of some in hell shall be more tollerable then of some others but thereby they vnderstand rather those gripes of conscience that prouoke prayers supplications strong cryings and teares out of a heart beset and straightned with fierce accusations a conuinced conscience feared condemnatioÌ„ these assaults they say shall be more hard against the conscience of him that siuned against knowledge in a presuming manner then against the conscience of him that sinned of ignorance in a weaker manner that is yeelding rather out of his weaknes then daring out of his pride for it may be alledged for the ignorant man that if he had knowne such a thing to be euill in the sight of God he would not haue done it No such thing can be said for him that presumed against knowledge for such an one sheweth contempt of God and of his reuealed will which the ignorant man cannot be charged with all hee groneth only vnder the burden of humane errour and frailty but the other lieth vnder the burden of malice and presumption Therefore when our afflicted man pressed distinctly with some particular sinnes findeth that they were the sinnes of his ignorance let him not thinke himselfe thereby free for to be ignorant of that which is our duty required of God is of it selfe a great sinne and if his ignorance be affected ignorance as in them that refuse to be taught and contemne the meanes of knowledge when God doth offer them such ignorance differeth little or nothing from malice But let him pray vnto God in hope and let him plead before God his ignorance not as an excuse much lesse as a iustification of his fault but as a motiue by which the Lord is often led in his free mercy to forgiue sinnes And for the incouraging of his heart let him remember the examples of them to whom vpon their â—…epentance and conuersion to God mercy to the forgiuenesse of their sinnes of ignorance hath beene granted Peter in a sermon of his made vnto the multitude that came together to see the lame man whom he and Iohn had healed chargeth them with a grieuous sinne saying You denied the holy one and the iust and desired a murà erer to be giuen you and killed the Lord of life whom God raised from the dead where of we are witnesses This was a great sinne to kill the sonne of God and to make more reckoning of and to shew more fauour vnto a knowen murderer then to the Lord of life that came to saue them But this their fact he saith was of ignorance And now brethren I know that through ignorance you did it as did also your gouernors For though the lews were very maliciously bent against Iesus yet many of them knew him not to be the Lord of life and to be the holy one of God neither did they persecute him in that name Therefore doth Saint Peter saâ—…e vnto them in the same Sermon Amend your liues and turne that your sinnes may be done away Heere is mercy offered and assured vnto them that amend their liues and turne to God namely this mercy that all their enormious sinnes and euen among the rest their sinne in refusing the Lord Christ and putting him to a shamefull death should be forgiuen and the rather because they did it ignorantly And memorable is the example of the blessed Apostle Paul His sinne was persecutioÌ„ against the name of Iesus Christ his proceeding in it was furious without all compassion raging both against men and women that called vpon that name and casting them into prison in all places where he could finde them and had power against them In such sort that hee became famous or to speake more truely infamous for his cruelty so that Ananias in Damascus could say to the Lord Iesus of him Lord I haue heard by many of this man how much euil he hath done to thy Saints in Ierusalem moreouer here hee hath authority of the high Priests to bindâ—… all that call vpon thy name And yet this man had his sinnes forgiuen and was receiued into fauour and had all the degrees of holy honour done vnto him that can be done vpon earth to any among the followers of the Lord Iesus For first he was called to the knowledge and faith of the Lord Iesus and was made a true beleeuer Secondly he had honour not only to belieue in him but also to suffer for his sake and was made a true confessour and marter Thirdly he was also an excellent instrument to draw other men to the knowledge and faith of Iesus and was made a teacher and an Apostle And all this was the more freely done to him because when hee was a persecurour hee finned of ignorance and knew no other but that it was lawfull and holy for him to doe so Heare what himselfe saith of that matter I thanke him that hath made mee strong that is Christ Iesus our Lord for he counted me faithfull and put me in his seruice when before I was a blasphemer and a persecutor an oppressor but I was receiued to mercie because I did it ignorantly through vnbeliefe Ignorance and vabeleese are not things pleasing ro God by their vertue and merit obtaining forgiuenes of all the sins growing out of them neither doth the Apostle remember his ignorance and vnbeleefe obtaining his pardon as out of worthinesse of them rather know them in themselues to be grieuous sins deseruing hell as fully as any notorious sinne that issueth from them but he that sinneth out of ignorance more easily findeth fauour then hee that sinneth against knowledge For the sinne of the ignorant man hath not in it like euidence of rebellion against the reuealed will of God as the sin of him that hath knowledge As the words of the Lord Iesus shew spoken to some of the Pharisies If ye were blind ye should not haue sinne that is if yee wanted knowledge and were blind in your vnderstanding your fault should not bee so great so notorious so blame-worthy as now it is by reason of your knowledge There is therefore though no merit of fauour yet much hope for him that can say truely in his heart vnto GOD Lord thou knowest that blindly and ignorantly I ranne into this sinne not knowing that it was against thy will and so odious in thy sight And this is for him that is distinctly charged with particular sinnes and findes that hee committed them out of ignorance a doore of hope in which these examples may incourage him to digge by prayer wherein if hee doe truely and with a right penitent heart humbly and earnestly trauell he casteth the burthen of his sinnes vpon God and shall finde case CHAP. XV. BVT say it was sinne against knowledge and thou hadst warning giuen thee many times to take heede of that same sinne and warning by the word of God so that thou couldest not but know that to doe so as thou didst was a
of Hezekiah his father it is likly that he had been carefully taught and that his father did no more leaue him without counsell at his departure out of life then Dauid wheÌ„ he was ready to die did leaue his sonne Salomon When the dayes of Dauid drew neare that he should die he charged Salomon his sonne saying I goe the way of all the earth be strong therefore shew thy selfe a man and take heede to the charge of the Lord thy God to walke in his waies c. Thus out of his care did he not cease while there was life and strength in himselfe to teach his sonne his dutie to God And of Hezekiah it is testified that hee did vprightly iâ—… 3. the sight of the Lord according to all that his father Dauid bad done therefore it is not likely that either in the time of health or in the time of his sickenes hee neglected the instruction of his son that should succeed him It must needes bee therefore that Manasses sin was against knowledge euen in his childhood much more afterward Sure it was with full freedome of his will euen with a high hand of whom it is thus written He did euill in the sight of the Lord like the abhomination of the heathen whoÌ„ the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel for he went backe built the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken downe he set vp Alters for Baalim and made groues and worshiped all the hoast of Heauen and serued them Also he built Alters in the house of the Lord where of the Lord had said in Ierusulem shall my name be for euer And he built Alters for all the hoast of the heaueÌ„ in the two courts of the house of the Lord. And he caused his sonnes to passe through the fire in the vallie of Benhinnom he gaue himselfe here was full sway of his owne will to witchcraft and to charming and to sorcery and he vsed them that had familiar spirits and soothsayers he did very much euill in the sight of the Lord to anger him c. Here was a man violent headstrong yea mad and furious in his sinne and not in small but in the greatest sinnes not onely against the second table but much more against the commandements of the first table in all kindes of idolatry and all vngodly profanations and yet hee found fauour at the hands of God who first brought him to repentance by 〈◊〉 and then forgiuing his sinne restored him to peace The history wherof is thus recorded The Lord brought vpon him the captaines of the hoast of the King of Ashur which tooke Manasses and put him in fetters and bound him 〈◊〉 chaines and caried him to Baâ—…ell And when he was in tribulation he prayed to the Lord his God and humbled himselfe greatly before the God of his father and praied vnto him and God was intreated of him and heard his praier and brought him againe to Ierusalem into his kingdome then Manasses know that the Lord was God Now after this he built a wall without the Citie of Dauid on the west side of Gihon in the valley euen at 〈◊〉 entry of the fish-gate and compassed about Ophet and raised it very high and put Captaines of war in all the strong Citties of Iudah And he tooke away the strange Gods and the image out of the house of the Lord all the Alters that he had built in the mount of the house of the Lord and in Ierusalem and cast them out of the Citie Also he prepared the Altar of the Lord and sacrificed thereon peace offrings and of thankes and commanded Iudah to serue the Lord God of Israel Consider seriously this example weigh therein on the one side the sinne of the man on the other side the mercy of God In Manasses thou shalt see the height of thy sinne equalled if not exceeded and in God thou shalt see mercy exceeding all sinne And where such mercy appeareth what should make the sinner doubt of finding fauour while he seeketh it with a true purpose of leauing his sinne and true faith and hearty praier I might ad herevnto the example of that theefe that was crucified at the same time with the Lord Iesus vpon his right hand to whom making his paier to Iesus in these words Lord remember me when thou coÌ„mest into thy kingdome The Lord again mâ—…de him this answere ful of most rich mercy this day thou shalt be with me in Paradice This man liuing among the people of Iudah could not be ignorant of the commandement of God forbidding theft therefore his sin was against knowledge And making a trade of theft thereby to maintaine himselfe there was no violence offred to his will but freely willingly and with choyce he followed that course and was euen a couenant seruant of sinne reaping with delight the wages of iniquitie in the spoile that he made of the inocent And yet he found fauour and had his sinne forgiuen him and entred into life Who shall then dispaire of the mercy of God Saint Ambrose calles the historie of this man â—…ulcherrimum affectandae conuersionis exemplum A most Godly example to moue men to turne to God And these examples let our afflicted sinner consider seriously They are writtâ—…n for our instruction in them hee shall espie an hole in the wall of hope which will proue a dore of mercy for him to enter if he dig by hearty paier And for the further confirmation of his hope Let our afflicted sinner know that there is only one kinde of sinne vnpardonable and he shall find the sin that he is charged withall not to be that sin therefore to be pardonable And this is no small incouragmeÌ„t to know his sin how great so euer yet to be pardonable when a sicke man vnderstandeth his disease that will be mortall to him if hee neglect it yet to be curable if he looke to it in time apply apt medicines vnto it hee will take much comfort in that knowledge thenceforth he will diligently seek for remedy And so must our afflicted sinner when he shal vnderstand his sinne to be such as may be forgiuen comfort his soule with that consideration and thenceforth diligently vse the meanes that God our Phisition prescribeth and the effect by the mercy of God wil be health peace saluation Now that sinne that is vnpardonable is called in the Scripture blasphemy against the Holy Ghost Whereof our Sauiour speaketh in these wordes saying Verily I say vnto you all sinnes shall be forgiuen vnto the children of men and blasphemies wherewith they blaspheme but he that blasphems against the Holy Ghost shall neuer haue forgiuenes but is culpable of eternall damnation Which sinne if wee consider the circumstances of the place where the Pharises are charged with it especially as that matter is recorded by Saint Mathew in his twelst
Chapter we shall finde it to be not any particular transgression of any or of all the precepts of the law but a wil-full opposition of our heart against as I may call it the body of religion first rightly vnderstoode and certainely knowne to be the true religion of God and vpon no other cause but out of meere enuie The Pharises heard the doctrine of our Lord Iesus Christ and saw his miracles and knew him to bee that sonne of Dauid that Messias that was promised they knew his doctrine to be holy and heauenly and his workes to bee wrought by the finger of God Yet because the people honoured him and vpon the sight of his miracle when hee healed the man that was possessed of a diuell and was both blind and dumbe because they then cryed out saying Is not this that sonne of Dauid They therefore out of enuy and mallice without any other cause gaue it out concerning him saying He casteth out Diuels no otherwise but by Belzebub the prince of Diuels Indeuoring by these wordes to perswade the people that he was a wicked man risen vp out of Hell set vp by the Prince of diuels and assisted with his power to publish the doctrine of diuels and to vphold his kingdome so slaundering the person of Christ the workes of Christ and the doctrine of Christ all which many of them knew to be heauenly and of God If they had not knowne him to bee thee sonne of God they had not beene guilty of that great sinne As the Lord said vnto them If ye were blind ye should not haue sinne your ignorance would haue cleered you from this wiâ—…full mallice But they knew his person to be sent of God his workes to be done by the finger of God and in his doctrine that he taught truely the will of God The Lord himselfe said vnto them Yee both know me and know whence I am Yet did they out of enuy detract from the glory of his workes that they might by that meanes bring both his person and heauenly doctrine into contempt And they ceased not this course of slandering his person of disgracing his workes and obscuring the truth of his doctrine laying wait also for his life for God giueth not repentance for this sinne till they had bought him with money of the traytor iudged him to be worthy of death vpon the knowne false testimonie of suborned witnesses extorted with their clamours his condemnation from an vnwilling Iudge pronouncing him iust whom he condemned for their pleasure added vnto his vniust death what reproch they could and after his resurrection corrupted the souldiers with money so causing it to be by them divulged that his disciples stole away his body out of the graue and that he did not rise againe from the dead by that course labouring out of enuy to suppresse the Gospell and doctrine of Iesus Christ which yet they knew by the illumination of the holy Ghost to be the very truth of God This malitious opposition of theirs against religion knowne to be the religion of God was their vnpardonable sinne It was not their vncharitabe proceeding against an innocent man their hiering of a seruant to betray his master their suborning of false witnesses against a iust person their corrupting of a Iudge to giue sentence to their liking though vniust nor the hyâ—…ing of bold men to spred a lie among the credulious multitude nor yet the cruell and vniust murdering of the Lord of life Though all these were grieuous sinnes for many were pardoned both of the people and of their gouerners that had their handes in all this iniustice though they had not so deepe a reaâ—… so enuious a purpose of ouerthrowing by his ouerthrow the religion which they knew to be of God as most of the Priestes and Pharises had many I say were pardoned that had their handes in the iniustice done to our sauiour for he praied for them saying Father forgiue them for they know not what they doe and that praier of his could not be in vaine But in the cunning fellowes both among the people and their goueruors that knew him and whence he was and how he wrought and what he taught and that all was of God this was their vupardonable sin that they vsed al that falshood corruption and cruelty both during his life and in his death only to this end to hinder the course of his doctrine as they say plainely in their councell If we let him thus alone all men will beleeue in him When they knew that doctrine taught by him wherein they would not haue the people to beleeue to be the very truth of God This is the vnpardonable sinne called blasphemie against the Holy Gost because it flaundereth and disgraceth the truth of God which was made knowen vnto them so made to shine in their hearts by the Holy Ghost called the spirit of truth because it leadeth into all truth This sinne is a common sinne of diuels that know God and maliciously seeke his dishonor that know the groundes of true and holy religion and enuiously seeke to depraâ—…e them to corrupt them and if they could to abolish them out of the world desiring nothing more then to disgrace the truth of God among men This sin is sometime but rarely found amongst men and in examination thy sinne will bee found not to be this sinne and therefore not to be vnpardonable which is a great ground of hope to build vpon First the sinne of him that is pressed with the generall and confused accusation of an euill and hypocriticall heart cannot be this sinne that being naturally the estate of all men that come into the world they are borne with a heart deceitfull and wicked aboue all things But no man can be borne guilty of blasphemy against the holy-ghost because no man is in his birth enlightned with the knowledge of true religion which knowledge must necessarily goe before this fearefull opposition Neither can this sinne bee found in them that are distinctly charged with a particular sinne or sins that were committed in the days of ignorance it cannot be those sinnes For he that may fall into this vnpardonable sinne must first haue a full cleere knowledge of true religion with perswasion that it is the trueth But the ignorant man wanteth that cleere knowledge And hee is far enough from this sinne Neither can it be found in them that sinne against knowledge but out of weakenesse either surprised with a sudden temptation or led captiue with a strong and violent temptation for when these men are at libertie to consider what they haue done they haue no pleasure in it But that vnpardonable sinne is a voluntary wilfull and malicious opposition against the knowne truth out of their enuy not induring the glory of Christ in his Gospel Neither can any particular breach of any one Commandement nor all the breaches of all the
