on Persecutors c. Acts and Monumen page 2298. c. h Ruth 2.12 Psalm 91.4 i Thus spake blessed Bainbam in the midst of the fire O ye Papists behold ye looke for miracles and here now you may see a miracle for in this fire I feele no no more paine then if I were in a bed of Doune but it is to me as sweet as a bed of Roses Acts and Monuments page 1030. k His Maiestie was mooved to interpret and conster the latter sentence in the Letter alleaged by the Earle of Salisbury against all ordinary sense and construction in Grammar as if by these words For the danger is past as soone as you have burned the Letter should be closely understood the suddainty and quickenesse of the danger which should be as quickely performed and at an end as that paper should be of blazing up in the fire turning that word of as soone to the sense of as quickely Discourse of the manner of the discovery of a late intended Treason c. Heare King Iames his own words I did upon the instant interpret and apprehend some darke phrases in the Letter contrary to the ordinary grammar construction of them and in another sort then I am sure any Diuine or Lawyer in any Vniversitie would have taken them to be meant of this horrible for me of blowing us up all by Powder His Maiesties speech in the last Session of Parliament printed 1605. l A vertuous Gentlewoman in this Land doubting very often of her Salvation made her case knowne unto a worthy Minister of God who often counselled her to take heed of inquiries further then Gods word and trust assuredly that she might conclude her Salvation out of Gods word without any further revelations yet still did the temptation grow upon her in so much that having a Venice Glasse in her hand and the selfe-same Minister sitting by her presently breakes forth into lamentable words you have often told me that I must seeke no further then Gods word but I have bin long without comfort and can endure no longer Therefore it I must be saved let this glasse be kept from breaking and so she threw it against the walls Here might the Lords hand for this tempting of his Maiestie have left her to the everlasting woes of her distrustfull heart yet the Lord that is rich in mercy having stamped her with the seale of his Election was content to satisfie the languishing Soule with a miracle the Glasse rebounds againe and comes safe unto the ground which the Minister having gotten into his hands faith Oh repent of this sinne blesse God for his mercy and never distrust him more of his promise for now you have His voyce from Heaven in a miracle telling you plainely of your estate This was curiositie and might have brought despaire yet it was the Lords mercy to remit the fault and grant extraordinary confirmation of her Faith Yates Gods arraignement of Hypocrites page 357. m Deprecatio Ecclesiae murus qui rumpi non possit munimentum inconcussum daemonibus quidem formidabile Chrysost. De orando Deum lib. 2. Deprecatio armatura est inexpugnabilis ac â—utissimum nec unquam fallens munimentum pari facilitate vel unum repellens militem vel innumerabilia hostium millia Ibid. lib. 1 n Tantarum virâ—um est precatio ut in hominis potestatem creaturas ad unam omnes quod mirêris ipsum creaturarum Dominum redigat Scâ—lâ— De precat cap. 29. Non in homines tantum est ista precationis vis sed etiam in belluaâ— in daemones in mundi elementa in coeli sydera in deum ipsum Ibid. * Feriendi licentiam quarit à Mose qui fecit Mosen Bern. o Honos miscendi sermonem cum Deo Angelorum superat maiestatem De precat lib. 2. Ios. 10.12 13. Ion. 2.1 c. 10. Iud. 15.18 Iam. 5.17 18. 2. Kings 19.15.35 2. Kings 6.17 2 Chron 20.5 6 c. 23 Acts 12.5.7.10 * Upon intelligence of the Spanish invasion a publike Fast was proclaimed and observed Anno 1588. * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iam. 5.17 Ionah 4 9. p Faith is onely able to performe fulnesse of ioy and constancy of content in the midst of the changes wanes eclipses and fuls of all externall things and that one day as well as another throughout the course of a mans life in that latitude extent whereof this life is capable Ward q Credenti mundus cum principe diabolo mors infernus peccatumque mera ludibria sâ—nt ut dicere possit cum Paulo Vbi tuus ó mors aculeus ubi tua inferne victoria 1. Cor 15.55 Habet enim ipse contra omnia haec quae caeteris â—orribilia â—nsuperabilia sunt victoriam per Dominum Iesum Christum in quem credit cui adhâ—ret innititur Naogeor r 1. Ioh. 5.4 s Matth. 16 18. t Eph. 6.16 u Heb. 11.34 x Heb. 11.33 y Heb. 11.37 z Heb. 11.36 * Heb. 11.30 a Heb. 11.34 b Heb. 11.33 c Psal. 23.4 Da mihi pulchram iustitiam da mihi Fidei pulchritudinem Procâ—dat in medium ostendat se oculis cordis inspiret servorem amatoribus suis Iam tibi dicitur Frui me vis Contemne quicquid te aliud delectat contemne pro me Eâ—ce contempsisâ—i Parum est illi Parum est vt contemnas quicquid te dilectabat contemne quicquiud te terrebat contemne carceres contemne vincula contemne equuleum contemne tormenta contemme mortem Haec vicisti me invenisti Amat ardet servet calâ—at omnia quae delectant c transit venit ad aspera horrenda truculenâ—a minacia calâ—at frangit transit August De verbis Apostoli Serm. 17. d 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 luminum non 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 luminis Q. d. Omnis luminis elementaris aetherei spiritualis coelestis Par. d 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 luminum non 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 luminis Q. d. Omnis luminis elementaris aetherei spiritualis coelestis Par. * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1. Ioh. 2.5 e Lux citò coelum terras maria illuminat momento temporis sine ullâ comprehensione relectis surgentis diei splendore regionibus nostro se circumsundit aspectui Ambros. Hâ—x Lib. 1. Cap. â— f Fides est in Christianâ animâ fandamentum omnium virtutum Bern li. De ordine vitae Stell 〈◊〉 dixisse virtutes non me poenitet considerantem congruâ—â—tiam similitudinis Quo modo nempe stellae in nâ—ctâ— lucent sic vera vâ—rtus quae saepe in prosperis non apparet eminet in adversis Ergo virtus est sidus homâ— virtutum coelum Idem super Cont. Serm. 27. g 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eph 5.8 h 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1. Ioh 1.7 i 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1. Tim. 6.16 k Nemo quisquam in ullà Historiâ tot tamque gravibus arumnis simul adobrutus fuisse legitur Par. l Divitijs dediti non paupertem tantum contremâ—sâ—unâ—
is the care of those Ministers which divide Gods Word aright say our great Divines of Great Britaine first fitly and wisely to wound the Consciences of their hearers with the terrours of the Law and after to raise them by the Promises of the Gospell c. The Spirit first terrifies those who are to bee justified with the Law breaking and humbling them with threats scourges and lashes of Conscience that thereby despairing of themselves they may flie unto Christ. Wee cannot learne out of the Gospell saith Chemmitius that wee are to bee blessed in Christ except by an anthithesis as Luther speakes we also acknowledge that wee are accursed by the Law The Doctrine of the Law saith Davenant is to be propounded to the impious and impenitent to strike terrour into their hearts and to demonstrate their just damnation except they repent and she to Iesus Christ. Perkins that great Light of our Church both for soundnesse of learnâ—ng sincerâ—ty of iudgement and insight into the Mystery of Christ teâ—ching How Repentance is wrought telâ— vs That first of all a Man must have knowledge oâ— foure things Of the Law of God Of sinne against the Law Of the guilt of sinne and of the Iudgement of God against sinne which is His eternall wrath In the second Place must follow an application of the former knowledge to a Mans selfe by the worke of the conscience assisted by the holy Ghost which for that cause is called the spirit of bondage in this manner The breaker of the Law is guilty of eternall wrath saith the Minde But I am a breaker of the Law of God saith the Conscience as a Witnesse and an Accuser Therefore I am guilty of eternall death saith the same Conscience as a Iudge Every Law shall have His part in the Lake which burneth with fire and brimstone Reuel 21.8 But I am a Liar Therefore I shall have my part in that everlasting fiery Lake And so of other sinnes Covetousnesse Cruelty Drunkennesse Whoredome Swearing Defrauding Temporizing Vsury Filthinesse Self-uncleannesse Foolish talking â—esting Ephes. 5.4 Revellings Galat. 5.21 Prophaning the Lords Day strange apparell Zeph. 1.8 And innumerable sinnes moe which beeing all severally prest upon the heart by a discourse of the guilty conscience as I have said must needs full sorely crush it with many cutting conclusions from which set on by the spirit of bondage is woont to arise much trouble of minde which saith Hee is commonly called the sting of the conscience or penitence and the compunction of heart And then succeedes seasonably and comfortably the worke of the Gospell The Soule beeing thus sensible of and groaning under the burden of all sinne is happily fitted for all the glorious revelations of the abundant riches of Gods dearest mercies for all the comforts graces and favours which shine from the face of Christ for all the expiations refreshings and exultations which spring out of that blessed Fountaine opened for sinne and for uncleannesse Never any of Gods Children saith Greeneham were comforted thorowly but they were first humbled for their Sinnes The course warranted unto us by the Scriptures saith Hieron is this First to endeavour the softning of our Hearers hearts by bringing them to the sight and sense of their owne wretchednes before we adventure to apply the riches of Gods mercy in Christ Iesus The preaching of the Gospell is coÌ„pared by our Saviour Himself unto the Sowing of seedes as therefore the ground is first torne up with the plâ—â—gh before the seede be committed unto it so the fâ—llow ground of our hearts must first bee broken up with the sharpenesse of the Law and the very terrour of the Lord before wee can bee fit to entertaine the sweete seed of the Gospell I would have a Preacher to preach peace and to aime at nothing more then the comfort of the Soules of Gods people yet I would have Him withall frame his course to the manner of Gods appearing to Elijah The Text saith that first a mighty strong winde rent the Mountaines and brake the rockes then after that came an earthquake and after the earthquake came fire and after all these then came a still and a soft voyce After the same manner I would not have the still and milde voyâ—e of the Gospell come till the strong tempest of the Law hath rent the stoâ—y hearts of men and have made theâ—â— beliâ—es to tremble and rottennesse to enter into their bones Or at least because our Auditories are mixt consisting of men of divers humours it shall bee good for Him to deliver His doctrine with that caution that neither the humbled soules may be affrighted with the severity of Gods judgements nor the prophane and unrepentant grow presumptuous by the abundance of Gods mercy The person that is full despiseth the hony-combe saith Salomon And what doth a proud Pharisie or a churlish Nabal or a Politicke Gallio or a scoffing Ishmael care to heare of the breadth and length and depth and height of the love of God in his Sonne Iesus Except it bee to settle them faster upon their lees The Doctrine of that nature is as unfitting such uncircumcised eares as the snow the Summer and the raine the Harvest Vnto the Horse belongs a whip to the Asse a bridle and a rod to the Fooles backe c. Hee that intendeth to doe any good in this frozen generation had need rather to bee Boanerges one of the sons of thunder then Bar-Ionah the Sonne of a Dove The Word of God saith Forbes hath three degrees of operation in the hearts of men For first it falleth to mens eares as the sound of many waters a mighty great and confused sound and which commonly bringeth neither terrour nor ioy but yet a wondering and acknowledgement of a strange force more then humane power This is that effect which many felt hearing Christ when they were astonished at His Doctrine as teaching with authority What manner doctrine is this Never man spake like this man This effect falleth even to the reprobate which wonder and vanish Haâ—ak 15. Act. 13.41 The next effect is the voice of thundâ—r Which bringeth not onely wonder but feare also not onely filleth the eares with sound and the heart with astonishment but moreover shaketh and terifyeth the conscience And this second effect may also befall a reprobate As Felix Act. 24. The third effect is proper to the elect the sound of harping while the word not onely ravishâ—th with admiration and striketh the Conscience with terrour but also lastly filleth it with sweete peace and ioy c. Now albeit the first two degrees may bee without the last yet none feele the last who have not in some degree felt both the first two God healeth none saith Gouge but such as are first wounded The whole need not a Physitian but they that are sicke Christ
most compassionate and tender-hearted to others afflicted with the same wofull terrours and troubles of conscience A woman which hath herselfe with extraordinary paine tasted of that exquisite torture of child birth is wont to bee more tenderly and mercifully disposed towards another in the like torment then she that never knew what that miserie meant And is more ready willing and skillfull to relieve in such distresses It is proportionably so in the present Case But the Alien beeing tainted in some measure with the Divels hatefull disposition is by the heate of his slavish horrour rather enraged with malice then resolved into mercy Hee is rather tickled with a secret content then touched with true commiseration to see and heare of others plunged into the same gulphe of misery and plagued like Himselfe Hee is much troubled with his solenesse in suffering and the singularity of any sorrowfull Accident Companion-ship in crosses doth something allay the discomforts of carnall men So that sometimes they secretly but very sinfully reioyce such is their dogged divelish disposition even to see the hand of God upon their neighbours Neither can hee in such extremeties minister any meanes of helpe or true comfort at all either by prayer counsell or any experimentall skill because the evill spirit of his vexed conscience was not driven away by any well-grounded application of Gods mercies and Christs blood but as Saules was by Musicke worldly mirth carnall advise Soule-slaying flatteries of Man-pleasing Ministers plunging desperately into variety of sensuall pleasures c. 7. Hee which after the boisterous tempest of Legall terrours hath happily arrived at the Port of Peace I meane that blessed peace which passeth all understanding made with God himselfe in the blood of his Son enters presently thereupon into the good way takes upon Him the yoke of Christ and serues him afterward in holinesse and righteousnesse all the dayes of his life And ordinarily His deeper humiliation is an occasion of his more humble precise holy and strickt walking and of more watchfulnesse over his heart and tendernesse of conscience about lesser sinnes also all occasions of scandall appearances of evill even aberrations in his best actions holiest duties c. But Aliens whē once they bee taken off the Racke and their torture determine either become just the same men they were before or else reforme onely some one or other grosse sin which stuckē most upon their consciences but remaine unamended and unmortified in the rest or else which often comes to passe grow a great deale worse For they are as it were angry with God that hee should give them a taste of Hell fire before their time and therefore knowing their time but short fall upon earthly delights more furiously engrosse and graspe the pleasures of the World with more greedinesse and importunitie These things thus premised I come to tell you that for the rectifying of the fore-mentioned Errour and prevention of the danger of dawbing and undoing for ever in a matter of so weighty importance I would advise the Spirituall Physition to labour with the utmost improovement of all his divine skill heavenly wisedome best experience heartiest praiers most piercing persuasions prest out of the word for that purpose wisely to worke and watchfully to observe the season when hee may warrantably and upon good ground apply unto the woundedst soule of his spiritually-sicke Patient assured comfort in the promises of life and that soveraigne blood which was spilt for broken hearts and assure him in the Word of truth that all those rich compassions which lie within the compasse of that great Covenant of everlasting mercy and love sealed with the painefull sufferings of the Sonne of God belong unto Him Which is then when his troubled heart is soundly humbled under Gods mighty hand and brought at length to first a truly penitent sight sense and hatred of all sinne secondly a sincere and unsatiable thirst after Iesus Christ and righteousnesse both imputed and inherent thirdly an unfained and un-reserved resolution of an universall New-obedience for the time to come c. Here I had purposed to have been large but I am prevented by that which hath been said already and therefore to avoide repetition I must remit you to the consideration of those Legall and Evangelicall preparations for the entertainement of Christ and true comfort which I handled before which may give some good direction and satisfaction in the Point Yet take notice that in the meane time before such fitnesse bee fully effectuated I would have the Man of God ply his Patient with his best perswasions and Proofes seasonably mingled with motives to humiliation of the pardonablenesse of his sinnes possibility of pardon damnablenesse of despaire danger of ease by outward mirth c. And to hold out to the eye of the troubled conscience as a prize and Lure as it were the freenesse of Gods immeasurable mercy the generall Offer of Iesus Christ without any exception of persons times or sinnes the pretiousnesse and infallibilitie of the promises in as faire and lovely a fashion in as orient and alluring formes as Hee can possibly But it is One thing to say If these things bee so I can assure you in the Word of life of the promises of life and already-reall right and interest to all the riches of Gods free grace and glorious purchase of Christs meritorious blood Another thing to say If you will suffer your understandings to bee illightened your consciences to bee convinced your hearts to be wounded with sight sense and horrour of sin If you will come-in and take Iesus Christ His Person his Passion his yoke If you will entertaine these and these affections longings and resolutions c. Then most certainely our mercifull Lord will crowne your truly humbled soules with his dearest compassions and freest love Lastly bee informed that when all is done I meane when the Men of God have their desire That the Patient in their perswasion is soundly wrought upon and professeth understandingly and feelingly and as they verily thinke from His heart first that Hee is heavy laden with the grievous burden of all His sinnes secondly That Hee is come by his present spirituall terrour and trouble of minde to that resolution to doe any thing which wee find the Hearers of Iohn and Peter Luk. 3. Act. 2. Thirdly That Hee most highly prizeth Iesus Christ farre above the riches pleasures and glory of the whole earth thirsts and longs for Him infinitely Fourthly That Hee is most willing to sell all To part with all sinne with His right eye and right hand those lusts and delights which stucke closest to His bosome Not to leave so much as an hoofe behind Fifthly That hee is content with all his heart to take Christ as well for a Lord and Husband to serue love and obey Him as for a Saviour to deliver Him from the miseries of sinne To take upon Him His yoke To enter into the narrow
way and walke in the holy Path To associate Himselfe to that sect which is so spoken against everywhere c. I say when it is thus with the afflicted Party and most happy is Hee when it is thus with Him yet notwithstanding because God alone is the Searcher of the heart and the heart of Man is deceitfull above all things wee can assure mercy and pardon but onely conditionally Tho by the mercy of God wee doe it many and many times with strong and undeceiving confidence Wee must ever adde either expressedly or impliedly such formes of speech as these If all this which you professe bee in truth If you bee thus resolved indeed If these things bee so as you have said c. Why then wee assure you in the word of life and truth your Case is comfortable you may sweetly repose your troubled and truly-humbled soule upon Iesus Christ as your wisedome righteousnes sanctification and redemption upon all the Promises of life Gods free grace c. as truly belonging unto you and certainely yours for ever Heare two Master Builders upon the matter confirming the present Point 1. To think that it lyeth in the power of any Priest truly to absolve a man froÌ„ his sins without implying the condition of his believing and repenting as he ought to doe is both presumption and madnesse in the highest degree 2. In the Pardon whereby a Priest pardoneth a sinner for an offence by Him committed against God there are two things to bee considered One that there is no pardon if the sinner doth not earnestly repent The other that hee himselfe which pardoneth hath need of pardon Of these two Points the first is the cause that the Priests pardon is conditionall because Hee knoweth not the heart The other is a cause that the Priest should consider of himselfe that hee is rather a Delinquet then a Iudge and to teach him to feare lest that after hee hath pardoned others Hee himselfe may not obtaine pardon It is a thing certaine that if a sinner seriously converting and beleeving in Iesus Christ cannot obtaine absolution of his Pastor which is passionate or badly informed of the truth God will pardon him On the contrary if a Pastor that is indulgent an winketh at vices or that is deceived by appearance of repentance absolveth an hypocriticall sinner and receiveth him into the communion of the faithfull that â—ypocriticall sinner remaineth bound before God and shall bee punished notwithstanding For God partaketh not with the errours of Pastors neither regardeth their passions nor can be hindred from doing iustice by their ignorance 3. Let mee adde Cyprian who at the first rising of the Novatian heresie wrote thus to Antonianus We doe not preiudice the Lord that is to iudge But that hee if Hee finde the repentance of the sinner to bee full and iust hee may then ratifie that which shall bee here ordained by us But if any one doe deceive us with the semblance of repentance God who is not mocked and who beholdeth the heart of man may iudge of those things which wee did not well discerne and the Lord may amend the sentence of his servants Neither let this Truth to wit that our assuring of mercy and pardon must bee conditionall upon such like termes as these If thou doest beleeve and repent as thou oughtest to doe If these things bee in truth as you promise and professe c. discourage or trouble any that are true of heart For it should not prejudice or hinder their application of the promises taking Christ as their owne assurance of mercy and comfort because they are conscious to themselves of the syncerity of their owne hearts And therefore Looke how the Prophet Esay was comforted when the Angell said unto Him Thine iniquity is taken away and thy sinne purged and the poore Woman in the Gospell when Iesus said unto Her Thy sinnes are forgiven The like consolation doth the distressed sinner receive from the mouth of the Minister when hee hath compared the truth of Gods Word faithfully delivered by Him with the worke of Gods grace in His owne heart According to that of Elibu If there bee an Angell or a Messenger with him an Interpreter One of a thousand to declare unto man his righteousnesse then will God have mercy upon Him and say Deliver him from going downe to the pit I have received a reconciliation 2. Too much A little Aqua vita may happily revive and refresh the fainting spirits of a swouning Man but too much would kill A spoone-full of Cinnamon-water mingled with twelve spoone-fulls of Spring-water and one spoonefull of Rose-water c. may bee soveraigne against the sinking of the heart But poure at once a Pint into the Stomack and it might unhappily choake the naturall heate waste the Radicall moysture and burne up a Mans Bowels Mercy being wisely administred in the right season and mingled with convenient Counsels and Caveats may by Gods blessing binde up a broken heart with a leasurable and kindly Cure It may mollifie in the meane time with an healing and heavenly heate the smarting anguish of a wounded conscience and at length seasonably close it up with sound and lasting comfort But poured out hand over head by an unsteady and in-discreet hand It may by accident dangerously dry up penitent teares too soone and stifle the worke of the spirit of Bondage in the beginning But here let none either out of ignorance or malice mistake or bee troubled with this Too much The same Phrase in the same sense is to be found in Master Perkins a great Master in the deepe mystery of dealing with afflicted consciences For wee must know that Too much is by no meanes to bee meant of any wayes restraining or confining the infinitenesse of Gods mercy It were execrable blasphemy to dis-roabe Gods most glorious Attribute of it's immensity but in respect of not mingling some Coolers and Caveats to keepe from presumption as shall appeare in the ensuing Counsells I shall commend for that purpose Vpon this ground I reason thus A man may presse and apply Gods justice and the terrours of the Law Too much therefore also mercy and the comforts of the Gospell too much The consequent is cleare For as the former may plunge into the Gulphe of despaire so the other may cast upon the Rocke of presumption Nay it is more then un-answerably strong Because wee are farre readier to apprehend and apply unto our selves mercy then judgement And thousands are endlesly overthrowne thorow presumption for one by despaire And the Antecedent who will deny It is rather so preposterously applauded and prest that most if a Minister even with his best discretion reveale the whole Counsell of God and tell them That none shal bee refreshed by Christ but onely those who labour and are heavy laden That they must humble themselves in the sight of the Lord if they would have him
to lift them up That none shall have mercy but such as confesse and forsake their sinnes That the meere ciuill man and luke-warme formall Professour without holinesse and zeale can never bee saved That all the wicked shal bee turned into Hell c. In a word if Hee take the right course to bring men from darkenesse to light from Satan to the living God by first wounding with the Law before Hee heale with the Gospell I say the most in this Case are ready to cry out and complaine that hee throwes wild-fire Brimstone and Gunpowder into the consciences of men Conceive therefore I pray you That there is in God first His justice and secondly His mercy both infinite and equall Onely in regard of Man there is an inequality For God may bee said to bee more mercifull unto them that are saved then just to them that are damned For of damnation the just cause is in Man but of salvation it is wholly from grace In Himselfe and originally they are both equal and so are all his Attributes But in respect of the exercise and expression upon His creatures and abroad in the world there is some difference But for my purpose and our Ministeriall emploiment and Commission take notice That as the revealed effects of Gods mercy are love tender-heartednesse compassion His owne deare Sons pretious hearts-blood pardon of sinnes peace of conscience unspeakeable and glorious joy thereupon Evangelicall pleasures comfortable presence of the Spirit even in this life and in the other World pleasures infinitely moe then the Starres of the firmament in number even for ever and ever And all these vpon all true Penitents So the revealed effects of His Iustice are indignation and wrath tribulation and anguish that Sword which will devoure flesh those arrowes that drinke blood that fiery anger which will burne unto the lowest Hell and set on fire the foundations of the Mountaines That comming against which is with fire and charets like a whirlewinde to render anger with fury and rebuke with flames of fire that meeting which is as of a Beare bereaved of her whelps to rent the cauâ—e of the heart and devoure like a Lyon c. All plagues with the extremity temporall spirituall eternall all the curses in this Booke of His all the torments in Hell to the utmost sparke of those infernall flames And all these upon all impenitent sinners Now God will bee glorified both waies and by them both Give us leave then to give them both their due Wee are most willing and ready as our great Master in Heaven would have us Isa. 40.1.2 and our blessed Saviour by his example doth teach us Luk. 4.18 To convey by our Ministry into every truly-broken heart and bleeding Soule the warmest bloud that ever heated Christs tender heart and to keepe backe from the true Penitent not any one graine of that immeasurable Mine of all the rich mercies purchased with that pretious blood Bee content therefore on the otherside that wee open the Armory of Gods justice and reveale his wrath from heaven against all ungodlinesse and unrighteousnesse of Men That indignation and wrath Tribulation and anguish shal be upon every soule of man that doth evill c. As wee are ever ready to binde vp the bruised spirit with the softest oyle of Gods sweetest mercy So let us I pray you have leave in the equity of a just and holy proportion to wound with the Hammer of the Law the haâ—ry Pate of every One that goes on in His sinne Let us deale faithfully even with wicked men lest wee answere for the blood of their soules By telling them That as certainely as all the glorious comforts and blessed consequents of Gods infinite mercy shall crowne the heart and heade of every true-hearted Nathanael for ever so all the dreadfull effects of his angry Iustice will at length seize upon the Soules and confound the consciences of all un-holy men with extremest severity and terrour Let it bee thus then and let our Ministeriall dispensation bee in this manner If thou bee an impenitent Person I would tell Thee That the vtmost wrath of God vnquenchable and everlasting vengeance all earthly and infernall plagues are thy certaine Portion But I would mollify and sweeten the bitternesse of this sentence with assurance of mercy upon Repentance to prevent the assaults of despaire On the other side If the Ministry of the Word hath wrought upon Thee effectually and now thy truly-humbled soule thirsts after Christ with a syncere hatred and opposition against all sinne I would assure thy troubled and trembling heart in the Word of life and truth of all those most pretious blessings and sweetest comforts which the Booke of God doth promise and the blood of Christ hath bought But withall I would commend unto thee some Coolers and Counterpoisons against presumption and falling to Pharisaisme For which purpose and for prevention of danger and spirituall undoing by unskilfull and undiscreet dawbing in the Case proposed I come now to tender such Counsels and Caveats as these or the like which the faithfull Physition of the Soule according to occasions circumstances and present exigents may thinke fit to bee mingled with administration of mercy and wisely propounded to the afflicted Party It may not proove unseasonable to speake thus or in some such manner to thy spirituall Patient 1. If these things bee truly and soundly so If thou finde and feele indeed such a mollified and melting spirit such broken and bleeding affections in thy bosome Thou art certainely blessed If that sorrowfull soule of thine doth renounce from the very heart-roote with speciall distaste and detestation all manner of sinne insatiably thirst after righteousnesse unfainedly resolve for the short remainder of a few and evill dayes to bend it selfe towards heaven in all New-obedience I say if this bee syncerely the holy disposition and resolution of thine heavy heart notwithstanding all thy present terrour and trouble of minde Thou art truly and everlastingly happy Onely take notice lest my ministring of mercy bee mistaken or thy conceiving of comfort mis-carry that the heart of man is deceitfull above all things A bottomlesse depth it is of Falshoods dissemblings hypocrisies An endlesse Maze of windings turnings and hidden passages No eye can search and see it's center and secrets but that All-seeing One alone which is ten thousand times brighter then the Sun to which the darkest Nooke of Hell is as the Noone-day And therefore not I nor any man alive can promise pardon or apply the promises but conditionally upon supposition If these things bee so and so as thou hast said And the syncerity of thy heart and truth of these hopefull protestations which wee now heare from thee in this extremity and I must tell thee by the way such like may be enforced by the slavish sting of present terrour not fairely and freely flow from a true touch of conscience for sinne I say this may
in the nearest and most immediate passive disposition if I may so speake to receive the whole Sunne of righteousnesse Reach but out thy hand in this Case to Iesus Christ offering Himselfe freely unto Thee as a Saviour and Lord and thou shalt presently take possession of the Kingdome of Grace and undoubted Right to the everlasting Kingdome of Glory The Prophet Amos 5.8 presseth this Argument of power for some such purpose And it may serve excellently against all pretences and counter-pleaes for a supposed impossibilitie of being illightened and refreshed in the depth of spirituall darkenesse and distresse It may bee Thou mayest say unto Mee You advise mee indeed to seeke Gods face and favour c. But alas Mine is not an ordinary heart it is so full of guilty sadnesse and horror for sin that I have little hope c. Yea but consider He that I counsell Thee to seek made the seven Starres and Orion and turneth the shadow of death into the Morning and will doe fargreater wonders for thy Soule if thou wilt believe the Prophets that thou mayest prosper If thou will trust in Him He will quickly turne the tumultuous roarings of thy conscience into perfect peace Thou wilt keepe Him in perfect peace whose minde is stayed on thee because Hee trusteth in Thee Isai. 26. 3. The Prophet therefore to prevent all scruples and exceptions in this kinde calles upon them thus Seeke him that maketh the seven Starres and Orion c. 2. Secondly lay these two together To bring hony out of the Rocke and oyle out of the flinty Rocke Deut. 32.13 And to mollifie thine heart even to thine owne hearts desire in which there is already some softnesse else thou couldest not sensibly and syncorely complaine of it's hardnesse And thou must needs acknowledge that they are both equally easie to the same Almightie arme 3. Thirdly thou mayst well consider that it is a farre greater worke to make Heaven and Earth then to put spirituall life and lightsomnesse into thy truly humbled and thirsty Soule to which so many pretious Promises are made And Hee with whom Thou hast to doe and from whom thou expectest helpe is He that made Heaven and Earth the Sea and all that therein is which keepeth truth for ever Which openeth the eyes of the blind and raiseth them that are bowed downe Psal. 146.6 Which healâ—th the broken in heart and bindeth up their wounds Who taketh pleasure in them that feare Him in those that hope in His mercy Psal. 147.3.11 4. In such an extremity of helpe-lesnesse and hope-lesnesse In this trembling and terrour of thy heart thou shouldest call to minde for thy comfort That Hee who establisheth all the Ends of the Earth Prov. 30 4. and hath hung that mighty and massie Body upon Nothing Iob 26.7 can most easily stay and stablish the most forlorne and forsaken Soule even sinking into the mouth of despaire Hee that said at first to the Earth Stand still upon Nothing and it never stirr'd out of it's place since the Creation can easily uphold fortifie and refresh thine heart in the depth of the most grievous spirituall misery Even when in the bitternesse of thy spirit thou cries My strength and my hope is perished from the Lord Lament 3.18 4. Even his Iustice. Christs blood is already payed as a price for the pardon of the sinnes of thine humbled Soule and thou wilt needs pay it over againe or else thou wilt not enter upon the Purchase As tho God did expect and exact the discharge of the same debt twice which to imagine were a monstrous intolerable indignity to the most just God You know full well what conceit wee should hold of that Man who having a debt fully discharged by the Surety should presse upon the Principall for the payment of the same againe Wee should indeed thinke HIm to bee a very cruell hard-hearted and mercilesse Man wee should call Him a Turke a Cut-throate a Canniball farre fitter to lodge in a Den of Tygers then to live in the society of men What a fearefull dishonour then is iâ— to the mercifull and mighty Lord of Heaven and Earth To the righteous Iudge of all the World to conceive that having received an exact and full satisfaction for all our sinnes by the hearts-blood of His owne deare Sonne should ever require them againe at our hands Farre bee it then from every One who would not offer extraordinary disparagement even to Gods glorious Iustice to entertaine any such thought Especially sâ—th wee have His Word His Oath and the Seale of His Sonnes blood for security And assuredly wee may build upon it as upon a Rocke of eternall truth that when wee come unto Christ weary of all our sinnes thirsting syncerely for Him and throwing our selves upon Him as Salvation it selfe resolved to take upon us His sweet and easie yoke for the time to come Hee doth presently as Hee hath promised take off the burden and free us everlastingly from the guilt and staine damnation and reigne of all our sinnes But now if thou wilt cast thy self upon Iesus Christ role thy selfe upon the Promises beeing so humbled spiritually thirsty and resolved as thou hast said and I supposed at the first For wee who are Gods Messengers comfort and assure of pardon in such Cases onely upon supposition that the heart and speeches all the Promises and protestations of the Party and Patient we deale with bee syncere every way I say if thou thus cast thy selfe upon the Lord Iesus and the promises of life having a well-grounded strong and seasonable calling thereunto beeing as appeares before invited intreated commanded c. The Case will be blessedly altered Thou shalt then doe as God would have Thee and mightily honour the un-valew-able and infinite dignity of His Sonnes Passion and blood the pretious freenesse of all the Promises His free love sweet Name Truth Mercy Power Iustice c. Thou shalt also cut off and defeate the Divels present fiery darts and Projects of further cruelty dis-intangle and unwinde thy selfe out of the irkesome Maze of restlesse terrours and trouble of minde crowne thine owne soule in the meane time with peace that passeth all understanding with ioy unspeakeable and full of glory with Evangelicall pleasures such as neither eye hath seene eare heard or have entred into the heart of Man and hereafter be most certainely received by that sweetest Redeemer of thine into those glorious Mansions above where nothing but light and blessed immortalitie no shaddow for matter of teares discontentments griefes and uncomfortable passions to worke upon but all ioy tranquillity and peace even for ever and ever doth dwell 2. Yea but may an other say I in the Case proposed have cast my selfe according to your counsell upon Iesus Christ and there by the mercy of God am I resolved to sticke come what come will and yet no comfort comes What doe you thinke should I thinke of my selfe in this Case
