people expect whilst the goodly pillars of our Land Religion and Iudicature are quite overturned and laid aside Whilst all Law is resolved into the bloody sentence of the sword and all Gospel into the private whisper of a seducing and destructive spirit And all power under the permission of the supreme wheel receives its Commission from Eph. 2. 2. the Prince of the ayr the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience He that in the bâ—ginning seduced the first woman in the form of a Serpent and by that imposture introduced a general inundation of iniquity upon the world is now grown so wise as to transform himself into an Angel of light 2. Cor. 11 14. And in this white and Saintlike disguise has leave from a just God to whisper to the Consciences of wilful and unstable men such strange delusions under the pretence of new lightâ— as fils the Christian world with wonder and amazement 'T were easie to set down a list of these new lightâ— but that I look upon them as too many and indeed too scandâ—lous to be inserted in a Protestant Treatise And therefore to wave a particular Narration of the whimseys and phrensies which the boldnesse and madnesse of these times hath thrust out into the world together with the absurdities defects aâ—d haesitations in prayer which have been pinned upon the Sacred Spirit of God and all by vertue of Excitations Incitations and Inspirations extraordinary as if the same Holy Ghost declared one thing by his pen and suggested the clean contrary by his whisper He that shall take up his stand in his Sanctuary of God and from the pillar of truth established upon the clear word of God shall take a survey of the Doctrines and Principles which have commenced of late yeers together with the general belief and adherence which hath been given unto them The wild and intemperate Zeal of the promoting them and the Bâ—nishment or rather Burial of Meeknesse Patience Peace Charity and all Evangelical graces in the manâ—gery of their designs so full of gloriouâ— pretenses must either resolve aforehand to wink and blind himself by partiality and designe or els be enforced to conclude from the fruits we have reaped that the seed was never taken out of Gods granary but that it hath been tâ—e Businesse and Industry of our envious Adversary to sow his tares to the great encrease of his peculiar harvest whilst we have slept and snorted in our sin and security So that as when God opened the eys of Elishas servant he saw then visibly the protection of that heavenly host which before he was not able to discern so on the contrary would the same God be pleased to do the like Spiritual Cure upon the eys of our minds We should soon discern those Legions of Infernal Spirits by whose seduction and delusâ—on we have been cheated of the favour of God and abused and ensnared into so much misery and ruine Thus Deus deficit gratiam detrahendo Diabolus afficit maliciam apponendo homo seipsum inficit duritiem contrahendo Nor is this al The Divel has not persected his design when he has instilled his poyson unlesse he give his Opium too and lay the soul asleep upon the pillow of security Those diseases of the body are of greatest danger and of nearest affâ—nity with our dissolutâ—on that take away all sense of pain and anguish as the Palsie Lâ—thaâ—gie c. And the fattâ—st parts of the body are ever observed to be the least sensible as having in them the fewest fibers and nâ—rves which are the instruments of Sensation So that when the Divel is said to make the heart fat he makes it Secure and senslesse of any danger arising from our own sin or Gods Iudgements And indeed the Divel can never call a man his own till he hath him at this lock For so long as there is any sense of sin any touches or twitches of Conscience there is some hopes of recovery a possibility there is he may see with his eys and hear with his ears and understand with his heart and convert and be healed But when a man hath sinned himself out of all sense of sin when there is no Mâ—nitor in the school of the soul no check of Conscieâ—ce to remember him of a Quid feci what have I done against God my neighbour and my oâ—n soul sure such a man is in salva custodia Diaboli there is very litle hope of such a mans recovery The Psalmist speaks very partiâ—ularly to this point where speaking of desperaâ—e rebels and opprâ—ssors he saith They are inclosed in their own fat and therefore their mouth speaketh great swelling words Psal 17. 