which you are bound Ah! who can thus look upon his chains his sins and not loathe them and not labour for freedome from them Justinus the Emperours Motto was Libert as res inestimabilis liberty is unvaluable if civil liberty bee surely spiritual liberty is much more if you ask souls that were once in a state of bondage but are now Christs free-men they will tell you so It was a good observation of Chrysostome Chrysost Hom. 19. in prior Epist ad Corinth that Joseph was the free-man and his Mistrisse was the servant when shee was at the beck of her own lusts when shee tempted and hee refused Such as live most above sin and temptation are the greatest freemen others that live under the power of their lusts are but slaves and in bonds though they dream and talk of freedome Tit. 3.3 Thirdly If you would break league with sin and arm and fence your selves against it then look alwayes upon sin under the notion of fire Jude 23. Arpazontes signifies a violent snatching as the tender-hearted Mother to save the life of her child pulls it hastily and with violence out of the fire And others save with fear pulling them out of the fire Oh! snatch them out of their sins as you would snatch a child a friend out of the fire or as the Angel snatch't Lot out of Sodom hastily and with a holy violence natural fire may burn the house the goods the treasure the servant the child the wife the body but this fire burns the soul it destroies and consumes that noble part which is more worth than all the treasures of a thousand worlds every man hath a hand and a heart to quench the fire which burns his neighbours house but few men have either hands or hearts to quench the fire that burns their neighbors souls this is and this shall bee for a lamentation D. Denisons theeefold resolution part 2. Sect. 2. I have read of one who upon the violence of any temptation to sin would lay his hand on burning coals and being not able to abide it would say to himself Oh how unable shall I be to indure the pains of hell and this restrained him from evil but what is the fire of hell to the fire of sin now to provoke you to look upon sin under the notion of fire consider with mee the sundry resemblances between material immaterial fire between corporal common fire and between this spiritual fire Sin As First Fire is terrible and dreadful a ship on fire a house on fire Oh how dreadful is it so sin set home upon the conscience is exceeding terrible and dreadful Mine iniquity so the Hebrew is greater than I can bear sin or iniquity is often put for the punishment of sin by a Metonymie of the efficient for the effect Gen. 4.13 Mentiris Cain thou lyest Cain saith one on the Text. for sin is the natural Parent of punishment Mine iniquity saith Cain is so great and lies so heavy so terrible and dreadful upon my conscience that it cannot bee forgiven and thus by his diffidence hee stabs two at once the mercy of God and his own soul So Judas Mat. 27.3 4 5. I have sinned in that I have betrayed innocent blood and hee went and hanged himself As there is no fighting with a mighty fire so there is no bearing up when God sets home sin upon the conscience a man will then chuse strangling or hanging rather than living under such wounds and lashes of conscience Histories abounds with instances of this nature but I must hasten to a close Secondly Fire is most dangerous and pernicious when it breaks forth of the chimny or of the house so it is with sin Sin is bad in the eye 2 Sam. 12.9 10 11 12 13 14 15. worse in the tongue worser in the heart but worst of all in the life Fire when out of its proper place may do much hurt in the house but when it flames abroad then it doth most mischief to others Sin in the heart may undo a man but sin in the life may undo others as well as a mans self Set a guard upon thy eye Job 31.1 Prov. 4.23 Ephes 5.15 a greater upon thy heart but the greatest of all upon thy life Salvian relates how the Heathen did reproach some Christians Salvianus de G. D. l. 4. who by their lewd lives made the Gospel of Christ to be a reproach where said they is that good Law which they do beleeve where are those rules of godlinesse which they do learn they read the holy Gospel and yet are unclean they hear the Apostles writings and yet are drunk they follow Christ and yet disobey Christ they professe a holy Law and yet do lead impure lives But the lives of other Christians have been so holy that the very Heathens observing them have said surely this is a good God whose servants are so good It is brave when the life of a Christian is a commentary upon Christs life One speaking of the Scripture Augustin saith verba vivenda non legenda they are words to bee lived and practised not read only Plutarch A Heathen adviseth us to demean our selves so circumspectly as if our enemies did alwaies behold us And