hath no quarrell against thee and shall not punish thee is he now lesse offended then before No he hath told thee but thou wilt not beleeve it that he will not hold thee guiltlesse thou shalt not escape unlesse thou humble thy self and amend 4. Was the Lord so zealous of keeping his Sabbath that he caused that man that gachered some few sticks to be stoned to death Is there not then great wrath abiding thee who so often hast profaned his Sabbath and doest so still unlesse thou prevent his wrath by humiliation and amendment 5. Did the Lord expresse his anger in such a degree against uncleannesse and fornication that for it he made 23 thousand of his people to fall in one day in the wildernesse and hast thou not need to hasten and humble thy self for thy uncleannes or else the like anger is attending thee 6. Was he so offended with the Israelites for their lusting and intemperance in dyet and not being content with the sober dyet the Lord had allowed that while the meat was in their mouthes the Lords wrath fell upon them and hast thou not need to be truly humbled for thy manifold over-sights in the point of diet and temperance whether in eating or drinking 7. Was Ananias and Saphira so fearfully punished for their lying and wilt thou make but a jest of it Surely thou wouldst condemne the Lord of crueltie thou hast need to esteeme otherwise of it to weigh it in the ballance of the sanctuary and to be humbled under the mightie hand of God for it In a word to conclude this point Thinkest thou O man that doest the same things that thou shalt escape the judgement of God Is the Lord changeable or is he not as greatly offended now as then or have we to do with another God or will he look to thy person more then to others or are thy sins lesse then others Something thou must think that thy heart trembleth not because of these judgements what ever thy thought may be assure thy self thou shalt find that they have the advantage of thee if thou wilt look either to preeminencie of persons or greatnesse of sins for the persons they were a naturall Olive as the Apostle speaks and thou art but the wilde Olive And if he spared not the naturall Olive how little lesse will he spare thee who art the wilde Olive Again if thou wilt compare their sins and thine thou wilt find thy own to be greater For 1. their sins were against the Law onely but thine are against the Gospel and for this consider Heb. 2. If the Word spoken by Angels c. 2. We read for the most part in all their exemplarie punishments that it was but for one act of sin onely but which of thy sins hast thou not frequently committed so that thou hast contracted a custome of sinning This may be clearly seen by comparing the particulars before spoken of with our sinning He once brake the Sabbath once blasphemed c. So that it is apparent thy sins are the greater This I speak the rather because we have all shifting hearts deceitfull above all things which are ready to think that the sins of those who were exemplarily punished were greater then ours are and that they had some extraordinary thing in them which made the Lord extraordinarily to punish them and so their examples work not so effectually upon us but on the contrarie ye see our sins are clearly greater Our Saviour saw this corruption and deceit of our hearts and therefore he saies to the Jews Think ye that these upon whom the Tower of Shiloh fell were greater sinners then the rest No saies he they were not But unlesse ye repent ye shall all likewise perish So say I to you think not but thou art as great yea a greater sinner and therefore unles thou repent thou shalt perish unles thou humble and amend Thou shalt surely die the death Was not the naturall Olive spared and shalt thou Was one act of sin so severely punished and shalt thou who hast reiterated many acts of the same kinde passe unpunished shall they who sinned against the Law be punished thou who neglectest so great a salvation escape O but saiest thou how comes it to passe then that the Lord deales otherwaies with sinners now a daies then of old for men do as it were get leave to sin and passe unpunished The Apostle gives the reason of this in the words I cited before saying These things befell them that they might be examples to us upon whom the ends of the world are come The reason that the Lord dealt more peremtorily with them and more exemplarily was not that their sins were greater and ours lesse but because they lived as it were in the beginning of the world the Lord would make them examples for succeeding ages he would let us see in the persons of few how he is offended with all guilty of the like sins whereas with us living in the ends of the world when examples shall be of lesse use and when the time of generall punishment is at hand there is no reason that sinners should be precisely and exemplarily punished but yet thou shalt be as surely and as severely punished yea and more III. A third meane to helpe to humble us is to consider the greatnesse of Gods anger against sin and how odious sin is in his sight and presence we should first lay this ground that our sins provoke the Lord to anger and wrath and then we should consider how fearefull a thing the anger of the Lord is for the first it is clear I a. 1. They have provoked the holy one of Israel to anger the Apostle saies that For these things the wrath of God cometh upon the children of men yea every sin does provoke him and that most highly to wrath although not all alike yet certainly I say every one most high or else the punishment of every sin would not be eternall and intolerable torment but so it is and therfore every sin even the least provokes the Lord highly to wrath Now this ground being laid for our humiliation we should consider what a fearefull thing this wrath and anger of God is that we may be the more humble seeing we our selves are lyable unto it The Scripture sets it down most fearfully using strange and fearful terms not onely of anger and wrath but of indignation of fury and putting both in one The furie of his indignation the fiercenesse of his wrath The wise man saies that the wrath of a King is like the roaring of a Lion what then must be the wrath of the King of kings for even these kings are advised in Psal 2. to kisse the Sâ—n lest he be angry and they perish in the way when his anger is kindled but a little how fearfull then must his anger be when it is kindled to the full The Prophet Neh. 1. saies Who can stand before his indignation And
c. that being wearied and laden they may run to him to be eased Math. 11.28 which otherwaies they would not do No man can come unto me unlesse the Father draw him Secondly that for time to come they may stand in owe and sin not Psal 4.4 that the feare of God may be before their eies that they sinne not Exo. 20 20. that they may be the more plyable to all duties of obedience and that being thus meek and lowly they may take the Yoake that Christ prescribes them Math. 11.29 and try then if ever thou hast found such a change as this if ever thou hast trembled at Gods word if ever thou didst apprehend the Lord in his justice didst feare his anger against thy sinnes if ever thou wast pricked in thy heart by the threatnings of the word Acts 2.37 and if all these have wrought such a Impression in thy soul that still thou findest that twofold effect before spoken of to wit that for thy by-past sinnes thy heart flies for a refuge and seekes to Christ Heb. 6.16 that he is savoury unto thee and then that still thou findest the fear and aw of God in thy heart Jer. 32.40 that thou fearest alwaies and hast a respect to all Gods Commandements Psa 119.6 and judgest of thy self accordingly II. The Second great change that is wrought in a man by this work of humiliation is by reason of his being convinced and having discovered unto him his own sinfulnesse and corruptions as also his manifold wants great unrighteousnesse for whereas before this work of humiliation sometimes he had a great conceit of his freedome from sin at least in any great measure the waies of a man seemes good in his owne eyes untill his iniquity be found to be hatefull I thanke God I am not like this Publican O but when this work of humiliation comes that a mans sinfulnesse be discovered unto him he sees afar other sight thinks farre otherwaies feeles farre other things nothing but sin and corruption raging in him sinne revives and taking occasion by the Commandement works in him all manner of concupiscence Ro 7.8 9. he being now stirred up the dregs of his corruptions work abundantly so that instead of thinking that he is not like such a man he thinks that for sinfulnesse and strength and number of corruptions there is none like unto him and that he is the chief of sinners so likewise in regard of his wants and gracelesnesse and unrighteousnesse there is the very like change for wheras before he thought well of his owne righteousnesse both of the righteousnesse of his person that he had all sorts of inward graces faith repentance the love and fear of God and that he was rich and increased in all things and had need of nothing Rev. 3.17 as also well of the righteousnesse of his actions insomuch that although with the Pharisee perhaps he did not glory in them in his praying hearing fasting c. nor perhaps with the Papist did think to merit by them yet neverthelesse with the Hypocrite he did rest upon the outward worke and was satisfied therewith and regarded not the manner of his doings the waies of a man seem good in his own eyes but the Lord ponders the heart now he sees a quite contrary sight nothing but wants that he is poore miserable naked for inward graces Rev 3.17 and that for outward practices all his righteousnesse is as a menstruous clout Isa 30. now this work of humiliation or this part of the work is also for notable good ends to wit 1 to drive and chase a man out of himself to put him out of conceit with himself to make him deny himself that so he go not about which naturally all are prone unto to establish his own righteousnesse Rom. 10.3 And he who attains once to this work and part of humiliation may be assured that he shall never be Arminian Papist or Pelagian never stand for free-will or merit A second end of this part of the work of humiliation is that hereby the whole glory of mans salvation may be given unto the Lord that all boasting may be excluded and he that glories may glory in the Lord Rom. 3.27 Not unto us not unto us O Lord but to thy Name be the glory Psal 115.1 Not for your sakes be it known unto you O house of Israel for ye are a stiffe-necked and a rebellious people but for his Names sake 3. That Christ may be further cleaved and clinged unto and that nor onely for justification but also for sanctification for the sight of a mans own sinfulnesse makes him flie to the sufferings and intercession of Christ the sight of his own unrighteousnesse how all is but as a menstruous cloth makes him flie to and to prise the righteousnesse which is through faith Gal. 5. the sight of his corruptions and spirituall diseases chases him to the Physitian The whole needs not the Physitian but they that are sick Matth. 9.12 the sight of his wants makes him flie to the fulnesse of Christs grace to receive of that fountain and fulnesse Joh. 1.16 the sight and sense of his spirituall weaknesse makes him flie to Christ for grace Without me ye can do nothing Joh. 15.5 I am able to do all things through Christ that strengthens me Phil. 4.13 Fourthly and lastly that the Spirit of God the holy Ghost may be the more made use of and fled unto for it is by him that 1. our sinfull natures must be renewed Vnlesse a man be born again by the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God Joh. 3.3 2. It is by him that we must mortifie our corruptions and the deeds of the flesh Rom. 8.13 3. It is by him that all grace must be shed abroad in our hearts and souls Rom. â— 3 4. It is by him that we must be strengthened in the inward man for all duties of obedience yea that must lead us and guide us in all the wayes of God Ephe. 3 16. Psal 143.10 And lastly it is the holy Spirit that must go out with and powerfully accompany all the means of grace to make them effectuall for all these ends in our souls Prov. 1.23 So we see the great benefit of this change or of this part of the work of humiliation both in regard of a mans life and also in respect of all the Persons of the Trinity Appl. Here also see and try thy self 1. Concerning thy sinfulnesse and corruptions try if thou doest see and perceive them if thou be convinced of them and they be discovered unto thee and not onely those grosser ones which a naturall eye may perceive but try if thou seest thy inward spirituall subtile and most secret corruptions as thy hypocrisie infidelitie spirituall idolatrie a whoring of thy heart c. for then mayest thou comfort thy self that the Lord hath performed that his promise in some measure toward thee to wit that he hath sent his