10. But more of this when I shall speak of the Symptomes of Infatuation In the mean time the Consideration of what hath been delivered on this point may be enough I hope to prompâ— us unto these lessons First To try and examine all spirits and suggestions whatsoever especially in an age so miserably haunted and infested with evil spirits as this wherein we live There is a spirit that difâ—ers very litle from flesh and blood in its corruption and pravity and this spirit the Prophet Ezeâ—hiel calls our own Spirit a blind guide within us There is a perswasion wâ—ich S. Paul gives Caution against a perswasion that cometh not of him that calleth us There is a piece of wisdom which S. Iames calls wisdom mistaken which is not from above for that wisdom is always pure and peaceable c. but a wisdom in contending and quarrelling in managing strife and bitternesse with most advantage to our selves Achitopels wisdom to put difâ—erences our of all possibility of reconciliation and this in whomsoever it is Iam. 3. 15. is earâ—hly sâ—nsual and diâ—ellish It shal be our wisdom to enquire carefully into all these and above all these to be alwayes awake to the danger and deception of our own false heart which is very prone to entertain and swallow what is most pallatable unto flesh aâ—d blood Latet anguis in herba â—he old Serpent lurkes commonly under the fairest flower Secondly having discovered the impostor That we would conceive our Christian reputation very much concerned in bidding defiance to this Enemy Most men are bold only in bragging they have great courage when indeed they have none at all in opposing the enemies of God and their own salvation And let no man think the engagement of his Christian warfare a difficult tedious or unreasonable service There is Armour of proof provided for us from head to foot And the Apostle requires no more of the Christian soâ—ldier but only to keep his station When Eph. 6. Eph. 6. 13. the Israelites having the Sea before them and the Egyptian Army behind them begin to suspect Moses his Conduct and Gods protection Moses requires no more of â—hem but only to stand still and they should see the Salvation of God A man would thâ—nk it no
Angels hath given this priviledge unto mâ—n He may take his choise whether he will be judged Here or Hereafter by himself or by another God hath made us all Châ—ncelours â—n our own Causes with this proviso That if we will deal truly and impartialâ—y with our selves that is if we will Summon our selves to â—ppear before our selves arraign our selves before the Tribunal of our own Consciences and there Examine Indite convict and condemn our selves we shall not come into any further condemnation If we would judge our selves we should not be judged of the Lord. But if we will not judge our selves we must stand or fall according to the Sentence of another Most Certain it is that we must all appear before the Iudgement seat of Christ that every one may receive the things done in his body according to that he hath done whether it be good or bad S Iohn in a vision saw the dead small and great stand before God and the books were opened and another book was opened which was the book of life and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books according to their works They are Books in the plural that shall be opened The Book oâ— Nature The Book of the scripture The Book of Conscience And out of these books several accuâ—…ons will be framed The Divel that Grand acâ—useâ— will sâ—and soâ—th and plead against us The abused Creature will accuse us of excesse and luxurie The souls of the holy martyrs will 〈◊〉 us with oppression and blood guâ—…iâ—…e The Sacred Oracles of God will 〈◊〉 â—s with infidelâ—ty aâ—d Contempt and our own guilty Consciences instead of pleading for us will give up a verdict against us The only way thâ—n to supersede the judgement of that day is to call our selves to an account beforehand To agree with our adversary quickly whilst we are in the way lest we be delivered up unto the Iudge and the Iudge send us to that prison from whence there is no Redemption To riâ—le every cranny and coâ—ner of our hearts To bring sorth our murthering lusts our bosom Traytors and to use them as Ioshua did the five Kings that were hid in the cave of Makkedah that is set our feet upon their necks and slay them in the sight of all the world And this if we do we shall not fail of such a part in the first Resurrection as will secure us from the blow both of the second death and second judgement also So that it is in our own choise who shall pass sentence upon us whether our own selves or else some other person And what shall we be able to say for our selves in that great and terrible day of the Lord why the sentence of eternal death should not pass upon us when God hath given us the space of 10 20 30 40 50 60 years for the performance of so easie a task so reasonable a service and we have