mercie Let us see into the depth of our misery and weepe if we had a fountaine of sorrow See there is a Drunkard God hath opened his eies and he is become an holy gracious Christian Looke here upon a wretched Adulterer yet a wonder of mercie Doth he that goeth into an harlot ever returne yet the Lord hath pardoned all his abominations Beholdest thou thy selfe to stand still like a horse in a Mill as vaine as vile as carelesse and wicked as ever Oh wonder at Gods goodnesse and be ashamed and confounded at thy desperate case and wretchednesse Vse 2 Behold from hence the condemnation of the wicked to be marvellous just they have their owne desires as deserts they are damned because they will be damned perish because they will perish It is strange to observe the madnes of men to strive to goe downe to hell they take Post-horse to everlastlasting destruction strive who shall goe first They strive who shall be most vaine malicious gainsay the truth oppose God and goodnesse well the Lord hath striven with you and you have striven against him and ye will goe to hell and then that patience that hath striven with you will stop every one of your mouthes when the body shall lie downe in the dust and the soule be roareing in the bottomlesse pit Now ye have your owne desires you have worne your owne Garland ye would be proude and stubborne loose and prophane contemning all meanes of Reformation now ye have your belly full of sinning Prov. 30.31 The Lord will satisfy them with their owne wayes and fill them full of their owne devices As who should say yee shall have your owne hearts content ye would have none of his Councell ye despised all his reproofe and ye will despise the word oppose the Minister scorne God to his face despight his Spirit resist the worke of the Lord shift put off and put backe the Authority of the truth and the power of grace well when ye are full low in the bottomlesse pit then ye shall have elbow roome enough liberty and time to be full of all evill for ever to sinne against and blaspheme God for ever and just will God be in his Judgments Vse 3 The third use is of reproofe Doth God strive with sinners for their good and salvation what shall we thinke of them that strive with men for their hurt and ruine either God must be blamed for dealing so or they condemned for standing in opposition with God judge you I will say nothing The Lord strives he useth mercie justice goodnes all means to draw sinners to him and so to be saved and these endeavour by all meanes threatning taunts councells and examples to withdraw men from God his waies and service certainly either God is to be blamed for dealing so or they to be condemned in their mischiefes They are the Divells Captaines and give presse money nay his Brokers if a wife childe or servant or neighbour begines to looke towards Heaven then the husband frownes the Master chides the freind forsakes Oh lay your hands on your hearts the divell if incarnate could doe no more Oh know not only that thine owne sinnes shall condemne thee but the bloud of your wives children and servants Oh brethren I beseech you heare feare and tremble Acts 15.8 9. The text saith that Paul came to the Iland and found the Deputy of the Iland desirous to heare the word of God Paul would have brought him to the faith and Elimas would have drawne him from the faith marke what Paul said in the tenth verse thou childe of the devill because Elimas would not goe to hell himselfe alone he drawes others and Paul comes with fire and thundring as it were Oh child of the Divell O Enemy of all righteousnesse The Adulterer is an enemy to chastity the Drunkard to sobernesse the unjust man is an enemy to justice but they that strive to hinder any man from God are enemies to all righteousnesse But you will say you would have prayed but my husband would not let me I would have gone to Church but my Master would not let me this will not serve the turne it will be no plea for you to say Masters hinder you Mat. 23.15 Woe to you Scribes and Pharisees that compasse Sea and Land to make a Proselyte and when hee is so made you make him twofold more the childe of the Devill then your selves To be the children of the Devill that is bade enough in conscience but you are twice more the child of the Divell if you hinder any from God if you sinne you shall goe to hell but they that occasion others to sinne shall be twice more the children of hell then you Oh then feare and labour everie one to amend one another Vse 4 For exhortation Doth the Lord so strive and use all meanes to draw us to him doth God doe so Then doe you so also wheresoever thou goest doe thou strive to perswade men and draw them from evill Heb. 3.13 Exhorting one another daily Imitate God and Christ they strive with poore sinners for their good doe thou so strive with men yea though they strive against thee Thou hast a wicked father a prophane mother pray for them thy freinds and kindred are opposers of God and his worship exhort them if thou seest for the present little hopes of amendment continue thy prayers for them thou prayest once pray againe it may be God will heare when a man is laid in his grave yet his stock of prayers remaines and goes forward and shall doe till doomes day what a