I think in such a Case it may be convenient and that such an One hath thereupon some cause and Calling seriously and impartially to search and trie His spirituall state For which purpose ponder seriously upon such considerations as these some of which may discover unsoundnesse Others His unadvisednesse 1. It may bee the Party is not yet come in truth to that sound humiliation contrition spirituall thirsting resolution to sell all c. required by the reverend Author in that most profitable and piercing Doctrine of Faith quoted before but onely hath passed over them overly not soundly superficially not syncerely and then no marvell tho no true and reall comfort come Informe thy selfe further in this Point and that thou mayst more fully know my meaning in it and be guided aright in a marter of so great waight Ibid. Cap. 2. Of the Author and meanes of Faith And Cap. 5. Of the difficulty of Faith pag. 284 c. 2. Or it may bee howsoever Hee protest otherwise and for all His partiall Legall terrour and trouble of minde His deceitfull heart may still secretly harbour and hanker after some sweet sinne as Pride Revenge strange Fashions Worldlinesse Lust Playes Gaming Good-fellowship as it is call'd c. From which it doth not heartily yeeld resolve and endeavour to make an utter and finall cessation and divorce And assuredly that false heart which regards and allowes any wickednesse in it selfe howsoever it may be deluded with some Anabaptisticall flashes yet shall never bee truly refreshed with ioy in the holy Ghost 3. It may bee tho there was some probable and plausible shewes that the Party was principally cast downe and affected with the heavy waight of sin and horrour of Gods wrath for it yet the true predominant cause of His heavinesse harts-griefe and bitterest complaint was some secret earthly discontentment the restlesse biting of some worldly sting And in such Cases remove this and you remove His paine Comfort Him about his Crosse and you set Him where Hee was And therefore as in all this He continues a meere stranger in affection to the sweetnesse amiablenesse and excellency of Iesus Christ so it is impossible that Hee should bee acquainted with any sound spirituall comfort But I will suppose all to bee syncere and as it should bee Let mee advise Thee then to take notice of thine unadvisednesse 1. Thou art perhaps so full of the want of feeling such a stranger to so much expected and desired ioy and peace in believing and by consequent so drowned in the unnecessary distractions and distempers of a sad heart that thou utterly forgets to give thankes and magnifie Gods singular and incomprehensible mercy for illightening convincing and terrifying thy conscience offering his Sonne raising in thine heart an insatiable thirst after Him and giving Thee spirituall abilitie to rest thy weary Soule upon Him And who knowes not that unthankfulnesse keepes many good things from us and is an unhappy blocke in the way to intercept and hinder the comfortable influence and current of God favours and mercies from being showred downe so frankly and plentifully upon His people And Hee is more likely to bee the more provoked in this Case because thou suffers thine heart to bee lockt up and thy Tongue tied by Satans cunning and cruell malice from praysing the glory of Gods free grace for such a worke of wonder I meane that mighty Change of thine from nature to grace in extolling of which were all the hearts and tongues of all the Men and Angels in Heaven and Earth set on worke industriously thorow all eternitie they would still come infinitely short of that which is due and deserved 2. Or it may be when some One of a thousand upon thy complaint that no comfort comes doth seriously labour to settle thine heart in peace pressing upon Thee for that purpose invincible and unanswer-able Arguments out of the Word of Truth to open it wide that over-flowing Rivers of Evangelicall joyes which may spring to Him that is advised and believes the Prophets abundantly even from the weakest Faith to refresh and comfort it Telling thee that as thine humbled Soule learning upon Christ drawes much heavenly vertue mortifying power and sanctifying grace from him so it may and ought also to draw abundance of spirituall lightsomnesse from that ever-springing Fountaine of life c. Yet notwithstanding all this thou suffers some malicious counter-blasts and contrary suggestions of the Divell to disperse and frustrate all these well-grounded and glorious Messages And therefore it is just with God that thou fare the worse at his hands and fall short of thine expectation because thou gives more credit to the Father of Lyes then the Lord of Truth Sith thou spills all the Cordials that are tendered unto thee in the Name of Christ by His faithfull Physicions thou art deservedly destitute of comfort still Many in such Cases while Gods Messenger who can rightly declare His wayes unto them stands by opening and applying the rich treasures of Gods free mercy in the mysterie of the Gospell and with present replies repelling Satans cavils are reasonably well cheared and revived But when Hee is gone they very weakely and unworthily give way againe to that foule lying Fiend to cast a dis-comfortable mist over the tender eye of their weake Faith and to domineere as Hee did before Tell mee true If thou wert in doubt and distresse about thy temporall state Tenure of thy Lands soundnesse of thy evidence Wouldest thou advise with and take counsell from a Foole a Knaue and an enemy or wouldest Thou make choise of an honest wise understanding Friend I doubt not of thine Answer And wilt thou then so farre disparage divne truth gratifie Hell and hurt thine owne heart as in that waightiest Point of thy spirituall state to consult and resolve with the Divell a Liar a Murtherer and sworne enemy to Gods glory and thy Soules good And neglect God Himselfe blessed for ever speaking unto Thee out of His Word by that Minister which in such a Case durst not falsify or flatter Thee for a World of gold Shall many thousands of worldly-wise men give credit very readily and roundly to Dawbers with untempered morter upon a false and rotten foundation to the most certaine and eternall ruine of their Soules And shall not an humble and upright-hearted Man believe the Prophet upon good ground that the bones which the heavy burden of sinne hath broken may reioyce God forbid 3. Nay but suppose the Party bee truly humbled very thankefull resolute against all sinne labour to believe the Prophets c. And yet no comfort come I say then there is an other Duty expected at thy hands right pretious and pleasing unto God And that is waiting By which God would 1. Set yet a sharper edge and eagernesse more hungring and thirsting greater longing and panting after the ravishing sweetnesse of His comfortable presence with which melting earnest crying dispositions Hee
INSTRVCTIONS FOR A RIGHT COMFORTING AFFLICTED CONSCIENCES with speciall Antidotes against some grievous temptations DELIVERED FOR THE MOST PART IN THE LECTVRE AT Kettering in North-hamptonshire By Robert Bolton Batchelor in Divinity and Preacher of Gods Word at Broughton in the same Countie LONDON Imprinted by Felix Kyngston for Thomas Weaver and are to be sold at his shop at the great North-dore of Saint Pauls Church 1631. TO THE HONOVRABLE AND WORTHY KNIGHT SIR ROBERT CARRE Gentleman of the Kings Bed-Chamber c. all holy Wisedome to walke in the Way to eternall Blisse SIR YOur extraordinary approbation and acceptance of my Directions for walking with God falling into your hands by Gods good providence I know not how accompanied with such noble circumstances and expressions of much undeserved respect to the Authour but especially of your affectionate love to the glorious Gospell of the blessed God farre dearer to every gracious heart which truely tastes the mysterie and mercies of Christ in it then it 's dearest blood or whatsoever is most deâ—â—re-able under the Sunne or admired most amongst the Sonnes of men hath encouraged me at this time to take the boldnesse to present this present Treatise more immediately and by speciall interest into your owne hand And I am the farre better pleased with my choise because I hold it a matter of singular comfort and speciall consequence to have an hand in diverting the eie of any that attends upon earthly Majesty from too much gazing upon the outward illustrious splendour which is woont to glister in the Courts of great Princes to the admiration and embracement of the glorious and ever-lasting beauty of the Lord Iesus In respect whereof all the fairest beames of felicity and joy which shine from the most orient Imperiall Diadems that crowne the face of the Earth are but a Moate of darkenesse and Lumpe of vanity And that for divers reasons 1. First Such as stand in the presence of mighty Kings are or ever should be men of greatest parts deepest understandings and most eminent abilities every Way Which being happily sanctifyed by a fruitfull influence from Heaven and by the helpe of the holy Ghost bent to the right end and spent upon the Objects they ought become gloriously serviceable to the King of Kings proportionably to their native excellency above ordinary gifts and the vulgar sort of sufficiencies Great endowments in what kinde soever gvided by a divine hand in their exercise and agitations doe ever a great deale of good To give Instance and not stirre from the Court The Lord of Heaven vouchsafed to King Iames of famous memory and One of the learnedest Princes that ever wore a Crowne upon Earth such a strong and enlarged understanding that wee should have magnified it as admirable even in a private man The same good hand of providence in great mercy directed it upon the right Object even the defense of the holy Truth of our blessedly reformed religion and destruction of Antichristianisme that accursed Hydra of all heresies and notoriously infamous both to this and the other World for horrible Massacres and murthering of Kings Whereupon besides that Hee hath by his Princely Pen given such a deadly wound to that Beast of Rome that Hee is never like to stand upon His foure legs againe Hee hath also left in His learned Labours such an immortall monument of Demonstrative light invincible Remonstrance against that bloody superstition that I am perswaded it will proove a most soveraigne preservative and a mighty Motive far stronger then a mountaine of Brasse to keepe all His Royall Posterity which shall hereafter successively sit upon His Regall Throne to the worlds end in a thorow universall and everlasting detestation of Popery Chamier that great glory of France and the whole Christian World was bountifully enriched from Heaven with singularity of learning and Polemicall Parts which being turned the right way have happily produced a Panstratia such victorious Volumes and so unanswerably triumphant over all Popish Sophistry that not all the Iesuites in Christendom tho they should rake Hell afresh for some new rotten distinctions to uphold their tottering Babell shall ever bee able to reply to any purpose Gnash the teeth they may with griefe and shame enough raile like the vassals of the great Whore impressioned with the impudency of her forehead and lie against Him voluminously But for any possibility of a sound Answer they must all let that alone for ever As on the contrary great parts empoisoned and mis-imploied plague extraordinarily The greater sufficiency without grace is but a sharper sword in a madder hand Hatred to goodnesse and height of Place attended with capacity and cunning worke a world of mischiefe Iulian the Apostate being an Emperour of admirable eloquence and exact learning What horrible worke What hurt and havocke did he make in the Primitive times amongst the people of God! The Iesuites at this day brought up in variety of literature and Machivellian mysteries become the grand Impostours and Impoisoners of innumerable Soules the most notorious Incendiaries and Assasins that ever the earth bore such murtherers of Princes Butcherers of people Firers of States and Blowers-up of Parliaments as former Histories never heard of Thus when men of Place and imploiment mighty and remarkeable in the World improove the utmost possibilites of their Wit and Art of all their naturall and acquired Parts to serve their own turnes and attaine their private ends to rise revenge grow rich or more immediately by some speciall service to advance the Kingdome of darknesse and dominion of Antichrist O the Luciferian pride the injustice the cruelty the Machiavellisme the putting of faire pretences upon pestilent plots the drowning of innocency in the Depths of State the crafty and mercilesse pressures of Gods people and those over whom they domineere It is then a work of great Waight and Worthinesse to winne a great man to the waies of God Hereby the common state of goodnesse is mightily strengthned and which is an equall happinesse the Divels side goes downe and Belials hang the head For according to the eminency of his Gifts and greatnesse of Place is the excellency of good or excesse of ill that Hee doth It were to bee wished therefore if God so pleased that all the incurable and implacable enemies to the grace of God good men and power of godlinesse were Dunces and Fooles that they might not bee able to manage their malice and power with such Depths and dexterity to the more dangerous under-mining of the kingdome of Christ and their owne more desperate ruine and greater damnation 2. Secondly Great men are subject to great temptations And therefore it is the harder Taske and more honorable triumph to turne them on Gods side Had not an All-mighty hand mastered the temptation steeled his Faith and represented to his eie the matchlesse glory of an immortall Crowne Moses had never been able to
flames of the raging fire over the roaring furie of the most hungry Lions over the varietie and extremitie of exquisitest tortures temptations persecutions all outward miseries euen over cruell mockings It unresistably beares downe or blowes up the strongest Bulwarkes and thickest walles puts to flight the mightiest Armies and conquers the most invincible Kingdomes And when all is done Oh blessed Faith at the very last and deadliest lift she triumphantly sets her foote upon the necke of the Prince of terrors I meane death the last and worst the end and summe of all feared evills And even in the middest of those dying and dreadfull pangs beares a glorious part with Iesus Christ the Conquerour in that sweetest Song of victory O death where is thy sting In a word it can doe all things All things are possible to him that beleeveth Fifthly and lastly and in a word Grace in its owne nature being the most glorious Creature of the Father of liâ—hts and flowing as it were more immediately and sweetly from his blessed face is of such a divine invincible and lightsome temper and hath such an anti-patheticall vigour and ability against all spirituall darkenesse and dampes whether of affliction temptation troublesome confusions of the times the valley of the shadow of death the Grave Hell it selfe that it is ever able either to dispell it or dissolve it or support it selfe strongly and triumphantly even in the midst of it Suppose a soule beautified with Grace to be seated if it were possible in the very center of that hellish Kingdome yet would it by its Heavenly strength and glory in despite of all infernall powers keepe off at some distance all the darkenesse torments and horrour of that damned place Whence it is that it is so often in the holy Scriptures compared to light Now what power and prevalent antipathy our ordinary light doth exercise against his most abhorred Opposite darkenesse you well know and it is elegantly and punctually for my purpose expressed by One in this manner We see and prove saith he by dayly experience how powerfull and dreadfull a thing the darkenesse of the night is For when it falleth it covereth and muffleth up the face of the whole world It obscureth and hideth the hue and the fashion of all creatures It bindeth up all hands and breaketh off all imployments The night commeth saith our Sauiour wherein we cannot worke It arresteth and keepeth captive all living wights men and beasts that they must be still and rest there where it arresteth them yea it maketh them fearefull and faint-hearted full of fancies and much subiect to frights It is of all others such a powerfull and unconquerable Tyrant as no man is able to withstand And yet neverthelesse it is not of that might that it is able to overwhelme or to quench the least light in the World For we see the darken the night is the clearer the Starres shine Yea the least candles light that is lighted withstandeth the whole night and not onely suffereth not the darkenesse to cover or to smoother and oppresse it but it giveth light also even in the middest of the darkenesse and beateth it backe for some space and distance on every side of it so that which way soever it is borne or wheresoever it commeth there must darkenesse depart and give place unto the light all the power and the dreadfulnesse of it cannot helpe or prevaile ought against it And tho the light be so weake that it cannot cast light farre about or drive the darkenesse farre from it as in the sparke of an hot coale yet cannot the darknesse cover or conceale and much lesse quench it but it giveth light to it selfe alone at least so that it may be seene a farre off in the darke and it remaineth unconquered of the darke tho it cannot helpe other things nor give light unto them Yea that which is yet more wonderfull a rotten shining peece of wood which hâ—th the faintest light that can be found yet remaineth invincible of all the power of darkenesse and the more it is compassed about with darkenâ—sse the clearer light it giveth So little is darkenesse able to overcome or kâ—epe downe anâ— light but that it ruleth and vanquisheth and expelleth the darkâ—nâ—ssâ— which else overwhelmeth and â—â—areth and fettereth and putteth all things in feare Now if this naturall light be so powâ—â—full and so able to prevaile against the darkenesse of the night why should not that spirituall Light that Gods Spirit doth kindle and set up in the hearts of Gods Children be able to afford them light in darkenesse and to minister sound ioy and sweete comfort unto them in the very midst of their heaviest and most hideous afflictions Assuredly it must needes be unconquerably able with farre greater power and in an higher proportion For our visible light doth spring but from a finite and materiall Fountaine the Sunne it selfe a creature but the Spirituall light I speake of flowes immediately from the glorious face of the onely true incomprehensible and eternall Light the Sunnes creatour who dwelleth in the light that no man can approach unto and is an everlasting well-spring of all Life and Light which it doth so farre represent and resemble in Divine excellencie and mightinesse that it thence receives by a secret and sacred influence fresh successions still of an infinite triumphant power and prevailing against all spirituall darkenesses for ever Suppose all the men that dwell within the compasse of our Hemisphere should addresse themselues with all their wit and weapons with all their power and policie to keepe backe that universall darkenesse which is woont to seize upon the face of the earth at the setting of the Sunne yet by all this strong and combined opposition they should but beate the ayre But now upon the very first approach of that Princely light but peeping up in the East it would all â—ly away in a moment and vanish into nothing Semblablely if all the understandings upon earth and all the Angels in Heaven should contribute all their abilities and excellencies to illighten with cheerefulnesse and ioy a guilty conscience surprised sometimes with hellish darkenesse and cloudes of horrour upon sight of sinne and sense of divine wrath yet all would not doe they should all the while but wash a Blackamoore as they say but now let but the least glimpse of the light of Grace shine into that sad and heavy Soule and it would farre more easily and irresistably chase away the very darkest midnight of any spirituall misery then the strongest Summers Sunne the â—hinnest Mornings mist. Give me if you will Iudas his heart or Spiraes horrour or a vexed spirit torne and rent in peeces with the raging guilt of both those wofull men and let that supposed rufull Soule weary of its hellish burden and thirsting sincerely for the water of Life but cast it selfe upon the mercy truth and power of
of that comfortable provision and gracious strength which should support it in the day of sorrow and leaves it at last to the tempestuous winter-night of death and all those desperate terrours that attend it like a scorched heath-ground without so much as any drop of comfort either from Heaven or earth 2. A second sort worse then the former are such as are so farre from treasuring up in this time of light and mercifull visitation soundnesse of knowledge strength of saith purity of heart clearnesse of coÌ„science holinesse of life assurance of Gods favour contempt of the world many sanctified Sabbaths fervent prayers holy conferences heavenly meditations dayes of humiliation righteous dealings with their Brethren compassionate contributions to the necessities of the Saints workes of iustice mercy and truth a sincere respect to all Gods Commandements a carefull performance of all spirituall Duties a conscionable partaking of all Gods Ordinances a seasonable exercise of every grace hatred of all false wayes an hearty and invincible loue unto God and all things that He loues or any wayes belong unto Him His Word Sacraments Sabbaths Ministers Services Children Presence Corrections Comming c. which are the ordinary provision of Gods people against the evill Day I say they are so farre from prizing and preparing such spirituall store that they hoard up stings scourges and scorpions for their naked soules and guilty consciences against the Day of the Lords visitation I meane lies oathes blasphemies Adulteries whoredomes selfe-pollutions variety of strange fashions gaming 's revellings drunken matches good-fellow meetings wanton dancings usuries falshoods hypocrisies plurality of ill gotten goods Benefices Offices honours filthy iests much idle talke flanderous â—â—les scoffs raylings oppositions to the Holy way c. And that with a cursed greedinesse and delight For they cry One unto another out of a boysterous combination of good fellowship with much eagernesse and roaring Come on therefore Let us fill our selves with costly wine and ointments and let no flower of the Spring passe by us Let us crowne our selves with Rose buds before they be withered Let none of us goe without his part of our voluptuousnesse Let us leave tokens of our pleasure in every place For this is our portion and our lot is this Let us lie in waite for the righteous because hee is not for our turne and be is cleane contrary to our doings c. But alas what will bee the conclusion of all this or rather the horrible confusion Even all their ioviall revellings roaring Outrages and sinfull pleasures which are so sweete in their mouthes and they swallow downe so insatiably shall turne to gravell and the gall of Aspes in their bowels and to fiery enraged scorpions in their consciences Where lurking in the meane time in the mudde of sensuality and lust breede such a never dying worme which if God thinke fit to awake upon their last Bed is able to put them into Hell upon earth to damne them above ground to knaw upon their Soule and flesh with that unheard-of horrour which seizde upon Spir'as woefull heart Who protested being fully in his right minde that Hee would rather be in Cain's or Iudas his place in Hell then endure the present unspeakeable torment of His afflicted spirit To beate them from this bedlam desperate course of greedy hoarding up such horrible things unto themselves against their ending houre Let them consider 1. Besides the eternity of ioyes for the one and of torments to the other hereafter the vast and unvaluable difference in the meane time in respect of true sweetenesse and sound contentment betweene the life of a Saint and a Sensualist a Puritan as the World calls Him and a goodfellow as hee termes Himselfe Let us for the purpose peruse the different passages of one day as Chrysostome excellently delineats them and represents to the life Let us produce two men saith He the one drown'd in carnall loosenesse sensualities and riotous excesse the other crucified and starke dead to such sinfull courses and worldly delights Let us goe to their houses and behold their behaviour We shall find the One reading Scriptures and other good Bookes taking times for holy Duties and the service of God sober temperate abstemious diligent also in the necessary duties of His Calling having holy conference with God discoursing of Heavenly things bearing himselfe liker an Angell then a Man The other joviall a vassall of luxury and ease swaggering up and downe Ale-houses Tavernes or other such conventicles of good fellowship hunting after all the wayes meanes and men to passe the time merrily plying his pleasures with what variety hee can possibly all the day long rayling and roaring as tho He were enraged with a Devill tho He be starke dead while He is alive c. Which is accompanied with murmuring of the family discontent of the wife chiding of friends laughing to scorne of enemies c. Whether of these courses now doe you thinke were the more comfortable I know full well the former would bee cried downe by the greatest part as too precise and the latter would carry it by a world of men but heare the Puritane Fathers impartiall holy censure quite crosse to the common conceite and humour of flesh and blood It is excellent and emphaticall arguing His resolute abomination of the wayes of goodfellowship and infinite love and admiration of the holy Path. Having given to the Goodfellow His hearts desire all the day long in all kindes of voluptuousnesse and delight yet for all this Who is he saith He that is in his right minde and hath His braines in His head that would not chuse rather to die a thousand deaths then spend but one day so This peremptory passage would bee holden a strange Paradoxe from the mouth of any moderne Minister and so appeares to the carnall apprehension of all those miserable men who are blindfolded and baffled by the Devill to the eternal losse of their Soules But besides that it might bee made good many other wayes it is more then manifest by comparing that threefold sting that dogs every sinfull delight at the heeles c. See my Booke of Walking with God pag. 17â— with the comfortable contentment and secret sweetenesse which might and should attend all well-doing and every holy duty done with uprightnesse of heart The very Philosophers doe tell us of a congratulation a pleasing contentednesse and satisfaction in doing vertuously according to their morall Rules What true solid and singular comfort then doe you thinke may bee found in those godly actions which spring from faith are guided by Gods Word directed to his glory and whose bewailed defects and failings are most certainely pardoned by the bloud of his Son Now what an extreme madnesse is this for a Man to sell His salvation for a life of pleasures abhorring the wayes of Gods Childe as too precise and painefull whereas besides Hell for the one and Heaven for the
him and â—ore torments of the inner parts So that the wormes rose up out of the body of this wicked man and whiles hee lived in sorrow and paine his flesh fell away and the filthinesse of his smell was noysome to all his army Herod in the height of his hatred against the Gospell and pride in imprisoning and persecuting the Apostles was eaten up of wormes in a most fearefull prodigious manner Gardiner gaping for newes of the dispatch of those two blessed Martyrs of Iesus Latimer and Ridley at Oxford deferred his dinner untill three or foure of the clocke at afternoone delighting more in drinking the bloud of the Saints then in his ordinary foode But upon the returne of his Post Hee fell merrily to his meate And marke what followed The bloudy Tyrant saith the Story had not eaten a few bittes but the sudden strokâ— of God His terrible hand fell upon him in such sort as immediatly he was taken from the table and so brought to his bed where he continued the space of fifteene dayes in such intolerable anguish tormeÌ„ts that all that â—eane while during those fifteene dayes he could not avoyde by order of urine or otherwise any thing that hee received Whâ—â—eby his body being miserably inflamed within who had inflamed so many good Martyrs before was brought to â— wretched end For further inlargement of this Point looke into the Stories of the primitive Church Acts and Monumentâ— Theater of Gods iudgements 4. A cry farre louder then the noise of many waters or voice of greatest thunder knocks continually with strong importunity at Gods iust Tribunall for a showre of fire brimstone and an horrible Tempest to be rained downe upon their heads I meane a cry of bloud wrongs disgraces and slanders wherewith they have loaden the Saints of God Rev. 6.10 And they cryed with a loud voyce saying How long O Lord holy and true doest thou not iudge and avenge our blood on them that dwell upon the earth 5. They are the principall provokers of Gods wrath against a nation Their hatefull heate overflowing gall and scornefull carriage against Gods people doth ripen apace His fiercest indignation fill up full the vialls of His vengeance and draw downe upon a kingdome a desperate and finall ruine without all remedy But they mocked the messengers of God and despised His words and mis-used Hiâ— Prophets untill the wrath of the Lord arose against his people till there was no remedy 2. Chron. 36.16 6. Their spitefull spirits being once thorowly set on heate with this fire of hell and infernall rage against the grace of God and His people commonly continue in flâ—me and fury untill their fearefull and finall confusion And they being once flesht as it were with the bloud of the Saints at lest by scoffes slanders for even lewd and lying tongues are keene razours and sharpe swords scourges and scorpions that fetch bloud they feede insatiably upon the damned sweetnesse of such supposed cursed revenge untill they be seizd upon with irrecoverable ruine and fall amongst the firers of their malice and Arch-persecutors of all Professours the fiends of Hell This is my meaning This pestilent and crying Sinne of persecution is like the gulfe of drunkennesse which Austin compares to the Pitt of Hell into which when a man is once fallen there is no redemption or returne A Persecutour is rarely or never â—eclaimde Either by miracle or Ministry mercy or misery Fire from Heaven falling upon the first Captaine and His fâ—â—y did not fright the second Captaine and His fifty from pressing upon Elijah to apprehend him 2. Kings 1.10.11 The souldiers who came to take Iesus as soone as Hee had said I am Hee were strangely upon the suddaine stroke downe to the ground Ioh 18.6 and yet this miracle did never a whit mollifie and abate the malice of the Priests and Pharisees against Him Not even the Miniâ—â—ry of Christ Himselfe though He spoke as never Man spake Not that of Stephen whose face appeared to His Hearers as it had beene the face of an Angell not that of the Apostles freshly filled with the holy Ghost from heaven did at all dis-enrage or â—ame those fellowes which were possest with this fâ—ule spirit of scornefull contradiction See Luc. 4.28.29 And 16.14 Act. 7 54. And 2.13 Not all those horrible miraculous plagues of Aegypt were able to quench Pharaohs fury against the people of God untill he was choakt in the red Sea No kindnesse from David though extraordinary and matchlesse 1. Sam. â—4 11. And â—6 9. could turne Saâ—ls heart from hunting him as when One doth hunt a Partridge in the mountaines And no marvaile tho they be not mooved by all or any of these meanes for they scorne persecute and contemne the very meanes which should amend them and the onely Men who should convert them Whether of the two thinke you is likelier to recover That man who being dangerously sicke yet entertaines the Physition kindely and takes patiently what is prescrib'd or Hee who having a Potion presented unto Him very soveraigne for his recovery throwes the glasse against the wall spils that pretious Receipt and drives the Physition out at doores Conceive proportionably betweene the Persecutour and the lesse pestilent sinner who meddles nor maliciously against the Ministry 7. They are already in the pestilent Path and very hie-way that leads to sinne against the Holy Ghost The horriblenesse and height of which dreadfull villany may bring upon them even in this life impossibility of pardon Matth. 12.31.32 and liablenesse to that flaming iudgement â—iery indignation threatned Heb. 10.26 c. And that they are growing towards this sinne if they be not quite gone that way appeares because they despitefully traduce with much malice and mischiefe persecute the very workes of Grace and graces of Gods Spirit shed into the hearts and shining in the lives of the children of light 1. Ioh. 3.12 Psal. 38.20 1. Pet. 4.4 If a man would drinke sweare swagger revell and roare with them If he durst bee an Ignorant an Vsurer a Sabbath-breaker a Worldling a doter upon and defender of heathnish superstitious customes a practiser or Patrone of Old anniversarie fooleries and rotten vanities an incloser gamester good-fellow c. Oh! then Hee should bee the onely Man with them entertain'd into their hearts and houses with all affectionate embracements of kindnesse and acceptation but if the same man by the mercies of God once begin to breake from them and out of the snares of the Devill to dis-rellish and detest his former wayes of nature and naughtinesse to love and reverence the most searching Ministry to reade the Scriptures and best bookes to sanctifie the Lords Day to pray in his family to renounce resolutely His running with them to the same excesse of riot to abandon and abominate their lewd and licentious courses In a word to turne Christian Oh! then Hee is an arrant Puritane a Precision an
enjoyed can procure or minister one jote of ease to a Soule afflicted in this kinde and thus trembling under the terrours of God In such an Agony and extremity haddest thou the utmost aide and an universall attendance from Angels and men couldest thou reach the top of the most aspiring humane ambition after the excellency and variety of all worldly felicities were thy possessions as large as East and West were thy meate continually Manna from Heaven every day like the day of Christs resurrection Were thy apparell as costly and orient as Aarons Ephod nay thy Body cloth'd with the beauty of the Sunne and crownde with Starres yet for all this and a thousand more thy heart within Thee would bee as cold as a stone and tremble infinitely above the heart of a woman entring into travell of Her first Childe For alas who can stand before the mighty Lord God Who dare pleade with Him when Hee is angry What spirit of man hath might to wrastle with His Maker Who is able to make an agreement with the Hells of Conscience or to put to silence the voyce of desperation Oh! in this conflict alone and wofull wound of conscience no Electuary of Pearle or pretious Baulme no Bezoars stone or Vnicornes horne Paracelsian quintessence or Potable Gold No new devise of the Knights of the Rosie-Crosse nor the most exquisite extraction which Alchymy or Art it selfe can create is able any whit or at all to revive ease or asswage It is onely the hand of the holy Ghost by the blood of that blessed Lambe Iesus Christ the holy and the righteous which can binde up such a bruise Vses 1. Counsell to the unconverted That they would take the stings out of their sinnes and prevent the desperatenesse and incurablenesse of this horrible wound by an humble sincere universall turning unto the Lord while it is called To Day For assuredly in the meane time all the sinnes they have heretofore committed in thought word or deede at any time in any place with any company or to which they have bin any wayes accessary are already upon record before the pure Eye of that high and everlasting Iudge written exactly by the hand of divine Iustice in the Book of their consciences with a pen of iron with the claw of an Adamant with the point of a Diamond or if you can name any thing which makes a stronger deeper and more lasting impression there they lye like so many Lions asleepe and Giants refreshing with wine gathering much desperate poyson and sâ—inging points that whensoever hereafter they shall bee effectually and finally awaked by Gods angry hand they may torment most ragingly and teare their wofull Soules in pieces everlastingly when there is none to helpe Now wee may see and observe many times one little sin at least in the worlds account and conceite of carnall men to plunge a guilty conscience into the depth of extremest horrour and a very Hell upon Earth As I have heard of and knowne in many One for a sudden unadvised imprecation against Her owne Soule in case She did so or so Another for a thought conceived of God unworthy so great a Majesty Another for covetously keeping a thing found and not restoring it or not inquiring after the Owner Another for an adulterous project without any actuall pollution Another by concurring with a company of scoffing Ishmaels onely once and ere Hee was aware by lifting up the hands and casting up the eyes in scorne of Gods people c. Yet afterwards they sadly revising these miscarriages in cold blood some of them some five or sixe yeeres after God beeing then pleased to represent them with terrour and their native stings were cast into that affliction of conscience and confusion of spirit that their very bones were broken their faces fill'd with ghastlinesse and feare their bodies possessed with strange tremblings and languishing distempers their very vitall moysture turned into the drought of Summer In which dreadfull perplexity they were in great danger of destroying themselves and of being swallowed up of despaire If the guilty sense then of one Sin when God sets it on and sayes unto it Torment drawes so many fiery points of stinging Scorpions after it charges upon the excellency of the understanding with such hideous darkenesse rents the heart in pieces with such desperate rage grindes into powder the arme and sinewes of all earthly succour melts like Dew before the Sunne all those delights and pleasures which the whole world offers or affords to comfort in such a Case In a word makes a man so extreamely miserable That Hee would make Himselfe away wishes with unspeakeable griefe that Hee had never been that Hee might returne into the abhorred state of annihilation that Hee were any other Creature that Hee might lye hid world without End under some everlasting Rocke from the face of God Nay that Hee were rather in Hell then in His present horrour I say it being thus what unquenchable wrath what streames of brimstone what restlesse anguish what gnashing of teeth what knawing of conscience what despairefull roarings what horrible torments what fiery Hells feeding upon His Soule and flesh for ever may every impenitent wretch expect when the whole blacke and bloudy Catalogue of all His sinnes shall bee marshold and mustered up together at once against Him every one beeing keened with as much torturing fury as the infinite anger of Almighty God can put into it after that Hee hath accursedly with much incorrigible stubbornnesse out-stood the day of His gracious visitation under this glorious Sun-shine of the Gospell wherein Hee either hath or if Hee had been as provident for His immortall Soule as carking for His rotten Carkasse might have enioyed very powerfull meanes all His life long And yet all the while neglected so great salvation forsooke his owne mercy and so iudged Himselfe unworthy of everlasting life If a lighter Sinne many times lite so heavy when the Conscience is illightened How will thy poore Soule tremble under the terrible and untolerable weight of all thy sinnes together When all thy lyes all thy oathes all thy rotten speeches and railings All thy bedlam passions and filthy thoughts All thy Good-fellow-meetings Ale-house-hauntings and scoffings of Gods people All the wrongs thou hast done all the goods thou hast got ill all the time thou hast mispent Thy prophanation of every Sabbath thy killing of Christ at every Sacrament thy Non-proficiency at every Sermon Thy ignorance thy unbeliefe thy worldlinesse thy covetousnesse thy pride thy malice thy lust thy luke-warmenesse impatiency discontentment vaine-glory Selfe-love The innumerable swarmes of vaine idle wandring and wicked imaginations In a word all the pollutions distempers and estrangednesse from God in thine heart all the villanies vanities and rebellions of thy whole life I say when all these shall bee charged upon thy gracelesse Soule by the implacable indignation of that highest Majesty whose mercy Ministry and long suffering thou