not done it We see with what malicious dexterity and boldness blood-thirsty and deceitful men manage the Tryals and desâ—gn the executions of persons of the highest quality and merit but how cold how dull and indisposed in enquiring after the guilt of their own wretched souls Certainly such men as they may be thought to be strongly infected with this disease of Infatuation so it may be feared they are very far removed out of the way of their recovery who have so much of other arens so little of their own guilt before their eyes A Cure then ye see there is for the Infauated soul and the first step to that Bethesda pool which cureth all diseases is by a descent of humiliation But do not mistake your selves It is not every sâ—gh or sad look no nor every tear that concludes a solid humiliation for sin There is a great difference between an humble man and a man that is humbled there are many of us God help us that are humbled and driven into great straits and extremities persons that have lived in their own Countries with great charity and hospitality towards others that have neither what to eat nor wherewithal to be clothed themselves And yet I fear were our purses as full of silver as our hearts are full of sin we should soon find the way to our former pride and luxury Physitians are wont to cure vomiting by a vomit and bleeding by letting of blood And truly the best cure I can prescribe for all our secular sorrows is by adding more sorrow and compunction for our sins then I fear resides in our dejected spirits I have dwelt long enough upon the severeâ— part of the Cuâ—e it may be demanded of me what are the messages of the Gospel to be delivered by Boanerges the sons of thunder Sure the world has â—ore then enow of such that take a great deal of pains to bring men unto Hell gaâ—eâ— by representing unto them the horrors of a damned Condition and the iâ—reâ—overable Estate of all the world besides themselves but then their Art fails them in bringing them back again They can bring the soul into a deep dejection but they know not how to raise it again They are good at the Corrasive but to seek in the application of the Cordial Like our Refoâ—mers in England they are deâ—…erous in pâ—lâ—ing down but they know not how or what to build in the place of it These are ignorant if not â—ll natured Physitiansâ— that please themselves with wounding when they know not how to heal make work for their own mercinary and adulterate Art to practise on shaping their Cures too often accordâ—ng to their incouragements and though they will not sell the gifts yet they can find a way to sell the Comforts of the Holy Ghost for mony and advantage Now in the Samaritans Cure of the wounded man that fell among hâ—eves as he journied from Ierusalem to Iericho we find two ingredients wine and oyle not wine alone or oyle alone but both first wine to search afterwards oyl to supple Thus when S. Peter sound his auditory pricked in their hearts he presently applies an Evangelical Cordial and tells them that the promise was made unto them and unto their children even as mâ—ny as the Lord should call Thus S. Paul directs the Church at Corinth to deliver up the incestuous person to Satan for the destruction of the flesh but it was for no other end but that the spirit might be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus For the Churches censure having humbled him he writes a second Epistle to the same Church both to forgive him and to comfort him lest perhaps he be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow And indeed the more we are broken with sorrow and contrition the more firm and compacted shall we find our confidence and assurance in Gods mercy For though self-humbling be the certain fruit and effect of faith yet faith is not so clear and conspicuous till repentance hath scoured off the rust but
tell this people Hear ye indeed but understand not and see ye indeed but perceive not 10. Make the heart of this people fat and make their eares heavy and shut their eyes lest they see with their eyes and hear with their eares and understand with their heart and convert and be healed 11. Then said I Lord how long And he answered untill the Cities be wasted without inhabitant and the houses without man and the land be utterly desolate 12. And the Lord have removed men farre away and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the Land GOD at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the Fathers by the Prophets Heb. 1. 1. Somtimes viva voce by his own immediate audible voice as Exo. 19. 19. Somtimes by Consultations by Vrim according as was directed Numb 27. 