offered vnto God for vs is accepted as our righteousnes and the reward of it is giuen vnto vs. His righteousnes is our righteousnes yea hee himselfe is our righteousnes and in him we are righteous not without reference vnto that place of the Prophet Ieremie doeth the Apostle Paul say thus of him You are of him in Iesus Christ who of God is made vnto vs wisdome and righteousnes and sanctification and redemption First he is made vnto vs wisdome that is in him and by the knowledge of him wee attaine vnto that wisdome which only is worthy of that name which philosophie and all the religions in the world the Gospell of Iesus Christ excepted could neuer afford vs for this wisdome maketh vs wise vnto saluation secondly he is made vnto vs righteousnes that is by the imputation of his righteousnes vnto vs we are accepted as righteous and holy and are in him righteous and holy Thirdly he is made vnto vs sanctification that is in him and by the vertue of his death and resurreotion we are recouered out of the dominion of sinne and haue power giuen vs to keepe vnder suppresse mortifie our earthly members and carnall lusts and doe euen in this sinfull world make beginning to serue God in holines and righteousnes with sinceritie and truth of heart Lastly he is giuen to be vnto vs redemption that is when we are once made wise by the knowledge of him and are iustified by his imputed righteousnes sanctified by his quickning grace we shall in the end vndoubtedly come to full redemption in heauen by him And by his meanes thou which of thy selfe art an vncleane person such an one as the holines of heauen may iustly denie entrance vnto art made in Iesus Christ a most holy and pure person worthily admitted by the holines of God to enter into glory And this other part of thy feare and so thy whole obiected feare is remoued the iustice of God that will haue sinne punished and the holines of God that will suffer no vncleane thing to stand before him both hauing receiued full satisfaction in the mediation of Iesus Christ Iustice in his death suffred for vs and holines in his perfect obedience and righteousnes imputed vnto vs so free way is made for the mercy of God which thou foolishly callest prodigall mercy For nothing euer was with more wise prouision bestowed to come vnto thee to forgiue thy great and abominable sinnes and to saue a great and an abominable sinner Now therefore fall to praier in the name of so gracious a mediator intreat the most merciful louing God to forgiue thy sins to receiue thee to fauor And for thy incouragement first vnderstand that without exception of any sin whether in time of ignorance or of knowledge vnaduisedly or aduisedly done the Lord Iesus Christ hath giuen thee leaue yea hee hath commanded thee to craue the forgiunes of thy sins teaching and commanding thee to say vnto God Forgiue vs our sinnes Looke then vpon the sinnes that lye so heauie vpon thy conscience marke thē well and if thou findest them to be thine as i◅ most like thou shalt know that thou hast leaue giuen thee and art also commanded to be a suitor for the forgiuenes of them whatsoeuer they be being sins And consider by whom this leaue and this commandement is giuen thee euen by him that is appointed to be the iudge of quicke and dead who while he giueth thee leaue commandement hath also himselfe drawne the petition for thee by which thou art commanded and permitted to craue the forgiuenes And surely it is a beginning of mercy granted to grant thee leaue and to imbolden thee with a commandement to aske for mercy his rule being Aske and it shall be giuen thee And it is not with out hope yea great hope of forgiuenes of sins when the iudge that hath power to grant it doth both permit thee command thee instruct thee how ◅o craue it This being also on of his rulers in the fore remēbred place Seek ye shall find Secondly to incorage thee further vnderstand that without exception of any sinne whether in time of ignorance or of knowledge vnaduisedly or advisedly done almighty God against whom thy sinne is commited and whose heauie wrath for thy sinnes thou art so greatly afraid of hath promised both to forgiue and forget thy sins saying I will forgiue their iniquitie and will remember their sinnes no more And when doeth God giue this promise but when hee maketh a couenant with his people whereby he bindeth himselfe vnto them And what shall we say was not God aduised of his owne meaning and considerate when he made this promise who can say otherwise of the most wise God but that he was aduised Or did he dissemble or promise this fainedly when he had no meaning to performe it who can say otherwise of the God of trueth but that he fully intended to performe his promise or hath hee forgotten now what hee promised then that by this meanes his promise should be as no promise because not remembred to be euer giuen who can imagine this of that God who knew all his owne workes from the beginning to whom all times both past and to come are euer present and of whom the Prophet saith He hath alwaies remembred his couenant and promise that hee made to a thousand generations Looke then againe vpon the sinnes that are so heauie vpon thy conscience and marke them well and if they be thy sinnes which thou canst not denie as the Lord Iesus hath giuen thee leaue by his commandement to aske forgiuenes so God the father of our Lord Iesus Christ hath promised to grant thee forgiuenes of them Here is a dore of mercy set wide open enter confidently but humbly with thy praier in the name of Iesus the mediator Thou hast the promise of the God of trueth of that God whose word is his deed who saith As I haue spoken so will I bring it to passe And what or whome shouldest thou now be afraid of CHAP. XIX BVT the afflicted sinner that cānot easily cast off this cleauing burden to his owne further trouble obiecteth against the incouragment giuen him from the commandement of the Lord Iesus to aske forgiuenesse of sinnes affirming that that gracious commandement giuing so franke leaue and so large hope of asking and obtaining forgiuenesse neither doth nor can pertaine vnto him pleading against himselfe in this manner This commandement of Christ that giueth leaue to aske and hope to receiue forgiuenesse of sins cannot belong vnto me neither haue I any right to the benefit and aduantage of it because that commandement is giuen to them that can call God their father for so beginneth the Lords praier wherein that commandement is comprehended our father which art in heauen But cannot call God my father neither haue I any
God should forgiue vnto thee thy wrongs done against his diuine maiestie But in the fourth place marke well this let it enter into thy froward heart if thy peace were presently setled and thou hadst receiued from God as cleare and as assured discharge of all thy sinnes as Dauid had when Nathan said vnto him from God The Lord hath done away thy sinne thou shalt not die Crueltie against thy brother reuoketh Gods promise which hath euer included in it this condition of shewing mercy to thy brother and forgiuing him It is a true saying of Saint Augustin Redeunt dimissa peccata vbi fraterna charitas non est The sinnes forgiuen returne againe where there is no brotherly charitie And this is plaine in the parable of the king and his seruant that ought him ten thousand talents the king being humbly intreated forgaue him the debt that is promised to forgiue it him this seruant went forth and met with a fellow seruant that owed him an hundred pence and cruelly hee cast him into prison which when the king heard of hee was highly displeased and calling this vnmercifull seruant before him hee said vnto him O euill seruant I forgaue the◅ all that debt because thou praiedst mee oughtst not thou also to haue had pittie on thy fellow euen as I had pitie on thee So his master was wroth and deliuered him to the gailer till he should pay all that was due to him His vnmercifull dealing with his follow to whom he would not forgiue small offences reuoked the liberall promise of Gods most large mercy for the forgiuenes of his many and grieuous sinnes therefore suppresse all frowardnes of thy swelling heart and after the councell of Salomon say not I will do to him as he hath done to me I will recompence euery man according to his worke But be curteous mercifull and tender-hearted forgiuing thy brother and so God will gratiously forgiue thee There is a third condition to bee obserued of them that thinke to obtaine forgiuenes of sinne and that concerneth more directly God and his glory and praise namely faith in God faith in Iesus Christ the sonne of God That is firmely to hold perswasion of the mercy of God that it reacheth to the forgiuenes of sinne without exception of any sinne or any sinner as if for sinne there were any greater then his mercy and therefore such as hee neither would nor could forgiue and for the person that there were any so farre out of fauour that vpon his repentance God would not could not be mercifull vnto him the Prophet Micah saying of God for his mercy in this point Who is a God like vnto thee that taketh away iniquitie and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage hee retaineth not his wrath for euer because mercy pleaseth him he will turne againe and haue compassion on vs. He will subdue our iniquities and cast all their sinnes into the bottom of the sea And firmely to hold perswasion of the merit and vertue of the death and bloud sheding of the Lord Iesus Christ that it is effectuall to take away the sinne of the world as Iohn Baptist saith of him Behold the lambe of God that taketh away the sinnes of the world Without exception of any sinne or of any sinner as if for the sinne there were any so grieuous that the bloud of Iesus Christ were not able to wash out the staines thereof and for the sinner that there were any so wicked that the sacrifice of the sonne of God were not sufficient to make attonement with God for him the Euangelist Iohn concerning sinne saying The bloud of Iesus Christ cleanseth vs from all sinne And the Apostle to the Hebrewes concerning sinners saying He is able perfectly to saue them that come vnto God by him seeing he euer liueth to make intercession to God for them This is faith in God to hold this intire perswasion of the mercy of God without making exception which none can iustly make and this is faith in Iesus Christ the sonne of God to hold this intire parswasion of the merit of his precious bloud and bitter passion without making exception which none can truely make And this intire perswassion without exception includeth particular application for he that excepteth no sinne excepteth not his owne sinne a◅d he that excepteth no sinner excepteth not himselfe Of the vertue of this faith to obtaine forgiuenes of sinne and all other graces at the mercifull hand of God for the merit and by the vertue of Iesus Christ the mediator these and many other places of Scripture doe speake fully and plainely Whatsoeuer ye shall aske in praier if ye beleeue ye shall receiue it And in another place If thou beleeue all things are possible to him that beleeueth These things are spoken by the Lord Iesus himselfe And Saint Paul saith Beleeue in the Lord Iesus and thou shalt be saued It may bee the remembrance of this third condition breedeth some discomfort vnto thee as threatning vnto thee no forgiuenes because thou thinkest that thou hast no faith thou thinkest that thou hast it neither in possession nor in power whether thou haue faith in possession or no it may be a questiō because thou maist haue it without presēt feeling of it And sure if euer thou hadst it thou hast it still For as the Apostle Iude saith The faith is once giuen to the saints Faith hath his summerly beautie and winterly barrennesse it admitteth increase decrease but as the tree liueth in the winter though it be bare and when colde stormes are past sheweth his life by building in the spring so faith p◅ncht and benummed with the ◅ipping colde of frostie temptations assoone as it pleaseth God to send ease of trouble sheweth it selfe by reioycing and praising God as it were in a spring and then manifestly declareth the continuance of his being when yet it could not be discerned But if thou be indeed without it it is out of question that thou hast no power to command it it is not a matter of that facilitie to beleeue in God vnto saluation that some doe account it who vse to say they can beleeue what they list For to command silence to accusing thoughts and to stop the mouth of Sathan that accuseth thee of thy sinne and to suppresse the sentence of Gods law that condemneth thee for sin and to binde the hands of Gods iustice that is readie to doe execution vpon thee for sinne and to quiet a conscience disturbed and s◅t on fire with the feare of deserued wrath and condemnation and to beleeue in God vnto saluation is to doe all this is a worke of greater difficultie then hee vnderstandeth that saith he can beleeue what he list Credulitie to thinke this or that to be true because some bodie tels vs so or because we haue reade it or because
fall into misery is of infinite variety no man can number the seuerall miseries and troubles that sinne hath made our life subiect vnto yet they may be reduced to two generall heads for either they are iudgements vpon the inward man inward miseries and afflictions vpon the soule or else they are outward iudgements vpon the outward man in outward things that touch not the peace of the soule The inward iudgements and miseries which follow the fall into sin and wherinto for sinne man falleth are either the blinding of our vnderstanding and the hardening of our heart often inflicted as punishments of foregoing sinnes and such was the iudgâ—…ment of God vpon Pharao whose heart God hardened and such a iudgement and misery the Apostle Paul telleth vs the Gentiles fell into as a punishment of precedent sins when he saith Wherefore also God gaue them vp to their hearts lusts vnto vncleannesse to deâ—…ile their owne bodies betweene themselues And in many more words he recordeth that iudgement or they are those feares and terrours of heart that cast vs downe from hope that empty our soules of comfort fill them with feares and make vs as it were to stagger shrinke and fall in our faith of this kind is that iudgement that God threaâ—…neth by Moses in these words the Lord shall simite thee with madnesse and with blindnesse and astonishment of heart when a man is amased and confounded with his feares that hee knoweth not which way to turne him for comfort and helpe and deepe fallen into this miserie were they whom Esay speaketh of saying The sinnes in Sion are afraid a feare is come vpon the hipocrites who among vs shall dwell with the deuouring fire who among vs shall dwell with the euerlasting burnings They conceiued no otherwise of God then of a consuming fire and therefore feare possessed altogither their hearts hope vanished faith had no abiding there And all these inward miseries falling immediately vpon the soule and the facultie thereof tend chiefely to this to ouerthrow our faith by decay of it to ouerthrow vs for faith is the firme standing of our soule grounded vpon the assurance of Gods mercy Therefore doeth the Apostle vse this phrase Watch you stand fast in the faith quit you like men and be strong Because he that hath the stronger faith standeth the more strong and steadfast and hee that hath the weaker faith standeth more weakely and loose and thoug the faith of the Saints of God once giuen vnto them neuer totally decaieth for as the Lord Iesus saith hee praied for the continuance and confirmation of Peters faith to whom he said I haue praied for thee that thy faith faile not So he praied for all his chosen ones that beleeue in him when he said to his father I pray not for these alone but for them also which shall beleeue in mee thorough their word Yet the faith of the Saintes suffereth sometimes an eclipse or deceasing at some other times an increasing whereby as in the increasing of their faith they stand fast and are full of comfort so in the deceasing of their faith their footing becommeth slipperie and they take many sore falles feele their hearts oppressed with feare as it was with Dauid when he cried out My God my God why hast thou forsaken mee and art so far from my health and from the words of my roaring And when he complained at another time saying Mine heart trembleth within mee and the terrors of death are fallen vpon mee feare and trembling are come upon mee and an horrible feare hath couered mee In this manner their faith at that time