saith another for shame Epictetus either live as Stoicks or leave off the name of stoicks Sirs live as Christians or lye down the name of Christians Thirdly Fire hardens it makes the weak and limber clay to become stiff and strong for the Potters use So sin hardens it hardens the heart against the commands of God the calls of Christ Jer. 5.3 ch 19. ult Isa 9.13 and the wrestlings of the Spirit As you see in Pharaoh the Jews and most that are under the sound of the Gospel Ah! how many hath this fire sin hardened in these daies by working them to slight soul-softening means Jer. 2.25 ch 18.12 and by drawing them to entertain hardening-thoughts of God and to fall in with soul-hardening company and soul-hardening Principles and soul-hardening examples of hardened and unsensible sinners one long since thus complained that they did patientius ferre Christi jacturam quam suam more calmly passe by the injuries done to Christ than those which are done unto themselves this age is full of such hardened unsensible souls Fourthly Fire is a lively active element so is sin Gen. 22. Psal 51. Job 3. Mat. 26. Rom. 1.15 c. Ah how lively and active was this fire in Abraham David Job Peter Paul and other Saints though Christ by his death hath given it its mortal wound yet it lives and is and will be active in the dearest Saints Though sin and grace were not born together neither shall they dye together yet while beleevers live in this world they must live together There is a History that speaks of a Fig-tree that grew in a stone wall and all means was used to kill it they cut
sacrifice should dye and suffer for our sins in the flower of his age Consider Christ loved poor Sinners and gave himself for them when hee was in the prime of his age being supposed to bee about thirty and three and will you put him off with the worst of your time Ah! Young men young men Christ gave himself up to death hee made himself an offering for your sins for your sakes when he was in the prime and flower of his age and why then should you put off Christ to old age Did he dye for Sin in the prime of his age and will not you dye to sinne in the prime of your age Did he offer himself for you in the spring and morning of his years and will not you offer up your selves to him in the spring and morning of your years Rom. 12.1 2 O give not Christ cause to say I dyed for you betimes but you have not lived to mee betimes I was early in my suffering for you but you have not been early in your returning to mee I made haste to compleat your redemption but you have made no haste to make sure your vocation and election I stayed not 2 Pet. 1.10 I lingered not but soon suffered what I was to suffer and quickly did what was to be done for your eternal welfare but you have stayed and lingered like Lot in Sodom and have not done what you might have done in order to your everlasting good Gen. 19.16 in the Prime-rose of my days I sweat for you I wept for you I bled for you I hung on the cross for you I bore the wrath of my father for you but you have not in the Primrose of your days sweat under the sense of divine displeasure nor wept over your sins nor mourned over mee whom you have so often grieved and pierced Zach. 12.10 I could not be quiet nor satisfied till I had put you into a capacity into a possibility of Salvation and yet you are well enough quieted and satisfied though you do not know whether ever you shall bee saved Ah Sirs how sad would it be with you if Jesus Christ should secretly thus expostulate with your consciences in this your day Oh! how terrible would it bee with you if Christ should thus visibly plead against you in his great day Ah! Young men young men and women who but souls much left of God blinded by Satan 2 Cor. 4.3 4 and hardned in sin can hear Jesus Christ speaking thus to them I suffered for Sinners betimes I laid down a ransome for souls betimes I pacified my fathers wrath betimes I satisfied my fathers justice betimes I merited grace and mercy for Sinners betimes I brought in an everlasting righteousness upon the world betimes c. I say who can hear Jesus Christ speaking thus and his heart not fall in love and league with Christ and his soul not unite to Christ and resign to Christ and cleave to Christ and for ever be one with Christ except it be such that are for ever left by Christ Well remember this Quanto pro nobis vilior tanto nobis charior the more vild Christ made himself for us the more dear he ought to be unto us Ah! Young men remember this when Christ was young hee was tempted and tryed when he was in the morning of his dayes his wounds were deep his burden weighty Nolo vivere sine vulnere cum te video vulneratum Bonaventur Oh my Gâ—â— as long as I see thy wounds I will never live without wound his cup bitter his sweat painful his agony and torment above conception