21. Somtimes by manifesting his will and pleasure in a dream as to Pharaoh and to Joseph the Patriâ—rch Gen. 41. Somtimes by visions as here in this Chapter The whole Prophesie in general is called the vision of Isaiah the Son of Amoz a Isa 1. 1. and this in the Text is like Ezechiels wheel within a wheel b Eze. 1. 16. a vision within a vision These words of the Prophet are of a very sad and gloomy aspect as full of threatning as these times wherein we live and let this be observed from them in general That there is not in the whole booke of God a Text that Christ and his Apostles made so much use of for the convincement of obstinate and rebellious Hypocrites as thiâ— of this Prophet Isaiah So that however it may seeme to be an old stale obsolete threatning directed only uâ—… the Jews many hundred yeers ago yet if we consult the Evangelical History we shall find it owned and adopâ—… by Christ and by S. Paul as â—… when he preach'd to the Saints 〈◊〉 Rome as when he wrote unto tâ—… Romans from Corinthus a Mat. 13. 14. Mark 4. 12. Luke 8. 10. Ioh. 12. 41. Acts 28. 26. Rom. 11. 8. nay orâ—ginally to be the language of Chrâ— himself and dictated unto this Pâ—…phet long before his incarnation â—… will appear if we look well upon thâ— of John 12. 41. These things said Esâ—ias when he saw his glory and spake of him That is spake of him prophetically and saw his glory as S. Stephen did b Act. 7. 55. as the glory of the eternal Son of God So that I could have taken my Text out of either of the Evangelists out of the Acts of the Apostles or the Epistle to the Romans as well as out of this Prophet but that I desired to fetch my water as neer the spring head as might be It is but the language of the same holy Spirit in all these and sure the holy Ghost hath fixed a particular mark of observation upon that Text which he hath so frequently recorded and inserted in the Sacred volume To this may be added the near Relation and Correspondency between the Text and these times what was then but in minis is with us in poenis Isaiahs threatnings unto Israel are Gods visible executions in England To say nothing of the admirable State and Majesty wherein God appeared when he delivered this Message to his Prophet not much inferiour to that which was observed in the promulgation of the Law as appears v. 1. 2. 3. 4. 't is enough to startle and awaken us that it is First Of Judgement not of Mercy and Judgement as once the Psalmist sung a Psal 101. 1. But solely and entirely of Judgement not a syllabe of mercy that I can find in it a sad I confesse but no unsafe Theam to awe and regulate a man into obedience and submission The Gospel it self stands surest upon this foundation and the seed ofGods word never thrives and prospers so well as where the surrows have been made by the terrors of the Law Secondly Of Judgement not upon the Nations of the earth at large upon Edom or Moab or Egypt or Caldea which elswhere have their several burdens denounced and by this prophet too but here the sad message is directed unto Judah the most selected Tribe of all his own people a people that God had ever dandled upon the lap of his mercy and distinguished from all the world by his visible care and protection over them Go and tell Thâ—… people c. and if Judgement begin aâ— Judah at the house of God what shall bâ— the end of those that obey not the Gospâ—… of God 1. Pet. 4. 17. Thirdly The Judgement here threatned is not like those which were onâ— propounded by God to Davids choise a 2. Sam. 24. 13. a Judgement of a day or a moneth or a yeer but a more lasting Iudgement which was not to be removed till the Cities were wasted without inhabitant and the houses without man and the Land were utterly desolate vers 11. Fourthly With the Continuance we have here a very dangerous Quality in the Iudgement A Iudgement not of blasting or mildew upon the fields or of murrain upon the flocks not upon the goodly pillars of the land Religion and Iudicature by removing them out of their places not upon the person of their King the joy of their hearts and the breath of their nostrils a Lam. 4. 