being in the wane the righteous oppressed with a weight of anguish and feare doe often fall through the shrinking of their faith and feele themselues sore bruised in their soules But yet such is the mercy of God that he doeth not suffer the righteous being fallen into these inward iudgements and miseries to fall for euer And if it be a blinded vnderstanding or a hardned heart that they are fallen into he raiseth them vp out from a blinded vnderstanding by sending the knowledge of the 〈◊〉 As the Lord Iesus sent Paul among the ignorant Gentiles with this commission I send thee to open their 〈◊〉 that they may turne from darkenes to light c. And he raiseth them vp from hardnes of heart by mollifying their hearts as hee promiseth by Ezekiel saying I will take away the stonâ—…e heart out of your body and I will giue you an heart of flesh And if they be fallen into any feare and terror of conscience he raiseth them vp by repairing their faith and by reuiuing their comfort To that end he bringeth to their remembrance the large promises of his grace the boundles measure of his mercy the riches of his free vnchangeable loue and then doeth hee make them remember that they haue a mediator that died for their sinnes and rose againe for their iustification and ascended into heauen to prepare a place for them and sitteth on the right hand of his father in highest fauour and greatest authoritie to make intercession for them continually vrging the vertue of his death and bloudshedding that hath taken away the sinne of the world who is the prince of peace that hath made their peace and is that beloued sonne in whom the father is well pleased making vs accepted in that his beloued To the same end doeth he spread the beames of his louing countenance and cause the light thereof to shine within their consciences sending downe the spirit of adoption into their hearts to beare witnes with their spirits that they are the sonnes of God so raking together the sparkes of their almost smothered faith from among the cold ashes of anguish and feare where it lay deepe couered giuing heate and life vnto it with the warming fire of his comfort so that they begin to lift vp their heads and to reioice their hearts and to shake of their their sorrow and feare and to glorie in God saying with the blessed virgin My soule magnifieth the Lord and my spirit reioiceth in God my Sauiour And with the Prophet Dauid Thou hast tnrned my mourning into ioy thou hast loosed my sacke and girded mee with gladnes And that God doeth thus not suffring the righteous to fall and languish in these inward miseries for euer besides the experience of Gods elect daily renewed with light and grace and daily refreshed with comfort and peace the scriptures also doe testifie it to be the gracious manner of Gods dealing with his chosen The Prophet saith of him Hee healeth those that are broken in heart and bindeth vp their soares These words can be referred to no other worke of God for the more sure and full performance whereof God sent his sonne into the world who came to call sinners vnto repentance and to seeke and saue them that
euen the best regenerate man that feareth God and loueth righteousnesse that hath both his vnderstaÌ„ding enlightned his will sanctified so that he wanteth neither knowledge zeale nor humility yet can neither doe the good that gladly he would nor leaue vndone the euill that his soule abhorreth This is no smal burden to the man that wold please God and doe his dutie that hee becomes his owne troubler against his owne will and crosseth himselfe by corruption in that wherein he taketh pleasure by sanctification This made Paul the Apostle to crie out in these words O wretched man that I am who shall deliuer me from this body of death It was death to him that such corruption was so preualent in his fraile body And in another place he calleth the same law of sinne a pricke in the flesh the messenger of satan to buffet him because it was euer seruiceable to satan and armed his hand against the holy feruant of God so that whensoeuer the Apostle did set his heart to doe well the diuell did beat him with the weapons of his owne corruption This is no small burden to an honest minded man The second ranke of these spirituall burdens are accusing thoughts checkes and terrors of conscience the worme in thy bosome gnawing thine heart This burden often followeth the former as Zophar speaketh When wickednesse was sweet in his mouth he hid it vnder his tongue and fauoured it and would not forsake it but kept it close in his mouth then his meat in his bowels was turned the gal of aspes was in the middest of him That is at first sinne in the committing of it is sweet as ratsbane poison often is goeth downe merrily and is meate and drinke to the sinner and he can not bee wonne from it because it is his delight but at last the time commeth according to the saying of God in the Psalme I wil reprooue thee and set them that is thy sinnes in order before thee According to this saying God mustereth his sinnes together and presenteth a view of them before the soule of the sinner where the diuell as a great officer in that campe setteth them forth in their colours that al the contempt of God and of his commandements all their vnthankfulnesse and forgetfulnesse of their duty all the violence filthinesse fury and disorder that accompanied their sinnes appeareth fresh to the sinners vnderstanding and what wrathin heauen what shame on earth and fire in hell he hath made himselfe worthy of and must now looke for And this turneth the meat in his stomack into 〈◊〉 this is more deadly then the poison of aspes can be then feare increaseth nope decreaseth then the wicked are confounded and could wish â—…illes and mountaines to fall vpon them to couer them from the face of God and thinking to flie deserued destruction they oft times cast themselues into eternall destruction and with Saul Achitâ—…phel and Iudas kil themselues Yea the best seruants of God when it pleaseth him to lay this burden in any tollerâ—…ble measure vpon them are exceedingly affrighted for a time Dauids words being pressed with this burden shew the heauy load of it There is nothing sound in my slesh because of thine anger neither is there rest in my bones because of my sinne For mine iniquities are gone ouer my head and as a waighty burden they are too heauy for me His affliction was great when the griefe of his minde changed the health of his body and left no soundnesâ—…e either in flesh or bones And so was it with the Prophet and the only cause of this so great disease was the remembrance of his sinnes and the feare of Gods angeâ—… by those sinnes deserued Another time laden with this burden as he was before he complained of his load as he had done before saying Innumerable troubles haue compassed me my sinnes haue taken such hold vpon me that I am not able to looke vp yea they are more in number then the haires of my head therefore my heart hath failed me Needes must the assault of innumerable troubles follow the remembrance of innumerable sinnes and these troubles where they lay hold doe depresse the heart that the ouercharged waight cannot looke vp to the mercy feat of God Yea where faith wageth battaile against fear and keepeth the field well strengthened with many promises and in the end preuaileth restoring peace to the conscience yet there for a time vntil the houre and power of darknesse passe ouer terrors are great when the charge of sinne lieth vpon the soule See it in him that had the greatest assurance of all the sonnes of men when the glorious sonne of God our blessed Sauiour Iesus Christ for our redemption was to take vp and beare the burden of our sinnes it did put him to vnspeakable paine and was vpon his mighty shoulders a mighty burden Hence came that tripled praier O my father if it be possible let this cup passe from me neuertheles not as I wil but as thou wilt Thence came that agony that Saint Luke speaketh of that being in an open garden and kneeling on the bare ground about the middest of night in a cold season of the yeere he fell into a great sweat and his sweat was like drops of blood trickling downe to the ground Thence came that crie vpon the crosse which was not the singing of a Psalme but the true dittie of sorrow and of a depressed soule speaking as was before prophecied of him My God my God why hast thou forsaken me All these grew from the burden of our sinnes laid vpon him that he bearing our sinnes in his body vpon the tree we might be deliuered from sinne to liue in righteousnesse The burden therefore of sinne when accusing thoughts once presse and charge the conscience citing vs to appeare and answer before God for our offences is a most heauy burden the burden of the humble and broken hearted man these are the two rankes of spirituall burdens Now vnder these six rankes fower of secular burdens two of spirituall I suppose all those burdens may be comprehended which lie heauy vpon vs in this world and cause feare care and griefe vnto vs first care of the world secondly domesticall troubles thirdly troubles more remote fourthly the difficulties that follow the duties of our callings fiftly the sinfull lusts of our flesh fighting against our soules lastly accusing thoughts breeding terrors of conscience CHAP. V. YOu haue heard what the burden is now let vs consider what it is to cast this burden vpoÌ„ the Lord. And hereof I will speake first generally without relation to any particular sort of these burdens and then particularly with relation to the particular sorts of burdens before named and in such order as they were named but first generally What it is to cast our burden vpon the Lord we may see by the words of Saint Peter repeating this
masterly authoritie and wisedome to draw them back from iniquity In which godly attempt fathers and masters haue alowāce frō God yea they are not only warranted of God to do it but it is a charge laid vpon them children seruants being committed to them not onely to doe them seruice and to be at their cōmandemēt but rather to receiue education instruction from them And when parents and masters faile and become carelesse of the instruction of their children seruants and in the right gouernmēt of them God doth often in his iustice punish the fathers masters neg ligence with the childrens and seruants disorder And when parents masters are carefull to instruct gouerne aright their children seruants then God in his mercy requiteth that care and diligence with the obedience and faithfulnesse of children and seruants Salomon saith in the Prouerbs The rod and correction giue wisedome but a childe set at libertie makes his mother ashamed Here iustice repayeth with disorder in the child the neglect of instruction and gouernement in the parents The same Salomon saith a gaine Correct thy sonne he will giue thee rest and will giue pleasures to thy soule Here mercy repayeth with contenting obedience in the child the wise and careful gouernement of the parents To masters also that their seruants may not breede their vnrest Salomon in the same place giueth these Items by which hee might well suppose that wise men would take warning A seruant wil not be chastened with words though hee vnderstand yet hee will not answer This is plaine enough that for some seruants the right gouernment of them something more then words is sometime necessary And againe he saith Hee that delicately bringeth vp his seruant from his youth at length he wil be euen as his sonne This is plaine enough that a delicate life with liberty and pleasure is not to be allowed to seruants by any rule of good gouernement left to thy griefe he take vppon him to bee more then a seruant Yet these rules for parents to desire and helpe the reformation of disobedient children and for maisters to desire and help the reformation of disordered seruants giues no defence vnto vnnaturall parents that are tyrants to their owne children and to cruel masters that increase the proportion of worke and number of strip◅s but dimin◅sh the due allowance of meate and cloathes and sleepe and are neuer pleased but euer brawling Saint Paul saith vnto parents Fathers prouoke not your childrē to wrath Lenity must be vsed though not cockering and too much sufferance And to masters he saith Masters doe vnto your seruants that which is iust and equall Equity must be vsed toward them thogh not remissenesse To the same purpose may it bee saide for children and se◅uants if while they haue carried themselues duetifully and deserued well their parents or maisters out of their owne vnkindnesse and cruelty doe prooue a heauy burden vnto them because it may please God to ease them of that burden by chaunging the mindes of their parents and maisters it belongeth vnto them as a speciall point of the casting of their burden vppon the Lord to pray vnto God for their parents and maisters that hee will be pleased to open and amend their hearts that they may see their errour and may reforme the same learne to deale more kindly which belongeth to parents and to deale more iustly which belongs to maisters and whereas they haue no authoritie to admonish to teach to correct as their parents and maisters haue yet with due reuerēce they may be bold obseruing opportunitie and vsing decent and humble speeches somtimes to tell them what they think to be fit How reuerently when Saul wronged Dauid and had spoken to Ionathan his sonne and to all his seruants that they should kill Dauid which was Ionathans griefe because he loued Dauid how reuerently did Ionathan labour to make Saul his father see his errour saying vnto him Let not the King sinne against his seruant against Dauid for hee hath not sinned against thee but his workes haue beene to thee verie good for he did put his life in danger and slew the Philistim and the Lord wrought a great saluation for all Israel thou sawest it and thou reioycedst wherefore then wilt thou sinne against innocent bloud and slay Dauid without a cause And when Naamat the Syrian tooke great indignation at the Prophet Elisha because he came not out and laid his hands vpon his leprousie to heale it but commanded him to wash himselfe seauen times in the waters of Iordan which he iudged nothing so vertuous as the waters of Damascus which indignation of Naama◅ the Lord and master grieued all his seruants how reuerently did they say vnto him Father if the Prophet bad commanded thee a great thing wouldest thou not haue done it How much rather then when he saith vnto thee wash and be cleane Such words of mildnesse spoken in fit season and with reseruation of due reuerence may by seruants and children be vsed to their fathers and masters to induce them to see their former errour that it may be a meanes vnder God to change their mindes But this liberty can no way iustify the insolence and vnduetifulnesse of many children seruants that being restrained by the seueritie of their parents and masters grow into discontent speake contemptuously and raylingly without all reuerence and without all regarde either of the authoritie of their parents and masters or of the subiection and duety that they owe vnto them By the same rule is euery one whose domesticall trouble growes by the errour of his neighbour if hee would bee cased which may be the changing of his neighbours minde taught to pray vnto God for the bettering of his neighbour and to put his owne helping hand to so good a woorke by admonishing his neighbour neighbourly And hee hath precepts from GOD to warrant that course Moses saith Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart but thou shalt plainely rebuke thy neighbour and not suffer him to sinne So that there wanteth charitie in him that will not louingly tell his neighbor of his errour And God doeth often in his iustice make thy bad neighbour to be a cause of trouble vnto thee because thou knowing his disorders hast not told him of them that he might amend A like commaundement giueth the Lord Iesus saying If thy brother trespasse against thee goe and tell him his fault betweene him and thee alone That is if his faul be bent against thee as the chosen obiect of his malice or directed another way it light vppon thee to the hurt or hazard of thy life thy peace thy profit or thy good name or if his misdeede were neither intended against thee nor did light vpon thee but onely thou art grieued in thine honest soule to behold so vngodly dealing in these cases thou art commāded of the