beyond expression when he was young that blessed head of his was crowned with thornes and those eyes of his that were purer than the Sunne were put out by the darkness of death and those ears of his which now hears nothing but Hallelujahs of Saints and Angels were filled with the blasphemies of the multitude and that blessed beautiful face of his which was fairer than the sons of men was spit on by beastly filthy wretches Aut Deus naturae pa titur aut mundi machina dissolvitur said Dionysius Alexandrinus Either the God of nature suffered or the frame of the world will be dissolved and that gracious mouth and tongue that spake as never man spake was slandered and accused of blasphemy and those hands of his which healed the sick which gave out pardons which swayed a Scepter in heaven and another on earth were nailed to the Cross and those feet that were beautiful upon the mountains that brought the glad tidings of peace and salvation into the World and that were like unto fine brass were also nailed to the cross All these great and sad things did Jesus Christ suffer for you in the prime and flower of his days and Oh! what an unspeakable provocation should this be to all young ones to give up themselves betimes to Christ to serve love honour and obey him betimes even in the spring and morning of their youth Let the thoughts of a crucified Christ saith one be never out of your mind let them be meat and drink unto you let them be your sweetness and consolation your honey and your desire your reading and your meditation your life death and resurrection The third motive or consideration to provoke you to begin to be good betimes is this viz. The Philosopher once said solus sapiens dives onely the wise man is the rich man that it is the best and choicest way in the world to be rich in gracious experiences betimes which are the best riches in all the world as hee that sets up for himself betimes is in the most hopeful way to bee rich betimes so he that is good in good earnest betimes hee is in the ready way the high-way of being rich in grace and rich in goodness they usually prove men of great observation and great experience God loves to shew these his beauty Psal 63.1 2. Exod. 3.3.19.22 c. Psal 65.11 12 and his glory in his sanctuary He delights to cause his glory and his goodness to pass before such these shall finde all his paths drop marrow and fatness for these the Lord of hosts will make a feast of fat things Ifa 25.6 a feast of wines on the lees of fat things full of marrow of wines on the lees well refined these shall have all manner of pleasant fruits laid up at their gates for their well beloved Can. 7.13 none have so many choice pledges of Christs love nor so many sweet kisses of Christs mouth nor so many imbraces in Christs arms as those souls that are good betimes O the grace the goodness the sweetness the fatnesse that Christ is still a droping into their hearts Christ will make their hearts his largest treasury hee 'l lay up most of his heavenly treasure in their souls Earthly Riches are full of Poverty Divitiae corporales paupertatis
men remember this the frequent the serious thoughts of death will prevent many a sin 2 Pet. 1. 13 14. Eccles 9.10 it will arm you against many temptations it will secure you from many afflictions it will keep you from doting on the World it will make you do much in a little time it will make death easy when it comes and it will make you look out betimes for a Kingdome that shakes not for riches that corrupt not and for glory that fadeth not away Therefore do not O do not put the day of death farre from you Take heed of crying Cras Cras to morrow to morrow saith Luther for a man lives forty years before hee knows himself to bee a fool and by that time hee sees his folly his life is finished so men dye before they begin to live Secondly If you would bee good betimes then take heed of leaning to your own understanding This Counsell wise Solomon gives to his son or the young men in his time My sonne forget not my Law Prov. 3.1.5 Lean not is a Metaphor from an old or sick man leaning on his staff c. but let thy heart keep my Commandements Trust in the Lord with all thy heart and lean not to thy own understanding Youth is the age of folly of vain-hopes and over-grown confidence Ah! how wise might many have been had they not been too early wise in their own opinion Rehoboams young Counsellors proved the overthrow of his Kingdome T is brave for youth in all things to bee discreet and sober minded Three vertues they say are prime ornaments of youth modesty silence and obedience Ah! Young men keep close in every action to this one principle viz. in every action resolve to bee discreet and wise rather than affectionate and singular I Remember that a young Gentleman of Athens being to answer for his life hired an