seâ—teth down a necessary effect of the same teaching an infallible rule to discernâ—â— betuixt a presumptuous false opinioâ— of remission and a certaine persuasioâ— of the same that is if there be no guyâ—â— in the spirite whereby it is vnderstooâ— such a sanctification following forgiuenes and joyned to true repentance thaâ— there remaineth no more couert dealinâ— to cloake our sins in whole or in part for â—eare of worldly shame or to seeke starâ—ing holes to runne from God but that â—he mind wel perswaded of Gods loue â—ndued with an honorable opinion of â—he Church thinketh it no discredit at â—â—l to make knowen to the vttermost all â—heir infirmities offences to God in â—ecret to the church publikly so far as the rule of edificatioÌ„ Gods discipline â—equire as wee see two notable examâ—les in this Prophet and his Son wherof the one hath left to the churh the 51 Psal The other the booke called Ecclesiâ—â—â—es as publik monuments and rememâ—rances of their falls liberal confession of the same to remaine as it were on â—he file euen to all posterities shewing â—herby their zealiousnes in repentance their sincerity in that they were not â—ender ouer their credites in respect of â—he edificatioÌ„ of the church This then is the effect of that grace which forgiueth â—ndeed neuer to seperate the gift of forgiuenes from the gift of sanctification and the speciall poynts thereof which here is inforced is through guyle of Spirite to keepe back nothing vn-confessed which the nature of true repentance would discouer But this is not al for generall sanctification is here shewed to be the foot-step of the holy Ghost by the printe whereof we may knowe whether wee haue our portion in this grace of remission of sinnes or whether the fearefull signes of the wrath of God abide vpon vs still or no. Saint PAVâ—â— in the eight to the Romanes setteth downe the same doctrine saying Thaâ— calling justification sanctification are so inseperable that who-so-euer hath the one hath the other also And to TIMOTHIE he sayeth If any man call on thâ— name of the Lord let him depart from iniquitie Wherefore it is the perfection oâ— madnes for a man that remayneth dissolute to dreame of forgiuenesse and when an hypocrite is pure in his ownâ— conceipt yet is not washed from hiâ— sinnes It is to true that in those that are regenerate and are indeede forgiuen there shal remaine such a waste and vnsauorie taste as shall much annoy them and huâ—t the rellish or gift euen of their most sanctified actions so that the Lord had neede to looke with a mercifull and for bearing eye vppon the highest vertues of his children yea they shall not be freed from the foule sinne of hypocrisie but shall feele with much vexation themselues to be pestered with such thinges how-be-it in substance and in the chiefest drift of their life they are true-harted to God slipping into these former faultes by infirmitie or by reason of scanter measure of mortification then they ought to haue laboured vnto so that the ods is in the thing which is propounded to a mans desire for if his chiefest care in the loue and feare of God be to seeke his saluation what-soeuer his hypocrisie be it is not his guilt of spirit But if he propound to himself some other thing that his hart doth rather labour for then for saluation it is certayne that hee is false-hearted to GOD and that such an hypocrisie is ane authentick recorde of a man that abideth in his sinnes and such a man as this hath neyther faith to ouer-come the worlde nor grace to resist temptation and though he say that hee is perswaded of remission and extoll the mercie of GOD aboue the skyes yet that guile that remayneth in his spirite tormenteth his conscience euery daye conuincing him by this that because hee is not sanctified therefore he is not pardoned For in this worke there is neyther water onely nor bloud onely but both water and bloud as Saint IOHN witnesseth It standeth vs therefore in hande not to satisfie our selues with a deuotion momentanie but let our mindes stande bent in holy woâ—kes not to bragge of the death of CHRIST that it hath purged our olde sinnes But to feele how mightie it is to subdue the newe that the sinewes of vngodlinesse in our hartes and vnrighteousnesse and vnsober behauiour in the out-warde man may bee cutte off For it is the confirmation of our election if this sinceritie bee in vs Neyther doth the sinne more certainelie discerne the day from the night then this Spirite doth discerne him which is accepted with GOD from a wretch whome he reproueth as Saint PAVLL plainelie sayeth If any man hath not the Spirite of Christ the same is not of Christ 3 When I held my tongue my bones consumed whilest I waited all the day long 4 For thine hand is heauy vpon me day and night my moysture is turned into the drought of sommer Selah Hitherto the prophet hath declared that there is no true felicity where ther is no sanctified feeling of remission Now it remaineth that hee prooue the same which he doth by his owne example declaring the greate anguish and torment which he felt in his