Or else they say commonly thou hast sinned but comfort thy selfe despaire not Christ hath suffered and thus skin over the wound and let it fester within for want of cutting it deeper I say theâ—efore because they want a faithfull watch-man to cry fire fire in that sleepy estate of sinne and darknesse vvherein they lye therefore whole Townes Parishes generations of men are burnt up and perish miserably Lam. 2. 14. Secondly because they have no leisure to consider of their misery when they have the meanes of revealing it unto them as Foelix Acts 24 25. Many a man hath many a bitter pill given him at a Sermon but he hath no leisure to chew upon it One man is taken up with suites in Law and another almost eaten up with suretiship and carking cares how to pay his debts and provide for his owne another hath a great charge and few friends and hee saith the world is hard and hence like a Mole rootes in the earth week-dayes and Sabath-dayes the world thus calling them on one side and lusts on another and the Devill on the other side they have no leisure to consider of Death Devill God nor themselves Hell nor Heaven The Minister cryes and knockes without but there is such a noise and lumber of tumultuous lusts and vaine thoughts in their hearts and heads that all good thoughts are sad unwelcome guests and are knockt downe presently Thirdly because if they have leisure they are afraid to knovv it Hence people cry out of Ministers that they damne all and will heare them no more and they vvill not bee such fooles as to beleeve all that such say the reason is they are afraid to know the vvorst of themselves they are afraid to be cut anâ— therefore cannot indure the Chirurgion they thinke to be troubled in mind as others are is the very high-rode to despaire and therefore if they doe heare a tale how one after hearing of a Sermon grew distracted or drowned or hanged hiâ— selfe it shall be an item an a warning to them as long as they â—â—ve for troubling their heads about such matters Men of guilty consciences hence flie from the face of God as prisoners from the Iudge as debtors from the Creditor But if the Lord of Hosts câ—n catch you you must and shall â—eele with horrour of heart that which you feare a little now Fourthly because if they be free from this foolish feare they cannot see their misery by reason that they looke upon their estâ—tes through false glasses and by vertue of many false principâ—es in their minds they cheat themselves Which false Principles are these principally I vvill but name them First They conceive God that 〈◊〉 them will not be so cruell as to damâ—â— them Secondly because they feele no misery but are very well therefore they feare none Thirdly because God blesseth theÌ„ in their outward estates in their Corne childreÌ„ calling friends c. would God blesse them so iâ— he did not love them Fourthly because they thinke sinne to be no great evill for all are sinners so this cannot mischieve them Fifthly because they thinke Gods mercy is above all his workes though sinne be vile yet conceiving God to be all mercy all honey and no justice they thinke they are well Sixthly because they thinke Christ dyed for all sinners and they confesse themselves to be great ones Seventhly because they hope well and so thinke to have vvell Eightly because they do as most do who never crying out of their sinnes while they lived dying like Lambs at last they doubt not for their parts doing as such doe they shall dye happily as others have done Ninthly because their desires and hearts are good as they thinke Tenthly because they doe as vvell as God will give them grace and so God is in the fault onely if they perish These are the reasons and grounds upon which profane people are deceived Novv it follovveth to shew the grounds on which the finer sort miscarry Secondly Hollow Professors cheat and cozen their ovvne soules It is in our Church as it is in an old Wood where there are many tall Trees yet cut them and search them deeply they prove pithlesse saplesse hollow unsound creatures These men twist their ovvne ruine vvith a finer thread and can juggle better then the common sort and cast mists before their owne eyes and so cheat their ovvne soules It 's Ministers first work to turne men from darknesse into this light Act. 26. 18. and the Spirits first worke to convince men of sinne Ioh. 16. 9. and therefore it's peoples maine worke to know the worst at first of themselves Novv the cause of these mens mistaking is three-fold First the spirituall madnesse and drunkennesse of their Vnderstanding Secondly the false bastard peace begot and nourished in the Conscience Thirdly the sly and secret distempers of the Will First There are these seven drunken distempers in the understanding or minde of man whereby he commeth to be most miserably deceived First the understandings Arrogancie You shall never see a man meane and vile in his owne eyes deceived Psal. 25. 