Orator to make his defence and it pleased him well at his first reading but when the young man by often reading it that hee might recite it publikely by heart begunne to grow weary and displeased with it the Orator bid him consider that the Jâ—dges and the People were to hâ—ar it but once and then it was lâ—kely that they at the first instant might bee as well pleased as he Ah! Young men your leaning upon your selves or upon others will in the end bee bitternesse and vexation of spirit Young men are very apt to lean on their own Wit Wisdome Arts parts as old men are to lean on a staffe to support them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Hebrew word signifies that is rendered lean Shagnan in that of Prov. 3.5 this hath been the bane of many a choice Wit the loss of many a brave head the ruine of many a subtile pate Ajax thought it was for cowards and weaklings to lean upon the Lord for succour not for him whence hee was foiled lean not to great parts lean not to natural or acquired accomplishments least you loose them and your selves too Leaning to natural or moral excellencies is the ready way to bee stript oâ— all Babylon that bore her selâ— bold upon her high Towers thick walls and twenty yearâ— provision laid in for a siege waâ— surprized by Cyrus T was said of Caesar that hee received not his wounds from the swords of enemies but from the hands of friends that is from trusting in them Ah! How many young men have been wounded yea slain by trusting to their own understanding their own abilities T was an excellent saying of Austin in te stas et non stas he that stands upon his own strength shall never stand A Creature if like a single drop left to it self it spends and wastes it self presently but if like a drop in the fountain and Ocean of being it hath abundance of security Ah! Young men Young men 2 Pet. 1.4 Psal 27.1 if you will needs be leaning then lean upon precious Promises lean upon the rock that is higher than your selves lean upon the Lord Jesus Christ as John did who was the youngest of all the Disciples and the most beloved of all the Disciples John 21.20 ch 13.23 John leaned much and Christ loved him much O lean upon Christs wisdome for direction lean upon his power for protection Can. 8.5 lean upon his Purse his fulness for Provision lean upon his eye for approbation lean upon his righteousness for justification lean upon his blood for remission lean upon his merits for salvation As the young Vine without her wall to support her will fall and sink So will you young men without Christ puts under his everlasting armes to support you and uphold you therefore above all leanings lean upon him by leaning on him you will engage him by leaning on him you will gain more honor than you can give by leaning on him you may even command him and make him eternally yours c. Thirdly If you would bee good betimes if you would seek and serve the Lord in the spring and morning of your dayes then take heed of flatterers and flatterie Ah! how many Young men might have been very good who are now exceeding bad by hearkning to flatterers and affecting flattery Flattery undid young Rehoboam 1 Kin. 12. and ch 22. Act. 12.22.23 24. Ahab Herod Nero Alexander c. Flatterers are soul-murderers they are soul-undoers they are like evil Chyrurgions that skin over the wound but never heal it Anastatius the Emperours motto was mellitum venenum blanda oratio smooth talk proves often sweet Poyson Flattery is the very spring and mother of all impiety it blows the Trumpet and draws poor souls into rebellion against God as Sheba drew Israel to rebel against David it put our first Parents upon tasting the forbidden fruit it put Absolou upon dethroning of his father it put Haman upon plotting the ruine of the Jews it put Corah Dathan and Abiram upon rebelling against Moses it makes men call evil good and good evil darknesse light and light darkness c. it puts persons upon neglecting the means of Grace upon undervaluing the means of Grace and upon contemning the means of Grace it puts men upon abasing God slighting Christ and vexing the spirit it unmans a man it makes him call black white and white black it makes a man change Pearls for Pebles and Gold for Counters The Flatterers told Dionysius that his spittle was as sweet as honey Rev. 3.17 18 it makes a man judge himself wise when hee is foolish knowing when hee is ignorant holy when hee is Prophane free when hee is a Prisoner rich when hee is Poor high when hee is low full when hee is empty happy when he is miserable Ah! Young men young men take heed of Flatterers they are the very worst of sinners they are left of God blinded by Satan hardned in sin and ripened for hel God declares sadly against them and that in his word and in his works in
