I. That much and generally neglected duty of Christian reproofe By reason of that generall and common fellowship whereof I gaue a taste and touch before of his arbitrary and intimate company euery Christian makes conscience of better choyce which thou must sometimes entertaine and exercise with the men of this world except thou wilt goe out of the world thou shalt meete now and then vpon vnauoydable necessitie and by the exigencie of thy calling with men of intolerable conuersation and very scandalous discourse and at vnawares and vnwillingly fall amongst such companions as will sweare blaspheme Gods Name talke filthily slander the Ministery rayle against good men besides many other scurrill base and prophane speeches much froth and folly in this kind Now in this case ordinarily prophane men meddle not They hold it a point of precisenesse to marre the mirth and cast the company into dumpes of melancholy by calling sinne into question They loue not as they say in their hearts to bee displeasing and vnplausible where themselues gaine nothing and perhaps doe no good to the partie They are commonly old-excellent in rayling vpon and slandering a good man in his absence but they are starke-naught and no-body in reproouing a notorious wretch vnto his face If they open their mouth this way it is commonly in iest in brauerie in forme in derision for some Ones sake in the company who they know cannot endure it or at best out of a ciuill detestation of outragious villany and furious blasphemies of Gods glorious Name But in such cases the Christian is truely sollicitous and zealous very much troubled and carefull how to frame and hold a serious wise and seasonable contradiction to the language of hell which consisteth in oathes lying slandering in obscenities raylings contemptuous insolencies against the Ministerie and wayes of God defence of Poperie and in such rotten and Bedlam talke Hee dares not many times in such company for his heart hold his peace lest thereby he be guiltie in some degree 1. Of the parties going on in sinne 2. Of betraying Gods glory by a cowardly and vnchristian silence and 3. For feare of wounding his owne conscience The omission of the discharge of this dutie will somtimes very much vexe the conscience and grieue the heart of the true-hearted Professour when hee is departed the place and considers that by his basenesse and frailty he hath failed in so holy a dutie and beene faint-hearted in the cause of God For this kinde of reproouing then and such censuring of the words and workes of darkenesse the Christian is not to bee censured too censorious and precise Conscience charitie and Gods Commandement calles and cries vpon him for the performance of this needfull dutie whensoeuer vnauoydable necessitie or the exigencie of a warrantable calling shall haue cast him vpon prophane wretches and imprisoned him for the while amongst fellowes of lewd discourse and gracelesse carriage Except they bee Dogs or Swine Christ himselfe hath commanded that Pearles and holy things shall not bee cast away vpon such Giue yee not saith hee that which is holy vnto Dogs neither cast yee your Pearles before Swine Matth. 7. 6. See also Prou. 9. 8. and 23. 9. The ground of this Commandement of Christ I take to be two-fold 1. A deare compassionate and tender-hearted care of God euen ouer the temporall liues of his children Besides the glorious Ministery and continuall guard of the blessed Angels for their preseruation that they hurt not their foote against a stone his own also All-seeing All-pittying Eye doth euer graciously watch ouer them to keepe them as dearely as the Apple of his owne Eye and therefore hee forbids them to cast themselues desperately into the mouth of a barking Dogge or vpon the paw of a reuengefull and blood-thirsty Lyon that is he would not haue his child to vouchsafe so much as a reproofe to any blasphemous wretch or desperate Swaggerer that would furiously flie in his face for offering him a Pearle 2. An holy iealousie ouer the glory and Maiestie of his owne blessed Word It is that holy Wisedome which issued immediately out of his owne infinite vnderstanding It is farre more pure and vnspotted then siluer tried in a furnace of earth fined seuen-fold It is a sacred Pearle framed and fashioned by His owne Almighty hand in the Palaces of heauen which onely by an inuisible and inspired power can raise those which are dead in sinnes and trespasses to spirituall life stop the bloody issue of originall corruption and preserue