conscience even to the wasting soaking out of the strength of his body so long as God hid his face from him left him destitute of the hope of saluation the cause wherof he declareth in the first wordes of the verse to haue bin because he held his peace that is denied to make a liberall confession of his sins refusing no shame not other abasement what-so-euer belonging thereto whereinto the holy Ghoste reacheth vs that cloking of sin howsoeuer it serueth for an excuse in the world and saueth our credite amoungst men Yet it keepeth his conscience vpon the racke and maketh the arrowhead of dispaire to ranckle in his bowels whereto the saying of SALOMON agreeth in that 2â— of PROVERBS That he vvhich hideth his sinne shall not prosper but hee vvhich confesseth them and leaueth them shall finde mercie But this sentence before we proceede further if it respecteth confession to be made to God onely and not to the Church hath neede of exposition For if DAVID might haue bin released from the torments which hee heere speaketh of with a secret confession vnto God all other witnesses being remoued so that no discredit might redound â—o him thereby it seemeth strange that he would abide such troubles the space of an houre and would not rather gette him into some secret place in moste ample manner confesse all the wickednes that he could remember that he had committed euer in his life The holie Ghost therfore in this place by DAVID his silence intendeth some greater crime â—gainst him then that he was dainty of his words refused with his tongue to make confessioÌ„ vnto God for it is certain that a domme man may make as acceptable a confession
as he that can speake but DAVID in this place accuseth himselfe of hypocrisie and hardnes of heart â—n this that he refused to deale seriously with his owne conscience and to persist â—n the meditation of mortification till such time as he had a sufficient sight and detestation of his sinne without which â—ll the confession of men must be hypocriticall their smoake infect the ayre This then indeed was Dauids silence that he refused to giue answere to the holy Ghost calling vpoÌ„ his conscience for want of faith was kept either with some presumption or elles with some terrour from entring into a most graue consultation and resolute determination to take such perfite notise of the haynousnes of his sinnes as the nature of true repentance doth require for this is common to vs all that although we desire to be saved yet there is not one amongst an hundreth that will taske himselfe so zealouslie as hee ought with a sincere perseuerance in humbling himselfe to walke with God yea and least any man should resolue with himselfe not to bee stripped of sackcloth and ashes nor to put away the purpose of sorrowe and lamentation in seeking after his vvelbeloued as it is in the song of SALOMON till he had found her The diuel hath infected the heartes of many men with a damnable errour in the definition oâ— repentaunce making them beleeue that euery terror of the heart for sinne is the nature of true repentaunce and to that purpose hee abuseth the Scriptures that CHRIST will not quench the smoking flaxe nor breake the brused reede And by these fallacions and false comfortes he quencheth the zeale of many and maketh them giue ouer their laboure and consultationes of humbling them-selues and seeking of CHRIST before their conscience haue felt any comfort at all As if euerie sorrow were godly sorrow or as if it were possible for mercie to bee founde and yet neuer felt or for repentance to bee separated from faith and the spirite of fredome This cursed discontinuance of our trauel in Godly sorrow the Prophet ESAY derideth calling pennance for a daye and bowing downe the head lik a Bulrush And the Prophet AMOS likeneth it to the dewe and the Morning cloude which is suddainelie gone And this is the swept and garnished house mentioned by CHRIST Repossessed by seuen worser spirites then before For as this false repentance feedeth their hearte with false hope and suffereth not true comfort to take place as appeareth in the daye of visitation So may this negligence giuing ouer our labour in mortification bee worthelie accompted the cause why men wallow in fowler enormities then before swallowing againe as S. PETER sayth The vomite which before they had cast as it is most certaine and true those men finde in themselues lesse power to doe well and are carried with more raging affections to do wickedlie then euer they felt before What shall wee say then Do we require such a measure of sorrow as might counter-weight the same or do we esteeme remission by the dignitie of repentance nothing lesse For we know that if wee had a thousand eyes it were too little to weepe them out all because of our sins yea if we had a thousand hearts though they al burst with sorrow because of our transgressions yet it were not this but Christes hearte bloud that could make the fathers heart to yearne or could merite remission at his handes what is it then that we require namely that men returne not from the schoole of