Sermon shall ever doe them good hee robs them of all they get in Gods ordinances within three houres after the market the Sermon is ended 4. He is a strong enemy Luk. 11. 21. So that if all the devills in hell are able to keepe men from comming out of their sinnes he will so strong an enemy that he keepes men from so much as sighing or groaning under their burthens and bondage Luke 11. 21. When the strong man keepes the palace his goods are in peace Fiftly He is cast into utter darknesse as cruell Jaylors put their prisoners into the worst dungeons so Sathan doth naturall men 2 Cor. 4. 3 4. they see no God no Christ they see not the happinesse of the Saints in light they see not these dreadfull torments that should now in this day of grace awaken them and humble them Oh those by paths which thousands wander from God in they have no lamp to their feet to shew them where they erre Thou that art in thy naturall estate art borne blind and the Devill hath blinded thine eyes more by sin and God in justice hath blinded them worse for sinne so that thou art in a corner of hell because thou art in utter darknesse where thou hast not a glimpse of any saving Truth Sixtly They are bound hand and foote in this estate and cannot come out Rom. 5 6. 1 Cor. 2. 14. for all kind of sinnes like chaines have bound every part and faculty of man so that he is sure for stirring and those are very strong in him they being as deare as his members nay his life Col. 3. 7. so that when a man begins to forsake his vile courses and purposeth to become a new man Devils fetch him back world enticeth him and locketh him up and flesh saith oh it is too strict a course and then farewell merry dayes and good fellowship Oh thou mayest wish and desire to come out sometime but canst not put strength to thy desire nor indure to doe it Thou mayest hang downe thy head like a bulrush for sin but thou canst not repent of sinne thou mayst presume but thou canst not beleeve thou mayest come halfe way and forsake some sinnes not all sinnes thou mayest come and knocke at heaven gate as the foolish virgins did but not enter in and passe through the gate thou mayest see the land of Canaan and take much paines to goe into Canaan and thou mayst taste of the bunches of grapes of that good land but never enter into Canaan into heaven but thou lyest bound hand and foot in this woefull estate and here thou must lye rot like a dead carkasse in his grave untill the Lord come and rowle away the stone and bid thee come out and live Lastly They are ready every moment to drop into hell God is a consuming fire against thee and there is but one paper wall of thy body betweene thy soule and eternall flames How soone may God stop thy breath there is nothing but that betweene thee and hell if that were gone then farewell all Thou art condemned and the mufflter is before thine eyes God knowes how soone the ladder may be turned thou hangest but by one rotten◠twined thread of thy life over the flames of hell every houre Thus much of mans present miseries Now followeth his future miseries which are to come upon him hereafter They must die either by a suddaine sullen or desperate death Psal. 89. 48. which though it is to a childe of God a sweet sleepe yet to the wicked it is a fearefull curse proceeding from Gods wrath whence like a Lyon he teares body and soule asunder death commeth hissing upon them like a fiery Dragon with the sting of vengeance in the mouth of it it puts a period to all their worldly contentments which then they must forsake and carry nothing away with them but a rotten winding sheet It 's the beginning of all their woe it 's the captaine that first strikes the stroke and then armies of endlesse woes follow after Revel 6. 2. Oh thou hadst better be a toade or a dogge then a man for ther 's an end of their troubles when they are dead and gone they fall now as men from a sleepe they know not where they shall goe now Repentance is too late especially if thou hast lived under meanes before it 's either a cold Repentance when the body is weake and the heart sicke or an hypocriticall repentance onely for feare of Hell and therefore thou sayest Lord Jesus receive my soule Nay commonly then mens hearts are most hard and therefore men dye like Lambes and cry not out Then it 's hard plucking thy soule from the Devils hands to whom thou hast given it all thy life by sinne and if thou dost get it back dost thou thinke that God will take the devils leavings Now thy day is past and darknesse begins to over-spread thy soule now flocks of Devils come into thy chamber waiting for thy soul to flye upon it as a Mastive Dog when the doore is opened And this is the reason why most men dye quietly that lived wickedly because Satan then hath them as his own prey like Pirats that let a Ship passe by that is empty of goods they shout cōmonly at them that are richly loaden The Christians in some parts of the Primitive Church tooke the Sacrament every day because they did looke to die every day But these times where in we live are so poysoned and glutted with their ease that it is a rare thing to see the man that lookes death stedfastly in the face one houre together but Death will lay a bitter stroake on these one day II. After death they appeare before the Lord to judgement Heb. 9. 