brains dasht out his great care is every day to conquer his corruptions The body of sin and death to which he is tied is as noisom to his soul as a dead body to his senses Lust is as burthensom to him as a withered arm which hangs on a man like a lump of lead Never did prisoner more ardently desire to be rid of his fetters then this Saint to be freed from subjection to his sins The distressed Jews did not groan so much under their Egyptian slavery as this true Israelite for spiritual liberty O wretched man that I am saith he who shall deliver me from this body of sin and death Rom. 7.29 His great end and endeavor in every providence and every Ordinance is not the repression but the ruine of this evil of sin If the Sun of mercy shine warm upon him he makes use of it to put out the kitchin fire of wickedness When God folaceth his spirit with extraordinary kindness the sacrifice of thanksgiving that he offereth up is the beast of some sin which he layeth on the Altar and poureth forth its blood before the Lord When the storm of affliction ariseth he enquireth for the Jonah which raised the tempest and endeavoureth that he may be cast over-board and drowned And as he makes use of divine Providences so likewise of divine Ordinances for the weakening his corruptions In prayer like the sick childe he pointeth at the place of his pain he indicteth accuseth and condemneth sin and intreateth that it may be executed his prayers and tears are his daily weapons wherewith he fighteth against his most inward and secret wickedness When he perceiveth lust like Adonijah usurping the throne of his heart he goeth in to God as Bathsheba to David sighing and saying Did not my Lord promise his servant that the true Solomon should reign in my soul that Jesus Christ the Prince of Peace should sway the scepter in my spirit And now behold his foes which thou hast sworn to make his footstool have trayterously aspired to the Crown and forcibly made me subject to their commands As Esther he is very desirous of these Hamans destruction and watcheth continually for a fit opportunity to present his Petition to the King of Kings for that end and when in any duty he seeth the God of glory to hold out the golden Scepter of mercy towards him O then he beggeth for justice If I have found favour in thy sight O King and if it please the King let the life of my soul be given me at my Petition and the death of my sins at my request Did thy dear Son die for sin and shall thy poor servant live in sin shall not these thine enemies which would not have thee to reign over me be slain before thy face Order my steps by thy word and let not any iniquity have dominion over me Psal 119.133 Thus by prayer as by one main piece of his spiritual armour he becomes prevalent The Romans overcame their enemies sitting that is the Senate by their prudent counsels but the Christian kneeling by his holy valour he wrestleth with God and through the power of Christ gets the victory 2 Cor. 12.6 And because the devil of some lusts will not be cast out without fasting and prayer therefore he joyneth fasting to supplication and trieth to starve his corruptions Before-hand he fitteth himself for that day of purging out his ill humors by the preparatory potion of meditation The consideration of his sins how bloody and hainous in their nature how crying and crimson in their circumstances makes his physick work the better He thinketh before The day of mourning for offending my father is coming and then I will slay my brother Jacob my dearest and nearest sin This man bringeth under his natural body which he may lawfully cherish that he may abate the strength of the body of death as men sometimes in a feaver open a vain and let out their blood though it be not bad that they may weaken their enemy In reading and hearing the Law of God he setteth his lusts naked before that sword of the Spirit that they may be hewn by the Prophets and slain by the words of Gods mouth He desires that it may pierce deep to the dividing of soul and spirit of the joynts and marrow and to the discovering of the thoughts and intents of his heart His voice to the Minister is like the Prophets to his neighbour Smite me I pray thee and likes him best that in smiting wounds his sin most he approves of that Chirurgion that searcheth his wounds throughly though he put him to pain he rejoyceth that the Preacher revealeth to him his errors that he may follow them with Hue and cry till they are taken and punished and so Gods pursuit of him may be prevented If the Minister give him a bitter pill of reproof he doth not like a queasie stomach favour his malady and loath his medicine but takes it down willingly knowing that though such things be not toothsom yet they are wholesom and that they must be bitter things that breaks the bag of worms in his stomach sweet things will nourish and cherish them He is glad that the word is fire that thereby his dross may be consumed that it is water because his heart thereby may be washed and purified He hideth the word in his heart that he may not sin against God Psal 119.11 He goeth to the Lords Supper that the blood of his sins may be shed by the blood of the Saviour The Cross of Christ is the souls armour and sins terror there is life in it for the death of sin Pliny saith that the fasting spittle of a man will kill Serpents Sure I am the blood of Christ applied by faith will mortifie sin and therefore the Saint frequenteth the Sacrament He goeth to it as Naaman to Jordan to be cured of his spiritual leprosie when he approacheth the table of the Lord and seeth in the bread broken and the wine poured out by faith Jesus Christ crucified before his eyes O how his heart burneth within him in hatred and indignation against his sins and in desires after and delight in his Redeemer He beholdeth there the knives of his pride unbelief hypocrisie malice and the like all redded in the blood of the Mediator and now his eyes sparkle with fire and fury and his soul swelleth with wrath and revenge against them were but his hand answerable to his heart I mean his power to his will he would put sin to as much pain make it suffer as much shame cause it to undergo as cursed a death as ever Jesus Christ did Now this frame of spirit exceedingly pleasing to the King of Saints he bespeaks the soul at the Sacrament as Herod did the damsel Ask of me what thou wilt and I will give it thee to the half nay to the whole of my Kingdom The soul having before consulted with his regenerate part for this
will be so heavy So now thou art born up with the streams of worldly comforts thy sins are easie and light but when thou comest once to touch at land at thy long home they will be so poysonous for their nature and so ponderous for their weight that thou wilt cry out sadly and despairingly what Paul did sorrowfully yet believingly O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of death Rom. 7.24 The god of this world now blindeth thine eyes that thou neither seest their number nor colour but in that long long night of blackness of darkness all those Ghosts will walk and then they will be gastly indeed Those arrows of sin which now thou shootest out of sight will then fall down upon the head of the Archer 4. It will teach thee the worth of a Saviour when thou feelest the want of a Saviour thou shalt know by woful experience the worth of a Saviour Sickness now probably teacheth thee the worth of health and pain the comfort of ease truly those torturing pains and wracking diseases with which thou shalt be eternally affected will teach thee though 't will be a miserable learning the great price and worth of the Physitian of souls Jesus Christ is more worth to a Saint in this world then the whole world If all the rocks were rubies and all the dust gold or the whole Globe a shining Chrysolite yet he would count all but dross and dung in comparison of Christ nay of one hours or moments communion with him But thou seest here no such vertue in his blood no such value in his passion no such beauty in his person no such excellency in his precepts But when thou shalt feel the wrath of God the curse of the Law the torments of Hell the poyson and sting of sin then a Redeemer will be a Redeemer indeed Now the Son of the ever blessed God tendereth himself to thee with many entreaties goeth after thee up and down night and day knocking at the door of thine heart with all his graces comforts and fruits of his death by the ministry of his word the motions of his spirit multitudes of temporal and spiritual mercies but thou unworthy wretch slightest both him and his precious Attendants and esteemest thy shop and stock thy corn and carnal comforts far before him but when thou shalt see what a weight of glory what Rivers of pleasures others enjoy through the Saviour and thy self feel more torment and pain then thou canst now possibly think or fear for want of a Saviour surely thou wilt have other manner of thoughts of him then now thou hast 'T would be as much worth to thee as Heaven now to know Jesus Christ and him crucified but 't will be the Hell of thine Hell to know him there O how deeply it will cut thine heart with horror to think that that Christ whom thou shalt see at his Fathers right hand waited on thee till his head was wet with the dew and his locks with the drops of the night called frequently and fervently after thee Turn turn O sinner why wilt thou die and run thus upon thy ruin and yet thou wert as deaf as an Adder and wouldst not hear the voice of that sweet Charmer 5. It will teach thee the preciousness of time Eternity will learn thee the value of time when in that long evening and night which shall never have a morning thou shalt remember and consider that thou hadst a day of Grace O Thou wilt think Time was when I had the tenders and offers of all that love and life mercy and merits heaven and happiness of which yonder blessed souls are possessors when mercy came kneeling to me for acceptance Grace came a begging at the door of my heart for admittance it followed me to bed and board abroad and at home beseeching me for the love of God for the sake of my poor soul to turn from lying vanities to the living God how often did the Minister with many entreaties invite exhort beseech me to pitty my dying soul to leave my damning sins 2 Cor. 6.2 and heartily to embrace my loving Saviour with all speed assuring me from the word of the Eternal God that then was the onely accepted time then was the onely day of Salvation but I despised and deferred all I thought I had time enough before me and wo and alas it is now too late the sun of my life is set the gate of mercy is shut I did not work in my day and now the things of my peace are for ever hid from mine eyes Alas alaâ— poor creature what wilt thou do in such an hour Now thou wantest wayes to spend thy time were it not for the Ale-house or good fellowship or some sinful or vain sports thou couldst not tell what to do with thy time Now thou esteemest it as a meer drug that hangs upon thy hand How many a precious hour dost thou throw away though the revenues of the whole world cannot purchase or call back a moment but then thou wilt cry as that foolish Lady on her death-bed who wantoned it away in her life time Plutarch in Pelopid Call time again Call time again but all in vain When thou art once entred upon thine Eternity there can be no recalling of Time I have read of Archias the Lacedemonian that whilst he was carousing in his cups amongst his jovial companions one delivers him a letter purposely to acquaint him that some lay in wait to take away his life and withal desired him to read it presently because it was matter of concernment O saith he Cras seria serious things to morrow but he was slain that night so whilst thou art wallowing in the mire of sensual pleasures a messenger from God is sent purposely to tell thee that Satan and Sin lie in ambushment to murther thy soul and withal intreateth thee to minde it speedily that thou mightest prevent it but thou cryest at least in thy heart and practice Serious things to morrow Repentance Faith and Holiness hereafter but before that hereafter come thou art in Hell and then present time will be precious when its past Thou wilt then remember how exceeding careful thou wast to plough and sow thy ground in its season and how mad and foolish to put off the ploughing up the fallow ground of thy heart and sowing to the Spirit till the season of Grace was past 6. It will teach thee the knowledge of Eternity though indeed this Lesson will be ever learning by thee and never learned Thou shalt suffer the vengeance of eternal fire Jude v. 7. and be tormented day and night for ever and ever Rev. 14.10 Thou wouldst not burn an whole year no not one day in one of thy Kitchin fires for a Kingdom But O then thou shalt be in a ten thousand times hotter fire and for ever Ah! Who can dwell in everlasting burnings who can endure unquenchable flame Isa
thy folly in making and continuing a League with them to thine extream and unconceiveable disadvantage I shall endeavour to set before thee though briefly the far greater felicity which thou shouldst obtain in the other World As whilst thou continuest in this world thou shouldst be a blessed soul so when thou enterest into the other world thou shouldst be a glorious Saint And this Reader is the best wine which Christ keeps for his Ghests till the last though how good it is none can tell but they that have tasted it Truly what Nazianzen said of Basil I may say of this glorious Saint There wants nothing but his own tongue to commend him The Subject is large and weighty and sure I am that it would require the words not onely of a Saint but an Angel to do it according to its worth I shall onely give thee a say briefly of that which glorified Saints enjoy fully First thou shouldst know what perfection of holiness is if thou wert but new born this one thought would fill thy soul with marrow and fatness and cause thy mouth to praise God with joyfull lips One dram of holiness infinitely surpasseth in the esteem of a Saint all the Kingdoms and Empires of this world how much then is perfect holiness worth In heaven thou shouldst have it There thou shouldst be before the throne without fault and serve him day and night in his temple Rev. 14.5 What price doth a Saint set upon and what pains doth he take for a little holiness If thou wouldst know why he hideth the word in his heart t is that he might not sin against God the purging out of sinful humours is the end for which he takes that phisick Why he readeth and heareth so diligently t is that he might be sanctified through Gods truth cleansing is the reason why he useth that water Why he prayeth so frequently and so fervently t is that he might have a clean heart created and a right spirit renewed within him Grace is the chief alms for which he knocks and begs so hard at the beautifull gate of Gods Temple why he goeth to the sacrament t is that he might grow in sanctity he goeth to the death of his Saviour for the death of his sins and his great design in that spiritual feast is so to feed that he might get some more spiritual strength Nay how contented can he be under very sad crosses if they may but make him more like to Christ he can patiently bear the pain of lancing and cutting so it may but let out corruption He can take bitter pills for the removing of inward diseases and the furthering of his souls health and more willingly spend all be hath for the cure of his issue of sin then ever the widow did for the cure of her issue of blood Now Reader thou shouldst have the vessel of thy soul filled with this water of life One drop of which is so precious as thou hast heard to the regenerate Thou shouldst have a perfection of degrees as well as of parts and enjoy so much of these true riches that thou shouldst not desire one grain more Thou shouldst be a book wherein the image of God should be written in a fair large print and there should be no errata's in thee Sin now is like the Ivy in the wall cut it never so much yet it will sprout out again but as grace mortifieth it here glory shall nullify it in heaven Wert thou in Christ t would be no small comfort to think the time is comming when thou shalt never offend God more never deal unkindly with Christ more Thou shouldst by blessed experience know the truth of those Scriptures Whosoever is born of God sinneth not for his seed remaineth in him and he cannot sin because he is born of God 1 John 3.9 Christ loved his Church and gave himself for it that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word That he might present it to himself a glorious Church not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing but that it should be holy and without blemish Ephes 5.25 26 27. The body of death should die with the death of thy body Thou shouldst not be taken away in thy sins but from thy sins It would be impossible for thee to sin there because of thine happy sight of God there Sin is an aversion from God and conversion to the creature Now thou shouldst enjoy such soul ravishing sweetness in the blessed God and that so fully that thou couldst not leave so excellent a good for any creature thy graces here in their minority and nonage would be then in their maturity If that holiness which is but in part on earth would be so beautiful in thine eyes that it would ravish thine heart more then all the glory of this lower world what would perfect holiness in heaven be If the picture or image of God be so comely in its rough draught here below Ah how lovely a peice will it be in all its perfections when Gods Novissima manus his last hand shall come upon it above 1 John 3.2 Secondly thou shouldst know what compleat happiness is Thine holiness and happiness like twins would grow up and come to their full age together thy perfect purity there would cause perfect peace Thy day of light and gladness in heaven could never be overcast with the smallest cloud because sins that are the vapours out of which they breed could not ascend so high Thy freedom from evil would be full thy fruition of good would be full and therefore thy felicity must needs be full Thy body there would be free from the diseases and deformity to which it is liable and with which it is affected here The errors of the first would be corrected in its second edition A body of vileness shall be a body of glory All those miseries which fright and molest thee now would then forsake thee No evil durst arrest thee when thou shalt walk in the presence of Sions King In this thou shouldst be like irrational creatures that thy misery should end with thy life And in this resemble the blessed Angels that thou shouldst alwayes behold the face of thy father In his presence is fulness of joy When the Sun beholdeth the Moon with his full aspect then the Moon is at the Full. In heaven the Sun of righteousness would ever look on thee with his favourable face in so full a degree that thou shouldst be at the Full of thy light and happiness God is an universal good the soul of man hath a kind of an infinite appetite It desireth this pleasure and that treasure and when it hath them it is like a dropsicall body as thirsty as ever for those creatures having but a particular limited goodness can never satisfy but God will supply all the souls wants because he is infinite and universal good and answereth all things Thou shouldst ever be at the