sweete comfort will this be to them that doe good to others you therefore that goe in companies and assemblies with others strive to draw them on in goodnesse by exhortations and sometimes by reproofes that if it be possible you may prevaile with their hearts to come in and take mercie 2. Tim. 2.25 26. Lastly therefore what remaines Oh that I could follow Gods suite be intreated and exhorted in the Lord Doth the Lord strive with you what should you doe but yeeld to the Lord Strive no more against him contend no further with the Almighty Let this advise be acceptable and the Lord make it powerfull to you The Lord hath a great suite many yeare it hath lasted a Chauncerie suite it hath lasted ten twenty forty yeares Oh ye of ancient yeares with reverence to yeares be perswaded to the feare of the Lord. Oh ye young ones blesse God that ye have not so long resisted the worke of Gods grace and withstood his patience The Lord hath an old controversie with you from your first birth to this present That of David Oh God from my youth I have depended upon thee Oh what Sabboths hast thou enjoyed what Sermons hast thou heard what sweete opportunities for thy soul have beene afforded thee Oh the blessed motions of the good Spirit of God how hath God sent and sued to thee pursued and followed thee
some measure also comes to conceive of the nature of grace he beginnes to see the excellencie of Faith and Repentance what it is to bee in a Christ what it is to want a Christ the man is become an apprehensive man saith God I will cause the house of Jsraell to know their abhominations It is not sufficient to come and heare the word and never attend it or consider of it But if God comes with it it will make the Drunkard know what it is to be drunke and the Dissembler what it is to deale fasly with God and his truth Job 36.9 Hee shewes them their workes and their transgressions God shewes a man his iniquities God shewes a man his pride his vanity of minde the judgements threatned the plague deserved Oh then The sinner saith this is my sinne and this is the punishment due to mee that is the Nature of my abhomination and that is the judgement of God for it Thus I say the Lord takes hold of a sinner And this is the first way by summons or Subpena If a sinner be secure God brings him to the word if then carelesse God makes him attend If ignorant he informs him As in a Law case The man is not onely attatched to appeare but when he appeares there is a declaration of the fact So the Lord shewes the soule what his sinnes are what neede there is of Christ grace faith and repentance which hee never knew of before Secondly Thus the Action being laid oh the sinfull heart invents marvellous strange shifts and evasions The day is appointed for the triall what Lawyer doth the Soule get to plead his Cause He sends for carnall reason as Pharaoh sent for the Magicians And when God hath opened his eyes and discovered his soule to his soule then he calls in I say the Magicians of carnall reason to plead against the word of God lest it should prevaile or his sins should lie so heavy upon him as to tire and weary him out of them First it excuseth the hainousnesse of sinne that the sin was not so great that though the Minister speake as if we were all Saints yet are we not all sinners who then shall goe unpunished we doe not looke to be saved by our selves or our workes but by Jesus Christ and he came to save Sinners It is but looking towards him and crying God mercie at last but saith the Minister we must be sanctified as well as saved Acts. 3. 26. God having raised up his Sonne Jesus sent him to blesse you in turning every one of you from his evill way That is blessednesse we must be reformed if conforted humbled if glorified What saith the Sinner must I forsake my evill waies we know no man can what need a man to be so precise and curious Thus with these and many other please carnal reason like a cunning Solicitour with the helpe of the Divell who will play the crafty Lawyer and what the one can invent and the other suggest will be surely pleaded to beate backe the power of the word And t is admirable to consider what contentions there are herein and how the wicked heart of man will out-bid all the meanes under heaven untill the spirit of God come in upon the soule and then as the wisedome of God informes a sinner so the spirit becoms the Advocate of God that wise and holy Spirit by the Ministery of the word convinceth the sinner John 16.8 And when he is come he will convince the world of sinne he will answer all the pleaes and arguments that the sinner can make 2. Cor. 10.4 5. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnall but mighty through God to the pulling downe of strong holds Casting downe immaginations and every high thing that exalteth it selfe against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ when the soule cavills what needes all this adoe Shall not a man goe to Heaven unlesse he pray heare Sermons and sanctifie the Sabboth Then the Spirit of God convinces a man fully that he hath not a word to say against the evidence of truth hee gives up the day and saith I confesse I am the man these are my sinnes I must forsake these or perish nay I must forsake all my sinnes or else I forsake none I see I cannot be a good Christian and a swearer a proud vaine person a carelesse liver then a Heathen a prophane Atheist will be as good a Christian Thus the action being laide by Information and the sinner cast in the action by the Spirits conviction Then 3. Least the sinner now in this estate apprehending his sinnes and the hainousnesse of them and of his desperate forlorne estate thereby should sinke under his burthen the Lord lets in the manifestation of his goodnes into his soule and the Soule thinkes with it selfe how good is God in his providence to provide the meanes of grace to bring me under them to shew mee my wanderings Ah sinfull lost undone creature And yet the Gospell of grace and the word of grace invites me to mercie Oh Is it possible that such a foule as mine should be recovered That I am yet alive yet on this side hell yet enjoy these meanes Rom 2.4 The goodnesse of the Lord leadeth unto repentantance and it incourageth the sinner both to comfort and amendment doth the Lord vouchsafe mee these mercies why not my heart purged why not my corrupt Natures cleansed why Lord thou wast mercifull to Manasses who after all his wickednesse repented and received mercy 4. If yet the sinner shall turne this goodnesse of God into wantonnesse and pervert the meanes of grace unto by ends because he is yet in strength and health doth and will continue still in his sinnes delaies his repentance Repentance will be soone enough hereafter That the wisedome of God groweth almost resolved to forsake him because all the wayes thereof for the sinners reformation are neglected The goodnesse of God is resolved to incourage him no more because despised yet the patience of God commeth in and when the Lord is even leaving the sinner and Justice taking hold of vengeance the blessed patience of God steps in and pleades and enters a new succor It intreates the Lord to stay one yeare longer When the Lord came three yeares to the Figetree Luke 13.7 and found no fruit Cut it downe saith the Lord nay stay Lord saith the Keeper of the Vineyeard another yeare it may beare So that Gods patience prevailes that God doth not yet proceede in justice and execute judgement Hos 11.8 9. How shall I give thee up O Ephraim how shall I deliver thee Israell how shall I makethee as Admah how shall I set thee as Zebeim mine hart is turned within mee my repentings are kindled together I will not execute the fiercenesse of mine anger c. See how patience pleades for a poore creature Oh Lord this poore sinner hath delayed but he will
now resolve he hath put off the time but now he hath promised that all things shall be amended now indeed he will set upon the worke of Reformation of himselfe and his family Lord try him one moneth one yeare longer and he will pray in his familie sanctifie the Sabboth and live holily and strictly But yet if through the patience of the Lord the sinner groweth more careles he hath promised faire but indeavoures not to amende continues not in these good resolutions but is more vaine and secure patience beginneth to be wearie Jerem. 5. 6 7. Their transgressions are many and their backslidings are increased How shall I pardon thee for this Patience is at a stand comes to a period How shall I spare I can goe no further Then cometh in the long sufferance of God and though the contempt neglect and carelesnesse of a sinner is continued yet God indures Jerm 13. in the last verse VVoe unto thee Oh Jerusalem wilt thou not be made cleane when shall it once be 140. yeares here in the Text. Oh that the Lord should beare with a man untill he be an old gray-headed sinner Oh this long fufferance of God is admirable If not for this long before this day we had beene all consumed Jer. 15.6 I am weary with repenting Oh ye ancient sinners ye gray-headed and stout-hearted sinners so many yeares to continue in your sinnes That God is not onely weary of your swearing blasphemies and prophanes But his long sufferance also is even come to a date Forty yeares long was I greived with this generation Psal 95.10 VVhat forty yeares together a Contemnor of Gods word a Despiser of the meanes of grace and yet spared See and wonder then poore sinner how thou labourest to get the better of God and to out tire his patience And yet God beares and indures to gather up when the sinner was carelesse and ignorant the Lord did awaken and informe him when the sinner was quarelsome and contentious the Lord did convince and cast him when the soule might be discouraged and despaire the Lord did quicken and raise him up yet the sinner delayed and God did beare the sinner falsifyed his promise and God did indure And what shall these faire promises come to nothing Didst not thou thinke and resolve to leave thy sinnes to take up a new course Remember the time the place the bed of sicknesse the Ministery of the word At such a Sermon under such a crosse Didst not thou at such a time before thou wentest out of the Congregation say with thy selfe now if it please the Lord this good word of God shall prevaile I will forsake my lusts I will never walke in any former courses But alas all is forgot and the Lord saith have I thus long indured and shall I indure you to continue ever in sinne Now patience and