27. their bodies indeed rot in their graves but their soules returne before the Lord to judgement Eccles. 12. 7. The generall judgement is at the end of the world when both body and soule appeares before God and all the world to an account But there is a particular judgement that every man meets with after this life immediately at the end of his life where the soule is condemned onely before the Lord. You may perceive what this particular judgement is thus by these 4. conclusions 1. That every man should dye the first day he was borne is cleare for the wages of sinne is death in justice therefore it should be paid a sinfull creature as soone as he is borne 2. That it should be thus with wicked men but that Christ begs their lives for a season 1 Tim. 4. He is the Saviour of all men that is not a Saviour of eternall preservation out of hell but a Saviour of temporall reservation from dropping into Hell 3. That this space of time thus begged by Christ is that season wherein onely a man can make his peace with a displeased God 2 Cor. 6. 2. 4. That if men doe not thus within this cut of time when Death hath
him all his posterity by sin Gen. 3. 1 2 3 c. Now mans misery appeares in these two things 1. His misery in regard of sinne 2. His misery in regard of the consequents of sinne 1. His misery in regard of sinne appeares in these particulars 1. Every man living is borne guilty of Adams sin Now the justice and equity of God in laying this sin to every mans charge though none of Adams posterity personally committed it appeares thus First If Adam standing all mankind had stood then it is equall that he falling all his posterity should fall All our estates were ventured in this ship therefore if we should have been partakers of his gaines if he had continued safe its sit we should be partakers of his losse too But secondly we were all in Adam as a whole countrey in a Parliament-man the whole Countrey doth what he doth And although wee made no particular choyce of Adam to stand for us yet the Lord made it for us who being goodnesse it selfe beares more good will to man than he can or could beare to himselfe and being wisdome it selfe made the wisest choice and took the wisest course for the good of man For this made most for mens safety and quiet for if he had stood all feare of loosing our happy estate had vanish'd whereas if every man had beene left to stand or fall for himselfe a man would ever have beene in feare of falling And again this was the sure way to have all mens estates preserved for having the charge of the estates of all men that ever should be in the world hee was the more pressed to looke the more about him and so to bee more watchfull that he be not robbed and so undoe and procure the curses of so many thousands against him Adam was the Head of mankind and all mankind naturally are members of that head and if the Head invent and plot Treason and the head practise treason against the King or State the whole body iâ— found guilty and the whole body must needs suffer Adam was the poysoned roote and cisterne of all mankind now the branches and streames being in the root and spring originally they therefore are tainted with the same poysonous Principles If these things satisfie not God hath a day comming wherein he will reveale his owne righteous proceedings before men and Angels Rom. 2. 4. Oh that men would consider this sinne and that the consideration of it could humble peoples hearts If any mourne for sinne it is for the most part for other foule actuall sinnes few for this sinne that first made the breach and began the controversie betwixt God and man Next unto the sinne against the Holy Ghost and contempt of the Gospell this is the greatest sinne that cryeth lowdest in Gods eares for vengeance day and night against a world of men For now mens sinnes are against God in their base and low estates but this sinne was committed against Iehovah when man was at the top of his preferment Rebellion of a Traytor on a dunghill is not so great as of a Favorite in the Court Little sinnes against light are made horrible no sinne by any man committed was ever against so much light as Adam had This sin was the first that ever displeased God Drunkennesse deprives God of the glory of sobriety whoring of Chastity but this sinne darkens the very Sunne defaces all the Image of GOD the glory of man and the glory of GOD in man this is the first sin that ever did thee a mischiefe This sinne