Had he studied a thousand years for a name he could not have called it by a worse name then its own sinful sin Luther saith that could a man but see perfectly the evil of his sins on earth it would be an hell to him such a frightful ugly monster is sin Look on sin which way thou wilt and it is exceeding sinful the evil of evils Take it in its nature it is a deviation from Gods Law a wandring from his word a casting his Law behinde the back the Law is strait sin is crookedness Psal 125.5 The Law is holy sin is defilement Rom. 7.12 2 Cor. 7.1 The Law is just sin is unrighteousness 1 John 1.7 The Law is liberty sin is bondage Jam. 2.8 12. 2 Tim. 2.26 Sin is a defacing of Gods image it blots and blurs that fair and beautiful writing not onely meritoriously as it provokes God to withdraw his Grace but physically Numb 15.30 Rom. 2.23 24. 2 Sam. 12.12 as one contrary expels another Hereby it dishonours Gods name and reproacheth his Majesty for what greater disgrace can be done to a Prince then to tread his orders under foot and tear and scratch and deface his picture Nay Lev. 22.26 Zec. 11.8 Rom. 8.7 Rom. 1.30 1 Sa. 15.23 Isa 1.2 Rom. 6 16. Psal 14.1 it s a defying and fighting against God a walking contrary to him a daring of him it is enmity against him loathing him hatred of him contrariety to him it is against his Soveraignity and so is rebellion against his mercy and so is unkindness against his justice and so is unrighteousness against his wisdom and so is folly against his will Omne seccatu est deicidium and so is stubbornness Were it strong enough it would ungod him were the sinners power according to his corrupt heart he would pluck God out of Heaven I would I were above God saith Spira When the body of sin is nailed as a thief on the Cross yet even then it will rage as he and spit out poison against Heaven Reader Canst thou finde in thine heart to hug and embrace such a Traytor against the gracious and blessed God! To stretch out thine hand against God as every sinner doth and strengthen thy self against the Almighty Vid. Car. in loc 10 this purpose Job 15.25 Stretch out thine hand against God! No man should lift up a word against God our mouthes should shew forth his praise Stretch out thine hand against God! no man should lift up a thought against God our meditations of him should be for him Stretch out thine hand against God every man should bow down and worship before God and be satisfied in what ever he saith and doth Stretch out thine hand against God! thou art bound to stretch out thine heart and hand and tongue to think and speak and act and all for God and all little enough Take sin in its effect and what evil is like it Eccl. 1.3 it is the cause of all other evils Dost thou consider the emptiness vanity and vexation in the creatures the heavens fighting against man the earth bearing thorns and briars the diseases in mens bodies the burning Feavor watery Dropsie aking teeth running Gout wracking Stone renting Collick the quivering lips trembling loins gastly looks of dying men The horrors of conscience flashes of the infernal fire curses of the Law wrath of God torments of Hell all these are the fruits of sin All misery calleth sin mother this is the root of bitterness upon which they grow the wages of sin is death Rom. 6.21 ult and 5.12 that big-bellied word Death hath all these woful brats in its belly and Sin is the father that begat them Sin turned Adam out of Paradise Angels into Devils Sodom and Gomorah into ashes flourishing Families Cities Kingdoms into ruinous heaps Sin shuts heaven against man laid the foundation of that dark vault of hell Sin kindled the fire of hell Sin feeds it with fuel and will keep it burning for ever Oh what an evil is sin who would not hate it more then hell Is it good to play with such fire as sin is didst thou believe sin to be the cause of all this thou wouldst never open thy heart or mouth more for it Dost thou know that as where the effect is good the cause is better so where the effect is bad the cause is worse Can there be worse effects then eternal separation from God and suffering the vengeance of eternal fire how bad is sin then which is the cause of them Take sin as a punishment and 't is the evil the only evil there is no suffering like to this to be given up to a course of sining Reader take heed of continuing an hour longer in thine ungodly practices it may be thou hast been ready to think it a great happiness to sin without controle to run in the road of the flesh and to meet with no rubs to prosper though thou art wicked I tell thee and think of it the longest day thou livest for it highly concerneth thee that the infinite God never claps a more dreadful curse on any man or woman on this side hell then to give them up to sin If God should give thee up to the sword famine most painful diseases to thy most cruel potent and malicious enemies to be wrackt by them at pleasure these were nothing to this to be given up to one sin When God hath used his rods scourging men and they will not reform then he takes this ax and presently execution followeth to be delivered up to the power of men may be the lot of Gods sons but to be delivered up to the power of sin is the portion of Rebels of Reprobates This is the stinging whip with which God punisheth Ephrahim 2 Tim. 3.13 2 â—hess 2.10 11. Ephraim is joyned to Idols there is his impiety but what grievous punishment shall he have for his God-provoking Idolatry Let him alone Hos 4.17 It is not I will send the raging pestilence or cruel famine or bloody sword but he is joyned to idols let him alone I will not have him disturbed or molested but he shall have his will though it prove his everlasting woe Rom. 1.21 22. Psal 81.11 12. Hos 8.11 It is a woe with a witness 1 Cor 5. comp with 2 Cor. 7. for God to let thy lusts like so many ravenous Lions loose upon thee and to lay the reins of thy sins upon thy own neck We read of one delivered up to Satan yet he was saved but never of any delivered up to their sins but they were damned It was a sad sight which Abraham saw when he beheld flakes of fire rained from heaven upon the Sodomites but it was a sadder which Lot beheld when he saw the fire of hell burning in their hearts and breaking out in their lives and his righteous soul was vexed therewith Reader have a care that thou never in thy heart plead more for
sin who would open his mouth for such a monster when there is no evil like it Doth God offer thee any thing to thy hurt when he would make a separation between thy soul and thy sins doth he desire any thing to thy disadvantage when he desireth thee to give a bill of divorce to sin which is the sourse of all sorrows the onely enemy of thy best friend the ever-blessed God and to be given up to which is the greatest plague and punishment on this side hell Tell me is not regeneration excellent which killeth such venemous serpents which executeth such traytours which mortifyeth these earthly members and dasheth these brats of Babylon against the wall Thirdly the price paid for this pearle doth loudly speak its excellency Reader little dost thou think what regeneration cost I tell thee and thou mayst well wonder at it The son of God came from heaven suffered the boundless rage of Divels and infinite wrath of God in mans nature upon this very errand to purchase regeneration and sanctification for poor sinners Read and admire Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold from your vain conversation but with the precious blood of Christ as of a Lamb without blemish and without spot 1 Pet. 1.18 19. See the worth of this ware by that which it cost The precious blood of Christ surely it was a jewel of inestimable value which the Son of God thought worth his precious blood As lightly as thou thinkest of the death of sin and the life of righteousness the Lord Jesus underwent more then any one in hell feels to buy them of his father for the sons of men Ah none knoweth but God and Christ what it cost to buy off mans debts and guilt and to procure a new stock of holiness for his poor bankrupt creature to set up with again Who his own self bare our sins in his body on the tree that we being dead to sin might live unto righteousness 1 Pet. 2.24 Had man kept his original purity the Lord Jesus might have spared all his pains T it 2.14 Ioh 10.10 The second Adam came to restore that jewel to man of which the first Adam robd him This rare jewel this choice mercy was regeneration and holiness and this Christ looks upon as the full reward of his sufferings He shall see the travail of his soul and be satisfied Isa 53.11 The truth is Christ had exceeding hard labour the Greek Fathers call it unknown sufferings he had many a bitter pang many a sharp throw but for joy that children are born of God that those throws bring forth a numerous issue of new creatures he forgets his sorrows He shall see the travail of his soul and be satisfied Consider friend did Christ esteem regeneration worthâ— his blood to merit it and is it not worth thy prayers and teares and utmost indeavours to obtain it Did Christ come to destroy the works of the Divel which is sin 1 John 3.8 and wilt thou build them up did the Lord Jesus come to build up the temple of holiness and wilt thou pull it down did Christ think it worth the while to be reproached condemned crucified and all to make thee holy and wilt thou be such an enemy to the cross of Christ as by continuing in sin to deprive him of that which he earnd so dearly Why wilt thou bind thy self to be a slave to Satan when he redeemed thee with such a vast sum Did the mercifull God send his son into the world to bless thee in turning thee from thine iniquity and canst thou look upon that great blessing as thy bondage Acts 3. ult Believe it God had servants enough even Angels that are ever ready to do his will to send ordinary gifts by surely then t was some extrordinary present that he thought none worthy to carry and would trust none with but his onely Son God sent him to blesse you in turning every one of you from your iniquities I hope reader thou wilt have higher thoughts of holiness and worse thoughts of sin all thy dayes surely the son of God was not so prodigal of his most precious blood as to poure it out for any thing that was not superlatively excellent Fourthly Regeneration and the renewing of man will appear to be excellent in that it is the great end of God in his works The more noble any being is the more excellent ends it propounds to it self in its working thence it is that a man hath higher ends then a beast the ends of a beast are onely to please sence but the ends of a man are to satisfie his understanding Hence also the ends of a Christian are more excellent then the ends of other men his being is more noble and so are his ends To please glorifie and enjoy God How excellent then is that which the infinitely perfect God makes his end Surely the Most High cannot propound any low ends in his operations he that is the onely wise God must have eminent designs and ends Now unclasp the secret book of Gods decree and look into it as far as the word will warrant thee and thou shalt finde that in that internal work of Election God had the renewing of man after his image in his eye and to be his end According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before him in love Ephes 1.4 As an Artificer or Statuary that hath many pieces of stone all alike hewn out of the same Quarry in his yard sets some apart from the rest in his own thoughts intending to make some choice Statue some special piece of them So when all mankinde was before God he did in his eternal thoughts set some apart to be choice pieces to be holy and without blame Go from Gods decree to its execution from his inward to his outward actions and thou shalt finde thy renewing after his image to be still in his eye In thy creation he thought of thy regenerationâ— Prov. 16.4 Psal 100.4 5. Rev. 4. ult he made thee that he might new make thâ—â— Thou art a man that thou mightst become a Christian God made thee a rational creature that thou mightst be made a new creature He gave thee the matter in giving thee a body and a rational soul that thereby thou mightst be capable of the form which is the impression of his image on both There must be a tree before it can be hewed and squared for some curious building God did not make thee to eat and drink and sleep and toil in thy calling but to honor him and to live to him which are the actions of the new creature Trace God further from creation to providence and therein also thou mayst observe this to be his end Why doth he send the warm Summer of prosperity and refresh thee with his clearing beams and influences but to
all that would partake of Gospel-priviledges It is necessary in regard of the purpose of God Elect according to the fore knowledge of God through sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ 1 Pet. 1.2 Though God did not choose men because they were holy yet he chose men to be holy though he appointed not men to be saved because they were Saints yet he appointed men to be Saints and then to be saved It is necessary in regard of the passion of Christ he died for sin that men might die to sin he laid down his life that men might lay down their lusts his passion is a City of Refuge to the Penitent not a sactuary to the presumptuous God intended it to help men out of not to hold them in the mire of sin He is the Author of eternal salvation to them that obey him Hebr. 5.9 He died because men were sinners but he died that men might be Saints He suffered the just for the unjust to bring us to God 1 Pet. 3.18 Now man and God can never be brought together till the emnity which is in the heart of man against God be removed If ever thou have Christ for thy Priest to satisfie Gods Justice for thy sins it is absolutely necessary that thou accept him for thy Prince to subdue thee to his service Had Christ come to procure man a pardon Gur. Arm. â—par â—17 and not to restore his lost holiness he had been a minister of sin and instead of bringing glory to God he had set sin in the throne and onely obtained a liberty for the creature to dishonour God without controle Again saith the same accurate writer In vain do men think to shroud themselves under Christs wings from the hue and cry of their accusing consciences while wickedness finds a sanctuary in them Christ was sent from God not to secure men in but to save men from their sins It is necessary in regard of the promises of God Thus saith the Lord of hosts turn to me saith the Lord of hosts and I will turn to you saith the Lord of hosts Zach. 1.3 Draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you Jam. 4.8 If ever God draw nigh to thee in mercy thou must draw nigh to him in duty He that shall have the reward must do the work The precepts of God must be written on the heart otherwise the promises of God shall never fall down on thine head Isa 1.16 17 and 55.7 1 King 8.35 Prov. 28.13 Blessed are the pure in spirit for they shall see God Matth. 