Debitors while they have any doings as they say and are in trading in policy let them alone and say nothing but if once downe the winde in sicknesse poverty disgrace c. Then comes Sergeant after Sergeant Arrest upon Arrest Action upon Action All their sinnes are set in order before them and fall full foule upon the now distressed Soule as Ravens upon the fallen Sheepe to picke out the very eyes and heart of it and to keepe it downe in the Dungeon of despaire for ever 5. Nor others because they cousen themselves with a formall false conceite of a comfortable spirituall state as did the Phariâ—ie Luk. 15.11 with a groundlesse presumption that they are in Gods favour as did those Matth. 7.22 And the five foolish Virgins Matth. 25. When as God knowes they are meere strangers to the Mysterie of Christ and farre enough from any sound Humiliation Thus the blindnesse security searednesse slumber Selfe-deceite or some other such distemper of the Conscience conceales and keepes in the stings of those sins in sensuall men which without turning unto the Lord in truth while it is called To Day will hereafter torment with intolerable and restlesse terrour thorow all eternity 3. A third reason why thy unlamented and unpardoned sinnes tho every one of them bee armed with a severall bloody and fiery sting and of their owne nature so heavy with horrour that they are able to sinke Thee into the bottome of Hell doe not as yet stirre nor presse upon thy Soule with the insupportable weight of divine vengeance is this They are in their native soyle where they were borne bred and brought up in their owne Element as they say I meane in a carnall heart soaking in sensualitie and not resolved to bee reformed Wee say in Philosophy An Element is not heavy in it's owne Place One Bucket full of water upon the Earth would bee burdensome to the Backe of that Man who were Hee in the bottome of the Sea would feele no weight at all from all the water there tho it were three miles high over His head A sensuall heart settled upon it's lees can beare without sense or complaint a world of wickednesse which out of it's Element and humour would bee crusht into Powder and tremble with horrour upon the sad apprehension of the least sinne especially set out by Gods just indignation While Belshazzar was in His Element revelling and rioting amongst His Lords His Wives and His Concubines drinking wine swaggeringly and contemptuously in the golden and silver Vessels of the Temple Hee felt no touch in point of conscience or terrour at all But put out of His humour by the hand-writing upon the plaister of the Wall His countenance was presently changed and his thoughts troubled him so that the joynts of His loynes were loosed and His knees smote one against another 4. Fourthly The never-dying worme that naturally breeds and growes bigge in every unregenerate conscience which beates backe still the searching power of the Word and secret warnings of the Spirit is like a Wolfe in the foot Feede it continually with fresh supply of raw flesh and it will let the Body alone but with-draw that and it devoures upward While the Sonnes and daughters of pleasure and all those who have their portion and Paradise in this life stoppe the mouth of this hellish worme with variety of carnall delights they doe well enough and finde pretty ease and exemption for a time from the rage and bitings thereof But they may assure themselves in evill times when the dayes are come upon them wherein there is no pleasure when the Play is done when all worldly comforts and comforters like run-away servants and drunken Serving-men are to seeke when they have most use and need of them I say that then the time and turne is come that the worme of conscience destitute now â—or ever of any further satisfaction from sensuall sweetnes will ragingly turne upon the Soule devoure like a Lion knaw like a Vulture vex eternally 5. Fifthly If the weight of the whole world were now laid upon any of these Bodies here lately buried it would not stirre or groane And why Because it is naturally dead Proportionably Tho the burthen of sinne farre heavier then a mountaine of Lead then this mighty and massie earth under our feete lyes upon every impenitent Soule ready every houre to presse and plunge it into the lowest Pit yet wretched and bewitched Thing it neither feeles any smart nor feares any hurt it is neither sensible of the present weight nor troubled for the future wrath And what is the reason It is spiritually dead It is starke dead in trespasses and sinnes The strong man is gone away with all And there is no stirring nor sense of this cursed Burden untill Either a stronger then Hee lay hands upon this Hellish Tyrant disarme Him and throw downe His Holds and a mightier voyce of the Sonne of God then that which made Lazarus come out of the Grave put life into it Or else that the dreadfull thunder of Gods fierce and finall wrath the Day of visitation beeing expired awake it to everlasting woe 6. Tho in the meane time thou bee extreamely miserable and if thou dyest in thine impenitent state this day thou must most certainely lodge this night in the Lake of fire and brimstone amongst the damned yet thy sinnes for the present doe not represent to the eye of thy conscience those formes of foulenesse and terrour of which they are naturally full and which without timely repentance thou wilt hereafter find and feele in them to thine endlesse griefe because thou lookest upon them in the false Glasse of vaine-glory ignorance selfe-love selfe-conceitednesse painted over by the Divels dawbing with whorish intising colours of pleasure profit preferment worldly applause and other such goodly and golden out-sides Whereas a true and effectuall beholding them in the cleare Christall of Gods pure Law hunted continually at the heeles with divine vengeance all the curses in this Booke and plagues innumerable internall externall eternall and in the bitter Passion of Iesus Christ without whose hearts-blood not the least sinne that ever was committed could ever have been remitted were able to â—right and fire a very Blackamore out of His blacke skinne and a Leopard from His spots And thou something easest thine heart also against the terrour of the Lord for thy sinnes by looking upon Gods mercy with false spectacles and so enlarging it beyond the limits of His Truth But heare what that excellent discoverer of the Depths of our Selfe-cousoning hearts tells thee in such a case As a man passing over a bridge saith Hee which his false spectacles make to seeme broader then in deed it is being thereby deceived goes besides the bridge and so is drowned so is it with those whose deceitfull hearts make the bridge of Gods mercy larger then it is they are in danger of falling beside it into
the waters of eternall destruction For the Gods mercy bee of the largest extent yet it is bounded with His Truth And therefore usually in the Scriptures wee find these two coupled together Gods mercy and His Truth Now His Truth tells us that the good tydings of the Gospell belong only to the poore to the broken-hearted to the captives to the blinde to the bruised Luk. 4.18 That Hee onely who confesseth and forsaketh His sinnes shalt have mercy Prou. 28.13 That except wee repent wee shall all perish Luk. 13.3 That except wee bee borne againe wee cannot see the Kingdome of God Ioh. 3.3 That God will wound the head of his enemies and the hairy scalpe of such an one as goeth on still in his trespasses Psal. 68.21 That if wee regard iniquity in our hearts the Lord will not heare us Psal. 66.18 That no fornicator nor idolater nor adulterer nor effâ—minate nor abuser of Himselfe with man-kind nor theefe nor covetous man nor drunkard nor reviler nor extortioner shall inherit the Kingdome of God 1. Cor. 6.9.10 That without holinesse no man shall see the Lord. Heb. 12.14 That every one that calleth on the Name of Christ savingly must depart from iniquitie 2. Tim. 2.19 c. Compare now these and the like Places with thine heart life and present impenitent state and tell mee in cold blood and impartially whether any mercy at all as yet belongs unto thee upon good ground yet lying in thy sinnes 2. In a second place the Point may serve for warning to those who are already washed from their sins that they defile their Soules no more who having been cured by castiâ—g their eyes upon the brazen Serpent from those many fiery stings that they rebell no more who wounded formerly at the heart-roote with grievous horrour and now healed with the blood of Christ that in the name of Christ they turne not againe to folly Let them call to minde and lay to heart the ensuing considerations when they are first tamper'd with and tempted againe to any sinne which me thinkes should be of power not only to keep Gods blessed Ones from putting their hands to iniquity but also to restraine or at least to coole the courage even of the Divels slaves in the very heate of the most furious entisement to their best-beloved sinne 1. Sinne is most hatefull It is the onely Object of all Gods infinite hatred His Loue is cut as it were into divers streames and carried upon variety of Objects He loves in the first place infinitely ad-equately His owne blessed Selfe His owne Sonne who is called the Sonne of His Love His Angels His Saints His Servants His Creatures All things Hee made Thou lovest all things that are and abhorrest nothing which Thou hast made For never wouldest Thou have made any thing if thou had'st hated it But Hee hates nothing at all properly and formally but sinne The whole infinitenesse of all His hatred is spent wholly upon sinne alone which makes it infinitely and extremely hatefull Now what a thing is this that an infinite divine hatred like a mighty undivided Torrent should withall it's united forces and detestations run headlong and rest upon every sinne bee it but an officious lye foolish talking jesting revelling a wanton glance a vaine thought an idle word and such like lighter sinnes in the worlds account which to reprove in some companies nay almost every where would bee holden to bee a sowre and unsufferable precisenesse So desperately impudent are the times both in disgracing of sincerity and dawbing of sinne And what a wofull wretch is every impenitent Sinner who hath such a world of unpardoned sinnes lying upon His Soule and such an immeasurable weight of hatred lying upon every severall sinne And what a prodigious Bedlam is Hee who will wittingly and willingly put His hand to any sinne which once committed is inseparably and individually attended with the infinite hatred of so great a God For which the paines of Hell must upon necessity bee suffered either by the Party Himselfe or his Surety Either it must bee taken off by the blood of Iesus Christ or else the Delinquent must burne in Hell for euer 2. It is most foule Even fouler then the foulest Feind in Hell then the Divell Himselfe And let none stumble at this truth It appeares unanswerably thus Sinne made him a Divell and sunke Him into Hell and therefore sinne is more rancke Divell and horrible Hell it selfe For it is a principle in Philosophy of unquestionable truth Whatsoever maketh such is it selfe much more such The Sunne that lightens all other bodies is much more light The fire which heates all other things is much more hote So that which defiles another thing is much more fulsome Sinne alone brought all hellish misery upon Satan and made him so foule therefore is it farre fouler If any could strip him of his sins hee should re-invest him into the shining roabes of all his former Angelicall excellency and perfection and restore him into height of favour againe with the most High For God hates the Divell for nothing else in the world but for sinne Ob. But if sinne bee so ougly may some say as you have set it out how comes it to passe that it is so amiable in the eyes of the most Why doe all sorts of people pursue and practise it with such eagernesse and delight Why doth the whole world runne a madding after it Answ. Herein observe an universall Soule-swallowing Depth of Satans damned Policy Hee knowes full well that should sin appeare it it 's owne likenes every eye would abhorre it every Mothers Sonne would detest and defie it And therefore Hee takes a course by the exquisitnesse of his colours and excellency of painting to put a seeming fairenesse upon an Hellish face whereby the greatest part dote upon this deformed Hag to their endlesse damnation For wee must know that Satan in this mystery of cousoning by colours incomparably surpasseth the most famous Baudes and noble Strumpets that ever were So that it seemes to bee the conceite of the ancient Fathers that the Divell did immediately reveale unto whorish women this Art of painting at least Hee was most certainely an extraordinary assistant to the first Inventors of it Now for painting sinne to make it more plausible and passable wee may see variety of colours and cousoning tricks ministred unto Satan by our false hearts His Agents for that purpose In that excellent Discovery of their deceitfulnesse But as an old deformed wrinckled whorish Hag setting out Her selfe with false haire a painted face and other meritricious affected dressings entangles and ensnares the hearts of fooles and eyes of vanity whereas understanding men and those that have eyes in their heads discover in her so doing and daubing an addition of a great deale of artificiall loathsomnesse to Her naturall foulnesse So it is in this case The greisly face of sinne beeing dawbed over
whole world and all the creatures in Heaven and Earth have offered themselves to bee annihilated before His angry face Had all the blessed Angels prostrated themselves at the foote of their Creator yet in the Point of redemption of Mankind and purgation of sin not any nor all of these could have done any good at all Nay if the Sonne of God Himselfe which lay in His bosome should have supplicated and solicited I meane without suffering and shedding His blood the Father of all mercies Hee could not have been heard in this case Either the Sonne of God must die or all Mankind be eternally damned Even then when thou art provoked to sinne thinke seriously and sensibly of the price that upon necessity must bee paied for it before it bee pardoned 11. Sinfull pleasures are attended with a threefold bitter sting Whereof see my Directions for walking with God pa. 171. Which though the Divell hides from them in the heate of temptation yet in His seasons to serve his owne turne Hee sets them on with a vengeance 12. Compare the vast and unvalu-able difference betweene yeelding to the entisement and conquering the temptation to sinne For which purpose looke upon Ioseph and David two of Gods dearest servants And consider the consequents what a deale of honour and comfort did afterward crowne the head and the heart of the one And what horrible mischiefes and miseries fell upon the family and grisly horrours upon the conscience of the other Survay also the distinct Stories of Galeacius Caracciolus and Franciscus Spira then which in their severall kinds there is nothing left to the memory of the latter times more remarkeable And you shall find in them as great a difference as betweene an Heaven and Hell upon earth The one withstanding unconquerably variety of mighty entisements to renounce the Gospell of Iesus Christ and returne to Popery besides the sweet peace of His Soule attained that honour in the Church of God that Hee is in some measure paralleld even with Moses and recommended to the admiration of Posterity by the Pen of that great and incomparable glory of the Christian World blessed Calvin The other conquered by an unhappy temptation to turne from the Truth of God and our true Religion to the Synagogue of Satan and abominations of the scarlet Whore besides the raging and desperate confusion hee brought upon His owne spirit became such a spectacle to the eye of Christendome as hath been hardly heard of 13. Compare the poore short vanishing delight of the choisest sensuall worldly contentment if thou wilt of thy sweetest sinne with the exquisitnesse and eternity of Hellish torments Out of which might an impenitent reprobate wretch bee assured of enlargement after Hee had endured them so many thousand thousand yeeres as there are sands on the Sea-shore haires upon His head starres in the firmament grasse piles upon the ground Creatures both in Heaven and Earth Hee would thinke Himselfe happy and as it were in Heaven already See before pag. 39. But when all that time is past and infinite millions of yeeres besides they are no neerer end then when they begun nor Hee neerer out then when Hee came in The torments of Hell are most horrible yet I know not whether this incessant desperate cry in the conscience of a damned Soule I must never come out doth not outgoe them all in horrour What an height of madnesse is it then to purchase a moment of fugitive follies and fading pleasures with extremity of never ending paines 14. When thou art stepping ouer the threshold towards any vile act lewd House dissolute company or to do the Divel service in any kinde which God forbid suppose thou seest Iesus Christ comming towards Thee as Hee lay in the armes of Ioseph of Arimathea newly taken downe from the Crosse wofully wounded wanne and pale His Body all gore-blood the beauty of His blessed and heavenly face darkned and disfigured by the stroke of death speaking thus unto Thee Oh! Goe not forward upon any termes Commit not this sinne by any meanes It was this and the like that drew mee downe out of the armes of my Father from the fulnesse of joy and Fountaine of all blisse to put on this corruptible and miserable flesh to hunger and thirst to watch and pray to groane and sigh to offer up strong cries and teares to the Father in the dayes of my flesh To drinke off the dregs of the bitter cup of His feirce wrath to wrastle with all the forces of infernall powers to lay downe my life in the gates of Hell with intolerable and saue by my selfe vnconquerable paine and thus now to lie in the armes of this mortall Man all torne and rent in peices with cruelty and spite as thou seest What an heart hast thou that darest goe on against this deare entreaty of Iesus Christ 15. When thou art unhappily mooued to breake any branch of Gods blessed Law let the excellency and variety of His incomparable mercies come presently into thy minde a most ingenuous sweet and mighty motive to hinder and hold off all gracious hearts from sin How is it possible but a serious survay of the riches of Gods goodnes forbearance long-suffering leading thee to repentance to more forwardnes and fruitfulnes in the good Way The publike miracles of mercy which God hath done in our daies for the preservatioÌ„ of the Gospel this kingdome ourselves and our posterity especially drowning the Spanish invincible Armado discouering and defeating the Powder-plot sheilding Q. Elizabeth the most glorious Princesse of the world from a world of Anti-christian cruelties saving us from the Papists bloudy expectations at Her death c. The particular and private Catalogve of thine owne personall favours from Gods bountifull hand which thine owne conscience can easily leade Thee unto and readily run over from thine infancy to the present wonderfull protections in thine unregenerate time that miracle of mercies thy conversion if thou be already in that happy state all the motions of Gods holy Spirit in thine heart many checks of conscience fatherly corrections excellent meanes of sanctification as worthy a ministry in many Places as ever the world enjoyde Sermon upon sermon Sabbath after Sabbath bearing with thee after so many times breaking thy covenants Oportunities to atâ—aine the highest degree of godlinesse that ever was c. I say how can it bee but that the reuise of these and innumerable mercies moe should so mollify thy heart that thou shouldest haue no heart at all nay infinitely abhorre to displease or any way dishonour that High and dreadfull Majesty whose free grace was the well-Head and first Fountaine of them all Let this meditation of Gods mercies to keepe from sinne bee quickned by considering 1. That thou art farre worthier to bee now burning with the most abominable Sodomite in the bottome of Hell then to bee crowned with any of these loving kindnesses That if
of His Ministeriall wisedome bends Himselâ—e to breake the hearts of His Hearers Amongst other pieâ—ciâ—g Passages of His searching Sermon Hee tells them to their faces they standing before Him stained with the horrible guilt of the dearest blood that ever was shed upon earth most worthy to have beene gathered up by the most glorious Angels in vessels of gold that they had crucified and slaine that iust and holy One the Lord of life Iâ—sus of Nazareth vers 23. And againe at the close and conclusion vers 36. leaves the same bloody sting in their consciences which restlesly wrought and boild within them untill it begot a great deale of compunction terrour and tearing of their hearts with extreme amazement and anguish Now when they heard this they were pricked in their heart v. 27. Whereupon they came crying vnto Peter and the rest of the Apostles Men and Brethren what shall wee doe And so beeing seasonably led by the counsell of the Apostles to beleeve on the Name of Iesus Christ to lay hold upoÌ„ the promise to repent Evangelically They had the remission of sinnes sealed vnto them by Baptisme and were happily received into the number of the Saints of God whose Son they had so lately slaughtered Of Paul who tho Hee stood as a Prisoner at the Barre and might perhaps by a generall plausible discourse without piercing or particularizing have insinuated into the affections and wonne the favours of His Hearers who were to be His Iudges and so made way for His enlargement and particular wellfare yet Hee for all this very resolutely and unreservedly crosseth and opposeth their greedy lustfull and carelesse humours with a right searching terrifying Sermon of righteousnesse temperance and iudgement to come Acts 24.24.25 That vnhappy Felix was a fellow polluted with abominable adultery and very infamous for his cruell and covetous oppressions and by consequent unapprehensive and fearelesse of that dreadfull Tribunall and the terrors to come Whereupon Paul hauing learned in the Schoole of Christ not to feare any mortall man in the discharge of His Ministry drawes the sword of the Spirit with undantednesse of spirit and strikes presently at the very face of those fearefull sinnes which raâ—gned in His principall and most eminent Hearers tho Hee stood now before them in bonds at their mercy and devotion as they say Hee shrewdly galls the Conscience of that great Man by opposing righteousnesse to His brybing cruelties temperance to his adulterous impurities the dreadfulnes of Iudgement to come to His insolent lawlesse outrages desperate security Hâ—d Paul addreâ— Himself to haue satisfyed their curiosities as many a rising temporizing treâ—char-Chaplaine would have done very industriously and to entertaine thâ—â—ime with a generall discourse of the wonderfull bâ—â—â—h 〈…〉 Christ now so much talk't of 〈…〉 in the world with â— pleasing discovery onely 〈…〉 and glorious things purâ—â—◠〈…〉 by His Bloodshed not 〈…〉 delights 〈…〉 lust and other sinnes O then they had listned unto Him with much acceptation and delight all things had been carried faire and favourably Paul had not been interrupted and so suddainly silent Nor Felix so frighted and distempered But this Man of God knewfull well that that was not the way neither best for them nor for His Masters honor nor for the comfort of His owne conscience And therefore Hee takes a course to cause the Tyrant tremble that thereby Hee might either bee sitted for Christ which was best of all or at least made inexcusable but howsoever that in so doing His duty might bee discharged and Soule delivered holding it farrre better that His Body should bee in bonds then His Soule guilty of blood Orthodox Antiquity was of the same minde and for the same methode Austen that famous Disputer in His time counselleth to this purpose in this Point I expresse the sense and summe and no more then may bee collected and concluded from the Place I will not ever tie my selfe grammatically and pedantically to the words precisely and to render verbatim save only in some cases as of Controversie or some other such like necessity of more Punctuall quotation The Conscience is not to bee healed if it bee not wounded Thou preachest and pressest the Law comminations the Iudgement to come and that with much earnestnesse and importunity Hee which heares if Hee bee not terrified if Hee bee not troubled is not to bee comforted Another heares is stir'd is stâ—ng takes on extremely Cure His contritions because Hee is cast downe and confounded in Himselfe After that Iohn Baptist saith Chrysostome had thorowly frighted the minds of His Hearers with the terrour of iudgement and expectation of torment and with the name of an Axe and their rejection and entertainement of other children and by doubling the punishment to wit of beeing hewed downe and cast into the fire when Hee had thus every way tamed and taken downe their stubbornnesse and from feare of so many evils had stir'd them up to a desire of deliverance then at length Hee makes mention of Christ. God powres not the oyle of His mercy saith Bernard save into a broken vessell So also are all our moderne Divines who are instructed unto the Kingdome of Heaven Peter Martyr magnifies Nathans method of preaching and commends it to all the Ministers of God Hee first proposeth a Parable as wee doe Doctrines for the illumination and conviction of the understanding Then Hee applies it more particularly and to the presentâ— where Hee doth notably exagitate and aggravate the Sinne by recounting and opposing Gods extraordinary bounty and most mercifull dealing with David by the cause of it contempt of the Lords commandement and dreadfull things ensuing thence Afterward that Hee might strike the heart thorow with astonishment and dread Hee threatens terribly At last upon compunction and crying I have sinned He sweetly comforteth and rayseth to the assurance of Gods favour againe If this course must bee taken with relapsed Christians why not much more with those who are starke dead in trespasses and sinnes Christ is promised to them alone saith Calvin who are humbled and confounded with sense of their owne sinnes Then is Christ seasonably revealed faith Musculus when the hearts of men beeing soundly pierced by preaching Repentance are possest with a desire of His gratious righteousnesse The way to Faith saith Beza is penitence Legall compunction because sicknesse enforceth men euen unwilling to slie unto the Physician Men are ever to bee prepared for the Gospell by the preaching of the Law A Sermon of the Law said Tilenus while hee was yet Orthodoxe must go before the Doctrine of the Gospell that the Oyle of mercy may bee powred into a contrite vessell In our exhortations to follow Christ saith Rolloc the minds of men are ever to bee prepared with a sense of misery and their darke estate and afterward with a desire of enlargement and light It
anguish as tho many fiery Scorpions stings stuck fast in them Either lead us to the sight of that blessed Anti-type of the Brazen Serpent to coole and allay the boyling rage of our guilty wounds or we are vtterly undone Either bring us to the Blood of that just and holy One which with execrable villany wee have spilt as water upon the ground that it may bind up our broken hearts or they will presently burst with despaire and bleed to eternall death Give us to drinke of that soueraigne Fountaine opened by the hand of mercy for all thirsty Soules or else wee dye There is nothing you can prescribe and appoint but wee will most willingly doe Wee will with all our hearts pluckâ— out our right eyes cut off our right hands We meane part with our beloved lusts and dearest sinfull pleasures abominate and abandon them all for ever from the heart root to the Pit of Hell If wee can bee rid of the Devills setteâ—â— welcome shall bee Christs sweete and easy yoke In a word wee will sell all even all our Sinnes to the last â—ilthy ragge of our heretofore doted vpon minion delight So that wee may injoy our blessed Iesus whom you have told us and wee now beleeve God hath made both Lord and Christ c. Now when wee shall see and find in some measure the hearts of our Hearers and spirituall Patients thus prepared both by legall dejections and terrours from the spirit of bondage and also possessed with such melting and eager affections wrought by the light of the Gospell and Offer of Christ When their Soules once begin to feele all sins even their best beloved One heauy and burdensome to prize Iesus Christ far before all the world to thirst for Him infinitely more then for riches pleasures honours or any earthly thing to resolue to take him as their husband and to obey Him as their Lord for ever and all this in truth I say then and in this case wee may haue comfort to minister comfort Then upon good ground wee may goe about our Masters command Isa. 40.1 which man-pleasers many times pittifully abuse Comfort yee Comfort yee my people I meane in respect of spirituall bondage Speake yee comfortably to Ierusalem and cry unto Her that Her warre is accomplished that Her iniquity is pardoned Wee may tell them with what a compassionate Pang and deare compellation God Himselfe labours to refresh them Isa. 54.11 Oh thou afflicted and tossed with tempest that hast no comfort behold I will lay thy stones with faire colours and lay thy foundations with Saphirs c. Wee may assure them in the word of life and Truth that Iesus Christ is theirs and they are His And compell them as it were by an holy violence not without a great deale of just indignation against their lothnesse to beleeue and holding off in this case to take his Person His merit His blood all His Spirituall riches priviledges excellencies And with Him possession of all things even of the most glorious Deity it selfe blessed for ever See 1. Cor. 3.21.22.23 Ioh. 17.21 But now in the meane time untill sense of Spirituall misery and poverty raise an hunger and thirst after Iesus Christ before such like preparations and precedent affections as have been spoke of be wrought in the hearts of men by pressing the Law and proclaiming the Gospell and that in Sincerity for the degree and measure wee leave it to God as a most free Agent in some they may bee stronger in some weaker the preaching or promising of mercy as already belonging unto them is farre more unseasonable and unseemely then Snow in Summer raine in harvest or honour for a foole It is upon the matter the very Sealing them up with the Spirit of delusion that they may never so much as thinke of taking the right course to bee converted What sottish and sacrilegious audaciousnesse then is it in any Dawber to thrust his prophane hand into the treasury of Gods mercy and there hand over head without any allowance from his highest Lord to scatter His dearest and most orient pearles amongst Swine To warrant salvaon to any unhumbled Sinner To strengthen the hands of the wicked who never yet tooke sinne to heart to any purpose and thirst farre more such true Gadarens are they after gold satisfying their owne lusts and perking above their brethren then for the blood of Christ by promising them life To assure meere civill men and Pharises who are so farre from the sense of any spirituall poverty that they are already swolne as full as the skin will hold with a selfe-conceit of their owne rotten righteousnesse that they shall bee saved as well as the most puling precisian Especially sith there is such a cloud of witnesses to the contrary as you have heard before Besides all which upon this occasion take two or three moe Heare a most faithfull and fruitfull workman in the Lords harvest of great skill experience and successe in the most glorious Art of converting Soules which makes mee more willing to vrge his authority and esteeme His judgement in Points of this nature None saith hee can prove or shew president that faith was wrought in an instant at first without any preparation going before Nor can it bee conceived how a man should beleeve in Christ for salvation that felt not himselfe before in a miserable estate and wearied with it and desired to get out of it into a better As the needle goes before to pierce the cloth and makes way for the threed to sew it So is it in this case Afterward Hee tells us how and in what manner order these predispositions and preparative Acts required for the plantation of faith and so securing us of the right season and a comfortable calling to assure men of Spirituall safety are wrought in such as God is drawing unto Iesus Christ. Hee requires from the law First Illumination Secondly Conviction Thirdly Legall terrour From the Gospell by the helpe of the Spirit First Revealing the remedy Secondly Beliefe of it in generall Thirdly Support in the meane time from sinking under the burthen and falling into despaire Fourthly Contrition Which is attended with some kind of First Desire Secondly request Thirdly Care Fourthly Hope Fiftly Ioy. Sixthly Hungring and thirsting after mercy and after Christ. Seventhly Resolution to sell all to wit all sins not to leave an hoofe behind c. And thus saith hee God brings along the man that Hee purposeth to make His. And when he is at this passe God seales it up to him inables him to beleeue And saith Sith thou wilt haue no Nay Bee it unto thee according to thy desire And God seales him up by the Spirit of promise as surely as any writing is made sure by sealing of it Then he beleeves the word of God and rests and casts himselfe vpon it And thus hee finds himselfe discharged of
and Orient Mines of all those sweetest mercies folded vp within the Bowells of Gods dearest compassions and of the Mysterie of his free grace and love through the Sonne of his lous vpon purpose to invite and allure those that are without to come in and to stirre vp our Hearers to bring broken hearts bruised Spirits bleeding Soules unto the Throne of grace upon the same ground but infinitely more gracious that incouraged the Seruants of Benhadad to addresse themselves towards the King of Israel And his Servants said unto Him Behold now wee have heard that the Kings of the House of Israel are mercifull Kings Let vs I pray thee put Sackecloth upon our loines and ropes upon our heads and goe out to the King of Israel peradventure hee will save thy life The most desperate Rebels heretofore upon present true remorse for their former rage in sinne resolving sincerely to stand on Gods side for ever hereafter may safely and upon good ground thus reason within themselves Alas wee have done very villanously we have served Satan a long time we walk up downe as condemned men ripe for destruction long agoe Hell it selfe even groanes for us wee may justly look every moment for a Mittimus to cast us headlong into the dungeō of Brimstone and fire and yet we will trie we will goe and throw downe our selves before the Throne of grace in dust and ashes and cry as the Publican did unto the great God of heaven for Hee is a mercifull God gracious long suffering abundant in goodnesse and truth keeping mercy for thousands forgiving iniquity transgression and sinne And then not onely peradventure but most certainely they shall bee received to mercy and hee will save the life of their Soules I say for this Point of Preaching mercy onely to hearten Men to come in and to nourish in them a hope of pardon in Case of penitency c. See my discourse of true happines p. 173. And I will only adde and advise at this time this one thing of great importance in the Point That after a plentifull magnifying and amplifying the mercy of God by its infinitenesse eternity freenesse and imcomparable excellency every way onely upon purpose to assure the greatest sinners of most certaine acceptation and pardon if they will presently turne with truth of heart from Sathan to the living God from all sinne to his holy Seruice I say that wee then take heed and make sure as much as in us lies that no impenitent unbelieving wretch none that goes on in his trespasses or lies willingly and delightfully in any one sinne receive any comfort by any such discourse as though as yet Hee had any part or interest at all in any one drop of all that boundlesse and bottomlesse Sea of mercy that were a meanes to naile Him fast to His naturall estate for ever But onely thence conceive that if Hee will presently lay downe armes against the Majesty of Heaven and come in with a truly penitent humbled soule thirsting heartily for Iesus Christ and resolve vnfainedly to take His yoke vpon Him there is no number or notoriousnesse of sinne that can possibly hinder his gracious entertainement at Gods mercy-Seate For this end let vs tell all such that though the mercies of God be infinite yet they are dispensed according to His Truth Now the Oracles of Divine Truth tell us that those who shall find mercy are such as confesse and forsake their sinnes Who so confesseth and forsaketh his sinnes shall have mercy Proverb 28.13 Those then who doe not confesse and forsake them shall haue no mercy That the Parties to whom good tidings of mercy and comfort are to bee preached are the poore the broken hearted them that are bruised those that labour and are heavy laden All that mourne c. Luk. 4.18 Mat. 11.28 Isa. 61.2.3 That the man to whom the Lord lookes graciously is even Hee that is poore and of a contrite Spirit and trembleth at his word Isa 66.2 That whosoever by his free mercy through Christ is borne of God doth not commit sin 1. Ioh. 3.9 I meane with allowance purpose perseverance No sinne raignes in such a One c. And yet alas How many miserable men will needs most falsely perswade themselves and others that they have a portion in the mercies of God and hugge with extraordinary applause and embracement the formall flattering messages of Men-pleasers and Time-servers to dawbe over such rotten hopes who yet notwithstanding goe on still in their trespasses who were never yet sensible of the burden of their corruptions and spirituall beggery never wounded in conscience or troubled in minde to any purpose for their sinnes never mourned in secret and sincerely for the abominations of their youth could never yet find in their hearts to sell all for the buying of that one pearle of great price nor ever yet so prized Iesus Christ as to leave their darling pleasures though very base and abominable to enjoy the unspeakeable and glorious pleasures of His gratious kingdome Nay such as heartily serve some Captaine and Commanding sinne in heart or life or calling as their owne consciences if they consult with them impartially in cold blood can easily tell them as Lust the world ambition the times the fashion their pleasures their profits their Passions their ease selfe love pride revenge the dunghill delight of good fellow-ship or the like And here then Let mee discover a notable depth of Sathan whereby hee doth baffle and blind fold His slaves most grossely you know full well and heare often the common Cry of all carnall men especially under any conscionable Ministery against preaching of judgement and for preaching of mercy See the causes why they cannot downe with downeright dealing and powerfull application of the law Disc. of true Happinesse pag. 179 c. But what doe you thinke is the reason that they gape so greedily after Preaching of mercy Not that they can endure the preaching of it as I now have taught and as it onely ought to those that are without To wit To have first the dearenesse the sweetnesse the freenesse the full glory of Gods immeasurable mercy revealed unto them onely as a motive and incouragement to come in but ever at the Close and conclusion to bee made to understand and know certainely that not so much as one drop of all that bottomlesse depth of mercy and bounty in Iesus Christ doth as yet belong unto them lying in any state of unregeneratnes or in any kind of Hypocrisy whilest they regard any wickednesse in their heart and are not willing to plucke out their right eyes and cut off their right hands I meane to make an everlasting divorce from their former dearest sensuall delights and sinnes of their bosome for onely they who confesse and forsake their sinnes shall have mercy Pro. 28.13 This way of preaching mercy would nettle and gall them as much perhaps as pressing of