all worldly delights and contents c. Secondly In pardon of Sin Blessed is hee whose transgression is forgiven whose Sinne is covered Psal 32.1 2 Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity and in whose spirit there is no guile It is not blessed is the honourable man but blessed is the pardoned man it is not blessed is the rich man but blessed is the pardoned man it is not blessed is the learned man but blessed is the pardoned man it is not blessed is the politick man but blessed is the pardoned man it is not blessed is the victorious man but blessed is the pardoned man Do with me what thou wilt since thou hast pardoned my sins saith Luther Thirdly In a compleat fruition and enjoyment of God when wee shall be here no more Blessed are the pure in heart Mat. 5.8 for they shall see God Now they see him but darkly 1 Cor. 13.12 but in heaven they shall see him face to face they shall know as they are known but of these things I have spoken largely elsewhere and therefore shall satisfy my self with these hints Lastly If you would be good betimes then you must break your covenant with sin betimes you must fall out with your lusts betimes you must arme and fence your selves against Sin betimes Isa 28 15.18 a man never beginnes to fall in with Christ till hee beginnes to fall out with his Sins till sin and the soul bee two Christ and the soul cannot be one Now to work your hearts to this you should alwayes look upon sin under these notions First If you would have the league dissolved betwixt sin and your souls betimes then look upon sin under the notion of an enemy betimes Dearly beloved 1 Pet. 2.11 Sins especially against knowledge are peccata vulner antia et divastantia wounding and wasting I befeech you as strangers and Pilgrims abstain from fleshly lusts which warre against the soul As the Viper is killed by the young ones in her belly so are poor Sinners betraied and killed by their own lusts that are nourished in their bosomes Pittacus a Philosopher challenging Phlyon the Athenian Captain in their warres against them to single combate carried a net privily and so caught him and overcame him So doth Sin with poor Sinners the dangerous pernicious malignant nature of Sinne you may see in the story of the Italian who first made his Enemy deny God and then stabbed him to the heart and so at once murdered both body and soul Sin betrayes us into the hand of the Devil as Dalilah did Sampson into the hands of the Philistims Sugred poysons go down pleasantly Oh! But when they are down they gall and gnaw and gripe the very heart-strings asunder it is so with sin Ah! Souls have not you often found it so When Phocas the Murderer thought to secure himself by building high-walls he heard a voice from heaven telling him that though he built his bulwarks ever so high yet Sinne within would soon undermine all Ambrose reports of one Theotimus that having a disease upon his body the Physitian told him that except hee did abstain from intemperance Drunkenness Uncleanness he would loose his eyes his heart was so desperately set upon his Sins that he crys out then vale lumen amicum farewel sweet light Ah! how did his lusts warre both against body and soul The Old man is like a treacherous friend and a friendly Traitour though it be a harder thing to fight with a mans lusts than it is to fight with the Cross yet you must fight or dye if you are not the death of your Sins they will prove the death of your souls The Oracle told the Cirrheans diesque belli gerendum they could not be happy unless they waged warre night and day As one of the Dukes of Venice dyed fighting against the Nauratines with his weapons in his hand no more can wee except wee live and dye fighting against our lusts Ah Young men Can you look upon Sin under the notion of an enemy and not break with it and not arm against it Well remember this the pleasure and sweetness that follows victory over sin is a thousand times beyond that seeming sweetnesse that is in sin and as victory over sin is the sweetest victory so it is the greatest victory there is no conquest to that which is gotten over a mans own corruptions Hee that is slow to anger is better than the mighty and hee that ruleth his spirit than hee that taketh a City It is noble to overcome an enemy without but it is more noble to overcome an enemy within it is honourable to overcome fiery flames but it is far more honourable to overcome fiery lusts When Valentinian the Emperour was upon his dying-bed among all his victories only one comforted him Rom. 7.22 23 2 Cor. 10.3 4 5 6. Gal. 5.17 and that was victory over his worst enemy viz. his own naughty heart Ah young men young men your worst enemies are within you and all their plots designs and assaults are upon your souls your most noble part they know if that fort Royal bee won all is their own and you are undone and shall bee their slaves for ever and