for reliefe This therefore is a speciall point of casting our burden vpon God in these and in all troubles that men do learne to make humble praier vnto God But from these generall rules let vs consider of the particular and here as I said before of domesticall troubles Iâ—… vs first consider of them that grow vnto vs from enemies that wrong vs. After of our griefe for friends Of these some bend their malice against our estate and by cunning and fraud in bargaining by violence 〈◊〉 power in oppressing by robbery in the high way and by aduantages offered to their couetous and mercilesse hearts seek to inrich themselues by tâ—… spoile or at the least to weaken and ouerthroâ—… thine estate and to scatter thy riches as a spoile Some bend their malice against thy good name and by railing and opeâ—… exclamations to thy face after the manner of Shemei and by slandering close tales behind thy backe after the manner of Doeg by misconstruing and mis-reporting thy iust doings and by imputing vnto thee those bad deeds that thou neuer hadst thine hand in seeke to blemish thy reputation in all places and to bring thee into disgrace Some bend their malice against thy life and either vow and attempt themselues to kill thee as Ioab did Abner or hire and sot on others to murther thee as Absolom set on his seruants to murther Amnon or accuse thee to men of more fury violence then themselues betraying thee into their hands to bee sacrificed to their wrath or stirre vp and arme by false accusations the Magistrate against thee that vnder shew of iustice thou maiest be vniustly ouerthrowne Let vs see how the burden of these troubles is to bee cast vppon God Consider heere first of all whence the occasion grew and if thou findest thy troubles prouoked by any priuate error of thine seek to satisfie them whom thou diddest wrong and be not of the stomacke of them that will maintaine what they haue done be it neuer so iniurious and acknowledge thy fault make reasonable amends seeke reconciliation and by all meanes assure vnto them thy resolution to abstaine from offering like wrongs any more Shemei though none of the honestest nor wisest men yet when hee considered that his wrong done to Dauid might breede him that enmity that might become a burden heauie and daungerous to his peace life for his ease safty his wit serued him to confesse his fault to seek peace submissiuely and to offer better seruice for the time to come when Dauid after the ouerthrow of Absolom came backe ouer Iordan to returne to Ierusalem Shemei came with haste to meete Dauid at the riuers side and hee fell before the King when hee was come ouer Iordan and said vnto the King Let not my Lord impute wickednesse vnto me nor remember the thing that thy seruant did wickedly when my Lord the King departed out of Ierusalem that the King should take it to his heart for thy seruant doth know that I haue done amisse Therefore behold I am the first this day of all the house of Ioseph that am come to goe downe to meete my Lord the King And this submission of his confessing his fault and crauing pardon preuayled with Dauid so that hee did not let his wrath fall as a heauie burden vppon the necke of Shemei though there were some men present that did much prouoke Dauid to reuenge But if thou be free hauing giuen them no occasion and onely sufferest wrong the fault being wholly in thine enemie I tell thee this very testimonie of thy conscience is a great easing of thy burden if thou suffer not for thy sinne but for their malice So did the Lord Iesus suffer among the Priests and Pharisies The greater half of the burden is by this meanes turned off when peace of conscience abideth with thee other griefs and wrongs may be the more easily indured Salomon saith in the Prouerbs A good conscience is a perpetuall feast This is no small pleasure to a good man that hath beene vrged and vexed with vnkindnesse abroad that when hee commeth home hee entreth into his closet and examineth his heart and findeth that hee is in no fault and can plead his innocencie before God it is a feast to him he sitteth downe boldly and cheerfully by the mercie-seate of God and despiseth with a godly scorne both the wrong done and the wrong doer saying in his heart by the mercie of God this wrong shall turne to my good and this wrong doer shall not preuaile against mee and with great confidence of heart he powreth out his desires before God Saint Peter hath a saying that agreeth well with this point that wee haue now in hand Let none of you suffer as a murderer or as a thiefe or as a busie-body in other mens matters but if any man suffer as a Christian let him not bee ashamed but let him glorifie God in this behalfe Heere is right thy case hauing examined thine heart thou findest thaâ—… thou art no murderer nor thiefe noâ—… euill doer nor busie-bodie in the causes pretended by thine enemy as reasons of his violence against thee but thou findest that thou sufferest as a Christian that is thou sufferest without thy desert therefore thou hast cause to glorifie God thou hast no cause to be ashamed This innocencie of thine maketh thy burden to be much lighter And if God haue purposed to shorten thy trouble by conuersion of thine enemie though thou haue not such opportunitie to helpe him with wholesome councell beeing a remote enemy as thou hast to helpe a domesticall yet as opportunitie is offered remember and practise that precept of the Lord Iesus go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone And otherwise let it be the wish of thine heart and pray to God for it that God will be pleased to giue him a better heart Some haue obserued that Saint Stephens prayer helped much the conuersion of Saul after called Paul beeing one of those remote troublers to him a very furious one When Stephen that blessed Martire of Iesus Christ was put to death Saul was a busie doer against him The witnesses to whome it belonged to throw the first stone at the condemned person laied downe their cloathes at a yong mans feete whose name was Saul And Saul consented to his death and otherwise made hauocke of the church and breathed threatnings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord. It pleased the Lord Iesus in his wonderfull mercy to meete this persecuter in the heat of his fury neere to the Citie of Damascus and to conuert him and to make him a disciple And the effect of that conuersion was peace to the Church that had beene oppressed before with a heauie burden of troubles by means of that troubler As it is written Then had the Churches rest through all Iudea and Galile and Samaria and were
of God and seeking to establish their owne righteousnes haue not submitted themselues to the righteousnes of God A single good intent without knowledge is the deuotion of fooles it hath no true comfort tied vnto it it saueth not from destruction it leadeth men blindefolde and sleeping into hell But when men haue learned out of the word of God what hee requireth and what is their duety vnto that knowledge ioyne a true desire to doe their duetie then vnfained desire is before God esteemed a perfect worke Therefore doth Saint Paul say That loue is the fulfilling of the Law And in another place The end of the Law is loue out of a pure heart and a good conscience and of faith vnfained The Law requireth no more but loue which will neuer be idle and that obtained the Law hath attained his true end in vs. And to him that thus loueth as much is due as vnto him that perfectly fulfilleth the commandement Thirdly to him that thus in heart desireth while he liueth here full perfect and absolute holinesse being grieued that the lusts of his flesh should stand vp in his way with such strength as they doe that which hee desireth shall in due time be granted with increase of grace in the meane while For when death comes in which hee pulleth off sinfull flesh he shal put off sin al corruption togither with the flesh and thenceforth hee shall offend his God no more nor be in any danger of offending him For the Apostle truely saith He that is dead is freed from sinne both from the act of sinne and from all lusting after sinne And when he shall receiue his bodie againe in the resurrection hee shall receiue it cleansed and purged from that corruption that was in it before For so doth Saint Paul testifie saying The body is sowne in corruption and is raised in incorruption By which incorruption he vnderstandeth not onely an estate of strength and health whereby it shall be freed from that decaying that it was subiect to before in regard whereof we haue relieued it with daily food to repaire the daily decaies and also freed from sicknesse and paine that it suffred here before in regard whereof wee take much physicke to ease the paine of it and to maintaine the health of it but he vnderstandeth rather by incorruption an estate of purenesse holinesse whereby it shall bee freed from sinning and offending God and shall stand and remaine for euer purged and cleansed from all sinfulnesse and in as perfect sanctitie as the blessed Angels of God And our true holinesse begunne heere shall be consummated and become perfect holinesse there These are matters of comfort to cheere his heart that is grieued with the burthen of his owne corruptions not suffering him to serue God as hee would his defaults displeasing him shall not bee laid to his charge His loue and true desire shall be accepted as if his life were without fault and hereafter in due time he shall be wholly freed from all corruptions And these comforts are some ease of his burthen that though his lusts be still as strong as they were yet his g◅iefe for them is not so much as it was But let vs see further how a man may cast this burthen vpon God to be eased of it and get masterie ouer his lusts For the casting of this burthen vpon God these are good rules and profitable seruing to procure case and whereby strength against the corruptions and lusts of the flesh is obtained First let him be diligent in the study of the word of God which Dauid calleth A lanterne vnto our feete and a light vnto our paths Because in the spirituall darkenesse which ouershadoweth our souls in this world so that of our selues wee cannot see nor finde out the paths of righteousnesse wherein wee should walke if wee take vnto vs the word of God it like a shining light will reueale vnto vs the old way which is the good way that we may goe forward in it It will teach vs what to doe and what to leaue vndone and will guide vs aright against the dangerous seducings of our owne euill lusts And great force it hath to keep vs in our way euen in those men in whom their lusts and corruptions are most strong As for example in yong men in whom there is more pride of wit and more stubbornnesse of wil then in men of other ages in them the word of God is powerfull to make them aduised and to humble them Dauid asketh this question Wherewith all shall a yong man redresse his wayes and hee giueth answer in the next words saying In taking heed there to according to Gods word Such an excellent help against the seducing lusts of the flesh is the word of God for the redressing of our waies So that if a man burdened with his corruptues desiring to obtain strength against them doe giue himselfe to study the word of God and do take heed vnto it though he were as prowd witted and as stubbornely wilfull as were those yong men the sonnes of Iacob that cōmitted the outrage at Shechem yet the word of God will bring downe his prowd wit reclaime the forward wils of the very dissolute gallants of the world And this doth Dauid being yet but a yong man out of experience in himself affirme saying By thy commandements thou hast made mee wiser then mine enemies for they are euer with me that is I am a continuall student in thy commandements I haue more vnderstanding then my teachers for thy testimonies are my meditation that is my minde is alwayes vpon thy testimonies I vnderstand more then the ancient because I haue kept thy precepts that is age teacheth much by obseruation and experience but Gods word teacheth more So that while a man is carefull to study the Scriptures as Dauid was and maketh them his meditation hee shall soone become more wise then his teachers and more able to direct himselfe then the ancient that think themselues able to giue councell There shall not moue nor stir a corrupt lust in his heart attempting to draw him aside to sin but he being exercised in the study of Gods word shal presently be able with iudgement to checke that desire of his heart to oppose against it Gods owne will Secondly let him frequent the company of good men in whom hee seeth great power to subdue keepe vnder disordered lusts then is in himselfe and let him obserue imitate their behauiour this will helpe him much For if the word of God on the one side giue him a rule how to keepe vnder his raging lusts these men on the other side will be vnto him an example patterne shewing him how to doe it and a very simple workman when he hath not onely rules giuen him to direct his iudgment but a patterne also laid before him to direct his hand will very
vnderstanding and I will keepe thy law yea I will keepe it with my whole heart direct me in the path of thy commandements for therein is my delight incline mine heart vnto thy testimonies and not to couetousnesse Thus earnestly doth he contend with God by praier to be assisted with his grace which if he may obtain hee feareth not to promise vnto God some obedience notwithstanding whatsoeuer corruption abiding and mouing in his flesh And so must euery man doe that is incumbred with his owne withdrawing lusts This course will not be idle What answer God will giue vnto such praier wee may see by the answer giuen to Pauls praier by him offered to the Lord Iesus vpon like occasion fo◅ when hee had intreated God that his troublesome lusts might depart from him he receiued this answer My grace is sufficient for thee my power is made perfect through weakenesse He was promised sufficient aid from the grace of Iesus Christ that in his weakenesse being vnable to extinguish those lusts the power of Christ should perfectly appeare in strengthening him not to be ouercome of them And if with Paul thou make the same praier vnto the Lord Iesus the giuer of all grace with Paul thou shalt obtaine the same answer to be continually assisted with his sufficient grace to preserue thee from being carried away by thy fleshly lusts They shall haue being to exercise thee in the warfare of this life they shall not haue power to subdue thy heart to them To take these courses hitherto prescribed As first to exercise thy selfe in the study of holy Scriptures Secondly to frequent the company and obserue the conuersation of holy men Thirdly to shun all occasions that may moue thy corrupt lusts to attempt euill action Fourthly to thinke often of the iudgements of God threatned against sinne and executed vpon sinners and of the mercies of God promised to vertue and performed to the vertuous and lastly to m◅ngle continuall praier with the former courses This is to cast this burden of our sinfull lusts vpon God for our ease CHAP. XIII THE second branch of spirituall troubles and burdens is accusing thoughts disturbing peace and breeding terrours of conscience when it pleaseth God to bring to our remembrance our sinnes past and to set them in order against vs allowing Sathan to be master Who being priuy to our sinnes and to all circumstances concurring in the doing of them doth present them vnto vs in their t◅ue colors amplifying and aggrauating our ignorance that would not learne our contempt of God whose wil we know yet had no care to doe it our vnthankfulnesse our pride our cruelty and ouer vncleannesse with whatsoeuer other thing that may make our sinnes fearefull vnto vs not forgetting to let vs see withall what wrath from heauen and what torment in hell those our sinnes haue deserued This a most grieuous burden breeding disperation in the wicked and vnspeakable feare in the elect hee that of all the sonnes of men was best able to beare this burden and had the greatest assurance against it euen Iesus Christ the sonne of God when he bare the burden of our sinnes imputed vnto him being in himselfe most pure from sinne he did by reason of this burden offer vp praiers and supplications with strong crying and teares and was in feare and did sweat bloud and complained as one forsaken of God So that this burden is verie heauy and it much concerns vs to learne how to cast this burden vpon God And in this businesse because the diuell taketh aduantage from euery the least circumstance of our sinne that may make for him against vs to increase thereby our feare and trouble of minde therefore it shall be meete that we also for our aduantage against him doe examine and marke the circumstances of the sinne we are charged with to see if wee can finde any the smallest hole through which the light of hope may shine vnto vs. And it may fall out vnto vs as it did to the Prophet Ezechiel who being entred in at the gate of the court hee looked and behold an hole was in the wall Then the Lord bad him digge in the wall and when he had diggd in the wall behold there was a doore The little hole which at the first he espied while hee attempted to digge became a dore by which hee entered with ease So may it fall out to thee in thy care of casting this burden vpon God for thy ease The least hole that we can spie in the circumstances of our sinnes through which hope of Gods mercy may shine vnto vs if we take vnto vs the instrument of praier and digge therewith may and will proue vnto vs a doore of mercy For the mercy of God is like a floud that ouerfloweth But where the waters of a floud finde but a smal hole to issue through at the first by continuance they weare the hole greater make passage for themselues and run at the last like a strong streame that cannot be stopped So the mercy of God appearing first at the hole of a small circumstance if thou continue in praier and attend vpon God wil worke it selfe freer passage and in the end shine with full brightnesse in thy conscience and the diuell shall not be able to darken the comfortable and glorious light of it First therefore let the afflicted sinner consider and weigh well the manner of his tentation whether he be vrged in a distinct maner with any particular sin ◅r whether he be more cōfusedly vrged and in a generall manner that hee hath an euill heart and is an hypocrite and loueth not the Lord and if the afflicted person cannot himselfe discerne the condition of his tētation his iudgement being oppressed and darkened by his affliction let the iudicious comforter whose helpe he seeketh obserue it for him for Satan that by Gods permission vrgeth against him this tentation findeth in som men particular matter of enormious sinnes as of murder in Cain of adultery in Dauid and of idolatry in Manasses into which particular sinnes they haue broken licentiously with great boldnesse Where hee hath this aduantage from our former violent courses he will be sure to vrge it to the vttermost as making much for him to driue vs into dispaire to say with Cain My punishment is greater then I can beare Or as Musculus reades it agreeable as he saith to the Hebrew Mine iniquity is greater then can be pardoned In some others hee findeth no such particular grosse sinne but they haue walked ciuilly and modestly and where they did sin though that were very vsuall yet they sinned of infirmity rather then of pride and vpon prouocation rather then vpon free choice Heere hee hath not aduantage as in the former And therefore in a more generall and confused manner he vrgeth against them their corruptions but specially hypocrisie and an vnsound heart that they did abstaine from grosse sins