like a great Captaine hath gathered together all those troops and swarmes of sins that now take hold upon thee Thanke this sinne for an hard heart thou so much complainest of thank this sinne for that hellish darkenesse that overspreads thee This hath raised Satan Death Judgement Hell and Heaven against thee O consider those fearefull sinnes that are packt up in this one evill 1. Fearefull Apostacie from GOD like a Devill 2. Horrible Rebellion against GOD in joyning sides with the Devill and taking GODS greatest enemies part against God 3. Wofull unbeliefe in suspecting Gods threats to be true 4. Fearefull Blasphemy in conceiving the Devill Gods enemy and mans murderer to be more true in his temptations then GOD in his threatning 5. Horrible pride in thinking to make this sin of eating the forbidden fruit to bee a step and a stayre to rise higher and to be like God Himselfe 6. Fearefull contempt of God making bold to rush upon the sword of the threatning secretly not fearing the plague denounced 7. Horrible unthankfulnesse when God had given him all but one tree and yet he must be singring that too 8. Horrible theft in taking that which was none of his owne 9. Horrible Idolatry in doting upon and loving the creature more than God the Creator who is blessed for ever You therefore that now say no man can say blacke is your eye you have lived civilly all your dayes looke upon this one grievous sin take a full view of it which thou hast never shed one teare for as yet and see thy misery by it and wonder at Gods patience He hath spared thee who wast borne branded with it and hast lived guilty of it and must perish for ever for it if the Lord from Heaven pity thee not But here is not all consider secondly every man is borne stark dead in sinne Ephes. 2. 1. he is borne empty of every inward principle of life voyde of all graces and hath no more good in him whatsoever hee thinkes then a dead Carrion hath And hence he is under the power of sin as a dead man is under the power of death and cannot performe any act of life their bodies are living coffins to carry a dead soule up and downe in 'T is true I confesse many wicked men do many good actions as praying hearing almesdeeds but it is not from any inward principle of life Externall motives like plummets on a dead yet artificiall clock set them a running Iehu was zealous but it was only for a kingdome the Pharisees gave alms only â—o be seene of men If one write a Will with a dead mans hand deceased that Will can hold no Law it was not his Will because it was not writ by him by any inward principle of life of his own Pride makes a man preach pride makes a man heare and pray sometimes Selfe-love stirs up strang desires in men so that wee may say this is none of Gods Act by his grace in the soule but Pride and selfe-love Bring a dead man to the fire and chase him and rubbe him you may produce some heate by this externall working upon him but take him from the fire againe and he is soone cold so many a man that lives under a sound Minister under the lashes and knockes of a chiding striving Conscience he hath some heate in him some affections some feares some desires some
sorrowes stirred yet take him from the Minister and his chasing conscience and he grows cold again presently because he wants an inward principle of life Which point might make us to take up a bitter lamentation for every naturall man It is said Exod. 12. 30. that there was a great cry in Egypt for there was not an house wherein there was not one found dead Oh Lord in some townes and families what a world of these are there Dead Husband dead wife dead servants dead children walking up and downe with their sinnes as Fame saith some men doe after death with their grave-cloathes about them and God onely knowes whether ever they shall live againe or not How doe men lament the losse of their dead friends O thou hast a precious soul in thy bosome stark dead therefore lament thine estate and consider it seriously First a dead man cannot stir nor offer to stir A wicked man cannot speake one good word or do any good action if heaven it selfe did lye at stake for doing of it nor offer to shake off his sins nor thinke one good thought Indeed he may speak and think of good things but he cannot have good speeches nor good thoughts as an holy man may thinke of evill things as of the sinnes of the times yet the thought of those evill things is good not evill so è contra Secondly A dead man feares no dangers though never so great though never so neare Let Ministers bring a naturall man tidings of the approach of the devouring plagues of God denounced he feares them not Thirdly A dead man cannot bee drawne to accept of the best offers Let Christ come out of Heaven and fall about the necke of a naturall man and with tears in his eyes beseech him to take his blood himselfe his Kingdome and leave his sinnes