notorious sinners were under hazard of damnation that at least the most part of these who are in the bosome of the Church should be saved O but now he sees and considers that many are called and few chosen that few there be that enter in at the gate of life this stirres and startles him makes him to worke out his salvation with fear and trembling Philip. 2.12 makes him give all diligence to make his calling and election sure 2 Pet. 1. v. 10. nor can he ever be quiet or his mind be at rest untill he get some measure of satisfaction this way about his Spirituall condition and indeed to do otherwayes is fearfull security Before he thought it an easie thing to come to the Kingdome of heaven that some little time some few words of prayer in the end of his life Lord have mercy upon me Lord forgive me my sins and such like for so thinke many would serve his turn O but now he thinks all his time and all that he can do in his time but little enough he sees and considers that the Kingdome of heaven must be taken by violence that there must be a striving to enter in at the strait and right gate that there must be wrestling running fighting for the crown and prise and therefore he bestirres himself to the purpose he hath a respect to all Gods Commandments Psal 119.6 keeps his precepts diligently ver 4. makes haste and delayes not to keep his Commandments vers 60. he shunnes all sin whatsoever declines no paines no duty what shall I do to be saved what will he not do to be saved yea the truth is in such a case the care that a man hath of his own salvation hath taken such an impression in his minde and his thoughts are so carried about it that in all the meanes and duties of Religion although it should not be so it goes nearer his heart then the very service of God and untill his feares be rectified by faith and love that which withholds him from sinne which puts him on to the use of all the meanes and of all holy duties is chiefely and principally fear and care of his own salvation Now that the Lord puts such a fray and a stir and an awakening in the hearts of his own in the beginning of their conversion is not without good and speciall reason to wit that by this means he may have them well fitted for the strait and narrow way well buckled with all the duties of obedience well accustomed with Christs yoake and willing to beare it all which unles this goade were in their sides this prick in their hearts they could hardly be brought unto want of custom and aversenesse of heart being such mighty impediments besides the tentations of Satan and generall corruptions of our natures Appl. Try then thy self by this third Mark and part of humiliation if ever thou hast found such a change or disposition as this didst thou ever come to cry What shal I do to be saved didst thou indeed work out thy salvation with fear and trembling was taking of the Kingdom of heaven so pursued by thee that thou wast not quieted untill thou hadst got some measure of satisfaction about thy spirituall condition whereas sometimes thou wast sleeping deeply in security in regard of this great and important point 2 Didst thou ever take the matter to heart in such a measure or manner as that the care of it made thee and still makes thee renounce every known sin decline no known duty carefully and conscienciously frequently and constantly go about the means of thy salvation private and publick what ever men shall think of thee 3. Did and doth the thoughts and cares of thy own salvation and of Gods service more possesse thee then the thoughts and cares of this life and of the world whereas before they were taken up with many things now thou art chiefly about the one thing which is necessary and art â—eeking the Kingdom of heaven first So that in a word thy desire of salvation is and hath been 1. A serious desire 2. A setled desire and constant 3. A diligent desire then mayest thou apply with comfort this Mark and point of humiliation to thy self for the desires of the hypocrite or unregenerate they be not of this kinde for 1. They be not serious but weak faint and feeble desires and therefore easily born down extinguished and choaked with cares or pleasures of this present life 2. They be not setled or constant desires but starts fits and flashes or like the morning dew so that if they work at all yet do they not work out their salvation 3. and lastly they be not diligent desires but sluggish and heartlesse wishes with Balaam they desire to dye the death of the righteous they would be at the kingdom of heaven but have no minde to seek it and the righteousnesse thereof But by the contrary foundst thou never such a change such a fraâ— such a fear in thy heart and soul 2. Doth the thought of the things of this life go nearer thy heart than those of the life to come so that thy thoughts this way thy own conscience being made witnesse have neither been frequent and many nor sad and serious 3. Hast thou truce with any known sin or declinest thou any known duty Then thou wantst the comfort of this Mark and hast never been sufficiently humbled begge therefore earnestly that the Lord would work this awakening in thee especially if thou be negligent in the use of the means that prayest not in secret readest not meditatest not conferrest not repentest not c. RESOLUTIONS for the weak 1 THES 5. v. 14. Comsort the feeble minded support the weak Q. BVt may not all these three main works and parts of 〈…〉 fâ—und in a reprobate or 〈◊〉 1 〈…〉 the â—guâ—tinesse disâ—â—ve 〈…〉 them and fear 〈…〉 jusâ—ice and 〈…〉 their 〈…〉 are they not many times deepâ—y 〈…〉 ed and wakened in their conscience 2. Have they not also discovered unto them their corruptions sinfulnesse and wants 3. And have they not also their own desires of salvation as it fared with the young man in the Gospel What shall I do to inherit eternall life A. They have but not in that measure and manner degree and kinde as Gods children have mark therefore the difference and ye shall see the distinction clear And first of all to begin at the last point The desires of salvation that the wicked and unregenerate have as hath been alreadie shewed 1. They are not deep and serious desires hence it is that without satisfaction in the point they are easily stilled and put off with other things with the trifles and toyes of the world like little children because their desires are not deep and sufficiently rooted therefore is it that they are easily choaked by the cares and pleasures of this world and so come not to perfection and so the things of this life go nearer their heart
throughly exercised and polished for the same 2 Secondly consider that what perhaps thou hast wanted in degree and greatnesse thou hast had in continuance the Lord wisely and graciously giving out to thee at divers times that which would have over-charged thee at one time so that where the degree and measure of humiliation hath been great there their continuance hath been the shorter as we see in Paul who was within three daies comforted the Jaylor also his horrour very great but ere long he rejoyced 3. But thirdly and lastly compare it never with others neither look to the degree of it but see if it be sufficient in it self that is to see if it hath brought ouâ— wrought in thee the right effects and ends for the which the Lord works this work of humiliation in the hearts of his own children for if a thing accomplish its end it is sufficient and who can complain or it See to these two effects especially which be the main effects and ends for the which the Lord works this work of humiliation in his own 1. For thy by-past sins look if it made thee and still makes thee humble and heartily to confesse them before the Lord and to flie unto his mercie and Christs merit for forgivenesse at least if it makes thee do it in sincerity and in earnest even to flie to thy horn of salvation Luke 1.69 to thy city of refuge Heb. 6.18 even the mercy of God in the merits of Christ See also if it make thee to prise these alwayes in thy judgement and sometimes at least with the concurrence of thy affections above all things else more then the gold and the fine gold so that they are savourie unto thee like ointment poured out sweeter then the honey and the honey combe and thou in some measure art thankfull for them if it be thus with thee thy humiliation is sufficient for the degree of it for this is one of the main ends of it why the Lord works it in the hearts of his children to wit that they may be drawn to Christ and chased to him that they may seek his mercie and the forgivenesse of sins in such a sort as they may obtain it that is in earnest and in sinceritie that they may prise relish and be thankfull for the rich mercie of God in the merits of his dear Son 2. See if for time to come thou standst in aw and sinnest not Psal 4.5 and hast by this work of humiliation the fear of God put in thy heart Jer. 31. so that thou fearest alwayes See if thou hast a tender conscience warning thee for the prevention of sin and checking thee again after thou hast committed any sin even the least sin in thought in word in omission in the manner of doing which is a warning to repent If I say it fare thus with thee then it is a good and a sure mark that the degree of thy humiliation is or hath bin sufficient for this is one of the main ends why the Lord works this work of humiliation in the hearts of his childreÌ„ to wit that they may for ever afterwards fear him and stand in aw to sin against him Knowing the terrour of the Lord as the Apostle speaks 2 Cor. 5.11 that as we use to say like the burnt childe they may dread the fire of sin and Gods displeasure against it according to that of Moses to the people of Israel Ex d. 20.20 when the Lord had spoken in such a fearfull manner unto them This sayes he hath the Lord done that his fear may be before your faces that ye sin not Once awakened or a wounded conscience and ever a waking or a tender conscience and by the contrary a waking and a tender conscience is sometimes a wakened or a wounded conscience Behold what care what fear c. 2 Cor. 7.11 Hast thou then these two main effects and ends of humiliation trouble not thy self about the degree thereof for it is sufficient as having attained the ends thereof Further the Scripture not onely allows a comfort but even a strong consolation to those who flie for a refuge to the hope that is set before them Hebr. 6.18 There be also two other speciall ends and effects of a sufficient work of humiliation to wit to produce in us true patience in adversity and true thankfulnes for benefits and favours You may also try the sufficiencie of your humiliation by these A man not truly humbled will never be patient will never be thankfull But on the contrary one who hath been truly humbled with the sight of his own deservings in his greatest adversity he will acknowledge with Ezra that the Lord hath punished him lesse then he deserved And again with the Prophet I will bear the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against him And as for thankfulnesse he is an admirer of the Lords goodnesse for he does heartily and humbly acknowledge with Jacob that he is not worthy of the least of his mercies yea that it is unspeakable favour that he is free from deserved judgements It is of the Lords mercies that we are not consumed Lam. 3.22 Q. What you have spoken about the degree of humiliation and the kinde of it I acknowledge it to be good and comfortable onely this instead of all I would say unto you this I finde to be my case I see its true my own sinfulnes and manifold great corruptions as also my gracelesnesse and manifold wants and am humbled therewith But as for to be humbled with the sense of my own guiltinesse though I see it to be very great I must confesse that I cannot come up to this so that setting aside the kinde or degree of my humiliation I fear that I have never been humbled at all A. This is a case that many of Gods Children have been excercised with but let us see what is to be said to it 1. Thou accknowledgest a sight and some sence a taking to heart thy own corruptions well then thou hast some interest in that The while need not the Physician but they that are sick thou confessest the like of wants so that thou hast interest in that Blessed are the poor in spirit thou art in some better case then those of Landâ—â—a well then that thou art not altogether behind with it blesse the Lord for what thou hast But to go on to the point in hand observe diligently that the manner and the meanes how the Lord works this first and ground worke in the hearts of his Children by the experience and observation of Gods Children who have bin acquainted with it is twofold For first the worke is directly upon the conscience touched with the sence of guiltinesse and troubled with that especially when a mans sinnes are set in order before him and Gods wrath and justice against them his conscience writing bitter things against him Second ly sometimes again the work is not so direct upon the conscience
humiliation is wrought in thy soul and therefore thank God for this and go forward to perfection get faith and love which casteth out fear the Spirit of adoption instead of the spirit of bondage Goon then to beleeve for thou both mayst shouldst having the fear of God thus in thy heart and being in a constant course of obedience according to thy abilitie that faith was never boldnesse nor presumption that is joyned with fear and obedience and that keeps to the precepts as well as to the promises It is an ordinarie policie of Satan and we should not be ignorant of his wiles but observe his stratagems that those who have no interest in the Promises as being void both of fear and obedience these I say he puffes up with Presumption and makes them boldly to claim and lean to that wherein they have no right As long as a man makes no conscience of his wayes he lets him beleeve his fill such a belief as it is when indeed he should not lay hold nor claim to the Promises as is clear by that Psal 50.16 17. But unto the wicked God saith What hast thou to do to take my Covenant in thy mouth seeing thou hatest instruction and castest my words behinde thee When a man again hath forsaken his wicked wayes and thoughts makes conscience of his courses and begins to fear the Lord at which time he may should lay hold on the Promises as is clear by that remarkable and comfortable place Isa 50.10 Who is among you that feareth the Lord that obeyeth the voice of his servant that walketh in darknesse and hath no light let him trust in the name of the Lord and stay upon his God Here is a clear warrant and a sweet invitation for a person in such a case to beleeve and lay hold and yet I say no sooner fares it thus with a man but Satan and his own corruption incontinently bear him back from beleeving Observe this then and resist the devill and the corruption of infidelity that is in thine own heart bear back no longer If bearing back and withdrawing were an allowable cause for thee in such a course thy heart would not be so much given unto it we are ever to suspect the way of our own heart and to judge it wrong that we are most given unto namely the point in hand infidelity being so sibbe to us and which hangs so fast on thee as thou wast given in the time of thy securitie through the way of thine own heart to presume and lay hold when thou shouldest not now this way of thy own heart was clearly wrong So now the way of thy own heart being to misdoubt and draw back why shouldst thou not suspect it and resist it Hold to thy comfortable warrant thou fearest the Lord at least thou desirest to fear his Name for even to such the Scripture allows comfort thou obeyest the voice of his servants or art willing to obey so far as thou art able then obey this also Trust in the Lord and go on in a constant course of fear and obedience and fear not to beleeve this is the Lords seal to depart from iniquity Make your calling and election sure by well doing If ye do these things an entrance shall be ministred unto yâ—u a undantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 2 Pet. 1.11 If thou fear yea desire to fear if thou obey yea be willing and obedient even willing to be obedient Finally for thy further comfort and for the comfort of all those who are troubled because they are not satisfied in this point about the sense of their own guiltinesse let this be considered and examined as towards the promiâ—es there is a true faith and beleeving of them without sense which gives rest to the soul and produces good effects So may there also be a tâ—â—â— faith of the threatnings producing a true fear and câ—re and consequently a true humiliation although it be not joyned with sense All this is spoken not that you ought to rest upon this degree of humiliation for as you ought to go on from faith to faith and from grace to grace so from humiliation to humiliation Moreover the work of humiliation namely in regard of the sight and sense of our own guiltinesse and deservings is the very ground-work of the work of our salvation and sanctification and therefore should be well layed greatly laboured for and we should strive to have it deeply seated and stamped in our hearts and memories For as any may feel by experience according to the lively sense of this point goes on the livelinesse of all other points of Religion this point being lively unto us to wit the sight and sense of our own deservings it makes us accordingly hearty to confesse our sins and humbly to walk with our God it chases us earnestly to lay hold on the means of our deliverie to lay hold on the mercie of God the promises the Covenant c. It makes us flie in to the very bosome of Christ for shelter as to our City of refuge our horn of salvation And lastly faith being on foot and lively withall it is a whetstone and serves to quicken and set an edge upon our love and consequently upon our godly sorrow our zeal our obedience c. for then do we love most when we are most sensible how much is forgiven us so great are the consequents of this point So then I say what I have spoken for your comfort in this point is not that I would have you rest altogether upon the degree of humiliation alreadie acknowledged by you Onely this I would not have it hid from your eyes what you have received but that you should see it and acknowledge it that the Lord may not want his thankfulnesse nor you your comfort And that Satan may not prevail against you by that great and admirable policie of his as he hath done with many to bear you back from faith and laying hold on the Promises without the which there can be no comfort in a Christian soul yea no cheerfull no acceptable service to the Lord Without faith it is impossible to please him yea the heart wants courage to do it either to pâ—eâ—se him to praise him or to honour him Now his policie is this which is the doubt and hold-back to many Obj. I am not sufficiently humbled and therefore should not beleeve nor lay hold on the Promises for humiliation going before faith and beleeving Ans To this I say thou art not indeed sufficiently humbled in regard of and in reference to the work of thy sanctification nor ever shalt be so long as thou art here but I say the case standing so with thee as we were speaking that is thou fearing and obeying c. thou art sufficiently humbled to lay hold upon the Promises and to be bold to believe them and claim thy interest in them thou fearest the Lord
may fear God even for a time when a judgement is upon him for a fit or a start but this is not the true fear of God for when the judgement is over he goes to his wonted sins So did Pharaoh and Jereboam thus he fears not alwayes and so is not blessed he hath not gotten the Lords fear as never to depart from him and so is not in the Covenant But see thou if thy judgements and afflictions not onely whilest they were lying on but even afterwards they have brought forth the quiet fruits of righteousnesse But that this Mark may be the more clear comforting and convincing we will lay it out in the particulars to wit their fear who have the true fear and withall let you see the quite contrary in the wicked and that both from Scripture 1. They who have this true fear they fear Gods justice and anger against sin as is clear Lord enter not into judgement with thy servant Rebuke me not in thy wrath Who knows the power of thy wrath 2. They fear the threatnings of the Word and tremble at it 3. They fear his judgements against sin recorded in Scripture or observed by experience Psal 119. The contrary of all this is true in the wicked For 1. in generall they fear not God at all according to a notable place Psal 36. who if they were not strangely besotted and blinded might see that they were wrong when even others see it The transgression of the wicked saith in my heart that there is no fear of God before his eyes c. Look and consider the place 2. They fear not Gods justice and anger they never get a sensible and serious thought of his justice before their eyes but think he is all Mercie and that therefore if they should sin all their life time and yet but at the very last bid the Lord have mercie on them that that will serve their turn Whereas Gods children howsoever sometimes they have had the like apprehensions see the Lord in his justice and holines and that in such a sort as that hardly can they get a glimpse or glance of his Mercie 3. They fear not the Lords threatnings tremble not at his Word but on the contrary Deut. 29.29 They are readie when they bear the words of the curse to blesse themselves in their own hearts saying I shall have peace though I walk in the imaginations of my own-heart c. So that ye see there is a clear difference Now to the Application and that first for comfort 1. Hast thou the fear of God even that fear of God and not of man that right and constant fear rejoyce 1. Thou art in Covenant for this is a point of the Covenant as ye heard 2. Thou art blessed for thou fearest alwayes 3. Thou shalt not be ashamed or disappointed for thou hast respect to all his Commandments 4. Thy afflictions have been sanctified afflictions for even afterwards they bring forth the fruits of righteousnesse joyn faith with fear and let love cast out slavish fear be bold to beleeve the Promises thou that beleevest the threatnings Who is he that feareth the Lord and obeyeth the voice of his servant let him trust in the Lord c. Thou hatest not to be reformed and so mayest take his Covenant in thy mouth 2. Didst thou doest thou fear his justice and wrath so that it makes thee to flie under the wings of Christ makes thee flie to the horn of salvation for a refuge to the hope set before thee Thou mayest be sure of a kindly welcome How often would I have gathered thee c. He that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out There is allowed to thee A strong consolation even to them who fearing the Lords justice flie for a refuge to the hope set before them Heb. 6.3 Didst thou doest thou tremble at his Word at his threatnings the Lord looks upon and dwelleth with such a one 4. Art thou afraid of his judgements this will make thee judge thy self and so not to be judged of the Lord Flie to him in whom whosoever is there is no condemnation for him 2. For conviction But for thee who hast not this fear in generall but doest flatter thy self in thy own eyes making no conscience of sin Alas if thou saw sin as others see it and wert not miserably besotted thou wouldst see thou hadst no fear and so no faith no salvation 2. Wast thou never deeply apprehensive of the Lords wrath and justice against thee or never hadst any serious and sensible thoughts thereof Alas I see not how ever thou hast been driven to Christ No man can come unto me unlesse the Father draw him Come unto me all ye that are weary and laden Nor how thou canst prise his merit and the Lords mercie or stand in aw for time to come have a tender conscience c. 3. Doest thou not tremble at the threatnings of his Word then assuredly thou beleevest them not and therefore thy belief of the Promises is but a phantasse a false presumption 4. Doth not the Lords judgements recorded against the like sinners with thy self affect thee then surely thou knowest not how neer they be unto thee thou art in a deep securitie Had David need for the flesh to tremble and art thou lesse sinfull No yet more secure III. The third Mark of a true humiliation is this that from the sight of sinfulnesse and sense of guiltinesse or fear there arises an earnest care and sollicitude in a man after his own salvation Behold what care what fear c. What shall I de to be saved He works out his salvation with fear and trembling This is indeed a great and a clear change being compared with his former securitie But that it may be yet more clear we will set down the difference in this point betwixt the godly and the ungodly betwixt a man thus wakened and quickned by the Lords rich mercie and a man yet lying dead in sins and trespasses receive it then thus 1. The ungodly and not wakened or quickened they have many of them no cares or desires at all about heavenly or spirituall things or of their own salvation their cares and desires are about corn and oyl Psal 4. about many things Psal 10. give them their wishes and desires they would run this way as for grace and glory they think they have enough of the one and that they are sure enough of the other The godly and wakened are not so Lord give me the light of thy countenance they take care for the one thing necessary give them their wish and desire it would be grace and not goods 2. If they have any cares or desires this way they be 1. but sluggish desires and not diligent they may wish and would with Balaam their salvation but they do not work much lesse work out their own salvation They may well seek the kingdom of heaven but not and the righteousnesse thereof
that the Lord requires and if ye pray unto God for them Look to the sixth Commandment and see whether or no thine heart doth not often rise in anger against thy neighbour without or for a very small cause and thy mouth doth not break out into miscalling of him yea perhaps in cursing him which is the very height of murther And remember what our Saviour saith He that is angry with his brother without a cause is in danger of the judgement Or whosoever shall say to his brother thou fool or any thing as ill as this is in danger of hell fire Consider also the seventh Command and remember how it also is to be extended to thy heart and to thy speeches and so meets with all thy unclean thoughts and unclean speeches And look how thou hast carried and doest carry thy self in the other points of sobriety in thy drinking in thy eating a point certainly that many fail in and few consider yea and in thy wearing Consider the eight Command and see if perhaps thou hast not wronged thy neighbour in his goods but how hast thou imployed thy own how wilt thou clear thy accounts to him who will take account of the talents he hath committed to thee hast thou not spent much superfluously and unnecessarily when the members of Jesus Christ have been like to starve for want Look to the ninth Command which forbids thee to speak to the disgrace of thy neighbours name whether it be true or false that thou speakest for love should cover imperfections and we are commanded to do as we would be done to And see the propension of thy heart to break this Commandment nothing so incident to us as in our discourses to fall upon our neighbours imperfections and to talk of them with delight a signe we want that love which is the summe of all As for the tenth Command those that see any thing cannot but see that body of death I have gone briefly through the Commandments touching onely these things that I think people are most guilty of so to lead you to the knowledge of sin without which there can be no humiliation no repentance no amendment I beseech you take heed to the particulars and apply them to your selves and pray the Lord more and more to give you the eye-salve and to open your eyes that ye may see the wonderfull things of the Law that ye may see what is displeasing to him and dangerous to your own souls II. Secondly having thus applyed the Law to your selves for the knowledge and discovery of sin Then in the second place apply the threatnings and curses of the Law to your self for your humiliation and to this end consider the severitie and greatnesse of them the universalitie and extent of them they are certainly exceeding great and fearfull they extend to the body to the minde to the temporal and spiritual care of a man to this life and to the life to come and they are very fearfull in all these respects Consider chiefly the universalitie of these threatnings in regard of their object every one great and small young and old he or she are lyable to the curses of the Law we should consider this for we are exceeding prone to make an exception and to blesse our selves in our hearts when God curses and to slip the choller But what saith the Scripture Cursed is every one that abideth not in all things c. And tribulation and anguish is on every soul that dâ—th evill c. We should also consider the truth of him that hath pronounced these threatnings even God that cannot lye Heaven and earth shall passe away but not one jâ—t of his Word shall passe away Now all this is little enough to move us for we are wonderfully given to this to shift the threatnings of the Law off from our selves although we cannot deny that the Lord is true that hath pronounced them yet indirectly our unbeleeving shifting hearts do it like those of whom the Prophet Jeremy speaks Chap. 5.12 They have bolyed the Lord saith he and said this evill shall not come upon us What else do they that walk in their sins and yet think that the threatnings of the Law shall not over-take them but even give the Lord the lye And again although the threatnings and curses of the Law be so generall and univerfall as ye may see Deut. 29. the Lord fore-sets that there shall be some and alas would to God that the most part were not so who when they hear the curses of the Law shall neverthelesse blesse themselves in their own hearts and shall say I shall have peace though I walk in the imaginations of my own heart how many are there of this kind that ban swear and drink and rail and break the Sabbath securely and yet neverthelesse blesse themselves in their own hearts think that no such thing shall overtake them all secure sinners are of this sort O but what saies the Lord to such a soul The Lord will not spare him but the anger of the Lord and his jealousie shall smoak against him and all the curses of his book shall come upon him and the Lord shall blot out his name under heaven O that secure finners would consider this But what shall I say of the slownesse of men and women to beleeve the Lords threatnings the curses of the Law they are so senslesse and stupid that when they see them executed upon others yea when they feel them upon themselves diseases upon their bodies grief upon their minds c. yet they conceive not they consider not that it is by vertue of the Lords threatnings that this comes upon them so to humble themselves under the mighty hand of God This the Prophet Jeremy Chap. 5. sets down to have been the senslesse condition of the people of his time Thou hast stricken them but they have not grieved thou hast confumed them but they have not received correction And he concludes Surely they are poore they are foolish they know not the wayes of the Lord nor the judgement of their God This is a lamentable case and yet a common case we should pray the Lord to save us from this senslesnesse They are happy that when adversitie comes upon them get grace from God to acknowledge it to be for their sins and so humble themselves and are not condemned with the wicked world for so they prevent the wrath which is to come But happie were we if we would beleeve Gods threatnings without feeling of them for then we should prevent afflictions also would we judge our selves we should not be judged c. Now there be two things especially that stand in the way and hinder the threatnings of Gods Law from having their due operation upon the hearts of men and women and makes men and women to be secure notwithstanding of the peremptory threatnings of the Law And I beseech you take heed unto them that ye be not also lulled
