the worke wrought and not chieflie respected the inward affection of the worker had he required onely the ceremoniall action of sacrificing and not the spirituall conformitie of the heart to his will why he had not need to desire sacrifices of them nor expected supplie from their hands as appeareth in that sacred anti royall contestation of God with his people about the question of his worship Psal. 50. I will not reproue thee for thy sacrifices sâ—ith God or thy burnt offerings that haue not beene continually before me I will take no Bullocke out of thine house or Goates out of thy folds For all the beasts of the forrest are mine and the beasts on a thousand â—ils I know all the sowlâ—s on the Mountaiâ—es and the wâ—ld bâ—asts of the fiâ—ld are mine If I be hungrie I will not tell theâ— for the world is mine and all that therein iâ— Will I â—ate the flesh of Bâ—ls or drinke the blood of Goatâ—s Nay if we consider God in his absolute soueraignty and essentiall glory euen that is true of the most sanctified works of Gods child which is in Iob. 35.7 If thou bâ—â— righteous whâ—t 〈…〉 or what receiueâ—h heâ— at thine hand and that of Dauid Psal. 16.2 My weâ—doing extendeth not vnto thâ— For what can that little sparke of holinesse in vs which doth first too proceed from him and is onely darkened in ouâ— corruptions adde vnto that infinite Gâ—ory and 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 that no man can attainâ— vnto with which he hath incomprehensiblie liâ—n â—ncompassed froÌ„ alâ—terniâ—y Only iâ—pleâ—seth him of his infinit goodnesse and out of a gratious desire of our saluation to accept our sincerity though mixâ— with imperfections and to crown his owne graâ—â—â— in vs 〈◊〉 then shall appeare the bare outwardnes of hollowhearted Christians If the heart bee wanting what magnificence or glory of outward seruices shall be able to dazle his sight whose eyes are ten thousand times brighter then the Sunne and sees cleaâ—ely our inmost thoughts Wherewith shall we come bâ—foâ—â— th◠〈◊〉 or what shall we offer vnto him Will the Lord be pleased with ten thousands of rams or with ten thousand riuers of Oilâ— Shall we giue our first borne for our transgression euen the fruite of our bodie for the â—inne of our soule No though weâ— gaue all that wee had to the poore and our owne bodieâ— to bee burnt nay if it were possible that by our meanes we could vindicate the soules of all men now liuing from the iawes of eternall death yet all would profit vs nothing except our harts be first purged by faith pure from an euill conscience and possest of a sound and constant loue to God his word his honour his truth and seruants Let this then be the conclusion to this point Though a man were a moral Saint an Angell amongst the Phrisees absolute in all other perfections yet without the inward power of grace to giue them life he is but a spectacle of commisâ—ration to Angels to meÌ„ euen as that body is which adorned with sundry other exquisite beauties wanteth eye-sight the chiefest grace that nature hath in that kind to bestow Or as a cunning Organist skilful in the outward touch of his instrument yet without wind inspired cannot possibly strike the care or please the heart with any mâ—lodious noise so though his actions be flourished ouer with a faire tincture of outward religiousnesse and he exact in morall honesty yet without the breath and life of grace infused there can be no true spiritual harmony in his affections woâ—ds or conuersation thâ—t either will beget sound ioy and spirituall delight in the soule or be pleasing in the â—ares of almightie God You see then beloued in Christ Iesus that the performances of outward duties of religion euen the best sâ—â—h as are Prayers hearing the word of God recâ—iuing the Sacraments almes-deeds and the like though they bee good in themselues commanded of God necessarie to be done of euerie Christian yet if they be diuided from inward sanctification and sinceritie of heart are so farâ—e from putting vs into possession of true happines that they are odious and abominable in the sight of God I told you in the beginning if you remember that besides outward righteousnesse the formall hypocrite may beleeue for a time and therefore by the inward though more generall and infeâ—iour working of the Spirit may haue a temporarie faith begot in him and this faith may bring forth some fruits and some kinds of inward graces But that all this comes short of saluation appeares in the parable For there the hearer compared to the stonie ground which I call the formall hypocrite is one of the reprobate hearers vpon whom the word is not the power of God to saluation As for those fiue degrees added out of the sixth to the Hebrues of which I told you the formall hypocrite may be partaker it is manifest out of the same Chapter that they come short of the state of grace For a man but so furnished may not onely fall bâ—cke to a worse and more ordinarie state of a râ—probate but euen to the depth of all impietie and apostasie He may not onely haue his measure of inward illumination all his lighter ioy and comfort in Gods word quite extinguisht but become a wilfull and malicious scorner of true godlinesse He may not onely grieue and quench the spirit but hee may tread vnder foot the Sonne of God count the bloud of the Testament as an vnholy thing and despite the very Spirit of grace so that it may be impossible that hee should be renewed againe by repentance In the last place I told you that besides all these the formall hypoâ—rite might entertaine a perswasion of his being in the state of true happinesse and so with contentment and securitie walke in the path that leads to eternall death but how weak and false the reasons and motiues to this perswasion were I haue before largely deliuered It remaines therfore that I should now lay downe certaine markes and properties of difference betwixt the state of formall hypocrisie and sauing grace but I must referre a large prosecution and distinct treatise of them to some other place and time Yet at this time by the grace of God I shall deliuer so much that any man that will deale faithfully with his owne conscience and follow me with attention to the end may in some good measure be informed whether hee lie yet in the shadow of death or liue in the light of grace Some difference then first may arise out of the distinction of the degrees and workings of faith Which that you may better conceiue you must remember three sorts of faith Historicall Temporarie Sauing or Iustifying faith Historicall faith is not only a knowledge of the word of God but also an assent of the heart to the truth of it And this is of two sorts either Infused which is wrought in vs by the illightning spirit of
and pretious vnto him and lets all his thoughts with loose raines greatest ioyfulnesse and oftenest meditation run after it and sweetly refresh themselues with the glory and comfort of it If a man vpon the way should find some pretious orient pearle hardly could he keepe his eyes from gazing vpon it his excesse of ioy would easâ—ly command and confine the sight to so rare and hopefull an object vntill hee meet with some skilfull Lapidarie or come where hee might thorowly bee acquainted with the worth and fully enioy the wealth of it Euen so after a man by the illightened eye of his soule and the hand of sauing faith once seaze and lay sure hold vpon the pearle of great price the graces of Gods spirit and eternall life the heart is presently so filled with loue and admiration that for euer after it spends the most the dearest and the noblest thoughts vpon it and they once set on foot are so cheered and rauished with the heauenly beautie thereof that they follow with continuall increase of feruencie and longing vntill they come vnto the cleere vision and full possession of it at the right hand of God in the endlesse ioyes of the world aboue The thoughts then of a true Christian are of a farre more heauenly temper diuine nature and higher straine then the largest heart of the best vnregenerate man can or doth possiblie comprehend The formall hypocrit may haue his mind worthily busied in points of deepest learning in the mysteries of State affaires of kingdomes in the best and highest considerations which nature art moralitie or policy can afford nay he may sometimes entertaine into his thoughts with ioy the promises of grace the happinesse of the Saints the ioyes of heauen and the like though these haue neuer any root or long residence in him But that the word of grace should so emplant it selfe into the inner man that the thoughts should neuer be so well or welcome to the heart as when they are wading in the great mysterie of godlines and with an holy wisedome plotting for the inlargement of Christs glorious kingdome in himselfe and others That it should make all other discourses of the mind subordinate and contributarie to such heauenly meditations and to this end set bounds and limits to the millions of imaginations that daily arise and erect an holy regiment amongst them I say this is the speciall prerogatiue of a sanctified man For he alone because of his truth sincerity and vprightnesse in the inner parts makes conscience of idle vaine and wandring thoughts of which the formall hypocrite either takes no notice at all or not much to heart Hee is as much cast downe vext and grieued with their disorder and exorbitancie as with the errors and infirmities of his words and actions and therefore establisheth as it were a gratious gouernment amongst them to keepe out confusion idlenes and rebellion He confines them to a reuerent and feeling meditation vpon Gods word and workes to a care of conscionable managing the affaires of his calling onely sometimes but sparingly with many cautions exceptions and seasonablenes letting them out to honest recreations Whatsoeuer thought is wandring without this compasse or within it vnsincere is sinful so that if he take any stragling without these limits any enticers to vanities and impertinencies any obtruders and disturbers of so happie inward peace he presently apprehends them by the watchfull eye of his spirituall wisedome examines them by the law of God arraignes them in the consistorie of an illightened conscience and so cuts them off in time by the power of grace and sword of the spirit that is by opposing against them at the first rising in the heart by present repentance prayer and after-watchfulnesse he blessedly rids himselfe of the miseries and distraction of prophane and troublesome thoughts That this is no Idea I now propose vnto you howsoeuer it so be to euery vnregenerate man and so when hee heares it he conceiues of it for little knowes hee what adoe euery child of God hath with his thoughts I say that this is no Idea or idle abstraction appeares pregnantly and plentifully in Dauids practise who for all the strong enticements ordinarilie incident to the pleasures of a Court and naturall libertie of Princes although the cares and waight of a kingdome lay vpon him and that his Royall innocencie was still haunted and assailed with such indignities and vexations which might almost haue swayed the blessed and quiet thoughts of a glorious Angell to distraction and discontentment