thou art mercilesse vnto for thy sin addes to their misery which they groane vnder and thou yet addest to their burden by thy sinne Thou art lyable to all the ill a man vnconverted may indure or to any sin that a man destitute of divine grace may commit as To spirituall hardnesse of heart blindnesse of minde slavery vnder thy lusts searednesse of conscience or committing the sinne against the Holy Ghost To temporall any thing that may befall any man For time to come as to be possessed of the divell c. I wish every naturall man seriously to consider this for thou dying in thy naturall estate art certainely damned and for any thing thou knowest thou mayest dye the next moment and then all things are thine enimies death which is certaine but how when or where thou knowest not Calvin sayth A man may dye a thousand wayes in one houre Some Physitians say there are three hundred diseases in the body all mortall Besides new sins haue begotten new diseases thou mayest die suddenly by an impostume thy house may be fiered and thou consumed by it thy horse may stumble and soe destroy thee a tile may fall as thou art walking and so kill thee an Adder vnder the grasse or hearbes may sting thee Canst thou promise thy selfe to see the Sun againe when it 's once sette though now thou be in perfect strength But however nature will end at length Sathan then is ready to come with his vtmost malice when thou art faint and loath to depart then hee will lay open all thy sinnes and then the very next step is The Iudgement seat of Gods tribunall where God will declare what mercy hee offered thee and the Divell will pleade to haue thee Then comes the internall separation from God and possession of those torments which are easelesse endlesse remedilesse Oh the tearing of the heart and the gnashing of the teeth that this will produce especially when you consider God every Sabbaoth stretched out his armes to imbrace you and you would not Christ offered to make a plaster of his hearts blood to cure you but you trampled it vnder your feete The holy Ghost put good motions into your heart but you rejected them the Minister hee pressed hard to haue you yeeld hut you withstood him Oh the hellish cryes that these will fetch from such an heart Fourth Act. Wherefore let this betimes begette in thee a base esteeme of thy selfe consider Helpe 1 Thou art worse then a Toad nay a Toade is a faire amiable creature in comparison of thee For first a Toad following the instinct of nature serues the Creator in its kinde it suckes vp the venome of the earth which otherwise would poysō vs but thou art a degenerate creature Traitor who drinkest poyson out of Gods mercy to sin more against him Thou art a sworne friend to his most deadly enemy and breakest all his commandements Secondly the venome of a Toad kills but the body the poyson of sinne kills both body and soule Thirdly When a Toad dyes its misery is ended but then thy woe begins then thou wilt wish thou hadst beene any thing but a man Helpe 2 If thou hadst looked vpon that man in Math. 8. possessed with a Devill who dwelt among the Tombes went naked chaines would not hold him the Devill was soe powerfull in him thou wouldst haue thought him a dreadfull spectacle of extreame misery to haue a legion of devils by computation sixe thousand sixe hundred sixtie sixe but I tell thee thou hadst better haue a thousand Legions then one vnrepented sinne for The devill he can haue power but over the body and so he may over a Saint and had over Christ to carry him to the top of a Pinnacle but never sin like thine of obstinate and finall impenitencie was found in a sanctified man Sinne made the divell so vgly as hee is being else of an Angelicall nature onely sinne makes him odious therfore it is worse than a thousand divels yea worse than either the tongue of men and Angells can expresse All the divels in hell in thy body cannot doe the one pinnesworth of hurt for the salvation of thy soule but one sinne wilfully vnrepented of and so vnpardoned will damne it so that it were better to be possessed with a thousand devills then one sinne vnrepented of vnpardoned Fifth Act. Get an inward wounding of thine heart and bleeding of soule Where take these helpes Helpe 1 First thy heart that hath beene the fountaine or rather sinke from whence haue issued many foule streames where all ill hath beene forged all evill words raging passions wicked thoughts Now then by the rule of proportion let thy heart be a fountaine of sorrow for sinne If Christ open a fountaine of mercy for mourners let not vs be excluded for want of sorrow Helpe 2 Consider the heart of Christ he had not taken vpō himselfe a heart of flesh but for sinne which for thy sake was tilled with that singular depth of sorrow griefe that if all the godly sorrow of all the Christian soules frō the beginning of the world to the end thereof in heauen or in earth dead or aliue were collected into one heart they could not countervaile the depth of his anguish Shall then his blessed soule fall asunder in his blessed breast assaulted with al the wrath of God and the second death Shall his soule be like a scorched hearth so pressed with the flames of Gods revenging wrath which wrūg from him those bloody drops and