9. but a proud man or woman is often cheated Hence proud Haman thought surely hee was the man whom the King would honour vvhen in truth it was intended for poore Moâ—decay For pride having once overspread the mind it ever hath this property it makes a penny stand for a pound a sparke is blown up to a flame it makes a great matter of a little seeming grace and therefore the proud Pharisee when hee came to reckon with himselfe hee takes his poore counter that is I am not as other men nor as this Publican and sets it downe for 1000. pound that is hee esteemes of himselfe as a very rich man for it So many a man because hee hath some good thing in himselfe as hee is pittifull to the poore hee is a true man though a poore man hee was never given to wine or women Hee magnifieth himselfe for this title and so deceives and over-reckons himselfe There are your Bristow-stones like Diamonds and many cheaters cozen Countrey folkes with them that desire to bee fine and know not what Diamonds are So many men are desirous to be honest and to be reputed so not knowing what true grace meanes therefore Bristow-stones are pâ—â—rles in their eyes A little seeming grace shines so bright in their eyes that they are halfe bewitched by it to thinke highly of themselves although they be but glittering seeming jewels in a swines snout A cab of Doves dung was sould in Samaria's time of famine at a great rate a man living in such a place where all about him are either ignorant or prophane or civill a little morall honesty dung in respect of true grace goes a great way and is esteemed highly of and he is as honest a man as ever lived A man that lookes through a red glasse all things appeare red a man
upon these duties and strivings that have beene but poore Physitians to them Oh looke up here to the Lord Jesus who can doe that cure for thee in a moment which all creatures cannot doe in many yeares What bolts what strong fetters what unruly lusts temptations and miseries art thou lockt into Behold the Deliverer is come out of Sion having satisfied Justice and paid a price to â—anisome poore Captives Luc. 4. 18. with the Keyes of Heaven Hell and thy unruly heart in his hand to fetch thee out with great mercy and strong hand who knowes but thou poore prisoner of Hell thou poore Captive of the Devill thou poore shackled sinner mayst be one whom he is come forâ— Oh looke up to him sigh to Heaven for deliverance from him and be glad and rejoyce at his comming This strikes terrour to them that though there is a meanes of deliverance yet they lye in their misery never groane never sigh to the Lord Jesus for deliverance nay that rejoyce in their bondage and dance to Hell in their bolts nay that are weary of deliverance that sit in the stockes when they are at prayers that come out of the Church when the tedious Sermon runs somewhat beyond the houâ—e like prisoners out of a Jaile that despise the Lord Jesus when he offers to open the doores and so let them out of that miserable estate Oh poore creatures is there a meanes of deliverance and dost thou neglect nay despise it Know it that this will cut thine heart one day when thou art hanging in thy gibbets in Hell to see others standing at Gods right hand redeemed by Christ thou mightst have had share in their honour for there was a Deliverer come to save thee but thou wouldst have none of him Oh thou wilt lye yelling in those everlasting burnings and teare thy haire and curse thy selfe from hence might I have been delivered but I would not Hath Christ delivered thee from Hell and hath he not delivered thee from thine Alehouse Hath Christ delivered thee from Sathans societie when he hath not delivered thee from thy loose company yet Hath Christ delivered thee from burning when thy faggots thy sins grow in thee Is Christs bloud thine that mak'st no more account of it nor feelest no more vertue from it than in the bloud of a chicken Art thou redeemed dost thou hope by Christ to be saved that didst never see nor feele nor sigh under thy bondage O the devils will keepe holiday as it were in hell in respect of thee who shalt mourne under Gods wrath and lament Oh there was a meanes to deliver us out of it but thou shalt mourne for ever for thy misery And this will bee a bodkin at thine heart one day to thinke there was a deliverer but I wretch would none of him Here likewise is matter of Reproofe to such as seeke to come out of this misery from and by themselves If they be ignorant they hope to be saved by their good meaning and prayers If Civill by paying all they owe and doing as they would be done by and by doing no body any harme If they be troubled about their estates then they lick themselves whole by their mourning repenting and reforming Oh poore stubble canst thou stand before this consuming fire without sin Canst thou make thy selfe a Christ for thy selfe Canst thou beare come from under an infinite wrath canst thou bring in perfect righteousnesse into the presence of God This Christ must doe else he could not satisfie and redeeme And if thou canst not doe thus and hast no Christ define and pray that heaven and earth shake till thou hast worne thy tongue to the stumps endeavour as much as thou canst and others commend thee for a diligent Christian mourne in some Wildernesse till doomes day digge thy grave there with thy nayles weepe buckets full of hourely teares till thou canst weepe no more Fast and Pray till thy skin and bones cleave together Promise and Purpose with full resolution