20. all which are sore and heavie Iudgements but a judgement beyond all these a judgement upon the Heart Infatuation of Mind A judgement that hath no sense of judgement Make the heart of his people fat c. There is no plague like unto that of the heart Fiftly This infatuation is made by Prophets partly by false Prophets namely by the seduction of their false and byassed visions and partly by true Prophets namely by the hardning power of the divine Oracles on those that rebel against the convincement of that sacred light And lastly We may observe the Time when this sad message was delivered to the Prophet and by him denounced unto the people and that was In the same yeer that good King Vzziah died v. 1. A King that had deserved well of his people and of whose government none had cause to complain unlesse it were the Priest in one particular which is more then our Clergy could complain of in all the raign of our blessed Hezekiah who fell not so much the peoples martyr as the Priests In all which particulars the Vision of Isaiah is so visible a character of these times that any man that is not involved in this Iudgement of Infatuation may run and read it Which I mention for no other end but to alarum and awake the sensless and secure of our Age and Nation who never think themselves in danger till theâ— are surprized past all recovery and like men in a Consumption never think themselves sick till they find themselves dead The Text is a Commission given from the mouth of God himself Go and till this people c.
Contradiction For an Ambassadour is not an Ambassadour till he hath his Commission sealed nor a steward a steward till entrusted by the Master of the Family neither may any man assume unto himself the honour and employment of a Priest but he that is lawfully and externally called and designed unto the function as was Aaron Heb. 5. 4. As I shall not think the worse of my own coat for that these boisterous times have worn it thred-bare so God forbid I should be so strongly opinionated of it as not to believe a secular man may have more gifts and those more eminent then ordinarily reside in an Ecclesiastical person I know well that every Christian quatenus a Chriâ—…ian is obliged to pray for reprove exhort and instruct his Christian brother that whosoever shall convert a sinner from the error of his way whether he be Laick or Ecclesiâ—stick shall hide a multitude of sins and shall shine as the stars in Iam. 5. 20. Dan. 12. 3. the Firmament and yet though one star may differ from another in glory light and magnitude ver every star is confined to its proper Sphere otherwise they may fall under the censure of those wandering stars S. lude speaks of to whoâ— is reserved the blacknesse of darknesse for ever Iude 13. Every man by natural pity is obliged to help a sheep out of a ditch and yet every man is not by profession a shepherd Uriah may be a good King and yet but a bad Priest There is an apparent difference 2. Chro. 26. 19. between a good man and a good Citizen a Aristotle between a good Christian and a good Minister of holy things The Apostles rule is safe and good Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he is called 1. Cor. 7. 20. In an Honourable Oeconomy there may be divers servants oâ— great eminency for their parts and yet the steward perhaps may have the greatest Trust And in a Court Royal there is no necessity that he who keeps the Seal should alwayes write the fairest Character The gifts and administrations of the same holy Ghost are divers and all given to 1. Cor. 12. 29. profit withal and yet all are not Apostles all are not Prophets Abana and Parphar rivers of Damascus might questionlesse have cured Naamans Leprosie as well as lordâ—n had the Prophet Elisha sent him thither It was not the water but the Prophets benediction did the Cure which was not the lesse Divine and miraculous because of no more difficulty but barely to wash and be clean We have many now a daiâ—s of Naamans blind perswasion that are highly oftended if their spiritual cure be not effected their own way They think nothing can be well done in the managery or Gods Ordinances that is not performed with a great deal of difficulty and straining which enclines them very frequently to look more upon the weak instrument then upon the Supreme Agent in the work of Regeneration and so far admire and dore upon the preachers gifts that they forget they ever come from any Donor Whereas the Honour and Excellency of our Ministry consisteth not so much 1. Cor. 3. 6. in our gifts and endowments For Paul may plant and Apollo may water and yet no increase unlesse God give it as in the mercy of God enâ—…iled upon our function by vertue of certain peculiar promises and concessions as Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven Mat. 18. 18. And Lo I am with you always even unto the end of the world Mat. 28. 20. Which promises do noâ— extend to all Christians at large but only unâ—o those whose commission runs in this form and â—…or Go and Teach all Nations and Baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost So that those shepherds that come not into the sheepfold those Labourers that come not into the Vinyard by the dore of Ordination but climbe up or creep in some other way May justly be suspected to have ends and aimes as private and particular as the way they run in is irregular and un Apostolical And sure they come within the number of those seducers tâ—e Apostle speaks of that creep into houses and lead captive silly women laden with sins led away with divers lusts ever learning and never abâ—e to come to the knowledge of the Truth 2. Tim. 3. 