5.8 'T is the pure heart alone that hath the assurance of the pure heaven Thou seest now I hope clearly the absolute necessity of Regeneration what therefore canst thou think to do without it O ponder this again and again that there is no escape no evasion God will not vary from his Law Thy dying to sin is necessary sin must die or thy soul cannot live If ye live after the the flesh ye shall die but if ye through the spirit do mortifie the deeds of the body ye shall live Rom. 8.13 6. Gal. 6.6 7. Surely thou canst not think that Heaven will be a stye for swine or a kennel for dogs that feed on filth and carrion Believe it if any iniquity be let go thy life must go for its life The Jaylors paid dear for letting Peter escape Act. 12. Herod commanded them to be put to death Truly so dear must thou pay for the escape of sin 't wil bring the second death even eternal death upon thee be thy sin as near and as dear as Isaac it must be sacrificed be it never so small it must not be spared Cesar was stab'd with bodkins I have somewhere read that a man and a Crocodile never meet but one dieth 'T is certain sin and the soul never meet but one dieth if sin live the soul dieth if sin die the soul liveth there is no parting stakes or retreating upon equal terms Maurice of Newport told his Souldiers when he had sent away his boates that there was no flying the Spaniards being before them and the Sea behinde them Either ye must eat up and destroy those Spaniards or drink up this ocean Friend such is thy case either thou must destroy thy sins or drink up the bottomless ocean of the Lords wrath Answer me seriously thou wilt say thou dost not love such a man so well as to be hangd for him Dost thou love sin so well as to be damned for it Dost thou love thy Drunkenness and Swearing and Uncleanness and scoffing at Godliness so well as to burn eternally in hell for them Dost thou love thy pride and worldliness and lustful thoughts and Atheisme and carnall mindedness so well as to be tormented day and night for ever and ever for them A very Coward will fight when he must either kill or be killed Willt not thou fight manfully when sin will kill thee if it be not killed by thee Ahab out of foolish pitie gave Benhadad his life when he ought to have slain him but the requital which Benhadad made was to kill Ahab 1 King cap. ult v. 31 34. such a requital sin will make thee if thou favour it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the masculine article sheweâ—h that it s to be referred to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mr. Manton on â—ude p. 38. Follow after peace and holiness without which no man shall see the Lord Heb. 12.14 Observe how peremptory God is in that place that without holiness no man shall see God It is not said that without peace no man shall see God but without holiness no man shall see God Peace may be broken in the quarrel of truth and holiness and yet for all that a man may see God Jeremiah was a man of contention and yet a man for the beatifical vision but they that are not holy cannot see God A pure eye onely can see a pure God As the eye which hath dust in it without or thick vapours stopping the nerves within cannot see except it be cleansed from the one and purged from the other So a man the eye of whose mind is clouded with the mist of sin cannot behold God till he be cleansed The Christians happiness in heaven consisteth in such a vision of God as shall make him like God 1 John 3.2 but a dusky glass cannot represent an image When the Sun of righteousness shall shine upon a pure Christal glass a clean unspotted soul t will cause a glorious reflection indeed To wind up this fourth subject of consideration Reader Affaires of absolute indispensable necessity should like weighty things make a deep impression upon thy spirit Urge thy soul often with this that of all things in the world regeneration is the one thing necessary Let conscience press it on thee I must be converted or condemned here is the word of the living God for it and such a word
that I go and will give me bread to eat and raiment to put on so that I come again to my fathers house in peace then shall the Lord be my God Gen. 28.20 21. Truly do thou say as he did Since the Lord is the God that keepeth me in all my wayes that gives me bread to eat and raiment to put on he shall be my God O do not give him ever cause to complain Hear O heaven and give ear O earth I have nourished and brought up a child and he hath rebelled against me Deut. 32.15 Thirdly Is there not all the reason in the world that wares or houses or any other thing should be for the use and service of him that paid a dear price for them If thou shouldst buy a beast at an high rate thou wouldst think thou couldst never have service enough of him Friend Thou didst cost the blood of the Son God Jesus Christ bought thy service at a dear rate Thou art not thine own thou art bought with a price therefore glorifie God in thy body and spirit for they are his 1 Cor. 6.20 Thou needst not grudge the Lord Jesus thy time and talents thy thoughts and words and estate and the utmost which thou art able to do Alas he paid dearly for it He died that he might be Lord of dead and living that whether we live we should live unto the Lord or die we should die unto him Rom. 14â— 8. O how little is thy service worth that Christ should purchase it with such an infinite sum We say of some children they had need to be dutiful children they cost their mothers dear many sharp throws and great danger of death O how dutiful hadst thou need to be who didst cost Christ such hard labour such throws from God and men death and divels thou art never able to conceive what a price thy Redeemer paid what pain he suffered to procure thy service and wilt thou deny the Lord that bought thee Plinie saith that blood will quench fire should not the blood of Jesus Christ quench the fire of thy lusts In all countries the ransomer of a bondman is to be his Lord no slavery so great as thine was no price ever paid so great for liberty therefore no service so great as that which thou owest If thou hadst done all that he commandeth thee thou hadst done but thy duty and mightst say thou wert an unprofitable servant what art thou then that never didst any thing O think of it seriously Redemption by the blood of the Saviour is a bloody obligation to service and if thou continuest a rebel t will be a bloody aggravation of thy sin What evil hath Christ done to thee that thou walkest contrary to him Ah friend to render good for evil is divine but to render evil for good is divelish Fourthly Is there not all the reason in the world that he who hath bound himself Apprentice to a Master promised solemnly to be his faithful servant sealed Indentures before witness engaged himself by vows covenants protestations and oaths should perform his promises and walk in every thing answerable to his bonds and obligations Wast not thou in Baptism solemnly dedicated to the service of God Did not thy parents seal the Indenture on thy part before the Lord Angels and Men that thou shouldst live according to the Laws and for the glory of the Father Son and Holy-Ghost Hast not thou listed thy self under the colours of Christ the Captain of thy Salvation and sacredly tied thy self to obey his commands and to fight under his banner against the devil world and flesh and wilt thou run from thy colours and turn to thine enemies and conspire and fight against Jesus Christ It was a custom in the Primitive times that such as were baptized did wear a white Stole a ceremony signifying the purity of life which the baptized were to lead Now there was one Elpidophorus Fulgentes animas vestâ—s quoque candida signat who after his baptism turned a persecutor Muritta the Minister who baptized him brought forth in publick the white Stole which Elpidophorus had worn at his baptism and cried unto him O Elpidophorus This Stole do I keep against thy comming to Judgement to testifie thy apostacy from Christ So be thou assured the water with which the Minister by whom the people before whom thou wast baptized will rise up against thee in Judgement if thou dost not walk in newness of life Luther speak of one that when tempted by the devil to sin answered that she was baptized and could not yield to him Remember that thou hast received thy Saviours press-money and therefore mayst not fight Satans battels Wast thou never partaker of the Lords Supper Didst thou not then with John stand by the cross of Jesus Christ and behold his blessed body bleeding under the knife of his Fathers wrath how 't was wounded for thy transgressions bruised for thine iniquities when thou didst take a sacred oath to be the death of those sins which were the death of thy Saviour and to live to him that died for thee when thou didst espouse Christ and his quarrel to thy self and engage to live and die with him and canst thou like a dishonest wife run a whoring after thy heart-idols and forget the Covenant of thy God Was there not a time when thou didst lie upon a sick bed and in thine own apprehension wast nigh the gate of death when thy sinful fleshly life began to flie in thy face and O the thoughts which thou hadst concerning thine appearance before God in the other world and thine endless estate there when thou didst pray hard O spare me a little Lord spare me a little that I may get some grace some spiritual strength before I go hence and be no more seen when thou didst promise O if God would then hear thee and try thee a little longer in this world thou wouldst turn over a new leafe lead a new life forbear thy former corruptions evil companions mind the service and glory of the infinite God and thine own eternal good And is all this nothing now God hath heard thee and delivered thee shouldst not thou now hear him and obey him Did thy sik-bed promises die when thou didst recover Psal 66 13 14. 116. 3 4 9. O follow Davids practice I will go into thy house with burnt-offerings I will pay thee my vows which my lips have uttered and my mouth hath spoken when I was in distress Theodoricus Archbishop of Colen Aenâ—â—d Sylv lib 2. com de reb Alphon. when the Emperor Sigismund demanded of him the most compendious way to happiness made answer in brief thus Perform when thou art well what thou didst promise when thou wast sick Friend look back upon the time when the guilt of thy sins perplexed thee the fear of death surprised thee and the horror of Hell began to lay hold on thee and remember the promises
the soul that this New creature is conceived and brought forth godliness is not natural but adventitious to man not by propagation but by donation Man cannot generate himself naturally much less regenerate himself spiritually they which are born of the flesh contribute nothing to their own beings neither do they which are born of the Spirit bring any thing to their new beings unless it be a passive receptiveness as they are reasonable creatures Some read the Text and not unfitly for the original will fully bear it Except a man be born 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from above or from heaven and therefore in the fifth verse of this third Chapter of John Christ telleth us Except a man be born of the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God and in Tit. 3.5 it is called a renewing of the holy Ghost so 1 Joh. 12.13 Jer. 31.18 19.2 Cor. 3.5 1 Pet 1.1 2 3. Ephes 2.10 1 Pet. 2.9 10. This work is somtimes called a transplanting out of the natural wilde olive-tree and ingraffing it contrary to nature into a true good Olive-tree Rom. 11.24 out of the first into the second Adam now the Cions cannot transplant or ingraff it self It is termed a new creation 2 Cor. 5.17 To create or bring something out of nothing is beyond the power of the strongest creature it is above the strength of all men and Angels to create the least pile of grass God challengeth this as his prerogative royal Isa 40 26. As the old heaven and earth were the work of his hands Gen. 1.1 so are the new heavens and new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness Isa 65.17 Austin said truly To convert the little world Man is more then to create the great world It is further stiled a Resurrection from the dead Ephes 5.14 and 2.5 It is a great work to recover a dying body a far greater to restore one that is dead to life but the greatest of all to enliven a dead soul in the former there is no opposition in this there is much In spight of man and devils to pull down the ugly rotten frame of sin and set up the lovely lasting Fabrick of sanctity requireth no less strength then Omnipotency The Almighty God putteth forth the exceeding greatness of his power in forming the New creature Ephes 1.19 20. nay the same power which he did in raising up Iesus Christ from the dead who had beside the watch of Romans and the malice of hell such an heavy weight as the sins of the world to keep him down Repentance and Faith are the two chief ingredients in this rare composition and neither of them are such drugs as grow in Natures Garden no they are fetched from far It is God that giveth to the Gentiles repentance unto life Acts 11.18 2 Tim 2.25 The stones will as soon weep as mans heart of stone unless he that smote the rock force water out of it by turning it into a heart of flesh for Faith also it is the gift of God Ephes 2.8 Phil. 1.29 None come to the Son but such as are drawn by the Father Joh. 6.44 He alone that caused iron to swim 2 King 6.6 can keep the humbled sinner that is pressed down with the burden of innumerable iniquities from sinking in the gulf of desperation To part a man from his dearest carnal self and to make him diligently seek the destruction of what before he sought the preservation to make him cut off his right hand and pluck out his right eye hate father mother wife childe name house land u◠do all he had done go backward every step he had gone see things with a new light understand things with another heart and in the whole course of his life to swim against the stream and tide of nature and winds of example to bring a soul to this I say which is all done and much more in conversion requireth the infinite God's operation Flesh and blood can neither reveal these things to a man nor work these things in a man but the Father which is in heaven The Minister like the Prophets servant Instrumentum non movet nisi moveatur may lay his staff on the dead childe but he cannot raise it to life till the Master cometh Paul may plant and Apollo water but God only can give the increase Cor. 3.6 Without him we can do nothing John 15.3 We may preach out our hearts unless God affords his help our people will never be holy As Protogenes when he saw a picture in a shop curiously drawn cryed out None but Apelles could do this So when thou seest the beautiful image of the blessed God lively portrayed on the soul thou mayst say This is the finger of God None but a God could do this Secondly I say Whereby God out of his meer good pleasure here is the impulsive or moving cause of Regeneration Of his own will begat he us again by the word of truth Jam. 1.18 Gods good will is the highest moving cause of this gracious work 't was not any fore-sight of Faith or good works not any thing without him that turned the scale of his thoughts for thy purity and peace but only his own good pleasure and pity Ezek. 36.21 22. therefore he is said to give a new heart verse 26 27. because he bestoweth it freely not for mans merit but from his own mercy The gift of grace is meerly of grace For we our selves saith the Apostle were sometimes disobedient foolish serving divers lusts and pleasures But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared Not by works of righteousness which we have done but according to his mercy he saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the holy Ghost Titus 3.3 4 5. so Ephes 2.1 to 6. verse If you would know the grand reason why some are taken by the net of the Word let down in the sea of the world when others are left why some like wax are melted before this fire of Scripture when others like clay are hardned why some have the light side of this glorious pillar towards them when others have the dark side of it why the same path of the red sea is salvation to some when it is destruction to others why the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven are revealed to babes when they are hid from the wise and prudent I must give you the same reason which Christ himself doth Even so Father because it seemeth good in thy sight Matth. 11.27 his will and mercy are the cause of all our felicity Rom 9.18 1 Pet 1.3 Deut 7.7 8. Grace chuseth thee Rom 11.5 There is a remnant according to the election of Grace so Ephes 1.5 Grace calleth 2 Tim 1.9 Who hath called us according to his purpose and grace which was given us in Christ before the world began so Gal 1.15 Grace distinguisheth and differenceth thee from others By the grace of God I am what I am 1