judgement Nay why not more Proportionably to that which Divines hold That the privation and losse of heavenly joyes and beatificall presence of God is far bitterer then the torments of sense and positive paines of Hell But to tell you their true meaning and their very hearts Their aime in so complaining and calling for mercy from our Ministry is to have it so and in such a manner proposed and preached that they may thence collect and conceive that they are in state good enough to goe to Heaven as they are though in truth they bee meere strangers to the life of God and holy strictnesse of the Saints were never truly humbled with sight of sinne and sense of wrath nor experimentally acquainted at all with the Mysterie of the New birth That they may conclude and say within themselves Howsoever some Ministers of the purer and preciser streine fright us continually with nothing but judgement terrour damnation and will not suffer us to bee quiet no not so much as in One sinne yet it is our good hap sometimes to meet with some mercifull men who will help us to Heaven without so much adoe and upon easier termes c. In a word they would upon the matter have just so much mercy as might assure and warrant them to carry securely their sinnes in their bosome to Heaven with them to live as they list in this life and to dye the death of the righteous Which is a conceit most ridiculous absurd and more then utterly impossible What a hatefull tricke then is this and horrible imposture which they suffer Sathan to put them upon In proposing of Christ Let the Man of God set out as much as Hee can possibly the excellency of His Person the unvaluable pretiousnesse of His blood the riches of His heavenly purchases the gracious sweetnesse of His invitations the generality and freenesse of His offers the glorious Priviledges Hee brings with Him reconciliation to God Adoption forgivenesse of sins justification righteousnesse wisedome sanctification redemption c. Possession of all things For all things are yours Whether Paul or Apollo or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come All are yours And yee are Christs and Christ is Gods 1. Cor. 3.22.23 Let Him tell His Hearers that the blood of Christ is called the blood of God Act. 20.28 and therfore of infinite merit and unvaluable price It sprang out of His humane nature and therefore finite in it's owne nature and lost upon the ground But the Person that shed it being the Sonne of God did set upon it such an excellency and eternity of vertue and value that the infinitenesse of its merit and inestimablenesse of its worth lasts everlastingly It will bee as fresh orient and effectuall to wash away the sinnes of the last man that shall bee called upon earth as it was those of the Penitent Thiefe who saw it with His bodily eies gushing out of his blessed side upon the crosse or the first man who did first savingly apprehend that first Promise The seed of the woman shall bruise the Serpents head Let him assure them it is so soveraigne That in a truly broken humbled and thirsty soule it turneth the most Scarlet and Crimson sinnes into snow and wooll That upon compunction and comming in it washed away that horrible and bloody guilt from the soules of them that spilt it Act. 2. Let them know also in how high a degree and hainously they offend from time to time who refuse to take Iesus Christ offered most freely without exception of any person every Sabbath every sermon either in plaine and direct termes or implyedly at the least Oh! Litle doe people thinke who sit under our Ministry unwrought upon by the word what a grievous and fearefull sinne they commit and carry home from the House of God day after day in neglecting so great salvation in forsaking their owne mercy and in judging themselves unworthy of everlasting life I meane by chusing upon a free Offer of his Soule-saving blood to cleave rather to a Lust Horrible indignity then to Iesus Christ blessed for ever rather to wallow in the mire and mudde of earthly pelfe in the filth and froth of swinish pleasures In idlenesse pride worldlinesse whoredome drunkennesse strange fashions scorning Professours contempt of the power of godlinesse railing against religion revelling Selfe-uncleannesse c. then abandoning these filthy harlots to take the Sonne of God for their deare and everlasting Husband This not Beleeving This refusing Christ This not taking Him in the manner and sense as I have said is such a sinne though not so thought upon and taken to heart that Divines speake of it as of a most transcendent sinne the greatest sinne the sinne of sinnes the onely sinne as it were from such Places as these But when the King heard thereof Hee was wroth and Hee sent foorth His armies and destroyed those murderers and burnt up their City Mat. 22.7 Hee meanes those who were invited to the Sons marriage and made light of it Hee that beleeveth not is condemned already because hee hath not beleeved in the Name of the onely begotten Sonne of God Ioh. 3.18 When the Comforter is come Hee will convince the world of sinne because they beleeve not on mee Hee meanes this sinne alone saith Austin As though not beleeving on the Sonne of God were the onely sinne It is indeed the maine and master sinne because as the same Father speakes truly This remaining the guilt of all other sinnes abides upon the soule this removed all other sinnes are remitted Nay and besides the horriblenes and hainousnes of the sin what height and perfection of madnesse is it That whereas a Man but renouncing his base rotten transitory sinfull pleasures dogged continually at the heeles with vengeance and horror And only taking Iesus Christ in whom are hidden and heaped up the fulnes of grace and treasures of all perfection might have therevpon to say nothing of the excellency of his person purchases of his passion and possessiō of the most blessed Deity a full free discharge thereby at the hands of so happy an Husband from every moment of the everlastingnesse of Hellish torments and a Deed presently sealed with His owne hearts-blood for an undoubted right to every minute of the eternity of heavenly joyes yet should in cold blood most wickedly and willingly after so many intreaties invitations importunity onely for the good of His poore immortall Soule refuse the change Heaven and earth may be astonished Angels and all Creatures may justly stand amazed at this prodigious sottishnes and monstrous madnesse of such miserable men The world is wont to call Gods people precise fooles because they are willing to sell all they have for that One pearle of great price to part with profits pleasures preferments their right hand their right eye every thing any thing rather then to leave
For the spirit of a man saith Salomon will sustaine all His other infirmities but a wounded spiâ—rit who can beare Yet His soule though Hee was the Prince of glory and Lord of Heaven and earth upon the Crosse was even as a scorched Heath without so much as any drop of comfort either from heaven or earth The grievous weight of all the sinnes of all his Children the least of which had bin enough to have pressed them downe into the bottome of Hell lay now heavy upon him The powers of darkenesse were let loose to afflict Him Hee wrastled even with the fierce wrath of His Father and all the forces of the infernall kingdome with such anguish of heart that in the Garden it wrung out of his pretious Body a Sweat as it were great drops of blood falling downe to the ground with such agony of spirit that upon the Crosse Hee cryed My God my God why hast thou forsaken mee And the measure of all these sufferings and sorrowes were so past all measure that all the creatures save sinfull Men onely both in heaven and earth seemed to bee amazed and moved with them The Sun in the heavens drew in his beames unwilling as it were to see the spotlesse blood of the Son of God spilt as water upon the ground The Earth it selfe shrunk and trembled under it The very Rocks rent asunder as if they had sense and feeling of His intolerable and save by Himselfe vnconquerable paines The whole frame of Nature seemed astonished at the mournefull Complaint of the Lord of the Whole World These and farre more then these or then can bee exprest our blessed Saviour being Son of the most high God endured for no other end but to ransome us from the bondage of Sathan and of Hell in a thirsting desire of saving all Penitent sinners And to offer himselfe freely a most glorious and everlasting Husband to all those who with broken and beleeving hearts cast themselves into His bosome Such admirable and unutterable perfections beauties indowments sufferings and inflamed affections as these in the heavenly Suter unto our sinnefull Soules doth mightily aggravate the hainous and horrible sinne of refusing Him Thus and in this manner would I have the Men of God to magnifie inlarge and represent to the hearts of their Hearers all the excellencies of Iesus Christ with the worth merit and efficacy of His blood To set out to the utmost they can possibly the glory of the Gospell with all the riches of mercy goodnesse and free grace revealed and offered therein c. So that they tell them withall That Iesus Christ takes none but such as are willing to take upon them His yoke That hee gives himselâ—e to none but such as are ready to sell all in the sense I have said that they may enjoy his blessed selfe That the glorious grace of the Gospell shines savingly to none but such as deny ungodlinesse and worldly lusts and live soberly righteously and godlily in this present World That those whose Soules are cleansed by the blood of Iesus Christ from all sinne are onely such as walke in the light as God is in the light who make conscience of detesting and declining all sins and workes of darkenesse discovered to them by the light of Gods holy Booke and sincerely set their hearts and hands with love and carefull endeavour to every duty injoyned therein In a word That as that Fountaine opened to the house of David for sinne and for uncleanesse I meane the blood of that immaculate Lambe Iesus Christ the holy and the righteous doth turne all the sinnes even the very scarlet and crimson of a truly broken heart and every true Mourner in Zion into snow and wooll so it will never wash away the least sinfull staine from the proud heart of any unhumbled Pharisee That hereby no strangers unto the love and life of godlinesse may bee deceived by appropriating unto themselves any of these glorious things which are onely proper to the sealed Fountaine but onely conceive of them as excellent motives to cause them to come in I would have the Preaching of Christ fill the soule of every true harted Nathanael every time with unspeakeable and glorious joy with all those Euangelical pleasures which neither eye hath seene nor eare heard neither have entred into the heart of man But I would have it onely make every unregenerate Man sensible of what infinite blessednesse Hee bereaves Himselfe by continuing a Rebell that thereupon Hee may bee moved to make hast out of His present Hell into this new heaven so fairely opened and freely offered unto Him Besides pressing the law promising mercy proposing Christ c. to stirre men in their naturall states to make them entertaine thoughts of comming in to humble them in the sight of the Lord under the heavy burden of all their sinnes assure them also of pardon in case they will leave Sathans service and so prepare them for Christ Let Gods Ministers lay hold upon all warrantable wayes which they shall find and feele out of their Ministeriall experience and holy wisedome to be availeable and prevaile for that purpose So that the worke bee done in truth And that they doe not like the Divels dawbers deceive them to the eternall ruine and damnation of their Soules by telling them that they have Christ already and are safe enough for salvation whereas indeed as yet there is no such matter Such points as these are woont to make attentive naturall men to startle in their seates to looke about them something more then ordinarily To wit to divide the precious from the vile To distinguish that One true happy state of grace from all states of unregeneratnesse and all kinds of Hypocrisie to tell them out of the Booke of God How farre a Man may goe in generall graces and doing many things c. and yet come short of Heaven To deliver Markes of sincere Professours of a saving Faith of true repentance of a sound conversion c. But I would have this done with a great deale of spirituall wisedome and heavenly understanding with much godly discretion and caution least thereby either the formall Professour may bee incouraged or the weakest Christian disheartned To discourse of the fewnesse and scarcity of those which shall bee saved and that even under the light and within the sound of the Gospell See Math. 20.16 Many are called but few chosen Consider the Parable of the Sower Mat. 13. There is but one good soile upon which the seed of the word falls prosperously but three reprobate grounds as it were upon which it is lost as water upon the ground See my first Doctr. upon Gen. 6.8 c. Thus let the Men of God acquaint themselves with such Points as they conceive the likeliest and most pregnant to pierce their Hearers hearts and come closest to their Consciences that so by the helpe of God they may pull them out of Hell And there are
the damnation of Hell In a true Penitent there ought to bee an utter cessation from all grosse abandonable sinnes and at least dis-allowance dis-affection and all possible opposition even to un-avoidable infirmities and inseparable frailties of the flesh 5. Fiftly when the Physition of the Soule promiseth mercy and pardon hand over head without that spirituall discretion which is convenient for a matter of so great consequence and requiring such a deale of dexterity in discerning to a man upon His Bed of death who hath formerly bin notorious or onely civill howsoever a meere stranger to the power of godlines and the truth of Profession because now in the evill Day He takes on extremely by reason of His extremity cries out of his sins O I am an hainous horrible and grievous sinner If I were to live againe what would not I doe A World for comfort now and to die the death of the righteous because Hee Howles vpon His bed as the Prophet speaketh and breakes out oftentimes into a roaring complaint of sinne and cry for pardon by reason Hee now begins to feare and feele the revenging hand of God ready to seize upon Him for his former rebellions c. Or when Hee assures Him having been a formall Professour onely and foolish Virgine of blisse and glory because out of a former habituated spirituall Selfe-deceite Hee cries Lord Lord seemes to by-standers very confident that He shal presently receive a Crowne of life thankes God that nothing troubles Him Professes to every one that comes to visite Him that Hee believes and repents with all His heart forgives all the world makes no doubt of Heaven c. Here by the way wee must take notice that many having out-stood the day of their gratious visitation having neglected so great salvation forsaken their owne mercy and iudged themselues unworthy of everlasting life all their life long by standing out against the Ministry of the Word in respect of any saving worke upon their soules and now at length beeing overtaken after the short gleame of worldly prosperity with the boysterous winter-night of death and darkenesse of the evill day may keepe a great stirre upon their dying-Beds or in some great extremity with grievous complaints of their present intolerable misery and former sinfull courses procuring it with incessant cries for ease and deliverance being now caught like wilde Bulls in a Nâ—t full of the wrath of God with earnest and eager â—uing and seeking for pardon and salvation now when worldly pleasures are past and yet bee not truly penitent not soundly and savingly humbled not rightly fitted for Christ and comfort Consider for this purpose Prov. 1.24.28 In the day of visitation God called upon them and stretched out His hands but they refused did not regard set at naught all His counsell and would none of His reproofe And therefore in the Day of vexation when extremity and anguish shall come upon them like a Thiefe in the night a whirle-winde travaile upon a woman suddenly extremely un-avoidably Hee professeth before-hand that then they shall call upon Him but Hee will not answer They shall seeke Him early but they shall not find Him Psal. 78.34.35.36.37 When Gods hand was upon them then they sought him and they returned and enquired early after God c. Neverthelesse they did flatter him with their mouth and they lyed unto Him with their tongues For their heart was not right with Him c. Hos. 7.14 They howled upon their Beds Will not a Dog or a Beast or any unreasonable creature when they are pinched when they are in extremity will they not cry will they not mourne for helpe c. Their cries in the evill Day were not hearty prayers but Howlings upon their Beds Their earnestnesse in such a case is ordinarily like the teares prayers and cryes of a malefactour newly condemned Hee is very earnest with the Iudge to spare Him Hee roares out sometimes and takes on extremely yet not heartily for his former lewdnesse but horribly because Hee must now loose His life Hee seemes now when Hee sees His misery to relent and to bee toucht with remorse but it is onely because hee is like to bee hanged Againe many there are who satisfying themselves and others with a goodly shew of a Forme onely of godlines may upon their last Bed discover and represent to By-standers a great deale of fearelesnesse about their spirituall state much confidence many ostentations of Faith and full assurance and behave themselves as tho they were most certainely going to everlasting blisse when as God knowes their Answer at His just Tribunall must bee I know you not And in truth and triall they have no more part in Christ nor other portion in Heaven then the foolish Virgins and those Luk. 13.26.27 They are so confident not because they have escaped the danger but because they never saw the danger And hence it is that many of them die with as much confidence as the best Christians they have no more trouble then holy men To bee sure I am free from danger and not to know it may beget equall confidence Now concerning the present Case I must tell you that for my part I would not much alter my censure and conceite of a Man's spirituall state whom I have thorowly knowne before for the manner of His death The end of Gods dearest servant after an holy life and unblame-able conversation may not appeare in the eye of man so calme and comfortable as was expected by reason of much tendernesse of conscience some strong temptation spirituall desertion violent distemper of Body or because God would have the manner of His death serue the glory of His justice in hardning those about him who were so farre from being won by His godly life that they heartily hated it or for some other secret and sacred end seene and seeming good to Divine wisedome who ever disposeth every circumstance even of the least affaire most sweetly and wisely And yet this as it doth not prejudice His salvation neither should it His Christian reputation Heare that great Doctor in the Art of rightly comforting afflicted consciences But what if you should die in this discomfort For my part as I my selfe looke for no great things in my death I would not thinke more hardly of you neither would I wish any to iudge otherwise of Gods Childe in that state of death For wee shall not bee iudged according to that particular instant of death but according to our generall course of life not according to our deede in that present but according to the desire of our hearts ever before And therefore wee are not to mistrust Gods mercy in death bee wee never so uncomfortable if so bee it hath been before sealed in our vocation and sanctification On the otherside a notorious wretch which hath swumme downe the current of the times and wallowed in worldly pleasures all his life long may seeme to die
penitently and resoluedly to bee reformed if Hee recover and yet His sorrow of minde but such onely as the terrours of an awaked guilty conscience produce and His resolution to cast away His sinnes onely such as a man hath in a storme to cast away His goods not because hee doth not love them but because hee feareth to loose his life if hee part not with them Or a meere civill Man or formall Professour may upon His Bed of death bee very confident and seeme to bee full of comfort and yet that confidence no other then the strong imaginary ioyfull conceit of a covetous man grasping a great deale of gold in his dreame but when Hee awaketh behold his hands are empty For a more full and cleare apprehension of my meaning and iudgement in the Point let us take a survay of the different and severall kinds of death which ordinarily befall the Godly and the wicked The death of Gods Children are divers 1. Some of their holy and zealous lives doe determine and expire sweetly fairely and gloriously even like a cleare Sunne in a Summers evening without any storme or cloud of temptation and discomfort The darkesome and painefull passages and pangs of death are illightened and sweetned with the shining beames of Gods glorious presence and fast embracement of Iesus Christ in the armes of their Faith So that to them the very ioyes of Heaven and exultations of everlasting rest mingle themselues with those last agonies and expirations of death Their heads are as it were crowned with immortality and endlesse peace upon their beds of death Luther that blessed Man of God died sweetly and triumphantly over Hell the Pope and the Divell My heavenly Father said Hee at his death eternall and mercifull God thou hast manifested unto me thy deare Son our Lord Iesus Christ. I have taught him I have knowne him I love him as my life my health and my redemption whom the wicked have persecâ—â—ed maligned and with iniury afflicted Draw my Soule to Thee After this Hee said as insued thrice I commend my spirit into thine hands thou hast redeemed mee O God of truth God so loved the world that hee gave his onely Sonne that all that beleeve in Him should have life everlasting Ioh. 3. Heare how another blessed Saint of God ended his dayes Having the day before hee died continued his meditation and exposition vpon Rom. 8. for the space of two houres or more on the sudden Hee said O stay your reading What brightnesse is this I see Have you light up any candles To which I answered No It is the Sun-shine for it was about five a clocke in a cleare Summers evening Sun-shine saith Hee nay my Saviour-shine Now farewell world welcome heaven The Day-starre from on high hath visited my heart O speake it when I am gone and preach it at my Funerall God dealeth familiarly with man I feele his mercy I see his Maiesty whether in the body or out of the body I cannot tell God hee knoweth but I see things that are un-utterable So ravished in spirit Hee roamed toward heaven with a chearefull looke and soft sweete voyce but what Hee said wee could not conceive With the Sunne in the morning following raising himselfe as Iacob did upon his staffe hee shut up his blessed life with these blessed words O what an happy change shall I make From night to day From darkenesse to light From death to life From sorrow to solace From a factious world to an heavenly beeing O my deare brethren sisters and friends It pittieth mee to leave you behind yet remember my death when I am gone and what I now feele I hope you shall finde ere you die that God doth and will deale familiarly with men And now thou fiery Chariot that came downe to feth up Eliah carry mee to my happy Hold And all yee blessed Angels who attended the Soule of Lazarus to bring it up to heaven beare mee O beare mee into the bosome of my Best beloved Amen Amen come Lord Iesus come quickly And so hee fell asleepe That this is true the reporter and By-stander that ancient learned reverend Minister of God Master Leygh addeth I say the truth my Brethren I lie not my conscience bearing mee witnesse in the holy Ghost c. 2. Others may end their dayes very uncomfortably in ravings impatiencies and other strange behaviours Nay the fiery distempers of their hot diseases may sometimes even in the Saints of God produce furlous carriages fearefull distractions and some despairefull speeches But these being the naturall effects and issues of melancholike excesses Phrensies and burning Fevers are sins of infirmity in sanctified men For which if they come againe to themselves they actually repent if not they are all undoubtedly by a generall habituall repentance and Gods gratious acceptation thereof pardoned by the Passion of Christ and buried for ever in his bloody death That last and unreversable doome at the dreadfull Tribunall of the ever-living God must passe upon us not according to the violent and unvoluntary distempers at our last houre but according to the former Passages of our life the sinfull or sanctified expense of the daies of health Heare that other great Artist in the Mysterie of dealing with trouble consciences The common opinion is that if a man die quietly and goe away like a Lambe which in some diseases as consumptions and such like any Man may doe then hee goes straight to heaven but if the violence of the disease stirre up impatience and cause franticke behaviours then men use to say there is a judgement of God serving either to discover an Hypocrite or to plague a wicked man But the truth is otherwise For indeede a man may die like a lambe and yet goe to Hell and one dying in exceeding torments and strange behauiours of the body may goe to heaven 3. The death of some others is mixt to wit of fearefull tempestuous stormes and almost if not altogether despairefull agonies in the beginning of their last sicknesse and a faire refreshing glorious calme and ioyfull triumphs over temptations and feare towards the conclusion of their life For some secret end and holy purpose seeming good to his heavenly wisedome God suffers sometimes even his dearest servants to taste as it were of the fire of Hell and for a while to feele in their consciences those damned flames as a preparative to drinke more sweetly of the Well of life and Rivers of endlesse pleasures So himselfe is most honoured by helping when all hope is past The heart of his Child more ravisht with the first sight of those un-utterable joyes beeing suddenly rais'd to the height of happinesse from the depth of horrour The enemies to the narrow way dasht and confounded by observing his deliverance whom out of prophane blindnesse they deemed an Hypocrite Godly Christians gratiously reviv'd when they see That tho the Lord hide His face from his Childe for a moment
yet at last with everlasting kindnesse will Hee have mercy on Him And that Hee will never utterly and finally forsake any of His. Thus died those blessed Servants of God Mistris Bretergh Master Peacock c. Mistris Bretergh in the heate of temptatioÌ„ wished that she had never bin borne or that she had bin made any other creature rather then a woman But when that Hellish storme was over-blowne by the returne of the glorious beames of the Sun of righteousnesse into Her Soule She turnd her tune and triumphed thus Oh happy am I that ever I was borne to see this blessed Day I confesse before the Lord his loving kindnesse and his wonderfull workes before the sons of men For hee hath satisfied my Soule and filled my hungry Soule with goodnesse Master Peacocke in the height of His dreadfull Desertion told those about Him that hee converst with Hell-â—ounds That the Lord had cursed him That Hee had no grace That it was against the course of Gods proceeding to save Him c. But when that horrible tempest of spirituall terrours was happily disperst and the light of Gods comfortable countenance begun to shine againe upon His most heavy and afflicted spirit Hee dis-avowed all inconsiderate speeches as hee called them in his temptation and did humbly and heartily aske mercy of God for them all And did thus triumph What should I extoll the magnificence of God which is unspeakeable and more then any heart can conceive Nay rather let us with humble reverence acknowledge His great mercy What great cause have I to magnifie the great goodnesse of God that hath humbled Nay rather exalted such a wretched miscreant of so base condition to an estate so glorious and stately The Lord hath honored mee with his goodnesse I am sure hee hath provided a glorious Kingdome for mee The joy which I feele in my heart is uncredible 4. Some of Gods worthiest Champions and most zealous servants doe not answere the unreprooveable sanctity of their life and unspotted current of their former conversation with those proportionable extraordinary comforts and glorious Passages upon their beds of death which in ordinary congruity might be expected as a conuenient conclusion to the rare and remarkeable Christian cariages of such blessed Saints So bottomlesse and infinitely un-fathomable by the utmost of all created vnderstandings are the depths of Gods most holy waies and His inscrutable Counsells quite contrary many times to the probable conclusions of Man's best wisdome But every one of His sith he certainly passes thorow those pangs into pleasures and joyes endlesse and unspeakeable must be content to glorifie God to be seruiceable to His secret ends with what kinde of death Hee please whether it bee glorious and untempted or discomfortable because of Bodily distempers and consequently interpretable by undiscerning spirits or mingled of temptations and Triumphs or ordinary and without any great shew or remarkeable speeches after extraordinary singularities of an holy life which promised an end of speciall note and admiration Why may not some worthy heavenly-minded Christians sometimes by strong mortifying meditations and many conquering fore-conceits of death in their life time make it before-hand so familiar and easie unto them an by continuall conversing above and constant peace of conscience taste so deepely of spirituall ioyes that that dreadfull Passage out of this life as it may breede no great sense of alteration in themselves so no extraordinary matter of speciall observation to others Of the wicked and those who were ever strangers to the mystery of Christ and truth of godlinesse Some die desperately Tho thousands perish by presumption to One of these who despaire yet some there are to whom upon their beds of death all their sins are set in order before them and represented to the eie of their awaked consciences in such griesly formes and so terribly that at the very first and fearefull sight they are presently struck starke dead in soule and spirit utterly over-whelmed and quite swallowed up with guilty and desperate horrour So that afterward No counsell or comfort no consideration of the immeasurablenesse of Gods mercy of the unvaluablenesse and omnipotency that I may so speak of Christs bloud shed of the variety excellency of gracious promises of the losse of their owne immortall soules can possibly drive and divert from that infinitely false conceite and cursed Cry My sinnes are greater then can bee pardoned Whereupon most miserable and forlorne wretches they very wickedly and willfully throw themselves into Hell as it were upon earth and are damned above ground Thus the Lord sometimes for the terror of others glorifying his owne iustice bringing exemplary confusion upon impenitent obstinacy in sinne and willfull opposition to grace doth in greatest indignation by the hand of divine vengeance unclaspe unto them the Booke of their owne Conscience and of His owne holy Law In one of which they find now at length all their innumerable iniquities transgressions and sinnes engraven with the Point of a diamond enraged with Gods implacable wrath aggravated with the utmost malice of Satan And never to bee razed out or remitted but by the bloud of the Son of God in which they peremptorily professe themselves to have no part In the other they see the fiercenes and fulnesse of all the curses plagues and torments denounced there and due unto all impenitent sinners ready to bee poured upon their bodies and soules for ever And no possibility to prevent them no waies to decline them but by Gods infinite bounty thorow Iesus Christ in which they also utterly disclaime all right and interest And therefore they are now finally and desperately resolved to looke for no mercy But in their owne judgement and by their owne confession stand reprobates from Gods covenant and voide of all hope of His inheritance expecting with unspeakeable terrour and amazement of spirit the consummation of their miserie and fearefull sentence of eternall damnation They are commonly such as have been grosse Hypocrites like Iudas and lien in some secret abomination against the knowledge of their hearts all their life long that have followed still their owne sensuall wayes and course of the world against the light of the Ministry standing like an armed man in their consciences to the contrary who have been Scorners and Persecutours of the power of godlinesse and the good way who have abjured the Gospell of Iesus Christ and forsaken the Truth for honour wealth or worldly happinesse To whom the Lord in their life-time vouchsafed many mercies much prosperity great meanes of salvation long forbearance c. And yet they stood out still they still hated to bee reformed set as naught all His counsell and would 〈◊〉 of His â—â— proofe Wherefore the Day of gratious visitation beeing once expired a thousand Worlds will not purchase it againe Heaven and Earth cannot recall it No mercy no comfort no blessing can then bee had tho they seeke it with teares
everlasting health or endlesse horrour of an immortall Soule Hence it was that that One of a thousand and learned Doctour in this heavenly Mystery did so farre differ from all Dawbers with untempered Mortar and the ordinary undoing-courses in this kind But now comming to the salving of this Sore saith Hee I shall seeme very strange in my cure and so much the more bee wondred at by how much in manner of proceeding I differ from the most sort of men herein I am not ignorant that many visiting afflicted consciences cry still Oh comfort them O speake ioyfull things unto them Yea there bee some and those of the most learned who in such Cases are full of these and such like speeches Why are you so heavy my Brother Why are you so cast downe my Sister Bee of good cheare Take it not so grievously What is there that you should feare God is mercifull Christ is a Saviour These bee speeches of love indeed but they often doe the poore soules as much good herein as if they should powre cold water into their bosomes when as without further searching of their Sores they may as well minister a Malady as a Medicine For as nutritive and cordiall medicines are not good for every sicke Person especially when the Body needeth rather a strong Purgation then a matter restorative and as in carnative medicines may for a time allay the paine of the Patient but after the griefe becommeth more grievous So the comfortable applying of Gods promises are not so profitable for every One that is humbled especially when their Soules are rather further to be cast downe then as yet to bee raised up so those sugred consolations may for a while over-heale the conscience and abate some present griefe but so as afterwards the smart may bee the sorer and the griefe may grow the greater Hereof ensueth this effect that comfort seemeth to cure for a while but for want of wisedome in the right discerning of the cause Men minister one Medicine for another and so for want of skill the latter fit grindeth sorer then the former Calvine also that great Pillar and glory of the Christian World for syncere and sound Orthodoxe doctrine concurres in judgement with this blessed Man of God and so I doubt not doe all the faithfull Ministers of Iesus Christ Let this bee the first degree of Repentance when Men feele that they have been grievous offenders and then the griefe is not to bee immediately cured as Impostors deale flatteringly and nicely with Mens consciences that they may favour themselves as much as may bee and bee notably deceived with superficiall dawbing The Physition will not forthwith asswage the paine but will consider what may bee more expedient Perhaps hee will increase it because a sharper Purge will bee necessary Even so doe the Prophets of God when they see trembling Consciences doe not presently apply sweet consolations but rather tell them that they must not dally with God and stirre up those who are so forward of their owne accord that they would propose unto themselves the terrible iudgement of God that they may yet bee more and more humbled Another excellent and skilfull Work-man in the great mystery of saving Soules tells us truly That the promise of salvation is not straight belonging to one terrified in conscience but to one that is not onely terrified for His punishment but is contrite-hearted for sinne which is the worke of the Gospell Let not these bee weary of the yoke of God and the Law and make over much haste out of this state for so may they undoe themselves For some withstanding their terrour have withstood their salvation c. Even as an impatient Patient gets the Chirurgion to pull out the Tent and Corrosive or pâ—ls it off himselfe as soone as it begins to smart a little and so thinkes it is searcht enough and now layes saith Hee on healing plaisters But afterward breakes out againe worse then ever whereas if the Corrosive had been let lie on till it had eaten out the corruption indeed then it might have been whole long agoe If Dawbers in this kind did rightly understand and acknowledge or had ever had any experimentall feeling in their owne Soules of Christs Rule and the Holy Ghosts method which is first To convince of sinne to deject and humble in the sight of the Lord with apprehension and sense of a most abominable and cursed state before there follow a conviction of the righteousnesse of Christ to raise up See Ioh. 16.8 or of the necessity of the worke of the spirit of bondage to fit and prepare for Christ and comfort I say then they would not deale so ignorantly and overly in a matter of so deare and everlasting importance They would not so hastily hand over-head without all warrant and wisedome without any further search discovery or dejection offer mercy pardon and all the promises to a man formerly wicked onely for some faint and enforced confession of sinnes or because now beeing overtaken by the evill day Hee howles upon his bed not for any true hatred of sinne but for present smart and expected horror c. But would labour to let the spirit of bondage have it's full work and lay Him open more at large in the true colours of his skarlet sinnes and not onely cause a bare confession of them but such a conviction which may stop his mouth that Hee hath not a word to speake but trembles to see such a sinke Sodom and Hell of sinne and abomination in Himselfe c. O how oft have I heard many a poore ignorant soule in the Day of sorrow beeing mooved to humble Himselfe in the sight of the Lord that Hee might lift Him up first to get His heart broken with the abhorred burden of all His sinnes and then to bring it thus bleeding to the Throne of Grace that Christ might binde it up I say beeing thus intreated To answer Yes yes with all my heart I am sorry for my sinnes with all my heart I trust in Iesus Christ with all my heart and thus whatsoever you can counsell or advise Hee doth it with all His heart Whereas alas Poore heart as yet His understanding is as darke as darkenesse it selfe in respect of any I say not onely saving knowledge but almost of any knowledge at all and his heart in respect of any true remorse as hard as a Rocke of flint Now those unskilfull Physitions of the Soule who in this and the like cases will needs without any more adoe without any further illightning or labour threape mercy and comfort upon them are like those foolish sheapherds as Marbury calls them who when they want skill to helpe their poore sheepe out of the ditch are driven to play the miserable comforters and to take some other indirect course as many use to doe in such cases to cut the sheepes throate in time to make him Mans meate lest it should