6. 7. So that having layd a false foundation it is no wonder if their superstructure prove nothing else but â—ottenes Hypocrisâ—e Nor is my charge brought only against these wandring and irrâ—gular stars but against other waveriâ—g and Apostate stars such as deserting Rev. 8. 11. their Orbe like that star in the Râ—velation called wormwood have exceedingly â—…bittered our waters of affliction These I must confesse not without sâ—me bitternesse of spirit came fairly in by the dore into the sheepfold though afterwards they proved hirelings and cowards And let no man wonder at it for it is our Saviors own prediction that immediatly before his second coming the stars should fall from heaven Math. 24. 29. and the powers of heaven should be shaken and S. Iohn saw cleerly in a vision that a time would come when the tail of the dragon should draw the third part of the stars from heaven and cast them unto the earth Rev 12. 4. The Church will never be without her Demaâ—-like Apostates who cary more of Mammon then of Christ in their bosoms 1. Tim. 1. 20. and with Hymaeneus and Alexander wil sooner make shipwrack of their faith then their â—ortunes as if those many Text oâ— self Denial and forsaking all for Christs sake and his Gospel were meer Apocryphal or to be expunged at pleasure and there were no such thing as persecution in the Church militant Certainly these men never sate down and considered before theâ—r Ordination what that sacred engagement might cost them as the times might prove and may justly be suspected to have wanâ—ed much of that inward calling which they outwardly professed to have and to have had their eyes more upon the wages then upon the work of the Ministry But as our Saviour will one day have a Nescio Vos for such as shall plead â—aying Lord have we not prophesied in thy name And in thy name have cast our Divels And in thy name done many wonderful works So Math. 7. 22. will câ—r dear though deserted mother the Church of England have a Nescio Vos sor that viperous brood who in these Apostate times have eaten their own way or the way to their own ends through that womb that bare them In the mean time however these men may esteem of themselves or be esteemed of by others they are not like to be reckâ—ned among the Lords Prophets their lot at best will fall out to be but among the peoples Prophets because they forge and
in the robbing of a glorious Church in the deliberatâ— breaking of so many sacred Oaths and Engagements in the ruine of so many thousand families in the â—nsnaring so many thousand souls by irreligious engagements to maintain these men in their wickedness but must all this be disguised with pretensions of piety and reformation Can they find no other answer for themselves when they are pressed with arguments drawn from Reason Law Scripture but must they father all their wickedness upon God himself â—y deriving it from the direction of his sacred Spirit Mâ—st the Dove of peace and love be entitled to their â— erciless bloody executions Must the Spâ—rit of meekness and condescertion be made the Patron of their Tyrannie and Ambâ—tâ—on The spirit that worketh sorrow and reluctancy for sin be brought to countenance their justification and perseveranâ—e in sin Oh let it never be told in Gath nor published in the streets of Ascalon Let â—ot the unbelieving Jews nor the sons of Mahoâ—er nor the Savage Indians ever come to hear what a generation of vipers and prodigious monsters hath been hatched and fomented under the sunshine of the Gospel How will our Enemies abroad reproach and Blasphemâ— our Religion when these shall be underâ—…ood to be the fruits of it in its faâ—sly pretended puritie and Reformation Whether that Blasphemy which the scribes that came from Ierusalem were guilty of in attributing the dispossession of unclean spirits which they saw our Saviour did by the finger of God to be done by Beelzebub were specifically that irremisâ—ible Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost I will not determine But this I will say That to Attribute the works of the most high God to Beelzebub and to attribute the works of Beelzebub to the most highGod are Blasphemies of the same Parallel if any thing make the difference it s the Quo animo of the iniquity For men to say when they have nothing else to say in defence of their Enormities that what they do they do by the dictate and direction of Gods holy spirit