the soules of men in euerlasting health In a word it is the Word of God and therefore most vnworthy to be troden vnder foote or trampled in the mire by any sensuall Swine that is no wayes to be vouchsafed to those hatefull and Swinish wretches who out of a malicious sottishnesse entertaine so glorious a message from the mighty God of heauen with contempt and scorne These two reasons of the Commandement lye the Text Giue ye not c. lest they trample them vnder their feete and turne againe and rent you Whence wee haue also some light to discerne who are Dogs who are Swine 1. By Dogs we see are meant obstinate enemies that maliciously reuile the Ministery of the Word the Doctrine of God and the Messengers thereof who doe not onely tread the words of instruction and reproofe vnder foote but also turne againe and all to rend the Teachers and furiously flie in the face of those who fairely tell them of their faults Consider this and tremble all yee that are become scornefull and furious opposites to the power and purity of the Word and bloody goades in the sides of the faithfullest Ministers Alas poore wretches forlorne Caitifes you cast your selues desperately into that accursed and horrible condition that euery good man is bound in conscience not to affoord you so much as an admonition or reproofe or a caueat to preuent those curses which are comming vpon you And you wilfully draw vpon your owne heads that most fearefull doome from Gods Spirit and from the Church of God He that is filthy let him be filthy still He that is a Swine let him bee Swinish still He that rayles against the power of Grace let him continue still a mad Dog He that sets himselfe maliciously against the Ministery of the Word let that man receiue no comfort or benefit by the Word of Life If hee will needs let him roare still swagger be drunke despaire die and be damned 2. By Swine are meant those sottish scurrill wretches who doe scornefully and contemptuously trample vnder foote all holy instructions reproofes admonitions tendred vnto them out of the Word of Truth 1. Some of these are Swine as it were only in practise they do not say much or keepe any great grunting against good men but they feed vnsatiably though silently vpon the drosse and filth of sensuall pleasures and carnall contentments and if at any time a Pearle
mortifie the deeds of the body by the Spirit thy case is the case of saluation 4. A good conscience stands not with a purpose of sinning no not with an irresolution against sinne 5. The rich and precious boxe of a good conscience is polluted and made impure if but one dead Flie be suffered in it He meanes any one knowne sinne lyen and delighted in impenitently 6. Where there is but any one sinne nourished and fostered all other our graces are not onely blemished but abolished they are no graces 7. Most true is that saying of Aquinas That all sinnes are coupled together though not in regard of conuersion to temporall good for some looke to the good of gaine some of glory some of pleasure c. yet in regard of auersion from eternall Good that is God So that he that lookes but toward one sinne is as much auerted and turned backe from God as if he looked to all In which respect Saint Iames sayes He that offendeth in one is guiltie of all 8. Euery Christian should carry in his heart a constant and resolute purpose not to sinne in anything for faith and the purpose of sinning can neuer stand together Thou seest then if Satan keep possession but by one reigning sinne it will be thine euerlasting ruine Thou shalt then bee so farre from euer enioying any humble holy acquaintance with our God that thou art gone body and soule for euer One breach in the walles of a Citie exposeth it to the surprize of the enemy one leake in a ship neglected will sinke it at length into the bottome of the Sea the stab of a penknife to the heart will as well speed a man as all the daggers that kild Caesar in the Senate-house If thou hedge thy Close as high as the middle Region of the Aire in all other places and leaue but one gap all thy grasse will bee gone If the Fowler catch the bird either by the head or the foote or the wing she is sure his owne It is so in the present case If thou liue and lye with allowance and delight in any one knowne sinne without particular remorse or resolution to part with it thou as yet carriest the Diuels brand he hath thereby markt thee out for his owne As obedience is vniuersall and Catholike if sincere so repentance if true is also generall