Adams was actuall and death reigneth not but where sinne reigneth The same Apostle finding in his understanding enlightned and in his zeale inflamed and in his will rectified by the Spirit of God good motions to serve God uprightly yet those discouraged and ineffectualled in him often he chargeth all this upon his corrupt nature which he calleth Peccatum inhabitans Sinne dwelling in him Vers 20. Lexmembrorum the law of his members Vers 23. Corpus mortis the body of death Vers 24. The flesh Vers 25. With my minde I serve the Law of God with my flesh the law of sinne This the Author to the Hebrews doth call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The sinne that doth so easily beset and inviron us For this little Infants unborne and new borne are subject unto death and to charge death without a charge of sinne would call the judge of all the world unjust That there is originall sinne and that David here complaineth of it we have made it cleare Now observe that David in his repentance to make it full doth apply all his sinnes to the multitude of Gods tender compassions For a full confession maketh way to a full absolution When Jeremiah advise thus to search and try our wayes first and then to turn to the Lord he intendeth that we must examine our hearts in this search to the bottome and go so farre back in this inquisition as to the mother sinne the primitive and originall masse of corruption which empoysoneth our nature which cancreth our manners and in time gangreneth our whole conversation mortally to the very dominion of sinne David doth so for here he looketh back so farre as to his first conception and diggeth so deep as the root of his sinne For he chargeth all his transgressions upon this beginning of sinne which indeed in all the children of Adam is not onely a naturall pollution defiling us but it is a corrupt seed shooting out in time into a blade and bearing a full eare of actuall prevarications Therefore no man knoweth his own heart and let no man be so bold of his own strength to promise resistance to such temptations as have corrupted others It is the Apostles good counsell Brethren if any man be overtaken in a fault ye which are spirituall restore such a one in the spirit of meeknesse considering thy self lest thou also be tempted In which words The considering of thy self is no other then the wise remembrance of thy originall corruption for there is tinder in thee apt to take fire from a little spark There is in Sathan both cunning and malice enough with his temptations to strike this fire The Apostle useth a fit word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 si anticipetur for sometimes we are by sensuall motives perswaded and by semblance of good deceived or by entisements of pleasure or profit allured to evill When the Serpent as with Eve disputeth with us and corrupteth our judgement darkeneth our reason blindeth benummeth or deadeth our conscience and so we not onely take but gather and give the forbidden fruit Sometimes Sathan catcheth us by surprise and with a sudden temptation having all opportunities for sinne to friend he overtaketh us and embarketh us in some trespasse before we have leasure to advise our selves So was Troy taken at last by a cunning stratageme Victâ—mque quamvis videat Vix or edit sibi potuisse vinci She saw her self orecome by foes Yet scarse beleeves she what she knows Thus was David here caught he was at leasure in peace in glory and power at ease his mind now quiet his breasts full of milk his bones of marrow and walking on the leads of his house his eye no sooner was fastened on the beauty but his heart was fired with lust after Vriahs wife he enquired of her sent for her defiled her prevented and surprized with a sudden temptation This he imputeth to his naturall corruption by his originall and birth sinne So some that have ever made conscience of an oath yet upon a sudden passion sometimes rap out a fearfull oath to Gods great dishonour and their foule offence So some that make conscience of giving Suum cuique to every one his own yet upon an opportunitie offering them anothers goods upon faire termes of likely secrecie have robbed a neighbour I have upon like occasion given examples of this work of corrupt nature in the sonnes of men in Hazael who brought a present from Benhadad to Elisha to demand whether his master should dye of that disease The man of God looked Hazael so stedfastly in the face that Hazael was out of countenance but the man of God wept And when Hazael demanded why weepeth my Lord He answered Because I see the evill that thou wilt do to the children of Israel their strong holds wilt thou set on fire and their yong men wilt thou destroy with the sword and wilt dash their children and wilt rip up their women with childe And Hazael said But whâ—t is thy servant a dogge that he should do this great thing Yet presently he returned to his master brought him comfort of his recovery and on the morrow he took a thick cloth and dipt it in water and spread it on his face that he dyed He reigned in his stead and did like a dogge all that evill c. When Christ said one of his twelve should betray him Judas was one of them that demanded with the rest Nunquid ego Domine Is it I Lord But a sudden temptation surprised him Then entred Sathan into Judas Iscariot And he went his way and communed with the chiefe Priests and Captains how he might betray him unto them Most memorable is the example of Peter whom Christ forewarned of his denyall of him A thing so farre from Peters heart that he took it ill to be so charged he protested against it and vowed to dye with him or for him rather then he would deny him Yet being in the high Priests Hall when Christ was ill used there for feare of his own skinne he denyed and forswore him thrice This body of sinne we do all alwayes beare about us and therefore we passe the time of our so journing here with feare for which of us may not be thus surprised For there is no kinde of sinne which our heart abhorreth most but we are in danger of it by reason of our naturall corruption wherefore Christ taught us to pray Et ne nos inducas in tentationem And leade us not into temptation Therefore a wise man feareth and departeth from evill but a foole rageth and is confident Folly is rash and goeth on inconsiderately and trusteth to his own strength We live in perpetuall danger by reason of this naturall corruption for the Spirit hath his eclipse and often upon our grieving him leaveth us in our own wayes that we may see our naturall impotencie to that which the Law requireth of us and be so much the more
griefe so inward as in anima in the soule yet so sensible as nos vidimus we saw it How were the rivers of their bloud which runne in the channels of their veines to water the earth of which they are made frozen and congealed that they had neither mercy to pitty their fathers sonne nor so much tendernesse as to looke another way nos vidimus we saw Seeing malice and envy had taken away their hearts why had it left the eyes open to let in so unpleasing a sight Thou shouldest not have looked on the day of thy brother Thou shouldest not have looked on their affliction in the day of their calamity oculi augâ—â—â— dolorâ—m commonly that the eye sees not the heart grieves not here the mercies of the brethren were all turned eruell 4 I but perchance Ioseph might thanke his owne stout heart for their cruell usage of him for many times our own untemperate carriage in afflictions brings fewell to the fire that scorcheth us and blowes more breath into the tempest of winde that bestormeth us But Iosephs brethren have not this excuse they confesse their brother resisted them not but with humble entreaties they confesse he besought us The petition of a soule in anguish faire-spoken and humble hath pierced hard hearts and relented cruell intentions of evill but it wrought not here for 5 They confesse we would not heare They did heare the request of their brethren but they would not heare for they will not heare that doe not heare to doe what they are requested I have prest this example the more to declare how troubles awake the conscience from a dead sleepe and turn our eyes into our owne bosomes that if there lye a notoriouâ— unrepented sinne in the heart stoned as low as Jonah who lay asleepe in the bottome of the shippes Hold affliction will romage the ship and will cry as the Mariners to Ionah Awake thou sleeper and bring it above hatches Therefore it is wisedome by confession by repentance and prayer to quit our consciences so soone as we can of such sinnes Here is a sinne of bloud almost a full yeare old and though Nathan hath pronounced Gods pardon of it the conscience of David is not yet at rest his thoughts are upon it and his prayers be concerning it 2 Another of Sathans seasons to call such speciall sinnes to remembrance is when we are neare our end that is a season wherein many of the faithfull servants of God have dangerous and fearefull conflicts with Sathan After his 40. daies temptation of Christ in the wildernesse it is said that he departed from him for a season Once he borrowed the heart and tongue of an Apostle even of Peter to tempt him but Christ resented him and said Get thee behinde me Sathan but he confesseth a little before his passion The Prince of this world commeth but he hath nothing in me There is his advantage against us when any speciall sinnes lye upon the conscience unrepented then he hath something of his in us This makes many an aking heart upon death-beds for then judgement is at hand and the old flatterie of sinne Dominus tardabit the Lord will delay is removed by the sensible decay of the body and the evident symptomes of approaching death The widdow of Sarepta when her onely sonne was dead was in a storme at Eliah and said unto him What have I to doe with thee O thou man of God art thou come to call my sinne to remembrance and to slay my sonne Did the death of her sonne call her sinne to remembrance bethinke you then how our owne death in sight and sense will call all our sinnes to remembrance that we have done And in this Inventorie if there be any capitall sinne texted and recorded by the conscience in great and capitall letters not yet blotted out by our repentance and Gods gracious pardon how will that sin present it selfe to present remembrance how will it cruciate and torment the inward man even the hid man of the heart Judas his last words gushed out the bowels of his despaire as his last passion did the bowels of his body I have sinned in betraying innocent bloud he had not the heart to breath one miserere have mercy to comfort the agony of his despairing end The penitent convert thiefe on the Crosse was in a better minde he glorified God and his Sonne Christ by a free confession for he rebuked his blasphemous fellow thiefe saying Dost not thou feare God seeing we are in the same condemnation and we indeed justly for wee receive the reward of our deeds but this man hath done nothing amisse This had beene the Crosse of his soule as that he hung on was of his body if his faith had not nailed his sinnes as fast to Christ as Christ was nailed for them to his Crosse which he declared in the next words And he said unto Iesus Lord remember me when thou commest into thy kingdome which was answered with bodie mecum cris to day thou shalt be with me It is worthy our observing that Iesus Christ did institute the holy Sacrament of his Passion the evening before his suffering as it were acting his death in visible demonstration before he under-went it To teach how effectuall the death of Christ is against our sinnes and for preparation of the soule for her remove hence And from hence it is that the holy Church hath not only offered this Sacrament as the bread of our spirituall life to nourish it but hath commended it also to sicke persons upon their death beds as viaticum animae the provision of the soule so the Councell of Nice calleth it That the conscience being then purged from all sinne may receive Iesus Christ inâ—o it And in this holy action our search of our hearts will soone finde out any eminent and notorious sinne to confesse and repent it that the conscience may be disburthened and that the soule of man may be domus pacis the house of peace for otherwise we receive that Sacrament unworthily to our condemnation Our Saviour is precise in this If thou bring thy gift to the Altar and there remembrest that thy brother hath ought against thee More if God have ought against thee leave there thy gift Goe and be reconciled et offer and then bring it This is a Sacrament from God to us it is a sacrifice from us to God If any great extraordinary sinne lye upon the conscience we had best exonerate us thereof for we and our gift will else be unacceptable to him If God receive our gift he will not refuse us for he looketh first upon Abel then on his sacrifice we make our offering acceptable not that us Now because our sinnes lye so heavy especially our notorious sinne this or that particular transgression upon our conscience in the agonie of death Christ hath ordained a gracious remedy that upon our repentance the faithfull Minister of the Word should
omnia sanguinem filii ejus His food apparell the use of his time above all the bloud of his Sonne Would these severall seeds of grace yeild him no harvest 2 Our sins our folly trespassing his wisdome our vanity offending his holinesse our falshood his truth our unrighteousnesse his justice our presumption his mercy and our rebellion his power Saint Bernard in meditation of the account for this is all broken heart and all Paveo gehennam paveo judicis vultum ipsis angelicis potestatibus tremendum horreo vermâ—m rodentem ignem torrentem fumum sulphur tenebras exteriores Quis dabit capiti meo aquam oculis meis fontem laâ—hrymarum ut praeveniam fletibus meis fletum stridorem dentium c. Heu me mater mea ut quid genuisti me filium doloris amaritudinis indignationis plorationis aeternae natum in combustionem cibum ignis I feare hell I feare the countenance of the judge to be feared by angelicall powers I feare the worme gnawing the fire broyling the smoke the brimstone the outer darknesse Who will give water to my head and a fountaine of teares to my eyes that I may prevent by my weeping the weeping and gnashing of teeth O my mother why hast thou begotten me a sonne of sorrow of bitternesse of wrath of eternall wayling born to be burnt and to be meat for the fire We are here convicted in two tryals and receive sentence of condemnation in both 1 In the judgement of the Law which wee have broken 2 Of our conscience which pronounceth us children of darknesse and heires of condemnation When the sad consideration of these things hath broken our hearts and ground them to dust then the nest of sinne will be destroyed and concupiscence shall not have where to lay her yong Observe the difference of true Religion from false The gods of the Heathen doe never exact such breaking of hearts of their worshippers Let them have your eye your tongue your knee your gifts and keep your hearts to your selves For they know not whether you give them hearts or no. But our God will have our hearts and hee will have them thus broken and there is no delaying or dallying with him hee searcheth us to the bottome and tryeth hearts and reins We cannot deceive him with unreall semblances The way to heaven is not so easie as most men deem it We must suffer with Christ if we will reigne with him his soule was heavy and he was broken for our sins when the 〈…〉 of our peace lay upon him And we must rent our hearâ—◠〈…〉 not our garments when wee turne to the Lord if we will have mercy and forgivenesse There is nothing that flattereth sin more in us then an opinion of the easinesse of repentance But if we observe David in this Psalme we shall discern that there is no such tribulation as true repentance it is a washing throughly a rubbing and scowring with hysop it will cost hote and scalding water to purge the stains and blemishes of our life It will cost the breaking of our bones strong cryes and supplications that wee may heare of joy and gladnesse It will cost us a breaking first then a new making of our hearts to fill them a present for him who saith My sonne give me thy heart And now what shall I say and what shall I doe unto thee thou preserver of men My heart is not worth the giving to thee If we should search Ierusalem with candles should we finde such a heart O that there were such a heart saith our God in them that they would feare me and keep my Commandements alwayes that it might go well with them and with their children for ever Our broken heart is such an heart when our stubborne will is corrected and made pliant and obedient to the wil of God when our love is taken away from the world and the things therof and fixed on the Lord. When our vast desires are limited to the seeking of the Kingdom of God and the righteousnesse therof When our flattering hopes are taken off from things temporall which profit not and reach out to the promises of God which concern better things When our â—uscious delights are no longer grazed on the green pastures of vain pleasure which saginate them to slaughter but our delight is in the law of God and in that law we do exercise our selves day and night When our strong endevours and labours are not for bread that perisheth but for that which feedeth to everlasting life When our high flowne ambition ceaseth to affect the false and unconstant honors of the world and reacheth forth an hand to the never-withering crown of glory When our feare is not of them that can kill the body and there an end but of him who can deliver soule and body to death eternall When our griefe is not for the punishments we suffer but for the sins that deserve them These be broken and contrite hearts You see to what all that I have said driveth even to stirre up my selfe and you to a true repentance which the Prophet calleth the breaking up of the fallow ground of our hearts Why should our hearts lye fallow and receive no seed and bring forth nothing but weeds It asketh culture digging and ploughing to make it capable of good seed No man casteth away seed upon fallow ground If we would bring forth fruit to God we must suffer the plow the renting and tearing of the share this is repentance John began his preaching at repentance So did Christ And he sent forth his Disciples admonishing men every where to repent If destruction were within forty dayes of us repentance would stand in the gap and keep it out If the Decree were ready for birth repentance would make an aborcement If wee be nailed to the crosse of shame and pain wheron we suffer justly repentance will open Paradise to us If our sins were grained in crimson or scarlet repentance would wash us whiter then snow If our iniquities had hid the face of God from us repentance would uneclipse it and our eies should see our salvation Our sins breake the hearts of others David weepeth for transgressors here is sanguis vulnerati cordis the bloud of a wounded heart O weepe for your selves and your children 2 Sacrifices of God This title given to these Sacrifices called Sacrificia Dei the Sacrifices of God doth shew 1 The necessity 2 The excellency of them 1 The necessity No Nation was ever so irreligious but it acknowledged and worshipped some God Nemo simpliciter atheos No man is simply an Atheist And they thought him that they worshipped worthy of some oblations and gifts It is one of the honors that inferiors do to their superiours to present them with gifts It is recorded of Israel that when God had set Saul over them for their King that the children of Belial said How shall this man save us And they despised him
and brought him no presents They are called men of Belial i. sine jugo without a yoke But of Moab it is said when David had subdued them and they came under his yoke The Moabites became Davids servants an◠brought gifts In the short story of the old World little is recorded of the acts of those persons who lived then Yet this is of the two first brethren before any Law exprest for it In processe of time it came to passe that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering to the Lord. And Abel also brought of the first-lings of his flocke and of the fat therof No question instructed by Adam and by him exampled to it and seasoned with that axiome of nature that God must have gifts from us Aristotle that great Naturalist doth maintaine that gifts are of good use for conservation of friendship Every good and perfect gift commeth to us from God Thankfull gifts returned from us to him conserve his friendship The Athenians who worshipped an unknowne God yet had an altar in the street for oblations and sacrifices to be offered to him Not David onely saith Quid retribuam Domino What shall I render unto the Lord But the people who had perverted their wayes by many revolts from God do bethink themselves Wherwith shall I come before the Lord and bow my selfe before the high God Here is not care taken how to shift the charge and to doe it as cheape as may be Shall I come before him with burnt-offerings with calves of a yeare old Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of Rams or with ten thousands of rivers of oile Shall I give my first-born for my transgression the fruit of my body for the sin of my soule Here are gratulatory and propitiatory and expiatory sacrifices studied to remunerate and to reconcile God It is true that God hath no need of us or our gifts If he were hungry hee would not make his moan to us Yet these tenders of our thankfull duty to him doe acknowledge our love and humble subjection to his government and confesse him Lord of all that we possesse and stoop all that we have to his power and will How glad are wee when our Prince will receive graciously any such present as wee are able to bring him More should it concern us in duty to present our God with our gifts and more cause have we of joy if hee doe accept our persons in them And seeing wee cannot adde any thing to him by any present that we can tender to him for our wel-doing extendeth not to him yet wee may at second hand do him honour in his house by adorning that in his Saints by feeding their hunger clothing their nakednesse healing their sicknesse And with such sacrifices God is well pleased Now that wee have seen in Davids overture what is the most acceptable tender wee can make to God and that a broken spirit and a contrite heart are called the sacrifices of God Wee behold the absolute necessity of these Sacrifices For God must have his due And they be no better then sonnes of Belial that deny him his due herein If wee fall short herein God will lay Felony to our charge You have robbed mee Will a man rob God but ye say wherin have wee robbed thee in tithes and offerings Ye are cursed with a curse for yee have robbed me even this whole Nation God requireth of you broken spirits and contrite hearts and you with-hold them from him You will not endure the smart and paine of contrition The losse of your vain fancies and imaginations The crossing of your sensuall and carnall delights and desires the disquieting of the body of sinne your separation from the World The mortification of your earthly mēhers the crucifying of your old man The bringing of your body into subjection Caro sanguis flesh and bloud cry Durus est hic sermo It is an hard saying And when God demandeth all we have of us as Benhadad of Aram did of Ahab King of Israel wee put him off with this answer This thing I may not do But remember the necessity of this Sacrifice of a broken spirit and a contrite heart For these are Sacrifices to God such as God exacteth of all and without which there is no appearing in his presence Let no man appeare before me empty is his Law and we have no fulnesse but in this Sacrifice How unkindly doe wee take it at the hands of God when we cry unto him and he heareth us not at least as one that did not vouchsafe us the hearing hee doth not grant our requests Yet hee may say of every one of us of some twenty of some forty of others sixty yeers long and more have I been grieved with this generation That is the shame and it threatneth to be the sorrow of our unthankfull Land God hath not his due amongst us though he give us rain and fruitfull seasons Corne and Wine and Oile all the necessaries of life Wee give him not the sacrifices of our broken spirits and contrite hearts which are the sacrifices of God We come off liberally to men to purchase their favour and mediation in our suits and bribes given to men have robbed God of the Sacrifices due to him Let us lay it to heart I reade of the Sybarites a people effeminate and vaine in their sensuall delights that they had a prophecy that their City should subsist till their gods were in lesse estimation then men It fell out that a slave obtaining no mercy at the hands of his Master for the gods take fled to the monument of his Masters Ancestors and for their sakes implored and obtained pardon When Amyris a Philosopher living there heard of this that men were more regarded then their gods hee looked for a ruine to come upon the City fled away from it Shortly after the Crotonians their adversaries subdued them and fulfilled that Prophecy Wee may take home this example to our times and apply it to those with whom God is neglected and men regarded more then God Their voluptuous and Sybariticall life hath opened a way to the indignation of God And they have no way to helpe it but with a full Sacrifice of broken spirits and contrite hearts We need not with the fearfull Philosopher quit our Country forsake our habitations let us remove our crying sins by which God is dishonoured and there will be peace within our walls and prosperity within our Palaces And the eyes of them that desire to see us in the dust shall faile and the ruines of our hearts shall repaire the ruines of our temporall Felicitie 2 This title expresseth the excellency of these Sacrifices they be Sacrifices of God For there be Sacrificia stultorum the Sacrifices of Fooles Be more neere to heare then to offer the Sacrifice of fools they know not that they do evill Cains was not the Sacrifice of God