sinne highly displeasing to God Sometime thou wert warned by a publique Sermon sometime thou wert warned by thine owne priuate reading sometime by the louing admonition of some neighbour or friend And thy iudgement was growen to a mislike of that same sinne and thou wert offended at others that committed it aud yet thou hast fallen thy selfe into the same sinne Surely this is a hard case and the tempter hath great aduantage against thee But what must the charged sinner sincke eternally vnder this burthen is there no meanes to cast euen this burthen vpon GOD for the sinners case Yes verily and Sathan hath not yet driuen vs so close vp to the wall but that wee may by Gods mercy slippe safely out of his hands Heere let the sinner consider in what case hee was when hee committed this sinne whether hee were his owne man as wee speake that is whether it were in the choise of his own wil to do it with liking or without liking For great is the weakenesse of our nature and oftentimes the regenerate and best minded serue â—…s of God though they should yeelde to die a thousand deaths with most exquintâ—… torments rather then commit â—…nie sinne to the offence of God yet either sodainely affrighted with the appearance of daunger they commit sinne before they haue time to consider what they should doe and to settle their resolution against it or else weighing at leasure both their duty to God and their present danger pusillanimity and weakenesse of heart maketh them to shrinke and yeelde at the present And must a sentence irreuocable presently come forth against this weake sheepe Is there no balme in Gilead is there no Physition there is there no mercy in heauen for this sinner is there no gracious pardoner there Such a rule must needes haue sent to hell many of Gods beloued Saints that now are with him in heauen who while they liued on earth were sometime vrged with sodaine and sometime with violent temptations and haue yeelded sometime without consideration and sometime with consideration and yet after by the mercie of God haue recouered themselues and haue glorified GOD both in their life and death are now glorified of him in his kingdome And why shouldest not thou if thy sinne be like theirs hauing to do with the same God of mercie hope to finde the same fauour that they found Surely this very circumstance that thou wert surprised by a sodaine or violent temptation led captiue to do euill against thine owne liking that didst take no pleasure in it yea wert exceedingly grieued that thou hadst not strength grace to withstand it is a hole in the wall of hope through which light shineth and wherin if thou dig by humble hearty prayer it may proue a doore of mercy for thee to enter by come neare to God to be eased of thy burdeÌ„ Here consider the example of the Apostle Peter his sin was a grieuous fin for he denied before men his master the Lord Iesus Christ he did so once twice and thrice each time more vehemeÌ„tly then other for first he simply denied him passed it ouer with this saying I know not the man At the second time he augmented his sin with addition of an oath and forsweares him The third time he yet augmented his sinne more with addition of grieuous execrations and cursed himselfe that is wished himselfe accursed if hee know him And he did this in the time of knowledge after he had learned that to do so was sinne and dangerous to his soule For he had heard his Maister openly before speake thus Whosoeuer shall confesse mee before men him will I confesse before my Father in heauen but whosoeuer shal deny me befnre men him wil I deny before my Father which is in heauen And though it were a true saying out of a liars mouth skin for skinne and all that euer a man hath will hee giue for his life Yet this is true also and to be regarded aboue the other that all that a man hath euen skin and life also hee must giue cast away and esteeme as vile that he may follow Christ to glorifie him by true confession Which course only hath power to secure life As Peter also had heard from the mouth of his Lord saying If any man will follow mee let him forsake himselfe and take vp his crosse and follow mee for whosoeuer will saue his life shall loose it and whosoeuer shall loose his lifs for my sake shall saue it This Peter had heard this he knew And besides these general caueats long before giuen Peter was also priuately forewarned of this thing euen the same night a little before he did it when he also took knowledge of that warning and resolued with himselfe not to doe it yea made open vow not to doe it For when the Lord Iesus Christ after his last Supper a little before his apprehension hee tolde the Apostles that they that night should all be offended by him Peter boldely answered and saide vnto him Though all men should be offended yet will not â—… be offended To whom the Lord said in the next words Verily I say vnto thee that this night before the Cocke crow thou shalt deny mee thrice Peter had no meaning to do so but rather a resolued heart not to do so And therefore aunswered presently Though I should die with thee yet will I not deny thee And hee spake no more than hee truely intended hee was no hypocrite onely he considered not his owne weakenesse but was ouer confident in the opinion of his own streÌ„gth And therfore when Iesus was taken and carried to the high Priests houâ—…e Peter followed a farre off and entred into the high Priests hall and put himselfe among the seruants and officers and drew neere to the fire for it was colde and first a maide challenged him to bee one of the followers of Iesus after some of the men seconded her challenge strengthening it by adding 〈◊〉 suspition that his speech bewrayed him to be a Galilean and Iesus came out of Galilee and therefore hee was not vnlikely to be one of his followers At last a coosin of his whose care Peter had smoâ—…e off in the garden flatly affirmed that hee did see him in the garden with him Peter affrighted sodainely with these challenges and being in the middest of them whom hee esteemed his enemies seeing at the present no way to escape yea hauing no leisure to thinke what was fittest for him to doe denyed his Maister and bound his deniall with oaths and curses Was not this a sin against the knowledge of his heart and what hast thou done in the particular sinnes that thou arâ—… charged withall in thine heart that Peter did not in this sinne of his and in what points are thy sinnes greater and more grieuous then his then what letteth thee that thou maiest not pray for and
in his iudgements shall not be able to make any exception to say that in any thing hee hath erred from the streight rule of iustice And this iustice is that which in terms agreeable to our conceit is called his anger His eie therefore cannot bee deceiued in esteeming of mens sinnes I remember a good speech of Saint Ambrose to this purpose God lieth not open to passion that he should be angry seeing hee is subiect to no passion but because hee reuengeth he seemeth to be angrie to vs this seemeth because we vse to reuenge with a troubled minde So that as anger signifieth a disturbed passion of the mind troubling our vnderstanding and peruerting our iustice there is no anger there can by this Fathers iudgement no anger be in God but Gods iust reuenge wee call anger because our reuenge is mingled with anger Away therefore with this conceit that the anger of Heauen should not discerne betweene thy sinne and blasphemy against the holy-Ghost The anger of Heauen is nothing else but the iust reuenge of Heauen A second branch of thine obiection is this that though the blasphemy of the holy-Ghost be the onely sinne vnpardonable yet it is not the only sinne vnpardoned It is not the onely sinne punishable nor onely punished thine also is a sin punishable and may proue a sinne punished I confesse all this to be true what then Doth it follow that needes thou must be punished because thou maiest be punished that consequence must not be granted for then it would follow that there should bee no place for any forgiuenesse at all for sinnes are punishable and deserue eternall death To reason so were to spoile God of his honour that hee obtaineth by forgiuing sinne where of the Prophet Micah speaketh saying Who is a God like vnto thee that taketh away iniquitie and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage c. It is Gods great honour to pardon sins that are punishable And it is an intollerable iniurie offered to the riches of his grace to affirme that hee will not forgiue in mercy because hee may punish in iustice And such reasoning as this would also make false all his promises and make vaine and vnprofitable the hope of all his saints grounded vppon those promises for there is none of them that hath not committed many punishable sinnes which yet they hope shall neuer be punished Yea it would make void the passion of our Sauiour Iesus Christ and depriue him of the honour due vnto him by the saying of Iohn Baptist Behold the Lambe of God that taketh away the sinne of the world For verily euen those sinnes for which this Lambe was slaine and sacrificed and which by the vertue of that sacrifice of himselfe he taketh away are punishable sinnes sinnes deseruing the most heauy wrath of God and the most cruel torments of hell Away therefore with this idle reasoning my sins are punishable and therefore it helpeth mee nothing to heare that they are pardonable Where sin aboundeth to deserue punishment there grace aboundeth much more to remit punishment The last branch of thy obiection is this that lesse sinnes then thine and sins more easie to be excused are often punished then why not thine There is no reason that this thing should offend thee that smaller sins are punished The Creditor may see reason to forgiue to one debtor many pounds and yet not to forgiue another a few pence The punishment of hell is due to all sinners leaue God the Iudge to the freedome of his owne will to shew mercy where it pleaseth him to shew mercy and to forgiue where and what and how it pleaseth him to forgiue Little sins when men continue them and regard not to repent of them are brought to iudgement as well as great ones And great sins when men forsake them are carefull to repent of them are put out and forgotten as well as the smallest It is not the greatnesse and smallnesse of sins that makes them to be retained or remitted but it is repentance that â—…reeth from al together This is plaine by the words of Esay who hauing called for repentance that the people should cease to doe euill and learne to doe well immediatly addeth saying Come now and let vs reason together saith the Lord Though your sinnes were as crimson they shall be made white as snow though they were red like scarlet they shall be as woll Though the spots of them were neuer so foule and though the staine of them were neuer so deepe yet God will forgiue the sinne and forgiuing it he will cleanse and purge the sinner This great mercy for the forgiuenesse of most great sins is promised to repentance Where repentance is wanting the smallest sins shall bring the transgressour to iudgement but where true repentance is found the greatest sinnes shall be done away Be carefull then to turne from thy former euill waies and bring forth fruit worthy amendment of life and God will free thee from all thy sinnes And thus it appeareth that all the feare that bred this obiection first that thy sinne comes so neere that vnpardonable sinne of blasphemy against the holy-Ghost that the angrie eie of heauen can see no difference betweene them Secondly that thy sinne though pardonable yet is punishable and therefore must bee punished Thirdly that smaller sinnes then thine come to iudgement and therefore thine being greater cannot in iustice be passed by All this feare is needlesse feare and thy sinne still remaineth pardonable and thou maiest comfortably hope for and shalt assuredly obtaine forgiuenesse of thy sins if thou turne to God caâ—…lest vpon him and amendest thy waies CHAP. XVIII BVT feare which is not easily remoued proceedeth to another obiection the afflicted sinnâ—…r pleading thus against his own peace the iustice of heauen is so pure holy withall so strict soe seuere that it wil neuer suffer such sinne as mine is to passe vnpunished and the holynes of heauen is so cleane spotles and vndefiled that it will neuer suffer so vncleane a person as I am to enter into life For this I can alledge the expresse word of God and therefore am sure that my feare is not vaine the Prophet Dauid speaking to God who would soone haue checked his speech if it had not beene true saith Thou art not a God that loueth wickednes neither shall euill dwell with thee the foolish shall not stand in thy sight for thou hatest all them that worke iniquitie thou shalt destroy them that speake lies the Lord will abhorthe bluddie man and deceitfull Here is depriuation of Gods loue expulsion from dwelling with him and from standing before him here is the hatred of God in his hatred destruction threaned to them as to men abhorred of God that worke wickednes that are doers of euill that in the foolishnes of their hearts committed iniquitie that in their talke speake lies that haue
make the hard stones softer then the clay and to worke our hearts as wax to take the impression of his Law he is able to make vs vessels of honour for holy acceptable seruices in his house and hee is able to make vs Abrahams seede and true Israelites You know the words of Iohn the Baptist spoken to the prowd Iewes that gloried so much in this that they were Abrahams seed and in Abrahams right were heires of the Couenant Hee spake thus vnto them Say not within your selues we haue Abraham to our Father for I say vnto you that God is able of these stones to raise vp children vnto Abraham So that of him that is no Israelite that is no child that is no heire God is able to make an Israelite a child an heire Of Gods goodnesse toward them that were no Israelites and no people the Prophet Hosea speaketh in this manner I will haue mercie vpon her that was not pitied and I will say to them which were not my people Thou art my people and they shall say thou art my God If thou wert therefore of that company that is not pitied thou maiest yet find mercie at GODS hands and if thou wert of that company that is not Gods people thou mayest yet become one of his The feare therfore that thou fainest vnto thy selfe hath no ground Consider him whom thou hast to deale withall and hope in his mercie that is so liberall in his promises and is also most faithfull in the performance of his word Thou hast sinned and hee hath promised to forgiue thy sinnes Appeale vnto his promises he cannot faile to effect that which hee hath giuen his word for of which word of his himselfe saith thus It shall not returne vnto mee void but it shall accomplish that which I will it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it So that hauing sent forth that gracious word of promise to forgiue and forget thy sinnes it shall not returne to him void it shall not be found a false or faulty word but a word of truth and power Pray vnto God for the effect of it and it shall prooue prosperous to thy peace CHAP. XXI ALl that hath hitherto been said is not able to calme the storme that is raised in this poore sinners conscience but his restlesse mind stil replies arguing against himself in this manner If this leaue of asking and this promise of granting forgiuenes of sinnes be so free for euery one borne of beleeuing parents as you would make mee beleeue how commeth it then to passe that so many perish in their sinnes not onely of them who are borne and brought vp of and among vnbeleeuers that know not the true God but of them also that are descended of beleeuers and all their time broght vp in the bosome of the church that can say before the Iudge We haue eaten and drunke in thy presence and thou hast taught in our streets Yea they proceeded further in the businesse of the church cā say to the Iudge Lord haue not we by thy name prophecied and by thy name cast out diuels and by thy name done many great works and yet vnto them the Lord wil answer make profession say ing I neuer knew you depart frō me ye that worke iniquitie The way that leadeth to death destruction is broad and easie and many walke in it and perish I am one among others that haue run in that way and I am yet in it But the way that leadeth to life and saluation is a narrow way and few do find it and I am one of them that cānot find it I am now out of it and indeed neuer had any pleasure to seeke it that I might walke in it And yet you make the promise of the forgiuenesse of sinnes to be very large and giuen to al within the church And why may not I notwithstanding so gracious large a promise misse of forgiuenes and fall into condemnation aswel as others yea before many thousands of others hauing deserued condemnation as worthily as any other and moreworthily then many other therefore I think that there is something required to the obtaining of forgiuenesse of sinnes and saluation that I yet know not and not knowing it it is very like I haue it not and not hauing it I remaine still vnder cōdemnation and must perish eternally And I feele it so in the feare of my soule for notwithstanding all that you haue spoken to put life and hope into my soule yet the burden of my sinnes and the feare of damnation is no lesse heauy vpon me then before you began to speake vnto me I confesse indeede that the things that haue beene spoken offer great comfort but I want a right hand to take it withall Help me therefore thorow and shew me what are the conditions vpon which God forgiueth sinnes that hearing them I may know whether I bee capable of that desired happines and if I be not presently that yet I may indeuour in time to be and so at the last obtaine it For though you haue not deliuered me from al my fear yet you haue wrought in mee a great desire to recouer and get out of it not without some hope that it may one day by the mercy of God bee happily effected to my saluation This obiection is tempered with some mildenes and while the storme is something laid hearken and I will teach thee what the conditions are so shalt thou know both why others perish in their sinnes notwithstanding this promise namely by neglecting these conditions and also how thou maiest obtaine forgiuenes of thy sinnes according to this promise by the obedient and carefull keeping of these conditions The conditions required at our hāds if we thinke to obtaine forgiuenesse of sinnes are in number three The first of these three concerneth our selues and our renouation It is called repentance a departure from sinne and a returne to God in holines and righteousnesse for it is meete for him that would haue his sinnes past to be forgiuen him to cease from sinne and hate the works of darknesse wherein he tooke pleasure before Which ought to be hated first in regard of God because they are displeasing to him that is most holy and hee that is most glorious is dishonoured by them Secondly they are to be hated in regard of our selues because they cast vs out of Gods loue into his iust hatred and robbing vs of true peace doe fill our hearts with feare and horrour And for thine owne part I hope thou findest that the workes of darkenesse are to be hated and hast a will also to hate and abhorre them seeing what wofull feare and danger they haue brought thee into And this repentance and turning to God will surely deliuer thee from thine old sinnes so that they shall neuer bee laied to thy charge It is a true saying of Saint Augustine
