to cut the throats of all the Protestants in the Kingdome to roote the Gospell out of it for ever c. And then to lay the fault upon the Puritanes These and the like were injections of much horrour and monstrous nature For thus men learned both in the mystery of Christ and depths of State spoke of that plot at that time Remember but the Powder-Treason the uttermost point of all villany beyond which it is terra incognita no man can devise what should bee betweene Hell and it Consider but this day the Birth-day as I may tearme it of our Countrey in which both Prince and People came as it were anew into the World delivered from the fearefull Powder-Vault the very belly of Hell and confusion as Ionah sometime did from the Belly of the Whale Behold that which so many millions of eies since those windowes were first opened in the head of man to behold the light of Heaven I say so many millions of eyes in their severall generations now sunke downe into their holes and consumed within their Tabernacles never saw never those glorious and constant Lights of the Firmament those cleare and Crystalline eies of nature which walke through the Whole World and give no rest to their temples the Sunne that wandereth by day and the Moone that waketh by night they never saw the like c. It was of such prodigious immanity that before now the tongue of Man never delivered the eare of Man never heard the heart of Man never conceited nor the malice of hellish or earthly Divell ever practised It is beyond all example whether in fact or fiction even of the tragicke Poets who did beat their wits to represent the most fearefull and horrible Murders The Plot whereof Livie speakes of dispatching the whole Senate of Rome in an houre the devise at Carthage to cut off one whole faction by one enterprise the conspiring of Brutus and Cassius to kill Caesar in the Senate the proiect of destroying in one Conclave the greatest part of
on Persecutors c. Acts and Monumen page 2298. c. h Ruth 2.12 Psalm 91.4 i Thus spake blessed Bainbam in the midst of the fire O ye Papists behold ye looke for miracles and here now you may see a miracle for in this fire I feele no no more paine then if I were in a bed of Doune but it is to me as sweet as a bed of Roses Acts and Monuments page 1030. k His Maiestie was mooved to interpret and conster the latter sentence in the Letter alleaged by the Earle of Salisbury against all ordinary sense and construction in Grammar as if by these words For the danger is past as soone as you have burned the Letter should be closely understood the suddainty and quickenesse of the danger which should be as quickely performed and at an end as that paper should be of blazing up in the fire turning that word of as soone to the sense of as quickely Discourse of the manner of the discovery of a late intended Treason c. Heare King Iames his own words I did upon the instant interpret and apprehend some darke phrases in the Letter contrary to the ordinary grammar construction of them and in another sort then I am sure any Diuine or Lawyer in any Vniversitie would have taken them to be meant of this horrible for me of blowing us up all by Powder His Maiesties speech in the last Session of Parliament printed 1605. l A vertuous Gentlewoman in this Land doubting very often of her Salvation made her case knowne unto a worthy Minister of God who often counselled her to take heed of inquiries further then Gods word and trust assuredly that she might conclude her Salvation out of Gods word without any further revelations yet still did the temptation grow upon her in so much that having a Venice Glasse in her hand and the selfe-same Minister sitting by her presently breakes forth into lamentable words you have often told me that I must seeke no further then Gods word but I have bin long without comfort and can endure no longer Therefore it I must be saved let this glasse be kept from breaking and so she threw it against the walls Here might the Lords hand for this tempting of his Maiestie have left her to the everlasting woes of her distrustfull heart yet the Lord that is rich in mercy having stamped her with the seale of his Election was content to satisfie the languishing Soule with a miracle the Glasse rebounds againe and comes safe unto the ground which the Minister having gotten