is so bold and fearful a Blasphemy that I am ready to tremble at the naming of it But whether these pretences derive from malice or obstinacy or a dissembled Iustification of what they know to be Guilt of an high nature I cannot possibly determine I shall from hence admire only the power and prevalency of this charm of Infatuation that will neither suffer men to look upwards towards their God nor inwardly upon themselves nor backwards upon their guilty actions but hurries them on with Corah Dathan and Abiram into a Justification of their Rebellion against Moses and Aaron and God himself so long till they are swallowed up quick of Death Desperaâ—ion And therefore my advise shall be the same that Moses gave the rest of the people that were not of that Conspiracy Depart I pray you from the tents of these wicked men and touch nothing of theirs or touch not with them lest yee be Consumed in their sins And let every man that would preserve the life of his Happinesse in the comfort and cleernesse of his conscience say with good old Jacob O mâ— soul come not thou into their secret mine honor be not thou engaged or do not subscribe their engagement lest thou eate of such things as please them and thy mind and thy Conscience be defiled and ensnared to thine inevitable ruin And this I conceive may not be propounded unseasonably unto such as either have twisted with these men without repenting all this time of the error of their doings or such as are at present their secret friends and Agents or such as may hereafter be tempted into a Compliance either for fear of their present power or which is worse for filthy Lucre sake And for our brethren and friends of the Scottish Natâ—on I could wish they would seriously consider of this one thing That the best way to satify the fears and jealousies which are at present upon them and their councelâ— and the best assurance they can give his Majesty of their sincerity unto him in all respects must be taken from the sight and the Sorrow and the humble owning of those errors wherein they were unfortunatly engaged against his Royal Father I shall not hunger after any of their Confessions whether Publike or private nor will I adventure to Censure their intendments Only I hope I may have leave to entertain some fears that they will not set this King upon his Fathers Throne till themselves have set themselves in the stool of repentance on another score then what hath been lately practised in Scotland The best way I can proâ—ound for them to set a Crown of gold on this Kings head is to have their hearts thoroughly pricked with those thornes they platted in his Fathers Crown if they are really ambitious of the honour of restoring the rights of the Crown and revenging the blood of their martyred Soveraign upon his cruel enemies they need not be ashamed in some measure to begin with themselves But if a professed Recantation be too severe a pennance for men that would be thought they cannot err yet let their hearts â—e but affected with such a close and inward sorrow as that The searcher of all hearts may accept of it and let their resolutions for the time to come be such as that the God of Truth and mercy may blesse and prosper them into on ample ripe harvest of true Christian Honour and that the world may read the disavowing of their former errors if in no other character yet in the sincerity and gallantry of their future actions and atchievements Having shewed the Nature Causes and Symptomes of Spiritual Infatuation and with a faithful and impartial hand searched this wound unto the bottom shall I now with the Priest and the Levite passe by and leave a soul stript and robbed and wounded unto death and take no care no Compassion upon so sad a spectacle What Is there no Balme in Gilead for this deadly wound Is there no oyl of mercy to be applyed to the obstinate and obdurate sinner Doubtlesse so long as there is life there is Hope and so long as theâ—e is Hope the Physitian cannot fairely desert his Patient And because it is safer erring with too much Charity then with too little Because it is an inconsiderate Temerity to confine the boundlesse Ocean of Gods mercy to the narrow mouthed bottles of our own uncertain fallible Conception I shall open a door of Hope as far as the unerring Oracles of God shall authorize me and the first thing I shall pâ—opound to the Inâ—atuated spirit is That there is a possibility of being Cured I know well there is a Iudâ—cial kind of Hardnesse when God withdrawes the sweet influence of his Grace and delivers a man up unto himself without ever looking more after him That there is a sin unto Death â—hat strikes the Church with Dumbnesse that sâ—e cannot pray for it