long sufferance are both for vengeance God can will not indure longer now he comes to execution Isa 1.24 when the Lord was tired with their abhominations Ah saith the Lord I will ease mee of mine adver saries and avenge mee of mine enemies As who should say I will now take hold of vengeance and that Drunkard and loose person that would not forsake his Cuppes and his Queanes but continue still in their filthy beastlinesse I will ease me of them with suddaine destruction and that false dissembling professor that made 2 shew of godlinesse but denied the power I will ease me of him and spue him out with shame to his face and horror to his conscience But of this in three patriculars First the fiercenesse of the furie of the Lord breakes in upon the sinner and the Lord lets in the veines of vengeance and his heavie displeasure upon the conscience and like a Pursevant breakes through the Chamber doore and the wrath of God saith come away to Hell away suddenly goe downe to everlasting destruction Psal 42.7 All thy waves and thy billowes are gone over me He that was a kinde loving friend now is become a terrible enemie and pursues as fiercely as he perswaded mercifully Job 15.24 25. Trouble and anguish shall make him afraide they shall prevaile against him as a King ready to battell For he stretcheth out his hand against God and strengtheneth himselfe against the Almighty But though Pharaoh said who is the Lord Exod 5.2 that I should let them goe that I should obey his voyce yet God ran upon him even upon his necke even upon the thicke bosses of his bucklers and crusht the pride and vanity of his soule The poore sinner when he was informed in his judgment convinced in his conscience and striven with by much patience and long sufferance stretched out to the utmost yet what though the Minister told him of plagues and threatnings Come saith he let us drinke c. what though they say we must goe to hell and perish we see no such matter thus out-faceing the Almighty and out-braveing Gods Ministers and they are sturdy and will be so sturdy still and rebellious and so still continue well doe they thinke to carrie it away thus The Lord will runne upon them and crush them to peices the Lord doth not take advantage but when the sinner is strongest stoutest when his pride is shamelesse and impudent and he ruffles it out in despight of Minister Magistrate and all bonds Then God will be even with him Because he covers his face with fatnes because he is carnall carelesse goes away eates drinkes riots takes content in a secure sensuall stubborne course the Lord will runne upon their browes terrifie the conscience and confound his impudence thus when the sinner seemes most strong and secure in sinne God will be most keene and startle the soule And thus the soule comes first to be arrested Secondly the wrath of God further sends for the sinner and drags him to prison and when he is in prison casts him into the Dungeon Justice and Gods truth come to take the forfeiture of all favours and mercies heretofore enjoyed and not profited by and as one that is cast into prison then action upon action and execution upon execution is laid upon a man untill they breake his backe an undone man for ever as we say so with the Justice of God Psal 50.21 22. These things thou hast done 1 kept silence and thou thoughtest I was such a one as thy selfe Thou didst not thinke I heard thee in such a Taverne speaking against God his people his waies marke I held my tongue Oh the patience of God and his forbearance of sinners in the midst of their wickednesse They prophaned Gods Sabboth and yet prospered they thought God did not reguard it God allowed it they despised his holy ones and lived in jollity and thought God did not see it But all these backereckonings and forfeitures and all their abominations are now set in order before their eyes Consider this ye that forget God least I teare you in peices and
mercies on the one hand inviting thee justice on the other side threatning comforts of minde and horrors of conscience Oh at last heare and be perswaded to let the suite fall Oh especially yee ancient sinners notwithstanding all this yet to be an ancient Drunkard an old blacke mouthed swearer an ancient Adulterer an old gray headed sinner setled in wickednesse the father naught and the sonne naught ah vile wretches the bane of all goodnesse The Lord hath striven forty fifty sixty years together and doe you not thinke the Lord was admirably patient Now now let the word of the Lord prevaile and the Councell of Gods poore servants take place with you for your eternall good Thinke with your selves what shall I stand out in law with God shall I still resist his grace Goe into a corner and sigh and sorrow bewaile your selves ah miserable Creatures that we are how have we behaved our selves all our life time to God ah those cords of mercie that would not draw us those powerfull perswassions those keene reproofes those forcible exhortations and those bestowed and continued with much goodnesse and long sufferance and we not bettered by any of them to this very day why then it is high time poore wretches to lay downe the suite to renounce it and to yeeld to the word of God and not a word more Give up the day to the