It sâ—…rips vs starke naked as a worthy Diuine saies well of all the garments of the old Adam and leaues not so much as the shirt behind in this rotten building it leaues not a stone vpon a stone As the flood drowned Noahs owne friends and seruants so must the flood of repenting teares drowne our sweetest and most profitable sinnes The premonition therefore I tender in the first place is this Thou canst neuer possibly be fitly qualified either for the right vnderstanding or sauing practise of this sacred and sweetest Art of walking with God except thou resolue to stand for euer sincerely at the swords point against all sinne Euen thy bosome sinne must be abandoned if thou look for any blessing in this kinde Thou must put off the shirt from thy sinfull soule for as the shirt is to the body so is the beloued sinne to the soule it sticks closest and neerest and is done off with most adoe And because this darling-pleasure minion-delight Peccatum in delicijs as the Fathers call it is Satans strongest Hold his Tower of greatest confidence and securitie when he is driuen out elsewhere and so by consequent most powerfull and peremptorie to keepe a mans heart estranged with largest distance and incompatible auersion from all holy acquaintance with God I will in short labour to illighten and dis-intangle any one who vnfainedly desires an vtter diuorce from this bosome-deuill by telling him first what it is secondly what his is thirdly how he may be deceiued about it 1. As in euery man there is one element one humour and ordinarily one passion predominant so also one worke of darknesse and way of death And it is that which his corrupt and originall crookednesse vpon the first electiue suruay and prospect ouer the fooles Paradise of worldly pleasures fleshly lusts and vanities of this life by a secret sensuall inclination and bewitching infusion of Satan singles out and makes speciall choice of to follow and feede vpon with greatest delight and predominant sweetnesse afterward by custome and continuance growes so powerfull and attractiue that it extraordinarily endeares and drawes vnto it the heate of all his desires and strongest workings of his heart with much affectionate impatiencie and headlongnesse and at the height by an vnresistable tyranny it makes all occasions and occurrences friends and followers the deepest reach of policie and vtmost proiects of wit Religion conscience credit with the world the vniuersall possibilitie of body soule outward state seruiceable and contributarie vnto it as the Captaine and commanding sin as to the Deuils vice-roy domineering in the wasted conscience In some it is worldlinesse wantonnesse ambition opposicion to godlinesse vsurie pride reuenge or the like In others it may bee drunkennesse the swaggering vanitie of good fellowship gluttony pleasures of Play-house hanting gaming scurrill iesting c. obstinate insatiablenesse in allowed recreations idlenesse or such like 2. Thou mayest discouer it by such markes as these 1. It is that which thy truest friends thine owne conscience and the finger of God in the Ministerie many times finds out meetes with and chiefely checks thee for 2. It is that which if it breake out into act and be visible to the eye of the world thine enemies most eagerly obserue and obiect as matter of their most insultation and thy greatest disgrace 3. That which thou art lothest to leaue art oftenest tempted vnto hast least power to resist and which most hinders the resignation and submission of soule and body of all thy courses and carriage heartily and vnreseruedly to the Word and will of God 4. It is that which God oftnest corrects in thee euen in the interpretation and guiltie acknowledgement of thy selfe-accusing heart It may be at seuerall times thou hast bin afflicted with some heauy crosse in thine outward state losse of a child some fits and pangs of bodily paine terrours and troubles of mind or some such proportionable visitations now in all these and like afflictions vpon the first smarting apprehension thy conscience if any whit awaked on its owne accord seized vpon that sinne we now seeke for as the principall Achan and author of all thy misery 5. If euer thou wast so sicke as out of extremitie to receiue sentence of death against thy selfe and despaire of recouerie if thy conscience was stirring this sinne afrighted thee most and gaue the deadliest blow to driue thee to finall despaire And if thou shouldest die in it without repentance which God forbid it would infuse most hellish vigor and venome into the neuer-dying worme which would thereby more mightily gnaw vpon thy