the power of God to saue that is the instrument by which hee powerfully saueth Though therefore thou hast not power to settle thine own hart by giuing saith vnto thy selfe yet thou hast no cause to be discomforted for by praier vnto God and by study in the word of GOD it is obtained at his hands These are the conditions betweene God and man which God requireth where he forgiueth sins three in number One that concerneth most directly thy selfe that is repentance renewing thy heart to hate sinne and to loue vertue and reforming thy life to slie sinne and practise vertue A second that concerneth most directly thy brother that is charitie and compassion to forgiue vnto him the wrongs done vnto thee to comfort him and to doe good to him as thou wouldest that God should forgiue vnto thee the wrongs that thou hast done vnto him that God should comfort thee and doe good vnto thee A third that concerneth most directly God himselfe reuealed vnto vs in his sinne Iesus Christ namely our faith that wee neither thinke basely of the mercy of God nor of the merite of Iesus Christ as if there were some person that it could not releeue and thy selfe that person and some sinne that it could not do away and thy sinne that sinne And now maiest thou vnderstand what it is that causeth so many to perish in their sinnes and how it commeth to passe that so few are saued when yet without exception of any sinne the Lord Iesus commandeth and by commandement giueth leaue to aske and hope to obtaine forgiuenesse of sinne and likewise without exception of anie sinne God the â—…ather of our Lord Iesus Christ promiseth to forgiue sinne First they haue no caâ—…e of repentance to forsake sinne yea with delight they dwell in it liue in it and die in it and they will rather forsake God and renounce heauen then leaue their pleasant and gainfull sinnes Secondly they haue no care of charitie and compassion to their neighbour they regard not the rest the credit the prosperitie the peace and safetie of their neighbour and being full of pride of wrath and furie they prosecute the least wrong till they be reuenged Thirdly they regard not to know how ample the Lords mercie is and the death of Christ and doctrine of saluation are foolishnesse to them they pray not for faith and they stoppe their cares against the word of God And hereby it commeth to passe that they perish in their sinnes not that their sinnes are so great that they cannot bee pardoned or God so mercilesse that he will not pardon them or Iesus Christ so defectiue in his mediation that he hath not done and suffered enough to discharge them but themselues are so carelesse so prowd so contemptuous so desperate that they will not leaue to sinne they will not loue their neighbours they will not know God but they will goe on in their courses like them whom Ieremie complaineth of saying They are all adulterers and an assembly of rebels and they bend their tongues like their bowes for lies but they haue no courage for the trueth vppon the earth for they proceed from euill to worse they haue not known me saith the Lord. This is the cause why they perish And here maiest thou vnderstand how to reape the benefit of the leaue that Christ hath giuen thee by his commandement to aske forgiuenesse of thy sins how to reape the benefit of the promise that God hath giuen thee to grant forgiuenesse of sinnes First forsake the sinnes that haue been so chargeable vnto thee and hauing already found the reckoning to be so heauy vnto thee diet no more at the Ordinarie of fleshly lusts where the soule must pay for it in hell and the inheritance waste that God hath dearely bought for thee And finding how great need thou hast of mercie and forgiuenesse to keep thee from being eternally miserable Learne to bee tender hearted toward thy brother and afford him thy forgiuenesse that thou maist obtain the same measure of mercy at the hands of God And let it bee the chiefe of thy daily studies to vnderstand more cleerely then yet thou dost how infinite and boundlesse the mercie of God and the merit of Christ his bloud is In the word of God thou shalt finde these things And while thou are occupied with desire in these studies faith in the mercies of God will grow apace and in a short time bring thy conscience to that happy quietnesse that S. Paul speaketh of saying Being iustified by faith wee haue peace toward God through our Lord Iesus Christ. Thus is thy feare growing from the multitude of them that perish and from the small number of them that are saued notwithstanding the commaundement of Christ giuing leaue to aske forgiuenes and the promise of GOD offering forgiuenesse shewed to bee an idle feare if thou wilt haue care of these conditions vpon which God granteth forgiuenesse of sinnes CHAP. XXII BVT heare againe the afflicted conscience breaketh out into grieuous complaintes and faith If these be the conditions required where sinnes are to be forgiuen I must neuer looke to grow vnto any agreement with God for the forgiuenes of mine for I haue not one of these three things in me For first I want repentance sinne aboundeth in me and whether I hate it or no I cannot tell though I know I haue no cause to loue it that proueth now so grieuous vnto me And secondly I hold my selfe to be void of loue to my neighbour I feare least I shall enuie other men their happy peace of conscience and their happy hope of saluation and that standeth not with loue And sure I am that I haue hurt them oft with the vniust act of my sinne and haue grieued and offended them with the vngodly example of my sinne And these things haue no agreement with loue And as for faith of all three it is furthest off If dispaire could obtaine forgiuenes of sinne I should soone speed for I am not far from that but if saluation must be apprehended by saith I am most far from it for I haue litle or no faith the present feare that I am in is directly opposite to faith This is the miserable condition of this burden that they which are pressed with it doe quickly apprehend and too well remember any thing that may increase their feare but they are dull too apprehend and doe soone forget any thing that might giue them comfort If this troubled sinner could but remember while the three conditions were spoken of what was said vnto him why hee should not be discomforted at the hearing of these conditions as if they or any one of them did breed impossibilitie of obtaining forgiuenes of sinnes he would not now make this fâ—…uolous obiection But let vs helpe his memorie that when God shall be pleased to looke gratiously vpon him his feare may be remoued for the ease
rich Widdow how to pray vnto God among other words hee hâ—…th this saying 〈◊〉 hoc negocium plus gemitibus 〈◊〉 sermonibus agitur plus fletiâ—…quam â—…fatu This businesse of praier for the most part is performed rather with gronings then with words with weeping then with speech Let God therfore heare thy sighes and grones let him see thy teares when thou canst not shew him thy desire in words water thy couch with teares as did the Prophet and God will gather vp and put euery drop into his bottell thus doing when thou thinkest that thou hast not praied thou hast praied most powerfully For as Saint Ierâ—…mi saith Oratio deum lenit lacrâ—…na cogit Praier gently moueth God teares forcibly compell him He is allured as it were and won with the words of praier to heare vs but with the teares of a contrite heart he is drawen and inforced to heare and helpe where otherwise hee would not And in this affliction growing vpon thy heart because thou knowest not how to pray heare a notable comfort that the Apostle giues thee saying The spirit helpeth our infirmities for wee know not how to pray as wee ought but the spirit it selfe maketh request for vs with sighes that cannot be expressed Where thinâ—… owne strength and wisdome faileth in this seruice of praying vnto God there the wisdome and power of Gods spirit kindletâ—… in thee strong desires and earnest longings after the mercy of God And the meaning of those desires and longings God perfectly vnderstandeth and needs not to bee informed by thy words So 〈◊〉 though thou canst not pray as thou â—…oghtest to doe yet that seruice goeth forward well while thou hartily desirest Gods fauour Of which desire in thee â—…ere needeth no other argument but â—…en the griefe of thine owne heart seeing in thy sin cause of Gods displeasâ—…re and that other thoughts come into thine heart when thou bendest thy selfe to pray maruaile not at it neither therefore be so farre discomforted that thou shouldest giue ouer praying but 〈◊〉 the more to pray and to watch thereunto in the attendance of thy thoughts and lift vp thine heart vnto God and keepe it with all thy care looking still to him These thoughts of thine heart partly arise from thine owne weaknesse and corruption that art more fit for any thing then to attend with setâ—…ed reuerence vpon God And partly they are mustered together and thrust â—…o vnseasonably into thine heart by the wicked enimy that would not haue thee pray because he knoweth that the mercy of God is most easily obtained by harty and constant praier therefore hee seekes to hinder thee in that businesse that thy mind being occupied about other cogitations thou might est let fâ—…ll to the ground the petitions that thou are offering vnto God but the more hee seeketh to trouble thee the more earnest be thou in praier remembring that saying of our blessed Sauiour giuen for a warning to his Discipâ—…es Wateâ—… and pray that yee enter not into temptation Lastly hee is offended and discouraged in his praying by an intruded answer that offereth it selfe presently after his praier and sometime before his praier be either ended or begun not suffering him to wait patiently vpon God and to hope in him and this intruded answer is alwaies vncomfortable It comes euer in the negatiue and â—…pulsiue forme whatsoeuer hee hath praied for or intendes to pray for it tels him he shall not haue he cannot haue hee iâ—… not worthy to haue hee must not looke to haue the iustice of God will neuer grant it vnto him Which answer is nothing else but if I may so speake the smoke of those fiery dartes of Sathan wherby he hath set the poore mans conscience in combustion bringing his sins â—…o remembrance setting before him the â—…ath of God kindled by those sinnes 〈◊〉 from hence extracting and drawing this heauy conclusion looke for no â—…rcy where thou hast deserued so â—…ch wrath It is no other then a very 〈◊〉 of his disease the fruit of his owne 〈◊〉 ouer hastily answering himselfe â—…ot â—…arying to receiue answer of God tâ—…s he must take especial heed off that for as much as hee maketh praier to God and not to himselfe he waite for his answer from God and receiue none from himselfe and if his heart will be foolish to suffer any such vncomfortable answer vnto him that hee reiect it and wait on the hand of heauen About this point the sonnes of men erâ—…e very dangerously and faile in extremities and few or â—…one can keepe the right meane to expect and receiue their answer from God While men liue carelesly in sinne and prouoke God euery day if they chance to offer any petition to heauen or by aâ—…y meanes be occasioned to thinke vpon answer of their hopes from heauen they euer boldly answer themselues with promise of all prosperity though in iustice it cannot be like vnto the man whom God complaineth of saying that Hearing the words of the curse blesseth himselfe in his heart saying I shall haue peace though I walk according to the stubbornnesse of mine owne heart God giues no such answer to such men It followeth in the same place The Lord will not be mercifull vnto him Blessings belong to them that feare God not to them that conteâ—…ne him He that inqul reth for Gods will reuealed in his word shall finde another answer belonging to the petitions and hopes of such men The threatnings of Gods iudgemeÌ„ts are all denounced against them as in the fore-remembred place of Deuteronomy The wrath of the Lord and his lealousie shall smoke against that man and euery curse that is written in this booke shall light vpon him and the Lord shall put out his name from vnder heauen On the other side when men are humbled in the sight of their sins and haue great remorse in their hearts if they powre out any sighes and grones vnto God in their praier and by any meanes be occasioned to thinke vpon answer of their desires from heauen they euer fearefully answer themselues like those men spoken of by the Prophet Ezechil that say If our transgressions and our sins bee vpon 〈◊〉 and we are consumed because of them 〈◊〉 shall we then liue That is our sins deseruing death and those being now â—…id to our charge and the hand of God being heauy vpon vs for them there is no hope of life God giues no such answer to contrite hearts and to humbled spirits he doth not so reiect the deiected man He that inquireth for Gods will reuealed in his word shall finde another answer of comfort and health appointed for them the promises of mercy runne all vpon their side The Prophet Moses speaketh these words vnto the people When thou art in tribulation and all these things are come vpon thee at the length if thou returne to 〈◊〉 Lord thy God and bee obedient to his voice for the Lord thy
me for â—…uer and God saith for a little while haue I forsaken thee Thou saist God hath hid his face for euer and thou shalt neuer see againe the light of his countenance and God saith for a moment in mine anger I hid my face from thee for a little season Thou 〈◊〉 God hath cast thee away for euer and thou art fallen finally out of the lap of his loue and tender compassion and God saith with great compassion will I gather thee and with euerlasting mercy haue I compassion on thee being thy lord and redeemer How agree these sayings of God of thine Iust as yea and no as light and darknesse And yet thou wouldest haue thy words be taken for words of truth and wouldest haue no reply be made against them Rather doe thou take the words that God hath spoken for words of truth as verily they are and rest in them without making any reply against them for so it becommeth thee But thou vsest varietie of speech in thine obiection and thou saiest thou art lost and thou art a childe of perdition Wel be it so is there therefore no remedie if thou thinke so thou art deceiued We reade in the Gospell of a sheep that went astray and was lost But the owner of it left the flocke in the field and went forth and sought for it and found it and brought it home with ioy and called his neighbours and friendes togither and said vnto them Reioice with me for I haue found my sheepe which was lost In the same place I reade of a woman that â—…auing ten peeces of money lost one and then lighted a candle swept the house and searched all corners and at last found it and called in her friends and neighbours and said vnto them Reioice with me for I haue found the peece which I had lost There also I read of a young man the second sonne of his father that wandred long wasted his fathers goods fell into misery and by misery was compelled to returne home whom his father espying a farre off ran vnto him and with much copassion ioy intertained him and made a feast for gladnes and gaue this reason of his gladnes This my sonne was dead and is aliue againe and hee was lost but he is found Thou saiest thou art lost I heare thee and I say with thee the sheepe was lost the peece of money was lost the sonne was lost But what became of them when they were lost perished they no what then they were found againe the sheepe was found and safely put together with the rest in the fold the peece of money was found and with the rest was safely laied vp and the sonne was found and kindely receiued againe into his fathers house And canst thou not see in them what is like to become of thee that art lost as they were whatsoeuer is written of that sheepe and of that peece of money and of that sonne is all written to teach thee what thou maiest and what thou oughtst to pray for and to hope for perceiuing thy selfe to bee lost Thou art that lost sheep and Iesus Christ is the Shepheard and Lord of the flock that seeketh thee thou art that lost peece of money the church the spouse of Iesus Christ is that carefull woman that by the ministrie of the Gospell as with a light in her hand searcheth euery corner for thee thou art that lost child as thou but with an euill mind callest thy selfe God in Christ euen God the