therefore it stands you upon to arm your selves against these inbred enemies and if you ingage Christ in the quarrel you will carry the day and when you shall lye upon your dying-beds you will then finde that there is no comfort to that which ariseth from the conquests of your own hearts your own lusts Secondly If you would break covenant with sin if you would arme and fence your selves against sin betimes 2 Pet. 3.6 Gal. 3.10 Joh. 8.34 then look upon sin as the souls bonds for as bonds tie things together so doth sin tie the sinner and the curse together it bindes the sinner and wrath together it links the sinner and hell together I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitternesse and in the bond of iniquity iniquity is a chain a bond now bonds and chains gall the body and so do sin the soul and as poor captives are held fast in their chains so are sinners in their sins they cannot redeem themselves by price 2 Tim. 2. uit nor by power Ah young men young men no bondage to soul-bondage no slavery to soul-slavery the Israelites bondage under Pharaoh and the Christians bondage under the Turks Augustine saith of Rome that shee was the great Mistriss of the world and the great drudge of sin is but the bondage of the body of the baser and ignoble part of man but yours is soul-bondage soul-slavery which is the saddest and greatest of all Ah friends You should never look upon your sins but you should look upon them as your bonds yea as the worst bonds that ever were all other chains are golden chains chains of Pearl compared to those chains of Iron and Brasse those chains of lusts with
off the branches and it grew again they cut down the body and it grew again Isedore the Monk was very much out who vaunted that hee had felt in himself no motion to sin forty years together they cut it up by the root and still it lived and grew untill they pulled down the stone-wall till death shall pull down our stone-walls Sin will live this fire will burn Wee may say of sin as some say of Cats that they have many lives kill them and they will live again kill them again and they will live again so kill sin once and it will live again kill it again and it will live again c. Sin oftentimes is like that Monster Hydra cut off one head and many will rise up in its room Fifthly Fire is of a penetrating nature Isa 1.5 6. Rom. 7.13.17 Sin is malum Catholicum A Catholick evil Quodcunque in peccato peccatum est whatsoever is in sin is sin it peirceth and windeth it self into every corner and chinck and so doth sin winde it self into our thoughts words and works it will winde it self into our understandings to darken them and into our judgements to pervert them and into our wills to poison them and into our affections to disorder them and into our consciences to corrupt them and into our carriages to debase them Sin will winde it self into every duty and every mercy it will winde it self into every one of our enjoyments and concernments Hannibal having overcome the Romans put on their armour on his shoulders and so by that policy they being taken for Romans won a City but what are Hannibals wiles to sins wiles or Satans wiles if you have a minde to bee acquainted with their wiles look over my Treatise called Precious Remedies against Satans Devices Sixthly and lastly Fire is a devouring a consuming Element Psal 21.9 it turns all fuel into ashes It is a Woolf that eats up all 2 Pet. 2.5 6. Pro. 6.32 Eccles 9.18 Prov. 13.13 ch 20.29.1 Pro. 11.3 ch 15.25 ch 21.7 so Sin is a fire that devours and consumes all it turned Sodom and Gomorah into ashes it hath destroyed the Caldaean Persian and Graecian Kingdomes and will at last destroy the Roman Kingdome also this Woolf ate up Sampsons strength Absoloms beauty Achitophels policy and Herods glory c. It hath drowned one world already and will at last burn another even this Oh the hopes the hearts the happinesse the joyes the comforts the souls that this fire Sin hath consumed and destroyed c. Peter Camois Bishop of Betty in France in his draught of Eternity Num. 75. tells us that some devout personages caused those words of the Prophet Isaiah to bee written in letters of gold upon their chimny peeces Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire Isa 33.14 who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings Ah young men young men I desire that you may alwaies look upon sin under the notion of fire yea as such fire as laies the foundation for everlasting fire for everlasting burnings and this may work when other things will not I have read of a grave and chaste Matron who being moved to commit folly with a lew'd Russian after some discourse shee call'd for a pan of burning coals requesting him for her sake to hold his finger in them but one hour hee answered it is an unkind request to whom she replyed that