like a Lion Let sadnesse sit vpon their foreheads as its proper seate and furies of conscience affright their spirits still with cryes of blood Let no voyce of ioy or gladnesse bee heard in their habitations but the most griezly apparitions of damned horrour dwell for euer in the eye of their guilty consciences For without repentance this is their lot and this is their euerlasting portion And most happy were they if any thing would fright and fire them out of the armes of darkenesse and snares of the deuill I say let the aspiring Lucifers looke heauily vpon foresight of their dreadfull downfall for though they exalt themselues as the Eagle and though they set their nests among the starres yet thence will I bring them downe saith the Lord. Though their excellencie mount vp to the heauens and their head reach vnto the clouds yet they shall perish for euer like their owne dung Let all couetous worldlings cry out for so the holy Ghost commands them Goe to now ye rich men weepe and howle for your miseries that shall come vpon you your riches are corrupted and your garments motheaten your gold and siluer is cankered and the rust of them shall bee a witnesse against you and shall eate your flesh as it were fire ye haue heaped treasure together for the last dayes Let all impure goodfellow-drunkards hold downe their heads and howle for the horrible Woe which dogs them at heeles Woe to the Crowne of Pride to the Drunkards of Ephraim Behold the Lord hath a mighty and strong One which as a tempest of haile and a destroying storme as a flood of mighty waters ouerflowing shall cast downe to the earth with the hand the Crowne of Pride the Drunkards of Ephraim shall be troden downe vnder feete Let the very heartstrings of all lasciuious wantons tremble at the terrour of that cutting commination Heb. 13. 4. Whoremongers and Adulterers God will iudge Let that stinging But Eccles. 11. 9. strike cold to the hearts of all sensuall Gallants and sonnes of pleasure Reioyce O young man in thy youth and let thy heart cheere thee in the dayes of thy youth and walke in the wayes of thine heart and in the sight of thine eyes But know thou that for all these things God will bring thee into iudgement Nay let the heart of euery man whosoeuer he be of what cloth soeuer his coat be made that goes on in the willing allowed practise of any one knowne sinne fall asunder in his brest like drops of water for the day of horrour that is at hand and the sword of vengeance which hangs ouer his head For certainly at length the Lord will wound the hairy scalpe of euery one that goeth on still in his trespasses In a word wayling and wringing of hands woe and alas is the merriest song that any wicked man vpon earth can sing vpon good ground while hee yet abides in his vnregenerate state Who doth not see and acknowledge it except he wilfully shut his eyes or be grosly hood-winkt by the Deuill or a ranke Atheist For there is a cup which is called a cup of Gods fury and a cup of trembling in the hand of the Lord whose little finger is able to beate the greatest mountaine to powder and rent the hardest Rocke in pieces and the wine is red which intimates vnto vs the sharpenesse and fiercenesse of Gods fiery indignation it is full of mixture brimfull of stinging ingredients and he powreth out of the same to stirre vp and quicken as it were the bitternesse and very bottome and all the wicked of the earth shall will they nill they wring out the dregs thereof and drinke them Psal. 75. 8. But now on the other side Let all those of the Brotherhood I vse the phrase of the holy Ghost all those who haue giuen their names to Christ in truth and are true of heart in his holy seruice vpon whose heads euerlasting light doth rest lift vp their heads Let the amiable aspect of sweetnesse and peace euer dwell vpon their foreheads Let heauenly beames of spirituall lightsomnesse and mirth shine fresh in their faces Let neuer vncomfortable dampe of any slauish sadnesse or touch of hellish terrour vexe their blessed hearts Let them neuer more be afraid of any euill tydings or of destruction when it commeth In a word Let them be infinitely and for euer merry and sweetly glad at the very heart roote And good cause why It is the charge and command of the Spirit of all truth and comfort Bee glad in the Lord and reioyce ye righteous and shout for ioy all yee that are vpright in heart Psal. 32. 