hee cannot receive this offer Fourthly A dead man is starke blinde and can see nothing and starke deafe and heares nothing hee cannot taste any thing so a naturall man is starke blind he sees no God no Christ no wrath of the Almighty no glory of Heaven He heares the voyce of a man but he heares not the voyce of God in a Sermon hee savoureth not the things of Gods Spirit Fifthly A dead man is senselesse and seeles nothing so cast mountaines of sinne upon a wicked man he feeles no hurt untill the flames of hell break out upon him Sixtly A dead man is a speechlesse man he cannot speake unlesse it be like a Parret Seventhly he is a breathlesse man A naturall man may say a Prayer or devise a prayer out of his memory and wit or hee may have a few short-winded wishes but to powre out his soule in prayer in the bosome of God with groanes unutterable he cannot I wonder not to see so many families without family prayer Why They are dead men and lie rotting in their sinnes Eightly A dead man hath lost all beautie So a meere naturall man hath lost all glorie Hee is an ugly creature in the sight of God good men and Angels and shall one day be an abhorring to all flesh Ninthly A dead man hath his wormes gnawing him So naturall men have the worme of conscience breeding now which will be gnawing them shortly Lastly Dead men want nothing but casting into the grave So there wants nothing but casting into hell for a naturall man So that as Abraham loved Sarah well while living yet when shee was dead he seekes fora burying place for her to carry her out of his sight so God may let some fearefull judgement loose and say to it take this dead soule out of my sight c. It was a wonder that Lazarus though lying but foure dayes in the grave should live againe O wonder thou that ever God should let thee live that hast beene rotting in thy sin 20. 30. perhaps 60. years together III. Every naturall man and woman is borne full of all sin Rom. 1. 29. as full as a Toade is full of poison as full as ever his skin can hold Minde Will Eyes Mouth every limbe of his body end every piece of his soul is full of sin their hearts are bundles of sin hence Salomon saith foolishnesse is bound up in the heart of a child whole treasures of sinne An evill man saith Christ out of the evill treasure of his heart bringeth forth evill things nay raging seas of sinne Isaiah 20. nay worlds of sinne The tongue is a World of mischiese what is the heart then for out of the aboundance of the heart the tongue speaketh so that looke about thee and see what ever sinne is broached and runnes out of any mans heart into his life through the whole world all those sinnes are in thine heart thy minde is a nest of all the soule opinions berisies that ever were vented by any man thy heart is a stinking sink-hole of all Atheisme Sodomy Blasphemy Murther Whoredome Adultery Witchcrast Buggery so that if thou hast any good thing in thee it is but as a drop of Rosewater in a bowle of poison where fallen it is all corrupted It is true thou feelest not all these things stirring in thee at one time no more than Hazael thought he was or should be such a blood sucker when he asked the Propheâ— Elishab if he were a dog but they are in thee like a nest of snakes in an old hedge Although they break not out into thy life they lie lurking in thy heart they are there as a filthy puddle in a barrell which runs not our because thou happly wantest the temptation or occasion to broach and tappe thine heart or because of Gods restraining Grace by Feare and Sham Educaeion good Company thou art restrained and builded up and therfore when one came to comfort that famous picture patterne and monument of Gods justice by seven yeares horrour and grievous distresse of conscience when one told him hee never had committeed such sins as Manasses and therefore hee was not the greatest sinner isince the Creation as he conceived hee replyed that hee should have beene worse than ever Manasses was if he had lived in his time and been on his throne Master Bradford would never looke upon any ones lewd life with one eye bnt he would presently reâ—urne within his owne breast with the other eye and say In this my vile heart remaines that sinne which without Gods speciall grace I should have committed as well as â—ee O mee thinkes this might pull downe mens proud conceits of themselves especially such as beare up and comfort themselves in their smooth honest civil life such as through education have beene washed from all soule sinnes they were never tainted with whoredome swearing drunkennes or prophanenesse and here they think themselves so safe that God cannot finde in his heart to have a thought of damming them Oh consider of this point which may make thee pull thine haire from thine head and turn thy cloaths