ruefull cryes My God my God why hast thou forsaken mee The wrath of God was so fierce on him that I say droppes of blood fell from him and shall thy heart be as a stone within thy breast and never be moued Oh prodigious hardnesse and worse then heathenish ingratitude Helpe 3 If thy heart be not wounded here in some measure truly it shall hereafter be filled with such endlesse horrour that would grieue and breake ten thousand hearts to thinke on it Is it not better then to mourne a little here for sinne than to haue our hearts inlarged to indure vnto all eternity the horrour of hell Is any man so senselesse to thinke he shall goe to heaven as in a bed of downe and never be touched for his sinne which is as impossible as for thee to reach heaven with thy hand Whē Hezekiah a man perfect in all his wayes Esa 38.14 complained chattered like a Crane David roared all the day long Psal 32.3 Iob complained Iob. 6.4 The arrowes of the Almighty are within mee the venom whereof doth drinke vp my spirit Nay Christ himselfe cryed out in the Agony of his Spirit Helpe 4 If thou get this broken heart into thy breast thou shalt bring downe the glorious majesty of heauen GOD Almighty with his chaire of State to sit in thy soule for hee hath two habitations Esay 57.15 1 In heaven 2 In an
when there is nothing towards Esa 9.5 Eze. 13.10 Ier. 14.14 but tumbling garments in blood and vengeance and devouring with fire Aske all those Ministers that reveale not the whole counsell of God who sent them to incourage it shall all fall to nothing but you of this place are inexcusable for wherin haue I hid any thing from you no I dare not be guilty of any mans blood that way for the damnation of my soule By provoking as Iob's wife sayd to him Curse God dye Iob. 2.9 so Eph. 6.4 Fathers provoke not your Children to wrath for they then are guilty of their sins By familiarity with sinners with company keeping If thou vouchsafest thy cōpany to Alehouse haunters to prophane persōs to Idolaters to Gods enemies looke for that sharpe checke which the Prophet gaue to Iehosophat for associating himselfe with wicked Ahab 2. Chron. 20.37 saying Shouldest thou countenance the vngodly loue them that hate the Lord Therefore is wrath vpon thee before the Lord. Or as Psalm 50.18 VVhen thou sawest a theefe thou consentedst with him and hast beene partakers with adulterers Therefore as Moyses sayd to the people Separate your selues from the Tents of Corah least ye perish with them And Come out of Babylon my people haue no communion with that VVhore lest yee perish in her sinnes and be destroyed with her plagues Rev. 18. David sayth I haue not dwelt with vaine persons nor will I haue fellowship with the vngodly Odi Ecclesiam malignantium And who would vouchsafe to let their loue runne on such in this life from whom they must be separated in the world to come But for works of thy particular calling as bying selling salutations c. wee must haue these or we must out of this world as 1. Co 5.10.11 By participation Thy Princes are rebellious Esa 1.23 companions of theues so Magistrates which execute not their office are guilty of all the sins which the people commit within the compasse of the time of their governement and they are all set on their score without repentance By silence when thou hearest a good man traduced sayest nothing especially dumbe dogges every Sabbath is a bloody day to them for their silence is cause of all the iniquities done that day and all these things which they doe amisse whether by swearing Ale-house haunting c. all are set on their score so all those that ore faint and cowardly for Gods glory and truth By defending Esa 5.20 VVoe to them that call darknesse light and light darknes Therefore if any by quicknesse of wit will labour to maintaine vsury bribery c. they are all guilty of those sinnes By Counselling 1 Kings 21.7 as Iesabell counselled her husband to kill Naboth Or as those who say Come let vs crowne our selues with rose buds before they be withered Wis 2 9 let vs all be partaker of our wantonnesse c. 2. Sam. 11.15 By commanding as David commanded Vriah to be set in the sore-front of the battell and therefore guilty of his death By commending Act 12.22 as those that commended Herod for his oration saying It is the voice of a God they were guilty of his sin in taking honour from God By connivency 1. Sam. 3.13 as Ely winked at his sons for Which you may see what a fearfull judgement fell vpon that house for forbearing thē If we had no other sins in a day of humiliation it were able to breake the hardest heart but especially for Maisters of Families who winke at their children and servants swearing Sabboath breaking c. If these be not guilty of the former sinnes yet they are guilty in not praying with them bringing them to extraordinary exercises By consenting Acts 22.20 as Paul bewayled that hee carried the cloathes of them that slew Stephen when hee was stoned By not sorrowing for them Psal 119.136 Psal 25.13 Mar. 3.5 David shewes what Christians ought to doe By not praying against them for the suppressing of them Quic. Point 6 Consider the sins of the times Davids eyes gush out with teares to see men transgresse the Law Psal 119.136 Soe Lots heart was vexed dayly with the