bee said Hee died in a Ditch They are Desolators not Consolators as Austin somewhere calls them Not sound Comforters but true Cut-throates Besides that which I have said before of the precedency of the working of the Law and of the spirit of bondage to make way for Christ let mee further tell you upon this occasion that it may appeare that much more is to bee done herein then is ordinarily imagined before comfort may upon good ground and seasonably bee applied to the Conscience awaked what an excellent Divine both for depth of learning and height of holinesse delivered somewhere in this Point to this purpose No man must thinke this strange that God dealeth with men after this strange manner as it were to kill them before Hee make them alive to let them passe through or by as it were the gates of Hell to Heaven to suffer the spirit of bondage to put them into a feare into a shaking and trembling c. For Hee suffers those that are his to bee terrified with this feare 1. First in respect of His owne glory For the magnifying both of His iustice and of His mercy 1. Hee glorifies His iustice when lessening or altogether for the time abstracting all fight of mercy Hee lets the Law Sinne Conscience and Satan loose upon a Man to have their course and severall comminations and sets the spirit of bondage on worke c. Thus as in the great worke of redemption Hee would have the glory of His iustice appeare so would Hee have it also in the application of our redemption that iustice should not bee swallowed up of mercy But even as the Woman 2. King 4. who had nothing to pay was threatned by Creditours to take away her two sonnes and put them in prison so wee having nothing to pay the Law is let loose upon us to threaten imprisonment and damnation to affright and terrifie and all this for the manifesting of His iustice Furthermore the Booke of God is full of terrible threatnings against sinners Now shall all these bee to no purpose The wicked are insensible of them to them therefore in that respect they are in vaine Some there must needs bee upon whom they must worke Shall the Lion roare saith the Prophet and no man bee affraide Sith then they who should will not Some there bee who must tremble This the Prophet excellently setteth â—orth Isai. 66.2 where the Lord sheweth whom Hee will regard But to this man will I looke even to Him that is poore and of a contrite spirit and trembleth at my Word Neither is it without good cause that God dealeth thus with his owne in this manner tho it bee sharpe in the experience First wee must feare tremble and bee humbled and then wee shall receive a spirit not to feare againe 2. His mercy also is thereby mightily magnified Which would never bee so sweet nor relish so well nor bee so esteemed of us if the awfull terrour of iustice had not formerly made us smart A King sometimes doth not only suffer the Law to passe upon some grievous malefactor for high treason but also causeth him to bee brought to the place of execution yea and lay downe his head upon the blocke ere Hee pardon and then mercy is mercy indeed and melts the heart abundantly with amazâ—mâ—nt and admiration of it So God dealeth with us many times Le ts the Law loose against us puts us in feare casts us into Prison and threatneth condemnation in Hell for ever so that when mercy commeth to the Soulâ— beeing now lost in it selfe and at the Pits brinke it appeares to bee a wonderfull mercy the riches of exceeding mercy most seasonable most sweet most ravishing Why doe so many find no savour in the Gospell Is it because there is no matter of sweetnesse or delight in it No it is because they have not tasted of not been soundly toucht and terrified by the Law and the spirit of bondage They have not smarted nor as yet been afflicted with a sense of the bitternesse of sinne nor of iust punishment due unto the same God therefore sends into our hearts the spirit of feare and bondage to prepare us to rellish mercy And then the spirit of adoption not to feare againe And thus by this order the one is magnified and highly esteemed by the fore-going sense of the other 2. Secondly for our good and that two waies first in Iustification secondly and in Sanctification 1. For the first wee are such strangers unto God that wee will never come unto Him till wee see no other remedy being at the Pits brinke ready to starue hopelesse c. Wee see it in the prodigall Sonne He would never thinke of any returne unto his Father till all other helpes failed Him money friends acquaintance all sorts of food Nay if Hee might have fed upon huskes with the Swine Hee would not have thought of returning any more to his Father This beeing denied him the Text saith Hee came to Himselfe shewing us that when Men runne on in sinfull courses they are mad men out of themselves even as wee see thâ—se in Bedlam are beaten kept under denâ—ed comforts till they come to themselves And what faith Hee then I will arise and goe to my Father and will say unto Him Father I have sinned against heaven and against Thee c. So it is with us untill the Lord humble and bring us low in our owne eyes show us our misery and spirituall poverty and that in us there is no good thing that wee bee stript of all helpeâ— in and without our selves and see that wee must perish unlesse wee beg His mercy I say untill then wee will not seeke his face and favour nor have recourse to Iesus Christ the rocke of our salvation It is with us in this Case as it was with the Women whom Christ healed of the bloody issue How long was it ere shee came to Christ She had been sicke twelve yeeres She had spent all her living upon Physitions neither could she bee healed of any Now this extremity brought Her to Iesus Christ. This then is the meanes to bring to Christ To bring us upon our knees to drive us out of our selues hopelesse as low as may bee To shew us where helpe is onely to bee found and make us runne unto it The hunted Beast flies unto his Den The Israelites being stung by fiery Serpents made hast to the Brazen Serpent a Type of Christ for helpe The Man-killer under the Law chaced by the avenger of blood ranâ—e a pace to the City of refuge Ioab being pursued for his life fled to the Tabernacle of the Lord and laid fast hold upon the horneâ— of the Altar A wounded man hies unto the Surgeon Proportionably a poore Soule broken and bruised with the insupportable burden of all his abominations bleeding at heart-roote under sense of Divine wrath by the cutting edge of the Sword of the Spirit managed
compassionately over us or purchase pardon and acceptation at his hands Tender therefore unto that poore troubled soule who beeing sorely crushed and languishing under the burden of his sinnes refuses to bee raised and refreshed endlesly pleading and disputing against himselfe out of a strong fearefull apprehension of his owne vilenesse and unworthinesse putting off all comfort by this mis-conceit that no Seaes of sorrow no measure of mourning will serve the turne to come comfortably unto Iesus Christ I say presse upon such an One this true Principle in the high and heavenly Art of rightly comforting afflicted consciences So soone as a Man is truly and heartily humbled for all his sinnes and weary of their waight tho the degree of his sorrow bee not answerable to his owne desire yet Hee shall most certainely bee welcome unto Iesus Christ. It is not so much the muchnesse and measure of our sorrow as the truth and heartinesse which fits us for the promises and comforts of mercy Tho I must say this also Hee that thinkes Hee hath sorrowed enough for His sinnes never sorrowed savingly 2. For the second which is more properly and specially pertinent to our purpose Take notice That the blood of Christ beeing seasonably and savingly applyed to thine humbled Soule for the pardon and purgation of sinne must by no meanes damne and dry up thy well-spring of weeping but onely asswage and heale thy wound of horrour That pretious Balme hath this heavenly property and power that it rather melts softneth and makes the heart a great deale more weeping-ripe If these bee truly the pangs of the New-birth wherewith thou art now afflicted Thou shalt find that thy now cleaving with assurance of acceptation unto the Lord Iesus will not so much lessen hinder or cease thy sorrow as rectifie season and sweeten it If thy right unto that Soule-saving Passion bee reall and thou cast thine eye with a beleeving hopefull heart upon Him whom thou hast therein pierced with thy sins and those sinnes alone are said properly to have pierced Christ which at length are pardoned by his blood Thou canst not possibly containe but excesse of love unto thy crucified Lord and sense of Gods mercy shed into thy Soule thorow his merits will make thee weepe againe and faâ—ely force thine heart to burst out abundantly into fresh and filiall teares See how freshly Davids heart bled with repentant sorrow upon His assurance by Nathan of the pardon of His sinne Psal. 51 Thou canst not chuse but mourne more heartily Evangelically and that which should passingly please Thee and sweetely perpetuate the spring of thy godly sorrow more pleasingly unto God Take therefore speciall notice and heede of these two depths of the Divell that I have now disclosed unto thee 1. When thou art truly wrought upon by the Ministry of the Word and now fitted for comfort Beleeve the Prophets those Ones of a thousand learned in the right handling of afflicted consciences and thou shalt prosper As soone as thy Soule is soundly humbled for sinne open and enlarge it joyfully like the thirsty ground that the refreshing dew and Doctrine of the Gospell may drop and distill upon it as the small raine upon the parched grasse Otherwise 1. Thou offers dishonour and disparagement as it were to the dearenesse and tendernesse of Gods mercy who is ever infinitely more ready and forward to bind up a broken heart then it to bleed before Him Consider for this purpose the Parable of the prodigall Sonne Luk. 15. Hee is there said to goe but the Father ran 2. Thou maist by the unsettlednesse of thy heavy heart unnecessarily unsit and dis-able thy selfe for the duties and discharge of both thy Callings 3. Thou shalt gratifie the Divell who will labour mightily by his lying suggestions if thou wilt not bee counselled and comforted when there is cause to detaine thee in perpetuall horrour here and in an eternall Hell hereafter Some find him 〈◊〉 furiously and maliâ—iously busie to keepe them from comfort when they are fitted as from fitnesse for comfort 4. Thou art extremely un-advised nay very cruell to thine owne Soule For whereas it might now be filled with unspeakable and glorious ioy with peace that passeth all understanding with Evangelicall pleasures which are such as neither eye hath seene nor eare heard neither have entred into the heart of Man by taking Christ To which thou hast a strong and manifold Calling Isai. 55.1 Ho every one that thirsteth come yee to the waters c. Matth. 11.28 Come unto mee all yee that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest Ioh. 7.37 If any man thirst let him come unto mee and drinke Revel 22.17 And let him that is a thirst come And whosoever will let him take the water of life freely Yea a Commandement 1. Ioh. 3.23 And this is his commandement that wee should beleeve on the Name of his Sonne Iesus Christ And yet for all this Thou as it were wilfully stand'st out wilt not beleeve the Prophets forsak'st thine owne comfort and liest still upon the Racke of thy unreconcilement unto God 2. On the other hand when the angvish of thy guilted Conscience is upon sure ground something allayed and suppled with the oyle of comfort and thy â—â—unded heart warrantably revived with the sweetnesse of the Promises as with marrow and fatnesse Thou must not then either shut up thine eyes from further search into thy sins or dry them up from any more mourning But comfort of remission must serve as a pretious Eye-salve both to cleare their sight that they may see moe and with more detestation and to enlarge their Sluces as it were to poure out repentant teares more plentifully Thou must continue ripping up and ransacking that hellish Heape of thy former rebellions and pollutions of youth still dive and digge into that Body of death thou bearest about thee for the finding out and furnishing thy selfe with as much matter of sound humiliation as may bee that thou mayst still grow viler and viler in thine owne eyes and bee more and more humble untill thy dying Day But yet so That as thou holdest out in the one hand the cleare Cristall of Gods pure Law to discover the vilenesse and variety of thy sinnes all the spots and staines of thy Soule so thou hold out in the other hand or rather with the hand of Faith lay hold upon the Lord Iesus hanging bleeding and dying upon the Crosse for thy sake The one is soveraigne to save from flavish stings of conscience bitternesse of horrour and venome of despaire The other mingled with faith will serve as a quickning preservative to keepe in thy bosome aâ— humble soft and lowly spirit which doth ever excellently fit to live by Faith more chearefully to enjoy God more neerely to apply Iesus Christ more feelingly and to long for his comming more earnestly In a word to climbe up more merrily those staires of joy which are
prest upon us by the holy Prophet Psal. 32. Bee glad Reioyce and shout for ioy all yee that are upright in heart 4. Conceive that hypocrisie may lurke in very goodly outward formes and fairest promises and protestations of Selfe-seeming earnest humiliation Looke upon Ahab 1. King 21.27 upon the Israelites Psal. 78 3â— 35. I meane not onely grosse Hypocrisie whereby mens false hearts teach them to deceive others but also that which else-where I have stiled Formall Hypocrisie whereby mens owne hearts deceive even their own selves For I make no question but the promises of amendment which many make when they are pressed and panting under some heavy crosse or grievous sicknesse proceede from their hearts I meane they speake as they thinke and for the present purpose performance who notwithstanding upon their recovery and restitution to former health and wonted worldly happinesse returne with the dog unto the vomit and plunge againe perfidiously into the cursed current of their disclaimed pleasures But by the way and in a word to illighten a perplexed Point and prevent a scruple which may trouble true hearts indeed who hold truth of heart in their repentances services and duties towards God to bee their Peculiar and a speciall Touchstone to trie and testifie the soundnesse of their sanctification the truth of their spirituall states and a distinctive Character from all sorts of unregenerate men and all kindes of Hypocrisie I say purposes and promises made from the heart in the sense I have said with earnest eager protestation while they are in angvish and extremity and yet after deliverance and ease melt away as a morning cloud and like the early deaw proceede from hearts rather affected onely with sting of present horrour naturall desire of happinesse mis-conceite that it is a light thing to leave sinne and the like then truly broken and burdened with sight of their owne vilenesse sense of Gods displeasure hatred of wickednesse and former sensuall waies or enamoured with the sweetnesse of Iesus Christ amiablenesse of grace and goodnesse of God c. Howsoever for my purpose certaine it is and too manifest by many wofull experiences that as it often falles out and fares with men in their corporal visitations outward crosses to wit That while the storme and tempest beates sore upon them they run unto God as their Rocke and enquire early after Him as it is said of the Israelites Ps. 78.34 But when once an hot gleame of former health and prosperitie shines upon them againe they hie as fast out of Gods Blessing into the warme Sunne as they say from sorrow for sinne to delight of sense from seeking God to security in their old waies I say even so it is sometimes also with men in aflictions of Soule and troubles of conscience while the agony and extremity is upon them they take on as though they would become trve Converts both promise and purpose many excellent things for the time to come and a remarkeable change But if once the fit be cover they start aside like a broken Bow and fearefully fall away from what they have vowed with horrible ingratitude and execrable villany having been extraordinarily schooled and scorched as it were in the flames of horrour and warned to take heed by the very vengeance of Hell For the former heare the experience of reverend Divines Many seeming saith One to repent affectionately in dangerous sicknesse when they have recovered have been rather worse then before I would have thought my selfe saith another that many monstrous Persons whom I have visited when Gods hand upon them caused them to cry out and promise amendment would have prooved rare examples to others of true conversion unto God But to my great griefe and to teach â—ee experience what becommeth of such untimely fruits they have turned backe againe as an arrow from a stone wall and as the dog to His owne vomit c. For the latter I could here make it good also by too many experiences were it convenient But I forbeare for some reasons to report them at this time I publish this Point and speake thus Not to trouble any true Converts about the truth of their hearts in their troubles of Conscience consciousnesse unto themselves of their New-birth already happily past their prizing and cleaving to the Lord Iesus unvalewably unvincibly their present New-obedience new courses new company new conversation c. makes it more then evident that they were savingly mollified and melted in the furnace of their spirituall afflictions fashioned and framed by the hand of the Holy Ghost to bee Gods Iewels But to terrifie those miserable men who having tasted that transcendent torture of a wounded conscience dare upon any termes look-backe againe upon the world with delight and doting and againe commit those sinnes which have already stung their hearts with the very terrours of Hell Or rather at this time to teach and tell the afflicted in conscience that when the rich treasures of Gods free mercy and the unsearchable riches of Christ are opened and offered unto Him Hee drinke not so undiscreetly at first of that immeasurable Sea as presently to fall into a surfet of security But to prevent mis-carriage in a matter of so unvalew-able moment let him rather mingle Motives to humiliation with his Medicine of mercy Let Him looke well to the grounds and good speeches upon which the spirituall Physition is encouraged to comfort Him that they shrinke not in the wetting as they say Let him feare and attend his owne deceitfull heart withall narrow watch and a very jealous eye Otherwise that false heart of his may proove a Depth to drowne His owne deare Soule in the Pit of endlesse perdition For in time of extremity and terrour especially of conscience it may seeme pliable and promise faire and yet when it comes to performance and practise either impudently and perfidiously wallowes againe in open wickednesse or rests onely in a Forme of godlinesse at the best Let Him bee stedfast in the Covenant and then Hee may bee sure that his heart was upright and that Hee did not flatter with His mouth or lye unto God with his tongue 5. Sith Thou art now upon termes of turning unto God taking Profession upon Thee and giving up thy Name unto Christ the blessedest businesse that ever Thou went'st about Be well advised consider seriously what thou undertakest and cast deliberately before-hand what it is like to cost Thee Thou must make an account to become the Drunkards Song and to have those that sit in the Gate to speake against Thee The vilest of Men to raile upon thee and the wisest of the World to laugh at Thee Thou must bee content to live a despised Man to bee scoft-at to bee hated of all men To crucifie the flesh with the affections and lusts To looke upon the world set out in the gaudiest manner with all her baites and Bables of riches honours favours greatnesse pleasures c.
dead Bodies upon which they tread They are ordinarily such as these First Ignorants of two sorts first Vnskild both in the Rules of reason and religion Such are our extremely sottish and grossely ignorant people which swarme amongst us in many places to the great dishonour of the Gospell by reason of the want of Catechising and other discipline secondly Led by the light of naturall conscience to deale something honestly but Ideots in the great mystery of godlinesse Such are our meerely civil honest men Secondly Those that are wise in their owne conceits Isai. 5.21 Beeing strongly perswaded of their good estate to God-ward whereas as yet they have no part at al in the first resurrection Such as those Matth. 7.22 and 25.11 Thirdly all such as are resolved not to take sinne to heart See Isai. 28.15 These either first make God all of mercy secondly or preserue a secret reservation in their hearts to repent hereafter thirdly or have so prodigiously hardened their hearts that they feare not the iudgement to come fourthly or with execrable villany desire to extinguish the very notions of a Deity by a kind of an affected Atheisme and beeing drowned in sensuality labour not to beleeve the Word of God that they may sinne without all checke or reluctation 2. But if it fall out so by Gods blessing that the Word once begin to get within a Man and to worke terrour and trouble of minde for sinne so that He sees him grow sensible of His slavery weary of His former waies and like enough to breake the Prison and bee gone then doth Hee seriously observe and attend which way the Partie enclines and how hee may bee easiliest diverted that hee may thereafter proportion His Plots and Attempts against Him the more prosperously First if hee find Him to have been an horrible sinner of a sad and Melancholike disposition much afflicted with outward crosses c. Hee then laies load upon His affrighted Soule with all his cunning and cruelty that if it bee possible Hee may drive Him to despaire For this purpose Hee keen's the sting of the guilty conscience it selfe all he can sharpens the empoysoned Points of his owne fierydarts addes more grisselinesse to his many hatefull transgressions more horrour to the already flaming vengeance against sin c. That if God so permit Hee may bee sure to strike desperately home and sinke Him deepe enough into that abhorred Dungeon Secondly But if hee perceive Him not to have been infamous and noted for any notorious sinnes By naturall constitution to bee merrily disposed impatient of heavy-heartednesse and formerly much addicted to good fellowship If hee spie him to strive and struggle for dis-intanglement out of these uncouth terrours and re-injoyment of his former worldly delights and Ioviall companions I say then Hee is most forward to follow and feede His humou◠〈◊〉 way also that so He may stifle and utterly extinâ—â—â—sh the worke of the spirit of bondage in the very beginning And to this end he blunts with all the cunâ—â—â—â— he can the sting of a Man 's owne Conscience and quite remooves his owne Hee procures and offers all occasions of oâ—â—ward contentment Hee furnishes His Fellowes in iniquity and the Divels proctors with pernicious eloquence and store of entisements to bring him backe againe to their bent and beastly courses He ministers his owne delicious 〈◊〉 of carnall pleasure to cast His conscience asleepe 〈◊〉 In briefe He leaves no Policy plot or practise un-assayed un-attempted to make the power of the Law unprofitable unto Him and to drowne all his sorrow for sinne in sensuall drunkennesse This then I make the second pestilent Passage out of pangs of conscience to wit when a man to decline them is driven by the subtilty of Satan and perversenesse of his owne flesh if not to Wisards and Wisemen as they call them and other such Oracles of the Divell yet at best to humane Helpes to worldly wisedome to outward mirth Good-fellowship pleasant company His heapes of gold hoards of wealth riches Pastures variety of choisest Pastimes nay for ease to any thing even to Drinking dancing dicing Masking Mis-rule revelling roaring c. or any other such ribald bedlam and raging fooleries 3. Some there are who passe out of trouble of mind for sinne and Legall terrours into a kind as it were of an artificiall enforced unsound untimely and counterfeit peace of conscience I meane it thus when a Mans carnall heart wounded by the terrifying power of the Word with sight and horrour of his former wicked wayes but weary of the wound impatient of spirituall heavinesse wilfully set and resolved obstinately against the holy severities of the Schoole of Repentance mortification godly stricktnesse walking with God c. And withall meeting with some Dawber with untempered mortar who is very ready to heale his heart with sweet words saying Peace peace when there is no peace I say in this case snatches hold of comfort and applies the Promises of mercy and salvation before they belong unto Him Before Hee bee searched to the quicke sounded to the bottome and soundly humbled Before the spirit of Bondage hath as it were it 's perfect worke and Hee kindlily fitted for Iesus Christ. For this purpose they are wont to wrest abuse and misapply many places in the Booke of God The unskilfull Physicions in application and the deluded Patients in apprehension of them Even such as these Come unto mee all yee that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest Matth. 11.28 Yea but they are not weary of all their sinnes but onely troubled with the present terrour nor willing to take upon them the Crosse of Christ Well enough content they are to take Him as a Saviour to preserve them from Hell but not as a Lord a King and an Husband to serve obey and love Him Whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall bee saved Rom. 10.13 Yea but they doe not consider that many also shall cry Lord Lord Matth. 7.22 and 25.11 and yet bee excluded from eternall blisse and therefore all that call savingly upon the Name of Christ must depart from iniquity 2. Tim. 2.19 But they upon recovery will by no meanes depart from their darling delight Hee that beleeveth on the Sonne hath everlasting life Ioh. 3.36 Yea but justifying Faith purifies the heart Acts 15.9 fills it with deare affections unto heavenly things deads it to the World and divorces it quite from all former carnall pleasures and companion-ship I will giue to Him that is athirst of the Fountaine of the Water of life freely Reu. 21.6 Yea but they thirst onely for salvation not for sanctification for mercy not for grace for happinesse not for holinesse c. These men as well as the second sort will by no meanes thorow the pangs of the New-birth into the holy Path. They wickedly misconceiue out of the rotten Principles of their owne worldly wisedome
life no acquaintance at all with the waies of God but continue cursedly carelesse what becomes of the Gospell or Gods children so that they may rise grow rich and sleepe in a whole skinne 8. By this time now is he become the drunkards song table-talke to those that sit in the gate Musicke to great men at their feasts a By-word to the children of fooles and the children of villaines men viler then the earth whose fathers hee would have disdained to have set with the doggs of his flocke And what then Even thus they dealt with David Iob Ieremie Nay they told the Sonne of God himselfe in whom the Godhead dwelt bodily that he was a Samaritane and had a Devill What man of braine then that gives his name to Christ and lookes to bee saved will looke for exemption Especially sith all the contumelies and contemptes all those nick-names of Puritan Precisian Hypocrite Humorist Factionist c. with which lewd tongues are woont to load the Saints of God are so many honourable badges of their worthy deportment in the holy path and resolute standing on the Lords side Some noble Romans having done some singular service to the state and after troubled and handled violently in some privat Cases were woont to bare their bodies and to shew in open court the scars and impressions of those woundes which they had received in their Countries cause as characters of speciall honour and strongest motives to commiseration So many lying imputations unworthy usages and persecutions in any kinde for profession of godlinesse which the faithfull Christian shall bring to the Iudgement seate of Christ so many glorious and roiall representations of excellency of spirit and height of courage in Christian causes shall they bee accounted in the sight and censure of almighty God and the blessed Angels and make him more amiable and admirable in the face of heaven and earth Thus much of the Theorie as it were I come now to the Practicke part To a particular application of some speciall soveraigne Antidotes to the most grievous ordinary maladies incident to the soules of the Saints But first give mee leave to premise some generall well-heads out of which do spring abundance of comfort and overflowing rivers of refreshing for all intents and effects in point of temptation and trouble of minde 1. And first take a fruitfull cluster and heavenly heape of them together those twelve heads of extraordinary immeasurable comfortable matter for spirituall medicines which I have heretofore erected as so many invincible bulwarkes against all assaults of despaire oppositions of Satan exceptions of distrust 1. The infinitenesse of Gods mercy sweetely intimated Isa. 55.6.7.8 The mercy of God is like himselfe infinite All our sinnes are finite both in number and nature Now betweene finite and infinite there is no proportion and so no possibility of resistance And therefore bee thy sinnes never so notorious and numberlesse yet in a truly broken heart thirsting for and throwing it selfe upon Christ unfainedly resolving upon new-obedience and his glorious service for the time to come can no more withstand or stand before Gods mercies then a little sparke the boundlesse and mighty Ocean throwne into the midst of it nay infinitely lesse If all the sinnes that all the Sonnes and daughters of Adam have committed since the Creation to this time were all upon one soule yet so affected as I have sayd and put into such a new penitent gracious temper it should be most certainly upon good ground and everlastingly safe I speake not thus to make any secure for any one sinne pleasing and raigning will ruine a soule for ever But to assure of mercy enough how great or many so ever the sinnes haue been if the heart bee now truly humbled for them all and wholly turned heaven-ward 2. The unvaluablenesse of Christs meritorious blood Which is call'd the blood of God and therefore of inestimable price Vnderstand mee aright It was the blood of God not of the God-head but of him who was both God and man For the man-hood of Christ was received into the union of the second person And so it may bee called the blood of God for so speakes S. Paul Act. 20.28 God purchased his Church with his owne blood that is Christ God incarnate Our Devines expresse it thus It was the Sonne of God and Lord of life that died for us upon the Crosse but it was the nature of man not of God wherein he died and it was the nature of God and infinite excellency of the same whence the price valew and worth of his passion grew This blessed blood then is of infinite efficacie and therefore if thou be now turning to the Lord assure thy selfe whatsoever thy sinnes have beene they have not out-gone the price that hath been payd for them This blood upon repentance did take off the transcendent scarlet guilt from the soules even of those that shed it Act. 2. c. 3. The riches of the Word in affording precedents of the Saints and of the Sonne of God himselfe who have surpassed thee and that perhaps very farre in any kinde of miserie thou canst name Thou art perhaps consulting with the Prodigall to come-in but there comes terribly into thy minde the extraordinary hainousnesse of thy former sinnes and that hinders Cast thine eie then upon Manasses a man of prodigious impiety and matchlesse villany Hee shed innocent blood very much till hee had filled Ierusalem from one end to another Hee did that which was evill in the sight of the Lord like unto the abominations of the heathen whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel Hee caused his children to passe through the firâ—â— in the valley of the sonne of Hinnom also Hee observed times and used inchantments and used witch-craft and dealt with a familiar spirit and with wizzards Hee wrought much evill in the sight of the Lord to provoke him to anger c. And yet this great sinner humbling himselfe greatly before the God of his Fathers was received to mercy Suppose which yet were a horrible thing that after conversion by extraordinary violence of temptation strong in-snarement of some sudden sensuall offer and opportunity treacherous insinuation of thy owne false heart and furious re-assault of thy former bosome-sin Thou shouldest be overtaken grossely with some grievous sin and scandalous fal and then upon illumination remorse and meditation of returne reason thus within thy selfe Alas what shall I doe now I have undone all I have wofully againe defiled my soule so fairely washed in my Saviours blood with that dis-avowed sinne of my unregenerate time I have shamed my profession disgraced religion for ever I have broke my vowes lost my peace and my woonted blessed communion with my God c. And therefore what hope can I have of any acceptation againe at the Throne of grace I say in this case to keepe thee
1 Mercifull and 2 Gracious 3 Long-suffering and abundant in 4 Goodnesse and 5 Truth 6 Keeping mercy for thousands 7 Forgiving iniquity transgression and sinne In which there are implyed un-answerable replies to all the scruples doubts exceptions objections which may arise in a troubled soule 1. Thou sayest perhaps that thou art plunged into the depth of extremest spirituall misery both in respect of sâ—â—fulnesse and cursednesse The present sense whereof is ready to sinke thee into despaire Be it so Then take my counsell in this Case Cast thine eye upon the first and fairest flowre in this heavenly-glorious Garland of divine goodnesse And thou shalt finde a fame greater depth of mercy ready to swallow up thy depth of misery The mercy of God and misery in this kind are relatives No misery no mercy much misery much mercy transcendent misery transcendent mercy the onely difference is the mercy of God is infinite thy misery finite And therefore how much spirituall misery soever thou bringest in a broken heart to the Throne of grace Gods bountifull hand will weigh out to thee a proportionable measure of mercy nay a measure without measure super-abundant running-over For where misery in a truly humbled soule aboundeth there mercy doth much more abound 2. Or suppose that at thy first turning unto God tho truly humbled yet thou art tempted not to take Christ out of this ccoÌ„eit because thou art but euen now come out of hell and horrible courses and as yet hast no good thing in thee at all Or after some progresse in Christianity reflecting in time of temptation upon thy whole carriage since conversion and finding it to have been so fruitlesse and full of failings Thou concludest thy selfe in thy present feeling to be extremely vile of a very doubtfull state for thy soule if not stark naught That no Professour upon earth walkes so unworthily and if Ministers knew thy heart and weake performance of holy duties they would not bee so forward to presse comfort upon thee c. I say in these two cases and the like it is a great happinesse and sweetest comfort that the mighty Lord of Heaven and Earth hath proclaimed himselfe to bee Gracious which imports thus much to poure out abundance of extraordinary bounty upon a most undeserving partie To place dearest affection and desire of doing good there where there is no desert at all As if a King to make his royall favours more illustrious should raise a worthlesse Wretch a most contemptible Vassal to be his worthiâ—â—â— Favorite highest in his love And therefore bring 〈◊〉 to the Throne of Grace but a true sense of thy misery a syncere thirst for mercy an humble acknowledgement of thine unworthinesse and God hereupon for his Christs sake will thinke thee worthy of the riches of his grace the righteousnesse of his Son all the promises in his Booke all the comforts of his Spirit a Crowne of immortality and blisse For hee is gracious and an universall glorious confluence of blessednesse in all kinds is promised to poverty in spirit and shal most certainely to the vtmost bee made good unto it for ever 3. But alas I saith an other have most wretchedly mis-spent the flower and strength of mine age in vanity and pleasure in lewdnesse and lust The best of my time hath been wofully wasted in Satans notorious service and sensuall serving my selfe c. And therefore tho I bee now weary of my former waies and looke backe upon them with a trembling heart and grieved spirit yet I am affraid that God hath given over looking after mee that His patience towards mee is expired and my day of visitation out-stood And that he will not vouchsafe to cast his eye of compassion upon such a Blackamore Leopard as I am so overgrowne with corruption and growne old in sinne especially having so long neglected so great salvation forsaken mine owne mercy so long and so unthankefully despised the riches of his goodnesse and forbearance leading mee to repentance I confesse it is something rare to see men gone-on so long and growne old in sinne to returne and give way to any saving worke of the Ministry because too often in the meane time they so harden their hearts that they cannot repent yet notwithstanding bee thou assured in the Word of life and truth if now at length thou be truly touched indeed and will come-in in earnest the Father of mercies will receive thee freely to mercy and embrace thy bleeding soule in the armes of his everlasting love through Christ. For it is a title of highest honour unto him to be long-suffering Hee all this while waited that hee might bee gracious unto thee And now undoubtedly upon thy first resolution to returne in truth hee will meete thee with infinitely more compassionate affectionatenesse then the Father in the Gospell his Prodigall who when hee was a great way off his Father saw him and had compassion and ran and fell on his neckâ— and kissed him c. 4. Yea but saith an other Though I have been a Professour long yet many times my heart is full heavy and more loth to beleive when I seriously and sensibly call to minde the hainousnesse of my unregenerate time and see in my selfe besides since I was illightned and should have behaved my selfe in forwardnesse and fruitfullnesse for God answerably to my former folly and furiousnesse in evill so many defects and imperfections every day and such weake distracted discharging of commanded duties both to God and man Take then counsell and comfort in this Case by casting thine eye upon Gods kindnesse He is abundant in kindnesse which hath these foure pretious properties First To bee easily intreated Secondly To be intreated for the greatest Thirdly to passe by involuntary infirmities Fourthly to accept gratiously weake services Even â— fraile man if of a more noble generous and kind disposition will bee easily appeased for the unpurposed offences errours and over-sights and well pleased with the good will syncere indeavours and utmost especially of those who hee knowes to bee true-hearted unto him and desire heartily if they were able to doe all hee desires even to the height of exactnesse and expectation How much more then will our heavenly Father deale so with his children who is in himselfe essentially kinde and infinitely 5. Yea but saist thou many times when I reach 〈◊〉 the hand of my faith to fetch some speciall promise into my soule for refreshing and comfort and weighing them well and comparing advisedly my owne nothingnesse worthlesnesse vilenesse with the riches of mercy grace and glory shining in it and marking the dis-proportion I am overwhelmed with admiration and astonishment and to tell you true say sometimes to my selfe Is it possible that this should be so That so glorious things should belong to such a wretch and worme as I am But turning thine eye from a distrustfull and too much dejected dwelling upon thine owne