dispatched them judgement onely remaines for them that is when their doome is read their date of repentance is out then their sentence of everlasting death is passed upon them that never can be recalled againe And this is judgement after death Hee that judgeth himselfe saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 11. 31. shall not be judged of the Lord. Now wicked men will not judge and condemne themselves in this life therefore at the end of it God will judge them All naturall men are lost in this life but they may be found and recovered againe but a mans losse by death is irrâ—coverable because there is no meanes after death to restore them there is no Friend to perswade no Minister to preach by which Faith is wrought and men get Christ There is no power of returning or repenting then for night is come and the day is past Againe the punishment is so heavy that they can onely beare wrath so that all their thoughts and affections are taken up with the burden And therefore Dives cryes out I am tormented Oh that the consideration of this point might a waken every secure sinner What will become of thine immortall soule when thou art dead thou sayest I know not I hope well I tell thee therefore that which may send thee mourning to thy house and quaking to thy grave if thou dyest in this estate thou shalt not dye like a Dogge nor yet like a Toad but after death comes judgement then farewell Friends when dying and farewell God for ever when thou art dead Now the Lord open your eyes to see the terrours of this particular judgment which if you could see unlesse you were mad it would make you spend whose nights and dayes in seeking to set all even with God I will shew you briefly the manner and nature of it in these particulars 1. Thy soule shall be dragged out of thy body as out of a stâ—â—king prison by the Devill the Jaylor into some place within the bowels of the third Heavens and there thou shalt stand stript of all Friends all comfort all creatures before the presence of God Luk. 19. 27. as at the Assizes first the Jaylor brings the prisoners out 2. Then thy soule shall have a new light put into it wherby it shall see the glorious presence of God as prisoners brought with guilty eyes looke with terrour upon the Judge Now thou seest no God abroad in the world but then thou shalt see the Almighty Jeho vah which sight shall strike thee with that Hellish terrour and dreadfull horrour that thou shalt call to the mountaines to cover thee ô Rocks Rocks hide me from the face of the Lambe Rev. 6. ult 3. Then all the sinnes that ever thou hast or shalt commit shall come fresh to thy minde as when the prisoner is come before the face of the Judge then his accusers bring in their evidence thy sleepy Conscience then will be instead of a thousand witnesses and every sinne then with all the circumstances of it shall be set in order armed with Gods wrath round about thee Psal. 50. 21. as letters writ with juice of Oranges cannot be read untill it be brought unto the fire and then they appeare thou canst not read that bloudy bill of indiotment thy conscience hath against thee now but when thou shalt stand neere unto God a consuming fire then what an heavy reckoning will appâ—are It may bee thou hast left many sinnes now and goest so farre and profitest so much that no Christian can discerne thee nay thou thinkest thy selfe in a safe estate but yet there is one leake in thy Ship that will sinke thee there is one secret hidden sinne in thine heart which thou livest in as all unsound people doe that will damne thee I tell thee as soone as ever thou art dead and gone then thou shalt see where the knot did bind thee where thy sin was that now hath spoiled thee for ever and then thou shalt grow mad to thinke ô that I never saw this sinne I loved lived in plotted perfected mine owne eternall ruine by untill now when it is too late to amend 4. Then the Lord shall take his everlasting farewell of thee and make thee know it too Now God is departed from thee in this life but he may returne in mercy to thee againe but then the Lord departs with all his patience to wait for thee more nor Christ shall be offered thee any more no spirit to strive with thee any more and so shall passesentence though haply not vocally yet effectually upon thy soule and say Depart thou cursed Thou shalt see indeede the glory of God that others finde but to thy greater sorrow shalt never taste the same Luke 13. 28. 5. Then shall God surrender up thy forsaken soule into the hands of Devils who being thy Iaylors must keep thee till the great day of account so that as thy friends are scrambling for thy goods and wormes for thy body so Devils shall scramble for thy soule For as soone as ever a wicked man is dead he is either in heaven or in hell Not in heaven for no uncleane thing comes there if in hell then among Devills there shall bee thine eternall lodging 1 Pet. 3. 