is wanting as severall things will be are added So when this new building of Regeneration is erected the Spirit of God makes use of the old substantial materials the soul and its faculties the body and its members which were in man before onely polisheth and purifieth them and squareth them according to the rule of Gods word it hews off what is unsound and sinfull and bestoweth that grace and holiness which is needfull He taketh not away our beings but the wickedness and crookedness of our beings and addeth a new gracious beauty which we had not before We put off the rags of the old man and put on the Robes of the new man and continue in regard of substance the same men Again I call it a renewing partly because of the great change which is wrought in a man converted New things differ much from old for the better O how wonderfully doth the new born soul differ from his former self As Saul when he received the spirit of courage became another man 1 Sam. 10.6 so doth the Christian when he receiveth the spirit of grace He is not in some sense the same man he was before he liveth a new life he walketh in a new way he steereth his course by a new compass and towards a new coast His Principle is new his Pattern is new his Practices are new his Projects are new all is new He ravels out all he had wove before and employeth himself wholly about another work What a change is there when the blind see the deaf hear the dumb speak the lame walk the dead live when the Lion is turned into a Lamb darkness into light sickness into health why all this and more is done in Regeneration when a sinner is changed into a Saint It is therefore most fitly called Conversion Acts 15.3 which is a term borrowed from travellers who being out of their way turn about and so get into it leaving the way in which they were and taking another if need be quite contrary to it The sinner is born with his heart and face towards the flesh the world and hell and with his back towards God holiness and heaven and so he goeth on a many years possibly till God convert him and turn him about then his back is towards the former his face and heart towards the latter his whole life before was a departure every action being a step from God his whole life now is a drawing nigh every duty being a nearer approach to God A man and a beast differ much in their lives but a natural and regenerate person differ far more even as so far as the Spirit of God which is the principle of a Christian life differeth from the rational spirit of a man Extraordinary and strange things are called new Acts 17.19 Jer. 31.22 Well may the Convert be called a new creature the work of Conversion making such a wonderful alteration that carnall men admire it They think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excesse of riot 1 Pet. 4.3 4. nay those that are thus renewed wonder at themselves Being called out of darknesse into his marvellous light 1 Pet. 2.9 Wofull darknesse makes it wonderfull light As a man that hath been all his dayes kept in a dark prison and never beheld the Sun when he cometh to be set at liberty and see the light he stands amazed wondering at it 2 The Subject I call it a renewing of the whole man As in our fist birth not one part or member is born but every one so in our second birth the whole man is new born By our first birth the whole man is polluted and therefore by our second birth the whole man must be purified Original sin defileth the whole man from the crown of the head to the soles of the feet and Regeneration refineth the whole man soul body and spirit Rom. 3.13 14. 1 Thes 5.23 The plaister must be as broad as the sore the leaven of grace doth season the whole lump Old things passe away and behold all things are become new 2 Cor. 5.17 The water of life within is not like a Spring which ariseth in some parcel of ground and terminateth in the same but like the Ocean which compasseth about the whole little world of man As when Gods laws were written in Tables of stone The Tables wâ—re written on both their sides on the one side on the other were they written Exod. 32.15 the Tables were written all over they were full of the Law so the spiritual Tables have the Law the image of God written on every side body and soul every part of each an inward conformity in the heart an outward correspondency in the life In the new creature though every part be not throughout sanctified yet he is sanctified in every part throughout he hath a perfection of parts though not of degrees Regeneration like the Sun goeth through the twelve signs of the Zodiack there is nothing hid from the heat thereof it moveth in and worketh upon every faculty of the soul and every member of the body but the image of God is principally in the soul or the inner man Heb. 8.10 Rom. 7.22 Eph. 4.23 As the heart being the forge of the spirits is the chief seat of a natural so also of a spiritual life The Kings Daughter is most glorious within though her cloathing without be likewise of wrought gold there Satan before had his Throne it was as a childs pocket full of trash or as a ditch full of mud and dirt but now Christ will make â—hat place the sâ—at of his Empire and fill it like a Cabinet with precious jewels and indeed the soul being spiritual is principally â—apable of his image who is a spirit I shall shew how the soul in its faculties and the body in its members are both renewed In the soul I shall cousider 1 The Understanding to which the spirit of God makes its approach in the first place inlightning it in the knowledge of sin and the Saviour Eph. 4.23 The understanding to a man is as a window to an house which before being continually shut and little light appearing 't was no wonder that the heart lay so sluttishly and was so full of the deeds of darknesse but now God reneweth the soul in knowledge after the image of him that created him Col. 3.10 before the god of this world had blinded the mind that it could see neither the emptinesse of the world nor the preciousnesse of the word nor the lothsomness of sin nor the loveliness of the Saviour nor the vanity of the creature nor the excellency of the Divine nature but whereas the man was blind before now he seeth being made spiritual he judgeth all things 1 Cor. 2.14.15 He judgeth the things of heaven to be far better then the things of earth the concernments of his soul much more worth then the concernments of his body and the affairs of eternity far more
precious then the rattles and trifles of time and all by reason of the new sight bestowed on him Satan truly carrieth men hoodwinkt to hell as Higlers carry their fowls in Dorsers to the City where they are killed that they cannot see one foot of the way neither know they whether they are going but God doth not carry men blindfold to bliss but as in the old so in the new creation he beginneth with light The Undestanding in Regeneration is illuminated to see two things especially Sin to be the greatest evil and God in Christ to be the greatest good and I verily beleive the mistake of the man before about these two things were a principal cause of the many miscarriages in his heart and life Before he looked on sin through the Devils spectacles and beheld that strumpet drest in her gaudy attire of pleasure and profit whereby she was to him as the forbidden fruit to Eve pleasant to the eyes But now he beholdeth sin through the glass of the Law in its opposition to the blessed God and his own happiness stript naked of all those counterfeit and borrowed ornaments and it is the evil of evils sinful sin indeed He judgeth it worse then diseases or disgraces then losses or crosses yea then Serpents or Devils Rom 7.13 Heb 1.25 Dan. 3.17 and 6.10 Formerly he â—aw no such hurt in sin that Professors were so shie of it and Preachers so hot against it that the Son of God must die and the greatest part of the world be damned for it but now he hath other thoughts of it for he seeth its contrariety to the Lord and his precepts and subscribeth unfeignedly to the righteousness of the Law Before he saw little desireableness in the infinitely amiable God He saw no form nor comeliness in him that when he beheld him he should desire him Isa 53. He wondered what made others so much in love with him his voyce was to a Christian What is thy Beloved more then another Beloved that thou dost thus follow hard after him forsake all for him dedicate thy self wholly to him that thou prayest so fervently hearest so diligently servest him so chearfully art so careful to please him so fearful of offending him he judged him happier that had plenty of the creature then him that had God in Christ for his portion but now his mind is enlightned â—o know the only true God and Iesus Christ whom he hath sent John 17.3 He seeth such beauty in his being such equity in his laws such infinite excellency in the Divine nature such unspeakable felicity in the fruition of his favour through Jesus Christ that he esteemeth his very life yea all that he is worth for this and the other world as Iacobs in Benjamin to be bound up in the love and life of God Psal 73.25 and 63.3 Secondly The Conscience is also renewed to this Faculty the Spirit makes its address in the next place the Conscience of the man naturally was so hard and obdurate that as ice through the extremity and continuance of a great frost you might have driveâ—â—carts heavy laden over it and it would not break though mountains of lusts more heavy then lead lay upon him he complained not Ier. 8.6 But now his Conscience is as the water which hath such a tender film of ice upon it that yeildeth at the least touch a small stroak of sin maketh an impression upon it before it was seared with a red hot iron 1 Tim. 4.2 and past feeling Ephes 4 17 18 19. as that member which the Chyrurgeon intendeth to cut off is so mortified by means applied to it for that end that it feeleth not the Saw or Instrument which parts it from the body so the conscience was by custom in sin so cauterised that it felt not the sword of the Spirit neither Ministry nor Misery nor Miracle nor Mercy could prevail with it but now it becomes tender and flexible a little prick with a pin is painful to it as the eye it is offended with the smallest dust 2 Chron. 22.19 it is void of offence towards God and man Acts 24.16 Before it like Micaiah to Ahab never spake good to the man but frighted him with fears and terrified him with the pre-apprehensions of his eternal torments it followed him to bed and board and dog'd him day and night like a Sergeant to arrest him at the suit of the most High for the vaste debts which he owed to the Divine Majesty The man and his conscience were like fire and water they never met if the hands of conscience were not tied down by force but they fought Like some contentious couple they were always scolding one with another and striving for the mastery The endeavor of conscience was as the Angel to Balaam to stand in the sinners way with a drawn sword and stop him in his cursed course the care of the sinner was to serve conscience as Herod did the Baptist even to cut off its head for having a tongue in it so bold as to check him for his crimes Heb. 2.15 Rom. 2.15 Heb. 9.14 But now conscience being sprinkled with the blood of Jesus is purged from dead works and so being purified is pacified The creditor now is satisfied by the payment which the surety hath made and thereby the debtor is discharged Conscience now waits on the Christian not as a Sergeant to molest him but as a Servant to assist him to its utmost power The Convert and his conscience are now like two in consort that keep tune and time together or as some loving Husbands and Wives who strive most which shall please the other best Conscience strives to please the Christian by asking the Law at Godâ—s lips and making Scripture its Counsellor the Christian strives to please his conscience by yielding hearty subjection to its holy counsels Heb. 9.14 1 Tim 1.5 Rom 5.1 The renewed conscience giveth the new creature more solid comfort in one duty then the natural man though he equal Methuselah's age hath all his days Phil. 4.4 Thirdly The Will is also renewed the Will before was carnal crooked stubborn rebellious against God and his will the works of the Devil he will do Joh. 8.44 And as for the word which thou hast spoken to us in the name of the Lord we will not do it Jer. 44.16 It is resolved for evil and against good Ephes 2.3 John 5.40 This is Satans Fort-Royal wherein he continually secures himself in the unregenerate when he is in a skirmish beaken out of the out-works by some sudden conviction and in this as Samsons in his hair his whole strength lieth Take away Will and you take away Hell But this faculty is now made pliable and flexible to the Divine Majesty It is made so spiritual regular and consonant to the will of God that the Convert may safely if humbly say with Luther Lord let my will be done because it is thy will God and the godly man do
20. Psal 109.16 Indeed as the rest so this faculty is renewed but in part and therefore as in the best room a spider may set up her cobweb in the best garments there will be dust so in the best memory there may be somewhat which is bad and filthy but the cleanly Christian no sooner spieth it but he sweeps it away This work of Regeneration doth also reach to the body the strong Castle of the soul being taken and sanctified the Town of the body commanded by it presently yieldeth The wheels and poises being right within the hand of the Dial will go right without When Satan sate on the Throne of the soul as King the members of the body which the Holy Ghost termeth in unregenerate persons weapons of unrighteousness Rom. 6.13 were his Militia and employed to defend his unjust Title to execute his ungodly designs to perform his hellish pleasure the head to plot the hands to act the feet to run the eyes to see the ears to hear the tongue to speak for him but as when an enemy is conquered and a Magazine in War is taken the General maketh use of those Arms and of that Ammunition for his service which before were employed against him so the strong man Satan being beaten out of his strong holds by Christ the stronger then he the members of the body which before were instruments of unrighteousness unto sin are now instruments of righteousness unto God Rom. 6.13 16. The eyes which before were wanton open and full of adultery 2 Pet. 2.14 are now lock'd down fast with a covenant not to look after a maid Job 31.1 They are turned away from beholding vanity Psal 101.3 The ears which before were as deaf as the adder not hearing the voice of the heavenly charmer do now hearken to what the Lord speaketh as soon as the wandring sheep is brought home to the fold of Christ he is known by his ear-mark He heareth Christs voice and followeth him John 10.27 Psa 85.8 The breath and speech which before were corrupt stinking as proceeding from rotten lungs an unsanctified heart Rom. 3. is now sweet seasoned with grace for the mans inward parts are sound Anatomists teach us that the heart tongue hang on one string The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom and his tongue talketh of Judgement for the Law of God is in his heart Psal 37.30 31. his lips speak the language of Canaan The sound of the mettal discovers it to be silver His very speech bewrayeth him as they said of Peter Matth. 26.73 to belong to Jesus His feet before made haste to shed blood they ran to evil were the Devils Laquey to go on his errands Rom. 3.15 Prov. 1.16 but now they are turned to Gods testimonies they run the way of Gods Commandments Psal 119.1 59 His hands before were full of oppression violence bribery and extortion Psal 26.10 Prov. 6.17 Satans servants to make up that work which he cut out but now they are lifted up to Gods Law and word thus in their places are all the faculties of the soul and members of the body Obedients to Gods Precepts and serviceable to his Will Thirdly I observe in this formal cause the pattern it is a renewing of the whole man after the image of God Mans loss and misery by his fall consisteth in these two things 1. He lost Gods image and likeness 2. Gods favour and love Now that the second Adam might recover us to Gods love he doth imprint on us Gods image for likeness is the ground of love Therefore the regnerate are said to be partakers of the divine nature 2 Pet. 1.4 and the new man which they put on in conversion is said to be after God and after the image of him that created them Ephes 4.23 Col 3.10 The Law of God is written in their hearts Heb. 8.10 which Law is nothing but a conformity or likeness to the nature and will of the Lord. The corrupt image of Satan and the old Adam is defaced therefore it 's called a putting off the old man Col. 3.9 Ephes 4.23 the pure image of God is introduced therefore it s called a putting on the new man Ephes 4.24 which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness and a being holy as God is holy 1 Pet. 1.14 15 16. And indeed all these new born children do so far as they are regenerate compleatly resemble their father Their godliness is nothing but Godlikeness a beam of the divine glory a representation of Gods own perfections As the wax bears the image of the seal and the glass of the face so doth the new creature bear the image of his Creator David was a man after Gods own heart because a man in some measure after Gods own holiness Fourthly I observe in this formal cause the season I say it is a work of Gods Spirit whereby he doth at first renew the whole man after his own image These words at first do distinguish regeneration from Sanctification Sanctification is a constant progressive renewing of the whole man whereby the new creature doth daily more and more dye unto sin and live unto God Regeneration is the birth Sanctification is the growth of this Babe of Grace In Regeneration the Sun of holiness rises in Sanctification it keepeth its course and shineth brighter and brighter unto the perfect day Prov. 4.18 The former is a specifical change from Nature to Grace Ephes 5.8 The latter is a gradual change from one degree of grace to another Psal 84.7 whereby the Christian goeth from strength to strength till he appear before God in Sion As Creation and Preservation differ so do Conversion and Sanctification Creation is the production of something out of nothing preservation is a continued Creation or Creation every moment in a new edition Conversion is a new Creation 2 Cor. 5.17 The making of new heavens and new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness Sanctification is a continued Conversion or conversion every moment in a newer and more correct edition Thus much for the formal cause of Regeneration A renewing of the whole man at first after Gods image Fifthly Here is in the definition the Final causes of Regeneration The glory of God and the salvation of his elect The first is the more the other the less principal end They are both joyned together in God's decree and intention and in the Saints calling and the execution of his decree The Lord made all things for himself Prov. 16.4 but especially the new creation that being his Masterpiece and choyce work is particularly designed for the credit of the Workman All thy works shall praise thee O God and the Saints shall bless thee Psal 145.10 All Gods works do praise him even the earth and heavens and bruits analogically after a manner by serving him in their places and stations and giving others matter and occasion of praising him Sinners may praise him formally after their maner as Trumpets make a loud noise