The Broken Heart OR DAVIDS PENANCE Fully exprest in holy Meditations upon the 51 PSALME BY That late Reverend Pastor SAM PAGE Doctour in Divinity and Vicar of Deptford Strond in the Countie of Kent Published since his death BY NATHANAEL SNAPE of Grayes Inne Esquire LONDON Printed by Thomas Harper 1637. TO THE HONORABLE Sir ROBERT AYTON Principall Secretary to the Queenes most excellent Majestie and Master of Saint Katherines neere the Tower of LONDON Sir MY intentions had fastened the patronage of this Booke upon that pious and Right Honorable Gentleman Sir Iulius Caesar your predecessour in the Mastership of St Katherines whose dedication of himselfe to that great Master and maker of the world renders you the Successour of his place and my service Therefore and because all that know you rightly speak you to be a friend to Learning and Philagathus in abstracto a true Religion Lover I thought fit to present these devouâ— Meditations to your judicious acceptation These royall Penitentials deduced and exemplified unto us from the sacred person of a King conclude all persons and degrees from an exemption in the practise And the command of that excellent duty is more especially incumbent on us in these particular times of humiliation when that formidable pestilentiall sword hath so smitten us and hangs still so perpendicularly over our heads The profit of Repentance it removes our sinne in reatu poena it blunts that weapons point whose thirst is sooner quencht with â—ear then bloud and it preferreth the miserable delinquent from the shamefull Barre to the most glorious Bench. Let the Reverend Authors pen declare his worth and let the worke commend it selfe to the world Onely Sir be you pleased to give it countenance and protection which I am confident will improve it to a more generall and publique approbation and make it the more redundant in the Churches benefit Health honour and Heaven at last I wish you from the heart of Your humble Servant N. S. MEDITATIONS upon the 51. PSALME VERSE I. Have mercie upon me O God according to thy loving kindnesse according to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions IN this Psalme David is 1. For himself ad fin v. 17. 2. Then for the Church 18. 19. In the first part 1. He is all crying God mercie and supplication v 1 2. 2. Confession of sinnes 3 4 5 6. 3. Supplication against 7. ad fin 17. 1. In the first consider 1. What ailes him where is his griefe his transgressions his iniquitie his sinne 2. What remedie loving kindnesse multitude of tender mercies 3. What effect of these to blot out to wash throughly and cleanse away all this uncleannesse 3. What he ailes He varieth the phrase and calleth his disease transgressions Arias Mont. rendreth it praevaricationes to our sence For the Law setteth us bounds thus farre we may go and no further every sinne is a transgression an over-reaching of our bounds Peshang signifieth the same to forsake the commandment and it answereth Gods challenge of him by Nathan Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord Vers 2. He calleth his griefe his iniquities these also are against the Law which S. Paâ—l calleth holy and just He calleth it sinne which is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is privatio legis This shewethus the danger of all our sinnes They put us out of the way for our way is the way of Gods commandments all other are called false wayes It is Uia legis the way of the Law which guideth our thoughts words and actions It is Via veritatis the way of truth which guideth our understandings and judgements It is via pacis the way of peace which guideth our heart and the affections thereof Sinne putteth us out of all these wayes Into those false wayes which David doth utterly abhorre Yet he is fallen into them by a strong temptation It is our wisedome to know and consider the nature of sinne that every sinne is transgression of Gods Law So Joseph answered his wanton Mistresse How shall I do this great wickednesse and sinne against God And now David hath bethought him he saith to Nathan I have sinned against the Lord. We must not think that any of our sinnes do hurt God or take from him any thing to empaire him For when we live in his obedience we give him occasion to exercise his holinesse in our sanctification his goodnesse in our conservation his bounty in donation of all good to us But if we transgresse he exerciseth his wisedome in his detection of us his holinesse in abhorring of us his justice in punishing of us So that the going out of our way which he hath set us in his Law is the hinderance of our owne journey and the danger of our own souls and bodies It is our great blindnesse of judgement and hardnesse of heart that we should delight in sinne against the Law of God The Law of God is an undefiled law The Law is holy and the commandment holy just and good This was ordained of God to be a bridle to restraine sinne yet our corruption hath made it a spurre to provoke and put on sinne So the Apostle found it For sinne that it might appeare sinne working death in us by that which is good that sinne by the commandment might be exceeding sinfull For corrupt nature is impatient of restraint and no fruit seemes so faire to the eye or taste so sweet to the palate as the forbidden fruit doth Every man above all things in the world affecteth his own will and desireth libertie to do what seemeth good in his own eyes The Law doth restrain us of this and it is 1. Holy in directing us a way wherein we may wâ—lk in all pleasing to God 2. Iust in declaring the danger of going astray from it 3. Good in rewarding our obedience for godlinesse hath the promises of this life c. David hath professed great love to this Law great delight in it all his Psalmes over He hath confessed great benefits received from it yet here he confesseth transgression and iniquitie and sinne he hath not kept this Law and hath sinned against God Now we see in this example how heavy sinne is when the conscience groweth sensible of it Nothing so pleasant as our sinne for the time but Citò praeterit quod delectat It soone passes away which delighteth now David gronesunder the burthen of it he hath the whole weight of the law upon him for it and he hath found that he hath walked contrary to God We have great use of this recollection of ourselues 1. We have need of God every moment for his help and comfort and counsell So long as our sinnes are upon our conscience unrepented unpardoned we cannot pray to God for any favour 2. We cannot give thanks as our prayers are turned into sinne if we regard wickednesse in our hearts for God heareth not sinners 1.
ponderant Elements in their places are not heavy But take him from his sinne a little and set them within an optique distance that he may see them he will both see the in numberablenesse and feel the heavinesse of them We beleeve a day of judgement designed and ordained of God for a severe audit of all our sinnes We are in that day judged by both these books of Gods remembrance and of our own conscience For so we shall be our own judges and there can be no hope for such as have these books opened against them God cannot forget Our conscience cannot but accuse so that we are all children of wrath and in a state of condemnation The judge may say Quid opus est testibus What need of witnesses for the least one of these legions of sinnes that we are guilty of hath weight enough to weigh us down to the bottome of hell All these will make the pit shut her mouth upon us 2. But against this David doth shew comfort when he prayeth to have his transgressions blotted out of Gods book For this sheweth that there is a way out of the danger of the vengeance to come The book wherein all our debts are recorded may be crost and the offences may be blotted out The way is 1. The justice of God must be satisfied our debt paied for God can neither falsifie his truth who hath threatned sinne with vengeance nor satisfie and silence his justice without it So that we must finde Iesus Christ in this prayer without whom there is no acceptance to God for a sinner for our life is hid with God in Christ we appeare in our selves no other but dead in trespasses and sinnes But Christ is our life and the loving kindnesse that David prayeth for here is that wherewith God so loved the world that he gave his onely begotten Sonne that we might not perish but have everlasting life And the tender mercies which he craveth are those of which Zachary doth speak Through the tender mercie of our God whereby the day spring from on high hath visited us To give light to them that sit in darknesse and in the shadow of death and to guide our feet into the way of peace Here is Via lactea the milkie way the very way of salvation for the tender mercies of God give not onely light of comfort to cheare our hearts but light of direction also to guide our wayes and that is the blotting away our repented sinnes 2. Another phrase followeth which sheweth how this foule record may be blotted out of Gods Tables VERSE 2. Wash me throughly from mine Iniquitie THis shews that Iniquitie is a foule and defiling blemish and needeth washing So foule as no washing will do it but Lava tu wash thou So foule as it will need his washing throughly 1. Lava Wash His calling for so much mercy sheweth his fear of iniquitie his calling for all this washing sheweth his shame of it He doth not desire to have it hidden from sight but quite removed Not removed onely from the book of Gods remembrance but washt out of the book of his own conscience also Sinne is of that foule nature that it defileth the conscience of a man and maketh him uncleane I think no man will denie but David notwithstanding this sinne was a regenerate man For even this Psalme which confesseth this uncleannesâ—e in him is part of holy Scripture and the penne-men of Scripture were all holy and wrote as they were guided by the Spirit of God He seeth and confesseth a pollution and would faine be quit of it Yet some of late have so cleared a regenerate man from all sinne that they say God can finde no sinne at all in them It is true that God seeth no iniquitie in his elect to condemne them for it for there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Iesus But then they walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit But if any of the elect turn out of the way for a time to walk after the flesh as David here did he seeth that sinne he hateth it he punisheth them for it and till he hath washt them from it they remain defiled with it Therefore they pray to be washt Naaman for a leprosie in the body must wash in Iordane Sinne is the leprosie of the soul and as the bodily leprosie did defile the person that had it the clothes that he wore the bed that he lay upon the very wals of the house where he remained that all must be purged and it cast him that had it out of the camp So the leprosie of sinne maketh all things unclean within and without us that we do but touch Whatsoever the unclean person toucheth shall be unclean This is the cause of the groning of the creature for though it hath gone the way of the creation from the beginning yet it is become subject to vanitie by the pollution of our sinnes and our iniquitie reacheth to the heavens it defileth the celestiall bodies above us and the earth beneath us because these have been aiding and assisting to us in our sinnes not of any evill disposition in themselues but by our abuse of them to Gods dishonour All this presseth a necessitie of our continuall washing both for the defiling which is within us and for the pollution that cometh from us We must hate the garment that is spotted with the flesh This made David desire to be washt throughly Multiplica lavare multiply to wash some do render it others Amplius lava wash me more as Peter Not my feet onely but my hands and my head Naaman must wash seven times in Iordane to put off his bodily leprosie Sinne which is the leprosie of the soul cleaveth so close to us that we had need of an often and a scouring lather to rinse our defiled souls For as to the pure all things are pure So to them that are defiled is nothing pure but even their minde and conscience is defiled There is nothing that nourisheth sinne more in us then an opinion of an easinesse to repent when we will to put it off Beloved diseases are never so painfull to us as when we are put to it to take much physick for them For for the time the physick is more painfull then the disease violent purgings strong vomits languishing sweats bleeding bitter pils and potions unpleasing dyet yet great diseases ask a suffering of all these for health But in a dangerous disease we call upon our Physitian not to spare us so he recover us Ths is it in the state of our diseased souls we must take strong physick to remove violent and dangerous diseases David describing his sinne saith My wounds stink and are corrupt Do you know the pain of washing such wounds Do you not perceive the necessity of it There is no dallying in such cases lest our negligence make the maladie gangren and prove immedicable It will ask sharp
our hearts are purged by that faith Verbum lavat non quia dicitur sed quia creditur The word washeth not because it is spoken but because it is beleeved 2 God washeth us by the water of baptisme which is therefore called the Laver of our new birth Which though it be received but once in our life as the Nicene Creed saith I beleeve one Baptisme for the remission of sinnes Yet it is available for our whole life and the vertue of it extendeth to our last gaspe thereof The Sacrament of Baptisme is for our new birth and as S. Augustine noteth As we are born once for our life so new born but once For the Lords Supper is renewed being for nutrition But the gift of God is without repentance David needed not a new circumcision after his fall his repentance renewed the vertue and power thereof 3 We are of Gods washing by the faith of Christ in his bloud which cleanseth us throughly from all sinnes That is the true and perfect lavatorie the fountain which God set open to the house of David and the inhabitants of Ierusalem that is to the whole Church of God for sinne and for uncleannesse For He gave himself for us that he might redeeme us from all iniquitie and purifie unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works 3 Cleanse me See how fervent David is in his prayer he reneweth the same petition for his purification he hath but changed the phrase the suit is the same it was to be washt throughly but he expresseth it to the effect that he may be clean Sinne of all pollutions is the foulest it maketh uncleane eyes uncleane hands foule feet foule consciences A little washing of foule hands doth but foule them more we must wash till we be clean No unclean thing shall ever enter into the new Ierusalem So soone as the Angels had sinned they were cast out of Paradise aloft And so soone as Adam had sinned he was cast out of Paradise below So soone as Cain had sinned he was cast out of the presence of God and became a vagabond on the face of the earth The pure in heart shall see God who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord and who shall stand in his holy place He that hath clean hands and a pure heart Therefore make me clean wonder not that David is so importunate with God for his full purgation from his sinne being so sensible of the danger of his impuritie For the reason why our uncleannesse remaineth upon us unpurged and we continue untroubled at it is we are not enough sensible of the foulnesse that defileth us or the danger that it brings along with it Some of us pretending holinesse can be well content and can pray to be washt but we affect not a perfect cleannesse We have some sinnes that bring in profit as usurie symonie bribery fraud lying perjurie and such like Some that put us forward in the world as ambition pride flatterie c. Some that give us pleasure and delight as adultery fornication immoderate eating and drinking chambering and wantonnesse c. Some that please our malitious disposition as revenge secret inâ—idiations cunning under minings satanicall libellings and wit-blasts c. David is for cleannesse he would have no remaine left upon his conscience of any unrepented sinne Wash me throughly and make me clean It is true penitence to forsake and abhorre sinne all kinde of sinne and to let no iniquitie have dominion over us We cannot so long as we live here put away sinne so that no remaines shall annoy us If we can quite the dominion of sinne that we suffer it not to reigne in our mort ll bodies this is our utter most And so long as sinne dwelleth in us not a received inmate but a violent intruder we shall finde that the Spirit of God will aid us so against it that as the Spirit in us doth daily grow with the increasing of God so the flesh will loose ground and the old Adam will grow weaker and weaker Our wounds which now stink and are corrupt through sinne will be so clean washt that there will be way made for healing of them up Medicus est offer ei mercedem Deus est offer ei sacrificium Is it a Physitian offer him a reward is it God offer him sacrifice The Prophet hath found out one alter in this Psalme Cor contritum a contrite heart VERSE 3. For I acknowledge my transgressions and my sinne is ever before me 2 HIs confession wherein 1. He at large and in a generalitie confesseth his sinnes For I acknowledge my transgressions 2 He sheweth the motive to this confession a perpetuall sight of his sinnes 3 He considereth both the generalitie of his sinnes and this last speciall sinne in the offence by it given 4 He recounteth his originall sinne the fountain of his corruption 5 To aggravate his digression he compareth himself in a state of sinne with that condition which God exacteth of him and which he will hereafter work in him 1 His confession at large After a â—ight and sense of sinne in the work of repentance confession followeth 1 David confessed to Nathan sent of God to him to charge him with his sinne and that authoritie Christ left in his Church in the new Testament with the Priests therof Whosoever sinnes you remit they are remitted unto them absolution is not rightly administred but upon a faire evidence of a true and serious repentance Which must begin at confession and therefore the power of absolution doth suppose a duty of confession The abuse of confession in the Church of Rome hath gotten it an ill name some of them having many times corrupted it to their own ends to ransack the consciences of men and to romage the hearts of men to finde how they may serve their turns Yet was it an holy institution in the intendment thereof that a man should often survey all his thoughts and words and actions Censure them with griefe tremble at them with fear confesse them with shame cure them with good counsell expiate them with some revenge extinguish them with full purpose of amendment of life and establish their hearts with some healing comforts from the holy Word of God administred as cordials from our souls Physitians But as Auricular Confession hath been sometimes practised it is a kinde of encouragement to sinne for beleeving as some do that their confession and penance and absolution doth wash them throughly from all their iniquities and cleanse them from all sinne They spare not to commit all kindes of sinne in trust of this remedie making the remedie of sinne a provocation to sinne Like those mountebanks that in sight will wound themselves to shew the vertue of their salve and drink poyson in confidence of their antidote Penances also have been sometimes so easie and perfunctorious as they may make a sport at sinne study it with deliberation practise it with