sinnes of the people amongst whom hee liued 2. Pet. 2.8 And blessed are they that mourne so Math. 5.4 Obserue these severall branches well thou shalt finde sins enow to mourne for Second Act. Now for the 2 Act. viz. A right apprehension of Gods wrath and fierce indignatiō the pure eye of God against sin Now the Christian oftentimes cōplaines that hee cannot apprehend Gods wrath sufficiently Let him take these helpes Helpe 1 The severity of Gods Iudgement against sin for which He threw downe the Angels frō Heaven to be Divels for ever which might haue done him abundance of glory and that as some thinke but for a thought For but eating an apple which some count a small fault hee cast Adam out of Paradice and sent a world of misery vpon him and his posterity Hee drowned the world Gen 7. which shews the infinite purity in God not to abide sinne Hee burnt Sodome for those very sinnes now reigning amongst vs. Ezec. 16.49 Hee rejected the Iewes which were his most deare people for they soe provoked GOD that they are now no nation and his wrath hath so fiercely seized on them that they are most cursed vagabonds and soe haue beene a thousand sixe hundred yeares Consider he hath created horrour of conscience which is a hell vpon earth for the punishment of sin but aboue all the torments of hell that woefull place and state prepared for the wicked where the greater part of the world shall be howling for ever Helpe 2 Consider how hard a thing it is to get pardon for sinne in that the Iustice of God was hard to be satisfied Imagine all the world were turned into a masse or lumpe of gold the stones of the streetes into precious pearles and the Sea and Rivers all flowing with liquid streames of most pure gold Mic. 6 7. they would not satisfie the wrath of God for the least sinne if all the Angels and creatures in heaven and earth had joyned together and made one fervent prayer for mans sinne nay if they had offered thēselues to haue beene annihilated it could never haue beene effected nay if the Sonne of God himselfe should haue supplicated his Father with most earnest intreaties hee could not haue been heard vnlesse he had taken our flesh vpon him and suffered what divels men could imagine to inflict vpon him Which well considered there is infinite cause to bring vs to a sense of Gods wrath that he should lay and suffer such infinite torments to be on him that hee cryes out vnto God My God my God why hast thou forsaken mee Though hee loued him infinitely as himselfe yet hee would haue his Iustice satisfied Helpe 3 The vnresistable comming of God against
sinners though hee is wonderfull ready and easie to be intreated whilst hee vouchsafeth a day of visitation But if men will withstand the day then he comes in devouring rage and his wrath being once kindled shall burne to the bottome of hell thē his Arrowes shall drinke blood and eate flesh Hosea 13.8 then will hee meete them as a Beare robbed of her whelpes teare in pieces when there is none to helpe Psal 7.2 And Esay 66.15 is set downe the manner of his comming with fire and Chariots like a whirlewinde Helpe 4 Gods holinesse which opposeth sin and is contrary to it that hee lookes not on the least sinne with the least allowance Third Act. Get a sense of the vnspeakeable misery thou art lyable vnto by reason of sinne for which purpose consider all thy sins with their circumstances as of times past present and to come Time past Looke backe vpon all thy sinnes past that ever thou committedst all thou hast beene guilty of ever since thou wast borne originall or actuall knowne or vnknowne of thought word and deede They are written with a pen of iron and with the point of a diamond not to be raced out they are all vpon Record and now lye as so many sleeping Lyons gathering strength and vigour against such time as the Lord shall awake the conscience and then they will appeare rent thy soule in pieces I say let naturall men cōsider of this point and they shall see themselues miserable for there are some for a small sin put to such frights as they could not be comforted in a long space as some who hauing an adulterous project without any actual pollution and others who hauing found a trifle and made no conscience to restore it by the light of naturall conscience knowing they did not as they would be done by were put into vnspeakable horrour and some who hauing an vnworthy thought of God were put into such amazement that they wisht they had never beene If these for such small things in mens account haue come to such a passe that they tooke no delight in any earthly thing but are put to their wits end ready to make away themselues wishing themselues annihilated thē what tearing of haire what horrour of conscience will seize vpon thee on thy bed of death with what a gashly countenance wilt thou looke vpon that blacke and hellish Catalogue of all thy sins as lies oathes raylings scoffings at Gods people rotten speeches bedlam passions goods ill gotten time ill spent prophanatiō of Sabboaths and killing Christ at every Sacrament as all naturall men doe These shall be summoned before thee charged vpon thy conscience by the just God then consider in proportion what horror will be in thine heart no heart can conceiue it nor tongue