into his hands faith Oh repent of this sinne blesse God for his mercy and never distrust him more of his promise for now you have His voyce from Heaven in a miracle telling you plainely of your estate This was curiositie and might have brought despaire yet it was the Lords mercy to remit the fault and grant extraordinary confirmation of her Faith Yates Gods arraignement of Hypocrites page 357. m Deprecatio Ecclesiae murus qui rumpi non possit munimentum inconcussum daemonibus quidem formidabile Chrysost. De orando Deum lib. 2. Deprecatio armatura est inexpugnabilis ac â—utissimum nec unquam fallens munimentum pari facilitate vel unum repellens militem vel innumerabilia hostium millia Ibid. lib. 1 n Tantarum virâ—um est precatio ut in hominis potestatem creaturas ad unam omnes quod mirêris ipsum creaturarum Dominum redigat Scâ—lâ— De precat cap. 29. Non in homines tantum est ista precationis vis sed etiam in belluaâ— in daemones in mundi elementa in coeli sydera in deum ipsum Ibid. * Feriendi licentiam quarit à Mose qui fecit Mosen Bern. o Honos miscendi sermonem cum Deo Angelorum superat maiestatem De precat lib. 2. Ios. 10.12 13. Ion. 2.1 c. 10. Iud. 15.18 Iam. 5.17 18. 2. Kings 19.15.35 2. Kings 6.17 2 Chron 20.5 6 c. 23 Acts 12.5.7.10 * Upon intelligence of the Spanish invasion a publike Fast was proclaimed and observed Anno 1588. * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iam. 5.17 Ionah 4 9. p Faith is onely able to performe fulnesse of ioy and constancy of content in the midst of the changes wanes eclipses and fuls of all externall things and that one day as well as another throughout the course of a mans life in that latitude extent whereof this life is capable Ward q Credenti mundus cum principe diabolo mors infernus peccatumque mera ludibria sâ—nt ut dicere possit cum Paulo Vbi tuus ó mors aculeus ubi tua inferne victoria 1. Cor 15.55 Habet enim ipse contra omnia haec quae caeteris â—orribilia â—nsuperabilia sunt victoriam per Dominum Iesum Christum in quem credit cui adhâ—ret innititur Naogeor r 1. Ioh. 5.4 s Matth. 16 18. t Eph. 6.16 u Heb. 11.34 x Heb. 11.33 y Heb. 11.37 z Heb. 11.36 * Heb. 11.30 a Heb. 11.34 b Heb. 11.33 c Psal. 23.4 Da mihi pulchram iustitiam da mihi Fidei pulchritudinem Procâ—dat in medium ostendat se oculis cordis inspiret servorem amatoribus suis Iam tibi dicitur Frui me vis Contemne quicquid te aliud delectat contemne pro me Eâ—ce contempsisâ—i Parum est illi Parum est vt contemnas quicquid te dilectabat contemne quicquiud te terrebat contemne carceres contemne vincula contemne equuleum contemne tormenta contemme mortem Haec vicisti me invenisti Amat ardet servet calâ—at omnia quae delectant c transit venit ad aspera horrenda truculenâ—a minacia calâ—at frangit transit August De verbis Apostoli Serm. 17. d 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 luminum non 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 luminis Q. d. Omnis luminis elementaris aetherei spiritualis coelestis Par. d 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 luminum non 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 luminis Q. d. Omnis luminis elementaris aetherei spiritualis coelestis Par. * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1. Ioh. 2.5 e Lux citò coelum terras maria illuminat momento temporis sine ullâ comprehensione relectis surgentis diei splendore regionibus nostro se circumsundit aspectui Ambros. Hâ—x Lib. 1. Cap. â— f Fides est in Christianâ animâ fandamentum omnium virtutum Bern li. De ordine vitae Stell 〈◊〉 dixisse virtutes non me poenitet considerantem congruâ—â—tiam similitudinis Quo modo nempe stellae in nâ—ctâ— lucent sic vera vâ—rtus quae saepe in prosperis non apparet eminet in adversis Ergo virtus est sidus homâ— virtutum coelum Idem super Cont. Serm. 27. g 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eph 5.8 h 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1. Ioh 1.7 i 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1. Tim. 6.16 k Nemo quisquam in ullà Historiâ tot tamque gravibus arumnis simul adobrutus fuisse legitur Par. l Divitijs dediti non paupertem tantum contremâ—sâ—unâ—