word with joy Mat. 13.20 Do godly men rejoyce in the word of the God Psalm 119.110 111. vers Truly so may others they may seem to warm themselves at the same fire with Saints to drink the same heart-chearing wine and yet their wine is drawn at severall taps The unregenerate mans joy floweth from a common gift or illumination the regenerate mans from special grace or sanctification Thou mayst be enlightned and tast the good word of God and the powers of the world to come Heb 6.4 5. Mark an unsanctified man may taste the word of God and as Cooks taste of their sauces it pleaseth them but they spit all out let nothing down receive no nourishment from it The truths of God and thoughts of heaven may passe through thee as water through a pipe of lead leaving only some dew of flashy and washy joy not soaking into thy heart as water into the earth and making thee soft and fruitfull As a poor man in a sleep sometimes thinks that he is highly promoted sumptuously feasted exceedingly enriched and O how is he delighted with such imaginations and indeed all that such thoughts produce is onely some sudden joy no alteration in the man nor resolution to walk answerably to such dignity for all is but a dream so thou mayst think sometimes of the excellency of the mercies which God hath promised of the pure rivers of pleasures which Christ hast purchased and O how mayst thou be taken with them imagining that they belong to thee but all the effect which they work is onely some short joy no reall change or setled purpose to crucify the flesh despise the world and deny selfe for the hopes of them for all is but a fancie Thy joy may be a say of that which thou wilt not buy as being loth to go to the price and a taste of that on which thou shalt never make a full meale The full bargain may not be driven between God and thy soul and then thou canst not take this joy as an earnest or in part of payment Thou mayst sigh and mourn for thy sins and yet be unacquainted with godly sorrow â—t is not seldom that men hang down their heads like bulrushes when they are rooted in the mire of pollution Possibly under some sharp affliction thou mayst cry out of thy corruptions as the pig squeaks under the knife So did Pharoah as mettals melt in the fire and harden out of it but still unregenerate Exod. 9. Ahab humbled himself under the threatning of God but like a Fox in a trap he looked sadly meerly to get out for at the same time he was an enemy to God and quickly after went up to Ramoth Gilead in defiance of him 1 King 21 22. chap. It may be thou hast had some pang of conviction which like a qualm hath come over thy stomach and made thee sick a little at present but thou dost by the strong water of some carnal contentment settle it again the bad humors of thy lusts were only stirred not vomited up Judas had a great gash in his soul and yet not one drop of his bad blood let out He was tortured at the heart by legal attrition but not turned unto holiness by Evangelical contrition his heart was only battered as lead by the hammer not bettered or melted by the fire to be cast into Gods mould Matth. 27. A vessel of wine is troubled by being removed but the Lees remaining it retaineth and quickly returneth to its former savour some smarting Providence or searching Ordinance may remove and trouble thee for a time but thy unsanctified heart remaining thou wilt return to thy former savor like Moab thou mayst be stttled on thy lees and not emptied from vessel to vessel therefore thy taste remaineth and thy sense is not changed Jer. 48.11 There are two words used by the Holy Ghost for repentance 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Matth 27.3 Vox prima 〈◊〉 um 〈◊〉 in 〈◊〉 parâ—â—m sumi tâ—r â—eza and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Tim. 2.25 the former signifieth sorrow for a fault committed the latter After-wit a change of the mind or making wise for the future The former may be in the unregenerate but as they say of Castor and Pollux if they are divided they are ominous and fatal so say I of these if lamenting sins past be not joyned with loathing and leaving sin for the time to come it is not repentance unto life Some by their repentance think they get a new priviledge to sin as that Lewis of France who would swear and then kiss his crucifix swear again and kiss it again and as the Drunkard gives himself a vomit and then he is the fitter and freer to fall to his cups again thus some mens sorrow is a message sent to heaven to entreat leave that they may sin but this is far from the sorrow which is never to be sorrowed for Thy sorrow for sin may be forced out of thee as water out of a still by the fire of affliction not come freely from thee as water out of a spring Let thy conscience be judge hadst thou not rather be at thy carnal mirth then spiritual mourning Many of the Jews could mourn sadly in their distress though they were not sanctified now violent actions will not speak thy natural inclination Or thy grief may be like a land-flood which cannot hold long for a day thou mayst afflict thy soul for a day thou mayst hang down thy head like a bulrush Isa 58. A bulrush whilst the wind bloweth bendeth downward but the wind ceasing it percheth up again Whilst thou art tossed up and down with the boisterous billows as one not accustomed to the ocean thou mayst be sea-sick but when thou art off from the waters thou art well again The vessel of thy soul is always leaking but that pump of sorrow is not always going Thou mayst like the woman of Tekoah feign thy self a mourner 2 Sam. 14.2 when in truth thou art none Thou dost not dive to the bottom of thy heart as the Indians at the sea for jewels to fetch thence thy pearly tears thou criest not to God with thy heart when thou howlest on thy bed Hos 7.14 Thy waters may not be drawn from the deep well of a broken and contrite heart Every Sacrifice thou offerest may be as Ephraim a silly dove without an heart Hos 7.11 Thou mayst fear sin and yet sin may be thy Favorite The vengeance in sins tail may be frightful to thee when the venome in its body and nature is not at all distasteful to thee Like the burnt child thou mayst dread the fire of sin not because it soots and blacks thee but because it scorches and burns thee There is so much light left still in mans Understanding which is called the candle of the Lord that he cannot but see a God and this God cloathed with wrath and judgements against sin and sinners and thence he though
is with more difficulty kept from sinking then one which hath but just enough to ballast it so it s more hard to keep him from sinking into hell that hath a great estate then him that hath according to Agurs wish neither poverty nor riches And the reason is because though spirituall comforts run low this rich man is contented in regard that his temporal comforts run full-tap He makes up the absence of Christ with the presence of creatures when it may be poverty might cause him as the prodigal to think of returning to his fathers house where is spiritual plenty Quintus Aurelius in the dayes of Sylla had a fair Grange which lay convenient for some great person which caused him to be put in among them that were to be put to death but as soon as he saw his name among those that were in the list he cried out my Land at Alba hath kild me Some mens Lands have cost them their lives and been the knife to cut the throat of their bodies but many a mans gold hath lost him his God and been the knife to cut the throat of his soul Rich men like pamperd horses are the more unruly leaping over the hedges of divine precepts the hardlier kept within their bounds because full fed the young mans silver lost him his precious soul He went away from Christ sorrowful because he had great possessions Had the man been poor for a few days he might have been rich for ever but alas his wealth here through the wickedness of his heart caused his everlasting want whereupon Christ tels us How hardly shall a rich man enter into the Kingdome of Heaven I say unto you that it is easier for a Camel to go through the eye of an Needle then for a rich man to enter into the Kingdome of heaven Mat. 19.23 24. Heaven is a stately Palace with a narrow portall through which this Camel with his thick bunch of clay can hardly get It is observed amongst Anglers that Pickerils are not easily nor often caught A man may catch an hundred Minums before he take one Pickeril and the reason is he preyeth at pleasure on the lesser fish and therefore seldom hath any stomack to bite at the bait so it faireth with rich men their stomacks are so cloyed with the things of this world that they have no appetite to the dainties of the word when the poor are Gospellized They contentedly take that for their portion which God intended only for their pension and make their wealth their throne to sit down upon with delight which God designed for their footstool and the faithfull laid at the Apostles feet In some fenny places in England it s storied where they are much troubled with gnats the people hang up dung to which when they flye they are caught with a net provided there for that purpose The dung of profit is the Devils bait with which he catcheth many persons Well may it be called the Mammon of unrighteousness for it both prompteth them to many sins as well as pierceth them through with many sorrows Gregory saith that sitting in the sea of Rome when it flourished he trembled every time he thought on that text Son remember that thou hadst thy good things in thy life time lest his outward plenty should be all his portion If Reader thou art wealthy be watchfull over thy heart lest like Birdlime it hinder the wings of thy soul from mounting up to heaven What the Egyptians sayd of the Israelites They are intangled in the land the wilderness hath shut them in Exod. 4.13 may fitly be applied to many men that are wealthy They are intangled in the world this wilderness hath shut them in like Lot's wife they set out for the Zoar of heaven but their hearts hanker after the Sodom of earth and so they look back perish in the way Ah 't is rare indeed to be very rich and truly religious Such men are often taken out of the world before the world be taken out of them Be careful O Friend if the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee in earthly enjoyments that they prove not heavenly impediments that his mindfulness of thy body do not make thee forgetful of thy soul lest thy wealth like Achans wedge of gold cleave thy soul in sunder Fourthly The old sinner is not easily converted but like an old maid when married hath harder labour then ordinary The longer the ground of mans heart lieth fallow bringing forth nothing but weeds unploughed up by repentance the harder it groweth and with the more difficulty is broken up 'T was hard to cast out the Devil who had for a long time possessed the man the Apostles could not do it and when Christ himself did it 't was not without much renting and raging Mark 9.21 26. Common experience telleth us that a ship the longer it leaketh the harder it is to be emptied An house the longer it goeth to ruine the worse to repair a nail the farther it is driven in the harder to get out Christ raised two to life in the Gospel besides others one was a maid newly dead Luk. 8.54 to whom Christ spake but little Maid I say unto thee arise and the work was quickly done the other was one who had been dead so long till he stunk now mark what work there was to enliven him Joh. 11.41 Christ weepeth groaneth in spirit prayeth to his Father then turneth to Lazarus and cryeth with a loud voyce Lazarus come forth I only allude to it When the sinner hath been but few years dead in sin a low voyce of Christ can raise him up but when a man hath been not four days but forty or fifty years rotting in the grave of corruption that he stinks in the nostrils of others it must be a loud voice indeed which must quicken him How hard is it to turn the old swine the old drunkard to temperance and the old goat the old adulterer to chastity though they be so old that their bodies cannot act them yet their hellish hearts affect them when they have nothing left but the dog-dayes of their age their bodies full of sores yet their souls are fuller of sins The longer the tree standeth in the ground the more it roots and the faster it setleth it self so that though a child might sometime have removed it yet now all the men in the Parish cannot pluck it up Jer. 13.23 Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the Leopard his spots then may ye also do good that are accustomed to do evil Custom in sin takes away all conscience of sin and hardeneth the heart more against God and godliness As a youth when he first cometh to be Apprentice to some handicraft trade his hand is very tender and no sooner is it set to work but it blisters and puts him to pain but he continuing long at the trade his hand hardens and he can follow his work not onely without pain but with
their right to glory and salvation 2 Cor. 5.1 We know that when the houses of our earthly tabernacles shall be dissolved we shall enjoy a building of God an house not made with hands but eternall in the heavens So 2 Tim. 4.7 8. Job 19.25 2 Tim. 1.12 And all this assurance of adoption justification perseverance in grace fruition of glory which Saints have doth proceed from their assurance of their regeneration 1 John 3.14 We know that we are passed from death to life because we love the brethren Regeneration or holiness is the first fruits which do ensure the harvest and the earnest which doth confirme the bargain and ensure the full sum Now Reader having given thee some motives to quicken thee to try thy soul I shall lay down the markes and bring thee to the test And they shall be taken from the nature and effects of regeneration First examine thine heart by the nature of this true holiness Now there are two things in the nature of this new creature In every birth there is Generatio unius corruptio alterius saith the Philosopher something generated and something destroyed so in this new birth there is the production of grace and the destruction of vice the life of righteousness and the death of sin the setting up of the Arke and the throwing down of Dagon The sinfullness of our souls by our first births consisteth in their aversion from God and good and in their conversion to the evil one and evil in having the image of Satan imprinted on them and the image of God blotted out of them The sanctity of our souls by their second births consisteth in their conversion to God and their aversion from sin in having the image of the Devil razed out of them and the image of the Saviour stamped on them As we have born the image of the earthly so we must bear the image of the heavenly And these two parts of the good part are like two Buckets in a Well as the one namely the interest of God cometh up the other namely the interest of sin and Satan goeth down the higher the Sun getteth the more still it scattereth the darkness First there is in this new nature a dying to sin The Apostle calleth it a putting off the old man Eph. 4.22 and a dying to sin Rom. 6.11 Conversion like the ship-mans fatal star is never seen but before the wrack and death of sin The spring of grace is a living fountain and cleanseth it self of mire and dirt Grace like Christ increaseth and sin like the Baptist decreaseth The expression of the holy Ghost about this is worthy our serious consideration Rom. 6.6 Knowing this that our old man is crucified with him that the body of sin might be destroyed that henceforth we should not serve sin for he that is dead is freed from sin Lo here sin is served by Christ the same sauce which it formerly served Christ Sin crucified him when he came in the likeness of sinful flesh and he slayeth it when he cometh into the soul by his Spirit but in the words of the Apostle observe Sins appellation and its execution For its appellation it is called first the Old man partly because it is derived and propagated from Adam the eldest of men partly in comparison of renovation and renewing the whole man It is called secondly the body of sin partly because mans corrupt nature like a body or stock brancheth forth into divers actual sins as members Col. 3.5 Gal. 5.19 partly because of the strength of it as also because men are as much naturally in love with their sins as with themselves But take notice of the execution of this old man of this body of sin in the regenerate The old man is crucified Sin like an old man in them which are new made doth decay and decline every day it is every hour growing weaker and weaker and nearer to its grave and utter abolition Regeneration giveth sin its deaths wound though as those that are crucified it dyeth lingringly yet it dieth certainly Sin like a man in a consumption in a converted person is always wasting and dying till at last it 's quite dead One that is mortally wounded sprawleth and moveth for a time but afterwards giveth up the Ghost so sin while Saints live though it be mortally wounded doth rage and stir but it abateth in strength and dyeth with them St. De civit dei l. 8. c. 6. Augustine relateth of the Serpent that when she groweth old she draweth herself through a narrow hole and by this means stripping off her old skin she reneweth her age Ambulare in peccatis est sic versari in pec catis ut iâ— vocaâ—ione sua ordina ria Daveâ— in Col. 3. Truly thus the Christian is made new by putting off the old coat of the old man The Scripture speaketh expresly He that is born of God sinneth not 1 Joh. 3.9 that is constantly sin is not his design or imployment and chearfully sin is not his delight or element for sin is against his new nature now a man can do nothing against his nature cordially or constantly Sin may rebel within him but it cannot reign over him he looks on sin as his greatest enemy and therefore 't is impossible that he should converse with it in a way of amity Nay as fire and water heat and cold never meet but they fight so this new life is in continual war with every lust the new creature is like unto God Of purer eyes then to behold iniquity Hab. 1.13 the evil of sin cannot ordinarily get a good look from him he cannot meet this ugly guest in any corner of his house but his heart riseth against him he considereth what a Lord sin displeaseth what a Law sin transgresseth what a beautiful image sin defaceth what a glorious name fin dishonoreth what a lovely loving Savior sin buffetted shamefully and tortured cruelly what a precious soul and peerless salvation sin was like to have lost him eternally And Oh 't is a killing look which this soul giveth his dearest lust Ah thinks he that ever my nature should hatch and harbour such hideous monsters that ever my heart should be a polluted bed to breed and bring forth such a poisonous brood 'T was my iniquity that bid defiance to the highest Majesty 't was my corruption which scourged the back wounded the head nailed the feet and hands yea pierced the very heart of Jesus Christ my wickedness was the weight which caused his bloody sweat my lust was the murderer which put to death that Lord of life 't was my covetousness which betrayed him my cowardliness which condemned him and my cruelty which executed him and shal I be a friend to that Traytor which was such a foe to my Redeemer Well whatever it cost me through the strength of Christ I le have justice upon these murderers through the help of heaven these brats of hell shall have their