of men and Angels vtter it Now then attend and let none blesse themselues say I never felt this misery therfore it shall never hurt mee I tell the it is the perfection of thy misery that thou art insensible of it to be soule-sicke and feele it not is the complement of miserie and the reasons why thou canst not see it are these seaven Reas 1 The divell while thou art his will not trouble thee hee is a Politician of almost sixe thousand yeares experience knowes if once thou see thy sinnes hee shall loose thee therfore hee blindes thee Reas 2 Thy conscience is lull'd asleepe with carnall pleasure and worldly contentments Reas 3 A bucket of water is heavy on earth in its owne place it is not soe When men are meerely naturall sinne is in its owne place and the weight is not felt Reas 4 The conscience of a naturall man is like a wolfe in a mans body while it s fed with carnall friends good fellowship some great busines of the world c. it s quiet but take this away and then it s felt Reas 5 A naturall man is spiritually dead Ephes 2.1 a dead man feeles no weight you know Reas 6 Hee lookes on sin through false glasses as vpon covetousnes vsury through the glasse of good husbandry so prodigality through the glasse of liberality Reas 7 For want of consideratiō If we would by our selues consider when the Minister presseth Sabbath breaking or any other sinne and say this is my case but now by the mercy of God I will be humbled this would much helpe vs to see our misery Thou hast had thy hand in murthering many a soule all thy drunken companions thy brethren in iniquity many peradventure with whō thou hast conversed are dead and in hell long agoe thou art guilty of the damnation of their soules Cain was a cursed man had a brand vpon him for killing but a man then how will the murthering of soe many soules affright thee if thou hast beene a meanes to set them to Hell as For thy wife thou shouldst haue liued with her as a man of knowledge For thy Children thou shouldst haue catechised them and brought them vp in religion For thy servants it may be thy example hath made them swear lye c How wil their soules curse thee in the pitte of hell and curse that time that ever they first saw thee but no carnall man will beleeue this till they feele it Thou hast beene the slaue of Sathan worse then a Turkish Gally-slaue all thy life for whē thou mightest haue beene Gods Free-man and wouldest not the divell hath bid thee lye sweare breake Gods sabboath c. thou hast obeyed him and beene thee divels drudge The Turkish fetters are but cold iron at the worst but thine be invisible chaines of eternall damnation Hee scourgeth thy naked soule with invisible scorpions feeds thee every day with fire and brimstone When thou art out of the Turkish slavery thou mayest be a man againe but here Sathan scourgeth thee and thou seest it not hee feedeth thee with poyson and thou tastest it not And shortly he will locke thee vp in perpetuall torments where thou shalt never be freede from Divels First For present time now thou art in health thou thinkest all is well but know to the contrary whilst thou art but naturall and vnconverted Thou doshonourest God in a high degree thou provokest the glory of his pure eye every day by every sinne thou committest Thou tramplest vnder foote the blood of Christ in every Sacrament if thou beest not a convert The Spirit puts good motions into thy heart as at this time it may be thou resoluest by the mercy of God to leaue all thy former wayes and be Gods servant but presently thou stiflest it by worldly talke and thy old companions The Angels offer to guard thee but thou refusest their attendance and denyest to be vnder their protection while thou wādrest out of thy wayes To Gods children thou art as a goade in their sides Thou drawest wife and children neighbours and all thou canst to Hell by thy ill example c. The creatures
humble heart Helpe 5 Get this and get all Thou gettest true title and interest vnto the passion of Christ and all the cōforts in the booke of God the promises both of this life and of that to come Sixt Act. Get an outward bewayling with heart-pearcing confession where Helpe 1 Consider first the practice of the Saints of God They powred out teares as men water out of Buckets 1. Sam. 7. Mary washed Christs feete with her teares The Publican strucke on his breast with a sorrowfull acknowledgemēt of his sinnes Helpe 2 Consider secondly thy hands eies and tongue and heart haue beene instruments of Gods dishonour therefore by rule of proportion thou shouldst haue the workes of thy hands instrumentall demonstrations of repentance thy eyes fountaines of teares thy tongue should vtter and heart suffer griefe Helpe 3 Consider that for outward things men will weepe teares as for dejection from high places losses crosses in wife or children as David for Absolon so it is with many what wringing their hands tearing their haire bitter crying c. Then the losse of Christ who is infinitely better than husband wife child or any thing in the world this this how should it breake thy heart If all Iobs troubles were on thee and could wring one teare from thee then one sinne should wring blood from thy heart Seventh Act. Get a hatred and aversion in thy will from