yet for all this the law of God did still principally take vp his heart and that day and night Gods word and workes his statutes and iudgements were meate and drinke vnto his mind and his meditation continually as is more then plaine in many places of the 119. Psalm Oh saith he in the 13. portion how loue I thy law it is my meditation continually So vnexpresseable here was his pang of holy loue vnto Gods law that hee prefixeth a particle of zeale and extraordinarie passion Oh saith hee And where the heart hath once truely and sixedly set it loue there all the thoughts feast themselues with dearest apprehensions and with greatest impatiencie of all other imployment This is the verie case then of all Gods seruants they meditate on the word of God most contentedly and continually because they loue it farre before and aboue all earthly things and so dearely doe they loue it because in it with speciall security are conueied vnto them all the rich treasures of mercy remission of sinnes spirituall comfort and eternall life and particularly sealed vnto them by 〈◊〉 Spirit of the same word Salomon confirmes this worthie 〈◊〉 of his Father by his testimony Prou. 12.5 The thoughts of the iust are right iudgement or iustice for so the word signifies in the Originall but the suttle deuices of the wicked are deceit The thoughts of all vnregenerate men are commonly either rooting in the earth or drowned in pleasures or running after preferment or ranging vp and downe idly and prophanely or fruitleslie melancholike or if sometimes they glance or settle themselues vpon good things they are still as a menstruous clout and abomination to the Lord because their consciences are not renewed their hearts purged their persons sanctified and accepted But the thoughts of euery child of God are ordinarily working for the maintenance and furthering of Gods glory and good causes for procuring true good to their brethren especially in spirituall things for increasing grace in themselues and their store of comfort against the day of triall And if so be which sometimes befals the best they be crost by sinful motions in themselues or suggestions of Satan yet by their surprizing and suppressing them at the very first rising and assault and by present repentance they are vndoubtedly euer pardoned vnto them in Christ Iesus Giue me leaue I pray you to illustrate this varietie and difference of thoughts which I haue
himselfe in darknes but that in his cold blood and more sober consideration will acknowledge and confesse that the state of notorious sinfulnes is the state of wretchednes and of death And that there is no hope for the Drunkard the Swearer the Lier the Vsurer the vncleane person the Sabbath-breaker the Sacrilegious Simoniacall and sinners of such infamous ranke but a fearefull looking for of iudgement and without repentance and forsaking their sinnes an eternall separation both from al possibilitie of grace and sound comfort in this life and from the fruition of the ioyes and blessednes of heauen hereafter I therefore endeuour and desire to come neerer and closer to mens consciences and to tell them that out of a conceit of their morall honestie and outward religiousnes they may perswade themselues that they are rich and encreased in spirituall store and haue need of no more for the attainment of heauen when in deed and truth as concerning the power of sauing grace and sincere exercise of religion they are wretched and miserable and poore and blind and naked In these luke-warme times many there are who with the fruites of a temporarie faith and some light of the generall graces of the Spirit make a faire shew and win good reputation for their spirituall state both with their owne hearts and with the world abroad when to the eie of heauenly wisdom and in truth they are but only Blazing-stars and earthly minded not fixed in the same firmament with the Sunne of righteousnes nor of an heauenly stampe And if they rise not higher in their affections and conuersation from earth and earthly vanities when their rootlesse graces shall be withered and wasted away their fall will bee sudden and fearfull and their former vanishing flashes of vaine hope for future happinesse will be turned into horror and extremest miseries of despaire Most behooffull then is it for euery man in time to search and examine himselfe whether Christ Iesus be in him or no. And it is one of the worthiest and noblest imployment of the soule to reflect vpon it selfe and with an vndazeled and vndissembling eye thorowly to trie and descrie cleerely it owne state whether it be already washed with the blood of Christ and enliued with a supernaturall vigour and life of grace or yet lie polluted in it owne blood and vnder the power of the first death I wonder how any man can bee at rest and quiet vntill he be assured and secur'd in this point sith vpon it depends his euerlasting estate in another world Nay sith euen in this world euery vnregenerate man let him be otherwise neuer so great or adored aboue others neuer so absolute in all other excellencies and perfections whatsoeuer yet being out of the state of grace is a very limbe of Satan a child of darknesse and one of the familie of Hell The wrath and vengeance of God all the furie of the kingdom of darknesse the rage of all the creatures though hee little thinke vpon it are euerie houre readie and addrest to seize vpon him as a traitor and rebell to the highest Maiestie and to dragge him downe into the bottome of Hell Whereas the state of true Christians and Gods faithfull Ones is most comfortable and glorious euen in this life in this vale of teares and in these Tabernacles of clay For their comforts are not fading and earthly springing out of the sinfull pleasures transitorie glorie of the world not fastned vnto honors greatnes and possessions to the encrease of Corne and Wine and Oyle but they are of a right noble and heauenly temper framed and emplanted in the sanctified soule by the spirit of all comfort and therefore euerlasting and vnconquerable able to keepe a man in heart and resolution against the malice and cruelties of all aduersaries of all creatures They only are truly and soundly perswaded by the sweet and secret testimonie of the spirit and by the euidence and experience of their own holy life that after the approching and much longed for period of a few and euill daies they shall raigne with God almightie the holy Angels and glorified Saints in vnutterable and endlesse pleasures for euer and euer and therfore easily and resolutely with much indignation contempt ouer-looke and throw out of their hearts all worldly thoughtfulnes all excessiue desires of earth and earthly vanities all restlesse aspirations after transitorie honors the noble miseries of this wretched life They alone haue fastned the eye of their mindes illightned from aboue with sauing faith vpon the vnualuable pretiousnes and lasting beauty of their immortall crownes in heauen and therfore all the glittering and golden representations with which the flattering world hath formerly deceiued and dazled their eyes appeare to be nothing but darknes and desolations Their glorie indeed heere vpon earth doth not consist in outward pompe and state it doth not shine to carnall eyes it is vndiscernable to the sharpest sight of worldly wisedome and policie but inwardly and with spirituall fairenes their diuine graces make them so truly honorable and louely that somewhere in Scripture they are called the Glory of God and are as deare vnto him as the pretious ball and apple of his owne eye They are in so high esteeme and account with Angels that those excellent creatures with much ioy alacrity become their Guardians and seruiceable vnto them with extraordinarie care and tendernes All the creatures groane and desire to bee deliuered into their glorious libertie and in the meane time with a secret and insensible reuerence they adore the sacred character of diuinitie that is stampt vpon them All the Saints acknowledge them to bee more excellent then their neighbours of the household of God and heires of heauen Nay the wicked themselues many times are confounded and stand amazed at the height of spirit and resolution that possesseth their hearts and at the sober vndanted maiestie that shines in their faces This and a thousand times more then this is the blisfull state of Gods children euen in this life Howsoeuer they be neglected and trampled vpon by the world and wicked men yet in the iudgement of God himselfe the blessed spirits and all men of true worth indeed they are the only Angels vpon earth and the royall citizens of this kingdome of Grace The prosecution of this point would bee comfortable but so I should be more tedious No more but this therfore at this time Certaine it is if a man were crowned with the royall state and imperiall command of all the kingdomes vpon earth if his heart were enlarged to the vtmost of all created capacitie filled with all the exquisite and vnmixed pleasures that the reach of mortalitie and most ambitious curiositie could possibly deuise and might without interruption and distast enioy them the length of the worlds duration they were all nothing to the enioyment of the pretious and peereles comforts of the state of Grace but euen for an houre
of all controlement and contradiction So that morall honesty and outward religiousnesse being in themselues good and necessarie and a good step to Christianity yet by accident are many times a strong barre to keepe men from the power of godlinesse and vnfained sincerity Because when they consider their present course is in good acceptance with the world and that it may well consist with the free enioyment of their honours and pleasures at least arising from their beloued and secret sinnes they willingly and peremptorily rest and repose vpon it contented with a probable error of being in the state of grace and with a plausible passage vnto eternal death And the rather because they know full well if they should step forward vnto forwardnesse in religion and that inward holinesse without which they shall neuer see the face of God they should not onely raise vp against themselues many thundring tempests of the worlds insolent false and spitefull censures but also euen from the bottome of hell many disturbances and fearefull tentations For I am perswaded while a man lies secure in the course of vnregeneration if the diuell can procure it he shall enioy his hearts desire he shall bring his enterprises to passe and not fall into trouble like other men He onely then begins to bestirre himselfe when a man begins to stirre towards grace or that by his traines he hath brought him to some point of aduantage to some dead lift to his death-bed that he may haue a full stroke at his destruction that he may suddenly and certainely swallow him vp body and soule and then he paies him home with a witnesse for either through senselesnesse or despaire hee sinkes him downe irrecouerably into the bottome of hell These two obiections thus preuented I come to the proofe of the point in hand And first these reasons following may demonstrate that he which reaches but to ciuill honesty comes farre short of being in Christ and consequently of true