19. and hence thy forlorne soule shall lie mourning for the time past now too late amazed at the eternity of sorrow that is to come waiting for that fearefull houre when the last trump shall blow and then body and soule meete to beare that wrath that fire that shall never goe out Oh therefore suspect and feare the worst of thy selfe now thou hast seldome or never or very little troubled thine head about this matter whether Christ will save thee or not thou hast such strong hopes and confidences already that he will know that it is possible thou mayest be deceived and if so when thou shalt know thy doome after death thou canst not get an houre more to make thy peace in with God although thou shouldest weepe teares of blood If either the muffler of ignorance shall be before thine eyes like an handkercher about the face of one condemned or if thou art pinioned with any lust or if thou makest thine owne pardon proclaimest because thou art sorry a little for thy sinnes and resolvest never to doe the like againe peace to thy soule thou art one that after death shalt appeare before the Lord to judgement thou that art thus condemned now dying so shalt come to thy fearefull execution after death There shall be a generall Iudgement of soule and body at the end of the world wherein they shall be arraigned and condemned before the great Tribunall seat of Iesus Christ Iude 14 15. 2 Cor. 5. 10. The heating of Iudgement to come made Felix to tremble nothing of more efficacy to awaken a secure sinner then sad thoughts of this siery day But thou wilt aske me how it may bee proved that there will be such a day I answer
to all the truthes delivered in a Sermon and commend it too but goe a way and shake off all truthes that serve to convince them And hence many men when they examine themselves in generall whether they have grace or no whether they love Christ or no they think yes that they doe withall their hearts yet they neither have this grace or any other what ever they thinke because they want a reflecting light to judge of generalls by their owne particular courses For tell these men that he that loves another truely will often thinke of him speake of him rejoyce in his company will not wrong him willingly in the least thing Now aske them if they love Christ thus If they have any reflecting of light they will see where they have one thought of Christ they have 1000. on other things Rejoyce nay they are weary of his company in word in prayer And that they doe not onely wrong him but make a light matter of it when it is done all are sinners and no man can live without sin Like a sleepy man fire burning in his bed-straw he cryes not out when others haply lament his estate that see a farre off but cannot helpe him Isay 42. 25. A man that is to be hanged the next day may dreame overnight hee shall be a King why because hee is asleepe hee reflects not on himselfe Thou mayest goe to the Devill and be damned and yet ever thinke and dreame that all is well with thee Thou hast no reflecting light to judge of thy selfe Pray pray therefore that the Lord would turne your eyes inward and doe not let the Devill and delusion shut you out of your owne house from seeing what Court is kept there every day Fiftly the understandings impiety whereby it lessens and vilifies the glorious grace of God in another whence it comes to passe that this deluded soule seeing none much better then himselfe concludes if any be saved â— shall no doubt be one Isay 26. 10 11. Men will not behold the Majesty of God in the lives of his people many a man being too light yet desirous to goe and passe for current weighs himselfe with the best people and thinkes what have they that J have not what doe they that J doe not and if he see they goe beyond him he then turnes his owne ballance with his finger and makes them too light that so he himselfe may passe for weight And this vilifying of them and their grace judging them to be of no other mettall then other men appeares in three particulars First they raise up false reports of Gods people and nourish a kennell of evill suspitions of them if they know any sin committed by them they will conclude they be all such if they see no offensive sinne in any of them they are then reputed a pack of Hypocrites If they are not so uncharitable having no grounds they prophesy they will hereafter be as bad as others though they carry a faire flourish now Secondly if they judge well of them then they compare themselves to them by taking a scantling onely by their outside and by what they see in them and so like children seeing stars a great way off think them no bigger nor brighter then winking candles They stand a far off from seeing the inside of a child of God they see not the glory of God filling that temple they see not the sweet influence they receive from heaven and that fellowship they have with their God and hence they judge but meanly of them because the out side