seeing hee would not do so much as to put one finger upon the coals for one hour she could not yeild to do that for which shee should bee tormented both body and soul in hell fire for ever The application is easy c. Fourthly If you would break with Sin betimes if you would arm against Sin in the spring and morning of your dayes then you should look upon Sin under the notion of a Thief and indeed Sin is the greatest Theif the greatest Robber in the World it robbed the Angels of all their glory 2 Pet. 2 4 Gen. 3 it robbed Adam of his Paradise and felicity and it hath robbed all the Sons of Adam of five precious Jewels the least of which was more worth than heaven and earth 1 It hath robbed them of the holy and glorious Image of God which would have been fairly engraven upon them had Adam stood c. 2 It hath robbed them of their son-ship and of sons have made them slaves 3 It hath robbed them of their friendship Well did one of the fathers call Pride and Vain-glory the sweet spoiler of spiritual excellencies and a pleasant theif and made them enemies 4 It hath robbed them of their communion and fellowship with Father Son and Spirit and made them Strangers and Aliens 5 It hath robbed them of their glory and made them vile and miserable It hath robbed many a nation of the Gospel and many a parish of many a happy guide and many a Christian of the favour of God the joyes of the spirit and the Peace of Conscience Oh the health the wealth the honor the friends the relations that Sin hath robbed thousands of Nay It hath robbed many of their gifts their arts their parts their memory their judgement yea their very reason as you may see in Pharoah Nebuchadnezzar Belshazzar Achitophel Haman Herod and those Babylonish Princes that accused Daniel And so in Menipus of Phenicia who having lost his goods strangled himself And so Dinarcus Phidon at a certain losse cut his own throat to save the charge of a cord And so Augustus Caesar in whose time Christ was born was so troubled and astonished at the relation of an overthrow from Varrus Suetonius that for certain months together he let the hair of his beard and head grow still and wore it long yea and other whiles would run his head against the doors crying out Quintilius Varrus deliver up my Legions again by all which it is most apparent that Sin is the greatest thief in all the World Oh then who would not break league and covenant with it and be still in pressing of God to do justice upon it c. Fifthly Nah. 1.1 Hab. 1.1 Mal. 11 If you would break with Sin and arm and fence your selves against Sin betimes then you must look upon sinne under the notion of a burden betimes and indeed sin of all burdens is the heaviest burden in all the world Innumerable evils have compassed me about Psal 40.12 mine iniquities have taken hold upon mee so that I am not able to look up they are more than the hairs of my head therefore my heart faileth me and again Mine iniquities are gone over my head saith the same person as an heavy burden Psal 38.4 they are too heavy for mee to bear Sin is a weight that easily besets poor souls Heb. 12.1 it is a burden that so troubles them and puzzles them that so curbs them and girds them Rom. 7.13 ult that so presses and oppresses
upon examples now will finde that a stinging terrifying question when put home by God or conscience who hath required these things at your hands Isa 1 12. But Fourthly I answer company and allurements to sin will bee found no sufficient excuse for sin If Eve lay her fault on the Serpent Gen. 3. and Adam lay his on Eve God will take it off and lay the curse on both Sauls provocation by the people and by Samuels long stay to offer Sacrifice would not bear him out 1 Sam. 15.14 15 26 27. but for his disobedience hee must lose both his Crown and life The young man in the Proverbs Pro. 7.14 15 21. though tempted and solicited by the Harlot yet hath a dart struck thorough his heart though Jonah did plead Gods gracious inclinations to shew mercy and his fear of being disproved yea and though hee might have pleaded his fear of cruel and savage usage from the Ninevites whose hearts were desperately set upon wickednesse And his despair of ever doing good upon a people so blinded and hardened and that they were Gentiles and hee a Jew and why should hee then be sent with so strange so terrible a message to such a people nothing being more hateful and distasteful to a Jewish Palate but all these pleas and excuses will not bear off the blow Jonah must into the Sea for all this Oculos quos peccatum claudit paena apperit Gre. The eyes that sin shuts affliction opens and Jonab found it so yea hee must to the bottom of hell as himself phrases it it is in vain for the bird to complaine that it saw the corn but not the pitfall or for a fish to plead it saw the bait but not the hook So it will