letter that which weakeneth the power of our Baptisme and maketh the Lords Supper an eating and drinking of judgement that which maketh all our praises of God a sacrifice of fooles that which turneth all our prayers into sinne and transformeth the grace of God into wantonnesse is We either hide our sinne out of sight cautè closely wherein we may deceive the world but we cannot shut up the eye of God or benight the light of our own conscience Or we plead Non est factum not our deed against two witnesses at least one in heaven another in our own bosomes Or we put on some honest names upon our dishonest carriages calling wantonnesse recreation and prosecution of revenge a standing upon our credit and a maintenance of honour Or we face out our sinnes with societie as drunkards plead they do no other then is done in Court in City in Countrey and amongst all sorts and degrees of men these times adde women too for many will not sit out in a fashion And if we reprove such they regest that some of our selves are good fellows too Here the proverbe failes The more the merrier when they go in the wayes of death Or we devolue our fault upon others as Adam Mulier quam dedisti the woman which thou gavest me It falleth upon God Vinum quod dedisti inebriat vestes quas dedisti superbum me cibus gulosum c. The wine which thou hast given me makes me drunken the clothes thou hast given me make me proud thy meat gluttonous c. Some proceed further the full growth of impudence and impenitencie justifying their sinnes and calling evill good and good evill treading under foot the bloud of the covenant as an unholy thing raging waves of the Sea foming out their own shame wandring starres for whom is reserved the blacknesse of darknesse for ever whose condemnation sleepeth not Beloved your reason and judgement and common understanding doth call swearing blasphemie It calleth doing that which you would not suffer injury It calleth immoderate eating gluttony intemperate drinking drunkennesse It calleth unlawfull copulations adulterie and fornication By the light of nature and of Religion we abhorre the denomination of these sinnes who is willing to be called a blasphemer an oppressour a glutton a drunkard If the names of these sinnes be shamefull make conscience of the sinnes themselves For it was ever in fashion in the world and will be that they which do wickedly and foolishly shall be called wicked and foolish persons I conclude with Joshuahs speech to Achan My sonne give I pray thee glorie to the Lord God of Israel and make confession unto him tell now what thou hast done and hide it not He that hideth his sinne shall not prosper shame and feare are the two great hinderances of confession they are also the rods of sinne These should rather move us to confession and repentance for repentance removeth them both ut ante And my sinne is ever before me 2 Here is a great motive to confession for David found his sinne troublesome to him Sinne is taken commonly for the fault and so our fault alwayes in sight bringeth shame Sinne is also taken sometimes for the punishment and that in our sight alwayes bringeth fear It must needs be combersome to have these two roddes alwayes lashing of us shame and fear Sinne is also said to be before us 1 Either in the eye of understanding and judgement and reason knowing and disliking it 2 Or in the eye of our conscience pleading guilty to it And this is ever so till our repentance and Gods pardon hath removed it Our first parents in paradise did see the forbidden fruit 1 That it was good for food 2 It was a desire to the eyes 3 To be desired to make one wise They considered not that the eating of it was against the commandment that it was certain death to eat of it I he sinne was not before them In every temptation to evill and commission of evill there is a pleasure that offereth it self to the eye upon that our yeelding weaknesse fastneth That is ever before us to put us into sinne and when we have done it that is before us to keep us from repentance That was it that corrupted Davids holinesse at first to sinne and that held him so long impenitent But when God had awaked him by his Prophet then the pleasure of finne ceased and the shame and fear and sorrow of it succeeded then was his sinne ever before him The words of Davids complaint weigh heavy if we take the full weight of every one of them they amount to a talent of lead and we may call them The Burthen of David 1 Here is sinne 2 My sinne 3 Coram in sight 4 Coram me before me 5 Semper ever 1 His complaint is of sinne All sinnes are not alike deadly nor all of equall provocation There be different magnitudes of sinne one sinne differeth from another in qualitie Some more offensive then other to God to man to our selves Some in quantity of number hath more sinnes retaining to it then others have for no sinne doth ever go alone Some in quantitie of dimension greater then other more provoking Some in quantitie of weight heavier and more incurving and slooping towards and immerging deeper into the gulf of perdition Some in quantitie of measure more filling and more heaped up more pressing down more running over Some in the seed of concupiscence some in the root of delight some in the blade of consent some in the eare of perpetration some in the full growth and ripenesse of custome some shedding self-sowing by defence and justification of it and by publique profession and maintenance When Sathan would strike us with a fiery dart he will shew us our sinne at the worst In confession of sinnes to God we must consider that we are in his eye to whom all things are manifest from whom no thing can be concealed and therefore there is no slubbering or mincing our confession We must confesse all as we desire to be made clean from all let us be as particular as we can in the enumeration of our sinnes And because our memorie may fail us in particularities let us help it with opening before God our Corpus peccati body of sinne So I understand here my sinne that is Corpus peccati the body of sinne in the grosse summe is ever before me David doth come to particular sinnes after in his confession This peccatum sinne is that corruption of nature which is ever striving against the Law that flesh which is ever rebelling against the Spirit that old man which is corrupt according to the deceiveable lusts of the flesh The bed of sinne in us the stool of wickednesse the throne of Sathan the remnants of sinne which abide even in the regenerate upon which S. Paul complaineth so much I know that in me that is in my flesh is
no good thing And this he chargeth with all his aberrations from the way of God law Not I that is my regenerate part but sinne in me that is my naturall corruption not yet mortified my flesh not yet brought in subjection to the law and will of my God 2 Meum my David owneth his sinne and confesseth it his own Here is our natural wealth what can we call our own but sinne Our food and rayment the necessaries of life are borrowings We came hungrie and naked into the world we brought none of these with us and we deserved none of them here Our sinne came with us as David after confesseth We have right of inheritance in sinne taking it by traduction and transmission from our parents we have right of possession So Job Thou makest me to possesse the sinnes of my youth We plead ancient custome and prescription for sinne for we were never without it since we first came into the world Peccatum meum my sinne is Davids griefe David in piety to God and in charitie to his neighbour did mourn and weep rivers of waters for them that kept not the law But other mens sinnes are not put upon his account and require not his repentance except they were committed by his counsell example or approbation He is now to declare his repentance that extendeth no further then to peccatum meum my sinne This may aggravate a sinne much for as is the person so is the sinne here Meum my toucheth the person of the offender Nehemiah urgeth Should such a man as I flie David was a person take him not beyond his private estate as the yonger sonne of I shal favoured by God defended from the Lyon the Beare from Goliah from the Philistines from Saul and from all his enemies Adams sinne which many sleight as no great matter to draw such a judgement upon all flesh was the greatest sinne that ever was committed by man in respect of the person For being in a state of innocencie and having free-will to do good and in the fresh glory of his creation and in the fulnesse of his makers image and in the fatnesse of the earth the fitnesse of an help meet for him amounting to what could I have done more that I have not done his trespasse was prodigious nefarious abhominable To defile his holinesse to benight his wisedome to corrupt his goodnesse to evacuate his righteousnesse to forget his happinesse and to see God for a fruit having paradise before him and all the fruit at his service his sinne was infectious it did not onely vitiate and deflowre his person it also impoysoned the fountain of bloud which was to propagate a posterity to fill the earth We know that peccatum meum my sinne the sinne of the Angels that fell was so aggravated by the consideration of their persons who fell that God cast them off for ever and reserveth them in chains of darknesse for a great day David a publique person a king Gods king Posui Regeâ— meum super montem sacrum meum I have set my king upon my holy hill of Sion Regis ad exemplum c. David an holy Prophet vices that are sleighted in common persons in men professed holy are twise themselves and Sathan glorieth more in the corruption of a Prophet or Minister of the Word then in many common men God is more offended and the Church more scandaled Let every man judge his sinne by consideration of himself In his person in his place and office in his received favours from God Meum my will so make great weight Meum hath speciall reference here to Davids sinne which doth put him to this penance 1 His lust upon the sight of beauty 2 His adulterie 3 His making Vriah drunk 4 His corrupting of Joab 5 His murther of Vriah 6 His ten moneths impenitencie This is peccatum meum my sinne Every one of these very hainous for lust adulterie and making men drunk and a constant or rather obstinate impenitencie These be sinnes in fashion and many think the better of themselves for them It is the pride of many to boast of their unchast and lascivious lewdnesse of life of their making their companions drunk and no sense of the abuse of Gods good creatures the wrong to God to their neighbour to their own bodies thereby exposed to diseases Beloved if all these if any of these sinnes belong to any of you I charge you not let your consciences save me the labour and do you own it and call it peccatum meum my sinne as David here doth Put it before you in sight and confesse it to God that you may finde mercie If none of these call you guilty search your hearts for that darling sinne Peccatum meum my sinne The pleasant the profitable sinne that reigneth in you You see confession spares not any sinne whatsoever you call meum mine must be all brought forth 3 Coram Before This sinne was now come before as August observeth Sinne is behinde our backs when we are first tempted to it when we first commit it Sathan sheweth the pleasure and profit of sinne but he concealeth the trespasse and the danger thereof 1 It was in sight of God from the first motion and yeelding to it 2 It was in sight of the Devill and his Angels that suggested it 3 It was in sight of those agents of the King who did negotiate it 4 It was in sight of the common man who could not but take notice of it 5 It was in sight of the Church Gods faithfull ones who were much scandalized by it 6 It was in sight of the enemies of God who thereby took great occasion to blaspheme the name of God and his Religion 7 It was in sight of Nathan Gods holy Prophet who was sent of purpose by God to reprove it Nathan charged him Thou diddest it secretly see the deceiveablenesse of Sathan no sinne dare look the light in the face Qui male agit odit lucem He that doth evill hateth the light One of the greatest encouragements to finne is an hope of secrecie and therein for the most part the sinner mis-carrieth for not onely God which hateth the sinne but Sathan also that tempted to it do both finde means to bring it to shame Yet the heart of David was so hardened and his conscience so blinded with the pleasure of sinne that he felt no remorse of it Some sinnes are much more hardly repented then others especially those sinnes which please the naturall man best repented hardest 4 Coram me Before me Now at last his sinne is come to the light of his own understanding to the sting of his own conscience Now he sees what need he hath of mercy Miserere mei Deus c. Have mercy upon me O God Now he sees what commandments he hath despised as Nathan chargeth him Now he sees what offence he hath given to God to his Church What defiling to his own soul and body
what danger to both We can never repent heartily till we come to this and we are very loath to come to it Now David seeth his sinne clearly the whole sinne the motives the means the acts the colours and conveyances there all coram me before me Coram populo before the people shame to him Coram Ecclesia before the Church griefe to them Coram inimâ—cis before the enemies joy to them Coram Deo before God anger against him Coram Nathane before Nathan a chiding But if any hope of repentance and amendment it is in Peccatum meum coram me my sinne before me Here is the distresse of a sinner he never discerneth how unhaphie he is till his sinne is before him Excused be the masks of sinne pleasure is the sweetning of sinne secrecie is the night of sinne Remove all these and let thy sinne appeare naked and stript of this shelter Mulier formosa supernè turpiter atrum desinet The fairest womans face Foule nether parts disgrace How quickly could David see his own sinne in another person in the parable of Nathan It was ten moneths before his own sinne was before himself We are very blinde to behold our own faults yet we are most beholding to them that help our weak sight and cleare our eyes that way It was the wish of a well-minded heathen man that he might ever dwell either by a true friend or some very malitious and spightfull enemy because either love or malice would ever tel him his own and he should be sure to know his faults Christ What say men that I am we must use all the meanes we can to search our wounds that they may be healed To know our disease ut curetur it is S. Gregor note upon this Text Ascendat tribunal mentis suae constituat se ante se Videat foeditatem suam at corrigat ne nolens videat erubescat Let him ascend the tribunall of his minde and place himself before himself let him see his foulnesse to correct it lest against his will he see it and be ashamed at it Some put all their vertues before themselves as the Pharisee he gave not himself an ill word in his confession I am not like other men I fast I pay tithes I give almes I pray c. The poore Publicane could not see any good Corn within his field it was so over-grown with tares Lord be mercifull to me the sinner Great persons have so much the more danger from sinne because they have so many flatterers to keep their vertues ever in their sight or to lay vertues to their charge that they have no right too And so few Nathans to shew them their sinnes and to say Tueshomo thou art the man How can they repent when their sinne is yet behinde their backs and no body dares put it in sight Or if it come in sight there may be foâ—nd law to make it good Sinnes when they are grown to have countenance of authority and strength of custome to establish them are no longer sinnes Leges fiant they are made laws And time cals that a sinne now which anon is a singular vertue But let us call sinnes and vertues by their proper names and let them be in our sight and we shall begge the grace of repentance very heartily 5 Sempe alwayes Sinne is sweet in the mouth Job speaks of hiding it under the tongue but in the stomacke it is unwholsome and upbraiding David found it so when once it came before him it was ever in his sight as before he said There is no rest in my bones propter pâ—ccatum by reason of my sinne Sometimes he thought how he had sinned against Vriah a faithfull servant in defiling his bed in betraying his life sometimes how he sinned against his own â—oul and body in defiling it with the flesh Sometimes how he had sinned against Joab to make him an instrument of injury against Vriah to defile him also with innocent bloud Sometimes how he abused the good creatures of God to make Uriah drunk how he twice wronged the honorable state of matrimony once desiring to make Vriahs repaire to his house a cover for his sinne and when that failed and Vriah was slain he veiled his sinne with his own marriage of the defiled widow alwayes he thought how he had sinned against God This case of David is a lively peece describing to the life the unrest of an unquiet conscience overcharged with sinne That which Poets feigned of Furies ever disquieting some persons was nothing else as Tully found and applied it but a troubled conscience which hath no peace And we can never attain to peace before we have felt the sting of sinne the rigour of the law the terrour of the Lord the rods and scorpions of an afflicted and unrestful conscience And this will hold till our repentance Gods pardon sealeth our quietus est no company no pleasure no comfort will help this no such sorrow as Animus dolet the minde is sorrowfull VERSE 4. Against thee thee onely have I sinned and done this evill in thy sight 3. HIs confession expresseth where he hath given offence which hath two parts For 1 He accuseth himself 2 He cleareth almighty God 1 In his self-accusation 1 Here is the height of sinne against God Tibisoli c. Against thee onely 2 Here is the boldnesse of his sinne In thy sight In the first here is 1 Ego I the person 2 Peccavi have sinned the trespasse 3 Against thee Pars laesa the party offended 1 Ego I the person This comes in still for it maketh weight alwayes in the confession Some charge the malevolent aspects of their starres some charge Sathan with all their sinne Others have other put-offes to save themselves harmlesse David takes all upon himself his own corruption his own rebell flesh his unregenerate part his old Adam did it Me me adsum qui feci Here here I am that did it I whom thou tookest from following the ewes great with lambe whose sheep-hooke thou hast changed for a Scepter whose sheep for thine own people Israel upon whose head thou hast set a crown of pure gold I whom thou diddest lately invest in the full Monarchie of thy people to whom thou gavest the possession of Ierusalem from the Iebusites I who setled peace Religion and Courts of justice in Ierusalem that thou mightest be served and honoured and I would faine have built thee an house there Ego I to whom God committed the trust of government to rule others the trust of judgement to punish others as King over his inheritance I to whom God committed the care of others souls to guide them by his word to direct them by good counsell to allure them by his gratious promises to terrifie them by his threatnings as the Lords holy Prophet I who both wayes as King and Prophet should have beene an example of holinesse and righteousnesse to all Israel Nathan said Tues homo thou art the
it self will prove the burthen of the conscience the feare of a deadly blow the trembling of our hearts the shame of our faces the disquieting of the whole man This sheweth us what a body of sinne we beare about us for as the proverbe is Wickednesse proceedeth from the wicked this calleth the heart uncleane and the conscience defiled Cease therefore to do evill and learne to do well This is the way of life to escape the paths of death Evils are a shamed of themselves and Sathan dare not be so open in his temptations as to tender them to us bare-faced but he putteth either some matter of vertue upon them to hide them out of sight or some pretence of great pleasure or profit to sweeten them that they may go down with us without distaste Let us but take so much leasure as to take off this disguise and behold evill in it own proper colours and we shall see such a loathed deformitie we shall feele such an abhorred complection of stench and commistion of filthinesse as will discourage us from it We shall discerne danger in the touch of it and death in the committing of it Libera nos à malo Deliver us from evill 4 The particularity This sinne Here Davids repentance doth come home to his present disease this great exemplarie teeming and pregnant this parturient sinne which brought forth so many so horrible sinnes Lust when it conceiveth bringeth forth sinne Lust was Davids sinne see the present issue and encrease of it it broughtforth adultery Two bodies defiled Matrimony Gods ordinance polluted Gods good creatures abused to drunkennesse Joab corrupted Uriah murthered This sinne cherished veiled with a marriage and for ten moneths unrepented I have done this evill all this beside all the other sinnes of my life I have added this also No doubt but he did consider this sinne also in the punishment of it 1 With vexation in his conscience 2 With shame in the world 3 With the griefe of the Church 4 With the joy of Gods enemies 5 With the anger of God 6 With the chiding of Nathan 7 With the death of the childe 8 With a continuall incumbent punishment in his own house Non discedet gladius c. The sword shall not depart c. Before he craved mercy against his transgressions and iniquitie and sinnes Now he comes to this eminent and notorious sinne I have done evill this evill Which teacheth us when we come to repaire the decayes of our spirituall man by repentance to have speciall care of those particular sinnes which have especially corrupted us and provoked God against us A generall peccavi iniquè egi I have sinned and done wickedly will not serve without we come to this evill As the people of Israel did when the Lord affrighted them with thunder and raine in their wheat-harvest they confessed and said to Samuel Pray for thy servants unto the Lord thy God that we dye not for we have added unto all our sinnes this evill in asking us a King We say of some man he is a very true hearted honest man but he will sometimes over-drink or he will sometimes sweare in his passion or he will over-shoot himself in his anger or he is somewhat covetous or prodigall or wanton c. Let every man so account with God for his sinnes as to confesse with griefe shame and fear this evill to which either some corruption of nature or some continuance of custome or some temptation of pleasure profit or some present occasion for want of grace by some sudden surprize hath prevailed with him to give him a fall Opportunitie doth often tempt and prevaile against a great measure of knowledge and grace and God sometimes leaveth us to our selves to try our strength how we can resist Sathan If we prove too weake for him and that he do over-beare us we have no remedie but this particular repentance All sinnes foule us therefore David prayeth to be washed some sinnes steine us and an ordinarie washing will not cleare us therefore he prayeth Wash me throughly and make me cleane It is our wisedome to discerne this difference of our sinnes and consider which be dyed in crimsin which in scarlet and to bring them to the washing especially So shall we be purged from our great offence Here is Noahs drunkennesse and Lots drunkennesse and incest Pauls persecution of the Church Peters denyall of his Master In multis offendimus omnes in many things we sinne all But if we survey our consciences carefully and inquisitively we shall finde this evill some especiall sinne that we have either much accustomed our selves to or that we have once committed overtaken with some sudden strong temptation which we may call this evill How evill this evill tasted in the end we see his appetite desired it before as a chiefe pleasure and now it is become his griefe and greatest paine He was very warie after of falling into this sinne Yet another temptation put him into new sinne of numbring his people when he had done this evill also he fell to this remedy of particular repentance And David said unto God I have sinned greatly because I have done this thing but now I beseech thee do away the iniquity of thy servant for I have done very foolishly He that hath many of these grosse and high-growne sinnes blasphemies prophanations of the Lords-day adulterie drunkennesse c. to account for is in heavy case If one at once smart so shâ—rply and weigh so heavily what will many do Aperiantur ut operiantur sanemus ut sanemus Let them be shewn that they may becovered let us reveal them that we may heal them 5 The daring of this sinne In thy sight He had conveied this sinne as closely and warily as he could God took notice of that also Thou diddest it secretly Bathsheba was secretly sent for and entised and defiled Vriah dyed in a just warre But now David seeeth that all this was done in the sight of God he seeth what the hand doth and what heart setteth it awork David could not be ignorant of this but we willingly embrace temptations to evill which we can keep out of the worlds eye The searching eye of God cannot be benighted it is over all the world and discerneth both good and evill Will any man steale whilest the owner looketh on Dare any man trespasse a King when his eye is upon him A king sitting on the throne of judgement driveth away all evill with his eye He was a foole that said in his heart Non est Deus there is no God he saith so that denyeth him a sight of all things There is no power like the power of God there is no strength to execute power like the strength of God There is no fire so hot as the fire of his furie There is no threatning so surely accomplished as his menaces Yet when we are afraid of every eye of man in our secret sinnes we dare