effectus carnem sibi parere cogit ac suis legibus obsequi Nutrimenta igitur spiritus sunt divina lectio orationes assiduae sermo doctrinae His alitur cibis his convalescit his victor efficitur Quod quia non facitis nolite conqueri de infirmitate carnis Nolite dicere quia volumus sed non possâ—mus Super Levit. Hom. 9. b Hom. For reading of Scriptures c I meane in respect of terrible representations For I know well from the learnedst Physitions that that humour is originally settled in the spleene But from thence arise cloudes of Melancholike vapours which annoy the heart and passing up to the braine counterfets terrible obiects to the Phantasie and polluting both the substance and the spirits of the braine causeth it without externall occasion or object to forge monstrous fictions and terrible to the conceite which the judgment taking as they are presented by the disordered Instrument delivers to the heart which by reason of the Sympathy betweene the braine and the heart the thoughts and affections and having no judgement of discretion in it selfe but giving credit to the mistaken report of the braine is affected proportionably with terrour sadnesse and feare d 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ephes. 6.11 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2. Cor. 2.11 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Revel 2.24 e Haec est ratio cur aliqui timent non timenda cur in suspiciones mirabiles falsissimas cadunt ita ut credant se aliquanâ—o quaeri ad mortem vel ad incarcerationeâ— vel spoliationem inde fugiunt nemine persequente trepidantes timore ubi non est tiâ—or Cognovitalem tempore meo qui ingeniosissimus erat peritus valdè in medicinâ qui tandem fugit in nemora occulta nec ultrà comparuit Gerson de passionibus animae Consid. 20. f Let a melancholy person upon the sudden heare or see some fearefull thing the strength of his imagination is such that hee will presently fasten the thing upon himselfe As if hee see or heare that a man hath hanged himselfe or is possessed of a Divell it presently comes to his minde that hee must doe so to himselfe or that hee is or at least shall bee possessed In like manner upon relation of fearefull things presently his phantasie workes and hee imagineth that the thing is already or shall befall him Perkins Cases of Conscience cap. 12. sect 2. g Sic aliquis existimabat se gallum more galli cantabat Alius murilegum sub lectis mures quaerebat Alius imaginans se habere cornua in fronte verecundabatur quotiescunque videbat se inspici frontem tegebat Alius imaginans se notari de insectione leprae vel de morbo caduco omnes fugiebat trepidabat aspectus sermones Alius imaginans se habere pedes ferreos calcabat validissimè super terram Alius ambulare non audebat phantasians pedes suos esse vitreos Gerson loco suprà citato h Non Siculae dapes c. Not all King Denis dainty fare Can pleasing taste for them prepare No song of Birds no musicks sound Can lullaby to sleepe propound When any comes with a troubled conscience for sinne wee ought wisely to discerne whether they bee meanely grieved with a generall sight of their sinne or whether they be extremely throwne downe with the burthen of particular sinnes if so they bee then it is good at the first to shew that no sinne is so great but in Christ it is pardonable and that there is mercy with God that hee might bee feared so on the otherside shewing the mercy to come from God but so as they are nothing fit to receive mercy unlesse they feele their particular and pricking sinnes But if their sorrow bee more confessed in generall things then it is good to humble them more and more to give them a terrour of Gods justice for particular sinnes for experience doth teach that this is the best way to obtaine sound comfort both to see our sinne and to bee humbled to see our sinne That beeing throughly throwne downe wee may directly seeke Christ and keepe no stay untill we have found comfort in him who then is most ready to free us from our sinne and to comfort us with his spirit when wee are most cast downe with our sins and most feare them Greeneham In his Grave counsels pag. 6. k Id quidem audâ—o dicere clariorem Evangelij Christi doctrinam nulli unquam populo ante propositam esse quam sit ca quam nos quotidiè audimus in Ecclesijs nostris Si profectò non baâ—eremus aliquid aliud â—om sub Coelo exceptá hac tam clará verbâ—lace ea debet nos vel sola consolari Quis est qui non gaudet recreatur cum ex tenebris