to be better nay reforme thy head heart life tongue some nay all sinnes live like an Angell shine like a sunne walke up and downe the world like a distressed Pilgrim going to another Countrey so that all Christians commend and admire thee Die ten thousand deaths lie at the firebacke in Hell so many millions of yeares as there be piles of grasse on the earth or sands upon the Sea-shore or starres in heaven or motes in the Sun I tell thee not one sparke of Gods wrath against thy sinne shall be can be quenched by all these duties nor by any of these sorrowes or teares for these are not the blood of Christ. Nay if all the Angels and Saints in heaven and earth should pray for thee these cannot deliver thee for they are not the blood of Christ. Nay God as a Creator having made a law will not forgive one sinne without the blood of Christ Nay Christs blood will not doe it neither if thou doest joyne never so little that thou hast or doest unto Jesus Christ and makest thy selfe or any of thy duties copartners with Christ in that great worke of saving thee Cry out therefore as that blessed Martyr did None but Christ none but Christ. Take heed of neglecting or rejecting so great salvation by Jesus Christ. Take heede of spilling this potion that onely can cure thee But thou wilt say this meanes of redemption is onely appointed for some it is not intended for all therefore not for mee therefore how can I reject Christ It is true Christ spent not his breath to pray for all Iohn 17. 9. much lesse his bloud for all therefore he was never intended as a Redeemer of all But that he is not intended as a Deliver of thee How doth this follow How dost thou know this But secondly I say Though Christ be not intended for all yet he is offered unto all and therefore unto thee And the ground is this chiefly The universall offer of Christ ariseth not from Christs Priestly office immediately but from his Kingly office whereby the Father having given him all power and dominion in heaven earth he hereupon commands all men to stoop unto him and likewise bids all his Disciples and all their successours to goe and preach the Gospell to every creature under Heaven Mat. 28. 18 19 For Christ doth not immediatâ—ly offer himselfe to all men as a Saviour whereby â—hey may be incouraged to serve him as a King but first as a King commanding them to cast away their weapons and stoop unto his Scepter and depend upon his free mercy acknowledging if ever he save me I will blesâ—e him if he damne me his name is rightâ—ous in so dealing with me But that I may fasten this exhortation I will shew these foure things I. The Lord Jesus is offered to every particular person which I will shew thus What hast thou to say against it
that thou doest doubt of it It may be thou wilt plead Oh I am so ignorant of my selfe God Christ or his will that surely the Lord offers no Christ to me Yes but he doth though thou lyest in utter darknesse Our blessed Saviour glorified his Father for revealing the mystery of the Gospel to simple men neglecting those that carried the chiefe reputation of wisdome in the world The parts of none are so low as that they are beneath the gracious regard of Christ. God bestoweth the best fruits of his love upon meane and weak persons here that he might confound the pride of flesh the more Where it pleaseth him to make his choice and to exalt his mercy he passeth by no degree of wit though never so uncapable But thou wilt say I am an enemy to God and have a heart so stubborne and loath to yeeld I have vexed him to the very heart by my transgressions Yet he beseecheth thee to be reconciled Put case thou hast been a sinner and rebellious against God yet so long as thou art not found amongst malicious opposers and underminers of his truth never give way to despayring thoughts thou hast a mercifull Saviour But I have despised the meanes of Reconciliation and rejected mercy Yet God calls thee to returne Thou hast played the Harlot with many lovers yet turne againe to me sayth the Lord Jer. 3. 1. Cast thy selfe into the armes of Christ and if thou perishest perish there if thou doest not thou art sure to perish If mercy be to be had any where it is by seeking to Christ not by running from him Herein appeares Christs love to thee that he hath given thee a heart in some degree sensible hee might have given thee up to hardnesse securitie and prophanenesse of all spirituall judgements the greatest But he that dyed for his enemies will in no wise refuse those the desire of whose soule is towards him When the Prodigall set himselfe to returne to his Father his Father stayes not for him but meets him in the way If our sinnes displease us they shall never hurt us but wee shall be esteemed of God to be that which wee desire and labour to be Psal. 145. 