head of sinne That we were all in Adam in the day of his creation needeth no proofe for out of him was the woman created and of them made one flesh by marriage was all mankinde propagated So that these first parents of our flesh did stand or fall to the benefit or losse of all their posteritie But man stood but a while in honour and by his fall he not onely corrupted his own person but his nature whereby there remained an infection of sinne to the pollution of the whole nature of mankinde This the Apostle hath affirmed disertly In Adam all dye that is all are subject to the law of mortality and all are under the curse of the law for the second death God concluded all under sinne that is both the infection of sinne and the punishment thereof David speaketh here of his originall sinne in the pollution thereof and confesseth that from that root of bitternesse this and all his other sinnes derived Therefore he confesseth the beginning of it not onely at his shaping and formation in the wombe when God gave his body a composition in the wombe and set every member and part of his body in the proper place but he goeth higher to his first conception In peccato fovit me in sin she nourisht me his first warmth which put the first natural heat to the radicall moisture of which we are created This appeares in the difference between the first man created and the first generated for â—f Adam it is said In the image of God made he him But de primo generato of the first begotten for in the account of the Genealogie he reckoneth not Cain who was gone from the presence of God nor Abel who was by Cain murthered But the Genealogie begins at Seth of whom we reade And Adam begat a sonne in his own likenesse after his image and called his name Seth. For Cain he needed not to say so for the corruption of his foule heart shewed him borne of corrupt seed But Seth was one of the holy Fathers of the Church yet begotten in the image of Adam now corrupt and not in the image of God as Adam was created How could it be otherwise for our first parents being defiled who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean Not one The Fathers with full consent referre that speech of Iob to our originall sinne as Pineda upon that place recounteth and quoteth them I should not need to prove this point of originall sinne having so cleare evidence for it as my Text in hand But that the Pelagians long ago denyed any such sinne or naturall corruption affirming Verba Pelagii Ut sine virtutâ— ita sine vitio procreamur atque ante actionem propriae voluntatis id solum in homine est quod Deus condidit The words of Pelagius That as we are begotten without vertue so without vice and before the acting of our own wils that onely is in man which God made Saint Augustine long ago took this heresie to â—ask and learnedly confuted it But of late Ann. 1620. there was a Pamphlet stolne out in print and vented from pocket to pocket by some Anabaptists at home who yet refuse to be so called In this the heresie of Pelagius is revived and originall sinne denyed and peremptorily it is affirmed that no sinne is derived from our parents We take say they from Adam vanity corruption and death This vanity is onely a weaknesse and impotencie in nature to know and do the duties of the Law of God But they deny it to be sinne Their reason is Adam was made of the earth we were made of Adam Adam was made of the earth onely in respect of â—iâ— body for God first made the body and then infused the soul in it The body was free from sinne the soul a spirituall substance infused by God was also free from sinne so Adam was created without sinne But we were no otherwise made of Adam then Adam was made of the earth and we were no more in Adam when he sinned then Adam was in the earth before his creation First according to the body Adam had no commandment given him till he had understanding to embrace it and will to receive or refuse it Adam sinned not till he departed from the commandment They conclude hence that we receiving nothing but our flesh from Adam cannot sinne till we have understanding to know what is commanded us ergo no originall sinne To all which we answer That the flesh which Adam took from the earth was pure for so was the earth But the flesh that we take from Adam is tainted with sinne And true it is that no actuall sinne can be committed without the Law But we may be guilty of originall impuritie without prevarication of the Law Adam had onely the matter of his body from the earth we derive more from Adam For whereas as God breathed into the body of Adam all at once the breath of lives We live three lives The life of plants in our vegetative The life of bruits in our sensitive The life of Angels in our rationall soul Philosophers and Phisitians and the learned Scholars of nature do resolve that we traduce two of these lives from our parents the third is immediately both created and infused by God The proper seat of originall sinne is in the sensitive part of man and that corrupteth our reason and as it groweth faster then our rationall doth so it over-groweth it and keepeth it down untill our new birth doth cut it and keep it short and the good Spirit of God give us strength to resist it and to subdue it This God himself hath in both Testaments fully detected in two holy Sacraments first Circumcision This was to be administred so soone as an infant was capable of it even after the first criticall day and that part of the body was chosen for this Sacrament which might best shew our generation unclean it was a Sacrament of purgation the impuritie of our naturall generation In the new â—estament the Sacrament of Baptisme was instituted to the same purpose And where our Anabaptists do charge us that by our doctrine of originall sinne we bring upon infants a danger of eternall death and thereby we revive that wicked Proverbe The fathers have eaten fowre grapes and the childrens teeth are set on edge We regest this calumny upon them in just imputation For when they confesse that we traduce from our parents vanity corruption and death these are the punishments of sinne and if we have no sinne of our own it is our parents sinne and so our teeth are on edge for their sowre grapes The doctrine of originall sinne was ever taught in the Church and when Saint Augustine did meet with the Pelagian heresie denying it he opposed it strongly and because the adversary urged the faith and doctrine of certaine Hereticks denying originall sinne S. Augustine produceth the constant contrary asseverations of the
most orthodoxe Fathers of the Church in their own words For he citeth Ireneus Ciprian Reticius Olimpus Hispaâ— Hilar. Ambrose Innocentius Gregor Basil Magnus Chrysost and Jerome which is a full cloud of sacred witnesses of antiquity beleeving and teaching the same doctrine This upon the Text in hand Saint Augustine doth clearly avouch Nunquid David de adulterio natus erat quid est quod sie dicit nisi quia trahitur iniquitas ab Adam Nemo nasâ—itur nisi trahens poenam trabens meritum poenae Was David born in adultery Why speaks he so but because iniquity is drawn from Adam There is none born which draws not punishment drawing that which deserves punishment He urgeth the words of the Apostle Corpus mortuum est propter peccatum propago sumus corporis mortui The body is dead by reason of sinne We are the off-spring of a dead body Julian the Pelagian did urge against originall sinne the honourable state of Matrimony So Saint Augustine chargeth him Tu autem dicis nuptias sine dubio damâ—ari ab omni sit liberum obligatione peccati But thou sayest The condemning of marriage is no sinne But marriage was ordained and the blessing of propagation was given before the sinne of Adam And marriage is honourable among all men and the bed undefiled The sinne of Adam did not discommand marriage nor reverse the blessing of encrease And Saint Augustine upon this Psalme doth answer Opus hoc castum in conjuge non habet culpam sed origo peccati trahit secum debitam poenam Non enim maritus quia maritus mortalis non est aâ—t aliunde nisi peccato mortalis est Matrimoniall function is without fault but originall sinne draws with it the punishment due to it For the husband as a husband brings not death nor any way but by sinne God provided a remedy the seed of the woman against sinne and suffered humane infirmity to passe on that he might shew mercie where he pleased But you may demand what any spirit of contradiction can alledge against Davids disert confession of his formation and conception in sinne Our Anabaptists answer That it is a question whether his confession here intend himself or his mother It was a poore shift to busie our thoughts about such a question for why should David confesse any thing here concerning his mother If any why not both parents This confession must have coherence and correspondence with the former I acknowledge my wickednesse my sinne is ever before me But what if it concerne him Then thus he confesseth and desireth God to consider whereof he was made of dust weak flesh unable to resist the tempter when the Law came unto him through which weaknesse he was overcome This is that which we call originall sinne this Carentis justitiae wanting of righteousnesse this impotencie to all good acts this seed of corruption which is the teeming and pregnant spawne of all sinnes But they would have it that as Christ because he had our flesh and was made sinne yet was no sinner So David though confessing himself conceived in sinne was not by conception and birth a transgressour To which we answer 1 That the comparison is blasphemous between Christ and David for Christ was conceived by the holy Ghost David in the ordinary way of flesh 2 That we call not originall sinne transgression of the Law in origine for that is the definition of actuall sinne For originall sinne is defined 1 Est corruptio naturae à prima perfectione It is the corruption of nature from the first perfection 2 Est corruptio naturae hominis quae efficit ne vere obediamus legi Dei nec simus sine peccato It is the corruption of humane nature which makes us unable to obey Gods Law that we cannot be without sinne 3 Est ignorantia inmente concupiscentia in carne It is ignorance in the minde and concupiscence in the flesh 4 But the fullest is this It is an hereditarie corruption of nature which bringeth forth in us the works of the flesh and proneth us to all evils and thereby doth fasten upon us a guiltinesse whereby we are in desert and danger of the wrath of God And this is the sinne which David here confesseth which began with him in his very conception But they alledge that the words of David may have reference not to himself but to his mother Then we must understand him thus that David doth not confesse sinne as a fault but as a punishment and so it hath regard to curse I will multiply the sorrows of thy conceptions So he onely meaneth his mothers punishment for the fall and his weaknesse through the fall That weaknesse we call originall sinne But why David in his repentance should repent his mothers punishment we cannot so well discerne for true repentance hath respect not to the punishment deserved but to the sinne deserving it Therefore these poore flashes of humane wisedome which is carnall sensuall and diabolicall cannot elude the evidence of truth that David bewailing his sinne doth repaire to the root of it in his conception confessing the first seminarie of this weaknesse to begin there But our Anabaptists urge further that if the matter of which David was made was tainted with sinne Then was also the matter of which Christ was made tainted with sinne for he was conceived in the wombe of a mother We reply That he was conceived by the holy Ghost and it was an holy thing that was born in his mother so the Angel saith to her They reply that then Christ was not true man for he was not born of the substance of his mother We answer That Christ was born of the very substance of Mary and that in his miraculous generation by the holy Ghost the substance was not changed but the qualitie of it For when David prayeth after for a new heart he doth not desire to have the substance of his heart changed but the qualitie thereof that of a sinfull and unclean heart it may be made a pure and holy heart a fit Temple for the holy Ghost to dwell in Thus I hope I have to any sober judgement cleared both our received doctrine of originall sinne and the interpretation of my Text against these old and new Pelagians and so the confession of David standeth good that beside his actuall transgressions of the Law he standeth guilty before God of originall uncleannesse from which corrupt fountain all his streames of actuall iniquities do derive I will now fortifie this doctrine with plain demonstrations of the truth from the Scripture 1 Wherefore as by one man sinne entred into the world and death by sinne and so death passed upon all men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in whom all have sinned Neverthelesse death reigned from Adam to Moses even over them that had not sinned after Adams transgression Saint Augustine understandeth this sinne to be that originall sinne that David here complaineth of for
warie how we walk in the way of that roaring Lyon which goeth about continually seeking whom he may devoure But here remaineth a great scruple Was not David circumcised and hath not that Sacrament according to the intention of Gods holy ordinance this proper effect to remove and purge originall sinne And now in the time of the Gospell is not Baptisme the laver of our new birth doth it not wash away originall sinne Why then doth David yet complaine of it or why do we who are baptised stand daily yet in jeopardie of it To cleare this point we resolve that since the fall of man his infirmitie hath ever beene such as all the meanes of grace ordained by God have fallen short of working their full and perfect effect upon us in this life The word teacheth us and yet so long as we live here we know but in part The word begetteth faith yet so weak and so imperfect is our faith that Christ biddeth us to pray to God to encrease our faith The word of the Gospell is the power of God to salvation yet he doth magnifie his power in our weaknesse Our hope is imperfect for it is mingled with feare Our joy is not complete for we rejoyce in trembling The Sacraments of Circumcision and Baptisme were ordained against originall sinne yet for want not of efficacie in the gift but of capacity in the receivers thereof they fall short of the full effect here It is therefore farre from us to limit God by his ordinances to binde him to passe his graces no way but by them As farre is it from us to extend the force of his ordinance to that latitude that which way so ever his outward ordinance goeth his grace must necessarily follow the same We go in a middle way betweene these two extremes affirming that according to the good pleasure of his will so the Sacraments of our regeneration do work their effect more or lesse in his Church For my own judgement I have beleeved and taught that Baptisme doth so purge away original sinne as it doth regenerate us It worketh the same work at once the killing of sinne and the life of Christ in us As we perceive our regeneration imperfect so we must confesse our mortification imperfect Therefore after Baptisme there remaineth yet a â—ome of our originall sinne because Christ hath not the intire possession of us And yet there is a seed of grace because Christ dwelleth in us Both these seeds grow in us till the harvest Yet as Jacob and Esau they strive in the same wombe for the flesh lusteth the spirit sigheth and groaneth the flesh striveth against the spirit the spirit is contrary to the flesh From the seed of the flesh which we call originall sinne all our evill thoughts words and works do proceed From the seed of the spirit arise all good motions whereby we resist the flesh And if any of Gods people be overtaken with offence he is not straitway as a limbe cut off from the body but as a bone out of joynt for the time It is not a laxation from the bodie but a laxation in the body It is the Apostles word you that are spirituall restore such a one 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 put him in joynt againe So we denie not the grace of Circumcision or Baptisme we do not weaken the power of Gods ordinance but we allow it the efficacie of congruitie with the subject For it filleth secundum capacitatem vasis according to the capability of the vessell when God enlargeth our heart we shall receive his gifts more fully You now see how much cause David had to complain of his originall sinne as the seed remaining in him from whence these great offences grow I conceive the proper use of this point to be this To stirre us up by Davids example upon all occasions by our fallings into any sinne to look back upon this root of sinne in us that we may put the strength of our measure of grace to it to grubbe it It is such as that if there remain but a threed of it in our ground by the sent of water it will take in sap and gather strength and put forth and grow up as a plant as Job saith Therefore we know our spirituall growth in grace by the withering of this old man and the vegetation of the new man in us The Prophet here in the from of this confession setteth an Ecce Behold which may be directed two wayes 1 For he may divert his speech from God to whom his addresse is to the Church and to his fellow-members of that body as partners with him of the same nature of the same infirmitie See whence these â—oule evils came even from the sinne that came with me Peccatum oriens from the sinne that abideth in me Peccatum habitans from the sinne that encircleth me Peccatum circumstans from the sinne that defileth me Peccatum commâ—culans That every one of us may look to that breeder and keep it from teeming in us or if lust do conceive and bring forth sinne then to take the little ones and dash them against the stones We do not enough study this point we do not behold and see into it as we should to look for no good out of this Nazareth to confesse our weake and wicked beginnings of nature to amend by culture and industry our barren soyle impregnant of any good fruits To plough up the fallow grounds of our hearts with discipline and mortification to sowe them with the precious seed of the Word Leaving them to the clouds of grace to raine upon them and to the Sonne of righteousnes to shine on them Eliâ—hs faith will open heaven for that raine Joshuahs prayer will make that Sonne stand still 2 Behold to God he may desire him to consider in his mercie that this mother-sinne came with him it was a corruption of his nature before he had either appetite or sense or will to embrace it yea that corrupted all these and reason it selfe and the conscience that defiled all I deny not but that it was sinne at first in the conception but David doth not say Formatus sum iniquus or Conceptus iniquus but In iniquitate I am not formed or conceived wicked but in wickednesse The matter that I was made of was unsound and unholy for David was not David till his reasonable soul was infused then was he sinfull So that I conceive this behold urged to God to move compassion in him that seeing he could not help it that he was so framed and surely God is mercifull to that sinne in us therefore David saith of him Like as a father pittieth his children so the Lord pittieth them that feare him For he knoweth our frame he remembreth that we are dust Therefore this Ecce behold to God doth move him to compassion of his most miserable condition in regard of the corruption and frailty of his frame and composition But
all sinne both originall and actuall A Sacrament of that purgation wee have in Baptisme which we receive once for all our life though it bee not barely the externall act that cleanseth us but the answer of a good conscience to God To this is added another Sacrament of nutrition by which we are invited to a spirituall feast of the body and bloud of Christ To which our preparation must be a putting on of holinesse But as Iehoshus the high Priest was first stripped out of his filthy raiment and then had cleane cloathes put on So must wee lay aside the old man corrupt with the deceiveable lusts of the flesh before we can be renewed in the spirit of our minde and put on the new man in righteousnesse and holinesse I herefore for our better preparation to this Sacrament of the body and bloud of Christ let me commend to you the holy example of David Let us beginne at a search and survey of our hearts for sinne even so deepe as our birth-sinne and originall uncleannesse Let us compare what we are in our inward parts with that which God desireth and the folly that possesseth us with the wisedome which God will give us if we aske it of him then shall we see what favour God hath done us in his holy Sacrament to offer us the benefit of his passion and the sprinkling of his bloud to keepe the destroying Angell from our houses This full example tendreth us all the ingredients in an holy preparation for Gods Table 1 Knowledge both of our disease and the remedy of it 2 Repentance of our sinnes as being sensible of the burthen and wearie of the annoyance of them 3 Faith depending upon God both for his tender mercies to pardon them and for his holy wisedome to prevent our relapsing after repentance into them 4 Charity to our brethren for David after promiseth to teach sinners and to direct them in good waies God can wash without hysope he can teach without the word he can cleanse without Baptisine he can nourish without the Lords Supper But having ordained outward types and signes and Sacraments and meanes for our purgation and nutrition David teacheth us hereto 5 To adde prayer to God not onely for the spirituall grace but for the outward meanes also Teach me by thy word wash me with thine hysope feed me with thy Supper So ought we to pray with David for the power of grace in the outward ordinance of God And that is the way to sanctifie our selves both to the Word and to the Sacrament There is nothing that doth more ineffectuate this blessed Sacrament of the body and bloud of Christ to the receivers thereof then their uncleannesse for Pearles are not to be cast unto Swine And we must wash our hands in innocency before we compasse his altar Those corruptions which are within us in our heart are they that doe defile us for out of the heart proceed murthers adulteries drunkennesse strife and envying and these things pollute us These aske a great deale of hysope to sprinckle us with bloud to drench and steepe us in to fetch out the deep steines which they have made in our consciences These removed or our endeavour done to remove them wee may eate of this bread and drinke of this wine that he hath prepared 3 In resumption of this Petition we still see how weary David is of his filthinesse how ambitious of a purification For being yet in the stench and deformity and foulenesse of his sinnes he beleeveth that if he might be of Gods washing he should be whiter than snow Saint Paul biddethus desire the best gifts In things concerning this life wee have no warrant to desire above a competency Agur the wise sonne of Iakeh hath left us his prayer and it is part of our Canonicall Scripture Give me not riches give me not poverty feed mee with food convenient for me Christ hath limited our prayer for daily bread that is the necessaries of this life The Apostle biddeth if we have food and raiment to be therwith content but in the spirituall and eternall favours of God a greedinesse an ambition a covetousnes for the most and best highest of them doth best of all Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousnesse There be degrees and measures of spirituall graces there be divers quantities of them As in the dye of sinne some are crimsin some scarlet so in the wash of repentance some attain to the whitenesse of wooll some of snow As David in the judging of himselfe findeth none so uncleane as he is so in his desire of purging he affecteth the whitest innocency They that have truely tasted the heavenly gift of holinesse here and the joyes of the life to come desire the uttermost of both and we cannot overdoe in coverousnesse of the one or ambition of the other But how doth David promise himselfe this whitenesse above snow Saint Augustine answereth that this innocency is but begun here it commeth not to any perfection in this life but his faith apprehendeth the complement of it hereafter 2 We may conceive in these sicuts these comparisons the fullest measure of innocency that wee are capable of here and hereafter 3 Or we may comfort our selves in dignatione divina in Gods approvement in whose gratious acceptation wee appeare so white because he accepteth us who calleth things that are not as if they were Or we may extend it to the full effect of the bloud of Christ which maketh a perfect work of our purification VERSE 8. Make mee to heare joy and gladnesse that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoyce 2. HE prayeth for comfort against the terror of his conscience for his sin wherein 1 We have his griefe his bones broken 2 His suit fac me andire c. Make me to heare 1 In his griefe consider 1 The affliction it selfe bones broken 2 The author hereof Thou 2 In his Petition observe 1 Where he seeketh remedy of God 2 In what way by prayer 3 What is his suit to heare joy c. 4 What effect ut ossa gaudeant that the bones may rejoyce 1 His griefe therein 2 Of his affliction ossa confracta the bones broken This is a figurative speech whereby extreame affliction is often in Scripture expressed Sathan to God of Job Touch his bone and his flesh and he will curse thee to thy face It was Iobs complaint My bones were pierced in me in the night season David useth often to complaine of his bones as there is no rest in my bones because of my sinne his meaning is that the vexation of his conscience for his sinne is as painefull to him as the breaking of his bones How are we deceived in the temptation to sinne in the pleasute of sinne when we drinke it downe like water and hide it under our tongue if ever wee come to repentance of it it will be bitternesse in