educit ut in lucemistam solareâ— At nos qui aliquando submersi jacuimus in tenebraâ— longè borribilissimis multò clariorum lucem babemus Solem nimirùm illum Iustitia Rolloc in Iohan. cap. 6. pag. 389. l Per ignorantiae malum à nescientibus innumerabilia perpetrantur mala Aug. Tom. 7. pag. 2. lib. 6. contra sulia Palag m Those that have no minde at all to heare or reade the Word if at any time through the remorse of their conscience which accuseth them they feele any inward griefe sorrow or heavinesse for their sins for so much as they want the salve and comfort of Gods Word which they doe despise it will bee unto them rather a mean to bring them to utter desperation then otherwise Hom. of Repentance pag. 2. n How wisely graciously and necessarily then did King Iames direct for profitable catecheticall teaching in the after-noone upon the Lords Day in all Parish-Churches throughout the Kingdom heare the words So farre are these directions fâ—om abating that his Maiesty dotâ— expect at our hands that it should increase the number of Sermons by renewing upon every Sunday in the ater-noone in all Parish-Churches throughout the Kingdome that primitive and most profitable exposition of the Catechisme wherewith the people yea very children may bee timely seasoned and instructed in all the heads of Christian Religion The which kind of teaching to our amendment bee it spoken is more diligently observed in all the Reformed Churches of Europe then of late it hath been here in England I find his Majesty much moved with this neglect and resolved if wee that are his Bishops doe not see a reformation hereof which Ierust wee shall to recommend it to the care of the Civill Magistrates c. Reasons of the Kings directions for preaching and Preachers As I received them by authority from the hand of a publike Register Is it not strange and lamentable that for all this Princely and pious earnestnesse this soule-murdering neglect should yet every day grow greater and grosser o Cast thy selfe downe Destroy thy selfe Mat. 4.6 Fall downe and worship mee Then which I thinke there was never more abhorred injection v. â— p I
am moâ— chatus est eam incorde suo hoc est dicere Qui dat operam in venusta corpora curiosiùs intueri decoras aucupari facies talÃque animam spectaculo pascere obscoenos pulchris etiam vultibus oculos assigere Chrys. in Matth. 5. Hom. 17. q Bellarmines Death by C.I. a Iesuite p. 343. r Not much unlike the Pharisie Luk. 18. God I thank thee that I am not as other men are extortioners unjust adulterers s If Bellarmine was so notoriously holy how came it to passe that amongst the rest hee lâ—t fall also this speech For my selfe I shall thinke it no small fauour to bee sure of Purgatory and there to remaine a good while in those flames that must purge and cleanse the spots of mine offences and satisfie the just wrath and justice of Almighty God pag. 372. I know very well what Bellarmine concludeth de Purgatorio lib. 2. cap. 2. sect ult purgatorium pro ijs tantùm esse Qui cum venialibus culpis moriuntur Et rursum pro illis qui decedunt cum reatu poenae culpis jam remissis But yet sith the Pontificians teach that veniall sinnes may bee taken away in this life by knocking the breast by the Bâ—shops blessing by onely entring into an hallowed Church by being sprinkled with holy water by other such easie remedies See Azor. Tom 1 Lib. 4. c. 11. Sect. quint. quaeritur 7. Cartw. against the Rhem. pag. 30. Vsher in his Answer to a Iesuites challenge pag. 178. What extreme madnesse possessed this man who would not prevent those horrid flames by so many â—ost easie obvious meanes t He said the Pater noster and Ave Maria And he said distinctly the Psalme Miserere to the end And he said the Creed all thorow As though meere saying did sanctifie and save Resting upon opus operatum the worke wrought is an horrible popish imposture empoysoning all their supposed religious services When it ringeth to the Ave Maria saith Ledesma Christian doctrine pag. 35. Wee may obtaine indulgence by saying at the first Toll Angelus Domini c. at the second Toll Ecce Ancilla Domini c. at the third Toll Et verbum caro factum est c. Is not here sweet worke Prodigious foppery When I reade such passages in learned men I am extraordinarily amazed their strange infatuation and ever receive satisfaction from that 2. Thes. 2. Because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved For this cause God shall send them strong delusion that they should beleeve a lie If this curse were not justly upon Bellarmine Ledesma and the rest it were impossible that ever they should have made such transcendent fooles of themselves by writing and beleeving so sottishly and ridiculously u The last words of those Matth. 