be killed so regeneration though it work in the soul a detestation of and a resolution against every sin yet the severest exercise of this hatred and opposition is against the mans beloved and delightful sin resolving however others should escape yet this shall be put to death As the Syrian commanded his Souldiers to fight neither against small nor great but against the King of Israel so truly the bent of the sanctified heart is most against this royal King-sin as that sin whereby God hath been most dishonored and his soul most deeply wounded Ambrose relates a story of a dog In Hexam lib. 6. c. 4. whose Master being slain by one of his enemies he lay by him all night with great lamentation howling and barking In the morning many came to see the dead corps amongst whom was the murderer the dog no sooner saw the Homicide but presently fell upon him Friend is thy greatest hatred and anger against thy Saviour-and-soul-murderer that Master-sin in which thou didst formerly take the greatest pleasure Canst thou say as David observe that character of uprightness I was upright before him and kept my self from mine iniquitie Psa 18.23 Mark from mine iniquity The godless man though he do much will be sure to faile here and the godly man will strike home here where-ever he be favourable An horse that is not sound but founderd will favour one foot if not more the Lapwing some observe will cry and make a great noise but 't is when she is farthest from her nest the Hypocrite may keep a great stir about many sins but there is one sin which he medleth not with Dr. Reynolds on Hos 14. serm 3 There is saith a learned Divine no greater argument of unsound repentance then indulgent thoughts and reserved delight and complacency in a master sin As some grounds are most proper soiles to breed and nourish some particular weeds So are some mens hearts for some particular sins As Cains for envy Corahs for arrogancy Pilates for Cowardliness the young man for covetousness and this sin is ordinarily the greatest block in the way of conversion rather then men would leave this sin they have lost Salvation Mark 10.22 John 12.42 43. The Devil holds them as fast by this one link as by ten thousand As it is with a Rabbits skin it comes of very well till it come to the head and then there is haling and pulling and much ado before it stirs So the creature may do much at the command of God but there is old stir and pulling before this sin be separated from him if this be once done throughly the man is converted truly for nothing but a saving work can cause a man to loath that sin which he loved as himself And therefore an uncoverted person will ever be false in this Jehu may throw down the idolatry of Baal but not the Calves at Dan and Bethel The young man in his worldliness Herod in his uncleanness Balaam in his stubbornness must be excused The converted soul is in this most careful as Craumer he will put that unworthy right hand first in the fire with which by his subscription he had so much dishonoured Christ and Religion Mahomet the Great Turk Hist. first Emperour of the Turkes cut off his fair Irenes head with his own hands in whom he had so exceedingly delighted to assure his Bashaws that he had rather promote the publick peace and good then please and satisfy his own passions The true Christian is a far greater conquerour and out of love to God and his own Salvation obtains a more lawful and noble victory over the Mistris of his affections He knoweth no sin be it never so near or dear to him worth hazarding the loss of Gods favour and his eternall welfare for And therefore though his sin be an Absolom concerning which corrupt nature like David gives a special charge Spare the young man Absolom Deal gently with him for my sake He seeth like Joah that the way to scatter the army of lusts is to slay the General this commander in cheife And therefore he resolveth to make sure work of him and for that end takes three darts and strikes him through with them all when one would have done the deed Reader I confess I have been much larger in this head then I intended but if thou examine thine heart faithfully and prudently by it thou wilt have no cause to be sorry for it I have read that it was wont to be the way of tryal whether land belonged to England or Ireland by putting toads or serpents or other venemous creatures into it If they lived there the land belonged to England if they died to Ireland sure I am thou mayst try whether thou at present belongest to heaven or to hell to a Covenant of Works or to the Covenant of Grace whether thou art converted or unconverted if venemous lusts do live in thee thou art English land in a state of nature and wrath if they die daily in thee thou art in Christ and belongest to the Land of promise Yet I would not be understood as if I meant that Godly men are never overtaken with sin or that corruption never gets the better of them For I know that the purest on earth are holy but in part they are like watermen rowing hard against the stream of corruption but through a sudden and violent blast of temptation they may be driven backward But observe this is violent against their fixed and deliberate resolutions their obedience to the law of sin is forced as to an Usurper not free as to a liege Lord. Ahab indeed sold himself to sin 1 King 21.20 bat Paul was sold under sin Rom. 7.14 The former was a volunteer and agent the latter a prestman a meer patient Augustine setteth out the difference between sin in the regenerate and unregenerate by a comparison of Tarquine Lueretia Peccatum factum est de illa non ab illa Aug. de civit dei where speaking of her ravishment there were saith he two bodies but one guilty of adultery and concludeth the sin was committed upon her not by her Consonant to which is that of the Apostle For that which I do I allow not for what I would that I do not but what I hate that I do Now if I do what I would not it is no more I that do it but sin that dwelleth in me Rom. 7.15 to 21. The converted person like the betrothed Virgin is forced he crieth out and therefore in Gods account is innocent Our committing sin will not speak us unsanctified but our submitting to it will Secondly There is in this new creature as a dying to sin so also a living to God in all wayes of obedience Rom. 6.11 As the old man is put off so the new man is put on besides the expulsion of sin there is the infusion of holiness An habit or principle of grace is bestowed on the soul
the farther he goeth the greater is his deviation and danger A serious consideration of the evil and end of thy way were a cheap prevention of eternal and endless wo. Observe I say Consideration Consideration is an Act of the practical understanding whereby it reflecteth upon its actions and intentions and comparing them with the rule of the word proceedeth to lay its command upon the will and affections to put what is good in execution This was hinted by chewing the cud under the law and the beasts which did not were unclean and indeed it is the excellency of a man above a beast that he may in a rational discursive manner meditate on things which concern his salvation and by chewing the cud get some nourishment to his soul It is a pondering the sayings of Christ Luke 2.19 It is to the soul what digestion is to the body t is not the quantity of meat but a good digestion which nourisheth and strengthneth the body For they which eat much and cannot digest it instead of repairing they ruine nature so 't is not the great knowledge of the truths of God but the serious consideration and practicall application of them which nourisheth and strengthneth the soul Without this mens knowledge be it never so much is but like rain in the middle region or fire in the flint unprofitable and to no purpose at all I say serious consideration The thoughts must dwell upon Divine weighty truths Surely men if they should do thus would undo all they have done but when the thoughts of God and Christ sin and holiness death and judgment heaven and hell pass speedily through them as travellers through a Country making no stay no wonder if they cannot give any account of the worth and vertue of them It is not the hasty showre but soft snow which soaks deep whilst the former goeth off as fast as it comes on the latter gently creeps into every chink of the ground It is with the truths of God as with a salve if a man have never so precious a salve which will help a dangerous mortal wound in twelve houres and he do nothing but lay the plaister which is spread with this salve on the wound and take it off presently t will never heal the wound if ever it eat out the corruption and cure the sore it must lie on some considerable time together the best salve under heaven will not otherwise do the wounded man good So if a man turn his thoughts upon the loathsom nature of sin the unspeakable danger of sinners the misery that he is liable to whilst he continueth carnal the mercy that he might obtain if he were spiritual the alsufficiency of God the excellency of godliness the purchase of Christ and the promises of the Gospel every of which is a precious medicine to cure soul maladies yet if his thoughts do not stay upon them if they are onely glancing thoughts off and on like lightening flashing on the conscience and away they will never heal thy spiritual diseases That messenger which would dispatch business of weight and concernment must not call at a door and then be gon but he must go in sit down and make some stay there This serious consideration Friend I propound to thee as an excellent receipt for the recovery of thy dying soul I considered my wayes saith David and turned my feet to thy testimonies Psal 119.59 Some translate the Original I looked on both sides upon my wayes I considered them every way and turned my feet unto thy testimonies I considered that I was wandering like a lost sheep and then I returned unto the fold of God Conversion beginneth at consideration Because he considereth and turneth from all the transgressions which he hath committed he shall surely live he shall not die Ezek. 18.28 The Mariner who is running his vessel against a rock if he consider it and steer another course he doth thereby prevent a desperate shipwrack When David would stop the enemies of God in their full career of wickedness he layeth this block in their way Commune with your own hearts and be still Psal 4.4 Self-communion is one special help to sinconfusion and sound conversion The Prodigal came to himself before he came to his Father He considered what a fool he was to feed with swine upon husks when he might eat bread as a son in his Fathers house He considered what a mad man he was to feed on the short commons of the world and endure the slavery of the Devil when he might feast on the exceedings of the Gospel and enjoy the liberty of the children of God After this serious considera he cometh to this solid resolution I will arise and go to my Father Luke 15.17 18. and accordingly went and was welcom Truly Reader 'T is inconsiderateness that doth both defile thee and damn thee the want of consideration causeth men to abound in sin The people committed falshood the thief cometh in the troop of Robbers spoileth without Hos 7.1 There was ground full of weeds but mark the reason was because it lay fallow 't was not ploughed up with consideration They consider not in their hearts that I remember all their wickedness vers 2. They consider not that I remmeber and record all their omissions commissions the corruptions of their hearts transgressions of their lives and write them down with a pen of iron and point of a diamond Jer. 17.11 and will bring them forth in the day of slaughter Plin. lib. 10. cap. 1. As the foolish bird Pliny speaks of called Struthiocamelus which thrusts her head into a thicket conceiving that no body seeth her because she seeth no body and so becomes a pray to the Fowler So the Adulterer the Thief the Drunkard and the like consider not that God seeth them plainly hateth their sins perfectly can turn them into hell presently and thereby become bold in wickedness they hide God from themselves and think that they are hidden from God They consider not in their hearts that he remembreth all their wickedness Friend when thou seest a man in a phrensie or one in Bedlam tearing their hair biting and cutting their own flesh what dost thou say Surely this man wanteth the use of his reason could he but use that without question he would never do thus May not a gracious man that beholdeth thee tearing lancing stabbing and wounding thy precious soul with worldliness swearing athism or uncleanness upon as good ground say Surely this man wanteth consideration did he but consider what a jealous God he provoketh what bowels of love he spurneth at what a hell of sorrow he provideth for his long home he would never do thus The Ostrich leaveth her eggs in the dust not considering that the feet of the Passenger will crush them to pieces because she is deprived of wisdom and wanteh understanding Job 39.14 15 17. The sinner leaveth his soul naked and liable to all dangers imaginable because
a cursed sianer that roll of curses twenty cubits long and ten cubits broad is thy right Zach 5.4 Thou art a breaker of the Law and out of Christ and therefore an heir of the curse and wrath of the Lord. The curse of God hangs every moment over thine head like a Blood-hound it followeth thee where ever thou goest as thy shadow it accompanieth thee whatever thou dost thou art continually under the dropings and spouts of the Almighty Gods indignation and canst as soon slye from thy self as from it till thou art regenerated Thou art cursed in all thou hast whether they are natural civil or spiritual enjoyments they are all cursed to thee For thy natural parts thy wit memory knowledge head heart are all cursed to thee They are employed in the service of Satan and with them thou fightest against God and thy soul As Jehu against his Master so thou marchest furiously against thy Maker with his own Soldiers Thy Memory is Satans treasury thy Will an agent for hell thy carnal mind enmity against God the Handmaids of thy affections like Hagar crow over their Mistris and make even thy Reason a slave and Lacquey to thy sensual lusts all thy natural endowments are Satans ornaments and as the more sharp and keen the weapon is the more mischief the murderer doth with it so the more witty thou art the more wicked thou art thy wisdom being from below earthly sensual devilish Jam. 3.15 For thy civil advantages Thy wealth credit house-delights friends are all cursed to thee Thy riches make thee the greater rebel and thereby further thine eternal ruine Thy fulness breeds forgetfulness Where the richest Mines are the earth is most barren Thy wealth is like fuel to feed thy wantonness Thine Honor like wind puffeth up the bladder of thine empty heart with pride The more God lifteth thee up the more thou casteth him down the respectful breath of thy neighbours doth but blow the vessel of thy soul towards Hell Thy pleasures are prejudicial to thy precious soul like the wasp thou drownest thy self in those pots of honey and as the silly fish swimmest merily down the silver streams of Jordan till thou fallest into the dead sea and perishest Thy Relations and friends if wicked are cursed to thee they breathe on thee and thou takest the infection wanting this preservative of regeneration They are actually what Michal was to David intentionally in regard of Saul snares unto thee Thy house is cursed The curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked Prov. 3.33 what ever cost be there there can be no true cheer for there is Gods curse which mars all this will either rot the timber and pull it down or undermine the foundation and blow it up Possibly there may be in thine house a loving wife lovely children many servants stately rooms costly furniture dainty fare great earthly delights But man The curse of God is there A spoonful of this like Copris will turn all thy wine into ink thy sea of honey into gall and wormwood How can thy sweetest dish be savoury when the curse of God is thy sauce Or thy most sugared cup be pleasant when the curse of God lieth like a toad swel'd at the bottom or thy finest rayment delight thee when in every suit there is the curse of God like a plague sore or how can thy most beautiful building content thee when this curse of God on thee for thy wickedness turns it into a prison to keep thee who art in the bond of iniquity till the hour of death the time of thine execution