19. But can the Lord offer Christ to mee so poore that have no strength no faith no grace nor sense of my povertie Yes even to thee why should wee except our selves when Christ doth not except us Come unto mee all yee that are weary and heavy laden Wee are therefore poore because we know not our riches We can never be in such a condition wherein there will be just cause of utter despayre He that sits in darknesse and seeth no light no light of comfort no light of Gods countenance yet let him trust in the Name of the Lord. Weaknesses doe not debarre us from mercy nay they incline God the more The Husband is bound to beare with the wife as being the weaker vessell and shall we think God will exempt himselfe from his owne Rule and not beare with his weak Spouse But is this offer made to me that cannot love prize nor desire the Lord Jesus Yes to thee Christ knows how to pitty us in this case We are weak but we are his A Father lookes not so much at the blemishes of his childe as at his owne nature in him So Christ finds matter of love from any thing of his owne in us A Christians carriage towards Christ may in many things be very offensive cause much strangenesse yet so long as he resolves not upon any knowne evill Christ will owne him and he Christ. Oh! but I have fallen from God oft since he hath inlightned me And doth he tender Christ to mee Thou must know that Christ hath married every beleeving Soule to himselâ—e and that where the worke of grace is begun sin looses strength by every new fall If there be a spring of sinne in thee there is a spring oâ— mercy in God and a fountaine dialy opened to wash thy uncleanenesse in Adam indeed lost all by once sinning but we are under a better Covenant a Covenant of Mercy and are incouraged by the Sonne to goe to the Father every day for the sinnes of that day If I was willing to receive Christ I might have Christ offered to me But will the Lord offer him to such a one as desires not to have Christ Yes sayth our Saviour I would have gathered you as the henne gathereth her chickens under her wings and you would not Wee must know a creating power cannot onely bring something out of nothing but contrary out of contrary of unwilling God can make us a willing people There is a promise of powring cleane water upon us and Christ hath taken upon him to purge his Spouse and make her fit for himselfe What hast thou now to plead against this strange kindnesse of the Lord in offering Christ to thee Thou wilt say it may be O! I feare time is past Oh time is past I might once have had Christ but now mine heart is sealed downe with hardnesse blindnesse unbeliefe oh time is now gone No not so see Isai. 65. 1 2 3. All the day long God holdeth out his hands to a back-â—lâ—ding and rebellious people Thy day of grace thy day of meanes thy day of life thy day of Gods striving with thee and stirring of thee still lasts But if God be so willing to save and so prodigall of his Christ why doth he not give me Christ or draw me to Christ I answer What command dost thou looke for to draw thee to Christ but this word Come Oh come thou poore forlorne lost blind cursed nothing I will save thee I will enrich thee I will forgive thee I will enlighten thee I will blesse thee I will be all things unto thee doe all things for thee May not this winne and melt the heart of a Devill II. Upon what conditions may Christ be had Make an exchange of what thou art or hast with Christ for what Christ is or hath and so taking him like the wise Merchant the Pearle thou shalt have Salvation with him Now this Exchange lyeth in these foure things chiefly First give away thy selfe to him head heart tongue body soule and he will give away himselfe unto thee Cant. 6. 3. yea he will stand in thy roome in Heaven that thou maist triumph and say I am already in Heaven glorified in him I see Gods blessed face in Christ I have conquered Death Hell and the Devill in him Secondly Give away all thy sinnes to Christ confesse them leave them cast them upon the Lord Jesus so as to receive power from him to forsake them And he will be made sinne for thee to take them away from thee 1 Ioh. 1. 9. Thirdly give away thine honour pleasure profit life for him he will give away his Crowne
blind Alehouses others belching out their oathes their mouthes ever casting out like raging Seas filthy frothy speeches others like Ismaels scoffing at the best men yet these are confident they shall be saved Why they say they are no Papists hang them they will die for their Religion and rather burne than turne againe by the grace of God Thus the Jewes boasted they were Abrahams seede so our carnall people boast Am not I a good Protestant am I not baptized doe I not live in the Church and therefore resting here hope to be saved I remember a Judge when one pleaded once with him for his life that hee might not be hanged because he was a Gentleman he told him that therefore hee should have the Gallowes made higher for him so when thou pleadest I am a Christian and a good Protestant yet thou wilt drinke and sweare and whore neglect prayer and breake Gods Sabbath and therefore thou hopest to be saved I tell thee thy condemnation shall be greater and thy plagues in hell the heavier 3. If men have no peace here then they fly to and rest in the goodnesse of their insides you shall have many a man whom if you follow to his chamber you shall finde very devout and they pray heartily for the mercy of God and forgivenesse of sinnes but follow them out of their Chambers watch their discourses you shall finde it frothy and vaine and now and then powdered with faith and troth and obscene speeches