desert to what Christ hath done for thee and to the Almightinesse and All-mercifullnesse of him that promiseth consider with all that God is also abundant in truth Every promise in his Booke is as sure as Himselfe sealed with his Sons Blood and confirmed with his owne Oath Hee must sooner cease to bee God and deny himselfe which is more then infinitely impossible and prodigious blasphemie to imagine then faile in the least circumstance or syllable of his immeasurable love and promises of life to any one that heartily loves him and is true of heart And therefore when thy thirsty soule makes towards the Well of life by vertue of that promise Rev. 21.6 I will give to him that is athirst of the fountaine of the water of life freely And upon survey of the overflowing Rivers of pleasures and blisse which everlastingly spring thence begins to retire from it as too-good newes to bee true I say then steele thy Faith and comfort thy selfe gloriously by consideration of that abundant truth with which hee hath crowned every word of His stronger then a Rocke of brasse far surer then the Pillars of the Earth or Poles of Heaven Nay I speake an admirable thing and of unutterable consolation which cannot bee violated without Destruction of the Deity most blessed and glorious for evermore And let this ever banish and beat backe all scruples doubtes seares which at any time offer themselves and oppose thy unspeakeable joy and peace in believing 6. Well saith an other I easily acknowledge the incomprehensible goodnesse in this Name of God and hold them most blessed who have their part and portion therein But for my part I am affraid I come too late For I have observed the course of the Ministery amongst us and the dispensation of Gods mercy in it At first comming our Towne being full of Ignorance prophanesse and much superstitious follies having never before injoyed the Word with any life or power wee all stood amazed a good whle at the Majesty and Mysterie of this new heavenly Light The first messages of the Ministry sounded in our eares as the voyce of many waters mighty and great but confused not working in us either joy or terrour but onely an extraordinary wonder and secret acknowledgement of a strange force and more then humane power But afterwards when our Watchman was better acquainted with our waies and had more fully discovered the state of our soules the Word was unto us as a voice of a great thunder more distinct and particular breeding not only admiration but feare also not filling our eares onely with an uncouth sound but our hearts also with a terrible searching For the Sermons of every Sabbath came-home to our consciences singling out our severall reigning corruptions beating punctually upon our bosome-sinnes manifesting clearely our spirituall misery and certaine liablenesse to the extremest wrath of God and endlesse woe Whereupon wee were all at our wits end what to doe grew weary of our lives wished with all our hearts that such a Puritane-Preacher had never come amongst us told every man almost wee met that wee had a Fellow at our Towne would drive us all to despaire distraction selfe-destruction or some mischiefe or other That wee heard nothing from him but of damnation and hell and such horrible things c. Now in this second worke of the Word there was a good number even some out of that cursed crue and knot of Good-fellowship wherein I have been insnared so long wonne unto Iesus Christ. For beeing illightned convinced and terrified in conscience for their former sinfull courses the continued piercing of the Word and worke of the spirit of bondage keeping them upon the Racke under the dreadfull sense of divine wrath and their damnable state a good while at last they happily resolved without any more delay diversion by-path or plunging againe into worldly pleasures to passe on directly by the light and guidance of the Gospell into the holy path And so undertooke and hitherto have holden out in Profession and a blessed conformity to the better side But I and the greater part a great deale more was the pitty hating heartily to bee reformed and abhorring that precise way so much spoken against every where into which woe conceived such severe Ministeriall counsell would have conducted us I say wee wickedly wrested out of our vexed consciences those keene arrowes of truth and terrour with great indignation wee unhappily hardned our hearts and foreheads against the power of the Word which particularly pursued us every Sabbath Nay alas we persecuted the very meanes which should sanctifie us and men which would have saved us Here then is my Case and complaint neglecting that blessed season when I was first terrified and troubled in minde when the Angell from Heaven as it were troubled the water and when some even of mine owne Companions in iniquity were converted I am affraid I now come too late that the mercy of God to doe mee spirituall good is already expired and that the Ministry which I have so wretchedly opposed is the very same to mee that it was to the obstinate Iewes Isa. 6.9.10 Nay but yet say not so though it bee with thee as thou hast sayd For our gracious God keepeth mercy for thousands Here you must know that a finite number is put Synecdochecally for an infinite and an infinite indeed And therefore if thou now bee in earnest and willing to come-in in truth and those thine other brethren in Good fellowship and hundreds thousands millions moe or any whosoever to the worlds end God hath mercy in store for you all and being all weary of all your sinnes unfainedly thirsting for the Well of life resolving for the time to come upon new courses company and conversation you shall all be most welcome to Iesus Christ. Even the last man upon earth bringing a truly broken heart to the Throne of grace shall bee crowned as richly and with as large a portion of Gods infinite mercy and Christs un-valew able merit as Adam and Eve or whosoever layd first hold of that first promise The seed of the woman shall bruise the Serpents head 7. Yea but alas I have been no ordinary sinner My corruptions have carried mee beyond the villanies of the vilest you can name Not only variety but the notoriousnesse also and enormity of my wicked waies have set an infamous brand upon mee even in the sight of the world beside those secret pollutions and sinfull practices which no eie but that which is ten thousand times brighter then the Sun ever beheld Had I not been extremely outragious stayned with abominations of deepest die and gone on thus with a high hand I might have had some hope But now I know not what to say Take notice then to the end that nothing at all may possibly hinder or any way discourage any poore soule that syncerely seekes for mercy desires to turne truly on Gods side from assurance of
senselesse and soulelesse earth upon which wee tread may teach us to rest and depend upon God in such a Case It is a mighty and massy body planted in the middest of the thinne aire and hangs upon just nothing in the world but only upon Gods Word By that alone it is there established unmooveably keepes his place most steadily never stirs an ynch from it It hath no props or pillars to uphold it no barres or beames to fasten it nothing to stay and support it but the bare Word of God alone Hee upholdeth all things by the Word of his power saith the Apostle Heb. 1.3 And yet not all the creatures in the world can shake it or make it tremble Bee it so then that thy Faith hath lost it's hold-fast that for the present thou findest no feeling no encouragements of joy and peace in beleeving no sensible pawnes and pledges of Gods wonted favour c. Yet for all this cast thy selfe upon the sure Word of that mighty God who hath established all the ends of the earth and reared such a great and goodly building where there was no foundation and questionlesse thou shalt bee more then infinitely everlastingly safe and setled like mount Zion which cannot bee removed but abideth for ever 3. In failings of new-obedience Thou puts thy sonne into imploiment sets him about thy businesses He improves the utmost of his skil strength and indeavour to doe thee the best service hee can and please thee if it were possible to perfection But yet comes short of what thou desires and failes in many particulars and therefore he weepes and takes-on and is much troubled that hee can give no better contentment Now tell mee thou whose heart is warmed with the tendernesse of a Fathers affection whether thou wouldest not bee most ready and willing to pardon and passe-by all defects and failings in this kinde Nay I know thou wouldest rejoyce and blesse God that hee had given thee a Child so obedient willing and affectionate Proportionably thy heavenly Father sets thee on worke To beleeve repent pray read the Scriptures heare the Word conferre meditate love the Brethren sanctifie his Sabbaths humble thy selfe in daies of fasting and praier poure out thy soule day and night as the times require in compassion fellow-feeling and strong cries for the Afflictions of Ioseph the destruction of the Churches and those Bretheren of thine which have so long laine in blood and teares to bee industrious and serious in all workes of justice mercy truth c. And thou goest about these blessed businesses with an upright heart and in obedience unto God but the several performances comes far short of what his Word requires and thy heart desires and thereupon thou mournes and grieves and afflicts thy soule in secret because thou canst not come-off with more power and life nor bring that glory unto God in thy Christian walking which so many mercies meanes and such a ministery may exact at thy hands In this case now of these involuntary failings and humble disposition of thy heart therefore bee most assured thy All-sufficient Father will spare thee as a man spareth his owne sonne that serveth him Nay and with so much more kindnesse and love as the heavens are higher then the earth and God greater then man 4. In case of a spirituall Desertion A Father solacing himselfe with his little Child and delighting in it's pretty and pleasing behaviour is woont sometimes to step aside into a corner or behind a dore upon purpose to quicken yet more it 's love and longing after him and try the impatiency and eagernesse of it's affection In the meane time hee heares it cry run about and call upon him and yet hee stirres not but forbeares to appeare not for want of compassion and kindnesse which the more it takes-on the more abounds but that it may dearelier prize the Fathers presence that they may meete more merrily and rejoyce in the enjoyment of each other more heartily Conceive then and consider to thine owne exceeding comfort that thy heavenly Father deales just so with thee in a spiritual desertion He sometimes hides his face from thee and withdrawes his quickning and refreshing presence for a time not for want of loue for hee loves thee freely He loves thee with an everlasting love hee loves thee with the very same love with which He loves Iesus Christ And that deare Son of his loves thee with the same love his Father loves him But to put more heate and life into thine affections towards him and heavenly things To cause thee to relish communion with Iesus Christ when thou enjoyest it more sweetely to preserve it more carefully to joy in it more thankefully and to shunne more watchfully whatsoever might rob thee of it To stirre up all the powers of thy soule and all the graces of God in thee to seeke his face and favour againe with more extraordinary and universall seriousnesse and industry For we finde with pleasure possesse with singular contentment and keepe with speciall care what we have sought with paine Wee may see this in the Spouse Cantic 3.1 c. under the pressure of a grievous Desertion Ponder every particular By night on my bed I sought him whom my soule loveth I sought him but I found him not I will rise now and goe about the Citty in the streetes and in the broad wayes I will seeke him whom my soule loveth I sought him but I found him not The Watchmen that goe about the city found mee to whom I said Saw yee him whom my soule loveth It was but a little that I passed from them but I found him whom my soule loveth I held him and would not let him goe untill I had brought him to my mothers house and into the chamber of her that conceived mee I charge yee O yee daughters of Ierusalem by the Roes and by the Hindes of the field that yee stirre not up nor awake my Love till hee please And lastly that when the comfortable beames of Gods lightsome countenance shall break out againe upon thy soule and thy Beloved is returned thou maist sing that triumphant song of Faith most joyfully I am my Beloveds my Beloved is mine Desertions then delaies of this nature are fruites of thy heavenly Fathers love and ought to bee no discouragements unto thee at all holding thy integrity His love thereby is intended towards thee by the restraint of the influence as it were and sense of it from thy soule as a Brooke growes big by damming it up for a while And thy love is more enflamed towards him when thou now feeles by the want of it what an heaven upon earth it is to have his face shine upon thee with it's quickning refreshing presence and that a sensible embracement of Iesus Christ in the armes of thy Faith is the very life of the soule as the Soule is the life of the Body the Crowne of all sweet
feare that they shall never hold out For they may hence ground upon it being upright-hearted and believing that God who knowes their weakenesse full well will not suffer them to bee tempted above that they are able but will with the temptation also make a way to escape that they may bee able to beare it So that over all these adversaries and ungodly oppositions they shall most certainely bee more then conquerours 11. When thou art dejected in spirit and walkes more heavily because thou comes short of stronger Christians in all performances services duties and fruitfull walking and thereupon suffers slavish doubtes and distrusts least thy ground worke bee not well laid to beate back and barre out all spirituall joy and expected contentment in thy Christian course I say then and in such a Case Suppose a Father should call unto him in haste two of his children One of three yeares old the other of thirteene they both make all the hast they can but the elder makes much more speede and yet the little one comes on wadling as fast as it can and if it had more strength it would have macht the other Now would not the Father accept of the youngers utmost endeavour according to it's strength as well as of the elders faster gate being stronger I am sure hee would and that with more tendernesse too and taking it in his armes to encourage it And so certainely will thy heavenly Father deale with thee in the like Case about thy spirituall state being true-hearted and heartily grieving praying and indeavouring to do better 12. Suppose a Child to fall sicke in a family The Father presently sets the whole house on worke for the recovery of it's welfare Some runne for the Physitioâ— others for friends and neighbours Some tend it others watch with it All contribute their severall abilities endeavours and diligence to doe it good And thus they continue in motion affection and extraordinary imploiment about it farre more then about all the rest that are well untill it recover With the very same but incomparably more tender care and compassion will thy heavenly Father visite thee in all thy spirituall maladies and sicknesses of Soule The whole blessed Trinity is stirred as it were extraordinarily and takes to heart thy troubles at such a time Even as a Shepeheard takes more paines and exercises more pittie and tendernesse about his sheepe when they are out of tune See Isa. 40.11 Ezech. 34.16 upon which places heare the Paraphrase of a blessed Divine The Lord will not bee unfaithfull to thee if thy heart bee uprighâ— with him tho thou bee weake in thy carriage to him foâ— hee keepes his Covenant forever And therefore in 〈◊〉 40. the Lord expresseth it thus you shall know mee as sheepe know their Shepheard and I will make a covenant with you and thus and thus I will deale with you And how is that Why the covenant is not thus only as long as you keep within the boundes and keepe within the foâ—ld as long as you go along the pathes of righteousnesse and walke in them but this is the Covenant that I will make I will drive you according to that you are able to beare If any be great with young I will drive them softly If they bee lame that they are not able to goe saith hee I will take them up in my armes and carry them in my bosome If you compare this with Ezech. 34. You shall finde there Hee puts downe all the slips wee are subject unto speaking of the time of the Gospell when Christ should bee the Shepheard hee shewes the Covenant that hee will make with those that are his Saith hee if any thing bee lost if a sheepe loose it selfe this is my Covenant I will finde it If it be driven away by any violence of temptation I will bring it backe againe If there bee a breach made into their hearts by 〈◊〉 occasion through sinne and lust I will heale them and binde them up This the Lord will doe this is the Covenant that hee makes But I was telling you the whole blessed Trinity takes on if I may so speake after a speciall manner in all the spirituall troubles especially of all those who are true of heart God the Fathers bowells of mercy yerne compassionately over thee when hee sees thee spiritually sicke The distressed and disconsolate state of thy soule puts him into such melting and affectionate pangs as these Oh thou afflicted tossed with tempest and not comforted behold I will lay thy stones with faire colours and lay thy foundations with Saphires c. Comfort yee comfort yee my people saith your God Speak ye comfortably to Ierusalem and cry unto her that her warfare is accoÌ„plished that her iniquity is pardoned c. Iesus Christ out of his owne experience knoweth full well what it is to be grievously tempted what it is to have the most hideous thoughts and horrible injections throwne into the minde that can bee possibly imagined Nay that the Divell himselfe can devise See Mat. 4.6.9 What an hell it is to want the comfortable influence of the Fathers pleased face and favour See Mat. 27.46 And therefore hee cannot chuse but bee afflicted in our afflictions and very sensibly and sweetly tender-hearted in all our spirituall troubles They pitty us most in our sicknesses who have felt the same themselves In that hee himselfe suffered and was tempted hee is able to succour them that are tempted Heb. 2.18 As for the blessed Spirit it is his proper worke as it were To comfort them that mourne in Zion To give unto them beauty for ashes the oyle of joy for mourning the garment of praise for the spirit of heavinesse And yet besides all this thy heavenly Father in the distresse of thy soule sets also on worke the Church of God about thee Faithfull Ministers to pray for and prepare seasonable and sound arguments reasons counsels and comforts out of Gods blessed Booke to support quicken revive and recover thee all they can Private Christians to commend thy Case unto the Throne of grace and mercy and that extraordinarily with mightinesse of prayer upon their more solemne daies of humiliation 13. A Father sometimes threatens and offers to throw his little-one out of his armes But upon purpose only to make him cling closer unto him Our heavenly Father may seeme to cast off his Childe and leave him for a while in the hands of Satan for inward temptation or to the rage of his bloody agents for outward persecution But it is onely to draw him nearer to himselfe by more serious seeking and sure dependance in the time of trouble and that with the hand of his faith hee may lay surer hold upon his All-sufficiency Thus and in the like manner peruse all the compassionate passages of the most tender-hearted parents to their best beloved children in all cases of danger and distresse And so and infinitely more tenderly will our
by their holy Duties good workes and gracious behaviour make his Name more illustrious in the world But what is this to that essentiall infinite everlasting glory which was as great and full in all that former eternity before the world was When God blessed for ever enjoyed onely His glorious Selfe Angels Men and this great Vniverse lying all hid as yet in the darke abhorred Dungeon of Nothing as now it is or ere shall bee 2. A second reason may bee taken from Gods proportionable proceeding in his courses of justice and mercy In his executions of Iustice and inflictions of punishment He interprets and censures desires for the deeds affections for Actions Thoughts for the things done Whosoever saith Christ looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart In Gods interpretation in the search and censure of divine justice Hee that lusts after a Woman in his heart is an adulterer and without true and timely repentance in the meane time shall bee so taken and proceeded against at that great and last Day Whosoever hateth his Brother saith Iohn is a man-slayer An hateful thought of our Brother murthers Him and spils his blood by the verdict of the blessed Spirit And a malicious man at the Barre of God goes for a Man-slaier If this then bee Gods property and proceeding in justice wee may much more confidently expect Nay with reverent humility challenge way beeing made by the mediation of Christ the same proportionable measure in those His most sweet and lovely inclinations and expressions of mercy Shall a lewde desire after a woman fall under the Axe of Gods justice as if it were the grosse Actâ— of lust And shall not a longing desire after grace bee graciously embraced in the armes of mercy as the grace it selfe Shall an angry thought invisible immaterial hurtfull only to the heart which harbours it be charged with actuall bloodshed And shall not a panting thirst of a broken and bleeding Soule after Christs saving and sanctifying blood bee bath'd and refresht in his pretious blood Yes certainely and much rather For Gods tender mercies are over all his workes Psal. 145.9 And mercy with an holy exultation triumpheth and reioyceth against iudgement Iam. 2.13 His mercy is great unto the Heavens Psal. 57.10 Hee doth with much sweet contentment and as it were naturall propension encline to the gracious effusions of mercy Hee delighteth in mercy saith Micah Cap. 7.18 Hee is passingly pleaâ—ed and exalted most gloriously when Hee is pardoning of sinnes purging of Soules pulling out of the Divels Paw pouring in of grace shining into sad and uncomfortable hearts saving from Hell c. This makes Him so passionate in an holy sense when Hee hath no Passage for his love Deus 5.29 Psal. 81.13 Isa. 48.18 Mat. 23.37 Luk. 19.41.42 But now on the other side Hee is hardly drawne not without much reluctancy delaies forbearance and as it were some kinde of violence offered by excesse of multiplyed rebellious provocations to exercise His justice and to punish for sinne See 2. Chron. 36.16 Hos. 6.4 c. It appeares Zeph. 2.2 by the emphasis of the Original that in this respect in a right and sober sense God is like a woman with Childe When the cry of our sinnes comes first to Heaven Hee doth not presently poure upon our heads fire and Brimstone according to our desert But as loth to enter into judgement with us Hee then but begins to conceive as it were wrath which Hee beares or rather forbeares full many and many a moneth still waiting when upon our repentance Hee might bee gracious unto us untill it come to that ripenesse by the fullnesse and intolerable waight of our sinnes that Hee can possibly beare no longer And then also when Hee is about to bee delivered of his justly conceived and long-forborne vengeance Marke how Hee goes about it Ah! saies Hee c. Isa. 1.24 This aspiration argues a compassionate Pang of griefe speaking after the manner of men to proceede against His owne people tho they had provoked Him as enemies How shall I give thee up Ephrâ—im How shall I deliver thee Israel How shall I make thee as Admah How shall I set thee as Zebâ—im Mine heart is turned within mee my repentings are kindled together Hos. 11.9 When Hee came against Sodome and Gomorrah the most prodigiously wicked people that ever the Earth bore What a miracle of mercy was it that He should be brought so low as to say I will not destroy it for tennes sake Gen. 18.32 So it is then that mercy flowes naturally and easily from God and he is most forward and free-hearted in granting Pardons and receiving into grace and favour But justice is ever as it were violently with cart-ropes of iniquity pul'd from Him He is pressed with our sinnes as a cart is pressed that is full of sheaues before wee wring from Him the vials of just wrath and wrest out of His hands the Arrowes of deserved indignation That you erre not in this Point conceive that both Gods mercy and iustice are originally and fundamentally as God Himselfe infinite Both of the same length height bredth and depth that is equally endlesse boundlesse botomlesse unsearchable Yet if wee consider the exercise and execution of them amongst the creatures and abroad in the world Mercy that sweetest Attribute and most pretious baulme to all bruised hearts doth farre surpasse and out-shine the other tho incomparable excellencies of His divine nature and all the perfections which accompany the greatnesse of God As appeares Exod. 20.5.6 Gen. 18.32 Ioel. 2.43 Ionah 4.2 Psal. 36. and 103. 2. Chron. 21.13 His influences and beames of mercy are fairely and plentifully shed into the bosome of every Creature and shine gloriously over all the earth even from one end of Heaven to the other The whole world is thicke set and richly embroidered as it were with wonderfull variety of impressions and Passages of his goodnesse and bounty In this great Volume of Nature round about us wee may runne and reade the deepe Prints and large Characters of kindnesse and love which His mercifull and munificent hand hath left in all Places in every leafe and Page and line of it If mercy then bee so graciously magnified over all his workes we may more strongly build upon it That if the hand of Iustice seize upon an hatefull thought as a murtherer and stained with blood and arraigne a lustfull conceite as guilty of adultery and actuall pollution His armes of mercy will most certainely embrace and accept of a syncere desire for the deed done of hearty affections for the Actions and of a grieved spirit for the grace it groanes for Yea but may some say If mercy bee so faire a flower in the garland of Gods incomprehensible greatnesse if it so farre excell his other Attributes in amiablenesse amongst His creatures How comes it to passe That the
If any man thirst Let Him come unto mee and drinke And these are thine owne words Those who hunger and thirst after righteousnesse shall be filled I challenge thee Lord in this my extremest thirst after thine owne blessed Selfe and spirituall life in Thee by that Word and by that Promise which thou hast made that thou performe and make it good unto mee that lies groveling in the dust and trembling at thy feet Oh! Open now that promised Well of life For I must drinke or els I die Heare then and in a word is thy comfort In these hungrings and thirstings of the soule there is as it were the spawne of Faith semen fidei there is aliquid fidei in them as excellent Divines both for learning and holinesse doe affirme Howsoever or in what phrase soever it bee exprest sure I am such desires so qualified as before shall bee fulfilled satisfied accomplished possessed of the Well of life and that is abundant to put the thirsting Partie into a comfortable and saving-state as I said at first The words of Scripture are punctuall and down-right for this which I say Blessed are they which doe hunger and thirst after righteousnesse for they shall bee filled Mat. 5.6 If any man thirst let him come unto mee and drinke Ioh. 7.37 The Lord heareth the desire of the humble Psal. 10.17 Hee will fullfill the desire of them that feare Him Psal. 145.19 The Lord filleth the hungry with good things Luk. 1.53 Let Him that is athirst come And whosoever will let him take the water of life freely Rev. 22.17 Hâ— every One that thirsteth come yee to the waters c. Isa. 55.1 I will poure water upon him that is thirsty flouds upon the dry ground Cap. 44.3 These longings and desires this hunger and thirst before a sensible apprehension and enjoyment of Christ arise from a sense of the necessity and want of His blessed Person and pretious bloodshed which the afflicted Soule now prizeth before tenne thousand Worlds and for whose sake is most willing to sell all and to abandon wholly the Devils service for ever Those after a full entrance into the holy Path and joyfull grasping of the Lord Iesus in the armes of our Faith arise partly from the former taste of unutterable sweetnesse we found in Him partly from the want of a more full and further fruition of Him especially when He is departed in respect of present feeling as in times of desertion extraordinary temptation c. In the Passage that is past I understand the former in those that follow the latter 2. Secondly Concerning desertions I intend a larger and more particular discourse and therefore I passe by them here 3. Thirdly Wee may have recourse for comfort to this pretious Point in some speciall temptations of doubtfullnesse and feare about our spirituall state When spirituall life is runne as it were into the roote in some particulars and actuall abilities to exercise some graces and discharge some duties are returned to nothing for the present but groanes desires and longings to doe as God would have us For instance Thou art much afflicted because thou feeles the spirit of prayer not to stirre and worke in Thee with that life and vigour as it was woont but beginnes to langvish in the inward man for lacke of that vitall heate and feeling in the mutuall entercourse and commerce betweene God and thine owne Soule which heretofore hath many times warmed thine heart with many sweet refreshings springing from a comfortable correspondence between thy holy eiaculations and his heavenly inspirations betweene thine humble complaints at the Throne of Grace and his gracious answers Nay it may bee thou throwes downe thy selfe before His Seate of mercy in much bitternesse of spirit and for the time can say little or nothing the present dullnesse and indisposition of thine heart stopping all passage to thy woonted prayers and damming up as it were the ordinary course of thy most blessed heart-ravishing conference with thy God in secret But tell mee true poore Soule Tho at such a time and in such an uncomfortable Damqe and spiritual deadnesse thou feeles not thine heart enabled and enlarged for the present to poure out it selfe with accustomed fervency and freedome yet doth not that heart of thine with an unutterable thirst and desire long to offer up unto his Throne of Grace thy suites and Sacrifices of prayers and praises with that heartinesse and feeling with al those broken and bleeding affections which a grieved sense of sinne that hangs so fast on and an holy greedinesse after pardon grace and nearer communion with his heavenly Highnesse are wonâ— to beget in truly-humbled Soules If so Assure thy selâ—â— this very desire is a prayer of extraordinary strength dearenesse and acceptation with thy God I say with that thy mercifull Lord God who is as farre more compassionately and lovingly affected to his Childe then the kindest Father to his dearliest beloved Sonne as the infinite love of a tender-hearted God doth surpasse the faint affection of a fraile and mortall man Suppose thy dearest Childe were in great extremity and should at last grow so low and weake that it were not able to speake but onely groane and sigh and cast it's eye upon Thee as One from whom alone it look't for helpe Would not thine heart melt over thy Child a great deale more in that misery then ever before when it was able to expresse it's minde I am sure it would It is just so in the present Point For like as a Father pittieth his children so the Lord pittieth them that feare Him Nay and much more if wee consider the muchnesse and quantity For looke how farre God is higher then man in Majesty and greatnesse which is with an infinite distance and disproportion so farre doth Hee passe him in tender-heartednesse and mercy See Isa. 55.8.9 Thou mayst sometimes upon the awakening illumination and search of thy conscience after some drouzy repose and deeper sleep upon the bed of security some fouler ensâ—arement and longer abode in some knowne scandaloâ—s sinne after the Canker of earthly cares and teeth of worldly-mindednesse have ere thou bee well-aware with an insensible pleasing consumption eaten too farre into the heart of thy Zeale and other graces In the apprehension of some present terrour arising from a more serious and sensible survay of the now abhorred villanies and abominations of thine unregenerate time or from the grieved remembrance of thy falls and failings of thy sins and unservice-ablenes since thy conversion which I am perswaded trouble the Christian most and goe nearest to his heart c. I say in such Cases as these Thou maist feele such a fearefulnesse and faintnesse to have surprised the hand of thy Faith that it cannot so presently and easily recover it 's former hold nor claspe about the glorious justice and meritorious blood of Christ with that fastnesse and firmenesse of assent with that comfort and
comest with thy cost Whereas God ever gives His Sonne freely and bids thee come and welcome and buy without money and without price Obiect 2. But will it not bee presumption in mee having no good thing in mee at all to bring with mee but comming now as it were fresh out of Hell from a most wicked impure abominable life to take Christ as mine owne and all those rich and pretious promises sealed with his blood Answ. Enough hath been already said to meete with this objection It is not presumption but good manners to come when thou art called How can Hee bee said to presume who is both invited and intreated commanded and threatned to come in c. Of which see before Thou must now in this extreme spirituall thirst of thine drinke of the water of life so freely offered that thou mayst receive some heavenly strength to bee good and power to become the Sonne of God Thou must throw thy sinfull Soule upon Iesus Christ bleeding and breathing out his last upon the Crosse as the Body of the Shunamites Childe was applyed to the Prophet stretching himselfe upon it That thou mayst thereby bee quickened with desired fruitfulnesse filled by little and little with all the fulnesse of God receiving grace for grace I am the resurrection and the life saith Christ Hee that believeth in me tho He were dead yet shall Hee live It were execrable presumption for any Man who purposeth to goe on in the willing practise or allowance of any one knowne sinne to believe that Christ is His righteousnesse and sanctification But where all sin is a Burden every promise as a world of gold and the heart syncere for a new way there a Man may be bold For thee to have pretended part in Christ wallowing yet in thy sinnes had been horrible presumption indeed and for mee to have applyed the Promises and preached peace unto thy remorselesse conscience before the Pangs of the New-birth had seazed upon thee had been damnable dawbing But in the Case I now suppose Thee to bee it is both seasonable and surely grounded for mee to assure thee of acceptation and pardon and for thee to receive Iesus Christ without any more adoe into the armes of thy humbled Soule 2. His sweet Name Exod. 34.6.7 Wherein is prevented whatsoever may any wayes bee pretended for standing out in this Case as appeares fully before pag. 415. line 25. 3. His glorious Attributes 1. His Truth Hee that believeth hath set to His Seale that God is true Ioh. 3.33 He that labours and is heavy laden with the burden of sin comes to Christ for case when Hee is called takes Him for his Saviour and His Lord and thereupon grounds a resolute unshaken and everlasting confidence that hee is His for ever puts to his Seale that Christ is true that His pretious promise Come unto mee all yee that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest Mat. 11.28 is inviolable Whereby Christ Iesus blessed for ever is mightily honoured His truth glorified and thine owne soule with extraordinary blessednesse everlastingly enlived But Hee now that retires in this Case and holds off makes Him who is Truth it selfe a lyar Hee that believeth not God hath made Him a Lyar 1. Ioh. 5.10 Now what a fearefull indignity is this against the Lord God of Truth Wee see too often how miserable mortall men wormes of the earth take such an affront at the hands one of another For many times for the Lie given them they throw themselves desperately upon the irrecoverable ruine of their lives states soules and posterity by chalenging the field and killing each other Which dishonour to the mighty Lord of heaven and earth is the greater and is much aggravated by the infinite infallibility of the promises For besides His Word which were more then immeasurably sufficient Hee hath added a most solemne Oath for our sakes that wee might have greater assurance and stronger consolation 2. His Mercy most directly and specially And to say nothing of the freenesse of His mercy which springs onely out of the riches of his infinite bounty and the good pleasure of His will of his readinesse to forgive otherwise the death of Christ should bee of none effect His blood shed in vaine the greatest worke lost that ever was done of His delight in mercy Mich. 7.18 Mercy in man is a quality in God it is His nature and essence Now what wee doe naturally wee doe willingly readily unweariedly As the eye is not weary of seeing the eare with hearing c. A Bee gives honey naturally never stings but provoked When God is angry it is but as it were by accident upon occasion drawne unto it by the violent importunity of our multiplied provocations but Hee delights in mercy c. I say to say nothing of these this one consideration may convince us of extreme folly in refusing mercy in such a Case for all the hainousnesse or number of our sinnes to wit That no sinnes either for number or notoriousnesse in a truly broken heart can make so much resistance to Gods infinite mercies as the least sparke of fire to the whole Sea and that is little enough Nay as infinitely lesse as an infinite thing exceedes a finite Betweene which there is no proportion 3. His Power For thou art very like thus or in the like manner to reason within thy selfe and cavill cruelly against thine owne Soule Alas what talke you of taking Christ the promises of life and heavenly lightsomnesse my poore heart is as darke as the very middle of Hell much harder then a Rocke of Adamant as cold and dead as the senselesse Center of the earth as uncomfortable and restlesse almost as desperation it selfe c. It is more then infinitely impossible that such a darke hard dead comfortlesse Thing should ever bee enlightened softened quickened and established with joy c. But marke how herein thou unadvisedly under-valewes and unworthily sets bounds to the unlimited power of God Whereas thou shouldest imitate Abraham the Father of all them that believe who staggered not at the Promise of God through unbeliefe but was strong in faith giving glory to God And beeing fully perswaded that what Hee had promised Hee was able also to performe Rom. 4.20.21 Bee advised in this Case 1. To compare these two things together The making of the seven Starres and Orion and turning the shadow of death into the morning And the infusion of heavenly light into thy darke and heavy heart And doest thou not think that the second is as easie as the first to the same Omnipotent hand Nay it is easier in our conceit to the Divine Majesty nothing is difficult or un-easie For those glorious shining Constellations were created of nothing and nothing hath no disposition to any Beeing at all much lesse to any particular existence But a Soule sensible and weary of it's spirituall darknesse is