father of our Lord Iesus Christ is that most louing and kind father that is ready to intertaine thee and if thou wouldest but turne thy steps toward him hee would meete thee as it is said of that father When hee was yet a great way of his father saw him and had compassion and ran and fell on his neeke and kissed him Be not then discomforted in thy lost estate as if there were no hope of recouering thee and restoring thee The name of lost is vsed in two seuerall senses For sometime we say a thing is lost when hee that had it in possession or keeping knowes not what is become of it the thing in the meane time beeing perhaps very safe in some vnknowen place and it is onely lost to him that had it in his keeping and now knoweth not where it is and what is become of it but it is not lost in it selfe As when some horse or other beast is straied out of thy ground thou knowest not where it is and it is in some good pasture of thy neighbour very safe and not far from thee and sometime we say a thing is lost when it is spoiled and perished remaining still in the possession of him that had it before in keeping and he knowes both where it is and what is become of it as where thy horse or other beast being yet within thine owne ground were fallen into some pit and drowned or by some other mischance were killed in both these cases a man saith I haue lost such a beast The opposite to loosing and being lost in the first sence is to seeke the thing that is staied and out of the way vntill thou find it and recouer the possession of it And the opposite of loosing being lost in the second sence is to saue the thing that was ready to be spoiled to perish If a man come in time and to vse all good meanes for preseruation of it and by those meanes to preserue it and saue it froÌ„ perishing Now I would intreat this afflicted sinner tell to me in which sence he thinketh himselfe to be lost I beleeue that though he haue not thought vpon it before yet he will answere me that he is lost both in the first and also in the second sence First God looketh not after him he taketh no knowledge of him as he doeth of those whom he hath any caâ—…e of and so he is lost in the first signification of the word being out of the knowledge of him that was heretofore his keeper for God vseth to say to such wicked men as he is depart I know you not workers of iniquitie And secondly God hauing brought his sin to remembrance and for those sinnes hauing powred out a viall of wrath vpon him in this his great affliction hee is lost in the second signification of the word as a thing perished for hee feeleth himselfe â—…are to destruction appointed to destruction alreadie deliuered into the hands of cruel executioners by the iust sentence of God to be destroied Thus doeth hee thinke himselfe euery way lost This were a heauie case if it were so But let it be granted to be so yet there is hope of recouery for thy lost soule for there is one that will seeke thee find thee wheresoeuer thou art and will bring thee home into the knowledge possession custodie of thy first keeper so to recouer thee
the night before Then Dauid seeing that this deuice would not helpe him resolued vpon a more wicked and cruell course and sends Vriah to the Campe and writes by him to Ioab the Generall that hee should place Uriah in the forefront of the battell and in the time of danger should with-draw all helpe from him and leaue him alone in the middest of the enemies that he might be smitten and die by their hands And this commandement was by Ioab fulfilled at the next assault made vpon the City Rabbah Vriah was there slaine Then was his wife a widdow and free from all men and Dauid takes her home to him and shee became his wife And thus he couered the shame of his first sinne with a second as bad if not much worse And what honest man that knoweth how he ought to keepe his vessell in holinesse and honour and not in the lust of concupiscence as the Gentiles doe which know not God can frame any reasonable excuse for his adultery And what sober man that hath learned to walke honestly as in the day time not in surfeting and drunkennesse can excuse his fact in making Uriah drunke and what charitable man that tendereth the life of his neighbour and knowes Gods ordinance that he that sheddeth mans bloud by man shall his bloud be shed can by any good words extenuate the sinne of his rraiterous murder It may be that wantons that riotous persons and bloudy-minded-mercilesse men will say it was brauely done but no man of continency of temperancy and of charity can excuse him Surely the sinne of Saul and Dauid compared together it appeareth to vs that Dauid sinned more vilely then Saul in the act of their disobedience howsoeuer for the heart yeelding to sin much may be said for Dauid that cannot be said for Saul Which difference of their hearts appeared presently when they were put in mind of their disobedience by the Prophets Samuel and Nathan For when Saul was challenged by these words of Samuel Wherefore hast thou not obe◅ed the voice of the Lord but hast turned to the pray and hast done wickedly in the sight of the Lord He denied the fact maintained his deniall with argument and lastly being inforced to confesse himselfe a transgressour yet hee did it faintly and neuer repented But assoone as Nathan had said vnto Dauid Wherefore hast thou despised the commandement of the Lord to doe euill in his sight thou hast killed Variah the Hittite with the sword hast taken his wife to be thy wife and hast slaine him with the sword of the childrē of Ammon He confessed it freely grew into displeasure with himselfe for it and heartily repented making his humble praier vnto God for forgiuenes thereupon penned the one fiftieth Psalme in testimonie of his repentance his heart was not so wicked as was the heart of Saul but in the outward face his sinne to the eies of the world was more vile then the sinne of Saul Shall Dauid therefore say I am a reprobate for I haue sinned more vilely then Saul that was a reprobate this were first to step too presumptuously into to the throne of Gods iudgement Secondly it were to be vnthankfull vnto God for that faithfull and most constant loue of his that euen with such sinnes was not extingushed Thirdly it were to be vnkind and iniurious to his owne soule denying vnto himselfe the hope comfort that he might and ought to seeke in the infinite mercy of God therefore though our afflicted sinner haue sinned more vilely then many reprobates it followeth not that hee himselfe must therefore be a reprobate and though they that be reprobates doe by their sinnes after committed deserue the damnation whereunto by the decree of reprobation they are appointed yet hee and others committing sinnes worthy of condemnation are not therefore to be iudged reprobates and his sinne though grieuous as he affirmeth it truely to be is no signe nor euidence of reprobation Secondly hee alledgeth the wrath of God now heauie vpon him for his sinne to be another euidence of his reprobation which likewise must not be granted For if this should bee a true rule that wheresoeuer Gods iust wrath falleth vpon men for their sins they vpon whom this wrath falleth should be reprobates then would these great absurdities follow First that all that suffer with Christ in this world should be reprobates For there is no calamitie that falleth vpon men in bearing whereof they become sufferers but it falleth vpon them for their sinnes And the calamitie so falling is a stroke of Gods wrath For the first thing that the calamities that make vs sufferers fall vpon vs for our sinnes the words of Ieremie are plain saying Wherfore is the liuing man sorrowfull man suffereth for his sin we suffer no calamitie but our sinnes deseruing more hath brought that vpon vs. And for the second thing that the same calamitie comming vpon vs for our sinnes is a stroke of the wrath of God that is of his holines abhorring sin of his iustice correcting for sin appears by the words of the Prophet Micha speaking thus of God Hee retaineth not his wrath for euer because mercy pleaseth him he will turne againe and haue compassion vpon vs he will subdue our iniquities and cast all their sinnes into the bottome of the sea That is for a while he punisheth in wrath the sinnes of his people and after some short affliction indured he forgiueth their sinnes and receiueth them againe into fauour In that saying of the Prophet the worke of God in laying calamitie vpon his seruants for their sinnes is called his wrath So that all the euils that fall vpon men which suffer with Christ in this world come vpon them for their sinnes and are the stroke of Gods wrath against sinne not to destroy but to correct therefore if it were a true rule which our afflicted sinner speaketh that where Gods wrath falleth vpon men for their sinnes that wrath should be an euidence of the reprobation of the person vpon which it is fallen then those men which suffer with Christ in this world should bee reprobates which is most absurd and vntrue for that suffering is rather an euidence of their election vnto saluation because it is written It is a true saying for if we be dead with Christ wee shall liue with him if we suffer wee shall also raigne with him But no reprobate shall reigne with Christ that is the blessed prefermēt of them onely that are the elect of God Secondly if all that beare the wrath of God for sinne were reprobates and that wrath an euidence of their reprobation then this absurditie would follow that God should neuer bee displeased with his elect whatsoeuer they doe should neuer lay any iudgement vpon them that might be interpreted to be an euidence of his wrath and iust displeasure against their sinnes Whereas the contrary is most
true and God often lets his wrath fall heauily vpon his elect for their sinnes To that end heare the words of Gods Church speaking to the malignant company of her enemies that reioice at her trouble I will look vnto the Lord I will wait for God my Sauiour my God will heare me Reioice not against me O mine enemie though I fall I shall arise when I shall sit in darknes the Lord shall be alight vnto me I will beare the wrath of the Lord because I haue sinned against him vntill he plead my cause and execute iudgment for mee then will hee bring mee forth vnto the light I shall see his righteousnes The Church confesseth that she bare the wrath of God shee confesseth that that wrath fell vpon her for her sinnes and therefore promiseth to beare it patiently because she bare it iustly and she takes not that wrath of God for any euidence of reprobation neither ceaseth to esteeme her selfe the chosen of the Lord that shall inherit his fauour And therefore she exerciseth her faith in looking vp vnto the Lord and out of faith promiseth her selfe all gratious respect with God in her praiers shewes her selfe rich in hope that God himselfe will in due time plead her cause and bring her out of the darknes of her trouble into the light of ioy and so magnifie his loue and fauour to her that her aduersarie the malignant congregation shal be ashamed Therefore certainly God doeth often let his wrath fall vpon the elect for their sinnes and the manifest strokes of Gods wrath cannot bee said to be infallible euidences and signes of reprobation as our afflicted sinner affirmeth to his owne great hurt And if hapily vpon hearing of these things thus spoken his diseased mind should begin to cauill and to say that if other iudgements and strokes of Gods wrath be not euidences of reprobation yet that iudgement and stroke of wrath that is fallen vpon him is a plaine euidence of reprobation his iudgement being accusing thoughts a wounded conseience the most heauie of all Gods iudgements whereof Salomon saith A wounded spirit who can beare it For that stroke is the beginning of intolerable punishment it is the very gate of hâ—…ll iâ—… is that worme that shall liue euer in the bosome of the damned it is euen no other then hell vpon earth And why shold God set a mans sinnes against him in so terrible a manner as hee doeth in this temptation but because his meaning is to condemne vs for our sinnes aforehand to let vs see that hee shall doe it most iustly our sinnes being so many and solothsome against this cauill and for the remouing of this offence from his heart I will adde this vnto that that hath been already spoken that God doeth lay euen this particular stroke of his wrath namely a wounded conscience in the sight of sinnes vpon his elect and therefore that wrath is no euidence of reprobation The prophet Dauid bore this stroke of Gods wrath whereof he speaketh thus Thine arrowes haue light vpon 〈◊〉 and thine handlyeth vpon me there is nothing sound in my flesh because of thine anger neither is there rest in my bones by reason of my sinnes for mine iniquities are gone ouer my head and as a weighty burden they are too heauie for me Here was a stroke of the wrath of God fot he complaineth that Gods hand was heauie vpon him and that Gods arrowes had pierced him and it was not a weake stroke or slight touch but forcible and fearefull so that it made the whole man languish and for the anguish of his soule his body also was consumed and oppressed with paine and feeblenes so that neither in his flesh nor in his bones remained any soundnes And what stroke of Gods wrath was it but euen this particular stroke of accusing thoughts and of a wounded conscience by reason of sinnes that were so heauie a burdthen that the vexation of them was his consumption and was Dauid vpon whom this stroke of wrath fell was hee a reprobate if he were he was such a reprobate as the Lord Iesus Christ was and no other nor otherwise whom the builders refused cast aside as vnfit for the building but God made him the cheefe corner stone as Peter saith This is the stone cast aside of you builders which is become the head of the corner So in the kingdome of Israel Saul Doeg and other busie doers despised and cast aside the sonne os Ishai but God did chuse him to build the kingdome of Israel This therefore is most certaine that euen this stroke of Gods wrath when hee setteth our sinnes in order against vs is no more a signe of reprobation then any other stroke of Gods wrath whatsoeuer This part therefore of his obiection when he calleth himselfe a reprobate is a bold and desperate speech wherein he shews himselfe presumptuous against GOD and vncharitable against himselfe and whether he be a reprobate or not hee ought not to pronounce himselfe to be one the name of reprobation hauing reference vnto the vnknowne and secret counsell of God not vnto the knowne and manifest sinne of man And though our sinnes deserue reprobation Gods wrath falleth vpon them that are reprobate yet neither the sinne that wee are guiltie of nor the wrath that is fallen vpon vs for that sinne though it be this particular stroke of a wounded conscience can be said to be arguments of reprobation And whereas he saith that we deuise answers to his obiections that cary shew of strength among men but those his obictions are vnanswerable before God and our deuised answers before him will be of no vertue Let him know that the answers which wee haue made to his obiections are all grounded vpon the word of God by which word hee shall iudge all men and all the causes of all men As the Lord Iesus saith The word that I haue spoken it shall iudge in the last day And therefore our answers being grounded vpon that word shall stand as rules of trueth before the iudgement seat of God when all the obiections that he hath made growing onely from feare and from a weake heart distempered with a temptation of vnbeleefe shal be found to bee of no force And with this assurance of the sufficiencie of our answers wee waite to heare what he can further obiect why he may not hope for the forgiuenes of pardonable sins seeing Iesus Christ by his commandement hath giuen him leaue to aske forgiuenes of sinnes and God the father of our Lord Iesus hath promised to grant forgiuenes of sinnes as hath before out of the word of God beene truely declared CHAP. XXVII A Fresh assault this afflicted sinner maketh vpon vs and against himselfe for this fierie dart is not easily quenched And againe he obiecteth most vnkindly saying My sinne deserueth death and I must die I haue wronged the Lord of life