for thy self suppose that thou wert sure of mercie and that thou hadst already obtained mercy yet thou hast need neverthelesse to humble thy self under the mightie hand of God therby to prevent the sharpnesse of the Lords chastisements and to be corrected in measure thou hast need to judge thy self that thou mayest not be judged for even where the Lord is mercifull he takes vengeance for transgression he may well correct in measure but he will not leave altogether unpunished Upon David's first confession it was said to David Thy sins are forgiven thee and yet ye see what he suffered both in regard of spirituall and temporall crosses as the 51. Psalm and the History can bear witnesse This should startle all sinners and make them to haste out of their sins suppose thou get mercie and repentance which is but a peradventure yet neverthelesse thou shalt find that is an evill and bitter thing to depart from the living God the Lord will have thee to find some dint of his threatnings both upon thy temporall and spirituall estate Look what ever pleasure thou tookest in sinning the Lord will have thee one way or other to taste as much bitternesse by his chastisements and therefore that these may be in measure we have need to humble our selves under the mighty hand of God and to walk humbly with our God all the daies of our life To conclude this point then which I have insisted on the longer because it is a main one Would ye then attain to the ground-work of humiliation and obey this present Exhortation Then take the threatnings of Gods Law and lay them before you and meditate oft and seriously upon them and crave earnestly the Spirit for that end apply them to your self and suffer not your heart to shift them and strive to fear the Lords threatnings and to tremble at his Word for our deceitfull hearts are very ready to shift them to make a covenant with hell and to put the evill day far from us they have no will to hear such harsh tydings our souls shun this work of humiliation mightily and the devill he is very busie to steal out the fear of the Lords threatnings out of our heart for he knows that if he obtain that he hath then made sure work He did so with our first parents and prevailed God threatned they should dye the devill said Ye shall not dye and he was better beleeved then God None of us but we will condemne our first parents in this but fares it not even so with every one of us The Lord hath added this threatning to every one of his Commands If thou do this thou shalt surely dye if thou swear thou shalt dye if thou whore thou shalt dye if thou lye thou shalt dye and yet we stand not to commit these things which thou durst not do didst thou not beleeve the devill and thy own heart whispering into thee that thou shalt not dye thou beleevest the devill and belyest God But I intreat you beloved still beleeve the threatnings of Gods Word that so ye may humble your selves under the mighty hand of God as did good Josiah when he heard the book of the Law and that ye may stand in aw for times to come and not sin II. The second main and chief mean to bring us to humiliation is to consider and meditate upon the Lords judgments set down in Scripture adding withall the consideration of Gods unchangeablenes and how as the Apostle saith he is not an accepter of persons this surely is a notable mean David saith My heart trembleth for fear of thee and I am afraid because of thy judgements And did we consider that we are guilty of the like if not the same or greater sins how would our hearts tremble There is no sin almost but the Lord hath left a registrate punishment for it in his Word the more to humble us seeing that his bare Law and threatnings without execution would not affect us How are we bound to him that teaches us in this manner by others harms 1 Cor. 10. The Apostle brings in a number of instances of the Lords severe judgements against divers sorts of sinners against unbeleevers murmurers fornicators intemperate lusters c. and concludes saying Now all these things befell them for examples and they are written for our instruction upon whom the ends of the world are fallen The Scripture is full of other examples and surely now were not the hardnesse of our hearts so extreamly great I know not what could be more effectuall the Lord concurring by his Spirit to bring us to humiliation for our by-past sins and to cause us to stand in aw to sin for times to come then a deep and due consideration of the judgements against sinuers guiltie of the like transgressions and sins with our selves Adding withall the consideration of the unchangeablenesse of the Lord God who dealt thus with them and inflicted those judgements upon them for he being the same yesterday and to day and for ever there being no variablenesse nor shadow of turning with him he being no accepter of persons especially thy sins being greater Then certainly how can the Lord but have the like quarrell with thee as with them as the Apostle saith Thinkest thou O man that doest the same things that thou shalt escape the judgement of God how canst thou think it unlesse thou think that thou hast not to do with the same God or that he is changed from that he was and that he is not so offended at sin now as he was of old or that he is an accepter of persons all which or any of which to say is very blasphemous Was the Lord so offended of old with the infidelitie and with the impatiencie and murmuring and repining of his people and did he punish it so severely and shalt thou for thy manifold delinquencies notwithstanding thy by-past experiences and thy frequent repining against the Lords will escape unlesse thou repent it and humble thy self and amendi Did the Lord punish so sharply Nadah and Abihu for profaning his worship and offering up strange fire to him and not sanctifying the Lord when they came before him and neer him And doth not that same guiltinesse lye upon thee and hath not the Lord the same quarrel with thee who so often hast profaned his worship with hypocrisie and sloth drawing neer to him with the lips but thy heart being far from him but set upon thy vanities and doing his work negligently rushing in before him without sanctifying thy self when thou drewest neer him yea coming with thy sins upon thee and so offering strange fire to him many wayes shall not the Lord punish thee also Unlesse thou humble thy self and amend 3. Did the Lord so peremptorily punish the man who blasphemed his Name making him to be stoned to death and shalt thou who hast so often blasphemed the holy and dreadfull Name of the Lord thy God think that the Lord
Psal 90. Moses saith further Who knows the power of his wrath When the children of God who in their wakening of their conscience had but a taste of that wrath for the dregs of it are reserved for the wicked and who rather apprehend and fear Gods anger then feel it when they say they would give all the world they would suffer what can be devised to be freed from the apprehension of that wrath what must the thing it self be And therefore we see how David cries out Lord rebuke me not in thine anger neither chasten me in thy sore displeasure It 's a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God the Lord is a consuming fire But because that this point to wit that the Lord is angry and wroth with some is a point that we can hardly comprehend what is the reason that we fear so little to commit sin and are so slenderly humbled for sin therefore I will let you see his anger against sin by the effects of it in some few examples 1. Must not the Lord be very angry and highly offended with sin when for one sin of our first parents he made whole mankinde lyable to eternall and intolerable torment the most part of them without recovery and even upon whom he hath shewed mercie he hath ordained them to passe their pilgrimage here in labour and sorrow and hath made all the creatures subiect to vanity Who knows the power of his wrath But this ye may think was against sin committed in innocencie when there was such ability not to sin But secondly behold afterwards the Lords anger against sin how great it must be when for sin he who swears he delights not in the death of a sinner and is a God full of compassion did destroy the whole world the very young sucking ones and the dumbe creatures a few onely being saved But ye will say sin was here come to a height and was universall But I will give you one fearfull instance of the one particular sin of one man Achan for stealing the wedge of gold how fearfully was he punished and not he onely as ye may read in the History but his sons and his daughters his oxen and sheep and all that he had was stoned and burnt with fire a fearfull example of the fiercenesse of Gods anger against sin which should make us say as David did My heart trembleth because of thy judgements But ye will yet say this was it's tâ—ue but one sin but a great one sacriledge but the Lord is not perhaps so angrie for all that at every sin O but consider if he be not what are these but outward judgements hath he not also even for the least sin ordained eternall and intollerable torment how great then must be the indignation and abhomination of the Lord our God even against the least of our sins when it doth move so just a God who surely would not make the punishment greater then the fault to adjudge the committer to eternall torment and intollerable O! if this were well weighed by us we would not be so carelesse in preventing nor so slight in our humiliation even for our least sins we all fail in this we are not carefull enough to prevent small sins so to speak nor carefull enough to humble our selves for them we have a cast of idolatrie we â—ount them veniall O but the least deserves eternall punishment the least provokes the Lord to anger the least cost Jesus Christ his blood For the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin and therefore count not so little of a sinfull thought or a sinfull word prevent carefully watch diligently be humbled greatly And now to conclude this point would ye see the Lords anger hatred severitie against sin yet more clearly adde but this one consideration to wit of his dealing even with his own children his own darlings after the committing of sin to whom neverthelesse he hath pardoned the iniquitie how dealt he with David the man according to his own heart how with Moses who was so familiar with him for one sin deprives him of his greatest worldly contentment he wounds them with the wound of an enemie and chastises them with the chastisement of a cruell one as Job saith he makes their beauty to consume as a moth night and day his hand is heavy upon them and he turns their moisture into the drought of Summer Now if the Lord for sin deal so with his own dear children how will he do with his enemies if so sharply with them to whom he hath pardoned the sin how then with those who are still guilty if so to the green tree how to the dry If the righteous scarcely be saved how shall the unrighteous and sinners be saved IIII. A fourth mean or help of humiliation is to consider seriously of the justice of God a point also that we can never sufficiently comprehend people apprehend the Lord to be infinitely mercifull and so he is but for his Justice they esteeme nothing so of it as if he were not infinitely just also every thing in God is infinite and therefore he being just must of necessitie be infinite in his Justice and so his justice think we of it what we will passes our deepest apprehension Take heed unto this ye that think the Lord is all Mercie the Lords mercie is wonderfull great God forbid it were otherwise His mercie saith the Psalmist reaches to the heavens and his faithfulnesse to the clouds But doth not his justice and judgement reach as far for what saith the Apostle O the depth of the riches c. and addes the same of his justice for he saith His Judgements are past finding out And as he speaks of the glory of his mercy upon the vessels of mercy so he speaks of his wrath even the power of his wrath upon the vessels of wrath so that with whom he deals in mercie he is infinitely mercifull and with whom he deals in justice he is infinitely just And let me say to you if we will look to the multitude of objects Justice hath the preheminence I speak this to humble you and also that ye be not deceived for men and women think that Mercie hath the upper hand of Justice in this respect but many are called and few are chosen Indeed Mercy bears it away in this that it hath the first place and Justice comes not in till Mercie be contemned patience and long-suffering abused and towards Gods own it is wonderfull for all their sins may well make him to visit them with the rods of men but never to take his tender mercie from them But for the point I was speaking of certainly more shal find the dint of Gods justice then ever shall find the benefit of his mercie which should cause every one of us in good earnest to see to our selves The Scripture is very carefull that the consideration of Gods mercie do not ecclipse his justice from