happinesse First some of the heathens out of those weake notions and inclinations to vertuousnesse which corrupted nature confusedly imprinted in their minds attained a great measure of morall perfection This Elogie the Historian giues of the Romane Cato Cato was a man which did animate the faire speculatiue image of vertue with liuely executions and practise Goodnesse was so habitually incorporated into his honest mind that he did good not for respects and reseruedly but because he could possibly doe no otherwise Impartiall indifferency was the rule of his actions and being free from the corruptions of the time he was the same man and had a free command ouer his passions both in time of acceptation and disgrace It is further reported of Fabricius that a man might sooner turne the sun from his course then to sway Fabricius by respects from honest and ingenuous dealing And yet all these excellencies of morality are iustly and truely censured by Diuinity to be but glorious sinnes Austin that great disputer and worthie father confirmes it vnanswerable especially froÌ„ that ground in the Epistle to the Hebrues Without faith it is impossible to please God Let a mans workes bee in shew neuer so good so magnificent so charitable except the heart be purged from dead workes by a liuely faith and pure from an euill conscience hee is but a painted sepulchre or whited wall But yet take this by the way if these Heathens in the twilight of reason became such admirable lights of vprightnesse and honesty and yet Christians in these daies when all the beames of Christs blessed Gospell are shining and shed round about them continue still in darkenesse cold and frozen in prophannesse and security certainely as it shall be easier for Tyrus and Sidon at the day of iudgement then for Chorazin and Bethsaida so it shall be easier for many Heathens though to them impossible then for those Christians that passe not them in vertue and integrity Cato and Fabricius at that day shall rise vp against many luke warme professors of our times to their eternall shame confusion and condemnation The second reason is grounded vpon the words of saint Paul 1. Cor 2.14 The naturall man perceiueth not the things of the spirit of God for they are foolishnesse vnto him neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned In this place by natural man is not ment only the carnal and sensuall man swinishly wallowing in vanities and pleasures but as the best and soundest interpreters conceiue it euen a man considered with the whole compasse of the reasonable soules possibility And maÌ„s reasonable soule by that strength it yet retains since it was by God iustly disinherited of alspirituall patrimonie for Adams rebellion may purchase some kind of perfections First in it selfe it may be excellent if endowed with a sharp wit a quick apprehension a strong mind a piercing iudgement a faithful memory a more moderate wil and milder affections But if by industry and art it furnish and fil euery seueral faculty with those ornaments and qualities of which they are naturally capable the perfection is much more admirable And yet besides these excellencies in it self it may shine gloriously to others it may go further and inable it self by action experience obseruation with such an vniuersal wisdom that it may not only be fit and qualified for notable offices of society and entercourse in politick Bodies but also reach vnto y â— depth of foresight and large comprehension of circumstances that it may be worthie imploiment in affaires of State and in the direction and guidance of whole kingdomes All these perfections may concurre vpon the soule and yet it remaine starke blind in the mysteries of saluation Imagine them all iointly in one man and in the highest degree of perfection of which vnsanctified mortalitie is capable and let them bee neuer so much admired and flattered of the world yet without the salt of grace to season them and the life of faith to animate them they are but as gay and rich attire vpon a leprous bodie as iewels chaines and bracelets vpon a dead and rotten carcasse Let no man then deceiue his owne heart he may be enriched with singular pregnancie of all the faculties of the soule hee may be stored with varietie of the choisest and profoundest learning he may expresse in action and ciuill honestie the absolute portraiture of Aristotles moral vertues he may be as politike as Ahitophel Whose counsell which he counselled in those daies was like as one â—ad asked counsell at the Oracle of God and yet without supernaturall illumination and the diuine graces of faith loue zeale sinceritie spirituall wisedome a sanctified contention of spirit in making towards God in all kind of duties which onely put a man into possession of true happinesse and sit him for a blessed association with God Angels and holy men I say without these supernaturall graces he cannot onely not perceiue the things of the spirit of God but
blessings were things so incredible and beyond all expectation You know a little before the Queenes death the wisest were at their wits ends and euery one stood amazed and astonished for the feares his heart did feare The Iesuites from beyond seas insolently insulted ouer vs and told vs in their bookes that this kingdome would shortly become a prey to the greedie ambition of all the neighbour nations that huge clouds of blood hung ouer our heads and would melt and dissolue at the Queenes death But it was neither so nor so They are the false prophets of the Beast in the Reuelation no maruell though they lied For he that dwels in the heauen laughed them to scorne our gratious God had them in derision And when diuels and Papists looked and wished that this land should haue beene clothed euen with blood and fire as with a garment out of the infinite depth of his vnsearchable mercies he couered it with peace ioy and happinesse euen as the seas are couered with water In the Gunpowder Treason the necke of our whole State both of Church and Common-wealth the glory of this famous and flourishing kingdome the hope of posterity was laid as it were vpon the blocke The instrument of death was lifted vp by the damned instrument of the Popes malice and cruelty he was euen ready to giue the mortall stroke and had not the Angell of the Lord stepped in in the verie nicke had not our mercifull God by his most miraculous and immediate prouidence put to his helping hand when our case was desperate and all hope past he had cut off from vs the roote and the branch the name and the remnant the son and the nephew Our land that before was as the garden of Eden had bin by this time a desolate wildernesse Our Church which was before a harbour of Saints had been by this time a poole of snakes I meane an habitation of Papists The faire body of this citie that before was enliued with matchlesse glory and worth should by this time haue bin a rent and dismembred carcase and that which is worst of al the neglected and forlorne lims inspired with the doctrine of diuels Let vs then examine our selues in this point Haue these incomparable blessings melted our hearts into teares of repentance thankfulnes Haue these cords of loue drawn vs neerer vnto our God in all knowledge loue and obedience Why then we may assure our selues of a good testimony that our soules are seasoned with grace But if it be quite otherwise If these great and vndeserued mercies haue bred in vs a more frozen coldnesse in the seruice of God a more presumptuous securitie and a sounder and sweeter sleepe in sin If since our miraculous deliuerance vnparalleld by all Nations times and stories there hath bin amongst vs no lesse prophaning of Gods Name and Sabbaths then before no lesse pride and drunkenesse no lesse oppression and vsurie no lesse vncleannesse and vnconscionablenes in our callings no lesse ignorance in the word of God and backwardnesse in the waies of holinesse no lesse contempt of godlinesse and godly men Nay if all these gather head and heart more ripenesse and readinesse to receiue the flame of Gods fierce and last wrath If there bee rather a sensible decay of the feare of God of zeale and true sinceritie amongst vs If Prophanenesse Atheisme Poperie and a luke-warmenesse in religion like a mightie Torrent rush in violently vpon vs daily more and more and fearefully preuaile and domineere in most places Why then you are a people of vnderstanding I leaue it to your owne consciences to consider what must needs shortly befall vs except we gather our selues before the decree come foorth vnlesse by speedy humiliation and vnfained repentance wee preuent so great and fearefull iudgements And the rather because wee may assure our selues while the Diuell is in hell and the Pope at Rome the Priests and Iesuits those notorious and transcendent instruments of blood and death will be working in the Vaults of darknes for the confusion of the children of light the subuersion of the Kingdome of Christ and by consequent the ruine of our Church and Common wealth Little know we what fearefull and hellish plot may be euen now in hatching and hammering or how neere it is to the birth while we are most secure And for vs in the meane time without repentance and rooting out Idolatrie to depend still vpon immediate and miraculous discoueries and deliuerances is at the least an vnhallowed and desperate presumption I cannot follow distinctly at this time any more differences betwixt the state of sauing grace and formall hypocrisie For conclusion therefore onely I will acquaint you more fullie with the effects of sauing grace and follow in few words the trace and steps of the Spirit of God in the great worke of regeneration that thereby euery man may examine his conscience iudge himselfe and trie what his state is The working and propertie of this sauing grace and true godlinesse vouchsafed peculiarly and onely to Gods children which doth translate them from darkenesse to light from the corruption of nature to a state of supernaturall blessednesse you may thus conceiue and vnderstand It is like leauen for so the power of Gods word is compared in the Gospell it is of a spreading nature First it seates it selfe in the heart after it is dispersed ouer all the powers and parts both of soule and body ouer all the actions and duties of a man whatsoeuer It softneth and changeth the heart It purgeth the inmost thoughts It awakes the conscience and makes it tender and sensible of the least sinne It sanctifies the affections It conformes the will vnto the will of God It illightnes the vnderstanding with sauing knowledge It stores the memory with many good lessons for comforts instructions and directions in a godly life It seasons the speech with grace It so rectifies and guides all a mans actions that they proceed from faith they are warrantable out of Gods word they are accomplisht by good meanes and wholly directed to the glory of God Nay yet it spreads further and kindles a desire and zeale for the saluation of the soules of others especially of all those that any way depend vpon vs So that the child of God doth euer embrace all meanes and opportunities for the communicating of his graces and comforts and the bringing of others to the same state of happinesse with himselfe Let then I beseech you euery mans conscience goe a little along with me and secretly but faithfully answere to these few interrogatories which I shall propose very briefly and plainely that euery man may easily-vnderstand Hast thou felt by thine owne experience this great worke of regeneration and change wrought vpon thy soule Hath the powerfull word of God by the inward speciall and effectuall working of his spirit broken and bruised thy hard and stonie heart Hath it pierced and purged the very closest and most