of a Christian is the worst part of him and his glory shines chiefly within Thirdly if they see Gods people doe excell them that they have better lives and better hearts better knowledge yet they will not conclude that they have no grace because it hath not that stamp that honest mens money hath But this prank they play they think such and such good men have a greater measure and a higher degree of grace then themselves yet they dare be bold to thinke and say their hearts are as upright though they be not so perfect as others are And so vilifie the grace that shines in the best men by making this gold to differ from their owne copper not essentially but gradually and hence they deceive themselves miserably not but that one starre or sincere Christian differs from another in glory I speake of those men onely that never were fixt in so high a sphere as true honesty dwells yet falsely father this bad conclusion that they are upright for their measure that they have not the like measure of grace received as others have Sixthly the understandings idolatry whereby the mind sets up and bowes down to a false image of grace that is the minde being ignorant of the height and excellence of true grace takes a false scantling of it and so imagins and fancies within it selfe such a measure of common grace to be true grace which the soule easily having attained unto conceives it is in the state of grace and so deceives it selfe miserably Rom. 10. 3. And the minde comes to set up her image thus First the minde is haunted and pursued with troublesome feares of Hell Conscience tells him hee hath sinned and the Law tells him he shall die and Death appeares and tells him he must shortly meere with him And if he be taken away in his sinnes then comes a black day of reckoning for all his privie prankes a day of bloud horrour judgement and fire where no creature can comfort him Hence saith hee Lord keepe my soule from these miseries hee hopeth it shall not prove so evill with him but feares it will Secondly Hereupon hee desireth peace and ease and some assurance of freedome from these evils For it is an Hell above ground ever to be on the wrack of tormenting feares Thirdly That he may have ease he will not swagger his trouble away nor drowne it in the bottome of the cup nor throw it away with his Dice nor play it away at Cards but desires some grace and commonly it 's the least measure of it too Hereupon he desires to heare such Sermons and read such Bookes as may best satisfie him concerning the least measure of grace for sinne onely troubling him grace onely can comfort him soundly And so Grace which is meate and drinke to an holy heart is but Physicke to this kinde of men to ease them of their feares and troubles Hereupon being ignorant of the height of true grace he fancieth to himselfe such a measure of common grace to be true grace As if he feeles himselfe ignorant of that which troubles him so much knowledge will I then get saith he â—f some foule sinnes in his practise trouble him these he will cast away and so reformes If omission of good duties molests him he will heare better and buy some good Prayer-booke and pray oftner And if he be perswaded such a man is a very
quiet but shaking him up for what he doth but by giving men respite from sinning for a time Satan getteth stronger possession afterwards as Matth. 12. 43. When the uncleane spirit is gone out of a man it returnes worse Sampsons strength alwayes remained and so doth sinnes strength in a naturall man but it never appeares untill temptation come Fifthly By giving the soule faire promises of Heaven and eternall life and fastning them upon the heart Most men are confident their estate is good and though God kills them yet will they trust in him and cannot be beaten from this Why oh Satan bewitcheth them For as he told Evah by the Serpent shee should not dye so doth he infinuate his perswasions to the soule though it live in sinne he shall not dye but doe well enough as the precisest Satan gives thus good words but wofull wages the eternall flashes of Hell II. By false Teachers Who partly by their loose examples partly by their flattering doctrines in publike and their large charitie in private dawbing up every one especially that is a good friend unto them for honest and religious people and if they be but a little troubled applying comfort presently and so healing them that should be wounded and not telling them roundly of their Herodias as Iohn Baptist did Herod Hereupon they judge themselves honest because the Minister will give them the beggerly pasport and so they goe out of the world and dye like Lambes being wofully cheated Matth. 24. 