the latter end it will not be a luxation of our bones putting them out of joynt but a breaking literally this must not be understood of the breaking of bones neither the contrary spoken also by David Many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivereth him our of them all He keepeth all his bones so that not one of them is broken for wee know that not onely alive but dead the bones of the Lords servants have beene violated their dead bones lye scattered like chippes of wood at the mouth of the grave By bones the strength of the body the inward strength and vigour of the soule is meant And the conscience of sinne and the terrour of judgement doth breake the heart of a true penitent so long as he beholdeth his sinne deserving his death his judge ready to pronounce the sentence of it hell open to receive him for it and the evill Angels Gods executioners at hand to hurry him to it Here is extremity of anguish even anima doloris dolor animae the soule of sorrow the sorrow of the soule enough to make a man goe weeping all the day long I beseech you lay this example to heart David that walked with an upright heart and the holy Ghost hath testified him unblameable save onely in this matter of Vriah the Hittite Yet see how he afflicteth himselfe for all his other transgressions which were not laid to his charge his conscience forgiveth him nothing No question but David had many infirmities and many other aberrations some upon record yet they were all by his repentance and the favour of God past over yet they upbrayd him now all of them come upon him like a breach of waters with so fierce irruption and so deluging inundation that they steepe him in deepe waters and cover him all over with affliction The reason is as in sinne the fault he that breaketh the least Commandement and repaireth not himselfe by repentance is guilty of the whole law so in transgressions he that repenteth of all the sinnes he hath done and hath his pardon under seale by the next offence is lyable to all the evidence againe of his former sinnes he cancelleth and forfeiteth his pardon for pardon ever bindeth to good behaviour This breakes the bones of David to have all this weight upon him 2 The author of this Thou hast broken God in favour to his children doth afflict them for sinne and the very phrase of breaking his bones though it expresse extremity of misery and paine yet it hath hope in it for broken bones by acunning hand may be set againe and returne to their former use and strength so that a conscience distrest for sinnes is not out of hope yet upon that hope no wise man will adventure upon sinne saying though I am wounded yet I may be healed againe though I am broken I may be repaired for let him consider 1 Who breakes his bones Thou he that made us our bones and put them in their severall places and tyed them together with ligaments and covered them with flesh he that keepeth all our bones from breaking it must be a great matter that must move him to breake the bones of any of us The God of all consolation that comforteth us in all our distresses when he commeth to distresse us this makes affliction weigh heavy It was Iobs vexation The arrowes of the Almighty are within me the poyson whereof drinketh up my spirit the terrors of God doe set themselves in array against mee He will not suffer me to take my breath but filleth mee with bitternesse What greater sorrow can be then to have God in opposition 2 The paine of the affliction exprest so feelingly in the breaking of bones which as is said is the anguish of the soule for sinne and feare of the consuming fire of Gods wrath and the tempest as Iob cals it of anger 3. The paine of setting these bones againe for though bones dislocate may be put in joynt and though bones broken may be set againe yet this is not done without paine and great extremity to the Patient Repentance setteth all our broken pained bones it recovereth the soule from the anguish thereof but hee that once feeleth the smart of a true repentance will say the pleasures of sinne which are but for a season are as hard a bargaine as ever he made and as deare bought they cost teares which are sanguis vulner aticordis the bloud of a wounded heart they cost sighes and grones which cannot be exprest they cost watching fasting taming of the body to bring it in subjection even to the crucifying of the flesh with the lusts thereof Therefore let no man adventure his bones in hope of setting them againe But how did God breake the bones of David here 1 Outwardly by his word sent in the ministerie of Nathan the Prophet for the word and voyce of God is a two edged sword This was all the strength by which Jeremie was sent forth by God on that great businesse over nations and over kingdomes to root out to pull downe and to destroy and to throw downe Behold I have put my words in thy mouth This is the sword of the spirit and though our doctrine drop as the raine gently and easily if we drinke it in and become fruitfull by it yet when our sinnes doe overgrow we shall finde it a sharpe Conlter to rend the fallow grounds of our hearts we shall finde it a rod of iron to breake our soules in pieces and this word runneth very swiftly it is gladius versatilis a sword that turneth every way 2 But it is a dead letter and draweth no bloud till it come to the conscience for so long as it beateth the eare and ayre onely and worketh no further than the understanding there is no great cumber with it as wee see in those who daily heare their swearing and drunkennesse reproved in the house of God and threatned with losse and deprivation of the kingdome of God it worketh not upon them but when Nathan comes home to their consciences tu es homo thou art the man God hath sent mee to thee to charge thee with this sinne and to tell thee hee is angry and is whetting his sword to cut thee off for it this breaketh and shattereth the bones and though our publike ministery doe not descend to such particulars as tu es homo thou art the man and our private reproofes are subject to ill constructiou yet a plaine dealing death bed will roare it in our eares of our inward man Tu es homo thou art the man thou hast lived a blasphemer of the name of God a glutton a drunkard c. This fils the soules of many dying persons with so much bitternesse that when the sorrowes of death are upon them and the judgement of their whole life in sight the conscience of their sinnes doth make their soules much sicker then their bodies One of
such way to blot our misdeeds out of Gods booke of remembrance as this to publish our owne faults and our repentance of them as David here doth From the whole petition we gather one substance of request which is that God would forgive him all his sinnes which petition is grounded upon an Article of faith the tenth in our Apostles Creed Forgivenesse of sinnes It is also the fifth Petition in the Lords Prayer dimitte nobis debita nostra Forgive us our trespasses David saith Credidi proptereà locâ—tâ—â— sum I beleeved and therefore I spake If we beleeve the Article we may move God in the Petition It is as great an honour to God to be a forgiver as to be a giver Amongst our selves we know that it is one of the hardest taskes of our religion to forgive an injurie Our hearts rise against them that doe it our bloud boyles our countenance falleth it is much more easie to winne us to give gifts to our brethren then to forgive injuries yet we are never out of that Petition to God and in our daily prayer as we aske bread for the day so we aske forgivenesse because our soule needeth pardon as much as our body needeth food I may say much more for wee may goe in the strength of one meale some houres but there is no moment of our life which doth not need to cry God mercy and to aske his pardon for our sinne The necessitie whereof is such that our Saviour taketh advantage of it to establish our charity to our brethren that way That wee might begge no pardon for our selves but with a Sicut â—os dimittimus As we forgive The phrases used in Scripture in petition of Gods pardon are much varied Christ biddeth us say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 put them away which Isay doth render thus Thou hast cast all my sinnes behinde thy backe Micah is more full in this expressure He will turne again he will have compassion upon us he will subdue our iniquities and thou wilt cast all our sinnes into the depths of the sea This David doth call washing cleansing purging hiding Gods face from them and blotting out All meete in one full point of gratious pardon for all these phrases desire an absolute totall and finall remove of our sinnes both from the displeasure of God and from both the annoyance and the punishment of our selves And we can have no peace in our conscience till we be comfortably perswaded hereof Sinnes are called debts Agree with thine adversarie for feare of the Prison thou shalt not come out thence till thou hast paid the utmost farthing blessed is the man whose unrighteousnesse is forgiven I his text teacheth that we must strive and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 contend with God by our prayers for the forgivenes of our sinnes Observe the contents of the Lords Prayer in which would all our lawfull petitions are cast and by which modell the whole building of our supplications is erected The three first Petitions respect the glory of God The latter regardeth our good in two things 1 In our esse our being Give us bread that is let us live we pray for supportation of our being 2 Our bene esse our well being and that consisteth in these three things mainly 1 In the pardon of our sinnes past Et dimitte and forgive 2 In the prevention of temptations to come et ne nos inducas and leade us not 3 In deliverance from punishment and from the power of Sathan Which three Petitions have respect to our sinne so important is our suit for pardon that Christ beginnes our bene esse well being at dimitte forgive Doe but observe your selves how importunate you are with God for ease and health when you are sicke your mouth is full of miserere mei Deus have mercy on mee O God You call upon all that visite you to comfort you with their prayers you send to Church to crave ayde of the congregation you give God no rest How is it that in your sinnes the mortall diseases of your soules you are not thus earnest with God for his pardon which is the onely physicke for a diseased soule David saith God healeth all our infirmities and he sheweth how hee pardoneth all our sinnes therefore the way of cure in all griefes of the body is to heale the soule first so David Sana animam meam c. Heale my soule c. How came it sicke quia peccavi contrate because I have sinned against thee Christ usually in his cures began his healing there fili dimittuntur tibi peccata tua sonne thy sinnes are forgiven thee But the reason why we are so importunate for our body so slight and negligent for our soule is this wee feele the aking and smart the convulsions and crampes the cold shakings the fiery inflammations the trembling palsies the griping and grating collickes and other afflicting diseases which cruciate the body we are not so sensible of the spirituall disease of sinne till we come to remove it by repentance then all other griefes fall short of the griefe of sinne that is a breaking of the bones as before it is exprest Surely if I were limited to one petition and no more for my selfe I would choose this before any Dele omnes iniquitates meas blot out all mine iniquities for there is nothing can be ill with him that hath no iniquity to answer for his soule shall dwell at ease I therefore presse the doctrinall example of David Let us never leave begging of God the pardon of our sinne I will not streine my selfe to multiply reasons of this doctrine that were to follow the new fashion of preaching for we also are at our fashions One maine reason hereof may serve There is nothing so much displeaseth God nothing so much endangereth this life and that which is to come as sinne This I thinke no man will refuse to put for granted Then I say there is no way to be found out of this danger of our sinne but by Gods pardon Come to the Court of justice the law condemneth us Cursed is every one that confirmeth not all the words of the law to doe them Come to the judgement of most voyces all the people shall say Amen for who will blesse where God curseth Come to the Court of Conscience our owne heart condemneth and smiteth us for our sinne is ever before us What have poore sinners then to say for themselves why death should not be the wages of sinne The fault is capitall here is no escape from the justice of the Law but by the Kings gratious pardon In our Ecclesiasticall Courts we have power in the discretion of the Iudge in causes criminall commutare poenam to change the punishment to let offendors buy out a shame of publique disgrace with some pecuniary mulct to be employed in pios usus in religious uses If in causes capitall there have beene Commutatio paenae change of punishment and
that the purse hath saved the life yet that is but the price of intercession But the Kings pardon onely saveth life It is so in the state of our soules sinne is a capitall fault and the wages of it death and no way of escape from this just judgement but by Gods gratious and free pardon We cannot purchase a mediation at any rate to availe us without true and unfained repentance and then we have but one Mediatour to the Father and he must purchase our pardon with his bloud he must be wounded for our transgressions and we must be healed by his stripes and hee must dye for us that we may live in and by him Let Papists seeke heaven by their righteousnesse at their owne perill For my selfe I am so farre from trusting to any merits of our owne workes that I dare resolve that if the salvation of all mankinde had beene put to the plunge that Sodome was at with the other Cities to finde tenne righteous from Adam to the last man that shall stand upon the earth all mankinde must have perished for want of tenne such I dare adventure further in resolution that if the bringing one good worke before God done in all the generations of men performed without any tast or taint of sinne might save all mankinde I except none but Iesus Christ I doe beleeve that he that searched Jerusalem with candle and lanterne even his seven eyes which tunne to and fro through the whole earth cannot finde out one such good and perfect worke the caske distasteth the liquour who is he that doth good and sinneth not who doth good and sinneth not in the very good he hath done To make a worke perfectly holy is one thing to make it meritorious is another If no good work we doe can come from us holy it is not possible it should aske wages Our corruption of nature sprinckles every word worke and thought of ours with some graines more or lesse of our old Adam for as we consist of flesh and spirit ever conflicting there is of both in all we are or have it cannot bee otherwise for the imaginations of the thoughts of our heart are onely evill continually and from that neast these birds doe flye Adultery Fornication Strife c. But if wee could doe any worke holy and pure â—â—oâ—n blame yet there goeth more to it then holinesse to make it meritorious 1 It is required that we be able to doe it of our selves for no thankes to us for any good we doe if he land us the faculties and abilities of doing it 2 It is required that hee which deserveth should doe something for the benefit of him of whom he deserveth but our well-doing extendeth not to God 3 It is required that hee which meriteth doe his good worke out of his owne free will ex mero motu non ex debito meerely by his owne mooving not as of due debt For what we doe of duty we pay we doe not give 4 It is required that the reward bee proportionable to the worke for else whatsoever is more is gift not wages They that wrought all day deserved their penny they that came late had more gift then wages eternall life is too much reward for any service wee doe This putteth workes of supererogation quite out of countenance to name them is to shame them Micah 6. 6. Where withall shall I come before the Lord burnt offerings Calves of a yeare old Will the Lord bee pleased with thousands of rammes or with tenne thousand rivers of oyle shall I give my first borne for my transgressions the fruit of my body for the sinne of my soule Hee hath shewed thee c. To doe justly to love mercy to walke humbly before thy God The way of repentance and crying God mercy is the way of humility we cannot pay our debt we cannot buy out our fault we have nothing to give our plea is miserere have mercy we can finde no way out of our sinnes but by Gods gratious and free pardon This is not so easie a favour obtained as many thinke for suppose the pardon were obtained and sealed for God have mercy yet there is no moment of our life in which we doe not forfeit it and therefore we must renew it continually When you pray say Pater noster dimitte nobis Our Father forgive us and semper orate pray alwayes Be sure to renew your pardon by repentance and prayer continually especially at such times when we come to the house of God to the Table of God now wash us throughly O Lord now O Lord have mercy upon us now purge us with hysope now hide thy face from our sinnes and blot on t all our iniquities Now make us heare joy and gladnesse which thou impartest to us in the Sacrament of thy sons passion Our Church service is holily accommodated to this for we beginne at the words wherein God maketh us heare of joy and we humble our selves to God in a contrite deploration of our sins O Lord heare us from heaven and when thou hearest shew mercy VERSE 10. Create in me a cleane heart O God and renew a right spirit within me 4. HE prayeth for newnesse of life Here also he doubleth his petition and changeth the phrase 1 For his heart the seat of his affections 2 For the holy Ghost to sanctifie him throughout in his body soule and minde In the first observe 1 His suit is for the heart 2 He desireth that cleane 3 He wisheth it so by creation In the second 1 His suit is for the spirit 2 He would have that right 3 He would have it by renovation 1 For the heart there breed adulteries murthers and all other sinnes as Christ hath taught us and that was the neast of all his sinnes The message of God by Nathan descended into the secrets of his heart there he hid the word he saith before Thou requirest truth in the inward parts he found his heart no fit habitation for truth as it was It is our chiefest care to looke to the heart because Christ asketh that of us for himselfe My sonne give me thy heart The Church of the Iewes in tender care for the Church of the Gentiles complaineth We have a little sister and she hath no breasts what shall we doe for our sister in the day when she shall be spoken for that is how shall wee doe for her when Christ shall be speake her for a Spouse for himselfe That should be our care every one for his heart wee have a foule and uncleane heart what shall we doe for it or how shall we answer when Christ saith My sonne give me thy heart Our care therefore must be for it to prepare it so that we may neither be ashamed nor afraid when Christ calleth for it to present him with it Here Salomon adviseth well Keep thy heart above all keeping for out of it are the issues of life This heart of ours hath many
enemies etiaÌ„ domestici ejus inimiciejus the enemies be homebred Iob amongst many other aberrations of men wherof he acquitteth himselfe saith if mine heart walked after mine eyes for when our eyes behold beauty as David did to lust we lose our heart by it Dinah is deflowred if she gad If our heart walk after our eare we may entertain wanton lascivious words which corrupt good manners calumnious and slandercus reports which deprave our neighbours dicterious and satanicall invectives which hurt their good name prophane and blasphemous words which dishonour the name of God If our heart walke after ouâ— tast wee may defile our bodies and soules with surfetting and drunkennesse to the distemper of our bodies the corruption of our soules the displeasing of God the defiling of our consciences the abuse of Gods good creatures unthankfully and the corrupting of others by our evill example So when Christ shall say to thee My sonne give me thy heart thou hast no heart to give him for whoredome wine and new wine take away the heart It is good for us to take into our consideration what is good and what the Lord requireth of us We see the fruit of it in David for having before considered that God requireth truth in the inward part he now becomes carefull of his inward parts and is an humble suter to God for his heart they that meditate not on these things lose their hearts 2 He desireth a cleane heart so he interpreteth his former petitions wash me cleanse me purge me with hysop me that is my heart there is a deepe steine in it of originall sinne there is a foule issue from thence of all other sins these make the conscience sicke of an infectious leprosie even to the second death these make our words and workes and our whole conversation noxious to our brethren obnoxious to the wrath of God The purging of the heart is the cleansing of the whole man for out of the abundance of the heart the tongue speaketh the eare heareth the eye seeth the foot walketh The heart ruleth and guideth all the rest of the man if the fountaine be cleare the streames that flow thence will bee pure and the waters sweet else they will be like the waters of Marab bitter waters Saint Augustine wonders at the folly of man be desireth every thing for himselfe good and of the best he loves cleane cloathing upon him he loves cleane feeding cleane lodging he is next to a bruit beast that is a sloven and yet few desire to have cleane hearts Cleane garners for your graine cleane warehouses for your commodities are desired Your heart is the granary for the pure seed of the word the warehouse for the rich commodity of Gods spirituall favours and graces if that be nastie and noysome stenched with our abominable sinnes tenanted by uncleane spirits Non est loâ—us in diversorio there is no roome in the Inne Though the Saviour of the world was borne in a Stable for want of a fitter roome his good spirit will not house it selfe in hearts that like Stables are fitter for bruit beasts than for the Sonne of God to be entertained there Beati mundi corde blessed are the pure in heart saith Christ S. Gr. upon that saith Si illum qui ab omni peccato mundus est in cordis nostri hospitio habere volumus oportet primò ut cor ab omni vitiorum sorde purgemus If we will have him in the Inne of our hearts which is pure from all sinne wee must first purge our hearts from the foulenesse of vices Our bodies be the temples of the holy Ghost our hearts the Chancell of the Church the Sanctum Sanctorum where the Arke of God is to be placed and where God should sit betweene the Cherubins He that defileth the house of God him will God destroy David asketh the question who shall ascend to the hill of the Lord and who shall stand in his holy place he answereth He that hath cleane hands and a pure heart for no uncleane thing shall bee admitted to enter that holy place They that thinke well of this as much as they desire salvation with God in heaven so much will they strive with God by prayers to obtaine of him a cleane heart and an unstumbling conscience 3 He desireth this of God by way of creation crea in me create in me 1 He desireth this of God for hee onely is the purger of hearts who is the creator of them he takes it upon himselfe I will save you from all your uncleannesses we must goe out of our selves for this for so Ieremie confesseth O Lord I know that the way of man is not in himselfe it is not in man that walketh to direct his steppes therefore helpe O God as before doe thou wash and cleanse and purge me with thy hysope and I shall be cleane if wee be of his washing we shall be whiter than snow 2 He requesteth this by way of creation to create is to make something of nothing Our hearts are so foule and corrupt that there is no repairing of them we must have nâ—w ones made of purpose to serve God with which God in wisedome knowing and in mercy pittying saith A new heart also will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and I will give you an heart of flesh 2 Petition 1 He desireth of God his spirit this is the spirit of sanctification This Saint Paul praied for the Thessalonians And the very God of peace sanctifie you wholly or throughout The spirit of naturall life doth animate the body and maketh it fit for actions of life The spirit of God doth quicken us to actions thoughts and words which belong to holy life We are by nature dead in trespasses sins it is the good spirit of God by which we are new borne and without this we are the children of death for except ye be borne againe of water and the holy Ghost ye cannot enter into the kingdome of heaven he that is so borne of this spirit hath a seed remaining in him 2 He desireth a right spirit the margent of the K. B. doth more naturally expresse the originall calling it a constant spirit For David had received the good spirit of God which so enlightened his understanding and so sanctified his affections and governed his whole conversation that he was a man after the heart of God But when he embraced that mischievous temptation which carried him away from the Word and Commandement of God and opened his eare to the perswasions of flesh and bloud then that good spirit forsooke him for a time and hee lay like a dead man insensible of his fault of his danger Therefore now returning to God by repentance he petitioneth God for a constant spirit that may abide ever with him to guide him that he may never