all his politicke States-men then his teachers then the ancient If wisedome were lost me thinks it should bee found amongst Polititians the Oracles of imperiall depthes and secrets of State the pillars of common-wealths and kingdomes amongst profound Doctors and Rabbins the fathers of knowledge and learning amongst the ancient whose age is many times crowned with ripenesse of iudgement with variety of experience and obseruation And yet by this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 spirituall prudence for the same word is vsed there by the Septuagints which the Apostle hath Col. 1.9 Dauid farre surmounted them all in respect of which the flower and quintessence of all their wisedome and policies was nothing but glorious follie and profound simplicitie Hence it is that many a poore soule illiterate and neglected proudly passed by and many times trampled vpon with disgrace and vexation by worldly wisemen yet liuing vnder a constant and conscionable Ministrie is infinitely more wise then the greatest clerkes and learnedest doctours both in giuing counsell and aduise in spirituall affaires and in conducting their owne soules in these strangely prophane and desperate daies thorow the strait way to heauen Hence then you may see a cleere difference The formall hypocrite so farre as naturall wit goodnes of education ciuill honesty morall discretion politicke wisedome can illighten and leade him may manage his actions and affaires with exactnesse and reputation gloriously and without exception in the sight and iudgement of the world Nay besides sometimes by an addition of some inferiour and more generall graces of Gods spirit hee may set vpon them such an outward glistering that they may dazle the eyes of the best discerning spirit and deceiue his owne heart with a false persuasion that they are the true actions of piety and pleasing vnto God But ouer and aboue all these which is neuer to be found in the vnregenerate there is in the vnderstanding of the child of God a more excellent and superior vigor that inspires his actions with a high and more heauenly nature that breathes into them the life of grace that guides them with truth and singlenes of heart and sinceritie in all circumstances to the glorie and acceptation of God the comfort of his owne conscience and good of his brethren There is a farre clearer and brighter eye shining in the soule of euery regenerate man in respect whereof the fairest lights of all other knowledge and wisedome are Egyptian darkenesse which doth euer faithfully descry and discouer vnto him the straite though vnbeaten path to immortality thorow all the passages and particulars of his life It reueales vnto him the wisest and most conscionable resolution in all spirituall debatements the best and fittest seasons of reprouing sinnes and winning soules vnto God many obliquities of actions iniquitie of many circumstances the right vses of his owne afflictions disgraces and infirmities which the formall hypocrite cannot possibly discerne because he is starke blind on this eye Amongst infinite I will giue one instance of the gratious workings and power of this diuine habit Let vs imagine an euill report or false slander to bee vniustly raised and without ground vpon the formall hypocrite though it seldome befall such for commonly prophane men are more countenanced better conceiued and spoken of by the greater part and by great men then they deserue Yet if it so fall out this or the like is his behauiour He perhaps proclaimes and protests his cleerenesse in the case too ambitiously and impotently not with that humilitie and spirituall discretion He pleaseth and applaudeth himselfe in his innocency for this particular boisterously and with clamour which perhaps secretly breeds a more generall Pharisaicall selfe-conceit of the rest of his waies He angerly contests with the iniquitie and ingratitude of the world for casting such base indignities and aspersions vpon goodnesse and vertue He would gladly beare it out brauely and make others think that he passeth it without wound or passion but indeed he inwardly chases and frets and is much grieued and gauled with worldly sorrow for it the reason is his reputation with men is dearer vnto him then the glory of God his chiefest good and comfort in this world is the worlds good opinion of him But in all this he is so farre from working any spirituall good out of it that he rather entertaines a secret encouragement to be that indeed which the world censures him to be then for a bare conceald conscience of his innocency to debarre himselfe of a full fruition of the present times But let vs now on the other side conceiue a child of God to be wickedly and wrongfully slandered for it is properly his lot and portion in this life to be loaden with leaud and lying censures with vniust and odious imputations sometimes to haue many grieuous things and fearefull abominations fathered vpon him without al sense honestie or probabilitie which he neuer did he neuer knew And if once ill reports raised falslie vpon the godly be on wing they flie as swift as the Eagles of the heauens Diuels are speedie Dromedaries to carrie such newes They presently passe thorow Tauernes and Ale-houses Citie and Countrie Gath and Ascalon they run farre and wide as currant and authenticall vnder the Broad-seale of good fellowship neuer more to be controlled and reuerst vntill the matter be brought before that high and euerlasting Iudge But marke I pray you the carriage of Gods child in these cases he doth indeed sweetly and comfortably enioy the consciousnesse of his owne vprightnesse though his aduersaries bee neuer so potent or cunning to threape him down yet vntil he die as Iob speaks he will not take away his innocencie from himselfe When the sharpe and empoisoned arrowes of bitter malice and calumniations come thickest vpon him euen with haile shot his truly noble and diuinely resolued soule is infinitly satisfied with that in Iob Behold now my witnesse is in the heauen and my record is on high Yet he doth labor to cleare himselfe so farre as the honour of God the satisfaction of the godly and danger of iust scandall require But the gracious considerations and holy practise which in these afflictions of his good name spirituall prudence principallie ministers and suggests vnto him are such as these First he considers that howsoeuer he be innocent from the slander yet the finger of God is in it as it was in directing the dogged malice of cursed Shemei vpō the roial person of Dauid therfore he gathers that the Lord would thereby giue him notice that some other things in him are amisse That some secret corruption by which his blessed Spirit is grieued is to be subdued and mortified y t some grace is to be repaired some of his waies to be amended perhaps his languishing zeale is to be reuiued and inflamed his heart much duld with the contagious prophanenesse and formalitie of the times is to be quickned and more enlarged for Gods seruice
now largely laid downe vnto you in our selues for the neerer pressing of our consciences and that in the matter of Elections Let vs imagine a notorious sinner to haue a voice and hand in such businesse His very first thoughts would bee to haue no thought at all of Oath or Statute of conscience or honestie of honour of his Colledge or good of the Church but would resolue out of the prophane principles of his vast conscience and by the benefit of a large acception of charitie to bee indifferent for all commers Only in his choâ—ce hâ—e would haue an eie to the maine that the state of good-fellowship should take no disparagement or diminution and therefore he would most carefully cast about with himselfe by all meanes to defeate and preuent the purposes and to stoppe the passage especially of all Puritanes You must know by the way that these are a very dangerous kind of men able to blow vp whole Houses by their too fierie zeale against idlenesse drunkennesse other shamefull corruptions close and politike cariages of many rotten and vnconscionable causes and the like For by Puritanes in this place I only vnderstand them for euen such are so branded who make conscience of studie and religious education of Schollers who are readie euer and resolute to vphold goodnesse in a House though they be crusht disgraced and disoffic'd who out of a gracious and ingenuous freedom of Spirit wil be their owne men in Elections and other Collegiate seruices and not suffer their consciences to be led hood-winkt to serue other mens humours and priuate ends who chuse rather in a neglected state sweetly to enioy the continuall feast and perpetuall paradise of a sincere heart true and inward comfort the societie of Gods seruants then for many times full dearely bought fauours and offices to enthrall and violence both their iudgements and affections to liue reseruedly vnder a maske and at a haires breadth for all occasions and obseruances so wearing out a little miserable time in a glorious and countenanced slauery In a word who of the two would rather saue their soules then prosper in the world Now such fellowes as these thinks he with himselfe which seeme as it were by an hypocriticall Monopoly to haue engrost all sinceritie honestie and good conscience must be kept out or if by some dysaster they creep in amoÌ„gst vs be curbd and kept vnder else shal not we sway and domineere Hereupon all the labour of his wit and toile of his thoughts would bee to plant a thorne where a vine should grow and to burden these sacred and honourable Mansions designed onely for gracious and golden wits with leaden drones and swarmes of worthlesse and witlesse creatures Secondly the thoughts of the grosse hypocrite in this waightie businesse of Elections would bee as vtterly void of all conscionable and ingenuous considerations as the notorious sinners First he would commune with his own couetous heart for commonly worldlinesse is the master sinne in the grosse hypocrite therefore I follow the thoughts rising thence he would within himselfe cast a greedy and rauenous eie vpon the condition of all the competitours for the place and at length conclude and be sure to seaze vpon that party let his learning or honestie be what it would where in all likelihood he might make the richest pray and sucke out the greatest aduantage Either purchase a great friend strengthen his faction gratifie his fauourites receiue a present bribe or else which is a secret but a sinfull policie by weighing circumstances marking insinuations and former cariages expect the largest after gratification close and indirect considerations and the most liberal New-yeeres gifts for in them certainely sometimes lurkes corruption These things