repentance to worldly delights which quench the spirite till their hartes bee made joyfull by the holy Ghoste by feeling an heartie detestation of their wickednesse and a resolute determination to continue cherefully in the course of godlines so long vntill both faith hope be abolished that then resting from their laboures they may solace themselues with loue celestial as sainct PAVLE speaketh for the trueth is that manie when they compare themselues with DAVID other of Gods children I meane the difficulties and long afflictions of them and the short worke which they themselus haue made so easiely dispatched in this worke of repentance haue cause to suspect themselues vehementlie and to examine themselues straightlie by the fruites of feeling and conversion whether they haue right repented or no Sainct PAVL in the 2. Epistle to the Cor. the 7. Cap. like a man of experience setteth downe seuen notable affectes of repentance I woulde they were well pervsed that wee might trye our selues by them for it is a care that ought to possesse all the powers both of bodie and soule considdering that Sathan with this engine maketh a number of soules pertakers of their owne condemnation The matter therefore groweth to this poynt that although we confesse neuer so absolutelie that we are sinners with the greatest vehemency of speach that can bee yet so long as there remayneth selfe-loue in vs prevailing so farre with vs as to make vs take exceptions against the seueritie of this spirituall discipline al this while because we cannot finde in our heartes to plucke out our eyes and cutte off our handes at Christes commandemente that is to deale seuerelie with our selues in mortifying euery provocation to offence wee doe but flatter our breath in the winde and the hypocrise that is in vs drowneth the sounde of our confession so as A voyce cannot â—e heard as the Prophet ESAY witnesseth Let vs therfore as we are aduised in the REVELATION be zealous in repenâ—ance that the holy Ghoste may assure our conscience that our mourning is growen into the nature of true repentance not deceauing our selues with beginninges because the Scripture sayeth plainely that the proceedinges of a â—rue convert is not to stay himselfe with a perswasion of repentance when hee â—s pricked at the hearte but to steppe yet further to lay holde vpon repentance it selfe as vpon a more excellent and infalâ—ible grace as we may reade that it befel â—o PETERS auditorie in that 2. of the ACTES of whom the holy Ghoste sayeth first That they vvere pricked in their heartes which least it should be taken for â—epentance he sayeth that vpon further â—nstruction and more carefull searche they atteyned to repentance it selfe afterward that we may knowe that pricking at the heart repentance are not all one but two seuerall thinges whereof one may be in a lost child as that was in IVDAS but the other belongeth oneliâ— to the sons and daughters of God Thuâ— hath DAVID declared how he brought himselfe into fearefull troubles as iâ— were by gagging of his owne conscience least he should make such a confession as it required at his handes Now it remaineth to be considereâ— what troubles those were My bones saitâ— he consumed and waxed olde c. That is care which eateth out the hearte madâ— her impressione in my body and thâ— thoughts which I had taken did so pynâ— me away that it burneth the marrowâ— out of my bones
and men flutter like birdes in the net when God hath caught â—hem but all those senselesse prayers aâ—aile them nothing more then if an Ox â—hould break out of the slaughter-house with the roape tied about his hornes his toung hanging out with much bellowing and madnesse when hee had caught a knock with the axe And therfore we may see the excellency of faithfull prayers Yea the Angell of GOD doth ascende vp in the smoke of this sacrifice whereas men that wil not yeeld but will reteyne their sins cannot pray but rage and roare desperatlie like Lyons and Beares Neuerthelesse it behoueth vs wiselie to vnderstand this doctrine that it concerneth hypocrites and them that holde their falshood in the right hande I say it belongeth to them because they haue not faith nor consolation in their prayers For otherwise it is certaine that the most excellent children of GOD are many times so lowe brought with the anguish of an afflicted conscience that they cannot vtter anie perfite prayers with their lippes but do speake abruptlie halfe sentences yea halfe wordes being broken off with the extreamitie of their pangues that come betuixt As Ezechiah writeth of himselfe That he chattered like a Crane or 〈◊〉 Swallow and mourned like a Doue And there is no doubt but all Gods Children doe feele a strife and a combate in their spirite in many of their prayers eâ—en as we see green-wood lieth sobbing and smoking long before it will burne We are therefore to put a differance betweene this and roaring because the Scriptures are full of examples of imperfite speaches in the prayers of Gods children yea in the praiers of CHRIST himselfe which commeth to passe because manie of