thing it is to live in the displeasure of God and to be deprived of the comfort of the holy Ghost He feeles how the conscience is oppressed with sinne and how wee are made to remember all our evill wayes from the first sinne We see all this in David for the filthinesse of his sinne he doth earnestly desire to be washed and washed cleane washed with hysope that he may be whiter than snow For the burthen of sinne it lay so heavy upon him that he desireth to be made to heare of joy and gladnesse for his sinne and the feare of Gods judgements had broken his bones For the departure of God from him he was so sensible of it that he prayeth the spirit of God not to depart from him For his former sinnes they all lay upon his oppressed conscience that he remembred them from his conception and birth and he saw the danger of temptations and therefore desireth the confirming spirit of God to keep him from falling into new or relapsing into old sinnes 2 A true Convert knoweth the bitternesse of true repentance he that hath kept an ill dyet and thereby lost his health and is put to it to sweate to purge to bleed to abstaine from all toothsome and pleasing eates and is kept to a dyet and enforced to live medicé miseré in physicke in misery for the time till his health be repaired such a one will give warning to others to abstaine from such things as hazard our health He can tell how deare it doth cost the purse how much it restraineth a mans liberty what paines he suffereth in his body how much his minde is disquieted in his bodily distemperatures and all to repaire what some ill dyet hath corrupted in his body So is it with the true Convert he can relate the bitternesse of repentance which is the soules physicke for sinne there is nothing in the world so smarting and a king as true repentance is In the generality of men the most presume upon this remedy they sinne on and flatter themselves that a miserere have mercy at last will set all to rights It is true that repentance doth amend all it purgeth us and restoreth us to the favour of God but they consider not the bitternesse thereof for the soules of the penitent are heavy within them even to death their eyes runne rivers of waters their throats are hoarse with roring and crying for mercy their teares are their drinke day and night they have sighes and grones which cannot be exprest The sorrowes of hell so David doth call them doe compasse them round about they call upon God and he will not heare them they doe seeke him and he will not presently be found like Mariners in a storme their cunning is gone they are at their wits end Sometimes they cry quid feci what have I done and remember all their sinnes Sathan then comes in to helpe their memory upbrayding them with those very sinnes to which he enticed them with a non est salus tiâ—i in Deo tuâ— there is no safety for thee in thy God God saith but I will reprove thee and set them in order before thee The word of God scourgeth us that when wee heare it preached and finde our owne sinnes detected and threatned we thinke the Sermon intended against us The contrary good life of others walking in good wayes reprovesth us and cryeth shame on us that we have not done as they doe that we might have had peace but especially our conscience within us is a thousand witnesses against us and is a record written within and without like Ezekiels scrowle with lamentations mourning and woe sometimes we cry like Saint Peters auditours quid faciemus what shall wee doe or as Iob quid faciam tibi what shall I doe unto thee hide our selves from God wee cannot we cannot goe out of the reach of that right hand which findeth out all his enemies excuse our selves we cannot for who can answer God one for a thousand his spirit searcheth hearts and reines nothing is hid from the eye of his jealousie He is wise to discerne holy to hate just to punish A soule thus anguished and embittered with remorse of sinne is emblemed in Prometheus his Vulture ever feeding upon the heart wretched man that I am who shall deliver me David hath many very excellent expressures of penitentiall fits which doe lively set forth the paine that true repentance doth put a man to but one amongst the rest to my opinion doth render it in the heighth of bitternesse and makes it a non ficut no such I remembred God and was troubled for what refuge hath a sinner but God and what comfort can a sorrowfull soule have but in him yet sinne is so contrary to him that a guilty soule cannot thinke upon him but as an enemy You see it in the first sinners the first thing they did after they had sinned was to flye away from the presence of God Let a true Convert tell sinners all this and see what joy they can take in sinne when it is like to cost them all this breaking of the heart confusion of face confession of mouth confession of soule A true penitent must keepe a session within himselfe he must give in evidence against himselfe his conscience must accuse him his memory must beare witnesse against him he must judge himselfe that he be not judged of the Lord he must after sentence be avenged on himselfe by a voluntary penance afflicting his soule chastening his body restraining it from pleasures humbling it with fasting wearying it with labour weakening it with watching and by all means bringing it into subjection Beloved sit downe and cast up the cost and paine of this spirituall physicke for a sinne-sicke soule and if there be any of you that hath past this course of physicke and kept you to it without shrinking or shifting from it I dare say such a one can say Nocet empta dolore voluptas Pleasure hurts that 's bought with pain and docet teaches too he will scarce eate of the forbidden fruit it is faire to the eye it is delicious in taste But it is the dearest bargaine that ever we bought a momentany short delight with many weary dayes nights of penitential remorse anguish of soule 3 None so fit as true Converts to teach transgressors the sweet benefit of reconciliation to God the comfort of the holy Ghost and the peace of conscience Such perceive the difference betweene the bondage of sinne and the freedome of the spirit They know what it is to lose the cheerfull light of Gods gratious countenance they can say that in his favour is life light and delight As their longing desire was great to come and appeare before God and as they thirsted after the full river of his pleasures so the recovery of that joy over-joyeth them When thou turnedst againe the captivity of Sion wee were like those that dreame Our mouthes
a way that seemeth good in a mans owne eyes but the end thereof are the wayes of death This is viaâ—on bona the way not good we must turne out of it here repentance beginneth Leave to doe evill Natures way the way of corrupt will the way of our lusts the way of the world are beaten waies many travaile them but these are new waies which are called our owne crooked waies turne out of them 3 The object to the Lord. This may seeme to import very small comfort for transgressors to turne to the Lord for he hath declared himselfe a jealous God and a consuming fire he hath digged a pit for sinners his wisedome cannot but see his lawes broken his holinesse can doe no lesse than abhorre it his justice cannot but punish it To turne sinners to God is to bring stubble to the fire but marke the sequence of my text First he will teach sinners Gods waies and then there can be no danger of their turning to God For Adam when he had turned from God by disobedience it was no wonder that he turned not to God by repentance but fled from his presence and hid himselfe because the way to God was shutup till God himselfe opened it in the promised seed yet there is no record of his turning kept This point affordeth the most comfortable doctrine that we can preach or you heare That a sinner may turne to God and be welcome to him it is the oyle of gladnesse it is the bread that strengtheneth mans heart Manna reconditum the hidden Manna It is a flagon of wine from the Lords Cellar It is the fulnesse and fatnesse and marrow of Gods house It is the living water drawne from the rivers of Gods pleasure which refresh the City magni regis of the great King It is the very extraction and distilment of the two Testaments of the Law and of the Gospell Let a sinner upon survey of his conscience and the detection of his sinne whilest his iniquities are in number and are set in order before him even then in the cold fit of feare resort to the Lord and cast himselfe at his feet and seeke his face There be great reasons for it 1 There is a necessitie in it there is no helpe elsewhere none can forgive sinnes but God onely The Apostles and Ministers of the Word forgive sinnes upon repentance but ministerially they doe pronounce Gods pardon ex officio by their office Therefore the Iewes accused Christ of blasphemy for forgiving sinnes for they knew him not to be God He healeth all our infirmities and pardoneth all our sinnes 2 God though he abhorre sinne yet he loveth the person of the sinner he cannot despise the worke of his own hand he hath sworne by his life that he will not the death of a sinner but rather that he turne to him All the while that he hath his hand in his bosome while he is plucking of his sword out of the sheath while he is whetting of it while he is lifting it up all this while he is expecting our repentance and if we turne not he smiteth home if we doe convert he saith Put up thy selfe into thy scabberd rest and be still He dealeth not withus as with enemies at armes end but forbeareth us and openeth his bosome and revealeth to us the bowels of his compassion The two greatest and dearest loves that are he taketh upon himself to declare his tendernesse over us 1 the love of an husband secondly of a father for under these titles he hath desired to appeare to his Church yet he taketh an holy pride to transcend husbands and fathers in their naturall love for thy Maker is thy husband the Lord of hoasts is his name What husband will receive againe a disloyall divorced wife that hath given her body to be defiled and hath scornefully abused him and borne children to strangers yet God receiveth us after all this wrong yea whilest we are in the height of this sinne he wooeth and courteth us and seeketh our conversion I will allure her and bring her into the wildernesse and speake friendly to her heart Though fathers provoked by disobedient children forget naturall affection and mothers cast off all compassion yet God cannot yea though he doe for a time forbeare yet upon repentance if thou turne to him In the place where it was said ye are not my people there it shall bee said unto them ye are the sonnes of the living God Hee was that father who saw met received and cloathed and welcommed his vnthrifty sonne he sent not after him but when he returned he embraced him Our God is kinder than that father for he sendeth into the farre Country after to seeke us out he sendeth his Prophets Apostles Ministers Ite in universum mundum goe into all the world he riseth early to send them God himselfe offereth his owne wings how often would I have gathered you some parables expresse chiefly what God doth somewhat we should doe The parable of the Prodigall chiefly sheweth quid nos what we The parable of the lost sheepe quid Deus what God 3 We have comfort from Gods often inviting sinners to him nothing shall dismay us for he requireth and commandeth our resort to him with a non obstante nothing hindering and Samuel saith to the people yee have done all this wickednesse yet turne not aside from following the Lord but serve the Lord with all your heart and Christ saith Come all weary and heavy laden 4 God taketh more pleasure in the returne of a sinner to him then he conceived anger for his departing from him When God had lost Adam by his sinnes the griefe was not so great as his joy was when he recovered him by the seed of the woman The second Adam had twise from heaven proclaimed over him Hic est filius meus dilectus this is my beloved Sonne There is a parable for that more joy for the lost sheepe than the 99. Sinne is an act of depraved nature it is opus nostrum our worke Grace is opus Dei Gods worke he loves his owne workes more than hee hates ours Iacob Satis est vivit filius meus It is enough my sonne is yet alive The father in the parable pleaded and justified the cause of his joy My sonne was lost and is found This shewes the sure mercies of God which declare him God But because of us sinners thou shalt be called mercifull for ubi non est miseria non est misericordia where there is no misery there is no mercy The first sinners were Angels they fell not all and those that fell did corrupt onely themselves there was no propagation of that creature When Adam and Evah fell they corrupted the whole nature of mankinde and this magnified the Creators mercie when he raised up an horn of salvation to preserve a creature whose generations had else beene subject to ruine
it I would give it thee to perswade you to hold nothing you have too precious or deare for God Superstition might over-do in the menaging this principle but true judgement and truth it selfe have established it When the willing hearts of the people brought more then was needfull to the Sanctuary of God curious superstition could have found vent for it all in costly adornments Moses in wisdome set a non plus to their offerings There is a satis an enough in them also And though our willing mindes would tender the whole heap to the service of God our well guided wisdome will remember what is holy and what is comely 2 Gods distaste of this kind of service non desideras non delectaris thou desirest not thou art not delighted with You may demand how this may be Seeing there is so expresse Commandement in the Ceremoniall Law for sacrifices Scriptures require wise Readers else they may be perverted to the Readers destruction as the Apostle saith 1 Then we answer that all the negative propositions in Scripture are not to be understood 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in their full and peremptory sense Some do include a comparative relation and do intimate the manner and measure of the thing denied Let no man thinke that David doth contradict the expresse law of sacrifices that were to walke contrary to God yea David were contrary to himself if he should absolutely and in peremptory sense deny Gods requiring or his performing sacrifices to God For we all know that David lived in a time wherin sacrifices were in season and himself concludeth this Psalme after this manner thus saying Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousnesse with burnt offering and whole burnt offering then shall they offer bullocks upon thin◠altar Therfore the words of my text are not true in a peremptory but a qualified sense Wee must take heed that we do not set Scripture against Scripture there is no strife of tongus in Gods tabernacle When God saith I will have mercy and not sacrifice he doth not peremptorily deny sacrifice but hee sheweth which of these two do best please him Both but rather mercy then sacrifice For sacrifices be oblations alien◠carnis of anothers flesh but mercy is an oblation nostri cordis of our own heart Therfore Christ saith Go and learn what that means For we must notpress the letter but the meaning of the H. Ghost in that saying So in the words following I am not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance he came to call the righteous such as were already setled his and to confirm them and to make their calling more effectuall but his chiefe businesse was to call sinners to conversion So when wisdome saith Receive my instruction and not silver he doth not interdict the use and receit of silver but desireth that we should rather give our hearts desires to affect wisdome then riches The following words cleer it and knowledg rather then choice gold and so Christ saith When thou makest a dinner or supper call not thy friends nor thy brethren neither thy kinsmen nor thy rich neighbours but the poore the maime◠the lame the blind Christ directly forbiddeth not the invitation of our friends we have many examples in Scripture to the contrary but he directeth hospitality to the exercise of mercy So Saint Paul He sent me not to baptize but to preach the Gospell He doth not directly deny his mission to that for it is his commission Ite praedicate baptizantes Go and preach baptizing And he did not transgresse his instructions when he baptized Crispus and Gaius and the houshold of Stephanas But the chief use of his ministery was preaching the Gospell These examples cleere my text that sacrifice and offerings by fire were not peremptorily refused by God from David but that these outward services which might be performed by Hypocrites were no amends for Davids great and provoking sinne there was somewhat else rather to be done which God would accept better which is set down in the next Verse And we must apply our selves to such srevice as will best please our God 2 Let us consider David as a Prophet of the Lord and this Psalme published for the perpetuall use of the Church and so it hath regard rather to that kinde of service which should ever continue in the Church then to the Ceremonies of the present Law which in Christ should end And so we may say in peremptory sense that God desired not delighted not in sacrifice And referring these words to the time of the Gospel they hold in fulnesse of sense For this we have good warrant sacrifice and offering thou diddest not desire burnt offering and sin-offering hast thou not required Then said I Lo I come c. This hath propheticall reference to the time of the Gospell to the comming of Christ 4 These sacrifices offered according to the Law were the ordinance of God yet the authour saith It is not possible that the bloud of Buls Goats should take away sins 5 Wherfore when he commeth into the world he saith Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not but Corpus aptâsti mihi A body hast thou fitted for me 6 In burnt offerings and sacrifice for sin thou hast had no pleasure Then said I Lo I come He taketh away the first that hee may establish the second This cleareth the place well for the words having reference to Christ the onely true and sufficient sacrifice for sin we may say with David non desideras non delectaris thou requirest not thou art not delighted with So distingue tempora distinguish the times and all is well 3 The service of God required both an outward and inward man outward and inward acts of Religion both imposed by the Law The outward service without the inward God desired not The outward served onely to expresse the inward When the outward goeth alone God goeth beyond non desidero non delector I desire not I am not delighted to an hatred and abomination thereof as to the Jews To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to me I am full c. When you come Quis requisivit Who hath required them Bring no more vain oblations incense is abomination unto me New Moons Sabbaths solemne assemblies I cannot away with it it is iniquity My soule hateth them they are a trouble to mee I am weary to beare them When you spread forth your hands I will hide mine eyes when you pray I will not heare They that come to reconcile themselves to God for sin must not thinke that God is taken with these outward things In the first sacrifices that we read of in the Bible Cain was refused Abel was accepted For God looked not quid in manu what in the hand but qu◠corde with what heart So David must be understood here that God desired