11. Looke abroad in the world and see what is the reason so many feed their hearts with confidence they shall be saved yet their lives condemne them and their hearts acquit them the reason is such and such a Minister will goe to the Ale-house and he never prayes in his Family and he is none of these precise hot people and yet as honest a man as ever lives and a good Divine too Ahab was miserably cheated by foure hundred false Prophets Whilst the Minister is of a loose life himselfe he will winke at others and their faults least in reproving them he should condemne himselfe and others should say unto him Physitian heale thy selfe Theeves of the same company will not steale from one another least they trouble thereby themselves and hence they give others false Cards to saile by false Rules to live by their unconscionable large charitie is like a gulfe that swalloweth Ships soules I meane tossed with tempests and not comforted Isa. 54. 7 8. and hence all being fish that commeth to their net all men thinke so of themselves III. A false spirit This is a third cause that begets a false peace as there is a true Spirit that witnesseth to our spirits that wee are Sonnes of God Rom. 8. 16. So there is a false spirit just like the true one witnessing that they are the Sonnes of GOD 1 Iohn 4. 1. we are bid to try the spirits now if these spirits were not like Gods true Spirit what need tryall As what need one try whether dirt be gold which are so unlike to each other And this spirit I take to be set downe Matth. 24. 23. Now looke as the true Spirit witnesseth so the false spirit being like it witnesseth also First The Spirit of God humbles the soule So before men have the witnesse of the false spirit they are mightily cast downe and dejected in spirit and hereupon they pray for ease and purpose to lead new lives and cast away the weapons and submit Psal. 66. 3. Secondly the Spirit of God in the Gospel reveales Jesus Christ and his willingnesse to save so the false spirit discovereth Christs excellency and willingnesse to receive him if he will but come in It fateth with this soule as with Surveyors of Lands that take an exact compasse of other mens grounds of which they shall never enjoy a Foot So did Balaam Num. 24. 5 6. this false spirit sheweth them the glory of Heaven and Gods people Thirdly Hereupon the soule commeth to be affected and to taste the goodnesse and sweetnesse of Jesus Christ as those did Heb 6. and the soule breakes out into a passionate admiration Oh â— that ever there should be any hope for such a vile wretch as I am and have been and so joyes exceedingly like a man halfe way wrapt up into Heaven Fourthly Hereupon the soule being comforted after it was wounded now calleth God my God and Christ my sweet Saviour and now it doubts not but it shall be saved why because I have received much comfort after much sorrow and doubting Hos. 8. 2 3. and yet remaines a deluded miserable creature still But here marke the difference betweene the witnesse of each spirit The false spirit makes a man beleeve he is in the state of grace and shall be saved because he hath tasted of Christ and so hath been comforted and that abundantly But the true Spirit perswades a man his estate is good and safe because he hath not onely tasted but bought this Christ as the wise Merchant in the Gospel that rejoyced he had found the pearle but yet stayes not here but sells away all and buyes the pearle Like two Chapmen that come to buy Wine the one tasts it and goeth away in a drunken fit and so concludes it is his So a man doth that hath the false spirit but the true spirited man doth not onely taste but buyes the Wine although he doe not drinke it all downe when he coÌ„meth to taste it yet he having been incited by tasting to buy it now he calls it his owne So a child of God tasting a little of God and a little of Christ and a little of the promises at his first conversion although he tastes not all the sweetnesse that is in God yet he forsakes all for God for Christ and so takes them lawfully as his owne Againe the false spirit having given a man comfort and peace suffers a man to rest in that estate but the true spirit having made the soule taste the Love of the Lord stirreth up the soule to doe and worke mightily for the Lord. Now the soule cryeth out What shall I doe for Christ that hath done wonders for me if every haire on my head were a tongue to speake of his goodnesse it were too little Nehem 8. 10. the joy of the Lord is our strength Psal. 51. 12. Vphold me with thy free spirit or as the Chaldean paraphrase hath it thy kingly spirit the Spirit of Adoption in Gods childe is no underling suffering men to lye downe and cry my desires are good but flesh is fraile No It is a kingly spirit that raignes where it liveth IV. False applying of true promises is the last cause of false peace And when a man hath Gods Spirit within and Gods hand and promise as he thinks for his estâ—â—e now he thinkes all safe Thus did the Iewes they said Wee have Abraham to our Father and so reputed themselves safe God having made them promise