our eyes and therfore in these two notable places Exod. 34. and Nahum 1. which two places speak very gloriously of Gods mercie yet in both of them are interwoven these two peremptory speeches of Gods justice In the one He will by no means clear the guilty in the other He will not at all acquit the wicked Josh 24.19 20. when he was stirring up the Israelites to serve and worship the Lord their God he was loath that they should mistake the nature of him whom they undertook to serve that they should conceive as people are ready to do God to be all good and gracious and mercifull and therefore he tels them what a one he is not denying the former but putting them in mind of that which they were readie to forget what saith he He is an holy God he is a jealous Gâ—d he will not forgive you your sins if ye turn from him he will consume you after he hath done you good But it may be alledged he speaks this to try them He doth indeed but he would speak nothing but the truth for that and I intreat you therfore think upon the Justice of the Lord and whereof before I have been speaking to you upon the extent of his Justice both in regard of time and of persons Men do think that Gods justice may be soon satisfied and his favour soon obtained but ye shall see the contrary in the iniquitie of Peor we are not cleansed from it even to this day and that although there was a plague amongst the people So Manasseh a point very considerable for thy continuall humiliation Moreover men do scarcely apprehend that the Lords justice and anger for their sins can reach to themselves but ye shall find it hath extended to others one man sinned and the Lord was wroth with the whole congregation If this were considered as I told you before we should take better heed to our selves then we do and take better heed to the repressing of sin Wo is me saith the Prophet for I dwell among a people of polluted lips strange is the contagion of sin This makes David to say that he will take order with his family No wicked person will I know and they that do evill shall depart from me V. A fifth mean of humiliation is a setting our sins in order before our selves that is to have a due and deep weighing of our sins in their greatnesse number manner and such other circumstances of aggravation This if we do not the Lord hath threatned to do Psal 50. Whereas if we would judge our selves the Lord would not judge us First then thou shouldst consider the greatnesse of thy sins and withall call to remembrance the ground I layed down before and did prove to be true to wit that the very least sin that ever thou committedst doth provoke the just and powerfull Lord the good and gracious God to wrath and that in so high a degree that he hath ordained it to be punished with eternall and intollerable torment which should be a ground not of a sleight and superficiall but of an exceeding care to prevent even the least sin and should make us see that our humiliation and our godly sorrow even for our smallest sins be more deep we have need of this greatly But to the point Consider now with thy self if so be the least even one of the least of thy sins be yet so great that it deserves eternall and intollerable torment and hath provoked the Lord so highly to wrath and cannot be expiated but by the blood of the Son of God for that blood cleanses us from all sin and there is no other name or mean under heaven to be saved O then what must be the deserving and degree of the punishment of thy great and grosse sins and what measâ—â—e of wrath must thâ—u lye under in regard of them If thy flying and passing thoughts deserve such a punishment how then shalt thou be punished for thy entertained and fostered and delighted in sinful thoughts of covetousnesse revenge ambition uncleannesse c. If for every idle word thou must render an account in the day of judgement what account is then to be rendred of thy sinfull and so sinfull words wherewith thou hast blasphemed the great and dreadfull Name of the Lord thy God and for thy stinking corrupt communication unsavourie to a Christian eare but most abhominable to the holy Lord who is puritie it self and so cannot but highly abhor such filthinesse and which is an evident token that the unclean spirit hath possession of thy heart and mouth And finally if thy words and thoughts shall be so punished consider then what thy actions will bring upon thee for then sin is finished and if the least of thy sinfull actions shall be so severely taken order with O how shouldst thou tremble to think upon thy grosse trespasses and grievous offences in thy actions 2. Consider the number of thy sins if one sin deserves so much what will so many procure yea even thy great and grosse sins being so many in number and so often repeated Ye heard how severely and exemplarily the Lord punished his own people the naturall Olive for one act of one kind of sin and what then shalt thou expect for so many severall kinds of sins and so may acts of these kinds 1. For so often profaning his worship 2. So often profaning his Name 3. So often profaning his Sabbath 4. So many acts of uncleannesse 5. And which is worse then all this for so many times and occasions neglecting that great salvation And further by thy by-past great sins what innumerable certainly innumerable sins have escaped thee yea and daily do escape thee in these three respects to wit of thoughts words and manner of doing 1. The heart is desperately wicked and the imaginations thereof are evill continually whereby it comes to passe that out of that foule fountain is continually streaming out a source of sinfull thoughts 2. The tongue is also an unruly evill and it also makes us most frequently to sin against the Lord. And 3. Such is the pitifull corruption and pollution of our sinfull nature that we sin continually in the manner of doing even our best duties our best services are polluted our righteousnesse is like a menstruous cloth so that we are in regard of this corruption as one makes the comparison very like the snail that defiles all the way it passes through and leaves a slime behind it Even so do we in regard of this pollution of our nature defile all the footsteps we walk in there is the slime of sin to be seen in our best actions So that in respect of these three our thoughts our words and the manner of our doing we sin most frequently which is most pitifull Now since any of these deserve eternall toâ—ment what then do they being all joyned together 3. Consider the manner of thy sins for this addes exceedingly to the greatnesse of
sin and serves much for aggravation see if thou hast not sinned against thy knowledge and if thou hast done so thou art worthy of and shalt receive double stripes Knowest thou and was it not often told thee that thou shouldst keep the Sabbath in thy thoughts and discourses that thou shouldst renew thy repentance that thou shouldst what ever thy other employments be grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ that thou shouldst apply thy heart unto spirituall wisdom that thou shouldst not onely hear and read but go apart and meditate upon Gods Word and as occasion serves and thy abiâ—itie shall permit to speak of it I say hast thou known these things and have they been oft-times told thee and yet because they were painfull thou hast forborn to do them O how many stripes mayest thou look for 2. See if thou hast not sinned against thy conscience for this is yet more then to sin against knowledge to wit when not onely one knows a thing in generall but when by his generall knowledge of it his conscience gives him particular warning to do or to abstain the Spirit of God prompts him to it and yet notwithstanding he goes his own way this is a most heavie sin it is a wounding of the conscience and a grieving of the Spirit of God yea and in a degree of that which the Apostle saith Hebr. 10. a despighting of the Spirit of grace See then if ever thou hast sinned this way against the motions of Gods Spirit and warnings of thy own conscience that the Spirit of God and thy own conscience have suggested unto thee that such a thing was to be done and yet thou didst it not or such a thing not to be done and yet thou didst it and certainly if thou hast thou hast need greatly to be humbled this is to sin stubbornly and rebelliously 3. See if thou hast sinned out of presumption that is to say presuming upon the Lords mercy many sin this way and conclude with themselves the Lord is mercifull and easie to be intreated readie to forgive and therefore although I sin I shall get pardon yea although I should sin all my life long I shall get mercie easily at last this is a grievous kind of sinning and an uncouth way of conclusion and it is a dangerous conclusion for thy own soul for none so readie to refuse mercie as those who have thus sinned presuming upon mercy turning the grace of God unto wantonnesse for what saith the Lord Deut. 29. If any man hearing the words of this curse shall neverthelesse blesse himself in his own heart c. I will not spare that man saith the Lord and if ever thou get mercie think on it thou shalt not find it so easie to be gotten nor the Lord so easie to be intreated Gods children find it hard enough all their life time to get and wilt thou get mercie for a word of thy mouth as it were And as it is a most dangerous conclusion in regard of thy own soul so is it a most ungratefull and unnaturall conclusion in regard of the Lord thy God to say that because he is good and gracious and mercifull and readie to forgive thee that therefore thou wilt continue to sin against him to provoke him to wrath shouldest thou not rather conclude Is he so gracious indeed Alas that ever I should offend him I will no more do so by his grace and assistance were it not a wicked thing for a man to use another so to wit to abuse his lenity and goodnesse and clemencie and kindnesse fye upon such a conclusion 4. See if thou hast sinned scandalously either by thy sin being an evill example unto others and strengthening them in their sins whereby certainly thou must not onely be accountable for thy own sins but for others also Or else by thy sin hast given others occasion to think and speak ill of thy profession and so hast been a scar-crow to Religion Or else by thy sin hast made these thou hast had to do with to take such a prejudice at thee that neither thy words nor thy works can any thing further their edification there is no sin more to be taken heed to then this scandalous sinning and therfore be carefull against it And if thou hast been guiltie of it humble thy self greatly for it 4. Consider the means against which thou hast sinned Now under means I comprehend both the means of Gods Word and of his works whereby he labours to reclaim us See then how thou hast sinned against his works and that both against his benefits and favours and also against his judgements and afflictions whereby he studied to reclaim thee And first for the first Certainly this is no small aggravation of thy sin in Gods sight that thou hast sinned against so many benefits and favours Thus we see the Lord by Nathan aggravates Davids sin I took thee from the sheepfold when thou wast small in thy own eyes I made thee king over my people and have given thee the throne of thy Master and thus and thus have I done unto thee and yet thou hast sinned against me The like catalogue will the Lord present thee with unlesse thou prevent him and judge thy self he will say unto thee I have bestowed upon thee such gifts and perfections of bodie and minde which I have denyed to others and such a measure of outward things appertaining to contentment as many would think themselves well dealt with if they should have but the half of these things I have kept thee from many grievous inconveniences which I have inflicted upon others I have further delivered thee from many distresses and carried thee through difficulties yea I have done so and so unto thee made thee eminent in regard of many others and yet for all this thou hast sinned against me thou wouldest not for my sake renounce thy pleasures to resist such a corruption nor thy ease to discharge such duties what a just challenge thinkst thou will this be how will thy own conscience subscribe to it and thy countenance blush at it Consider also if thou hast not finned against the Lords judgements and afflictions which he sent to reclaim thee and fairly to warn thee and so hast kicked against the pricks Isaiah or the Lord by Isaiah makes this aggravation Why should ye be stricken any more ye will revolt more and more And Jer. 5. Thou hast strucken them but they have not grieved thou hast consumed them but they have not received correction This is also a great aggravation of sin The Psalmist saith Be not like the horse or the mule which cannot be holden in but by bit and bridle but this is to be worse then horse or mule even us to be holden in with bit and bridle Both these aggravations Ezra puts together Chap. 9. v. 13 14 And after all that is come upon us for our evill deeds and for our great trespasses