break our spirits from these plausible and delightfull streins of wit though wee know that it was the fall and ruine of man he sought many inventions The taste that hath bin long used to the Onions and Garlick of Aegypt cannot like Manna the food of Angels a long time But as Physicians for the body finding their intemperate patients disease do forbid them all kinde of meats that fewell their disease and limit them to a diet with which they thrive well and recover health so must our soules for cure of these diseases be strongly kept from such studies and knowledge as do but encrease vanity and restrained to the Manna of Gods holy Word the most wholsome bread and sincere milke and strong meate of the inward man Custome will wean us and the sweet wholsomnesse of this better diet and the experienced vegetation and spirituall battening of the soule by it will in the end approove vaine studies to be no better then the husks of the swine in a farre Country But the Word of God to be the bread of our own fathers house even the bread wher with he feedeth his owne family sufficiently the bread that strengtheneth mans heart And when we have once fed of this heartily that wee desire some drink to it hee will bring us to his house of wine for whom he admitteth to eat of his bread he inviteth also to drinke of the wine that hee hath mingled Yong stomacks affect raw and unripe fruits do charge their bodies with diseases therby It is a breaking and extreme pain to them to be restrained from them So doe yong wits exercise themselves and consume time in the raw fruits of green heads and feed the appetite of their yet undiscerning spirit All this must be unlearnt and forgotten to make room for saving knowledge though wee part with this as Hannibal did from Italie or Lots wife from Sodome 2 A broken heart The heart is the first-born in us Natures eldest sonne in the production of man It is soveraigne in the body it rules and commands all the rest In the Creation of it in Adam it was Cormundum cor perfectum A clean heart a perfect heart for all that hee made was exceeding good Since the fall of man it hath gotten an ill name The heart is deceitfull above all things and desperatly wicked who can know it I the Lord search the heart And you shall see how he found it generally in men God saw that the wickednesse of man was great in the earth and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart were onely evill continually the margent of the Kings Bible rendreth the word in full signification Every desire and purpose of the heart 1 God promiseth his people to take the stony heart out of their flesh Here iâ— cor durum an hard heart Our hearts are hardned by the custome of sin 2 There is cor pravum an evill heart Take heed that there be not in any of you an evill heart of unbelief to depart away from the living God This is an heart infected with the corrupt love either of falshood to forsake the truth of God as Hereticks or of vanity to preferre the pleasures of this life before the good old way This is the sin of filii saeâ—uli the children of this world 3 Cor perversum a froward heart hee that hath a froward heart findeth no good This is a peevish and contradictory evill nature that cannot live under awe and rule but resisteth the good motions of the Spirit You have alwayes resisted the Holy Ghost 4 Cor laquâ—us the heart which is a snare as the adulterous womans Salomon saith Her heart is snares and nets Such hearts have all flatterers that gloze with us and break our heads with their oile Such have all impostors and deceitfull fair-spoken pretenders of love who secretly lie in wait to undermine us and do us hurt Such as face it for shew to be religious and have seven abominations in their hearts 5 There is also a plaguy heart So Salomon What prayer or supplication shall be made by any man or by all thy people Israel which shall know every man the plague of his own heart In the diseases of the body the venome and malignity of the disease hasteth all it can to the heart to destroy that and there it endeth But in spirituall diseases the heart hatcheth and spawneth sin the issue of concupisence and seminateth it in the affections and desires For out of the heart come adulteries murthers c. These be those painfull swellings and ulcerous sores which sin breedeth in the heart of man a very plague in the heart Yet for all this our God saith to us My sonne give me thy heart being so bad as it is it is not worth the giving or receiving Therefore to make it a sacrifice to God we must break it A broken and a contrite heart God will not despise Wee must thresh and breake and melt and grinde our hearts to make them a present for him Two wayes may the heart of man be thus broken 1 By outward afflictions 2 By inward compunction 1 For outward afflictions These are of great force to break an hard heart to melt an iron heart to humble a proud heart to tame a rebellious heart to recover a stray heart God often worketh upon the hearts of sinners this way And David found this physick very healthfull to him Before I was afflicted I went astray but now I keep thy Word It was good for me that I was afflicted Saint Paul being to part with his friends and seeing them all teares for the grief therof saith What meane you to weep and to break my heart The heart of man is easily broken with griefe Elijah grew weary of his life So did Jonah both desire of God that they may die Job and Jeremy had their hearts so broken with sorrows that they abhorred life and never did any more earnestly desire to live then they did to be cut off from the land of the living Many of these fits and sharpe agonies come upon us wee find the Romane stories full of examples of those whom the outward crosses of life have so wearied that they have preferred to die by their own hand rather then to live out the furious assault of temporall disgrace or pain Wee have losses in our goods grief for our friends heavinesse for the losse of children or their unthriving courses in the world manifold sicknesses molestation by suites and such like grievances store God is pleased to use these as meanes to breake our hearts and they doe worke with some for in the day of their affliction they will seeke God diligently And when the judgements of God are upon the earth the inhabiters of the world will learne righteousnesse But an heart thus broken onely with outward tribulations is not alwayes a sacrifice for sinne For murmurers and male-contents and
for his works were evill The foolish Israelites did offer their sonnes and daughters unto Devils Many of the Heathen were so transported with superstition and reverence of their false gods that they spared not to offer up their children in burnt Sacrifices to them They have burned their sonnes and daughters with fire to their gods Israel hath warning not to do so Yet they took no warning For not onelâ— the King of Moab did this For hee offered his sonne the heire of his kingdome for a burnt-offering upon the wall But Ahaz King of Judah made his sonne to passe through the fire And wee finds it one of the provocations which incensed the Lord against Israel to give them into deportation Some thinke that this evill custome grew out of the Commandement given to Abraham to offer his Sonne From whence was concluded that the greatest expressure of obedience put upon him did teach it the exaltation and fulnesse of zeale in them that could find in their hearts to offer up their beloved children in sacrifice Therfore in the consultation before urged in Micah for the means of reconciliation to God this was one Shall I give the fruit of my body for the sin of my soule But Abraham did not kill his sonne hee would have done it by vertue of Gods speciall Commandement and God approved his willing obedience but held his hand from the act For he will have mercy and not sacrifice I denâ— not but there is a strong demonstration of servent zeale in those that can afford to God such Sacrifices But that which he requireth is more excellent and toucheth us much more neer the quick as S. Austine In to habes quod occidas noli extrà thura quâ—rere Thou hast what thou mayst kill in thy selfe seeke not Frankincenâ—e without thy selfe This breaking of the heart and contrition of the spirit is a sacrifice for God Have wee not heard of some whom the conscience of sinne hath so afflicted as they have not thought themselves worthy of any more life but have died by their own hand These courses are desperate and damnable that is not it which God requireth of them hee doth not desire our bodies a dead sacrifice I beseech you brethren that you give up your bodies a living Sacrifice This is his will Ut perâ—ant crimina non homines that the faults perish not the men We shall find that a work of more sorrow and af-fliction then to kill the body Wee have full examples in the books of time of many that have made nothing of it to die by their own hand But it is a Sacrifice onely for God to destroy the body of sin in our selves and to preserve life for Gods better service For our sinnes be deerer to us then our children then our life then our good name which should be valued more then life then our precious soules Doth not the drunkard preferre his drunkennesse before his health who knoweth that drunkennesse destroyeth health Doth not the covetous man love his wedge and heape more then Heaven Doth not the Wanton undo his body his posterity his very soule for the fulfilling of his lust Do not all sinners â—ell Heaven and eternall life for the feeding and fewelling of their darling sinnes Of all the lessons that wee are taught in the house of God none is so hard to learn none so uneasie to practise as the doctrine of Repentance Men are either transported with gluttony and drunkennesse and all they can get goeth that way their bellie is their God and they make all these means Sacrifices to that devouring Idoll If they feed the hungry and quench the thirst of their brethren their meats and drinks are sacrifices to God Especially when wee deny them to our selves to relieve such or we are transported with pride and our back is our god and Fashion is our Idoll and wee consume all in vain adornings of our houses of clay hanging them with the costly garish trappings of vanity If wee give one of our coâ—â—â— to cover the nakednesse of our brethren and spare our wooll to keep them warm that their souls may blesse us for it this garment so bestowed is a sacrifice to God Or we are transported with ambition and all our study is how to rise higher our cares and desires and our wealth are all sacrifices to that Idoll of Ambition but if we raise the poor out of the dust take him up from the ground it is sacrificium Deo a sacrifice to God Was Sauls a sacrifice to God when against Gods Commandement he spared the best of the spoile of Amalek to offer it to God Is not obedience better then sacrifice Doth the Church of Rome offer God a sacrifice when she presenteth the Shrines of the dead and the Images of our Lady and the Saints with rich gifts They did so who kneaded their dough and made cakes to offer them to the Queen of Heaven and powred out drink-offerings to other gods Be there not many that sacrifice to their not and burne incense to their drag because by them their portion is fat and their â—eâ—â— plenteous These make themselves their owne Idols and kisse their owne hands and thank their owne wits for all the good that commeth to them they never look up so high as God to give him thanks for any thing But when all is done this onely is a sacrifice to God when wee break our hearts and spirits and grinde them with sincere contrition for sin destroying the nest wherin lust teemeth her brood of iniquity This putteth away the leaven which sowreth all our actions and devotions and turneth our very prayers into sin The excellency of this sacrifice will more cleerly appeare in the following portion of my text These broken-hearted persons are such as God delighteth to dwell with that he may revive the spirit of contrite ones To such onely is the Gospel sent Hee hath sent me to binde up the broken-hearted These be mourners they not onely bewaile their own sins but their eyes do run rivers of waters for those that â—â—ep not the Law They are grieved for transgressours One of these is health to a City all fare the better for him Loâ—s righteous soule was vexed with the ungodlinesse of Sodome God warned him out his Angell pulled him out and he desiring a place to retire to the Angell hastned him thither saying Haste thee escape thither for I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither These mourners are priviledged from the fury of Gods destroying Angell his marke is upon them they must be spared in the day of Gods visitation Come not neere any man upon whom is the mark They have eyes pickled in their teares they have voyces hoarse with crying upon God for mercy they have soules cloven to the pavement they have soules heavy unto death their countenance is cast down Their Harps are turned into mourning and their organs into
the voice of them that weep Their whole bodies and mindes and soules are living sacrifices holy unto God and therefore acceptable for so it followeth God will not despise them Here ariseth a Quaere Now wee have seene the excellency and necessity of these sacrifices What hindereth that wee doe not offer them up to God continually We do bear about us a body of sin and in it these hinderances of this excellent and holy service 1 An over-bold presumption of the favour and remisnesse of God in putting us to this pain 2 An over-delight in our works of darknesse and the forbidden pleasures of life 3 A naturall slothfulnesse in doing such things as carry with them painfulnesse in the doing of them 4 A naturall tendernesse of our selves whereby wee do favour our own flesh and cannot put it to griefe 5 The cares of life I Presumption on the favour of God to us We think the word more severe and the killing letter of it more cutting then it need to be and the minister of this word more harsh then is cause We confesse that for terrour these things are set down and the Ministers must threaten us with heavy judgement if our hearts be not broken But it is God who is veiled in the parable of that Master to whom his servant deep in his debt came and besought him for favour and hee forgave him all the debt So we confesse that this sacrifice of broken hearts is a due debt but our Master is so gracious and pitifull to forgive it all There be many fair spoken texts that seem to nourish this presumption in us As a father hath compassion of his children so hath the Lord compassion but it is on them that fear him not on them that presume on him And the parable of that father of the prodigall who did not so much as chide his unthrifty son but met him afarre off fell on his neck welcomed him with a kisse and feasted and clothed him doth expresse a great tendernesse But let no man presume upon that for that sonne came home with a broken hart Father I have sinned against heaven and against thee Non sumdignus vocari fac me unum ex mercenariis tuis I am not worthy to be called and make me one of thy hyred servants His father was sensible of his contrition hee was lost by his sin and found in his repentance he was dead by the wound of his own conscience and made alive by his fathers favourable pardon receiving him againe to his grace And the servant to whom his master forgave all his debt was put to his miserere have mercy his master saw his heart broken with the grief of his debt and heard his willing protestation to pay all and received his humble supplication for mercie God is a loving Father but not indulgent he loveth not so but that he chasteneth and scourgeth every sonne whom hee receiveth for â—ods are for the backs of fools Iudgment beginneth at the house of God and the righteous are hardly saved Saint Peter would put any man out of heart to presume too much upon the favour of God for by three great examples he declareth the severe justice of God against sin For if God spared not the Angels that sinned but cast them down to Hell and delivered them into chains of darknesse to be reserved unto judgment And spared not the old world bringing in the floud upon the world of the ungodly â—urning the Cities of Sodome and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow making them an example unto those that after should live ungodly The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished 2. Peter 2. 4. Presumption doth make an Idole of God for it advanceth the mercy of God against his holinesse which hateth sinne against his truth which threatneth sinne against his justice which punisheth sinne Presumption crucifieth againe the Lord Iesus and layeth on more stripes upon him Presumption resisteth grieveth quencheth the holy Ghost by whom wee are sealed to the day of Redemption and so boldly trespasseth the whole Trinity I need not urge any other evidence against presumption on the favour of God then his severity against his own Son Misit dedit non pepercit non fuit dolor sicut He sent he gave he spared him not there was no sorrow like unto his And was this to quite us from all passion No if wee suffer with him wee shall also reigne with him hee did not drinke of a sponge of vineger and gall Transeat calix Let this cup passe from me Hee began the health of his Spouse the Church all the faithfull must doe him right they owe him a pledge Some are put to it to suffer for him none are exempt from suffering with him This is the least and easiest plunge wee can be put to to break our hearts with contrition for our own sins ò mihi tum quà m molliter ossa quiescent ô then my bones shall take their sweet repose When I can tender to my God a broken heart no laceration no dissipation of it can so unfashion it but that he can put it together again like the dry bones in Ezech. Vision and say unto it live In our mortification it dieth a naturall heart in our first resurrection it riseth againe a spirituall heart I conclude with Davids suite O keepe thy servant from presumptuous sins that they have no dominion over me so shall I be innocent from the great offence 2 A second impediment to the sacrifice of a broken heart is an over-delight that we take in the vain pleasures of life God was pleased to make a singular triall of two men in two contrary wayes for example of others 1 Hee made tryall of his servant Job by afflictions they came upon him suddenly and they came thick In all the things wherin he had blessed Job above most men he afflicted him beyond example In his honor autority he tryed him with disgrace and contempt In a fair posterity he tried him with orbitie In his abundance of riches he tryed him with poverty In his friends with paucity he had few left and they proved grievous to him In his health he afflicted his body with painfull and lothsome diseases and sores Yet you have heard of the patience of Job saith the Apostle hee came off faire In all this Iob sinned not neither did hee charge God foolishly 2 His servant Solomon he tryed with honour riches and power with victory over his enemies and the cup of temporall pleasures of life he made to over-flow never did any man on earth drinke so deep of that cup. In this tryall Solomon miscarried pleasures stole away his heart Solomon lost his integrity his wisdome wherin he excelled all that were before him was benighted in him the salt in him was infatuate Such power have worldly pleasures against wisdome See his Ecclesiastes
cut saile But to stemme the tyde of nature asketh more it comes to Hic labor hoc opus est This is pains-taking with a witnesse and requireth Multa tulit fecitque even to sudavit alsit Hee suffered much and sweat endured cold and heat Me thinks I heare the Master of the Vineyard say to us Quid statis hîc otiosi Why stand you here idle How easily did God make man and a paradise for man But for his Vineyard we read of digging and fencing and building and weeding 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thinke on it A fourth impediment our tendernesse of our selves Every man is his own Satan and saith parce tibi spare thy selfe No man ever hated his own flesh All the work of mortification which belongeth to the breaking of the heart is very grievous to flesh and bloud For behold this thing that ye have been godly sorrie 1 What carefulnesse it hath wrought in you 2 Yea what cleering of your selves 3 Yea what indignation 4 Yea what feare 5 What vehement desire 6 What zeale 7 What revenge Here is a great burthen to be born and here is a crosse that flesh and bloud hath no heart to take up 1 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 study this word doth comprehend 1 Great inward carefulnesse to please God in absteining from sin 2 Earnest endevour to doe that which may be acceptable in Gods sight 3 Speed and cheerfull expedition to accomplish this We need go no further in this duty then that care that we take for our temporali good let our soules be as precious in our sight as our bodies are and let us do as much for God as for the World So the Apostle As you have given your members servants to unrighteousnesse c. 2 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this signifieth defence to plead our cause with God not in the Court of justice for our merits will not justifie us but in the Court of mercy for our true Repentance will exonerate us 3 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sorrow of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 valdè greatly and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 onus We must groan under the burthen of sin for Repentance doth not satisfie of it self and our excuse and defence of our selves doth not take away our just vexation of our selves for our sins Considering 1 Who we are 2 Against whom we sin 3 How much and long 4 For how small gain 4 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 feare this extendeth both to 1 The judgment following our sins committed 2 The conscience of our fraile condition and propension to sin which must make us fearful of Relapses and temptations to new sins 5 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vehement desire the indignation before mentioned and the feare serve to pluck us back this desire is a spur to put us on Lord all my desire is before thee and my groaning is not hid from thee Here sin beginneth at a vehement desire of evill and this must be changed the same earnestnesse reteined onely the object therof better chosen 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 zeale this is that fire from heaven which consumeth the light crash of our vanities and enflameth the desire before named this carries up our prayers and almes and all our good affections and operations as high as heaven This breedeth in us an holy emulation of our brethren whereby we strive to exceed one another in the duties of Religion The Apostle would have us servent in spirit 7 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 selfe-revenge this is judging and punishing our selves that we may escape the hand of God Castâ—gâ— corpus â—ncum I chasten my body This is done by watching fasting and depriving our selves of the pleasures of sinne God who cannot endure us to revenge our owne quarrell against others likes our revenge taken against our selves The true penitent doth afflict his soule and is all bitternesse of heart for sinne he taketh up his crosse and followeth Christ This amounteth to a great deale more then Lord have mercy upon us And it is so much that when we come to examine whether our hearts be truly broken we shall very few of us finde this worke done for feare of the griefe and paine that are in true repentance For it is truth that there is no such affliction in the world as a true breaking of the heart is 5 Impediment the cares of life These breake the heart the wrong way for we have many feares which much disquieâ—us 1 From our selves lest our own improvidence should undo us if we should take so much time from our necessarie businesses as the duties of Religion do exact this makes many keepe home when they should be at Church and the world will not give them leave to serve God 2. From our brethren for every man commonly is so much for himselfe as abateth the help we should have one from another And so many lye in secret await to mend their owne heaps by lessening and impairing their neighbours that a curious warmesse is necessarie And this it is that maketh our life a continuall watch to save our owne from the injury of men of Christians There is a contentious sort of men that are ever vexing their brethren with molestation of suits There be base people that are prying what they may pilfer And there are cunning cheaters that practise upon their brethren by frauds The truth is here is enough for us all for the earth God hath given to the children of men If they that have most of it would know that their full cups should overflow to the use of their brethren and would so dispose the over-measure there could be no want God is much displeased 1. Because we generally do want the faith of his providence not caring for him onely and casting all our other cares upon him 2. Because we walk inordinately for we should first seeke the kingdome of God and then all these things 3 Because we distract our hearts with immoderate care as if God had set us here to feed our selves Christ disswadeth and forbiddeth this 4. Because often enough doth not content us we do love to have to look upon 5 Because in the use of these outward things many take more then their share wasting and consuming more then needs There may be found for use enough which waste will soone consume Christ chose a poore condition of life such as required other mens charitie to relieve it The bagge that Judas bore was not of rents but of almes he sent to a fish in the sea for money to pay tribute He fed many by his miraculous power he shewed his power upon himselfe rather in fasting then in feasting himselfe Yet having nothing his followers could confesse they wanted nothing 1 I confesse that too much love of the world and the iches thereof 2 And too many wayes for expense pride gluttonie drunkennesse ambition contention luxurie spend apace 3 But the poore do harden the hearts of the rich against them 1 By their