those sacrifices are so seasoned and peppered with salt and with fire yea afflictions come so thick on Gods children that they haue no time to swallow their spittle But yet in them there is a sweete sense of Gods grace and the Lorde inlargeth the footing vnder them yea he puts his owne arme betuixt them and the graue that they should not bruise themselues with any fall for although hee leaue some trouble of minde yet hee looketh vpon them through the chinkes of the doore he hath compassion of their dolorous lamentations and putteth all their teares into a bottel For why they haue yeelded vnto GOD they haue kept nothing backe and therefore can praye with a feeling spirite whereas the hypocrite doth not pray but roare because hee will not trust God For an euill conscience doth stoppe his mouth the sins of his youth are still in his bones 5 Then I acknowledged my sinne to thee neyther hid I mine iniquitie for I thought I will confesse against my selfe my wickednesse vnto the Lord and thou tookest away the punishment of my sinne Selath Then I acknowledged my sinne c. Thus farre DAVID hath set forth by his owne example the disquietnes of them which hold their peace and refuse in simplicitie of heart to make confession of their sinnes Now on the contrarie part hee sheweth by his owne experience what is the effect of Gods grace when it hath brought men to godlie humilitie to resolue to confesse their sinnes to God in that which followeth next Then I acknowledge my sinnes vnto thee c. This diligence in describing his confession in so manie wordes that hee would make knowne his sin woulde not hide iniquitie but confesse his apostasie vnto the Lorde doth declare that he hath gotten the victorie ouer all hypocrisie and at the last after long siege â—ad gotten the hold of simplicitie and sinceritie So as now there remained no â—urning nor winding nor extenuating of his sinne when hee had to doe with GOD as there was before As for the Lorde he is not hindered with anie imâ—ediment of ignorance or dulnesse that â—e should not know by a word what the â—hole meaneth yea though he confesse â—o sinne at all yet for his part he taketh â—erfite notice of all our offences withâ—ut vs. It is not then for his sake that we â—ake anie confession as if we could aâ—â—se him by our hypocrisie for he seeâ—th through the darke cloudes but it is for our owne sakes to the end that comparing our liues with the commandements of God confessing how much wee swarue from that holie rule wee might be stirred vp to great contrition and might be more deepelie set in the meditation of our owne vnworthines that being so humbled Gods spirite might take occasion to fasten vpon vs and to lay sure holde vpon our hearts Thus we see that it is the nature of true confession to aggrauate our sinnes acknowledging that confusion of face belongeth to vs and charging vppon our heades the sinnes of our selues of our fathers and children wiues friends and all others so farre as our guiltinesse may anie way stretch not in any set or labored phrase of speech but from a conscience nurtured with feare and trembling vnder the just hand of GOD iâ— this sort the Prophet calleth himselfe 〈◊〉 beast before God And Saint PAVLL accuseth himselfe of blasphemie beforâ— his conuersion affirming not with fayned humilitie but euen as he thought â—n his heart that he was the chiefest sinâ—er amongst them whome CHRIST â—ame to saue And in the Primitiue Church Saint PAVLL sheweth what â—umilitie was joyned to the confession â—f them which were conuerted by heaâ—ing the Prophecies or exercises then â—sed that they fell vpon their faces As â—ndeede if we be indued with the Spiâ—ite of true repentance we can finde in â—ur heartes to humble our selues euen â—elow to the ground the verie cause why sinners make it so strange is because the spirit of pride hath stil the posâ—ession of their hearts which euil spirit â—ust be cast out of vs befor we can mak â—nie such confession as God will accept â—f at our hands There is another thing â—hich the holie Ghost setteth downe â—o be marked in this place namely that â—he children of God haue a joyfull issue â—f all their temptations that the Lorde â—ill bring some excellent thing to passe 〈◊〉 the last by afflicting his which is their mortification and sanctification Foâ— this is the end of all his hewing to makâ— them liuing stones fit to his Church anâ— sorting to the chiefe corner stone which 〈◊〉 our Lorde IESVS CHRIST to whose â—mage by this meanes we are confoâ—med If the Lorde had brought all thâ— worlde vnto captiuitie vnder DAVID yet if hypocrisie had rested in his hearâ— it had bene all accursed to him but noâ— that the Lorde hath renewed a right spâ—rite in him both heauen and earth aâ—â— sanctified to his vse But aboue all he hath gotten the libertie of consciencâ— and singeth with a joyfull note Thâ—â— hast taken away the punishment of my sinnâ— This is al in al that his soule is refresheâ— with the feeling of remission and sâ— soone as the Lorde saw him willinâ— to judge himselfe he steppeth from thâ— tribunal seat to the