as in a royall Throne Hee hath as it were two Thrones One in the Empyrean Heaven the other in a broken heart Isa. 57.15 But my heart lies groveling in the dust humbled under the mighty hand of God and trembling at his feete c. Therefore it is the mansion of Iehova blessed for ever Whosoever confesseth and forsaketh his sinnes shall have mercy Prov. 28.13 But I confesse and abominate all sinne resolved never to turne againe to folly Therefore mercy is most certainely mine Hee in whose heart the holy Ghost hath enkindled a kindly heate of affection to the Brethren hath passed from death to life 1. Ioh. 3.14 But by the mercy of God my heart is wholy set upon the Brother-hood which I heartily hated heeretofore Therefore I have passed from death to life These and the like Conclusions are in themselves as full of sound joy and true comfort as the Sunne of light or Sea of waters Open but the eye of thine humbled soule and thou maist see many glorious things in them Crush them but a little with the hand of Faith and much delicious sweetnesse of spirituall peace may distill upon thy Soule Lastly such considerations as these may contribute some matter of comfort and support to Him of weakest apprehension in this Case 1. If Hee consult with His owne Conscience Hee shall happily finde in His present syncere resolution an impossibility to turne backe againe to His former sinnefull life pleasures goodfellow-ship sensuall courses company Hee sayes and thinkes it that Hee will rather die then lie sweare prophane the Sabbaths put to usury doe wrong keepe any ill-gotten goods in his hands Haunt Ale-houses Play-houses Gaming-houses or willingly put His heart or hand to any kind of iniquity as Hee was formerly wont And doth nature thinke you keepe Him backe or grace and Gods Spirit 2. If Hee should now heare and have his eares fill'd with oathes blasphemies ribald talke rotten speeches filthy songs railing at Gods people scoffing at religion jesting out of Scriptures c. His heart would rise Hee would either reproove them or bee rid of them as soone as Hee could whereas heretofore Hee hath been perhaps a delightfull Hearer of them if not a notorious Actour Himselfe And whence doe you thinke doth this arise but from the seede of God remaining in Him 3. Thirdly If when you heare Him complaine That howsoever Hee hath cast Himselfe upon Christ as the Prophets have counselled Him yet sith thereupon Hee feeles no such comfort and peace in Believing as other Christians doe Hee begins to doubt whether Hee hath done well or no and to conceive that Hee hath layd hold upon the Promises too soone Nay and it may bee upon this discontent doth thus further enlarge His complaint Alas my sinnes have formerly been so great my heart is at this present so hard my sorrow so scant my failings so many c. that I know not what to say to my Selfe Mee thinkes I can neither pray conferre love the Brethren sanctifie the Sabbath rejoyce in the Lord c. as I see other of Gods Children doe And therefore I am affraid all is naught What heart can I have to hold on I say if to such a speech thou shouldest for triall give this reply Well then if it bee so even give over all strive no more against the streame trouble thy selfe no longer with reading prayer following sermons forbearing good fellowship and thine old companions And sith no comfort comes by casting thy selfe upon Christ cast thy selfe againe into the current of the times course of the world and merry company For there yet is there some little poore pleasure to bee had at least Oh! No No No would Hee say That will I never doe whatsoever comes of mee I will trust in my Christ tho Hee should kill mee for all these discouragements I will by no meanes cast away my confidence I have been so freshly stung with their guilt that I will rather be pull'd in peeces with wild horses then plunge againe into carnall pleasures I will put my hand to all holy duties in obedience to God tho I performe them never so weakely I will by the mercy of God keepe my face towards Heaven and backe to Sodome so long as I breath come what come will c. And whence doe you thinke springs this resolution but from a secret saving power supporting Him in the most desperate temptations and assaults of distrust Now this first secret saving power by which an humble Soule leaning upon Christ is supported when it is at the lowest secondly The seed of God and thirdly presence of grace doe every one of them argue a blessed state in which thou shalt bee certainely saved and therefore thou mayst lift up thine heart and head with comfort unspeakeable and glorious 3. Thirdly Many there are who much complaine of the great disproportion betweene the notorious wickednesse of their former life and their lamentable weakenesse of an answerable be wailing it Betweene the number of their sinnes and fewnesse of their teares the hainousnesse of their rebellions and little measure of their humiliation And thereupon because they did not finde and feele those terrours and extraordinary troubles of mind in their turning unto God those violent passions and pangs in their New-birth which they have seene heard or read of or knowne in others perhaps farre lesse sinners then themselves they are much troubled with distractions and doubts about the truth and soundnesse of their conversion Whereby they receive a great deale of hurt and hindrance in their spirituall state For Satan gaines very much by such a suggestion and grounds many times a manifold mischiefe upon it For by keeping this temptation on foot these doubts and troubles in their mindes whether they bee truly converted or no Hee labours and too often prevailes 1. To hinder the Christian in His spirituall Building With what heart can Hee hold on who doubts of the soundnesse and sure-laying of the foundation What progresse is Hee like to make in Christianity who continually terrifies Himselfe with fearefull exceptions and oppositions about the truth of His conversion A man in a long journey would jogge on but very heavily if Hee doubted whether Hee were in the right way or no. 2. To abate lessen and abridge His courage in standing on Gods side patience under the Crosse spirituall mirth in good company To keepe Him in dulnesse of heart deadnesse of affections distractions at holy exercises and under the raigne of almost a continuall sadnesse and uncomfortable walking To make Him quite neglect and never looke towards those sweete commands of the blessed Spirit Reioyce evermore Reioyce and I say againe Reioyce Bee glad in the Lord reioyce and shout for ioy all yee that are upright in heart 3. To fasten a great deale of dishonour upon God when He can make the Christian dis-avow as it were and nullifie in conceit so great a worke of mercy and grace
side Sixthly That they may grow into greater conformity with their blessed Saviour in spirituall sufferings Seventhly That tasting againe sometimes the bitternesse of divine wrath for sinne they may bee the more frighted and flee further from it Eighthly That thereby the incomprehensible love of Christ toward them may sinke deeplier into their hearts who for their sakes and salvation drunke deepe and large and the very dregs of that Cup the least drop whereof is to them so bitter and intolerable Ninthly That by sometimes sense of the contrary their joy in the favour and light of Gods countenance may bee more joyful Their spirituall peace more pleasant the pleasure of grace more pretious the comforts of godlinesse more comfortable c. Tenthly For admonition to others To draw duller and drouzy Christians to more strictnesse watchfulnesse and Zeale by observing the spirituall troubles and terrours of those who are far more holy and righteous then themselves To intimate unto Formall Professours that all is certainely naught with them who ordinarily are meere strangers to all afflictions of Soule and sorrow for sinne Eleventhly For terrour to many who going on securely in their sensuall courses are woont to cry downe all they can the power of preaching by crying to their companions thus or in the like manner Well for all this wee hope Hell is not so hot nor sinne so heavy nor the Divell so blacke nor God so unmercifull as these precise Preachers would make them c. How may such as these bee affrighted and terrified upon this occasion with pondering upon that terrible Place 1. Pet. 4.17.18 If iudgement begin at the house of God what shall the end bee of them that obey not the Gospell of God And if the righteous scarcely bee saveâ— If Gods Children have their consciences scorched as it were with the flames of Hell where shall the ungodly and the sinner appeare But even in the bottome of that fiery Lake and amidst the unquenchable rage of those endlesse flames Twelfthly For the just hardening of such as hate to bee reformed and are desperately resolved against the saving precisenesse of the Saints It may bee in this manner A godly Man hath lived long amongst Rebels thornes and Scorpions scorners railers Persecutours who altho Hee hath shined all the while as a Light in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation yet they were ever so farre from beeing heated with love of heavenly things by His holy life or wonne unto good by His gracious example that like so many Bats and Owles impatient of all spirituall light they did either flie from it as farre as they could in affection practise if not in Habitation Or fell upon it fiercely with their envenomed Clawes of spite and cruelty to extingvish quite if it were possible such blessed beames of saving Light and to darken with Hellish mists of ignorance and ill life the Place where they live They wilfully blinded themselves with a pestilent conceit That His sincerity was nothing but Hypocrisie His holinesse onely humour His forwardnesse Phantasticallnesse His sanctification singularity And thereupon resolved and boisterously combind against Him with all their policy purses and possibilities like those ungodly Ones Wisd. 2. Let us lie in waite for the righteous because Hee is not for our turne and Hee is cleane contrary to our doings He upbraideth us with our offending the Law and obiecteth to our infamy the transgressings of our education c. I say now God may suffer such a Man upon His Deaths-bed to fall into some more extraordinary and markable discomfort and distresse of Conscience Of which those gracelesse wretches taking greedy notice may thereby bee desperately obstinated and hardned in their lewd and carnall courses For seeing Gods hand upon Him in that fearefull manner and wanting the spirit of discerning they doe conclude most peremptorily that for all His great shewes Hee was most certainely but a Counterfeite And so themselves become upon that occasion many times more most implacable enemies to grace and all good men They are stronglier lockt up in the armes of the Divell faster nailed to formality or good-fellowship and which is the perfection of their madnesse and misery blesse themselves in their hearts saying merrily to their Brethren in iniquity You see now what these men are which make themselves so holy and are so hot in religion These are the Fellowes which pretend to bee so scrupulous and precise and of that singular streine of sanctity that they thinke none shall be saved but themselves c. You see in this Man the desperate ends of such hypocriticall Puritans Thus the glory of Gods justice is justly magnified by letting them grow starke blind who wilfully shut their eyes against the Light of grace by giving them over to a reprobate minde who so maliciously hated to bee reformed And so too often they walke on for ever after with confidence and hardnesse of heart which cannot repent in a perpetuall prejudice against purity and the power of godlinesse unto the Pit of Hell Whereas by the mercy of God and inviolable constancy of His Covenant that blessed Man by these terrours and afflictions of Conscience besides glorifying God in hardening others is as it were the more thorowly fitted and refined for that glory which is presently to bee revealed 3. Greatest humiliations doe not ever argue and import the greatest Sinners For sinnes are not alwayes the cause of our afflictions particularly and directly But some times some other Motives Abraham was put unto that heavy Taske of taking away His owne onely deare sonnes life principally for the triall of His Faith Iob was visited with such a matchlesse variety and extremity of afflictions upon purpose to end that controversie betweene God and Satan whether Hee feared God for nought or no Gods heavy hand was sometimes upon David specially for the manifestation of His innocency See Psal. 17.3 Nay our blessed Saviour infinitely free from sinne was notwithstanding tempted and tried by Satan and the world that His heavenly vertues divine excellencies might appeare and bee made more illustrious And Himselfe tells us Ioh. 9.3 that the blinde man was so borne neither for His owne sinne nor for the sinne of His Parents But that the workes of God should bee made manifest in Him For the particular I have in hand To prevent some sinne into which Hee sees His Childe inclinable and like to fall by reason of some violent occasion naturall propension strong temptation industrious malice of the Divell to disgrace Him and His Profession scandalously c. God in great mercy may give Him a taste nay a deepe draught of the unexpressable terrours of a troubled minde againe that thereby Hee may bee taught betime to take more heede walke more warily and stand upon His guard with extraordinary watchfulnes against the very first assault and least insinuation of sinne There is preventing Physicke for preservation of health as well as that when
〈◊〉 state Hee is readier out of His spirituall diâ—emper to spill as water upon the ground the golden vialls of the water of life and soveraigne oyles of Evangelicall joy tendered unto Him by the Physition of His Soule then to receive them with woonted thirst and thankfulnesse into the bruised bosome of His bleeding Conscience Tho they assure Him in the Word of life and truth having had for that I suppose true and sound experience of His conversion and former sanctified courses from Isai. 44.22 That as the heate and strength of the Summers Sunne doth disperse and dissolve to nothing a thicke Mist or foggy Cloud so the inflamed zeale of Gods tender love thorow the bloodshed of His owne onely deare Sonne hath done away all his offences His iniquity transgression and sinne as tho they had never been And Mich. 7.19 That that God which delighteth in mercy Vers. 18. hath cast all his sinnes into the bottome of the Sea never to rise againe either in this World or in the World to come The Prophet alludes to the drowning of the Egyptians in the Red Sea And therefore they assure Him that as that mighty Host sunke downe into the bottome like a stone Exod. 15.5 Or as Lead Vers. 10. So that neither the Sunne of Heaven nor Sonne of Man ever saw their faces any more So certainely all his sinnes are so swallowed up for ever in the Soule-saving Sea of His Saviours blood that they shall never more appeare before the face of God or Angell Man or Divell to His damnation or shame Yet for all this lying in a spirituall Swoune Hee findes His heart even key-cold and as it were starke dead in respect of relishing or receiving all or any of these incomparable comforts The Case thus proposed may seeme very deplorable and desperate yet consider what good Davids experience might doe in such distresse What a deale of life and light were it able to put into the very darkest Dampe and most heartlesse faintings of such a dying 〈…〉 have such an One as David even a Man after Goâ—â— owne heart remarkeably inriched and eminent with heavenly endowments One of the highest in the Booke of life and favour with God to assure it that Himselfe had already suffered as grievous things in His Soule if not greater and passed thorow the very same passions and pressures of a troubled Spirit if not with more variety and sorer pangs That proportionably to his present perplexities Hee cryed out with a most heavy heart First Will the Lord cast off for ever And will hee bee favourable no more Is His mercy cleane gone for ever Doth his promise faile for evermore Hath God forgotten to bee gracious Hath hee in anger shut up His tender mercies Vers. 7.8.9 Secondly That when Hee remembred God Hee was troubled Vers. 3. Thirdly That when He prayed unto God and complained His spirit was overwhelmed Ibid. Fourthly That Hee was so troubled that Hee could not speake Vers. 4. Fifthly That His Soule refused to be comforted Vers. 2. Which painefull passages of His spirituall desertion answer exactly to the comfortlesse Case of the supposed Soule-grieved Patient Nay and besides assurance of the very samenesse in apprehensions of feare and thoughts of horrour David also out of his owne experience and precedency might sweetly informe and direct such a poore panting Soule in a comfortable way to come out of the Place of Dragons and depths of sorrow by teaching and telling Him the manner and meanes of his rising and recovery Meditation of Gods singular goodnesse and extraordinary mercy to Himselfe his Church and Children aforetime gave the first lift as it were to raise his drooping Soule out of the dust And no doubt ever since the same consideration by the blessings of God hath brought againe many a bruised spirit from the very Gates of Hell and brink of despaire And in his happy per-usall of ancient times and Gods compassions of old it is very probable that â—is memory first met with Adam a right wonderfull and matchlesse Patterne of Gods rarest mercies to a most forlorne Wretch For Hee was wofully guilty by His transgression of casting both Himselfe and all his Sonnes and Daughters from the Creation to the Worlds end out of Paradise into the Pit of Hell and also of empoysoning with the cursed contagion of originall corruption the Soules and Bodies of all that ever were or shall bee borne of Woman the Lord Iesus onely excepted And yet this Man as best Divines suppose tho Hee had cast away Himselfe and undone all Mankind was received to mercy Let never poore Soule then while the World lasts upon true and timely repentance suffer the hainousnesse and horrour of His former sinnes whatsoever they have been to hinder his hopefull accesse unto the Throne of Grace for present pardon of them all or at any time afterward confound His comforts and confidence in Gods gracious Promises Thus no doubt the weary Soule of this Man of God waded further into those bottomlesse Seas of mercies manifested and made good from time to time upon His servants His heavy heart might sweetly refresh and repose it selfe upon the contemplation of Gods never-failing compassions in not casting off Aaron everlastingly for His fall into most horrible Idolatry In not suffering the murmuring and rebellious Iewes to perish all and utterly in the Wildernesse considering their many prodigious provocations and impatiencies c. But at length as wee may see in the forecited Psalme His Soule sets it triumphant Selah upon that great and miraculous deliverance at the Red Sea one of the most glorious and visible Miracles of mercy that ever shone from Heaven upon the Sonnes of Men and also a blessed Type of the salvation of all truly penitent and perplexed Soules from the Hellish Pharaâ—â— and all infernall powers in the red Sea of our Savioâ—â— blood How fairely now and feelingly might theâ—e experimentall instructions and this Passage of proofe troden and chalked out by this holy Man illighten and conduct any that walkes in darkenesse and hath no comfort out of the like distracted horrour of a spirituall desertion Let Him in such a Case first cast backe His eye upon Gods former manifold mercifull dealings with Himselfe If His God made His Soule of the darkest nooke of Hell as it were by reason of it's sinfulnesse and cursednesse as faire and beautifull as the brightest Sun-beame by that soveraigne blood which gusht out of the heart and those pretious graces which shine upon it from the face of His Sonne that never-setting Sunne of righteousnesse He will undoubtedly in due season dispell all those Mists of spirituall misery which over-shadow the glory and comfort of it for a time If Hee upheld Him by his mercifull hand from sinking into Hell when Hee was an horrible transgressour of all his Lawes with greedinesse and delight Hee will most certainely Tho perhaps for a small moment Hee hide his face from Him binde up
perswaded Gods bowels of compassionate tender-heartednesse and love did yearne within him towards Iob with more dearenesse and delight at that cry Tho he slay mee yet will I trust in him then at any time else even in the Spring of his spirituall prosperity or fullest tide of most heavenly feelings Here then is comfort more then thy heart can hold if thou wilt bee counselled by the Prophets that thou maist prosper For when thou thinkest that all is gone that thou art a lost man and utterly forsaken even in the depth of thy spirituall darkenesse thou being so spiritually disposed as I have said and which thou canst not deny I say even then and thou oughtest so to apprehend and believe the love of God is as it were doubled towards thee much more endeared by reason of thy distresse and cannot hold but breakes out many times into extraordinary pangs and expressions thereof As wee may see Isa. 54.11 Oh! thou afflicted tossed with tempest and not comforted c. And into profession of resolution and waiting to do us good which he will super-abundantly performe in the best time Behold I will lay thy stones with faire colours and lay thy foundations with Saphires Ibid. And therefore will the Lord waite that hee may bee gracious unto you and therefore will hee bee exalted that he may have mercy upon you For the LORD is a God of iudgment Blessed are all they that wait for him Isa. 30.18 Retiring the effects and exercise of our love from him whom wee love dearely makes it returne with redoubled fervour into our owne bosomes and there growes into a more vehement flame which never rests untill it breake out againe with dearer pangs upon the beloved Party Even as when the Sunne suffers an Eclipse and it's beames are driven backe and reflected from the face of the Moone interposed directly betweene it and our sight so that they shine not upon us then is the heate and light thereof multiplied and much intended toward the Fountaine which afterwards is shed downe upon us againe more amiably and acceptably when the darkenesse is done And let us further take notice that Christ our eldest Brother blessed for ever deales with us in such Cases as Ioseph a type of him in many respects dealt with his brethren hee frown'd upon them handled them roughly and frighted them extremely onely to humble them thorowly but in the meane time and midst of his menacing carriage his heart was so full of naturall affection that hee was enforced by the excesse thereof to turne aside and weepe and so returne to them againe And hee turned himselfe about from them and wept and returned to them again Gen. 42.24 So the Sonne of God as well as God the Father thorow him tho sometimes in a little wrath hee hide his face from us yet as hee will certainely after a small moment gather us with great mercies so in the meane time Hee is afflicted and most tenderly affected towards us in all our afflictions See Isa. 63.9 7. Seventhly Thinke it not strange that thou art fallen into this kinde of spirituall affliction as tho some strange thing or that which doth or may not befall the dearest servants of God had happened unto thee For herein thou becomes conformable to as holy Men as ever the world had Iob David Heman Luther c. Nay to the Sonne of God himselfe From whose example and precedency let the Christian even in the darkest horror of a spirituall desertion when hee is afraid lest God hath forsaken him fetch abundance of comfort and support out of such considerations as these 1. Christ himselfe was in the same Case Besides a numberlesse variety of most barbarous cruelties inflicted upon his blessed body by the mercilesse and implacable malice of the Iewes and by consequent sympathy upon his glorious soule Hee suffered also in soule immediately intolerable and save by himselfe unconquerable torments and paine Hee grapled with the fiercest wrath of his Father for our sins and sweat blood under the sense of his angry countenance Nay this Crosse upon his soule infinitely more waighty then that which hee carried upon his shoulders toward Calvarie did not onely cause streames of great bloody drops to fall downe to the ground but also prest from him that heavy groane Mat. 26.38 My soule is exceeding sorrowfull even unto death and that last rufull bitter cry My God my God why hast thou forsaken mee cap. 27.46 If Christ Iesus himselfe then blessed for ever the Son of the Fathers love the Prince of glory Nay the glory of heaven and earth the brightnesse of everlasting light c. In whom hee professeth himselfe to bee well-pleased and for whose sake onely hee loves all the sonnes of Men which shall be saved was thus plunged into a matchlesse Depth of unknowne sorrowes and most grievous desertion Let no Christian cry out in the like spirituall desolation but ever immeasurably short of his and in his feare of being forsaken that his Case is singular desperate irrecoverable For the onely deare innocent Sonne of God was farre worse in this respect and in greater extremity then hee is can or ever shall bee 2. Secondly Amongst other ends for which the Lord Iesus drunke so deepe and the very dregs of that bitterest Cup of his dearest Fathers heaviest indignation this was one That by a particular and personall passing thorow that infinite Sea those extremest dreadfull horrours of divine wrath for our sinnes which we all most justly deserved and would have caused any meere Creature to have sunke downe under it into the bottome of hell and by an experimentall feare and feeling of that bitter and bloody Agony which melted as it were his blessed soule into that mournefull Cry My God my God why hast thou forsaken mee The comfortable influence of the Deity being for the time in some sort restrained and retired from the humane nature that it might bee capable and sensible of that anger and angvish which would have holden both Men and Angels and all created Natures under everlasting calamity and woe I say that by his owne sense and experience of such painefull passages hee might learne and know with a more fellow-feeling and pittifull heart to commiserate his poore afflicted Ones in their spirituall desertions and with a softer and more compassionate hand to bind up their bleeding soules with his sweetest Balme of tender-heartednesse and love when in such horrible depths they shall thirst and long and gaspe for drops of mercy and his Fathers pleased face For in that hee himselfe hath suffered being tempted hee is able to succour them that are tempted Heb. 2.18 A woman which hath her selfe with extraordinary torture tasted the exquisite paines of Childe-birth is woont to bee a great deale more tenderly and mercifully affected to an other in like case then she that never tried what it is to be terrified with the suddennesse
un-avoidablenes and terrible pangs of a womans travaile and is more skilfull ready and forward to relieve in such distresse And so also all others who have been most afflicted either with outward troubles or inward terrours or both are ever most fit and feeling to speake unto the heart to put to their helping hand and make much of comfortlesse and miserable men troubled and tempted as they have been And such was the Case of our blessed Saviour in his sufferings for our sakes Hee was exercised all his life long with variety and extremitie of cruelties indignities and all manner of vexations beyond measure grievous bitter and intolerable Hee drunke full deepe of the Worlds disgrace the Divels malice the rage of great Ones the contempt and contumelies of the vilest the scornefull insultations of his enemies sorest sufferings from all things in Heaven Earth and Hell Of those pinching passions hunger thirst wearinesse of bodily tortures hideous temptations agonies of Spirit even of the full Cup of his Fathers fiery wrath and horrors of soule for our sinnes to the very last drop which went as farre beyond his other outward extremities as the Soule goes beyond the body Gods utmost anger the malice of men Whereby hee is now blessedly fitted and enabled excellently to succour them that are tempted Consciousnesse of his owne Case in the daies of his flesh is a keene incentive to his holy and heavenly soule more sensibly and soone to take pitty upon and ease the severall necessities troubles sorrowes and soule-afflictions of all his Children 3. Thirdly As this ever-blessed Redeemer of ours was in himselfe more then infinitely free and more then farre enough from all sinne so by consequent from any inherent cause of the least crosse or any shadow in the World of his dearest Fathers displeased countenance For originally He was of a most pure harmelesse and holy nature all his life long kinde sweet and gracious to every Creature offending none doing good unto all In his death incomparably patient brought as an innocent Lambe to that bloody slaughter not opening his mouth for all those base and barbarous provocations of the cruell and mercilesse Miscreants about him swimming in blood burning in zeale wrastling in prayer even for the salvation of his enemies So that his guiltlesse and unspotted soule had no neede at all of any passion or expiation All his sorrowes and sufferings were voluntarily under-gone onely for our sakes and sinnes Had not the pretious hearts-blood of the only deare naturall eternall Sonne of God been poured out as water upon the ground where at the whole Creation was astonished the Earth trembled and shooke her Rocks clave asunder her Graves opened the Heavens with-drew their light as not daring to behold this sad and fearefull spectacle never had the soule of any sonne or daughter of Adam been saved It was not the glory and treasures of the whole Earth not any streaming sacrifices of purest Gold not the life of Men and Angels no not the power and prostration of all the Creatures in Heaven and Earth or of ten thousand Worlds besides could have prevail'd satisfied and served the turne in this Case Either the Heire of all things must die or we had all been damned Is the heart then of any Mourner in Zion heavy and ready to breake for sorrow because hee hath lost the light of Gods face feeling of his love and consolations of grace So that the darknesse of his Spirit thereupon frights him with re-possession of his pardoned sinnes temptations to despaire and feares lest hee bee forsaken O then let him hie and have speedy recourse unto this heavenly Cordiall when our Lord and our Love felt the curse of our sinnes and his Fathers hottest wrath comming upon him in the Garden without any outward violence at all onely out of the paine of his owne thoughts bled thorow the flesh and skinne not some faint deaw but even solid drops of blood and afterwards in the bitternesse of his soule cried out upon the crosse My God my God why hast thou forsaken mee And none of all this for himselfe For no staine at all did cleave to his sacred soule But all this the least of which wee can no more expresse then wee could undergoe for thy sake and salvation alone who loves our Lord Iesus Christ in syncerity And therefore ground upon it as upon the surest Rocke even in the height of thy heavie-heartednesse and depth of a spirituall desertion that those depths of sorrow whereof our conceits can finde no bottome thorow which hee waded in his bloody sweat cry upon the Crosse and painfull sufferings in soule did most certainly free thee everlastingly from the guilt venome and endlesse vengeance of all terrours of conscience Agonies of Spirit temptations to despaire and damnations of Hell The righteous Iudge of all the World will never expect or exact at the hands of any of his Creatures double paiment a double punishment Our dearest Saviour hath satisfied to the utmost with his owne blood the rigour and extremity of his Fathers Iustice in thy behalfe and therefore it is utterly impossible that thou shouldest ever finally perish Inward Afflictions and troubles of minde may for a time presse thee so sore that thou maist bee ready to sinke for 1 chastisement 2 triall 3 prevention of sinne 4 perfecting the pangs of the New-birth 5 example to others c. But in despite of the united rage and policy of all infernall Powers Thou shalt in due time be raised again by that victorious and triumphant hand which bruised the Serpents head and burst the heart of Hell even out of an horrible pit bee set upon a Rocke farre above the reach of all hellish hurt or sting of horrour In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment but with everlasting kindnesse wil I have mercy upon thee saith the Lord thy Redeemer Isa. 54.8 5. There is another terrible fierie dart dipt full deep in the very rankest poyson of the infernall pit which though it bee not much talked of abroad nor taken notice of by the World yet is secretly suggested and managed with extremest malice and cruelty in the silent bosomes of Gods blessed Ones The most holy hearts are many times most haunted with this foulest fiend Strangers to the wayes of God bee not much troubled in this kinde nor ordinarily vexed with such horrours Satan as I said before makes as much of his in this World as hee can possibly knowing that hee hath time enough even eternity to torment them in the World to come And therefore hee is not woont to weld this terrifying weapon against them save only at some dead lift or upon some speciall advantage as under some extraordinary misery or in excesse of melancholy to drive them thereby to distraction selfe-destruction or despaire Or it may bee God may suffer him to afflict thus hideously some grievous sinner which hee is
their beauty and magnitude which in their continuall and contrary motions are neither repugnant intermixt or confounded By these potent effects wee approach to the knowledge of the Omnipotent cause and by these motions their Almighty mover Whensoever therefore that most implacable and everlasting enemy to Gods glory and the good of his Children shal go about to pervert and crosse by his blasphemous injections these sober and sacred conceptions of the thrice glorious ever-blessed Deity planted in thy minde by his owne Word and this visible World bid him by the example of thy Lord and Master avoide and avant trample upon his hellish spite appeale unto Gods righteous Throne with protestation of thine innocency damning them unto the Pit of Hell in thy Iudgement and hating them not without horrour from the very heart-roote and so truly resisting them crying mightily unto God for pardon wherein soever thou shalt faile about them and for power against them and then possesse thy humble soule in patience and peace 8. Being humbled by them making an holy use of them perusing and applying the considerations and counsels in hand for comfort in them and conquest over them doe not by any meanes continue to afflict and torture thy spirit about them Let them now passe away and bee packing abandon them with an holy detestation contempt and slighting without any such dismayednesse and terrour as most unworthy of any longer taking to heart or notice of much lesse of that carking and trouble as to terrifie in-dispose dis-able thee for a chearefull discharge of either of thy Callings particular or generall Divines hold even godly sorrow unseasonable when it unfitteth the body or minde to good duties or to a good and chearefull manner of doing them how much more would they not have these hellish distractions and intrusions to dishearten thee in this kinde But least of all of that pestilent prevailing as to fill thine heart with extraordinary astonishment horrour and doubting whether such monstrous injections bee incident to sanctified soules a saving state and habitation of the holy-Ghost and so to put thee into a habit of heavy walking and secret sadnesse by reason of continuall questioning the soundnesse of thy conversion the constancy of Gods love unto thee former assurance of an immortall Crowne and whether it bee possible that Iesus Christ should dwell in a soule hanted with such horrible thoughts Procurement of which miseries molestations is the Adversaries only aime For so immesurably malicious is He that if he cannot plunge thee into the pit of hell and everlasting flames in the World to come yet will be labour might and maine to keep thee upon the Rack and in as much terrour as hee can possibly all thy life long in this vale of teares Suffer then this advise to sinke seriously into thy heart Being illightned rightly informed and directed about them let them no longer astonish thy spirit detaine thee in horrour hurt thy heart or hinder thee in any duty to God or man or in an humble comfortable and confident walking with thy God as thou art woont or of thy former sweet communion with Iesus Christ. And the rather because First It is the Tempters earnest end only out of pure spite to put this imposture and unnecessary vexing perplexities upon thee Secondly The more thou art troubled with them and takes them to heart for that is it hee would have the more violently and villanously will he presse them upon thee and terrifie Thirdly They are not thine but his fearefull sinnes Hee alone must answer for them at that great and last Day and thou goe free It is his malicious madnesse of such a prodigious nature and notoriousnesse as is beyond conceit and above all admiration onely fit for a Divell That Hee may trouble thee temporally Hee mightily aggravates his owne eternall torment In a second place let mee tender unto thee an Antidote which hath been found soveraigne and succesfull this way The summe of it is this Let the tempted Christian labour to worke and extract by the blessings of God some spirituall good out of the horrible hell of these most hatefull abominable blasphemous suggestions And if Satan once see that thou sâ—cks honey out of his poyson comfort out of his cruelty medicine out of his malice hee will have no heart or hope to goe on no courage or contentment to continue the temptation Take it in the sense if not in the same wordes without any variation or enlargement as it was applied and prosper'd Spitefull and malicious Fiend cursed enemie to heaven and earth by the mercies of God hough thy purpose be most pestilent yet thou shalt not hurt or have any advantage against mee hereby Thy base and dunghill injections tending to the dishonour of my God and my Christ c. shall make mee 1. More hate thine infinitely hatefull and revengefull malice against that thrice-glorious and ever-blessed Majesty above 2. With more feeling and dearenesse to adore and love the glory and sweetnesse of my God and my Redeemer For the more excessive and endlesse I feele thy spite against Him the more I know is his incomprehensible excellency and worth 3. To pray oftner and more fervently that my God would rebuke thee and cast this extreme malice of thine as dung upon thine owne face 4. To bee still more humbled under the hand of my mighty Lord because I cannot bee more humbled and with more resolution and abhorrence abominate and abandon such prodigiously-senselesse and hellish blasphemies of His for I am sure they are none of mine into the bottomlesse bottome of that darkest Dungeon In the blackest horrour whereof they were most maliciously and monstrously hatched 5. To take up a strong argument and answer against an other of thy cursed injections tending to Atheisme and the not Being of those endlesse joies above Because I most plainely and palpably feele thee an invisible spirit casting into my imagination such horrid absurd and ridiculously impious thoughts which cannot possibly spring ordinarily or naturally from any power or possibilitie of mine own soule I know thereby and assure my self that there is also an infinite most wise and glorious Spirit which created both me and thee And will in due time chaine Thee up for ever in the Pit of Hell and bring mee at length by the blessed merit of his only dearest Sonnes bloodshed into the bosome of his owne glory and everlasting blisse 6. To confirme mine owne heart with stronger assurance which is no meane benefit that I undoubtedly belong unto God and am in a gracious state For thou well knowest and so doth mine owne Soule that thou never troubledst me to any purpose with these ougly blasphemous thoughts while I yet lay starke dead in sinnes and trespasses and drown'd full deepe in vanity and lust in carnall loosenesse and sensuall courses Then thou being the strong Man possessedst mee wholly and all was quiet because all was