seeing that thou our God hast punished us lesse then our iniquities deserve and hast given us such a deliverance as this Should we again break thy Commandments wouldest thou not be angrie with us untill thou hadst consumed us As if he should say Shall we not regard both thy judgements and thy favours And because some had done thus therefore he saith O my God I am ashamed to lift up my face to thee O my God Consider moreover how thou hast sinned against the means of Gods Word so often calling upon thee standing at the doore and knocking stretching out his hands all the day long and that thou hast sent him away with a refusall This neglecting the Lords call and refusing to hear his Word and obey it is a most fearfull sin and fearfully threatned in Gods Word Prov. 1.24 Because I have called and ye have not heard and have stretched forth mine hand and no man regarded But ye have set at nought my counsell and would have none of my reproof I also will laugh at your calamitie and mock when your fear cometh Then shall they call upon me but I will not answer they shall seek me early but shall not find me There cannot be a more fearfull threatning then this and yet ye see it is but just and proportionable which shews the offence to be exceeding great And indeed how great a sin must it be that the great God should vouchsafe to speak to us base creatures and that thou in the mean time shouldst not daigne to hear him or hearing him refuse to obey him Now this thou hast done so often as ever thou hadst the occasion of the Word and either slighted to hear or didst not do the thing thou heardst Thou must not think that it was a man onely that thou didst misregard to hear or to obey but even God himself whose Ambassadour he is O that we would consider this rightly that when we hear the Word it is the great God whom we hear or whom we misregard according to that of the Apostle that they received the Word not as the word of 〈…〉 as it is indeed the Word of the living God This would make us truly to acknowledge the greatnesse of our by-past offences in this point and for time to come to hear with greater attention to better purpose but because this is not sensible enough considered by us therefore is it that we cannot see the greatnesse of this sin to wit to heare the word of God negligently This sinne is also fearfully threatned Isa 6. v. 12.66.4 Ier. 7.13 all which shewes that the contempt yea neglect of Gods word is not so small a sin as we apprehend it to be how then shouldest thou be humbled who hast been so often guilty of this sin See we not when Malefactors are broght to the place of the execution even for crying sins that yet this sin cries louder in their consciences then all the rest as is to be seen by their confessions further consider how thou hast sinned not onely in generall against the light of Gods word but even in particular against the Gospel against the offer of mercy and hast neglected so great a salvation Now this makes thy sins to be exceeding sinfull it is fearfull to sin against the very light of nature as is clear by the testimonies of the Lords wrath upon Belshazzar Dan. 5. and upon these Rom. 1. They had but the very light of nature and yet because they abused even but that light because when they knew God they glorified him not as God neither were thankfull therefore he gave them over to a reprobate minde and far more fearfull is it to sin against the light of the written Law for that was a clearer light and so we see the transgressors of the Law were precisely and peremptorily punished every transgression received a just recompence of reward But most fearfull and sinfull of all is it to sin against the most clear light of the Gospel and the offer of salvation in it as is clear out of these two places Heb. 2.1 Heb. 10.28 29. And our Saviour saith plainly that it shall be easier in the day of judgement even for Sodome and Gomorrah then it shall be for the neglecters of the Gospel Consider then how thou hast sinned in this last kind and so how great thy sins must be Were the breakers of the Law severely punished yea even those who had nothing but the light of nature O what deservest thou what need hast thou to be humbled that hast sinned against the highest light if by humiliation thou do not prevent it it shall be more tolerable for Sodom then for thee Now the thing that makes sins against the Gospel to be so sinfull is this because they are against not onely the Lords Commandment but his most loving entreaties and that by his tender mercies and the precious merits of his Son and therefore notwithstanding these to disobey and so to despise the offer of grace is and must be exceedingly sinfull for it is no lesse then as the Apostle cals it to neglect so great a salvation to tread under feet the blood of Christ and to count the blood of the Covenant an unholy thing for by the Law the Lord commands us indeed so to do but the tenor of the Gospel is by intreating to win obedience out of love I beseech you by the mercies of God Rom. 12.1 If a just King should out of Authority command his Subject any reasonable lawfull thing and he should disobey certainly his disobedience were great and greatly to be punished But if the Prince laying aside his Authoritie or with his Authority should request and allure with benefits and yet be neglected what punishment thinkest thou were that person worthy of Now the case is thy own the Lord thy God hath more interest in thee then all the kings in the world and is more worthy to be obeyed then they all also he hath been commanding thee and not onely so but requesting beseeching thee and that not by any common favours but by his tender mercies and the precious merits of his Son and renewing the offer of salvation and remission of thy sins to leave such and such sins and to do such and such duties but thou wouldest not O then how great and how just shall be thy damnation is not this to tread under feet the blood of Christ O that this were considered if a Subject should rebell against his Prince his punishment should be both just and great But if the Prince notwithstanding all that had past would of his free grace offer him a free remission and pardon and intreat him to accept of it and no more to continue in his rebellion and yet neverthelesse he should despise the pardon and continue in his former rebellion what punishment can be devised sufficient for such a one Just such is the case of such who sin against the Gospel the Lord offers freely
much more precious then of gold that perisheth though it be tryed with the fire may be found to praise and honour and glory The sufficiencie of an Anker is onely known in a storme if it hold out in a great tempest Even so is the sufficiencie of the anker of hope which flows from faith onely best known by it's holding out in the time of great adversitie for at such a time as this the fleshly presumption of the hypocrite doth fail him his hope doth perish it is like a Summers brook which dries up when there is most need Will the hypocrite pray alwayes when it comes to this his faith proves to be but fantasie Whereas the faith of the true beleever though it be in such a case much weakned and over-layed yet it fails not altogether it may make a great halt but his faith doth not fail him it stands out and carries him through the storme of adversitie See then if thy faith hath been a standing-out faith a carrying-through faith in the time of adversity if it did not make thee make haste that is put thee upon unlawfull shifts but that thou still didst cleave to God and the means that he hath appointed that is the Word and Prayer didst call upon God alwayes never giving over and depending upon the Word Were it not for thy Word I had perished in my affliction and so in some measure of hope and patience didst wait the Lords will and leisure this is a token of true faith a tryed faith a faith that maketh not haste Obj. I find much diffidence and impatience in time of adversitie much haste A. So doth all Gods children No tentation hath overtaken you but that which is common to men and therfore I said in some measure of trust and patience We see even David had his haste Psal 116. I said in my haste all men are lyars And Job had his great impatience and yet the Spirit of God saith Ye have heard of the patience of Job the Lord pities his own in their infidelities and impatiencies when they are sore assayed as it were above strength and above measure and as it were in their raving fits he imputes not these unto them he counts not narrowly with them he sees this is their infirmitie and that when the feaver is over they will come to themselves and therefore when they as it may seem both to themselves and others have lost their hold yet he looses not his hold so gracious is he Psal 3. When I said my foot slipped thy mercy O Lord upheld me My heart and my flesh faileth but God is the strength of my heart and my hope for ever So then even the best of the Saints have had in adversitie their own great haste infidelitie and impatiency which the Lord did pitie and passe over So will he thine if thou hast done as is aforesaid not giving totall place to infidelitie nor impatiencie but ever hast had some hope trust and wrestling against it like that of Jonah I said in my haste I am cut off from thy presence yet I looked again towards thy holy Temple We know not what to do but our eyes are towards thee So then in a word although in thy adversitie thou hast found great diffidence and impatiencie yet if thou hast been striving against it and wrestling with it if thou hast been calling upon God alwayes if when thou couldst not pray sighing and sobbing to him Rom. 8. If thou hast been ever looking towards his holy Temple through faith when through infidelitie thou hast thought thy self cast out of his presence If thy soul hath been cleaving to the Word which upholds us that we perish not in our afflictions even when all sense is gone yea when sense is to the contrary hoping against hope and hath thy faith thus wrestled and brought thee through then be sure it is an upright faith a tryed faith that hath abided the triall of affliction a faith that makeeh not haste Of the Means of Faith following the Doctrine of the Marks of Faith Q. O Happy most happie is the case of that Soul whose conscience bears it testimonie that it hath these Marks of Faith it hath certainly great matter of rejoycing yea were it in the hardest condition that can befall it for what are other crosses which are to be but for a moment and what are other comforts so long as the main is wanting that soul hath more then good reason cheerfully and carefully to serve the Lord who hath bestowed so precious a pearl upon it but alas I misse all or the most part of these Marks and so my case is most dolefull A. I told you how you should carrie your self upon your missing after triall to wit not to give place to despair and utter infidelitie but by constant and earnest prayer to go to the Anchor and finisher of faith who counsels us to come to him and for our counterfeit wares promises to give us fine gold tryed in the fire who hath promised to draw all men unto him yea who hath made many precious promises whereby we are made partakers of the Divine Nature concerning all these things thou missest as repentance the love of God the fear of God c. Now what he hath promised he is both willing able and faithfull to perform Faithfull He is faithfull who hath promised Willing He gives liberally to all and upbraids none yea so willing that he counsels us to come unto him Able Able to make all grace to abound towards us to do exceeding abundantly above all that thou art able to think or ask If ye being evill will not deny good things to your children how much more will be who is good yea goodnesse it self give his holy Spirit unto those that ask it Now having his Spirit we get the supplyer of all our wants when he prevents us with his temporall blessings and bestows them many a time unrequired upon us shall we think that he will deny unto us spirituall things tending to the advancement and fulfilling of his glory kingdom and will We may see by the acceptablenesse of Solomons suit that he is far more ready to bestow the one then the other Let these notable props then uphold thy heart untill the Lords good time come of working these things in thee Seek earnestly for the Lord will be sought for these things Ezek. 36. and then wait the Lords good time for by faith and patience we must inherit the promises do this and be not discouraged I am glad how well thou art wakened by thy sensiblenesse of thy securitie which is the main miserie of all souls even of Gods own children for the most part but let not this drive thee to despair Q. Indeed I may justly accuse my self that my praying hath not been so frequent nor so fervent so constant nor so earnest as it ought to be yea I cannot get it done but I have often prayed and as earnestly
and hide his sin his great sin yet the Lord gave him pardon intimating mercy to him The seed of the woman shall tread down the head of the serpent Lastly whatsoever thou dost want in this point the Lord hath promised it even to take away the stonie heart and to give the spirit of mourning Zach. 12.10 Obj. O but I continually slide back to the same sins daily A. It may be so through the power of sin leading thee captive and sinne that hangs fast on yet this is not thou but sin that dwelleth in thee 2. He hath said that he will heale our back-slidings Psal 65. Iniquity prevailes against us but thou wilt be mercifull to our transgressions Doest thou sin daily he gives thee liberty yea he commands thee daily to crave the remission of thy sins yea as oft as thou cravest daily bread but you will say how can this be what man would deale thus O but my waies are not like your waies noâ— my thoughts like your thoughts Isa 55. But to apply the point and to draw to an end A due dwelling upon the meditations of Gods mercy thus laid down in Scripture is a notable prop and mean of faith for a Christian soul may reason thus doth the Lord set down his rich mercy so richly and amply in his word and will he not be as good as his word will he faile when it comes to the point and proofe as men sometimes use to do who will speak fair and fail when it comes to the deed and performance will he not be as good as his word he gives himself out for Yes certainly hath he not set out his mercy in this kinde that our mistrusting doubting and withdrawing hearts may be made to rest upon the same according to that in Psal 26. O how excellent is thy mercie O Lord therefore under the shadow of thy wings shall the children of men put their trust A second notable Mean of Faith is to consider duly the mercifulnes and faithfulnesse of our high Priest our Mediator especially his readines to receive sinners as we have a mercifull and gracious partie so also a mercifull Advocate Hebr. 2. A mercifull high Priest and faithfull in things pertaining to God to make reconcilement for the sins of the people This the Scripture makes also a notable prop and mean of Faith and confidence as is clear from Hebr. 4. Seeing we have such an high Priest let us come boldly to the throne of grace to obtain mercy Now for his readinesse to receive poore sinners certainly it is exceeding great It is well observed by one that he never refused any who came to him here on earth for the cure of their bodies although this was not his main errand yea he prevented some as the man at the Pool he encouraged others to come forward