11. Oh therefore that the Lord would bee pleased so to perfume and sweeten the ensuing passages with the refreshing glimpses of his glorious face and deare infusions of Diuine Ioy that I might bee vouchsafed that honour of being his humble Instrument to raise vp and quicken the drooping spirits of all that are true of heart of all that beare a sincere inuincible affection to the Gospel of Iesus Christ and power of Godlinesse that they would be euerlastingly merry that they would arise and shake themselues from the dust and put on their beautifull garments that they would for euer with a resolution neuer to bee shaken with all the powers of hell banish and barre out of their happy soules all their vnnecessary scruples distrusts deiections sad thoughts and heauinesse of heart that they would out of sensiblenesse of their present vnutterable felicity and strength of their truly Heroicall spirits beare and behaue themselues as heires of heauen indeed and as the Fauourites of the King of Kings So should they infinitely more honour the sweetnesse of Gods mercifull disposition the dearenesse of his loue the tendernesse of his compassionate bowels the bottomlesse mysterie of his free grace the preciousnesse and truth of his promises the vnualuablenesse of his Sonnes Blood the pleasantnesse of the wayes of grace and the glorious worke of the holy Ghost vpon their owne blessed soules Let them euer keepe fresh and strong in their mindes for this purpose such causefull considerations as these 1. True ioy the most noble sweet and amiable affection that euer warmed the heart of man is by warrantable proprietie and rightfull interest onely peculiar and proper to honest humble and holy hearts Such gracious and golden Cabinets are onely fit for this heauenly Iewell The beauty and deliciousnesse of it are confined onely to the communion of Saints the sealed Fountaine the Spouse of Christ. The Brotherhood alone is blessed with its refreshments and rauishing influence It neuer did or euer will shine or sparkle out the least glimpse vpon the world or to any earthly heart The most ambitious eager hunters after pleasures the worlds greatest Fauourites and dearest minions haue onely but ingrost and graspt a Bedlam counterseit of it I said of laughter saith Salemon It is mad For the truth is
meane time his Royall Throne here vpon Earth Isai. 57. 15. what can Man or Deuill or any distrustfull heart say against it And why shouldest thou being such an one be so vnmannerly and vnthankfull nay so vnnecessarily cruell to thine owne heauy heart as not to open the euerlasting doore of thy soule by the key of Faith to let the King of glory knocking with his hand of mercy come in and crowne it with grace and glory with comfort and euerlasting peace II. But alas sayes hee my sinnes are moe then any mans Now when I am searching into the sinke of them I can finde neither banke nor bottome Vnnumbred swarmes of grosse impieties and iniquities thorow my whole life of abominable impurities and pollutions which haue continually defiled my mind heart and affections armed with seuerall stings of terrour doe so restlesly presse vpon my wounded conscience and oppresse it that I cannot I dare not thinke vpon or looke towards any comfort Let them bee what they are and adde thereunto all the sinnes which haue are and shall bee committed by all the sonnes and daughters of Adam from the Creation to the end of the World excepting sinne against the holy Ghost and yet in an hart truly humbled vnder them heartily hating them all cōming with a sincere spirituall hunger at Christs Call to bee disburdened of them they can make no more resistance against the mercies of God then a little sparke of fire against the mighty Sea rhrowne into the midst of it nay infinitely lesse For all these sinnes would still be finite both in nature and number but Gods mercies are euery way infinite Now betweene that which is finite and that which is infinite there is no proportion and so no possibilitie of resistance Whence it is that the Prophet inuiting his people to repentance Esa. 55. 