shutting up of Davids penitentiall supplication in a broken and contrite heart I conclude 1 That in an arraignement for sinne there is no plea of good workes David had the conscience within him and the testimony without him of God and the Church that he had served the Lord and had walked in all the wayes of the Lord with all his heart save onely in this matter Yet this one matter cannot be answered without the exact fulnesse of repentance Here is no setting off of any sinne for some singular good worke before done The sinne that he hath committed doth extinguish the light of all his former righteousnesse as if it had never beene But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousnesse and committeth iniquitie all his righteousnesse that he hath done shall not be mentioned The Pharisâ—e might have past with us for a devout and an holy man if Christ had not detested him 1 He went up to the Temple to pray which was an exercise of devotion 2 I here he prayed with himselfe though in a publike place he had a private prayer here was no vaine ostentation in sight 3 He rejoyced in two things which have reference to the two duties of Repentance 1 Cease to do evill for he saith I am not as other men extortioners unjust adulterers nor as this Publicane not like them in their sinnes But I thanke thee for it 2 Learne to do well I fast twice I give tythes c but we referre this also to I thanke thee The Publicane had another bearing which became humble repentance well But the Pharisee for any thing I can discerne might have past for an holy man if Christ himselfe had not detected him I tell you this man went downe to his house Yet observe the Text He went justified more then the other the other not altogether unjustified 2 This directeth me in the deduction of a second conclusion that a broken and a contrite heart for sinne is as safe rest for the soule as the conscience of a good life This appeareth in the direction betweene the state of our innocent creation and our costly redemption For our creation set us in a way of happinesse rather in possession and fruition of happinesse but such as might be lost but our redemption bought us a never-withering crowne of glory Our holinesse of life may be corrupted as Davids was but our contrite and broken spirit none can heale but God onely and because it is his sacrifice he will not despise it In all the examples of repentance above-mentioned we see how firmly the Penitents stood upon that ground for that put away all their former sinnes and established them in the good favour of God Therefore David having this sacrifice ready and now tendring the same to his God doth cease further solliciting of God for himselfe and beginneth as one fully reconciled to God to sollicite him in the behalfe of his Church as followeth From whence we draw this exhortation Let us all labour our repentance as the most needfull worke of all We must charge all our afflictions upon our sinnes and we have but this one way left to repaire us to redeeme the favour of our God to us even our repentance One joynt sacrifice of broken hearts and whole hecatombes of contrite spirits would mend all that 's amisse Let us therefore commence a just warre against our owne corruptions and sinnes it is not enough to conquer the weake Island to destroy the vines the fewell of our drunkennesse to possesse the towns and villages the habitations of sinne in the outward members of the body There is in every one of us a strong Fort an hard and stonie heart fortified against all piety and holinesse where Sathan as a strong armed man holdeth possession this Fort and strong hold this propugnacle of sinne this heart must be broken Let us bend all our batterie against that and see to it that the world the flesh the devill may not supply it and then the day is ours and to him that overcometh shall be given a crowne of life Nothing overcometh this Fort of sinne in our hearts nothing breaketh them so soone as 1 A good watch kept that they may take no rest 2 Fasting to sterve the body of sinne 3 Weeping to open the sluces and drowne it with our teares 4 Praying for our Amaleth within us cannot stand if our soules like Moses hold up their hands in prayer to the God of our lives 5 An holy implacable furie against it never to give over the assault till we have brought it to subjection This fort thus conquered the Island is ours VERSE 18. Do good in thy good pleasure unto Sion build thou the walls of Ierusalem HEre beginneth the second part of this Psalme containing the prayer of David for the Church From the sequence of this prayer observe When we have by true repentance made our peace with God for our selves we have accesse with boldnesse to the throne of grace to put up petitions to God The Reason is Our sinnes do separate our God and us So Isaiah But your iniquities have separated between you and your God and your sinnes have hid his face from you that he will not heare David confesseth If I regard wickednesse in my heart the Lord will not heare me God treating with a sinfull Nation a people laden with iniquitie sheweth them the way into his favour 1 Wash you make you cleane 2 Come now let us reason together saith the Lord. David confesseth because of his iniquities which are an heavy burthen to him I am troubled I am bowed down greatly When we should lift up our heads our eyes our hands to God our sins confound us with shame wee â—ile from the presence of God they shake us with feare wee are afraid of his judgements But true Repentance doth wash us so clean and reconcileth us so perfectly to our God that wee dare come in fight we dare present God with our requests We sâ—cke the face of God when we ayle any thing every griefe of our persons or of the state in which wee live sendeth us presently to God for remedy In affliction wee seeks God early We secke him but we finde him not alwayes we aske of him but hee granteth not our requests wee cry lowd to him but he heareth us not and we take it ill to be denied to be delayed Saint James gives us the reason Ye aske and receive not because you aske amisse There is mors in olla death in the pot there is sinne in the heart our fountain is impoysoned the waters of it are corrupt Hose directeth a speeding way ô Israel returne to the Lord thy God for thou hast fallen by thy iniquitie Take with you words and turn to the Lord say unto him Take away all inquity and give good so will we render the calves of our lips In this course of removing our sin first we
Achivi great ones desart makes the poore smart The Apostle biddeth us pray for Kings and for all that are in autority that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godlinesse and honesty Wee shall all go more safely in our wayes if God guide the hearts and wayes of our Rulers aright But if God give us Kings in his fury our portion will be sorrow for their sins will set Ierusalem and Sion a mourning Who then shall pittie thee ô Ierusalem or who shal be sorry for thee I speak not of our Kings God hath blest us graciously I know where I am and addresse this point to the common use of the Church as it may concern all Countries For as we are all members of the Church and of the houshold of faith so our iniquities which are offensive to God and hurtfull to our selves may be also scandalous and hurtfull to the Church A wicked man in a Congregation the Apostle calleth leaven Know yee not that a little leaven sowreth the whole lumpe Sins like the disease of Leprosie infect per contactum by the touch The point is when any of us come to make our peace with God for our sins as we have care of our selves and our owne reconciliation to God so let us remember to commend to God the care of his Church which by our sins is wronged For can the toe stumble at a stone without the hazard of a fall to the whole body seeing wee are members one of another Therefore the care of Gods Angels descendeth solow as the foot Ne offendas ad lapidem pedem tuum lest thou dash thy foot against a stone He that desireth by true Repentance to set al to rights let him look every way where his sin hath done hurt and labour to repair it Great is the example of Gods proceeding against his own people Israel in judgement for the sin of Achan The Lord saith Israel bath sinned and they have transgressed my covenant which I commanded them Therefore they fled before their enemies And when this matter came to scrutinie the fault was found to be in Achan onely Hee had stolne a Babylonish garment two hundred shekels of silver and a wedge of gold c. All Israel fared the worse for his one sin his one sin is charged upon the whole Kingdome Lyran. quia factum unius de communitate in malis toti communitati attribuitur because the deed of one that communicateth in evill is ascribed to all them that communicate with him We do not beare one anothers iniquity the soule that sinneth shall die but such is the conjunction of the body of the Church that wee cannot commit grosse and eminent sins without the hurt and infection one of another Therefore to accomplish our Repentance and heale all wee have here a good example to close our penitentiall prayers as David here doth This remayne of the Psalme hath two parts 1 Davids petition verse 18. 2 The successe of his prevailing in his suite verse 19. The petition hath two parts 1 Do good in thy good pleasure to Sion 2 Build thou the walls of Ierusalem 2 The successe is double 1 God shall be pleased 2 His servants shall do their duty to him 1 Of Davids petition 1 Of his first petition Do good in thy good pleasure to Jerusalem wherin we must consider 1 The petitioner David 2 For whom he petitioneth for Sion for Jerusalem 3 The petition it self Do good 4 The limitation of the petition in thy good pleasure 1 Of the petitioner David whom wee againe consider foure wayes 1 As he was a private man a member of the Church 2 As he was an holy Prophet of the Lord 3 As hee was the head of the Church the King of Israel 4 As he was a penitent Convert now again received into the favour of God 1 As a private man It is the dutie of every private man to pray for the welfare of the Church of God The Church is called a Communion of Saints and we are knit together vinculo amoris with the bond of love there is unus amor one love but as it hath a double reflection 1 Vpon God whose honour wee preferre above all things 2 Vpon our neighbours whom wee ought to love as ourselves So wee have two great arguments to induce our devotion to this holy duty of prayer for the Church 1 In respect of God The three petitions in the first Table of the Lords prayer do maintain this For 1 Herein we sollicite our God for the honouring of his own name the sanctifying of it here amongst men for his name is great in Israel In his Church every thing speaketh of his glory The Church is the Congregation of them that call upon the name of the Lord. It is the prayer of Iesus Christ Father glorifie thy name Wee have great reason for it because our helpe is in the name of the Lord. It was the old petition of the Church To beseech God for his Names sake 2 We pray for the comming of Gods Kingdome His Kingdome of power is over all the World But his Kingdome of grace is the holinesse of his Church onely and his Kingdom of glory is the Crown of the Church onely Here God reigneth The Lord is King and hath put on glorious apparell he hath clothed himself with majestie and honour His Kingdome is within us his wisdome our guide his word our law his mercy our hope his judgements our feare his truth our faith his will our obedience 3 Wee pray that the will of God may be done on earth sicut in coelo as in heaven So if the Church thrive and prosper here will be an heaven upon earth and wee shall be like the Angels of God who obey him by fulfilling his will For the Church is the Congregation of such as labour to walke with God in all pleasing 2 In respect of our neighbours We consider our selves as members one of another so the welfare of the members dependeth on the welfare of the body Every ones good ought to be as precious to us as much desired of us as our own God is rich in mercy and we need not feare that what is bestowed on our brethren will abate any thing of his bounty to us which in things temporall doth often disquiet us And herein the weakest members of the Church may be helpfull to the whole body of it for prayer and wel-wishing which proceed from zeale and love may come from the poorest the sickest member of the Church no prison can shut it up 2 Consider him as a Prophet of the Lord. The prayers of all men have good accesse to the throne of grace but Prophets of the Lord beside the common obligation as members of the body of the Church have a speciall duty ex officio by their office and are as it were Masters of Requests to put up the prayers of the Church to God Samuel God forbid
and purged doth seeme to declare in him 1 A Conscience sensible of his pollution and weary of it 2 Aâ—ervency of spirit breathing importunity with God in strong cryes and supplications to remove the annoyance of it 1 A conscience throughly touched with sense and remorse of his sinne for he hath beene earnest with God already in this Psalme before for this and hath begd of God to blot out his iniquities that they might not remaine upon record against him to wash him throughly and cleanse him from his sinne and now he reneweth and re-enforceth his petition to the same purpose The reason I conceive to be because he hath now beene deepe in the confession of his sinne and in contemplation of the holinesse and purity of God and of that integrity which he exacteth of us For if our thoughts could be at leiâ—are to thinke effectually of these things we should apply our desires more to the servcie of God and to the declining of evill wee should finde our sinnes sit blushing in our faces and bleeding in our wounded consciences The tendernesse of the heart would yearne at any offence done to him from whom we receive so much good and the terrour of his power who is able to doe us so much hurt and the shame of requiting him unthankfully who hath declared so much patience in our aberrations would worke upon us to love and feare and seeke him with all our hearts Now we may see in David an holy wearinesse of his evill wayes we may feele sinne a burthen oppressing him we may see it a pollution annoying him no rest in his bones because of his sinne Wee may also discerne some present effect of that wisedome which God had taught him which beginneth at the feare of God to eschew evill and doe good 2 Note the fervency of his spirit in this importunity of his strong supplications He that feeleth want of any thing good for him will not be said nay The unjust Iudge that feareth neither God nor man shall have no rest till he doe his poore petitioner justice The Disciples cannot still nor drive away the poore woman that petitioneth Christ for her distressed daughter The diseased of all sorts did pursue Christ for remedy The paralitique is let downe through the roofe of the house to be presented to Christ This teacheth us fervency in prayer for the fervent prayer of the just prevaileth with God It is the Apostles precept 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 therefore he must be washt and purged till he may be cleane and he must be of Gods washing for who else can finde out all the secret conveiances of sinne who but he can sound the heart and search it to the bottome none but he can purge this temple of our bodies and whip out the defilers of it and make a denne of theeves an house of prayer againe 2 Yet more to shew his pollution he desireth to bee washt with hysope wherein he hath respect to the ceremoniall purgation used in the Law for the cleansing of a Leper Sinne is a leprosie and as the leprosie was purged with hysope dipt in bloud so must sinne bee purged with the sprinckling of bloud But the first mention that I reade of the use of hysope doth interpret this suit of David best for in the institution of the Passeover in the land of Egypt they were commanded to kill a Lambe and it is said And ye shall take a bunch of hysope and dip it in a bason in the bloud and ye shall strike on the upper dore post and on the two side posts with the bloud that is in the bason This sprinckling of bloud with a bunch of hysope was a type of the bloud of the Lambe without spot Christ Iesus used for 1 Purgation to remove the pollution of sinne 2 For propitiation to remove the punishment of sinne to keepe the destroying Angell from our houses and to establish safety there against all euill Saint Peter directeth his Epistle to the Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father through sanctification of the spirit and sprinckling of the bloud of Iesus Christ for if the bloud of Bulles and Goates and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the uncleane sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh How much more shall the bloud of Christ who through the eternall spirit offered himselfe to God without spot Purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God so that we may say of David in this Petition that hee is now come To Jesus the mediatour of the new Covenant and to the bloud of sprinkling that speaketh better things then that of Abel Saint Augustine and Saint Gregory doe referre this Petition to the humility of Christ in his passion whereby wee are purged Surely Dauid had respect onely to the bloud of Christ for his purification from sinne for all the lotions and purgings of the old law did looke that way and were representations and types of that full purgation which was to be accomplished by the bloud of Iesus Christ for though temporava iatasunt the times are changed yet fides una faith is one and the same But give me leave to search somewhat deeper into this mystery for Davids last confession was of his originall sinne And this Petition following it so close calleth to my remembrance a Law of purgation of uncleannesse mentioned with hysope dipt in water to sprinckle the tent the vessels and the persons of such as were uncleane which I conceive to be a type of our Christian Baptisme which Christ instituted as a remedy against originall sinne and which the Apostle calleth the Laver of our new birth Cardinall Bellarmine was before me in this meditation Aperit unum ex occultis mysteriis divine sapientiâ— quòd videlicet tempore novi testamenti aspergendi essent homines aqua munda in Baptisme He opens one of the hidden mysteries of divine wisedome that in the time of the new Testament men were to be sprinckled with pure water in Baptisme Both wayes the bloud of Christ is the liquor of our purification and David so many yeares before the fulnesse of time in which he came actually to performe the worke of our redemption by the saerifice of his bloud did by faith apprehend both this remedy and the full effect of it for it was ever the way of our cleannesse since the fall of Adam and therefore Christ is called agnus occisus ab origine mundi the Lamb slaine from the beginning of the world The grace of the holy Ghost inwardly purging the conscience from sinne by the application of the bloud of Christ was not perceptible by the sense and reason of man Therefore it pleased God in the law to relieve their weakenesse with externall types figures and representations Sacraments of strong signification to make these things more demonstrable The body of these is Christ and it is his onely bloud by which we are washed from
these in this distresse can tell you whether this be not a breaking of their bones Let the Word therefore work upon us and let every hearer when he heareth his sinne reproved take the reproofe to him and prevent an accusation tu es homo thou art the man with a confession Me me ad sum qui feci I I have done it So breaking our bones with remorse and contrition wee shall save them from his breaking we shall reserve them to his healing and binding up I conclude this point in the words of our Saviour He that rejecteth me and receiveth not my words hath one that judgeth him the word that I have spoken the same shall judge him in the last day 2 Davids suit wherein 1 Where he seeketh remedy it is from God the hand that â—â—oke his bones can set them againe no other hand can doe it Come let us returne to the Lord for he hath torn and he will heale us he hath smitten and he will binde us up David knoweth that God hath a multitude of tender compassions he layd that foundation of his faith repentance and prayer Verse 2. Whom have I in heaven but thee there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee My flesh and my heart faileth but God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever David had good friends in heaven Abraham the father of the faithfull Isaac the seed promised Iacob that wrastled with God and prevailed yet he seeketh to none of these and I never read in either Testament of any one that had any suit to Abraham but the rich man in hell To countenance the use of invocation of Saints yet that hath no life in it to encourage any such mediation All the booke of God through the addresse of prayers hath beene onely to God and he hath revealed so open a way of accesse to him that wee need not goe so farre about for David saith He also will heare their prayers and will helpe them David was put to it to try all the wayes of comfort and hee used no other invocation The sorrowes of death compassed me the paines of hell gate hold upon me I found trouble and sorrow then called I upon the name of the Lord O Lord I beseech thee deliver my soule God maketh this good use of our sinnes to bring us to him and sinne never undoeth us till it driveth us away from God to seeke help elsewhere You see what good successe the richman had with Abraham he could not get a drop of cold water he was sent to Moses and the Prophets for his brethren They sought no helpe any where but immediately in God he hath healing under his wings wings are the emblemes of speed he is swift to heare our complaints to heale our sores He healeth all our infirmities and forgiveth us all our sinnes 2 How he seeketh remedy by prayer he doth not come pharisaically to God to justifie himselfe by his former conscionable living he doth not â—lledge how he hath walked and done that which is right in the eyes of the Lord and turned not aside from any thing that he commanded him all the daies of his life save onely in this thing All our former holinesse will not beare us out in any one sinne but when we fall we cause all his righteousnesse that he hath done shall not be mentioned in his trespasse that he hath trespassed and in the sinne that he hath sinned in them shal he dye rather our sinne is aggravated thereby therefore the way of prayer is the way of remedy Let us seeke the face and favour of God so by confession deprecation and supplication The fountaine is deepe but we have wherewith to draw up the waters thereof our prayer is a bucket that will not come up empty The Apostle biddeth semper orate pray alwayes Christ biddeth aske seeke knocke This the Prophet calleth buying without money when we have all good things for asking The Church of Rome hath not a worse barre to keepe her children from God and other men from their communion then by teaching them to say prayers in a strange tongue for all such petitioners have their answer nescitis quid petatis ye know not what ye aske our understanding our affections our faith our hope all must be exercised in our prayers 3 What is his suit Make me to heare joy and gladnesse We may demand why David doth desire this now seeing he had no sooner confest his sinne but Nathan pronounced his absolution he heard joy in his pardon he heard gladnesse in the remedy of his punishment non morieris thou shalt not dye 1 David had heard this comfort from Nathan yet hee desireth further assurance of it from the spirit of God for in so sudden joyes we are not our owne men so are wee transported with the gladnesse thereof When thou broughtest againe the captivity of Sion we were like to them that dreame Our foule sinnes doe make us feare that it is too good to be true 2 He desireth more of this comfort more joy and more gladnesse The joy of sinne and delight of sense doth much hinder repentance the joy of the holy Ghost doth crown repentance 3 David openeth himselfe in his phrase of Petition he doth not say give me joy and gladnesse but make me heare for the vessell of his heart was not yet capable of the joy that was now tendred to him griefe and anguish had filled it he prayeth therefore for capacity to receive this gladnesse Five notes grow upon this point 1 When he had heard already he desireth to heare more they that have once tasted of this joy are never satisfied but cry alwaies give give till they come to the fulnesse and fatnesse of Gods house 2 See what a distressed man a sinner is Enosh he is â—â— fraid he shall never have joy enough â—â—◠〈◊〉 prayeth here for double joy joy and gladnesse joy in his pardon of sin gladnesse in his favour 3 See how long the conscience of a sinner is tost like to the sea after the winde is laid 4 Observe how he would have his joy come to him ex auditu fac me audire by hearing make me to heare for ex auditu fides faith comes by hearing he lost his joy by harkening to the voyce of the Serpent 5 It will not come so except God make him heare fac me aâ—dire make me to heare he must say ephata to our eare that we may not onely receive the sound of comfort in our eare but sound comfort in our heart If the foure windes should breath nothing but joy and gladnesse and all the Prophets and Angelâ— of God should like Ababs Prophets prophecie good to us unlesse God by his spirit did suggest to our spirits this joy wee were still in evill taking for till our spirit witnesse with Gods spirit wee have no joy He desireth assurance in his faith 4 The