thus thought vpon there followes now in him an addition to the iniquitie of the notorious sinner He is not content to be thus starke naught but he must double his sin by seeming good it is not enough for him to be thus cursedly pestilent to the place where he liues but hee must enlarge the mischiefe by putting on a vizard of piety He therfore in a second place would beate his braines how he might varnish ouer this villany with most probable and fairest pretences The bribe must come in vpon other termes with other circumstances then the grossenesse of that vile sinne is wont to be conuaied hee thinkes how he may deale openly and in the eie of the world with men without all suspition while the matter is carried vnderhand by suttle mediate and most exercisde Agents in the goodly affaires of abominable corruption Lastly he is much troubled in mind how for all this he may continue a good opinion with good men and giue satisfaction to those whom he deceiues by his seeming but by much practise he makes this reasonable easie for politicke hypocrisie hath so many faces turnings and euasions that it can too easily insinuate with and satisfie vnsuspicious innocent and charitable sinceritie Hee can tell them of some depths in the mysterie of gouernment which euery precise vnderling cannot comprehend that some libertie and dispensation must be giuen to statute-discretion against the bare letter and strict meaning of the statute that wee liue not in Platoes common-wealth or Mores Eutopia but in corrupt times in the very confluence of all the sins of former ages and therfore it is vtterly impossible to keepe a mans selfe so passingly pure from all spice of contagion that something must needs be yeelded to the times else there is no liuing at least no prospering in the world Thus the grosse hypocrite is euer as thoughtfull for outward plaistering as secret plotting Thirdly let vs conceiue what would bee the inward discourse and workings of the heart in the formall hypocrite about disposing his voice in Elections His thoughts in these cases perhaps would not be extremely base nor grosly wicked it may be he would be able to cleare euen his conscience and inmost conceit much more to wash his hands from the hatefull and crying sinne of downe-right briberie This horriblenes is onely for notorious sinners and grosse hypocrites Nay out of some sudden pang of highest resolution that ingenuousnesse of nature or morall honestie can produce he might take heart to answer and withstand the suites and importunitie of Greatnesse and great meanes only with this reseruation so that his present happines be not therby mainly hazarded nor hope of his future preferment certainely cut off For we must still hold this principle concerning the formall hypocrite if hee bee brought to a iumpe hee will euer make euen Gods holy word conscience religion desires and intreaties of godly men and all to yeeld and stoope to the worldly comforts hee presently enioies but vpon as faire termes and with as plausible conueiance as may be It may be he will be good in many things and outwardly in all but say the Prophets what they will he must into the house of Rimmon God must be mercifull vnto
I speake the truth I vse no Hyperbole the Spirit of all comfort and consciences of all true Christians bearing me witnesse Good Sir let me humbly entreate you with a proportionable zeale and feruencie to encline and enlarge your affections to the pursuit and practise of so excellent and glorious an happinesse Which that you may doe I will continuallie prostrate and powre out my soule in prayer before the throne of Grace and mercie And rest Your Worships to be commanded euer in the Lord Iesus Robert Bolton AN ADVERTISEMENT TO THE READER CHristian This Discourse which now stands so close together was deliuered in fiue seuerall sermons but all to a most iudicious and intelligent auditorie therfore there is a continuance of matter coherence and stile I must entreat thee out of thine â—ngenuous discretion to distinguish the places where they were preacht as thou shalt find the direction of my speech and some particular applications more naturally and necessarilie with indiuiduall reference appropriated thereunto The reasons why I spent the most of my meditations and sticke so long in descrying and desciphering the state of formall hypocrisie for therein I haue trod a something vncouth and vnusuall path are these First I considered that in this full light of the Gospell a great number of men applâ—â—d and content themselues with a superficiall glistering of a formall profession outward conformitie to the Ministrie of the word and some false flashes of an vnsound persuasion that they are in the ready and right way to heauen when as indeed it hath not inwardly illightned their vnderstandings with sauing knowledge heated their affections with true zeale subdued their sinfull thoughts and noisome lusts with the power of grace nor softned and sanctifiâ—d their hearts to yeeld a cheerfull sincere and vniuersall obedience thereunto And so after a few miserable daies spent in a prosperous securitie they fall into the iawes of hell before they mistrust any such matter and the pit of destruction shuts her mouth vpon them before they know and acknowledge their broken and bankrout state in spirituall things I therefore desire and endeauour to awake them out of their golden dreame of imaginarie future happines that with open eyes they may see their present spirituall pouerty and so betimes preuent the anger to come I hope in the Lord and wish hartily that by a dispassionate and thorow perusall of this Treatise they may take some scantling of their owne estate with God and entring a serious and impartiall search and examination of their consciences discouer and reueale themselues vnto themselues and so if they belong vnto the euerlasting couenant of grace sâ—ep forward into the state of grace the paradise of true Christianitie and practise of holinesse that their deare and pretious soules may be saued in the day of the Lord Iesâ—s Secondly I did conceiue that there is a threefold cord three maine and capitall causes that violently hale downe vpon vs from heauen many both corporall and spirituall plagues and bind them fast to the bowels and principall parts of this kingdome and doe daily more and more ripen the iust wrath of God for the powring out of his last vengeance vpon this sinfull nation They are those 1. The ouerflowing torrent and vnbridledrage of many crying sinnes fearefull abominations and desperate prophanenes 2. A sensible declination from their first loue and decay of zeale euen in Christians 3. A luke-warmenes and want of thorownes and sinceritie in formall professors As for the first By our horrible sins and hatefull ingratitude for mercies without measure and miraculous deliuerances wee grow so heauie vpon the Lord that we presse him and the bowels of his tenderest compassions as a caâ—t is pressed that is full of sheaues so that it is impossible but that shortly without great humiliation and generall repâ—ntance wee should wrest out of his hands the vials of his last wrath and force him to come against vs with the beesome of vtter desolation It is to bee feared so grieuous and endlesse is the impietie and impâ—nitencie of this land that his forbearance in the meane time is not for any hope he hath of vs for what good hath a durable and extraordinarie plague done vpon vs but onely by reason of the cruell and implacable insolencie of our enemies because â—ee is loth to make vs a prey to the Wolues of Rome and matter of triumph to such a mercilesse and murderous generation Who knowes but that the Match had reached vnto the Powder had not the Lord out of the bottomlesse depth of his vnlimited mercies laid hold vpon his owne argument Deut. 32.26.27 I haue said I would scatter them abrode I would make their remembrance to cease from amongst men saue that I feared the furie of the enemy lest their aduersaries should waxe proud Left his and our aduersaries those breathing diuels the Gunpowder Papists should too proudly and barbarously haue insulted in the ruines of his people and the banishment of his glorious Gospell The Lord giue vs vnderstanding hearts to consider these things in time lest he come vpon vs with his wrath neuer more to bee appeased and teare vs in peâ—ces when there is none to hâ—lpe May any man driue away an hungry Lion in the wood or quench the fire in stubble when it hath once begun to burne may one turne againe the arrow that is shot of a strong archer If the Lord once whet his glittering sword and his hand take hold on iudgement with purpose to roote out a sinfull and rebellious nation there is no power or policie no multitude of men or magnificence of State no armour of the mightie or arme of flesh shall euer bee able to giue any succour reliefe or deliuerance Concerning the second Certaine it is that our blessings of peace and strength of State breed by accident much abatement of forwardnesse and zeale in godlines secret indeuotion and coldnes euen in many true Professours carelesnes in obseruing their waies wearinesse and vncheerefulnesse in doing good and performing holy duties vnpreparednesse in comming to diuine seruices religious exercises and the Lords Table sleightnesse and vnprofitablenesse in prayer meditation Christian conference and dailie examination of their consciences neglect of opportunitie in winning their brethren vnto the feare of God and of working vpon and preuailing with their kindred acquaintance familiars and families Thus wickedly and vnthankefully turne we the mercies of God into occasions of sinne and suffer our temporall happinesse to wast and consume our spirituall blessings And the more we are secured in our outward state the more heartlesse we are in the seruice of God and the affaires of the life to come But let vs looke vnto it for as the louder and crying sinnes of this land are the great and strong cartropes so vndoubtedly these as lesser cords haue their part and some power in drawing vpon vs heauie iudgements and in preparing further vengeance except wee amend and returne to