is most profane and his Armour-bearer was not vnlike 〈◊〉 for commonly such as the master is such wil the seruant be such as the King 〈◊〉 such wil the Courtier be As for Achitophel he was a great states-man but he was also a great traitor hee was very wise in matters pertayning to rule but he was also very wicked He assisted the subiect against the King that was treason he assisted the sonne against the father that was vnnaturall treason he assâ—…sted a wicked sonne proud and bloudy 〈◊〉 against a godly father euen against religious and holy Dauid this was impious treason Zimri likewise was a traitour against his Master Elah whom he â—…lew in the second yeare of his reigne and inuaded the kingdome of Israel Such were the men with whom the ancient murderer preuailed in three and twenty hundered yeeres few in number and men of most wicked hearts and liues And shal our afflicted sinner thinke to match himself with such forlorne meÌ„ In wickednesse so rare will he be so forward and with men so vile will hee ioyne for the time after the comming of the Lord Iesus in the flesh wee haue record in holy Scripture onely for seauenty yeares In these yeares we read of much wickednesse of the rage of the Iewes in crucifying the Lord Iesus of the persecution of Saul wherein Steuen was stoned of the persecution of Herod wherin Iames was slaine with the sword Of the malice of the Iews in euery place forbiding the Apostles to preach the Gospell to the Gentiles And of their endlesse malice against Paul being now conuerted and become a witnesse of Iesus And among all the inraged sinners of this time in whom the prince of this â—…orld exercised his power most impeâ—…ously We neade but of one â—…hat 〈◊〉 â—…iolent â—…ands vpon himselfe euen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Apostle and hee is marked out â—…y the â—…nes of â—…â—…raitor a 〈◊〉 â—…nd 〈◊〉 child of perâ—…ion so 〈◊〉 this 〈◊〉 qâ—…itie in comparâ—…son of other 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so incurably â—…nd not or 〈◊〉 â—…uill 〈◊〉 these men in comparison of other 〈◊〉 And shall our poore sinner 〈◊〉 to increase this number â—…nd to 〈◊〉 if not to 〈◊〉 these mâ—…n 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the sinne wherein the 〈◊〉 â—…eemeth to haue some modestie 〈◊〉 â—…ring to all 〈◊〉 many to such 〈◊〉 wickednesse and the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 inquiâ—…e of the 〈◊〉 as if the 〈◊〉 thoughâ—… iâ—… 〈◊〉 to tempt any to a great wickednesse but such as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 out â—…unne his allurements by 〈◊〉 owne forwardnesse in sinne let 〈◊〉 things stay the resolution of our 〈◊〉 and make him feare to execute 〈◊〉 iniustice vpon himselfe In which fact to make al hearts deâ—… there is the extreamest height of all cruelty without all mixture of charitie on mercy the thiefe that murdereth by the high-way side is cruell yet in his cruelty there iâ—… mixture of some charity for â—…e intendeth his owne supposed good in seeking spoyle to to maintaine his life More cruell is the tyrant that sheddeth innocent bloud and presenteth vnto death Gods Saintâ—… As 〈◊〉 shâ—…d innocent bloud exceeding much â—…ill 〈◊〉 replenished Ierusalem from corner to corner And â—…s Herod stretched forth his hands â—…exe certaine of the Church and hee killed Iames the brother of Iohn with the sword Greatâ—… this cruelty that is maintained by power and countâ—… by authoritie and false show of iustice Yet is there in this â—… mixture of charitie For such tyrants suppose them whom they kill to bâ—… enemies either to their religion or to their rule for defence whereof they vse their cruelty Greater is the cruelty when vnder pretences of loue peace murders are committed As when those two seruants of Ishâ—…oseth pretending trade as Merchants Rehab and Baanah his brother came into the middest of the house as if they would haue wheate and they 〈◊〉 him vnder the fift robbâ—… and 〈◊〉 For when they came into the house 〈◊〉 slept on his bed in his bed-chamber and they smote him and slew him and 〈◊〉 â—…eaded him and tooke his head and 〈◊〉 them away through the plaine all the â—…ght And when Ioab tooke Aâ—…er a side iâ—… the gate to speake with him peaceably 〈◊〉 smote him vnder the fift ribbe that he bed for the bloud of Asael his brother Heere was great treason heere was cruelty couered with pretences of loue and â—…eare Yet in this cruelty there was some mixture of loue For the two breâ—…ren that slew Ishboseth did it for Daâ—… sake as they affirmed For when they had slaine him They brought the head of Ishboseth vnto Hebron and said iâ—… the King behold the head of Ishboseth Sâ—…uls sonne thine enimy who sought after thy life and the Lord hath auenged my Lord the King this day of Saul and of his â—…ede And either they bare this loue to Dauid to free him from an enemy as they pretended or else they did it out of loue vnto themselues hoping to receiue some reward at Dauids hand for their seruice And the fact of Ioab in murdering Abner was out of loue tâ—… Asaâ—…l his brother whome Abner had killed before This their crueltie was exceeded by the murder committed by Cain in killing his brother Abel wherin it cannot be denied but there was loue vnto himselfe for this was the quarrell it grieued him that his brother was accepted in his sacrifice and hee refused Heerein hee held himselfe wronged and intended that way to doe himselfe right We reade of a crueltie exceeding this in a degree against nature aboue the murder of brothers For when Senacherib was returned from the land of Israel to Niniue on a day when he entred into the Temple of Misroch his god Adramelech and Sharezer his sons slew him with the sword The sonnes of his loines that should haue beene the staffe of his age and the guard of his person against his enemies became his mortall enemies they that receiued their life by propagation from him and had not beene if he had not first beene they vnnaturally requited him and spoiled him of his life and did to their vttermost extinguish his being What heart of man abhorreth not these cruelties and yet in all these there is a mixture of some loue I confesse a wicked loue yet some loue and some purpose they haue to benefit some by making their life more happy themselues at least and their owne life if no others But in the fact of Saul Achitophel and Iudas and such like persons that lay violent hands vpon themselues there is no intent of doing good to others no noâ—… of making their owne life more comfortable or happie they are no friends to other men and they are greatest enemies to themselues where no other loue remaineth in wicked men yet selfe loue remaineth and perswadeth them things beneficiall to themselues But in this finne where no loue to other men appeareth there is loue least of al to themselues while they worke their owne
more then for ninetie and nine iust men that neede no amendment of life And when he saith there shall be ioy in heauen he doeth not exclude the God of heauen for what ioy can be in heauen and among the cratures of heauen if the God of heauen remaine displeased therfore thy repentance remoueth all cause of loathing from God and receiueth therein all content and in particular it giueth content to the Angels of heauen All cause of loathing offence is taken from them and in place thereof they reioice and are glad for thy conuersion It is said in the same place of the Gospel Likewise I said vnto you there is ioy in the presence of the Angels of God for one sinner that conuerteth See how thy conuersion altereth the case thy sinne maketh the Angels to loath thee as a filthy and abominable creature thou art no sooner conuerted and changed by thy repentance but they which loathed thee before doe now loue thee they which held the abomminable before doe now esteeme thee as honorable What neede is here of taking away of life to take away and remoue the offence of the Angels repent and it is done amend thy â—…se and thou hast their loue and as thy â—…epentance recouereth loue and grace iâ—… heauen so doeth it in the earth in the Church and among her children What else is the Church but the number of them that by the calling of God are turâ—…ed from their wickednes and infidelitie And can the Church hate the children that by repentance and regeneration are borne againe vnto her the Church inuiteth and calleth to repentance saying Come and let vs goe vp to the mountaine of the Lord to the house of the God of Lacob and he will teach vs his â—…ies and we will walke in his pathes The Church altogether calleth to repeÌ„tance the watchmen and pastors in the Church lift vp their voice as a trumpet and reproue the sinne of the people and teach them the way and will of God and call by doctrine the people and flocke set vp the example of their life according to the commandement of our Sauiour Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good workes and glorifie your father which is in heauen And they call by example all that are truly turned vnto God doe desire that all other may truely turne to God And how then can it he if thou repent thee of thy sinne and turne to the Lord in amendment of life but that the Church and her children that lothed thee before should now loue thee and what is then become of this great and fearefull obiection what neede haue we of killing and murdering the sinner mortifie thy earthly members war against thy fleshly lusts cease from thy sinne and doe that which is right in the sight of God and these reasons that seemed iniustice to vrge a necessity of thy death are vanished away And thou maiest liue to glorifie God and finishing thy daies on earth with comfort and maiest and shalt liue hereâ—…fter in heauen Al which is ouerthrown with thy wicked resolution Besides these reasons that seemed to proue it a matter of iustice when yet â—…othing can bee deuised more vniust â—…ou hast other reasons that seeme to â—…ooue it a matter of aduantage when â—…deed it were the greatest of all losses 〈◊〉 can hoppen vnto thee First thou â—…kest by doing execution vpon thy 〈◊〉 that thou shalt glorifie God in thy â—…th whom thou neuer haddest care to â—…lorifie all the daies of thy life and this cannot but turne to thy aduantage to 〈◊〉 found so zealous of Gods glory that 〈◊〉 art willing to furder it with the 〈◊〉 of thy life Secondly thou thinkest 〈◊〉 by cutting of thine owne life thou 〈◊〉 then cease to sinne which during 〈◊〉 life thou hast not done but hast continued to multiply iniquity euery day And indeed he that is dead is freed from â—…ning after the manner of the liuing â—…or when Achan was stoned hee could â—…eale no more When Zimri was thrust â—…orow the body by Phinâ—…as hee could commit fornication no more When Achitophel had hanged himselfe and Ioab had smitten Absolom they could conspire in treason no more And this cannot but turne to thy aduantage that thou shalt no more sinne against God Thirdly thou thinkest that thy death shall 〈◊〉 with it an end of all thy troubles of all thy paine of all thy feare and indeed it bringeth with it an end of all the momentary troubles of this life both past present and to come Famine hauing once killed the famished shall hunger no more the sword hauing once slaine the dead shal neuer feare wounds any more If sicknesse haue deuoured and brought to the graue the consumed parts shall grone and languish no more The fire the water the prison the racke the tyrant the hang-man can torment and kil no more And in one word death deliuereth from all the labours troubles dangers and euils of this life if there be not other troubles and euils of another world it freeth from all and this thou esteemest so great an aduantage as that euen the most fearefull should for it desire seeke and imbrace death These reasons also let vs examine that thou maiest not bee deceiued and perish The first reason seeming to proue it a â—…atter of aduantage is this thou thinkest by doing this execution that thou â—…alt glorifie God by thy death whom thou hast had no care to glorifie all the daies of thy life And some beneficiall reward must needs be due vnto thee for so great care of glorifying God I might wonder iustly to heare this reason come from thee for they which intend to doe 〈◊〉 such thing vnto themselues haue little care or thought of Gods glory and I am sure they haue no rule for it that by destroying themselues they do gloryfie God and may thinke that God would haue them by any such course seeke to glorifie him This was a tricke of the prince of darknesse cunningly â—…ut vpon thee who turning his selfe into an Angell of light when he goeth about both to destroy thee and to dishonour God by this vngodly fact would make thee beleeue that it were a holy and vertuous action seruing greatly to the glory of God And with this cunning the subtill Serpent hath preuailed too far with many weake ones God deliuer thee from him Indeed God is honoured greatly by the destruction of the wicked as he saith to Moses When the children of Israel going out of Aegypt were directed to goe by the way of the Red-sea through the Wildernesse Pharao will say of the children of Israel they are tangled in the land the Wildernesse hath shut them in and I will harden Pharaos heart that hee shall follow after you So I will get me honour vpon Pharao and vpon all his host And after when Pharao with his host was come forth after Israel and God
seuerall sorts being counted Salomon saith Aiust man falleth seauen times a day riseth againe not so often falling still in the same kind but diuersly falling in seuerall kinds and obtaining helpe to rise againe from euery fall and these many falles may be reduced vnto two generall heads for either a man falleth into sinne or hee falleth into some misery and trouble that sinne maketh our life to be subiect vnto And vnder these two names of sinne and misery we will speake of these falles and consider how true this promise is that GOD will not suffer the righteous to fall for euer The first of these falles is our falling into sinne For the commandements of God being as so many paths beaten out before our faces for vs to walke in he that keepeth them is as one that walketh vprightly with God and hee that transgresseth and breaketh them is as one that stumbleth in his way and falleth downe flat to his great danger Therefore doe we call Adams sinne the fall of Adam Therefore doe we call the lighter errours of the Saints their slidings and their grosser errours we call their falles And this name of fall is giuen to the sinne that we commit by the Prophet Hosea saying O Israel returne vnto the Lord thy God for thoâ—… hast fallen by thine iniquity This is a dangerous kinde of fall whereof it behoueth vs to take great heede Heli the Priest fell from the seat whereon he sate brake his necke Ahaziah the sonne of Ahab King of Israel fell thorow the Lattisewindow in his vpper chamber and brused his body whereof he died Yet is not such a fall as either of them haue taken any thing neere so dangerous as to fall into sinne This fall of sinne made the Angels fall out of Heauen and out of the fauour of God irrecouerably And it made our first parents fall out of Paradise and from that blâ—…ssed estate of innocency and immortality wherin God created them And many of their posterity by salling into sinne doe fall from God and sinke downe into hell and there perish eternally It behoueth all men therefore to take heed of it as the Apostle aduiseth saying Let him that standeth take heede lest hee fall There is no man of so sure footing that can walke steedily in Gods commandements without sliding and falling for as Sant Iames saith In many things we sinne all And the more weake our footing is the more warily we had need looke vnto our waies that as much as is possible we may escape falles especially considering how dangerous it is in this kind to fall But â—…et such is the mercy of God that he will not suffer the righteous to fal for euer but in due time hee will raise vp them by repentance that are fallen by their sinnes To which end hee giueth vnto vs his word that teacheth vs the way wheâ—…ein we should goe and sendeth vnto vs his messengers with that word in their mouthes that they may be our guides to that end he prepareth our eares for the hearing and our hearts for the vnderstanding of that word that we may learne and profit thereby After this he humbleth our will and bringeth into order all our affections that our knowledge may not be idle for want of willing obedience And because neither knowledge nor willingnesse are able by reason of our weaknesse to effect any thing without him he also strengthneth vs and worketh in vs what hee would haue wrought by vs. As the Apostle speaketh It is God which worketh in you both the will and the deede out of his good pleasure Thus he proceedeth in his good worke to raise vp by true repentance them that were fallen by their sinnes And to assure vs there of that we may with comfort hope for the helpe of his grace when our weaknes hath made vs fall into sinne Hee hath giuen vs many gracious promises For thus hee saith in the Psalme I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way that thou shalt goe and I will guide thee with mine eie Thus hee promiseth in the Prophecy of Ieremy I will put my law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts And thus hee speaketh by the Prophet Ezekiel Then will I powre cleane water vpon you and you shall be cleane yea from all your filthinesse and from all your idols will I clense you a new heart also will I giue you and a new spirit will I put within you and I will take away the stony heart out of your body and I will giue you a heart of flesh and I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walke in my statutes and yee shal keepe my iudgements and doe them These and many such gracious promises hath God giuen vnto vs to assure vs that when the righteous fall into sinne hee will raise them vp againe by repentance Hence haue issued the calling of the Gentiles and the conuersion of all vnbeleeuers that for many succeeding ages liued in ignorance and sinne and yet in the end obtayned mercy to returne to God by repentance Hence hath issued the regeneration and new birth of the Saints that being originally shut vp in vnbeleefe and naturally dead in trespasses and sinnes haue beene quickned by Gods grace and begotten againe by the word of truth to be the first fruits of his creatures and by his mercifull worke haue been brought out of darknesse vnto his glorious light to liue thenceforth not as children of darknesse and of the night but as children of the light and of the day Hence hath this issued euen that God will not suffer the righteous to fall for euer and from their daily slidings hee doth raise them that when they haue sinned as Adams children they may repent and amend as the children of God The Prophet saith in the Psalme The secret of the Lord is reuealed to them that feare him and his couenant to giue them vnderstanding Let the righteous therefore that either finde their owne ignorance in mischoosing their way or feele their owne weakenesse in walking in their way let them pray vnto God for grace that he will not suffer them to erre and fall for euer and let them say vnto God with the Prophet Teach mee thy way O God and leade me in a right path This is the first kinde of fall to fall into sinne and it is the worst because it draweth with it the second kinde of fall which is to fall into misery CHAP. XXXV THE second kinde of fall in which God will not suffer the righteous to fall for euer is an effect of the former produced by the iust iudgment of God namely a falling into misery This kinde of fall mankinde had neuer beene acquainted withall if they had not taken the first fall for if man had neuer sinned against God God would neuer haue suffered man to haue felt any misery This kind of