Watch them when they are crost you shall see them as angry as Waspes and swell like Turkies and so spit out their venome like Dragons Watch them in their journeyes and you shall see them shoot into an Alehouse and there swillâ— and swagger and be familiar with the scumme of the countrey for prophanenesse and halfe drunke too sometimes Watch them on the Lords day take them out of the Church once and set aside their best clothes they are the same then as at another time and because they must not worke nor sport that day they thinke they may with a good conscience sleepe the longer on the morning Aske now such men how they hope to be saved seeing their lives are so bad they say though they make not such shews they know what good prayers they make in private their hearts they say are good I tell ye brethren he that trusteth to his owne heart and his good desires and so resteth in them is a foole I have heard of a man that would haunt the Tavernes and Theaters and whore-houses at London all day but he durst not goe forth without private prayer in the morning and then would say at his departure now devill doe thy worst and so used his prayers as many doe only as charmes and spels against the poore weake cowardly devill that they thinke dares not hurt them so long as they have good hearts within them and good prayers in the chamber and hence they will goe neare to raile against the Preacher as an harsh Master if he doe not comfort them with this that God accepts of their good desires 4. If their good hearts cannot quiet them but conscience tells them they are unsound without and rotten at core within then men fall upon reformation they will leave their whoâ—ing drinking cozening gaming company-keeping swearing and such like roaring sinnes and now all the Countrey saith he is become a new man and he himselfe thinkes he shall be saved 2 Pet. 2. 20. they escape the pollutions of the world as swine that are escaped and washed from outward filth yet the swinish nature remaines still like Mariners that are going to some dangerous place ignorantly if they meet with stormes they goe not backward but cast out their goods that indanger tâ—eir ship and so goe forward still so many a man going towards hell is forced to cast out his lusts and sinnes but he goeth on in the same way still for all that The wildest beasts as Staggs if they be kept waking from sleepe long will grow tame so conscience giving a man no rest for some sinnes he liveth in he groweth tame He that was a wild Gentleman before remaines the same man still onely he is made tame now that is civill and smooth in his whole course and hence they rest in reformation which reformation is commonly but of some troublesome sinne and it is because they thinke it is better following their trade of sinne at another market and hence some men will leave their drinking and whoring and turne covetous because there is more gaine at that market sometimes it is because sinne hath left them as an old man 5. If they can have no rest here they get into another starting hole they goe to their Humiliations Repentings Teares Sorrowes and Confessions They heare a man cannot be saved by reforming his life unlesse he come to afflict his soule too he must sorrow and weepe here or else cry out in hell hereafter Hereupon they betake themselves to their sorrowes teares confession of sinnes and now the winde is downe and the tempest is over and they make themselves safe Matth. 11. 21. They would have repented that is the Heathen as Beza speakes when any wrath was kindled from Heaven they would goe to their sackcloth and sorrowes and so thought to pacifie Gods anger againe and here they rested so it is with many a man many people have sicke fits and qualmes of conscience and then they doe as Crowes that give themselves a vomit by swallowing downe some stone when they are sicke and then they are well againe so when men are troubled for their sinnes they will give themselves a vomit of prayer a vomit of confession and humiliation Isa. 58. 5. Hence many when they can get no good by this physicke by their sorrowes and teares cast off all againe for making these things their God and their Christ they forsake them when they cannot save them Mat. 3. 14. more are driven to Christ by the sense of the burden of an hard dead blind filthy heart than by the sense of sorrowes because a man rests in the one viz. in sorrowes most commonly but trâ—mbles and flyes out of himselfe when he feeles the other thus men rest in their repentance and therefore Austin hath a pretty speech which sounds haâ—sh that Repentance damneth more than sin meaning that thousands did perish by resting in it and hence wee see among many people if they have large affections they thinke they are in good favour if they want them they thinke then they are cast-awayes when they cannot mourne nor be affected as once they were because they rest in them 6. If they have no rest here then they turne morall men that is strict in all the duties of the morall law which is a greater matter than reformation or humiliation that is they grow very just and square in their dealings with men and exceeding strict in the duties of the first Table towards God as fasting