our first loue Would to God that we would keepe fresh in our minds but this one consideration That the same God which against the expectation both of heauen and earth of Rome and hell of diuels and Papists turned our feares and amazements at the death of that glorious Saint the late Queene into safetie and a sure foundation by the most happie succession of our gracious Soueraigne and his roiall seed can out of his iust iudgements for our vnthankefulnesse and securitie in the very turning of an hand and closing of an eie dash all our hopes and shut vp the whole Body of this flourishing kingdom in the pit of irrecouerable destruction It had bin done had Fauks fired the powder and who knowes what those busie and bloody heads are euen now hammering in the same kind Besides these two now mentioned there is another capitall cause of Gods heauie displeasure which though iâ— make no great noise nor be much taken notice of vpon earth yet â—t is much lothed of God almighty and cries loud in heauen for vengeance vpon vs It is a Lukewarmenesse and vnzealousnesse a cold and carelesse mediocritie in spirituall matters and as it were a neutralitie betwixt notorious sinfulnes and sauing sinceritie When men perhaps with diligence willingnesse and forwardnesse submit themselues to the hearing of the word but subordinate the power and practise thereof to their â—ase honours and worldly contentments When they wil needs hold an outward correspondence with the world and yet inwardly maintaine and nourish hope of saluation in themselues When they straine their wits and striue to partake both of the comfortable fauour of God and corrupt fashions of the times both of the pleasures of their sweet sinne and the sweetnesse of the true peace of conscience which are as inconcurrent as two parallel lines and as incompatible as light and darkenesse These men though in the worlds opinion they be of ciuill honest cariage of moderate spirits and of a stated temper in religion and in their owne conceits rich and enriched and want nothing yet indeed they are meere staruelings and starke beggers in respect of the true riches and lasting treasures of sauing grace and in the very case of those except in the meane time they buy of him gold garments and oile which shall neuer see Christ Iesus in his Kingdome to their comfort for Amen the faithfull and true witnesse hath vowed it that he will spue such out of his mouth and wishes much rather that they were key-cold then such formall Christians His speech imports thus much I had rather you were Pagans and Infidels then professors without zeale Now my chiefe and speciall aime is with all humble submission to beâ—ter iudgements and the censure of the Prophets to lay open the state of thâ—se men because besides their fearefull deceiuing their owne soules and particular certaine damnation if they so continue they mightily inceâ—se the Lords wrath against this laâ—d with an insensible and vnacknowledgde prouocation and mainly hazard the continuance of his glorious Gospell amongst vs. It is commonly conceiued indeed both of themselues and of the world that if they bee morally honest and outwardly conformable to the ministery of the word so that they bee hurtlesse and innocent in respect of humane iustice that they are also I know not how harmelesse and guiltlesse before the Tribunall of God But the Euangelist telles vs That that which is highlie esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God And God himselfe by Isaiah That his thoughts are not our thoughts neither are his waies our waies For certainely the state of Lukewarmnesse and formalitiâ— in religion howsoeuer it may be full of worldly applause and happinesse and beare away the bell vpon earth yet it is as burdensome and hatefull vnto God as luke-warme water or the most lothsome potion to the nicest stomacke And doth with a more naturall importunitie then other sinnes knock at the gates of diuine iustice for the remooueall of our candlesticke and the glory of his Gospell from amongst vs. All kinds of sinnes according to their nature measure and ripenesse haue proportionally a part and hand in drawing downe all manner of plagues vpon the sonnes of men but this hath a peculiar and predominant power in hastening that particular and greatest of all iudgements the famine of the word For God cannot endure without speciall indignation that his word which is his power vnto saluation should recâ—iue such limitation and prescription from mens wisdome that it should worke no further vpon them nor beget more change and holinesse then may consist with the enioyment of their worldly contentments reputation and the pleasures of their beloued sinne He cannot abide that men discontented with the straâ—tnesse of the gate of grace and impatient of a strict course of godlinesse should labor to find out and follow another way to heauen then that which is sanctified by his word and which hath and must be troden by all those that will euer see the Lord. Knowledge and profession of Gods truth without sanctification and zeale are but meanes in the meane time to put out the glory of Israel and will hereafter but encrease the number of stripes and adde waight vnto endlesse torment In the name of God therefore let all luke-warme and formall Christians be contented to take notice of their state and before the Sun goe downâ— ouer the Prophets suffer their hearts to be thorowly heated with true zeale and besides their outward reformation and generall lightnings of the Spirit to entertaine that speciall sauing and sanctifying grace which onely can saue their soules and prepare them for the glory that is to be reuealed Lest now at length for he hath borne with vs miraculously our iust God cause our Sunne to goe downe at noone and darkenesse to surprize vs in the cleare day Lâ—st he roote vs out of this good land as a fruitlesse and faithles nation turne vs out of our houses of peace as the vnworthiest and vnthankefullest people vnder heauen and let out his vineyard to other husbandmen which will deliuer him the fruites in their seasons And the more secure and fearelesse wee bee as wee were neuer more the more sudden and ineuitable is like to bee our surprizall and destruction For as Gods mercies are then most magnified when they relieue the extremest miserie and shine into the depth of discomfort and darkenesse when all other helpe is vtterly despaired of so his iudgements are most glorious when they strike at the height and top of pride and impenitencie while they thinke themselues most sure and with greatest confidence repose vpon the arme of flesh and policie of man The third reason and motiue why I insist so long in the point of formal hypocrisie was taken from the condition of mine auditors who being of deepest vnderstanding are naturally aptest and stroÌ„gliest tempted to mistake vnderualue the mystery of godlines and to deceiue their owne
soules in the high point of saluation For men of greatest noblenes and pregnancie of spirit of most rich and vniuersall endowments of mind without the power of grace and a sanctified humilitie the fairest branch springing thence and the true crowne of Christianity are readiest to make an idoll of their great sufficiencie with a disdainefull preiudice to passe by the simplicitie of the Saints out of a flattering conceit of their owne hearts to thinke their spirituall state as good as the best and most blessed from God when as yet they haue no part in the first resurrection For when they find themselues far aboue others in all other excellencies and whatsoeuer remarkeable worth the world takes speciall notice of they conceiue also that in a proportionable congruitie as indeed it should be they are inferiour to none in those sacred apprehensions of heauen and taste of eternall life Vpon this consideration I was bold out of a Christian iealousie to treate on this argument being persuaded of their great wisedome and gratious humility to listen to any heauenly message which might either discouer or preuent spirituall danger Thine in Christ Iesus Robert Bolton A DISCOVRSE ABOVT THE STATE OF TRVE HAPPINESSE PSALM 1. 1 Blessed is the mâ—n that doth not walke in the counsell of the wicked nor stand in the way of sinners nor sit in the seat of the scornefull 2 But his delight is in the Law of the Lord and in his Law doth he meditate day and night THere is no greater encouragement or stronger motiue to stirre a man to an eager and earnest pursuite of the meanes then to purpose vnto him an end wherein at length his heart may repose as in a concurrence of all comforts and contentments To which there is no possibilitie of attainment but by purenesse of heart holinesse of life constancie in a course of sanctification which only leade vnto the face and presence of God where and with whom alone is the highest perfection of blisse a riuer of infinite pleasures the well of life and endlesse rest of all created desires For the capacitie of mans soule cannot possibly be filled with the sufficiencie of any creature no not with a world of creatures for they are all nothing to the worth of a mans soule Christ himselfe hauing preferred it in valuation What shall it profit a man though he should win the whole world if he lose his owne soule And therfore can neuer be free from motion and vexation vntill it reach vnto either in certaine hope or actuall fruition an obiect infinite as well in excellencie of nature as duration of time Blessed then was the wisdome of the disposer of these heauenly Songs of Dauid whether it was himselfe or Ezra or whomsoeuer in that he prefixed this excellent Psalme as a preface to all the rest wherein is proposed and comprised a matchlesse happines whereby the godly man may euen in this life flourisâ— like a Palme tree and grow like a Cedar in Lebanon refreshed continually with riuers of ioies and comforts shed into his heart by the spirit of God and may stand like mount Zion vnasâ—onished and vnremouâ—d at that great and fearefull day when the wicked shall call for the mountaines to couer them and wish they had neuer bin What ingenuous mind would not be inflamed with zeale to the prosequution of those meanes which leade vnto an end as full of happines as the Sunne is full of light and the Sea of waters What heart not possessed with an iron sâ—ew would not thirst and long after found and vndissembled sinceritie euen as the Hart brayeth after the riuers of water and as the drie ground gapeth for drops of raine sith by it alone wee purchase and put on an vnconquerable resolution issuing from an assurance of being in Christ and from the clearenesse of a good conscience whereby we may walke euen as bold as Lions thorow this valley of teares amid the mercilesle vexations of prophane men nay we may walke vpon the Lion and Aspe the young Lion and the Dragon we may tread vnder feet and hereafter be sure to be satisfied with the fulnesse of ioy in the presence of God and with pleasures at his right hand for euermore This happie man is here described vnto vs by many arguments First are laid downe his markes and properties negatiue and affirmatiue in the two first verses Secondly his happinesse is liuelily set out by a similitude in the third verse Illustrated by an opposition of the miserie and vnhappie condition of the wicked in the fourth and fifth verses Concluded with the causes of them both to wit of the happinesse of the godly and vengeance vpon the wicked in the last verse The negatiue properties in the first verse are three Hee doth not walke in the Counsell of the wicked He doth not stand in the way of sinners He doth not sit in the seat of the scornofull amplified with a threefold gradation in the persons actions and obiects of the actions The gradation in the persons the wicked sinners and scornefull implies all forts of vngodlie men The gradation in the actions walke stand and sit all manner of commerce and correspondence with them The gradation in the obiects the counsell way and feare all kind of iniquitie inward corruptions or outward impieties The whole verse laboureth with an emphaticall exaggeration to set downe hiâ— blessed forbearance of sinne and communicating with sinfull men The second verse containing his imploiment in pietie seemeth to answer in opposition the three negatiues with three affirmatiues His delighting in the Law of the Lord is opposed to the counsell of the wicked His mediation and exercise in that Law to the way of sinners Day and night there is his constancie and habit oppos'de to the seate of the scornefull Why then let the prophane and flattering world say what it will let sensuall and vnsanctified men iudge as they lift That man and that man alone is truly and euerlasting happie That walketh not in the counsell of the wicked that is that doth not delight in their vaine imaginations sinfull affections lustfull desires speculatiue wantonnesse In their proud and swelling thoughts which conceiue mischiefe and bring forth a lie chaffe bring forth stubble the wind and bring foorth the whirlewind That doth not partake with their impotent passions vnhallowed policies their exorbitant and indirect proiects for their pleasures honours and profits Whose soules desire not to come into the secret of their cruell consultations and malicious designments In a word whose heart hateth and abominateth all venome of inward pollution that hath either fountaine or seate in any power of the soule That standeth not in the way of sinners That is that breaketh not into open prophanenesse that imitateth not their actions and conuersation Whose mouth is not full of bitternesse and lying whose lippes aâ—e not infected with the poison of Aspes whose hands are not ful of bribes