7.22 were Lord Lord and yet Christ in that day shall professe unto them I never knew you x For hee fasted prayed gave almes Matth. 6. and tithes of all that hee possessed which even formall services would seeme to our ignorant Iusticiaries too much forwardnes x I knew a man a meere stranger to Iesus Christ both in knowledge and practise and yet not visibly notorious Who pleasing himselfe many yeeres that he was not noted to bee extraordinarily naught upon a time was suddenly set upon by some drunken companions made drunk Whereupon in cold blood he tooke on extremely and was very much grieved As evidently appeared by his not sleeping many nights together and by the troublednesse of his countenance Hee came to a Minister cryed out against himselfe and those who ensnared him that after so many yeeres sobriety he should bee so shamefully overtaken c. Hee was counselled upon this occasion to make a full and further search into his heart and life and so proceede to a sound and saving repentance c. But the ground of his griefe being specially shame of his fact amongst his neighbourâ— after the nine nights wonder of his being drunke was over Hee was where hee was before Now had the Minister ministred comfort hand over head at the first sight and drawne over a skinne without any further search tho the man might bee undone both wayes yet by so doing Hee should have been justly liable to that fearefull woe denouâ—â—ed against them who strengthen the hands of the wicked that Hee should not returne from His wicked way by promising Him life But dealing faithfully He delivered His owne Soule y Morbilateralis nota sunt dolor punctorius difficilis spiratio febris continua tussis pulsus serratilis Piso de Morb. Cogn Cur. lib. 2 cap 7. * Indefinita Propositio valet universalem in materiâ necessariâ Paulus ab Eitzen lib. 2. pag. 116. a Some thinke it onely an action But that Phrase Zech. 12.10 Of powring the Spirit of grace meaning Repentance upon the House of David and upon the inhabitants of Ierusalem seemes to argue it to be a quality or infused gift so as Faith and Charity are So also that Phrase of giving Repentance Act. 5.31 and 11.18 For if God give it wee receive it Now wee cannot properly bee said to receive an action which wee doe but the power gift or grace whereby we doe it That speech also Matth. 3.8 Bring forth fruit meet for repentance shewes that Repentance it selfe is not an outward action but an inward grace to bee expressed in outward actions Dike of Repentance cap. 1. b It is the inward and habituall Repentance the inward frame bent and disposition of the Soule that God respects more then the outward Act as wee may see by that of David Psalm 32.5 I said I will confesse my transgressions unto the Lord and so thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin The inward purpose and disposition of Davids heart to repent was sufficient to moove God to forgive His sin before His outward actuall and particular Repentance was expressed Prynne of the Perpetuity of a Regen mans estate In his Answ. to Arg. 24. c Id quod primùm omnium operatur in nobis sitim hanc ac desiderium hoc gratiae est sensus peccati ac miseriae nostrae Rolloc in Iohan cap. 7. pag. 474. d The Lord will not part from any drop of His mercy to them which fâ—â—st have not been swallowed up of His judgemeâ—ts which have not laboured and been heavy laden which have not been locked up in Hell for a season and felt for a time the fire therof in their bones which have not been Baptised with the Baptisme of their owne teares Hee that feeles not these things in some measure here elsewhere Hee shall feele them Grâ—â—â—â—ham pag. 2. cap. 32. Edis 3. e Hîc refelluntur qui peccatorum veniam se consequnturos non dubitant modò unius horae quadrantem quo Deum invocent nacti fuerint Cum hoc in loco Deus se noÌ„ ex audituruÌ„ dicat si à mane ad vesperam eum inclamitent Hos etiam toto