bee in vain for sinners at last when they are taken in an infernal pit-fall to plead company and allurements by which they have been intised to undo their souls for ever Dionysius the Sicilian King to excuse himself from the present delivery of the golden garment hee took from his God Apollo answered that such a robe as that was could not bee at any season of the year useful to his god for it would not keep him warm in the winter and it was too heavy for the summer and so put off his Idol god but the God of spirits the God of all flesh will not bee put off with any excuses or pretences when hee shall try and judge the children of men But Fifthly and lastly Mat. 18.7 I answer that it is a very great judgement to bee given up to follow evil examples a man given up to evil examples is a man sadly left of God wofully blinded by Satan and desperately hardened in sin it speaks a man ripe for wrath for ruine for hell Jer. 6.21 * This particle Behold is sometimes a note of derision Gen. 3.22 2 A Note of Attention often Isa 28.6 Mal. 1.1 Luk. 1.20 3 A Note of Admiration often 4 A Note of Asseveration 5 A Note of Castigation in all these senses we may take it here Behold I will lay stumbling blocks before this people and the Fathers and the Sons together shall fall upon them the neighbour and his friend shall perish Oh! it is a dreadful thing when God shall make the sinful examples of others to bee stumbling blocks to a people at which they shall stumble and fall and perish for ever good had it been for such persons that they had never been born as Christ once spake concerning Judas The Rhodians and Lydians enacted several Laws that those sons which followed not their Fathers in their vertues Varro but followed vicious examples should bee dis-inherited and their lands given to the most vertuous of that race not admitting any impious heir whatsoever to inherit and do you think that God will not disinherit all those of Heaven and happinesse who follow vicious examples doubtlesse hee will 1 Cor. 10.5 12. The fifth and last Objection I shall mention is this God is a God of mercy in him are bowels of mercy yea a Sea an Ocean of mercy hee loves mercy hee delights in mercy and hee is ready to shew mercy to poor sinners when they are even at the last cast when there is but a short stride between them and the grave between them and eternity as wee see in his extending mercy to the Theef and in his giving a pardon into his hand and the assurance of Paradise into his bosome when hee was ready to be turned off the Ladder of life and therefore I may spend the Prim-rose of my daies in following sin and the delights profits vanities and contents of this world and at last cast I may have mercy as well as the Theef God is a God made up of mercy and surely hee will not deny some crums of mercy to a poor sinner in misery c. Now to this Objection I shall give these following answers First God is as just as hee is merciful witnesse his casting the Angels out of Heaven and Adam out of Paradise God is as well all hand to punish as hee is all grace to pardon witnesse all the threatnings the curses the woes that the Bible is filled with from one end to the other witnesse the hell the horrour the terrour and amazement that hee raises in the consciences of sinners witnesse the devastations that hee hath made of the most stately flourishing Towns Cities Countries and Kingdomes that have been in all the world witnesse the variety of diseases calamities miseries dangers deaths and hells that alwaies attends the inhabitants of the world but above all witness Christs treading the Wine-press of his fathers wrath witness his hiding his face from him and the pouring out of all his displeasure and vengeance upon him Zaleucus the Locrensian Lawgiver Valerius lib. 6. cap. 5 thrust out one of his own sons eyes for his transgressing of a wholesome Law which hee had enacted but God the father thrust out both Christs eys for our transgressing of his royal Law Oh! the justice severity of God But Secondly I Answer that there is not a greater evidence of blindness prophanenesse hard-heartedness spiritual madness and hellish desperateness in all the World than to make that an Argument an incouragement to sin viz. the mercy of God which should be the greatest Argument under heaven to keep a man from Sin as all know that have but read the scripture neither are there any Sinners in the World that God delights to rain Hell out of Heaven upon Read Isa 22 12 13 14 15 and Ezek. 24.11 12 13 14 as upon such who by their abuse of mercy turns the God of mercy into a God of clâ—â—ts and goes on out-daring justice it self Deut. 29.19 20. And it come to pass when he heareth the words of this curse that he bless himself in his heart saying I shall have Peace God is a God of mercy though I walk in the imagination of