be no better then a broken staffe of reede whereupon if a man leane it will goe into his hand and pearce it yea and strike his heart too thorow with many sorrowes and that in the time of trouble they will all prooue but as a broken tooth and sliding foot To let them therefore passe and die and perish I come to two other branches of the negatiue part ciuill honestie and formall hypocrisie These indeed are the two great engines by which in this full light and glorious noonetide of the Gospell the prince of this world draweth many multitudes into his snares in this life and into chaines of darknesse in the life to come Sweetnesse of nature louelines of disposition fairenes of conditions a pleasing affability in cariage and conuersation an vnswaied vprightnes in ciuill actions and negotiations with men make a goodly shew But if there be an accession of profession of the Gospell of outward performance of religious exercises of some correspondence with the seruants of God why then the matter is strike dead There is the perfection Whatsoeuer is aboue is proud hypocrisie vaine-glorious singularitie phantasticke precisenesse when God knowes there may be all this and yet no power of religion no life of grace no true happinesse no hope of eternitie To the demonstration of which point before I proceed let mee preuent two obiections First I denie not but that morall vertuousnesse is good and excellent in it self the outward performance of religious duties and the exercise of the meanes of our conuersion are necessarie But if morall vertuousnesse were able to put on the greatest magnificence and applause that euer it anciently enioyed amongst the precisest Romans whereby it might worthily draw into admiration and iust challenge euen these times of Christianity yet in respect of acceptance with God and conformitie to his will and being not guided and â—anctified by supernaturall grace it is but at the best the very filthinesse of a menstruous clout And outward actions of religion be they performed with as glorious a shew and vndiscernable conueiance as euer they were by the most formal Pharisie yet seuered from a sound and sanctified hart the fountaine which giues 〈◊〉 sâ—eetnesse and acceptation to all outward seruices they are but all as the cutting off of a dogs necke and the offering of swines blood Secondly I doe not here by any meanes purpose the discomfort of that man whose soule is yet wrastling with the grieuous afflictions and terrors of conscience in the fore trauell of his new-birth I wish vnto him the sweetest comforts that either he in his deepest agonies can desire or the bowels of Gods tenderest compassions are wont to powre into broken and bleeding hearts and that the ioyfull light of his Sauiours countenance may break forth vpon his cloudy and drouping conscience with farre greater brightnesse then euer the clearest Sun vpon the face of the earth Neither doe I purpose the discouragement of him who hath happily passed the fearfull but necessarie pangs of remorse for sins and hath already by the grace of God laid hold vpon the merits and mercies of Christ by a true though a weake faith I wish that his soule as a new-borne babe in Christ may bee touched with the smoothest hand of the most wise charitable discretion and that it may be nourished with the sweetest milke of the most gratious and comfortable promises I euer esteemed it most bloody cruelty to quench the smoking flaxe or breake the bruised reed or to adde sorrow to him whom the Lord hath wounded and therefore rather infinitely desire to turne the smoking flaxe into a burning fire of zeale to refresh the weake and wounded heart with softest oyle of Gods dearest mercies to make the bruised reed a piller of brasse that it may stand strong and sure at the day of triall Whereupon I pronounce out of most certaine grounds of Gods eternall truth vnto the weakest faith if true and sound that the gates of hell with all the furie and malice of the prince and powers of darkenesse shall neuer preuaile against it That neither Angels nor principalities nor things present nor things to come nor depthes below nor heights aboue nor the creatures of tenne thousand worlds shall euer bee able to worke a separation of it from that infinite loue of God which first planted it in the heart or a disunion of it from Christ which inspires it continually with life spirit and motion It is not difference of degrees and measure that takes away the nature and being of it A small drop of water is as well and truely water as the whole Ocean a little sparke is as truely fire both in essence and quality as the mightiest flame the hand of a little child may receiue a pearle as well as the hand of the greatest Giant though not hold it so strongly a weake faith may be a true faith and so a sauing faith as well as the full perswasion and height of assurance This onely I must aduise in this point that if this graine of mustard seed watered with the dew of grace grow not towards a great tree if this sparke enkindled by the spirit of God spread not into a big flame if this small measure of faith be not edged with a longing feruencie after fulnesse of perswasion and seconded with an assiduous and serious endeauor after more perfection it was no sound and sauing faith but onely a counterfeit shew and a deceiuing shadow But yet for all this I cannot without a woe speake good of euill and euill of good I must not put darkenesse for light and light for darkenes Wise Salomon hath taught vs that hee that iustiâ—ieth the wicked and hee that condemneth the iust euen they both are an abomination to the Lord. And therefore I must tell you that a man may be great in the eye of the world and in the iudgement of the greater part for his ciuill honesty and solemne performances of outward duties of religion to which many thousands neuer attaine and yet himselfe be not onely a stranger from the life of God and right happinesse and holden fast vnder the power and tyrannie of the first death but also by accident being pust vp with a conceit of an imaginarie perfection become a violent opposite to the power of religion and true godlinesse The reason whereof may bee this Our corrupt nature as in matters of vnderstanding and opinion worketh in euery man a too too much loue of his owne inuentions and conclusions all opposition inflames the affection and sets on foot the wit to find out arguments for their proofe lest hee seeme to haue beene too weake of iudgement in framing them or too inconstant in not defending them euen so also in matters of life and conuersation and the more plausible a mans course is and the more gloriously it is entertained of the world the stronger is his resolution to continue in it and the more impatient hee is
which is a horrible and feareful curse euen esteeme them foolishnes The third reason shall be taken from the example of Nicodemus Iohn 3. Nicodemus I am perswaded was an honest and an ingenuous man I am sure he was a great man and a teacher of Israel yet when he comes out of his ciuill honestie and naturall wisdome to reason and confer with Christ about the saluation of his soule and eternall happinesse hee is strangely childish and a meere infant For when Christ tels him Except a man be borne againe he cannot see the kingdome of God he replies How can a man be borne which is old can he enter into his mothers wombe againe and be borne A replie which may breed an astonishment in all that shall euer reade this story vnderstandingly vnto the worlds end nay it seemes to seeme strange to Christ himselfe by his interrogatiue admiration afterward Art thou a teacher of Israel and knowest not these things And no maruell for who would think that one of the best of the Pharises a ruler of the Iews a profest Doctor in the Law and the Prophets and one carefull to saue his soule should be so grossely and palpably ignorant in a most materiall and necessarie point of saluation especially hauing many times no doubt read it in Moses and the Prophts Amongst many places he might see Ezech. 36.26.27 most cleerely laid downe the great and glorious worke of our new birth A new heart also will I giue you and a new spirit will I put within you and I will take the stony hart out of your body and I will giue you a heart of flesh c. But when he comes from teaching and reading of this and the like places to be examined in the practise and experimentall feeling of these graces of regeneration vpon his owne soule why hee talkes of a man that is old entring againe into his mothers wombe from whence he should certainely returne with a doubled pollution and corruption of nature and once more the child of Satan then he was before But so it is where the hart is not seasoned with sauing grace let the vnderstanding be neuer so great with swelling knowledge the practicall powers of the soule neuer so pregnant with wisdome and policie and perfected with morall vertues yet there is nothing to be expected from that man in matters and mysteries of saluation but darkenes and blindnesse childishnesse and stupiditie Fourthly the young man in the Gospell may be a fit instance for our present purpose He was vnreprooueable in the externall iustice and outward obseruances of the second table wherein ciuill honesty doth principally consist but how farre hee was from inward sanctification the state of grace and happinesse of Gods children appeares in the story For when the sacred and powerfull words of our blessed Sauior had insinuated into the secrets of his soule and strucke at his sweet sinne of couetousnesse the young man is presently cast into a fit of melancholie Christ is too precise a preacher for him he cannot digest such a strict and seuere course he will not abandon his pleasures of worldlinesse his palaces his possessions to follow Christ the Lord of heauen and earth in this life though he assure him of the rich treasures