when others would have discouraged them as the blind man much lesse will he refuse any who come to him for the salvation and curing of their souls this being his main errand and principall office even to save his people from their sins 2 Behold how sweetly he invites Come unto me all ye that are weary and laden I counsell you to come unto me He that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out Ho every one that thirsts How often would I have gathered you Behold I stand at the doore and knock Rev 3. He beseeches us to be reconciled by his Embassadours 2 Cor. 5. Now may not a sensible soul reason He that invites us so kindly to come will he not welcome us as kindly when we come He that beseeches us to be reconciled unto him will he not when we intreat him be reconciled to us Stands he at the doore and knocks and will he not open unto such as not onely are willing to let him in but stand at his doore and knock He that so often would have gathered these who came not will he refuse to any chased soul a shelter under his wings flying for refuge and to the horns of salvation Q. O but I am not worthy to come there is gnoâ—race in me A. There is worth enough in him for you and him both 2. He invites thee to come and that freely and he will accept of thy small measure he quenches not the smoaking flax Obj. If I could come unto him but I cannot do that A. O he will help thee I will draw all men unto me Joh. 11. He is the author and finisher of our faith A third notable Mean of Faith is to meditate upon and confider of the manifold motives perswasions and inducements the Lord God uses to draw us to beleeve O it is not an easie matter to beleeve for the first Command is to beleeve 1 Joh. 5. this is his Commandment and he threatens us if we beleeve not and that most fearfully Joh. 1. and 3. Chapters to drive and scar us from infidelity Whosoever beleeves not he is condemned alreadie he hath made God a lyar 3. He doth request us to beleeve We as the Ambassadors of God beseech you to be reconciled bids us trust and trust perfectly to the grace that shall be revealed unto us 1 Pet. 1.4 He sometimes cheers us to beleeve and encourages us Come and câ—mâ— boldly to the throne of grace to obtain mercye Hebr. 4.5 Sometimes the Scripture chids us to beleeve so that as he saith of the people of Israel so may I say of this point O Judah what shall I do unto thee O Ephraim how shall I intreat thee Now may not a Christian soul gather great grounds to beleeve from these inducements reasoning thus with himself Doth the Lord command me to beleeve and shal I doubt whether I ought to do it or not Carry I my self or would I do so in regard of his other Commandments question I whether I shall do this or no and shall I draw back from this his most acceptable Commandment 1 Joh. 5. Doth the Lord threaten me so to beleeve so to chase me and scare my heart from infidelitie and shall I think that it will displease him to beleeve No I can see nothing can be either more dangerous to me or more displeasing to him then not to beleeve as is to be seen Joh. 7. and 3. Chapters 3. Doth he beseech me to be reconciled yea many never do regard his entreatie and will he refuse them who beseech him have besought him and by his grace will beseech him to be reconciled Is he not found of those who seek him not and will he not be found of me who seek him though weakly 4. Doth he bid me come boldly to the throne of his grace and will he then count it over great boldnesse in me to do so 5. Bids he me trust and that perfectly and complains he of the slownesse of the smalnesse of my faith and shall I be of little faith slow to beleeve Further as these Motives and inducements be notable to work us to beleeve and to
drive us from infidelitie so do they clearly testifie the Lords great willingnesse to have poore sinners saved which is also a great encouragement to beleeve for not onely saith the Lord I will not the death of a sinner but here is our fault about this point of the Lords willingnesse to save us we will not rest upon the Lords revealed will as we ought to do but run to his secret will so weakning our confidence for which his revealed will affords us such plentiful grounds and so needlesly perplexing our selves for secret it is and secret it must be We should hold our selves then to the Lords revealed will and not pry into his secret this seems to be enjoyned by these two places especially to wit Deut. 29. v. last Secret things belong to the Lord but things revealed to us and to our children even all the words of his Law that we should do them As also Rom. 10. cited out of Deut. 30. Say not in thine heaâ—t Who shall go up to heaven c. But what saith it The word is nigh unto thee even in thy mouth and in thy heart even the word of faith which we preach So that in the point of our beleeving or perswasion concerning our election and salvation or of the Lords willingnesse to save us we should not look to the secret will of God thus perplexing our selves but we should betake us to Gods revealed will and Word and that two wayes to wit 1. to the word of faith Rom. 10. or of promise cleaving unto it for it is the ground and warrant of our faith 2. To the word of the Law Deut. 29. thus making our calling and election sure by well doing and evidencing to our own conscience the truth of our faith it working by love 2 Pet. 2. For if ye do these things entrance shall be ministred unto you abundantly c. Would you then be wise to salvation this is the way of it the way to be saved is to beleeve the word of promise Whosoever beleeveth in him shall not be ashamed the way to know if thou beleeve is by some effects of faith Whosoever calleth upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved Look if thou be such a one Both these two be set down in the former place Rom. 10. This is also clear that such a course as this is to be taken to leave the Lords secret will and to hold us to his revealed will 2 Tim. 2. where the Apostle saith The Lords foundation standeth sure the Lord knoweth who are his Q. But you will say the Lord knoweth it is true who are his but how shall I know this also my self if I be one of his A. This is his seal Let him that loveth Christ depart from iniquity try thy self by this his seal so then perplex not thy self with the Lords secret will But 1. beleevest thou the word of faith which is neer unto thee then thy faith hath saved thee be of good comfort Wouldst thou again know whether thy faith be true see if thou callest upon the Name of the Lord. 2. If thou depart from iniquity for then thou art a sealed soul but if thou castest off fear and restrainest prayer Job 15. then thou art not right A fourth notable Mean and prop and seed of Faith to obtain it and to strengthen it are the plentifull promises of mercy and forgivenesse of sins set down unto us in the Word even as the Apostle cals them Exceeding great and precious promises these well considered should mightily strengthen our faith Have we but the promise of an honest man for any businesse will we not rest and repose upon it and will it not breed in us and beget a great measure of assurance about the thing promised and shall we not then be made sure of this point of the remission of our sins by so many promises so often renewed of the faithfull and true God who is truth it self and not onely will not but cannot lye as the Apostle speaks will we rest upon the Word of a faithfull man and will not we rest upon the written Word of the true God So that we have both his Word and his writ for it he is a God of truth so called by Moses Deut. 32.4 and 7. v. 9. saith emphatically Know that the Lord thy God is a faithfull God who keeps Covenant and mercie he styles himself abundant in truth Exod. 34. Great is his faithfulnesse and love who keepeth truth for ever Psal 46. He is a God of truth Christ is called Truth it self The Way the Truth and the Life the faithfull Witnesse the holy Ghost the Spirit of Truth the Word of Truth And shall we doubt of the performance of these promises No let us with Sarah judge him faithfull who hath promised that so we may by faith also with her obtain the thing promised his truth shall be thy shield and buckler This might be sufficient for this Mean but for the further stirring up of our backward hearts of unbelief to beleeve let us consider these two things about the promises of forgivenesse 1. Their pregnancie and pithinesse 2. Their largenesse and extent 1. Then the promises of mercie and forgivenesse of sin be very pregnant and pithie the more to perswade and win upon our untoward hearts of unbelief for not onely doth the Lord simply promise to pardon our iniquities but he promises to blot them out Isa 43. and Col. 3. The same phrase is used to blot out the hand-writing of ordinances which was contrary unto us that he is not onely content to give us a discharge of the debt of our sins but because that may seem not sure for that may haply be lost therefore he will destroy the bond it self that it be not brought forth against us even blot it out Moreover lest blotting out should not seem sufficiently sure for some letters may remain and the whole purpose may be taken up by these few he hath promised to wash away our sins Ezek. 36. I will cleanse you from your filthinesse c. Isa 1. I will make you as the wooll Further lest even after washing some stain should remain in the third roome he is said to cover our transgressions Psal 32. as also 85. O but will ye say he hath a piercing eye and will see through any covering therefore the Scripture speaks of his casting our sins behinde his back that is out of his sight Obj. But you will say what cannot be seen may yet be remembred what cannot be seen by the eye of the body may be seen by the eye of the minde A. This he promises and it is a part of the Covenant that he will not remember our iniquities the words are very emphaticall lest we should think that faults once forgotten may be again called to memory therefore he saith expresly I will remember their sins No more Once forgot and ever forgot In that day the iniquitie of Jacob shall be sought for
and shall not be found a sweet place Micah the last He will cast them into the depths of the Sea Psal 103. As far as the East is from the West so far hath he removed our transgressiens from us We are not to think that it is for nought that the Spirit of God uses so many so different and so emphaticall phrases even because all is little enough to bear up a cast-down soul and to make it fasten upon the Promises and our hearts being as weak powder whereinto many sparks may light that some one of them at least may kindle the fire of faith at least raise the smoak thereof Now the Lord will not quench the smoaking flax but blow upon it by his Spirit Q. These be indeed very pregnant exceeding great and precious promises were I sure that they belong unto me but alas what warrant have I for that A. This is another of Satans depths and fiery darts whereby many are holden back many hearing of the pregnancie of the promises of forgivenesse and how that there is forgivenesse for great and many sins conceive some hope but still they fear that these precious promises belong not to them that the offer of reconciliation is not made to them and so stick in the application of the promise to themselves Now a notable help for this is to consider in the second place the largenesse the indefinitenesse and the extent of the promises for they are conceived in such generall terms that in effect there is left roome sufficient for every one to come to subscribe his name and to set to his seal that God is true by so doing to honour God and save his own soul so that none is excluded to whom the offer is made unlesse they exclude themselves and that it be through their own default The Promises I say and offer of reconciliation is set down in very generall terms although mens names be not set down which were needles God so loved the world that whosoever beleeveth c. Behold the Lambe of God that takes away the sins of the world Behold I bring you tydings of great jâ—y to all people But above all pressing and notable is that place Acts 2.29 even answering as it were your objection viz. I know not that the promises belong to me Yes saith he To you and to your seed to all that are neer and afar off and to as many as our God shall call even by his outward calling for else the words were to no purpose And indeed were it otherwise with the Lord we should make him a mocker did he offer that to any which did not belong to them this generalitie of the offer is the very ground and warrant of faith and therefore should be well looked unto Obj. But the Scripture is clear that all who are called shall not have the benefit of the promises for directly Many are called and few are chosen and why may not I be of the number of these A. This shews indeed that all shall not reap the benefit of the promises to wit through their own default but not that the promise and offer did not belong to them Further thou makest the wrong use of this sort of doctrine for it is set down in Scripture not to feed thee in thy infidelitie but to terrifie thee from the same and to stir thee up to beleeve All this I will clear to you by a familiar similitude Suppose a number of prisoners being imprisoned for some great crime there were a generall Proclamation and offer of liberty made unto them all who would before such a time make use of it from the free and gracious favour of their Prince suppose likewise that it could be foreseen and conjectured that for all this generall and gracious offer that yet there would be sundrie that would not make use of it some of them through aziâ—esse and sloth drinking or playing or sleeping losing the opportunitie 2. Others again despising it as thinking by their power abilitie to get free when they please or leaning to former merits or good service done which they think may well counterpoize any fault they have committed And 3. others a thing to be took notice of quite contrary to the former through the conscience and greatnesse of their fault should misdoubt and misbeleeve the truth of so gracious an offer Suppose I say that all this could be foreseen that all these sorts of persons upon severall considerations should loose the opportunitie of the offer and that therefore for the further weal of the prisoners and the prevention of all this with the generall Proclamation an intimation were made to them that there would be such persons among them that