worke of Gods grace and the power of his Spirit as Job Job 39.37 38. though he held out long untill the Lord schooled him out of the whirlwinde shewed him his Glory and Power and Jobs vilenesse and nothingnesse Then he cries out I am vile what shal I answer thee I will lay my hand upon my mouth once saith he have I spoken but I will answer no more So all of yee say that heare the word of God this day and perswade one another Say we have beene Brethren in wickednesse but now we will submit we will no longer deferre well then be incouraged The Lord strives with you nay hee promiseth you if you will at last yeeld whatsoever hath been formerly amisse shall bee pardoned whatsoever is or shall bee wanting shall be supplied why will yee yet contend Did ever any resist the Lord and prosper Oh yee have freinds or estates and yee beare your selves upon these and the like stayes these and all such are but broken staies Where are all the enemies of God where is stouthearted and stiffe-necked Pharaoh Hee would not let the people of God goe c. His body was drowned in the sea and his soule is roaring in hell unlesse God was more infinitely mercifull then we can conceive What became of proud Nebuchadnezar that exalted himselfe to the Heaven he was brought as low as Hell How doth God many times slay the drunkard and cut off the sinner on a suddaine And good Lord what are become of their soules Therefore let everie man consider no man can resist God and prosper either thou must overcome God or be confounded by him Consider also the longer ye stand out with God the harder to agree the suite and remember this yee strong ones A Law suite at the first might happily be ended for a small summe or nothing but if it proceede the charges of suite many times growes to be greater then the debt Aâ—â— thinke of this also ye ancient sinners gray-headed swearers constant secret opposers of God and goodnesse But forget it not I say againe yee young ones little ones goeing on in a way of sinning If yee doe not agree betimes with God God will recover his charges he will not lose all those exhortations reproofes his patience goodnesse loving kindnesse the mercie and bloud of Christ Christ paid deare for these ye make nothing of the abuse of all these but Christ paid for everie Sermon not profitted by everie intimation of Spirit slighted everie mercie not improved Oh this is able to undoe any man Oh poore people be wise in time especially I say ye young ones your reckoning is not yet so heavy if now ye get a hear to yeeld to the Councells and Reproofes of God to submit and come in your sinnes shall be pardoned your persons accepted and your soules eternally saved if not thou must pay charges answer for all the patience long sufferance and goodnesse of God And consider now even this day the Lord holdeth out the Golden Scepter of grace and if ye yet returne to him ye shall be accepted of him it may be the last time you shall have an offer of mercie How soone may Death seize on thy body and then Judgement overtake thy soule this may be the last day of thy living much more of thy hearing the word If ye now accept all arrerages shall be forgotten God will lay downe his suite all his anger and displeasure will be laid aside He will put up all if yee entertaine his mercie and imbrace Christ This may be the last offer And doth the Lord offer mercie after all the stubbornesse of the heart after all unprofitablenesse after all the neglect of all the meanes of grace after all thy drunkennesse and prophanesse hypocrisie after all thy sinnes and wickednesse Yes then heare what the Lord saith Are ye content to forsake these yes Then the Lord will not forsake you if ye will entertaine the Lord above all these he will entertaine you if ye lay downe your lusts and corruptions he will imbrace you for ever in the everlasting Armes of mercie Say answer and let every mans conscience answer that I may returne my message Me thinkes none of you should be so senselesse so unreasonable so desperately wretched as to stand out Good Lord shall all my evills be pardoned if I be content to receive Christ and his mercie will the Lord Jesus never leave me if I be content to leave my sinnes Good Lord take all my sins and throw them in a bottom lesse pit let me never see them againe I will never more strive against thy word Let thy word reveale my sins and subdue my sinfull soule Let that good Spirit of thine come in and rule this heart of mine Now the businesse is at an end all controversies cease when therefore occasions shall come temptations renew corruptions stirre Goe to God and for ever remember this daies resolution and let the Lord take place in thy heart and he will preserve thee to serve him here and eternally to be saved hereafter I should proceede to the third and fourth Doctrins but I am prevented by the time I will onely name them in one and so conclude Though God strives long with sinners he gives them a long time of repentance ye see the old world an hundred and twenty yeares and every knock in the Arke a Sermon of repentance yet after the long abuse of Gods mercie and patience the large time of repentance and unfruitfullnesse under all the meanes of grace The Lord ceaseth to strive with sinners anie more he takes