sin considering these three helpes What sinne is in it selfe How God is provoked with it How thou art hurt by it Helpe 1 What sinne is Sinne in it selfe is fouler than any fiend in hell because it made that so as fire is hotter then water that is heat It 's extreamely ill nothing comes neare it I consider of sinne here in the abstract so it s a greater ill than the damnation of a mans soule for when two ills fight together that which cōquers must needes be the greater now when a man hath lyen in hell ten thousand yeares hee is as farre from comming out as ever for the eternall duration in hell cannot expiate sinne It s most infectious It 's compared to a Leprosie for The first sinne that peeped into the world stayned the beauty of it no sooner sinne was committed by Adam but the Stars seemed impure in Gods sight the beasts were at variance the earth full of brambles and all things cursed Secondly it sowred all natural religious and civill actions Thirdly if a man in authority be sinfull all vnder him will be infected Sin is most filthy compared to the most vile things that can be named to menstruous ragges the vomite of doggs c. Nay not any dirt or filthy thing can staine a Sunne-beame but sin staines a more glorious creature which is the soule of man Sin is of that hellish nature that it drawes out takes in to it selfe the wrath of God Sin is full of cursed consequences Privatiue Positiue Privatiue losse of Gods favour the blood of Christ the guard of Angels peace of conscience c. Positiue it brings all misery spirituall hardnesse of heart blindnesse of minde horrour of conscience despaire c. with all temporall losses and crosses here and hereafter eternall torments of soule and body Helpe 2 God is provoked with it Each sinne is the only object of Gods infinite hatred His loue is diversified to himselfe his Sonne the Angels the creatures but his hatred is confined onely to sinne What infinite of infinites of hatred hast thou on thy soule with all thy sinnes when each sinne hath the infinite hatred of God vpon it Each sin is against the Majesty of that dreadfull Lord of Heaven and earth who can turne all things into hell nay heavē hell into nothing by his word Now against this God thou sinnest what art thou but dust and ashes a bagge of filth and flegme and all that 's naught And what is thy life but a span a bubble a dreame a shadow of a dreame And shall such a thing offend such a God Every sin strikes at the glory of Gods pure eye Sin is that which killed his Sonne the least sinne could not be pardoned but by Christs carrying his heart blood to his Father and offering it for sinne Each sinne is an offence to all his mercies This aggravated the sinne vpon Eli 1. Sam. 2.29 David 2. Sam. 12.8.9 c. Mercy is the most eminent attribute of God and therefore the sinne against it is the greater What therefore are our sins in the time of the Gospell Helpe 3 Consider how thou art hurt by it for Each sin kills thy soule which it better then the world Mat. 16.29 Each sinne bring it never soe much pleasure in the committing leaues a threefold sting Naturall Temporall Immortall Naturall after worldly pleasure comes melancholly properly either because it lasted no longer or they had no more delight in it c. That as all waters end in the salt sea so all worldly joyes are swallowed vp in sorrowes bottomlesse gulfe Temporall ther 's labour in getting care in keeping and sorrow in parting with worldly goods Immortall God will call thee to judgment for it Each sin robbes thee of abundance of comfort What a vast difference do we see in conquering sin and being conquered by sinne as for instance in Ioseph and David the one raised after his cōquest to much honour the other scarce enjoyed one good day after hee was conquered but as Ezekias walked heavily in the bitternesse of his soule all his dayes As some Divines haue said of Guliacius and Spira the one is honour'd in Calvins Epistles for ever the other after his backsliding liued a while in exquisite horror and after dyed in despaire Thy owne conscience will accuse thee one day for every sinne though now it seemes hid to thee and thy conscience is more then a thousand witnesses therefore thou wilt certainely be overthrowne For the sins which peradventure thou liuest now in and accountest but petty and veniall many poore soules are at this instant burning in hell for What misery and hurt then attends on thee for the same Eight Act. Get a strong reasoning in thy minde against sinne as first these three grand reasons Reas 1 The horrour of hell Therefore Christians wrong themselues that will not vse this as a motiue the vnquenchable wrath of God shall feede vpon thy soule if thou committest this sinne Reas 2 The joyes of heavē I shall dwell with God for ever if beleeving I make conscience of every sin as an evidence and fruit of saving faith Reas 3 And aboue all the glory of God if Gods glory and the damnation of our soules were in a ballance his glory should preponderate and prevaile while wee preferre Gods glory aboue our owne salvation Moses and Paul would haue done that although wee cannot seeke it but in and by our salvation as the meanes is subordinate to the end Secondly from every line in Gods booke His attributes as