7. by assuring them of Gods sweet mercifull and gracious disposition lest any too fearefull and deiected spirit vndervaluing Gods mercy should thinke thus within it selfe Bee it so yet alas my sinnes are so many and such a sonne of Belial haue I been and so endlesly prouoked the glory of his pure eye that I can expect no mercy the pollutions of my youth haue been so prodigious and infectious that I haue no face to presse vnto his Throne of Grace c. God himselfe doth there purposely preuent the obiection and speaking to our capacitie which cannot comprehend infinity replyes to this sence Oh say not so Stay all such despairefull thoughts doe not cast the incomprehensiblenes of my mercy in the narrow mould of thy finite shallow conceite doe not so vnworthily abridge and confine the vnlimited and boundlesse compassion of the mighty Lord of Heauen and Earth For my thoughts are not your thoughts neither are your wayes my wayes For as the Heauens are higher then the earth so are my wayes higher then your wayes and my thoughts then your thoughts Many a bruised reede would not exchange the comfort which the weakest faith may extract out of this sweetest place for all the Kingdomes of the earth For he saith not that his wayes and thoughts of knowledge and wisdome but his wayes and thoughts of mercy are as farre aboue ours as the Heauens are aboue the Earth Indeed as himselfe is aboue man which is infinitely But take notice by the way that the mercies of God doe exercise this infinite vnresistable power onely in truly humbled beleeuing soules heartily hating and sincerely set against all sinne I say so lest any impenitent should peruert this precious point or trample vpon this Pearle For as in such a soule no sinnes either for number or notoriousnesse can possibly withstand or stand before Gods infinite mercies so not one drop of all those infinite merceis belongs vnto any that goes on willingly and delightfully hating to bee reformed in any one knowne sinne or that he might know and wilfully forbeares to bee informed As the vnualuable blood of Christ turnes the very scarlet sinnes of the truly broken beleeuing heart into whitest snow so it will neuer wash away the least sinfull staine from the proud heart of any vnhumbled Pharise Let none therefore that goes on still in his trespasses take vp any vaine confidence or mis-grounded conclusion of false comfort from hence by misconceiuing thus Is it so that the infinitenesse of Gods mercy cannot bee resisted by the greatnesse or multitude of sinnes being euer finite both in their number and nature how is it possible then that I should misse of those infinites mercies Why may not I comfortably hope that my sinnes also shall be swallowed vp in that bottomlesse Sea I will tell thee why As the power of God though it be infinite yet is limited by his will so the mercies of God though they bee infinite are regulated by his truth He is able to make millions of Worlds moe but yet wee see his Will was but to create one His mercies transcend with immeasurable distance the height of Heauen and depth of Hell and are indeed as Himselfe infinite but his Truth hath told vs that none shall haue part in them but those alone who repent and beleeue Gods Truth reuealed in his Word must euer confine the current of his compassions and is the touchstone to try and qualifie those to whom his mercies belong See then what kind of people are partakers of Gods infinite mercies by the testimony of that Word of Truth by which we must be iudged at the last Day Prou. 28. 13. Luke 4. 18. Isai. 61. 1 2 3. Psal. 15. Ezek. 18. 21. Psal. 147. 3. Isai. 55. 7. Psal. 34. 18. Salomon saith in the cited place Hee that confesseth and forsaketh his sinnes shall haue mercy How then can he expect any mercy who takes them not to heart but lyes in them still III. Of the pardonablenesse of my other sinnes saith another I could bee reasonably well perswaded but alas there is one aboue all the rest which now vpon discouery and remorse I finde to be full of ranke and hellish poyson of such a deepe and damnable die to haue strooke so desperately in the dayes of my lewdnesse at the very face of God himselfe and farre deepelier into the heart of Iesus Christ then the speare that pierced him bleeding vpon the Crosse and thereupon at this present stares in the eye of my newly awaked and wounded conscience with such horror and grieslinesse that I feare mee diuine iustice will thinke it fitter to haue this most loathsome inexpiable staine rather at length fired out of my soule with euerlasting flames if it were possible that eternall fire could expiate the sinfull staines of any impenitent damned soule then to bee fairely washed away in the meane time with His blood whom I so cruelly and cursedly pierced with it Oh! this is it that lies now vpon my heart like a mountaine of Lead farre heauier then Heauen and Earth and enchaines it with inexplicable terrour to the dust and