There is a place which some speak of in the West-Indies where there is extraordinary luscious fruit growing but the inhabitants are so scorched with the heat of the Sun by day and multitude of gnats stinging them by night that they cannot either eat or digest their sweet meats with any comfort for which cause the Spaniards call the place Comfits in hell Reader what delight canst thou take in thy table though it be spread with various earthly enjoyments when every dish is served in with the scorching wrath of God and stingings of a guilty conscience As a feast to him that sate under a naked sword as wine to a condemned malefactor as Dives dishes followed with the unquenchable fire so are all the comforts of this inferiour creation to an unregenerate person Thou art a curse to thy children its ill to have relation to thee who art under the indignation of God The seed of evil doers shall never be renowned Isa 14.20 so Job 5.3 4. If thy children are good thou art their grief if wicked thou wilt make them worse The best of them may smart temporally for thine iniquities When the body of the tree faleth the branches fall with it Exod. 20.5 and O how much more is it to be feared that thou wilt draw them after thee both to sin and Hell It is not safe to be thy neighbour if it be ill to dwell near him whose house is on fire surely 't is not good to be nigh him who is under Gods fury When an overflowing storm sweepeth away the wicked the tayle of it may dash at their best neighbours Though they shall not perish with thee yet they may smart for thee Thy name is cursed The name of the the wicked shall rot Prov. 10.7 Thou mayst be honorable in the esteem of thy graceless neighbours but thou art contemptible in the account of Christ and his members and when ever thou diest thou wilt go out like a candle leaving behinde thee a stinking savour in the nostrils of the Saints Thy calling what ever it be is cursed thine eathly imployment proves an heavenly impediment Thou art cursed in the City and cursed in the field cursed in thy basket and cursed in thy store cursed in the fruit of thy body and the fruit of thy land and increase of thy kine and flocks of thy sheep cursed when thou comest in and cursed when thou goest out The Lord will send upon thee cursing vexation and rebuke in all that thou settest thine hand unto until thou be destroyed and perish quickly because of the wickedness of thy doings whereby thou hast forsaken the Lord Deut. 28. init per tot As thy natural parts and civil advantages so also thy spiritual priviledges are cursed to thee till thou turnest from sin â—hou enjoyest Sermons Sacraments Sabbaths seasons of Grace and like the Spider suckest poison out of those sweet flowers Roses some say kill horse-flies Is it not sad that those precious mercies should hasten and increase thy misery Thine unregeneracy like some desperate disease turneth those medicines which are administred to cure it into the nourishment and confirmation of the sickness it self the word of God is the savour of death unto death unto thee â— Cor. 2.18 Thou surfeitest of that bread of life then which no surfeit is more dangerous thou growest black and wanzy in the
prophaning it either by idleness or worldly labours or omission of duties and ordinances against the fifth in not carrying himself according to his duty towards them that are above him equal to him or below him Against the sixth seventh eighth ninth and tenth in wronging his neighbours either in regard of life chastity goods name relations either in thoughts words or actions It sheweth him the darkness of his understanding the stubbornness of his will the disorderedness of his affections the hardness of his heaâ—t the searedness of his conscience the mis-improvement of his outward parts how his eyes have beheld vanity his ears been open to iniquity all his senses been through-fares to sin all the members of his body instruments of unrighteousness how from the crown of the head to the soals of his feet there is no sound part in him nothing but wounds bruises and putrified sores It is not one or two sins that trouble this sinner but innumerable evils compass him about whole swarms of these Bees flie in his face and sting his conscience it may be one sin did first set upon him some sin against the light which God had given him and now that creditor hath cast him into prison all the rest come and clap their actions upon him to keep him there his sins in his dealings with men in his duties to God his sins against seasonable corrections against merciful dispensations his sins against the motions of Gods Spirit against the conviction of his own spirit against light love purposes promises they all compass the sinner round that he cannot escape now he sees the ugly loathsomness of all his lusts how they are against an infinite God against a righteous Law against a precious soul how by reason of them he is wholly unlike God and become the very picture of the Devil and truly now he is far from having those flattering thoughts of himself and favourable thoughts of his sins which formerly he had for sins part t is abounding polluting poisonous sinful sin He seeth the wrinckles of this Jezabels face under her paint and O how ugly is she in his eyes and for himself he is more out of love then ever he was in love with himself Some say after they have had the Small-pox that they come to see themselves in a glass they look so ugly by reason of their spots that they cannot endure to see themselves Truly this poor sinner beholding himself in the glass of the Law and viewing those hellish spots of sin all over his soul and body he abhorreth himself in dust and ashes This is the first thing the Spirit convinceth the soul of and that is sin When he is come he shall convince the world of sin Joh. 16.8 God never cured a spiritual Leper but he caused him to fall down first and cry out unclean unclean Secondly The Spirit convinceth him of his miserable and dreadful condition Now the commandments of God come to the soul sin reviveth and the sinner dieth He thought before that he was whole a sound man to have little need of a Physician but now he both seeth his sores and feeleth his wounds Ministers before had frequently told him of his dangerous damnable estate but he had a shield to keep off all their darts He was not so bad as they took him to be somewhat they must say for their money and besides though he were as bad as such precise censorious Preachers would make him to be yet God was a merciful God and Jesus Christ died for sinners and he hoped to be saved as well as the best of them but now God comes to him as he did to Adam after his fall Adam where art thou Hast thou eaten of the tree of which I said unto thee thou shalt not eat Sinner where art thou Dost thou know what thou art doing and whether thou art going how darest thou prophane my day blaspheme my name scoff at my people neglect my worship cast my Laws behinde thy back and hate to be reformed Darest thou provoke the Lord to anger art thou stronger then he how will thine heart endure or thine hands be strong in the day that I shall deal with thee Dost not know poor dry stubble that 't is a fearful thing to fall into my hands for I am a consuming fire Now the sinner heareth the voice of God and is afraid Alas alas thinks he I am a dead a damned man the Almighty God is angry the weight of my sins at present is heavy but the sufferings which I am every moment liable to are infinite and eternal O that I should ever be born to do as I have done Now the lightnings of divine fury flash in his eyes and the canons of the Laws curses thunder in his ears he seeth a sharp sword of pure wrath hanging by a slender thread of life over his head he feeleth the stingings of his sins those fiery serpents at his heart There is no rest in his flesh because of Gods anger nor quietness in his bones because of his sins the arrows of the Almighty are within him and the poison thereof drinks up his spirit the waves and billows of God go over his soul and he sinketh in deep waters God writeth bitter things against him and makes him to possess the sins of his youth Now the man is calmed he will hear what God speaketh before though God himself had told him out of his word what a wicked wretched man he was he would not minde it but storm and rage at it he was like a wilde Ass snuffing up the wind and as an untam'd heifer impatient of the yoke he would kick and fling like a mad man What he give credit to the doctrine and submit to the severe discipline of a few whimsical Puritans that must be wiser then all their neighbors no not he though they shewed him the very hand of God in Scripture to those warrants which they desired him to obey But now he is of another mind for the Law hath shut him up under sin and guilt Gal. 3.22 The Law hath pent him in and shut him up that he cannot possibly get out As Lions Bears and wilde beasts are tamed by being shut up and kept in so the Law causeth wrath Rom. 4.15 shuts the sinner up under it and keeps him in that his former starting holes cannot help him and thereby tames him While he was unconvinced of his sins and misery his conscience was seared not troubled at all the threatnings which were denounced against him but now his conscience is sore touch it which way you will you put him to pain tell him under this conviction of his drunkenness or swearing or atheism or eagerness after this world heartlesness about the things of the other world his neglecting God in secret of not instructing and praying with his family tell him how cold and customary he was in his devotion saying to others that they took more pains for heaven
thousands of rivers of oil nay though the first-born of thy body all these could no be a propitiation for one of the least sins of thy soul no no the redemption of a soul is more precious for all these it must cease for ever Thus God ferrits the sinner out of all his Borows and causeth the poor Prodigal while he is wandring from his Father to finde a famine in all the creatures As a General that besiegeth a City doth not onely play in upon it with his Cannons and Granadoes but also secure the several passages stop all provision that no relief can come to it then they will yeild upon his terms So when the Spirit besiegeth the soul it often plyeth it hard with the batteries of the Law and alwayes stoppeth relief from coming in either from the world or a mans own righteousness and then and not till then will the creature yeild upon the terms of the Gospel Fourthly The Spirit convinceth him of the willingness sutableness and al-sufficiency of Jesus Christ to help and heal him The sinner now in his burning fit is very thirsty like Hagar he sits weeping for his bottels are empty and his creature comforts are found by experience to be broken cisterns which can hold no water he knoweth not what to do how can I see the death of my soul thinks he When the sinner is brought to this strait the spirit of God openeth his eyes to see a well of salvation even Jesus who delivereth from the wrath to come The spirit discovereth to the sinner that though his wound be dangerous because the God whom he hath provoked is resolved either to have his law satisfied or his eternal wrath endured yet that it is not desperate for there is Balm in Gilead and a Physitian in Israel that can heal his soul It convinceth him that Christ is a sutable help bread to the hungry water to the thirsty rest to the weary and heavy-laden that he hath a precious salve made of his own blood which is a proper and pecular remedy for his sores It convinceth him that Christ is an alsufficient help that he can supply all the souls wants be they never so many and bear all the souls iniquities be they never so weighty that he is able to save to the uttermost those that come unto God by him Heb. 7.25 It presenteth to the soul his fitness and fulness in regard of his natures and offices and the impossibility of his being unfaithful to this great work of saving poor sinners for which he came into the world It sheweth the sinner the infiniteness of Christs merits and his omnipotency to help because he is God the examples of other wounded diseased persons who surrendred themselves to the care of this Physitian and were cured He shall convince the world of righteousness because I go to the father and ye see me no more John 16.9 10. That is the world shall be convinced that there is righteousness enough in me to satisfy both the law and law-giver in that I shall appeare in my fathers presence and that with acceptance he would not send an Angel as his officer to roll away the stone and release the surety out of prison the grave and bring him before the Judge with so much credit and countenance if the law were not satisfied and the debt fully discharged Heaven could never have held me ye would have seen me upon earth again if I had not done that work perfectly which the Father gave me to do He shall convince the world of righteousness because I go to the father It convinceth him that Jesus Christ is exceeding willing to save poor sinners that he is joyful that any will accept him for their Saviour that he came from heaven to earth was born meanly lived miserably and died shamefully meerly upon this errand that he might seek and save them that are lost that he inviteth him to come to him and promiseth that he shall be welcom that he calleth them that go from him but casteth away none that come to him Thus when the prodigal is in a far country and cannot fill his belly so much as with husks that he is ready to perish for hunger he is shewd and convinced that there is bread enough in his Fathers house When the sinner is like the Israelite in the wilderness beholding the curse of the law like the Egyptian behind him and pursuing him hard the red sea of divine wrath before him into which he is hastening his crimson and bloody sins like mountains on each side of him incompassing him round that he knoweth not what to do then the spirit biddeth him look up to Jesus and he shall see the salvation of God The third step which the spirit takes is anhelation to cause the soul of the convinced sinner to breath and pant after Jesus Christ breath is the first effect of life Conviction hath emptied his stomach of creature confidence and self righteousness made him poor in spirit and O how hungry he is after the righteousness of Jesus Christ the bread which came down from heaven As the thirsty ground cleaves and opens for drops as the heart panteth after the water brooks so panteth his soul after Jesus Christ God blessed for ever thinks he O when shall I come and appear before him His voice is like Rachel Give me children or I die Give me the holy child Jesus or I die or like Abraham Lord what wilt thou give me if I go childless Ioh. 12.21 O what wilt thou give me if I go Christiess or like the Jews to Philip Sir we would fain see Jesus Mat. 28.5 If the Angel should meet him he might bespeake the soul as he did the woman I know what thou seekest thou seekest Jesus which was crucified O the ardent desires the vehement longings the unutterable groans which this poor creature hath after his Saviour as David he cryeth out Who will give me to drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem Where is that blessed guide that can leade me and help me to drink of the water of life Methinks I see how Jesus Christ presents himself to the eye of the dejected souls understanding in all his glory and gallantry in his sutableness unto the sinners indigencies and sufficiency for all his necessities with the freeness of his mercy the fullness of his merits and the sweetness of his love how he appeares before the soul with all his retinue and train of graces comforts his blood his spirit the favour of God freedom from sin wrath hell on the one hand of him there stand his gracious promises of pardon peace adoption sanctification heart-chearing love and everlasting life On the other hand of him there stands his precious precepts of self denyal crucifying the flesh walking after the Spirit despising the sensual pleasures honours and profits of this world and delighting in God walking with him having the conversation in heaven and rejoycing