resolves He will have it whatsoever it cost Him Yea but there is a price put upoÌ„ it it must cost thee deare a great deale of sorrow trouble and other crosses Tush tell mee not of the price whatsoever I have shall goe for it I will doe any thing for it Why wilt thou cuâ— be thine aâ—â—ections Wilt thou give up thy life Wilt thou bee content to tell all that thou hast and begge all thy life time so thou mayest have this treasure I will doe it with all my heart I am content to sell all that I have nothing is so deare unto mee but I will part with it my right hand my right eye nay if Hell it selfe should stand betweene mee and Christ yet would I passe thorow the same unto him This is that violent affection which God putteth into the hearts of His Children that they will have Christ whatsoever it cost them Although I confesse all that repent and lay hold on Christ shall have mercy yet what is this to thee thou wretched Man So long as sinne hath dominion over thee what art Thou So long we are not only dead but also rotten in sinne so that it may be said of us as it â—as as Lazarus Ioh. 11. Lord saith Martha hee stinketh already So wee are not onely 〈◊〉 and rotten in sinne but even stinke thereof so long as any sinne or sinnes have dominion over us D.V. Christ receives none but them that denie themselves are willing to take up the Crosse and follow Him that mortifie the deeds of the Body by the Spirit To Iustification nothing but Faith is required but this caution must bee added It must bee a Faith that purifies the heart that may worke an universall change that may shew it selfe in fruites and bring forth fruites worthy amendment of life D.P. Revel 19 16. y See Gifford upon the place Alsted Theol. Cas. cap. 6. De pulchritudine omnium pulcherrimâ quae est Iesus Christus y In Christo tanta bona possidetis ut domini mundi omnium rerum sitis Par. in locum 1. Cor. 3.21 z Ioh 15.13 a Hoc verb◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 non voluit dicere Apostolus Christum per assumptionem sormae servi abjecisse forma dei desusse quod erat sed tantùm quòd gloriam illam Majestatem in quà erat apud Patrem ita abdiderit in formâ servi ut câ— sese penitut Evacuasse visus sit quia nimirùmea gloria in carne non fulgebat ut ab omnibus conspici posset b Ioh. 8 48. c Col. 2.9 d Omnes poenae à nobis commeritae toleratae sunt à Christo At poenae animae erant à nobis commeritae Ergò poenâ—ts animae Christus toleravit Chamierus Tom. 2. de deseâ—ulu ad inferos Lib 5 cap. 12. Sect. 1. Neither doth Hee or â— meane that Christ suffered in Soule onely by Sympathy with the Body But also immediately from the wrath of God for our sinnes Heare him a little after Contra sua sophismata Bellarminus tamâ—n concludit Christum passum animâ et corpore Quod ipsum Calvinus contendit nos asserimus Quid igitur frustrà laborant Sophistae in oppugnandâ— veritate quam ipsi tandem ipsi inquam fateri cogantur Nisi forte in animâ patiente nihil aliud considerant nisi ipsos dolores corporis tantum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 per assistentiam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 non verò 〈◊〉 propriè suo sensu Quo quid possit absurdiùs dici Certè antequà m corpus quicquam pateretur Christus ipse testabatur suam animam esse perturbatam quidem usque ad mortem Ibid. Sect. 3. Leo it is that first said it and all Antiquity allow of it Non soluit unionem sed subtraxit visionem The vnion was not dissolved True but the beames the influence was restrained and for any comfort from thence His Soule was even as a scorched heath ground without so much as any drop of dew of divine comfort as a naked tree no fruit to refresh Him within no leafe to give Him shadow without the power of darknesse let loose to afflict Him the influence of comfort restrained to relieve Him winchesters Sermons pag. 356. Wounded Hee was in Body wounded in Spirit left utterly desolate Ibid. pag. 157. e There are sixe kinds of dereliction or forsaking whereof Christ may bee thought to have complained First by dis-union of person secondly by losse of grace Thirdly by diminution or weakening of grace Fourthly by want of assurance of future deliverance and present support Fiftly by deniall of protection Sixthly by with-drawing of solace and destituting the forsaken of all comfort It is impious once to thinke that Christ was forsaken any of the foure first wayes For the unity of His person was never dissolved His graces were never either taken away or diminished Neither was it possible Hee should want assurance of future deliverance and present support that was eternall God and Lord of life But the two last wayes hee may rightly bee said to have been forsaken Field of the Church Lib. 5. cap. 18. f Exijt qui â—eminat seminare inquit Semen hic doâ—trinam suam arva ceâ—ò campos aminas huminum seminatorem autem seipsum appellat Quid igitur de illo senisne sit Tribus perditis partibus una tantummodò salvatur Chrysost. in Mat. Hom. 45. Hâc parabold discipulos docuit exercuit ut etsi plures corum qui praedicationem Apostolonum suscepturi erant perderentur non caderent aulmis cum id etiam in Domino atque Magistro pariter factum recordarentur Neque tamen ipse quamvis ita id futurum non ignoraret semina proijcere neglexit Ibid. Vocati 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 scilicet exlernè perverbum Electi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 scil Ad vitam aeternam Christus loquitur de vocatione externâ quá per Evangelij prâ—dicationem vocantur tam reprobi quà electi c. Piscat in Matth. cap. 20. Iste popictâ—â— qui in medio populi suscepit misericordiam Dei quantium numerum babet Quèm pancâ— sunt Vix inveniuntur aliqui Illisne contentus Deus erit perdet tantam multitudinem Dicunt hoc qui sibi promittunt hoc quod à Deo promitâ—ents non audiâ—runt Quot sunt illi qui viâ—entur servare praecepta Dei Vix invenitur unus vel duo vel paucissimi Ipsos solos Deus liberaturus est caeteros damnaturus Absit inqutunt cum venerit videbit tantam multiâ—udinem ad sinistram miserebitur dabit indulgentiam Hoc plaâ—è etiam serpens ille promisit primo homini Nam minatus erat Deus mortem si gastaret Ille autem â—bsit inquit morte non moriemini Crediderunt serpenti invenerant verumesse quod minatus est Deus falsum quod promiserat diabolus Ita nunc fratres c. August in Psal. 48. pag. 528. c And justly they find Him not ex lâ—ge
enioy since the houre it enioyed Him In His Preface pag. 3. Tho thousands were debters to Him as touching Divine knowledge yet hee to none but onely to God the Author of that most blessed Fountaine the Booke of life and of the admirable dexterity of wit together with the helpes of other learning which were his guides Ibid. Wee should bee iniurious unto vertue it selfe if wee did derogate from them whom their industry hath made Great Two things of principall moment there are which have deservedly procured Him honour throughout the World the one His exceeding paines in composing the Institutions of Christian Religion the other His no lesse industrious travailes for exposition of holy Scripture In which two things whosoever they were that after Him bestowed their labour Hee gained the advantage of preiudice against them if they gaine-said and of glory above them if they consented Ibid. pag. 9. The more learned and holy any Divine is the more heartily Hee subscribes to Paulus Thurias his true censure of His Institution Praeter Apostolicas post Christi tempora chartas Huic peperereliâ—râ—saeculae nulla parem Besides the holy Writ No booke is like to it Or No Age since Christ brought forth A booke of so great worth No marvaile then that a learned Bishop of London in Queene Elizabeths time begun His Speech thus against a lewd fellow which had railed against Calvinâ— Quod dixisti in virâ—m Dei Calvinum tuo sanguine non potet redimere c. s Sit igitur hic primus poenitâ—tiae gradus dum homines sentiunt quà m gravitèr deliquerint illic non statim curandus est doler quemadmodum impostoâ—es deliniunt conscientias ita ut sihi indulgeant se â—allant inaâ—iâ—us blanditijs Medicus enim non statim lâ—niet dolorem sed videbit quid magis expediat fortè magis augebit quia necessaria erit acrior purgatio Sic etiam faciunt Prophetae Dei quum vident trepidas conscientias non statìm adhibeÌ„t blandas consoâ—â—â—tones sed potiùs ostendunt non esse ludendum cum Deo solicitant sponte currentes ut sibi proponant terribile Dei iudicium quò magis ac magis humilientur Calvin in Ioel cap. 2. t Master Rogers of Dedham Doctrine of Faith pag. 108.109.110.111 u In his Expos. upon Psal. 32. pag. 5. x As in the worke of Creation so in the worke of Redemption God would have the praise of all his attributes Hee is much honoured when they are acknowledged to bee in Him in highest perfection and their infinitenesse and excellency admired and magnified In the former there appeareth gloriously His infinite Wisedome Goodnes Power Iustice Mercy c. â—nd yet in the worke of Redemption which was the greater they seeme â—o shine with more â—â—eetnesse amiableâ—â—sse and excellency 〈◊〉 in it appeared all the treasures of wisedome and knowledge c. And in conveying it to the Church first His Wisedome there appeareth infinite wisedome in finding out such a meanes for the redemption of MaÌ„kind as no â—â—eated understanding could possible imagine or 〈◊〉 of Secondly 〈◊〉 immeasurably sweet and admirable in not sparing His owne Sonne the Sonne of His loue that Hee might spare us who had so grievously transgressed against Him Thirdly His Iustice in it's highest excellency in spaâ—ing us not to spare His owne onely Sonne laying as it were His head upon the blocke and chopping it off renting and â—eaâ—ing that blessed Body even as the Vaile of the Temple was rent and making His Soule an Offering for sinne c. This was the perfection of Iustice. y A man who otherwise would not cry nor shed a teare for any thing despiseth death and would not feare to meete an host of men I say such an One now having at the last instant a pardon brought from the King it worketh wonderfully upon him and will cause softnesse of heart and teares to come many times where nothing else could Hee is so strucke with admiration of so great mercy so sweet and seasonable in such an extremity that Mee stands amazed and knowes not what to say but many times falles a weeping partly for ioy of His deliverance and partly also out of indignation against Himselfe for His barbarous behaviour towards so pittiful a Prince This was to bee seene in some great men at the beginning of King Iames His Reigne condemned for treason and pardoned at the Blocke z Exaudime Domine quoniam suaviâ— est misericordia tua tantundem valet ac si dixisset I am noli differre exauditionem in taâ—t â tribulatiâ—ne sun ut suavis mihi sit misericordia tua Ad hoc enim subvenire differebas ut mibi dulce esset quòd subveniebas August Concione 2. in Psal. 68. Luke 8.43 a Christus â—oâ—ine instatâ—m terret comminatioue exclusionis è regnâ— coelorum Nam qui nondùm conversi sunt ad inferos iam priuiâ—â— detrudendi sunt ad hoc ut inspectâ poenâ peccati discant ab co abhorrere quo tempore naturâ sese oblectaâ—â— Rolloc in Iohan. cap. 3. pag. 133. b Dike of Repentance cap. 2. c Quando peccati quod divinae legis est violatio conseâ—â—ntia stimulamur atque convincimur intelligimusque nos per peccatum in execrationem acerbissimum odium gravissiâ—â—amque Divini numinis offensiontem atque indignationem incurrisse mercedemque atque stipendium quod peccatum meretur esse ut non solùm omnibus calamitatibus atque miserijs â—uins vitae morbisque morte corporis afficâ—amur verum etiam ut damnatiâ—â—e atque interitu sempiterno mulitemur simul atque ex lege agnoscimus nos per peccatum in â—unc condemnatorâ—m statum quo nibiltetrius cogitari potest pervenisse toto pectore totâ mente toto corde animo que cohorremus contremiscimus atque ita ut casum nostrum salutariter doleamus ut nosmet nostri poeniâ—eat Lex efficit impellÃtque ut peccatorum veniam iustitiam vitam sempiternam quae ex lege adipisci non possumus a Christo servatore tantùm per Christum expetamus expectemus Alex. Nowellus Inst. Christian. Pietatis De Legis usu Hoc loco docent Poenitentiam esse quae ex peccatorum irae divinae agnitione nascitur quae per legem Dei primum dolores terrorem conscientiae incutiat Scilicet cum verbo Dei intâ—s argu untor peccata redditur mens malè conscia sibi inquieta praetristâ—s desperabunda cor anxium confractum pavidum ut homo per se nullâre prorsùs erigi possit aut consolationem nancisci sed totus afflictissimus est spiritu deiecto ac trepidante ingenti â—orrore concussus à conspectuirae Dei c. Súnt que sic affectis divinae promissiones 〈◊〉 c. Harmon Confess p. 2. Bohaemica Confess Art 5. pag. 240. d I grant the Lord who is the most free Agent takes liberty and workes as it pleaseth him and there is ods
hee was upon the earth called thy blessed Lord and Saviour Divell See Matth. 10.25 Ioh. 7.20 which passeth all I am perswaded that any drunken Belial ever yet fastned upon thee Contemne thou therefore for ever and trample upon with an humble and triumphant patience all their contumelies and contempts Passe-by nobly without touch or trouble without wound or passion the utmost malice of the most scurrill tongue the basest gibe of the impurest Drunkard Doth the World carnall men thine owne friends ormall Teachers suppose and censure thee to be a dissembler in thy Profession and will needes concurrently and confidently yet falsely fasten upon thee the imputation of hypocrisie An heavy charge Yet for all this Let thy truly-humble heart conscious to it selfe of it's owne syncerity in holy services like a strong pillar of brasse beate backe all their impoysoned arrowes of malice and mistake this way without any dejection or discouragement Onely take occasion hereby to search more thorowly and walke more warily Iob may bee a right noble patterne to thee in this point also He had against him not onely the Divell his enemy pushing at him with his poysoned weapons but even his owne friends scourging him with their tongues His owne wife a thorne pricking him in the eye yea his owne God running upon him like a Gyaâ—â— and his terrours setting themselves in aray against himâ— Powerfull motives to make him suspect himselfe of former halting and hollow-heartednesse in the wayes of God yet notwithstanding his good and honest heart having been long before acquainted with and knit unto his God â—â— truth makes him breake out boldly and resolutely protest Till I die I will not remove my integrity from mee My righteousnesse I hold fast and will not let it goe Chap. 27.5.6 Behold my Witnesse is in Heaven and my record is on high Cap. 16.19 Art thou a loving and tender-hearted mother unto thy children and hast thou lost the dearest The greatest outward crosse I confesse that ever the sonnes and daughters of Adam tasted and goeth nearest to the heart Yet thy sorrow is not singular but out-gone in this also For the blessed Mother of Christ stood by and saw her owne onely deare innocent sonne the Lord of life most cruelly and villanously murdred upon the Crosse before her eyes Ioh. 19.25 Hast thou lost thy goods or children Doth thy wife that lies in thy bosome set her selfe against thee Doe thy nearest friends charge thee falsely Art thou pained extremely from top to toe Doe the Arrowes of the Almighty sticke fast in thy soule Thy affliction is grievous enough if thou taste any of these severally But doe they all in greatest extremity concurre upon thee at once Hast thou lost all thy children and all thy goods Doth thy wife afflict thy afflictions c. If this bee not thy Case and rufull condition thou commest yet short of Iob a most just man and one of Gods dearest Iewels 4. The exceeding greatnesse and pretiousnesse of the promises In every one of which it is incredible to consider what abundant matter of unspeake-able and glorious joy lies wâ—rpâ— up Oh how sweet are they to a thirsty soule in the â—â—me of angvish and trouble They are like a cloud of raine that commeth in the time of a drought They are very glimpses of Heaven shed into a heart many times as darke as hell They are even rockes of eternity upon which every bruised reed may sweetly repose with impregnable safety A truly humbled spirit relishing spirituall things would not exchange any one of them for all the riches and sweetnesse of both the Indies Tell me deare heart thou that in thy unregenerate time though now happily changed lay soaking in sinnes of cruelty and blood whether that mercifull promise Isai. 1.18 Come now and let us reason together saith the Lord Though your sinnes bee as skâ—rlet they shall bee as white as snow though they bee red like crimson they shall bee as wooll bee not farre dearer unto thee then thousands of gold and silver Or thou who formerly pollutedst thy selfe villanously with such secret execrable lusts which now thou canst not remember without horrour tell mee if it were utterable by the Tongue of man with what dearest sweetnesse and blessed peace thy broken heart was bound up and revived when thou cast thine eye considerately and beleevingly upon that pretious place Ezech. 36.25 I will sprinkle water upon you and you shall bee cleane and from all your filthinesse and from all your Idols will I cleanse you c. There was beyond the Seas as my Author reports Christian Matrone of excellent parts and piety who langvishing long under the horrible pressure of most furious and fiery temptations wofully at length yeelded to despaire and attempted the destruction of her selfe After often and curious seeking occasion for that bloody fact at last having first put off her apparrell threw her self head-long from an high Promontory into the Sea But having received no hurt by her fall shee was there by a Miracle and extraordinary mercy strangely preserved for the space of two houres at the least though all the while shee laboured industriously to destroy her selfe Afterward drawne out with much adoe and recovered shee yet still did conflict with that extremest desperate horrour almost a whole yeere But by Gods good providence which sweetly and wisely ordereth all things listening on a time though very unwillingly at first to her husband reading amongst other places that Isa. 57.15 Thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity whose name is holy I dwell in the high and holy place with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the contrite ones For I will not contend for ever neither will I bee alwaies wroth for the spirit should faile before mee and the soules which I have made I say listening to these words the Holy Ghost drawing her heart shee begun to reason thus within her selfe God doth here promise to revive and comfort the heart of the contrite and spirit of the humble and that hee will not contend for ever neither bâ— alwayes wroth But I have a very contrite heart and a spirit humbled 〈◊〉 to the dust one of the acknowledgement and sense of my sinnes and divine vengeance against them Therefore peradventure God will vouchsafe to revive and comfort my heart and spirit and not contend with 〈◊〉 for ever nor bee wroth against mee still c. Hereupon by little and little there flowed by Gods blessing into her darke and heavy heart abundance of life lightsomnesse spirituall strength and assurance In which she continued with constancy and comfort many a yeere after crowned those happy dayes and a blessed old age with a glorious and triumphant death and went to Heaven in the yeere 1595. What heart now but Hers that felt it can possibly conceive the depth of that extraordinary un-utterable
refreshing which sprung out of that promise upon her forlorne and fearefull soule or the excesse of that love which shee bore ever after to those blessed lines to the mercy that made them and to the blood that sealed them An other terrified in conscience for sinne resolves to turne on Gods side but the crie of his good-fellow companions strength of corruption and cunning of Satan carrie him backe to his former courses A good number of yeares after hee was so throughly wounded that whatsoever came of him he would never returne againe unto folly Then comes into his minde the first of the Proverbes whence hee thus reasoned against himselfe So many yeares agoe God called and stretched out his hand in mercy but I refused and therefore now thâ— I call upon him hee will not answer though I seeke him early I shall not finde him Whereupon was his heart filled with much griefe terrour and slavish feare But the Spirit of God leading him at length to that place Luke 17.4 If thy brother trespasse against thee seven times in a day and seven times in a day turne againe to thee saying I repent thou shalt forgiue him He thence happily argued thus for himselfe Must I a silly sinnefull man forgive my brother as often as hee repents and will not then the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort entertaine mee seeking againe in truth his face and â—avour God forbid From which hee blessedly drew such a deale of divine sweetnesse and secret sense of Gods love that his trembling heart at first received some good satisfaction and afterward was setled in a sure and glorious peace An other godly man passing through his lâ—st sicknesse with such extraordinary calmâ—nesse of conscience and absolute freedome from temptation that some of his Christian friends observing and admiring the singularity of his soules quiet at that time especially questioned him aboue it He answered that he had stedfastly fixed his heart upon that sweetest promise Isa. 26.3 Thou wilt keepe him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee because hee trusteth in thee And his God had graciously made it fully good unto his soule And so must every Saint doe who would sound the sweetnesse of a promise to the bottome make it the arme of God unto him for sound thorow-comfort Even settle his heart fixedly upon it and set his Faith on worke to broode it as it were with it's spirituall heate that quickenesse and life may thence come into the soule indeed For God is woont to make good his promises unto his children proportionably to their trust in them and dependance upon his truth and goodnesse for a seasonable performance of them Now all these promises in Gods blessed Booke which addes infinitely to their sweetnesse and certainty are sealed with the blood of Iesus Christ Heb. 9.16 and confirmed with the Oath of Almighty God Heb. 6.17.18 God willing more abundantly to shew unto the heires of promise the immutability of his counsell confirmed it by an oath That by two immutable things in which it was impossible for God to lie wee might have a strong consolation who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us Oh what a mighty and pretious invitation is this to beleeve perfectly The speciall Aime of Gods oath whereas his promise had been more then infinitely sufficient was to strengthen our consolation And therefore every heart true unto Christ ought hence to hold fast not a faint wavering inconstant but a strong stedfast and unconquerable comfort Otherwise it sacrilegiously as it were robs God of the glorious end for which hee swore 5. The free love of God Which how rich and glorious how bottomlesse and boundlesse a treasure it is of all gracious sweetnesse abundant comfort and endlesse bounty appeares in this that Iesus Christ blessed for ever that unvalew-able incomparable Iewell came out of it For God so loved the World that hee gave his onely begotten Sonne that whosoever beleeveth in him should not perish but have everlasting life Ioh. 3.16 And therefore every syncere servant of Christ when upon a serious and sad survay of his Christian waies finds himself to come so far short of that which God requires and himselfe desires That his prayers are very faint his sorrow for sinne very scant his love unto the brethren too cold His spending the Sabbaths very unfruitfull His spirituall growth since he gave his name to Christ very poore His profiting by the meanes hee enjoyes most unanswerable to the power and excellency thereof His New-obedience almost nothing c. For so hee is wont to vilifie himselfe Whereupon hee is much cast downe and out of this apprehension of his manifold unworthinesse concludes against himselfe that hee hath little cause to bee confident in the promises of life or to presume of any part and interest in Iesus Christ and so begins to retire the trembling hand of his already very-weake Faith from any more laying-hold of comfort I say in such a Case being true-hearted he may safely and upon sure ground have recourse to this ever-springing Fountaine of immeasurable mercy and raise up his drooping soule against all contrary oppositions with unspeake-able and glorious refreshing from such places as these Hos. 14.4 I will love thee freely Isai. 55. Ho every one that thirsteth come yee to the waters and hee that hath no money come yâ—e buy and eate yea come buy wine and milke without money and without price And Chap. 43.25 I even I am hee that blotteth one thy transgressions for my owne sake and will not remember thy sinnes Revel 21.6 I will give unto him that is athirst of the Fountaine of the water of life freely c. God never set the Promises on sale or will ever sell his Sonne to any Hee never said Iust so much sorrow so much sanctitie so much service or no Christ But Hee ever gives Him freely Every truly humbled heart which will take him at the hands of Gods free love as an Husband to bee saved by him and to serve him in truth may have him for nothing Yet I must adde this there was never any who received the Lord Iesus savingly but hee laboured syncerely to sorrow as much for sinne to bee as holy to doe him as much service as hee could possibly And when hee reflected upon his best hee ever desired it had been infinitely better 6. The sweete Name of the Lord. Which hee proclaimes Exod. 34.6.7 wherein he first expresseth his essence in one word The Lord The Lord. Which doubled is effectuall to stirre up Moses attention Secondly three Attributes first His power in one word Strong Secondly His justice in two formes of speech not making the wicked innocent visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and upon childrens children unto the third and fourth generation Thirdly but his speciall goodnesse and good affection towards repentant and beleeving sinners in seven
gracious acceptation and intertainement at his Throne of Grace That it is naturall also to his Name To forgive iniquity transgression and sinne That is sinnes of all sorts kindes and degrees whatsoever There is none so hatefull and hainous whether naturall corruption or ordinary outward transgression or highest presumption but upon repentance God is most able ready and willing to remit it 7. God the Fathers compassionate pangs of infinite affection and forwardnesse to entertaine into his armes of mercy all true Penitents As I live sayth the Lord God I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked but that the wicked turne from his way and live turne yee turne yee from your evill wayes for why will yee die O house of Israell Ezech. 33.11 Woe unto thee O Ierusalem wilt thou not bee made cleane When shall it once be Ier. 13.27 They say if a man put away his wife and shee goe from him and become another mans shall hee returne to her againe Shall not that Land be greatly polluted But thou hast played the harlot with many lovers yet returne againe to mee sayth the Lord Ier. 3.1 Oh that my people had hearkned unto mee and Israel had walked in my waies I would soone have subdued their enemies and turned my hand against their adversaries The haters of the Lord should have submitted themselves unto him but their time should have endured for ever Hee should have fed them also with the finest of the wheate and with honey out of the rocke should I have satisfyed thee Psal. 81. O that thou hadst hearkned to my commandements then had thy peace been as a River and thy righteousnesse as the waves of the Sea Thy seed also had been as the sand and the off-spring of thy howells like the gravell thereof his name should not have been cut off nor destroyed from before mee Isa. 48.18 8. His mercifull almightinesse in putting life and lightsomnesse into the most dead and darkest heart Seeke him saith the Prophet that maketh the seven Starres and Orion and turneth the shâ—dow of death into the morning Amos 5.8 Suppose thou sâ—ttest thy selfe to seeke Gods face and favour and art presently set upon with this temptation But alas My soule is so blacke with sinne and darke with sorrow that it is to no purpose for mee to proceed c. But now in this case consider who Hee is that thou seekest it is He that made of nothing those beautifull shining glorious constellations Orion and the Pleiades and nothing in the world is darker then nothing Hee is Hee that turneth the darkest midnight into the brightest morning c. 9. Christs sweetest dearest most melting invitations of all truly troubled soules for sinne unto the Well of life and their owne everlasting wellfare Come unto mee all yee that labour and are heavie laden and I will give you rest Mat. 11.28 O Ierusalem Ierusalem thou that killest the Prophets and stonest them which are sent unto thee How often would I have gathered thy children together even as a Hen gathereth her Chickens under her wings c. Mat. 23.37 And when hee was come neare hee beheld the City and wept over it saying Oh if thou hadst knowne even thou at least in this thy day the things which belong unto thy peace Luke 19.41.42 In the last day the great Day of the Feast Iesus stood and cried saying If any man thirst let him come to mee and drinke 10. Precedents in Gods Booke of many hainous and horrible sinners received to mercy upon their humiliation As Eve Magdalen Paul Zacheus Sodomits 1. Cor. 6.9.11 Crucifiers of Christ. Acts. 2. 11. Experience perhaps of the Comforter converted from a more wicked and desperate course then the Patient himselfe And it doth not a little refresh the heart of him who grievosly wounded in conscience and thereupon sending for a skillfull and faithfull Messenger of God and when he hath opened his Case fully unto him to heare him say when he hath sayd all My Case was farre worse then yours every way Nay but besides those notorious sins I have named unto you I have defiled my selfe with many secret execrable lusts Be it so saith the spirituall Physition yet in the daies of my vanity I have been guilty of moe and more hainous crimes then any you have yet spoken of Yea but even now when I have most need of should most prize reverence and lay hold upon Gods blessed Word Son and Promises I am pestilently pestered with many abhorred villanous and prodigious injections about them Not a man alive replies the Man of God hath had his head troubled with more hideous thoughts of such hellish nature then I c. 12. That pretious Parable Luk. 15. wherein all those loving passages of the Father unto his prodigall Son to wit His beholding him when hee was yet a great way off his compassion running towards him falling upon his necke kissing him putting on him the best Robe and the Ring killing the fatted Calfe c. doe shadow that immeasurable incomprehensible love of God the Father to every one that is willing to come out of the Divels cursed service into the good way But come as farre short of expressing it to the life as the infinite greatnesse of Almighty God surpasseth the finite frailty of a weake man and worme of the earth 2. In a second place Let us take a view of some of those most delicious and sweetest streames of dearest comfort which spring abundantly out of that fruitfull Fountaine of compassion and love Psal. 103.13 Like as a Father pittieth his Children so the Lord pittieth them that feare him See also Deutâ—r 8.5 Malac. 3.17 Hence may wee draw refreshing enough to our thirstie soules in many passages of heavy thoughts and grievous complaints about our spirituall state 1. In the distempers and damps of prayer thus Suppose the dearest Sonne of the loving'st Father to lie grievously sicke and out of the extremity of angvish to cry out and complaine unto him that hee is so full of paine in every part that hee knowes not which way to turne himselfe or what to doe and thereupon intreats him of all loves to touch him tenderly to lay him softly to mollifie all hee may his painefull misery and give him ease How ready thinke you would such a father bee with all tendernesse and care to put to his helping hand in such a ruefull case But yet if hee should grow sicker and weaker so that hee could not speake at all but onely looke his Father in the face with watery eies and moane himselfe unto him with sighes and groanes and other dumbe expressions of his increased paine and desire to speake Would not this yet strike deeper into the Fathers tender heart pierce and melt it with more feeling pangs of compassion and make his bowells yerne within him with an addition of extraordinary dearenesse and care to doe him good Even just so will thy heavenly Father bee
affected and deale with thee in hearing helping and shewing mercy when all thy strength of praier is gone but onely groanes and sighes Nay with incomparably more affectionatenesse For looke how farre God is higher then Man in Majestie and greatnesse which is by an infinite distance and disproportion so far doth he passe him in tender-heartednesse and love See Isai. 55. 8.9 Or be it so That thou art able to speak unto God and in some measure to utter thy mind yet in thy conceit it is so weakly coldly and confusedly that thou thinkes As well never a whit as never the better c. Take notice here that Gods Child is able First sometimes to poure out his soule unto his God with life and power Secondly sometimes to say something but with much coldnesse deadnesse of heart and distractednesse as he complaines without his woonted feeling and freedome of spirit Thirdly At other times he can say just nothing but groane and sigh and only desire hee could pray For this last looke upon the last passage For the second to wit when the Christian is troubled that hee can say something and speake words unto God yet it is without that order efficacy fit phrase and comming-off so comfortably as he thinks is to bee found in other Professours c. I say in this Case consider that as a Father is more delighted with the stammering stuttering as it were with the in-articulate and imperfect talke of his owne little Childe when it first begins to speake then with the exactest eloquence of the most famous Oratour upon earth so assuredly our heavenly Father is infinitely better pleased with the broken interrupted passages and periods of prayer in an upright heart heartily grieved that hee can doe no better nor offer up a more lively hearty and orderly sacrifice then with the excellently-composed fine-phrased and most methodicall petitions of the learned'st Pharisee Nay his soule extremely loathes the one and graciously accepts the other in Iesus Christ. As concerning the complaint of coldnesse bee assured that tho thy prayers proceede out of thy mouth faint and feeble cold and uncomfortable yet springing from a syncere heart purified by Faith truly humbled under Gods mighty hand for sinne seconded with groanes and griefe with an holy anger and selfe-indignation that they be not more fervent and piercing and offered in obedience unto God are most certainely as it were by the way fortified and enlived with the pacifying perfections and intercessory spirit of Iesus Christ sweetly perfumed with the precious Odours of his fresh-bleeding Merits and blessed Mediation so that they strike the eares of the Almighty with farre greater strength and irresistable importunity then is ordinarily imagined And are as sweet-smelling sacrifices in his nostrils The very sight of whose crucified Sonne at his right hand tendering the suite can calme his most angry countenance and convert by a sacred meritorious attonement his displeasures and wrath into compassions and peace Now blessed bee God that the weake prayers and broken sighes of tempted and troubled spirits have this happy promise and prerogative That before they presse as it were into the presence of God the Father they are mingled in the meane time with the soveraigne and satisfactory incense in the golden censer whence evaporating out of the Angels hand I meane the Angel of the Covenant for so the truest Interpreters understand the place they ascend into the sight of our gracious Father incorporated and enwoven as it were into that pretious and pleasing fume And that it pleaseth the blessed Spirit in the needefull time of spirituall extremities to draw the petitions of our sometimes speechlesse heavy and distracted hearts Iesus Christ the great Angell of the Covenant to perfect perfume and present them Hee that by an excellency and title of highest honour is stiled the Hearer of praiers to receive them into his mercifull hand and bosome of compassionate acceptation Goe on then poore soule Thou that sorely â—roopes under the sensible waight of thy manifold weakenesses and unworthinesse this way and thereupon sometimes sinfully drawes back with some thoughts of giving-over quite which is that the Divel desires and would utterly undoe thee forever presse forward in the name of Christ unto the Throne of Grace with a lighter heart then thou art wont Shall the Lord Iesus call and cry for a Pardon for those who put him to death who were so farre from seeking unto him that like so may Evening Wolves they sought and suckt his blood and will hee shut his eares thinkes thou from thy complaints and groanes who values one drop of his blood to quench thy spirituall thirst at an higher price then the worth of many Worlds Comfort thy selfe invincibly It cannot bee 2. In the faintnesse of Faith and want of feeling Thou beholdest sometimes a Father holding a little Childe in his armes now whether dost thou thinke is the Child safe by it's owne or by the Fathers hold It claspes about the Father with it's little weake hands as well as it can but the strength of it's safety is in the Fathers arme Nay and the Father holds the faster when at any time hee perceives the Child to have left it's hold Thou art tied as it were unto Christ by a double bond first of the Spirit and secondly of Faith Thou layest hold on Christ by Faith and hee holds thee by his Spirit Now thy Infant Faith or after some good standing in Christianity weakened and sorely wounded in thy present feeling hath lost it's hold-fast And therefore thou thinkes all is gone and walkes dejectedly and uncomfortably as tho not any promise in Gods Booke or drop of Christs Blood were thine c. But assure thy selfe being sound at the heart roote and walking in the light as God is in the light thy heavenly Father in this Case holds thee so fast by his Spirit that no Man or Divell not all the powers of darkenesse or gates of hell can possibly plucke thee out of his hand Nay the excellency of his power is most gloriously improoved and made more illustrious in thy greatest extremities and extremest spirituall weakenesse And hee holds it his highest honour to hold thee the fastest when thy hold is gone Heere then and upon this ground thou hast a Calling and maâ—st comfortably for hee is ever most loving and tender hearted in times of temptation to all that are true of heart exercise that most excellent act of faith To beleeve without feeling To beleeve when the face of God doth shine upon thee with sensible refreshing and when thou enjoyest plentifull and pregnant proofes of his favour is no great matter no such maistery But then to beleeue when all sense of Gods love is gone and the light of his countenance hid from thee when all goe quite crosse and contrary in the apprehension of carnall reason then is the highest praise this is the perfection of faith The very dull