so they might being fairly fore-warned slie such impediments would we not in such a case think him a very foolish person who either would not accept of the Proclamation in generall because his name was not set down expresly or who because of the intimation made for his further weal and fore-warning and avoiding of such inconveniences would through their own default loose the opportunitie of the offer would upon groundlesse suspitions conclude that he may be one of that number and so keep off and loose the benefit of the offer and so indeed make himself of that number whereas being fairly fore-warned he should labour to beware of all these lets that may hinder him from embracing the opportunitie of the offer Even so to apply this the Spirit of God in Scripture hath made a gracious generall Proclamation and promise of our libertie from the prison and punishment of hell through the Lords tender mercie and free grace in Christ Jesus and not onely so but fore-seeing that for all this gracious and generall offer many will not reap and take the benefit of the offer some slipping and neglecting it being loath to quit their sloth and sinfull pleasures of whom speaks our Saviour Mat. 7. Many are called and few are chosen Strive to enter in at the strait gate Not every one that saith Lord Lord c. Others again leaning to and going about to establish their own righteousnesse slight the righteousnesse which is by faith And 3. which thou shouldest take heed to others through the great conscience and sense of their own guiltinesse are made to misbeleeve so gracious an offer and what through the power and wiles of the devil and their own bad heart of unbeleef greatly prejudice themselves through infidelitie of them speaks the Apostle Heb. 4. Take heed lest there be in any of you an evill heart of unbeleef departing from the living God And more cleerly let us fear that lest a promise being made c. The Spirit of God I say fore-seeing all this with the gracious general offer and proclamation for our further fore-warning doth also intimate unto us that notwithstanding of the gracious and generall offer yet many through their own default upon the aforesaid impediments shall never reap nor enjoy the
such a Covenant so everlasting so free so compleat and absolute a Covenant able to answer all thy doubts Obj. O but I am so unworthy that I dare not beleeve it belongs to me so gracelesse and full of wants so full of by-past guiltinesse of present sinfulnesse A. In all these respects it is a free Covenant dispensing with all these three as ye heard the Lord undertakes and promises to redresse all these things in thee so thou will by faith subscribe and enter into this new Covenant with him he knows thou art such a one or else why should he make such promises to thee to pardon to give a new heart to cleanse thee c. and yet this stayes him not to enter into Covenant with thee Q. O but I want the condition that should be on my part I cannot beleeve I cannot repent how shall I then lay hold on the Covenant for remission of sins seeing it is at what time a sinner repents the Lord will do away his iniquitiâ—t A. Even these conditions are promised for us as ye heard It is an absolute Covenant hath absolute promises a compleat Covenant wherein the Lord hath undertaken both for his own part and for ours Obj. But I break the Covenant daily and how shall I think but that the Lord will also break with me A. It is an everlasting Covenant although thou break the Lord will not break for he is a God that keeps Covenant and mercy If thou break he may well chastise thee with the rods of men but his everlasting mercy his loving kindnesse will he never take from thee yea even in this point of chastisement he will give thee leave to prevent him by holding an Assize upon thy self if thou wilt judge thy self thou shalt not be judged yea although thou fail even in this yet he will correct thee in measure both for degree laying no more upon thee then thou art able to bear and also for time his anger indures but for a moment O how gracious a God how gracious a Covenant And whereas thou sayest thou breakest thou shalt not make a finall nor a full breach He that is born of God sinneth not I will put my fear into your heart that ye shall not depart from me Thus far for the comfort and strengthening of faith in this new Covenant onely a word for caution and it is this If ever we think to finde the benefit of this Covenant we should embrace it fully that is to say not onely to be saved but to be sanctified by it we must make use of the Promises not onely of Justification but of Sanctification also or otherwise we shall misse both we should take heed that we fail not in this for then we shall divide what the Lord hath conjoyned we shall prove our selves to want both thankfulnesse and sincerity we may see how the Lord puts these together Isa 56.4 For thus saith the Lord Vnto the Eunâ—â—hes that keep my Sabbath and do the things that please me and take hold of my Covenant these two must go together And most cleerly Psal 50.16 17. What hast thou to do to take my Covenant in thy mouth seeing thou hatest instruction and eastest my words behind thee Our Saviour also the Mediator of the Covenat he tels us upon what termes we are to receive it and him Math. 11. Come unto mee all ye that labour c. Stays he here No but if he hath cased thee of one burthen thou must take on another hath he eased thee of a great burthen that would have pressed thee to hell thou must take up for him a light one and is it not most reasonable to obey him in doing and suffering take upon you my yoke My yoke is easie and my burthen is light O that we would consider this when we are about the crucifying of corruptions the discharging of duties This also is cleer Isa 55. where the Covenant is mentioned Let the wicked man forsake his wayes c. see the place The last Mean of strengthening our faith which I shall propose unto you is a very notable one to wit to confider the oath of God concerning this purpose this oath is set down Psal 89 Once have I sworn by my holinesse unto David But most pregnantly and in most pathetick terms Heb. 6.16 17 18. For saith he men swear by a greater and an oath to them is the end of all strife As if he should say so should it be in this point betwixt God and you this oath should put an end to all the strife of our infidelity which so much opposes the truth of God We are very backward to beleive even like an incredulous body that will give no trust he will not beleeve his neighbour untill he swear to him and then he rests satisfied Even so deal we with the Lord we are so backward to beleeve so slow to beleeve as our Saviour speaks that we will not beleive the Lords bare promise and yet the Lord of his infinite goodnesse rather pitying then punishing our infidelity he condescends thus far for willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs 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 lye we might have strong consolation who have fled for refuge unto the hope that is set before us There be here many strengthening and confirming words and greatly comfortable and therfore by any means seeing the Lord hath gone so far on with us let us not distrust him let us not strive any more by infidelity against him but let this oath be the end of all strife betwixt our infidelity and the Lord Let us with Abraham give glory to God by beleeving and take to our selves the comfort of this abundant and strong consolation yea let us be afraid to do otherwayes for we may see how fain the Lord would have us to beleive and how acceptable a thing it is to him to beleeve he delights in those that trust in his mercy As also how prone we are to infidelity how hardly we are brought to beleeve So likewise we may cleerly see how hainous a sin infidelity is for it doth not only make the Lord a lyar who cannot lye but it is also to make him a Covenant-breaker who is indeed the faithfull one Therefore seriously weigh and effectually improve the Means prescribed so shall God be greatly glorified and thine own Soul eternally saved FINIS
asleep by them in such a sort that the trumpet of the Law and thundrings cannot awaken you 1. The first is that people do not consider duly of the patience and long suffering of the Lord and therefore they come to mistake and misdoubt his justice and the truth of his threatnings they see no such thing they have been living in their sins so long and never found that things went otherwise then well with them no dint of any such threatnings yea they see others so also none living more pleasantly nor more prosperously then those who take very great liberty to themselves to break the Law of God and this certainly hardens the heart of many a sinner as the Scripture bears witnesse Because sentence is not executed against the wicked speedily therefore the hearts of the children of men are fully set in them to do evill because men are not presently punished and taken out of hand as we say but get leave to go away and escape with their sins for a time therefore both themselves and others take the greater liberty to sin and surely we have need to take heed to this for we have all a tang of it were sin but instantly punished we would stand more in aw to offend then we do But this the Apostle meets with exceeding well and peremptorily Rom. 2. at the beginning first he layes down a peremptorie conclusion against such persons Thinkest thou this O man that thou shalt escape the judgement of God No think thou what thou wilt saies he we are sure that the judgement of God is according to truth against them who commit such things O but saies the other I feel I fear no such thing I have lived long but have not found it so and others have lived out their life and dyed peaceably and have had no bands in their death To this he replyes two things the one is the reason that thou art not dealt with according to Gods justice and judgment and threatnings is not from thy deserving but from the riches and the goodnesse long suffering and patience of the Lord waiting upon thy repentance which if thou despise when the date of it is run out thou shalt find the truth of his threatnings and the debt of his justice so much the greater The other thing he replyes is this although thou shouldst escape the Lords justice and judgement all thy life time here what of that is there no other place for justice for judgement for the accomplishment of Gods threatnings then in this life is not the chief in the life to come Alas thou considerest not fare it with thee here as it will that yet thou art treasuring up wrath against the day of wrath and the revelation of the just judgement of God O that you would consider this now that ye are not a haires breadth further off or at least the freer from the curses of the Law that they are not instantly powred out upon thee what of that yet surely as the Lord is true they do abide thee and when the Lord hath given a sufficient proofe of his patience towards thee they shall come upon thee when thou least expectest as pains on a woman in travell if not in this life yet in the life to come and therfore be not the securer for this that they are not yet come upon thee but if thou wilt prevent this humble thy self under the mighty hand of God The other main impediment hindering the Law with the threatnings of it to have the due operations of it upon the hearts of people as any may see is their presumption both in misapplying the Lords mercy and Christs merits to themselves when as indeed they have no interest in them and yet this is it that makes them secure against all the threatnings and also mistaking the manner of obtaining mercy First then I say they presume and misapply Gods mercy and Christs merits to themselves this is the thing that makes many a soule to perish and therefore I beseech you take heed unto it they acknowledge that they are sinners and that the curses of the Law does belong to them O but they believe in the mercy of God and in the merits of Christ in him who hath freed them from the curse of the Law and so they leap over the threatnings of the Law O but deceive not thy self this is the way that many perish in see that thy relying upon Christ and the mercy of God be upon good grounds sure warrants do all beleive that say or think they beleive come to any almost will they not say they beleeve as well as others but the Scripture saies that Many are called and but few are chosen it saies that many are deceived and why mayest not thou be deceived among the rest Indeed if thou hast ever been humbled for thy by-past sins and so hast fled unto Christ and striven to rest upon him If thou hast broken off the course of thy iniquity and turned thy back upon thy sins and art endeavouring to repent of what is past and to abstain for time to come if the Spirit of God hath made any work in thy soul then thou mayest be bold O but if none of these be no work of the Spirit in thee whereof I was speaking hast thou not broken off the course of thy iniquities but still walkest according to the imagination of thy own heart and yet doest blesse thy self notwithstanding the curses of the Law Be thou sure it shall be true which the Lord saies Deut. 29. all these curses shall come upon thee Walkest thou in darknesse that is to say after the dictates of thy own corrupt heart and the courses of the wicked world doest thou as thou seest others do and as thy own heart gives thee leave and takest no heed to order thy wayes according to the lantern of Gods Word for this is to walk in darknesse then beguil not thy self this shift will not serve the turn it will not free thee from the curse of the Law Christ it 's true is able to do it but thou hast nothing to do with him as yet What saies the Apostle He that saith he hath fellowship with him and walks in darknesse he is a lyar and the truth is not in him For these again who deceive themselves by mistaking the manner of obtaining mercie they think that when they have sinned all their life time that a God have mercie upon them shall serve their turn and then think that they may beleeve repent and get mercy when they will and for a word O but let me tell such these things are not so easily gotten and none so far from getting mercy as they that presume upon it yea did not many of Gods children find it hard enough all their whole life to get faith repentance and mercy and wilt thou come so easily by them and thinkst to get mercie for a word of thy mouth And finally to end this point