in hope of glory In the middle there stands the fairest of ten thousands adorned as a bridegroom with his richest attire glistering with the jewels of those graces with which his humanity is adorned in a greater degree then the heavens could though every star in it were a glorious sun but O how the diamond of his deity sparkleth in the souls account that millions of worlds would be but a muck-heap to it Ah how lovely is he in the sinners eye How infinitely ravishing to his heart How blessed are those souls thinks this sinner that are interested in such a Saviour Vncâ—nceiveably happy is that spouse which hath so beautiful so accomplish'd so lovely so loving an husband God is hers earth is hers heaven is hers all is hers holiness is her nature and happiness is her joynture O that I O that I might be so blessed as to be called to the marriage supper of the Lamb Who can expresse the vehement violent longings of this man after Christ as the loadstone of his affections as the onely center of his soul the proper remedy for all his maladies had he the beauty of Absolom the renown of Solomon the wealth the worth of the whole world like the wise Merchant he would sell all to buy this pearle of price and think it the best bargain that ever he made nothing is so dear to him but he will give it nothing is so difficult but he will do or suffer for Christ he is of the same mind with the Martyr None but Christ none but Christ It is reported of a woman that was in these throws that she should say I have brought nine children into the world with as much pain as most women yet I would bear them all over again and bear them all my days for Christ There is mention made of a bird in Egypt near Nilus called the bird of Paradise which they say if it be once ensnared is unquiet and mournful till she be delivered so is this convinced sinner now he feels himself entangled in the bonds of iniquity and snares of the Devil he is unquiet till he be delivered Talk to this man of his respect and friends and riches in the world they are as the white of an egg or a dry chip without any savour relish or nourishment to him but tell him of Jesus Christ an able Surety to discharge all his debts O that is the savory meat which his soul loveth As a man that is sick and extreamly pained when you talk to him of his calling or estate he heareth not he regardeth not but tell him of one that can cure him of his disease and ease him of his paine then he will hearken to you thus t is with this sinner all his delight is in hearing of Christ all his longing is to hear from Christ The poor prisoner that is condemned to be hanged and hath sent a messenger to sue for a pardon never longed so much for his return with joyful news as this poor creature for an interest in the Mediatour Thus the Spirit having convinced the soul of its beggery and nakedness bondage and misery causeth it to breathe and long after the riches liberty and righteousness which is in Christ The fourth step is lamentation the soul that breatheth after a Saviour is truly broken for his sins his groans after liberty are accompanied with grief for his slavery Now the clouds gather and thicken over the soul and fall down in tears his sorrow under the conviction of his misery was legal but now t is for his abuse of mercy and so Evangelical His heart before was as a cloud broken by a thunderbolt being torn in pieces violently and making a mighty noise but now like the cloud melted by the shining of the Sun upon it it dissolves down sweetly into a fruitful showre Vemo possit poenitentiâ—m agerâ— nisi qui speraverâ—t indu geâ—tiam Amb He looked on sin before as t was damning as that which would cast his soul and body into hell but now he looks on sin as t is defiling as that which makes him unlike to God and as that by which he hath abused love and mercy and the consideration of this warmeth his heart and kindly thaweth it The man hath now some small hope of mercy and that like the nearer approach of the Sun softneth that earth which was hardned under the frost of legal terrors The pump of the sinners heart was dry till the water of gospel grace apprehended and hoped for was poured in and then it sendeth forth abundantly He returneth now to God with supplication weeping and mourning As Joseph so this sinner seeketh for a place to weep in He goeth into his chamber falleth down before God and poureth out his heart at his eyes and tongue He accuseth shameth condemneth abhorreth himself because of his sins He doth not dissemble his birth but acknowledgeth the pollution of his conception Behold I was shapen in iniquity Psal 51.5 and in sin did my mother conceive me He confesseth the transgressions of his life Psa 58.3 that he hath gone astray from the womb that ever since he was able to go he went astray He acknowledgeth his transgressions and is sorry for his sins with Ephraim he smites upon his thigh saying What have I done with the Publican he beats on his breast crying out God be merciful to me a sinner With the Prodigal he is ashamed to look up to God yet sighs out Father I have sinned against heaven and before thee and am unworthy to be called thy child He throweth himself down at Gods feet bemoaning himself thus Lord I am the greatest of sinners less then the least of all thy mercies I have defaced thine image broken thy Laws sinned against thy majesty against thee thee I have sinned and done evil in thy sight I have done the work of Satan thine enemy and my wages is nothing but death how thou pleasest to deal with thy worthless creature I know not but however thou deal with me thou art righteous and I will lay my hand on my mouth If thou say that thou hast no pleasure in me â—o here I am do with me what seemeth good in thy sight yet O save my soul ten thousand Hells are my portion but if out of thy bottomless mercy thou shalt pluck my feet out of this bottomless misery my soul shall admire thy free Grace my tongue shall sing aloud of thy rich mercy and O the obligations which this vile wretch shall have to be faithfully and uprightly serviceable to thy majesty His contrition runneth all along parallel with his confession his heart worketh more then his lips and hands his affections are much more self-abasing and humbling then his expressions he seeth him whom he hath pierced and mourneth Calvary is a Bochim a place of weeping to him his eyes are so full that though Christ be nigh him yet like Mary he cannot see him for tears
the way to save a soul Reader didst thou never know of any that were in a journey and coming to some deep dirty pochy lane they thought to avoid it and broke over the hedge into the field but when they had rod round and round they could finde no way out but were forced to go out where they got in and then notwithstanding their unwillingness to go through that mirie lane or else not to go that journey Truly so it is in thy journey to Heaven thou art now come to this deep lane of humiliation through which all must go that will reach that City whose builder and maker is God do not think to avoid it no not the least part of it for this is the narrow way and strait gate that leadeth to life Suppose thou shouldst run to the world or any thing here below now thou beginnest to be sensible of thy sickness and pain and so in an hopeful way of recovery First 't is impossible that any of those things can cure thee Miserable comforters are they all and Physitians of no value Can a silver Slipper cure the gout or a golden Crown the head-ach or the greatest Empire in the world the pain of thy teeth much less can these things cure the diseases of thy soul All the wrapping of thy foot that hath a thorn in it though with never such fine scarlet cloth will be altogether ineffectual to ease thee of thy pain for the thorn must be pulled out so must sin be pluck'd out its guilt removed before thou canst possibly be eased But my great reason is which I desire thee to consider seriously shouldst thou throw off this medicine of thy spiritual Physitian because it is somewhat sharp and run to the Empericks and Mountebanks of the world thou wilt provoke thy tender able Physitian to leave thee for what man will bear such affronts and where art thou then what will become of thee for ever Those that work in Coal-mines finde by experience that the earth sendeth up damps which quench and put out their candles and what then becomes of the men that are there they are often slain Shouldst thou like Jonah run from the presence of the Lord to more pleasing employments then the work of a thorow humiliation either he will bring thee back again to the same business by storms and tempests or else such damps will arise from thine earthly interruptions as will quench Gods Spirit and eternally ruine thy spirit The evil spirit I know will be busie to perswade thee to smother and put out the sparkes which the good Spirit hath kindled within thee by heaps of worldly rubbish and dirt but take heed what thou dost for thy soul is at stake if those sparks should die thou art like to live in hell fire for ever Observe how it fared with unhappy Felix He was a Prisoner to his Prisoner and in a ready way to have been one of Christs freemen but now hells jaylor was like to lose one of his captives for I question not but Satan for fear of losing him trembled more then he what therefore through the Divels advice must Felix do He must needs cure himself of his convulsion by an abruptdiversion When the Spirit struck in with the word and caused him to tremble he sendeth Paul away till another season and we never read when that time came Had Felix struck in with the Spirit when the iron of his heart was hot he might have been happy indeed but he quencheth those motions which were so likely to recover his soul and thereby in all probability misseth salvation Some say that Samsons mother was forbidden wine and strong drink all the while she was with child of him partly because that wine and strong drink are naught for the child in the womb I am confident that carnal diversions that To put back thy pangs by earthly affaires much more by wine and strong drink is infiniely prejudicial to the babe of grace and many to one but it may cause thine eternal miscarriage Friend that which in this case I would advise thee to do is to betake thy self to thy closet or chamber and there to fall down before the most high God and to accuse indict and condemne thy self for thy sins poure out thy soul before the Lord in acknowledging the pollution of thy nature the transgressions of thy life with all their bloody aggravations confessing the righteousness of the law and thy obnoxiousness thereby to the infinite and eternal wrath of the Lord. O now is the onely time to repent with that repeniance which is never to be repented of if ever thou wouldst draw water and pour it out before the Lord it must be now the spirit hath thawed the tap neglect this season and it may freeze again speedily When Nathan came from God to David after his fall when he had lain in his impenitency many months and told him of his sins and convinced him that he was worthy to die what doth David do doth he run to his crown or honour or power in the world No. Doth he hastily snatch at the promises No but he goeth to God as appeares by the title and body of the 51. Psalm bewaileth his original and actual sins condemneth himself justifieth God offereth up the sacrifice of a broken heart beggeth hard for pardon and holiness O do thou follow this blessed pattern if thy body were sick of a violent feaver and nature were so far thy friend as when thou wast in thy bed to put thee into a fine sweat and thereby give thee hope of evacuating the ill humours which cause thy disease through the pores what wouldst thou do in this case wouldst thou rise presently and run into the cold aire or wouldst thou not rather abide still in thy bed and if need were call for more cloaths to increase thy sweat whereby thy body might be perfectly cured Thus it is in the state of thy soul thou art sick unto death the Spirit of God is so much thy friend as to help thee to sweat out thy distemper by humiliation and godly sorrow t were a madness in thee now to run to the open air of the world or to do any thing which might hinder this sweating thy onely way is to encourage and increase it by betaking thy self to thy chamber and there to look into thy heart and consider how full it is of unholiness to look back upon thy life and consider how contrary it hath been to the Divinâ—law to look up to God and consider the Majesty holiness and mercy which are in him whom thou hast provoked this is the way to continue and increase thy humiliation and thereby for the spirit delighteth to proceed in assisting those that thus cherish his motions to be perfectly healed Duties now are the Spirits pleasant garden in which he will delight to walk with thee they are like bellows to blow up the heavenly fire into a flame or as
the Serpent that stings thee to death is from thy warming and hatching that egg in thine own breast All the men on earth and all the devils in hell could not damn thee were it not for thy wilfulness in sin And canst thou expect that Jesus Christ should save thee against thine own will that he should carry thee to heaven whether thou wilt or no Believe it a state of sin and wrath is the matter of thine own choice The door which shuts thee out of the fathers house is bolted against thee by thine own hands Answer me this question or else never more make this objection Art thou willing to turn from sin unto God Art thou willing to take the son of God for thy Saviour and Lord If thou art willing I am sure God is willing he hath confirmd it with an oath Ezek. 33.11 Jesus Christ is willing that sinners should live or he would not so willingly have died such a death he hath paid the price of thy ransom and offereth thee an happier estate then that of which Adam deprived thee If thou art willing to accept of thy freedom thou mayst have it If any man will let him drink of the water of life freely Rev. 22. And if thou art not willing why dost thou complain Fourthly I answer the fault is clearly in thy self because thou neglectest to do what thou hast power to do Thou hast power without any special grace to perform duties to hear the word to pray in secret and with thy family to forbear thy wicked company thy swearing lying drinking scoffing at godliness and yet dost not mind those duties constantly nor forbear those sins shall a servant friend be thine own judge which is trusted with five pound to imploy for his Masters honour spend this in whoring and gaming and then blame his master for not trusting him with thousands When man broke by his fall there was some stock left in his hands not enough to set him up again but that which might do him some good now they spend this profusely they throw away those checks of conscience which escaped the ruines of the fall they corrupt themselves in what they know and wickedly refuse to do what they can and yet are so impudent as to flie in the face of the ever-blessed God that he doth not give them power to do more Fifthly thy weakness and impotency should drive thee to Christ for strength Lex data ut gratia quaereretur gra tia data ut lex impleretur Aug. de Spi. et l. 1. cap. 19. Thy misery by the first Adam should cause thee to mind thy recovery by the second Adam The word of God discovereth to thee the necessity of regeneration thine own inability to do it that thou mightst ply the throne of grace flie to Jesus Christ for help and succour A man that is lifting a peice of timber and finds it too heavy for him will call in help thus the Law is a School-master to drive thee to Christ When thou considerest with thy self that thou must be regenerated or damned in hell for ever and that thou art altogether unable to renew and sanctify thy self how diligent should it make thee in attendance on Jesus Christ for his Spirit and grace How shouldst thou wait on thy redeemer in reading hearing praying meditating using all those meanes which he hath appointed for the conversion of thy soul The second objection answered That unregenerate men sin in performing duties and attending on ordinances SEcondly it may be thou wilt say You presse me much to pray and hear and frequent the means of grace but I sin in doing so I sin in praying I sin in hearing and singing and would you have me sin I answer First thou sinnest in eating and drinking and following thy calling in not doing these things upon right principles and for right ends and wilt thou therefore forbear them thou wilt pamper and please thy body right or wrong not onely in the use but even in the abuse of the creatures but how ordinary an excuse will make thee neglect thy soul Secondly Regenerate men themselves sin in all their performances though not in such a manner as unregenerate ones do and should they therefore lay them down Thirdly no pretence whatsoever can excuse from obedience to clear precepts remember also that the commands of God do not interfere or contradict each other Now God expresly commandeth thee though thou art in a natural estate to perform duties Peter when he had told Simon Magus that he was in the gall of bitterness and bond of iniquity yet he bids him pray to the Lord Acts 8.22 if peradventure the thoughts of his heart might be forgiven him our sinning in duties cannot abrogate that Law of God which enjoyns duties as Gods precepts are not measures of our strength so they are not lessened by our weakness The Ninivites though unregenerate as some think yet when threatned with destruction did both pray and fast and found that it was not in vain Jonah 4.3 Fourthly thou sinnest less in performing duties then in neglecting them If thou art resolved to go on in a course of sinning and damning thy soul I know not what to say to thee the Lord pitty thee but if thou hast any desire of Salvation in a Gospel-way thou offendest far far less in waiting on God in his Ordinances then those do that refuse them in performing duties without suitable grace thou failest in the manner of Divine worship others that omit duties fail both in the matter and manner thou owest God outward as well as inward service the confession of thy mouth as well as the conversion of thine heart surely then if thou givest God the former though without the latter thou dost not sin so much as they that give him neither Fifthly shouldst thou neglect the means of grace thou wouldst make thy condition which is already dreadful to be desperate if ever God meet thee it must be in his own way Rom. 10.15 17. Prov. 8. I believe thou scarce ever heardst of any man converted while he cast by the means of grace which God afforded him Sixthly If thy condition be so sad that thou sinnest in all thou dost thou hast the more need to hasten out of it Ah who would be quiet one hour in such an estate wherein what ever he doth is abominable to God! Men that are weak and sickly do not therefore forbear food because they are not able to digest it well and it may possibly yeild some nourishment to their disease but do therefore eat that they may get strength and be enabled to overcome their distempers Seventhly God may meet with thee in the means of Grace The Ordinances of God are the golden pipes through which he conveyeth the oil of Grace from Christ the olive tree God doth not bid thee to wait upon him for nothing thousands have found by happy experience that they are blessed which watch at Wisdoms gate