of eternall blessednes in the life to come When the young man heard that saying he went away sorrowfull for he had great possessions Whereby we may see that a man may be ciuilly honest and vncensurable in outward workes of iustice and yet harbour and nourish some close corruptions and sweet sinne in his heart from which rather then he will part he will lose his part in Christ the bottomlesse fountaine of endlesse ioies and comforts and his portion of vnualuable glory in the new Ierusalem This point being thus manifest for conclusion I will lay downe certaine differences betwixt the righteousnesse of faith and sanctification and the righteousnesse of ciuil honestie that a man may haue some directions to examine his soule and conscience in this respect First the fountaine and originall of righteousnesse of faith is the sanctifying Spirit of God I call it the sanctifying spirit because the spirit of God may by a generall influence concur to the illumination of the vnderstanding with knowledge and a ciuill reformation of the wil euen in the vnregenerate but the sanctifying spirit by the miraculous operatiue of sauing grace doth purge and mortifie the inmost affections plant iustifying faith in the heart renew al the powers of the soule and reinuest them in some good measure with the blessed image of holinesse and integritie which they lost in Adam But the cause and fountaine of righteousnesse of ciuill honesty may bee goodnesse of constitution and ingenuousnesse whereby a man may not be so apt and inclinable to notorious sinnes or want of trials and prouocations or feare of lawes and temporall punishments or desire of reputation and rising or a vaine hope to stay Gods iudgements for inward corruptions by ciuill outwardnesse or at best the restraining Spirit of God by which hee doth onely represse the furies and outrages of the wicked and reduce them to some moderation and honestie for the quiet of his Elect and conseruation of Kingdomes For if God did not put his hooke into the nostrils of prophane men and his bridle into their lippes euery one of them sith euery man hath in his corrupt nature the seedes of all sinnes that euer haue are or may be committed I say euery one of them might become a cruell Senacherib a railing Shemei a traiterous Iudas a bloodie Bonner an hellish Fawkes fierce Woolues and Lions against the sillie and innocent Lambes of Christs fold Secondly righteousnesse of ciuill honestie in outward actions may make a colourable pretence of pietie and vprightnes but indeed hath many secret relations to pleasures to friends to profit to preferments to reuengement to passions partialities and euents and such like by-respects not easilie discernable but by him whose eies are tenne thousand times brighter then the Sunne But righteousnesse of faith hath in all actions for the maine scope and principall end the glory and honour of God and if infirmitie doe sometimes distaine them with some mixture and adherence of respects for who can say my heart is cleane euen the purest actions are mixt with some spice of corruptions it workes in the faithfull soule much griefe sorrow striuing against repentance and humiliation Thirdly righteousnesse of faith doth labour watchfully religiously and conscionably in that particular calling wherein Gods prouidence hath placed a man and in all the parts and speciall duties of godlinesse and obedience But ciuill honesty wanders in the generalities of religion and many times in impertinent vnsetled and vnlimited courses Fourthly righteousnesse of faith doth striue with greatest earnestnesse and contention of spirit for spirituall comfort and a good conscience before God But ciuill honestie is fully and finally satisfied with credit and plausiblenesse amongst men Fifthly
obiect of his reuenging iustice the most base and vnnaturall Opposite to so pure a Maiesty and the most notorious and transcendent instrument of Satans deepest malice This kind of hypocrite belongs not to my present purpose and therefore I leaue him without sound and timely repentance to some strange and markeable iudgement euen in this life Or if he passe these few daies honourably and prosperouslie as it is many times the lot of the wicked lot him expect vpon his deaths-bed the fierie darts of Satan empoysoned with hellish malice and cruelty to be fastned deepely in his soule and such pangs and anguish of conscience that will possesse him of hell before hand Or if he depart out of this world without sense of his sinne or else at the best with some formall and perfunctorie shew of penitencie yet let his heart tremble for the feares that it shall feare at the great and terrible day of the Lord when the vizard of his hypocrisie shall certainely be pulde off his face and he ashamed and confounded in the presence of the blessed Trinity of Angels and all the men that euer were and irrecouerably abandoned from the face of God and from the fruition of his ioyes to the most consuming flame of the fire of hell and the lothsomest dungeon of the bottomlesse pit The third kind of hypocrisie is Formall hypocrisie by which a man doth not onely deceiue others with a shew of piety and outward forme of religion but also his owne heart with a false conceit and persuasion that he is in a happie state when as in truth his soule was neuer yet seasoned with sauing grace and the power of religion And I beseech you marke me in this point it is of greatest consequence to euery one for a sound triall and examination of the state of his conscience whether he yet liue the life of God and stand in the state of grace or lie enthralled in the setters and slauerie of sinne and Satan For herein I must tell you how farre a man may proceed in outward profession of the truth in supernaturall decrease of sinfulnesse in some kinds and measure of inward graces and yet come vtterly short of true happinesse and without an addition of the truth of regeneration and a sound conuersion shall bee cut off for euer from all hope of immortality and shall neuer bee able to stand firme and sure in the day of the Lord Iesus For a more perspicuous explication of this point conceiue with me those perfections which may befall a man as yet vnregenerate and in state of damnation We may suppose in him first all those gifts which the possibility of nature can conferre vpon him all ornaments of Arts and knowledge of wisedome and policie not onely that which is purchased by experience obseruation and imployment in points of State but also the spirit of gouernment as Saul had To these wee may adde gentlenesse and fairenesse of conditions an exactnesse of ciuill honesty and morall iustice immunity from grosse and infamous sinnes And thus far the heathens may goe And thus far we proceeded in our last Discourse But in these times of Christianity a reprobate may goe farre further then euer the most innocent Heathen that euer liued could possibly though some of them were admirable for their mild and mercifull disposition some for their vertuous seueritie some for integritie of life some for constancie and resolution in goodnes some for preferring the vnspottednesse of their life before most exquisit tortures For to all these he may adde a glorious profession of the Gospell a performance of all outward duties and exercises of religion many workes of charity and monuments of his rich magnificence Nay besides all this he may be made partaker of some measure of inward illumination of a shadow of true regeneration there being no grace effectually wrought in the faithfull whereof a resemblance may not be sound in the vnregenerate This last point will more clearely appeare vnto you out of the 8. of Luke and the 6. to the Hebrewes In the 8. of Luke the hearer resembled vnto the stonie ground is the formall hypocrite who is there said to beleeue for a time and therefore by the inward though more generall and inferior working of the spirit may haue a temporarie faith begot in him In which faith we may consider these degrees First he may be endewed with vnderstanding and knowledge in the word of God He may be perswaded that it is diuinely inspired and that it is most true He may see clearely by the Law of God the grieuous intollerablenesse of his sinnes and the heauie iudgements due vnto them He may bee amazed and terrified with fearefull horror and remorse of conscience for his sinnes He may giue assent vnto the couenant of grace in Christ as most certaine and sure and may conceiue that Christs merits are of an inualuable price and a most pretious restoratiue to a languishing soule He may be perswaded in a generalitie and confused manner that the Lord will make good his couenant of grace vnto the members of his Church and that he will plentifully performe all the promises of happinesse vpon his children He may be troubled in mind with grudgings and distractions with reluctation and scruples before the commission of sinne out of the strength of naturall conscience seconded with a seruile apprehension of diuine vengeance but especially illightned with some glimmerings of this temporarie faith Much adoe was there euen with Pilate inward trouble and tergiuersation before he would bee brought to giue iudgement on Christ. Herod was sorie before he beheaded Iohn Baptist. And these men I hope were farre short of the perfections attaineable by the formall hypocrite After a sinne committed besides the outward formes of humiliation by the power of this temporarie faith he may bee inwardly touched and affected with some kind and degree of repentance and sorrow I meane not onely that which is a preparatiue to despaire and hellish horror but which may sometimes preuent temporall iudgements as in Achab and with a slumbering and superficiall quiet secure the conscience for a time And from this faith may spring fruits Some kind and measure of hope loue patience and other graces It is said in the Euangelists that that hearer which we call the formall hypocrite receiues the word with ioy Whence may be gathered First that with willingnesse and cheerefulnesse hee may submit himselfe to the ministerie of the word With forwardnesse and ioyfulnesse hee may follow and frequent Sermons With a discourse of the sufferings of Christ he may be moued euen vnto teares for compassionate indignation that so glorious and infinite innocencie should be vext with al manner of indignities and torments for the grosse and willfull impieties of sinfull men He may loue and reuerence giue countenance and patronage to the Ministers whom he heares with gladnesse For it is the nature of man to be kindly and louingly affected vnto him
that brings him a message of ioy and comfort He may esteeme the negligent or no hearers of the word of God as prophane and of feared consciences which do not onely abandon the necessary meanes of saluation but that they may with more securitie and absolutenesse reape in this life what sensuall profit or pleasure soeuer the world yeeldeth endeuour to banish and extinguish all thought and notice of heauen or holinesse The word of God by this temporary faith and other graces may worke such a change in him as is called the vncleane spirits going out of a man Matth. 12.43 A flying from the pollutions of the world 2. Pet. 2.20 A washing 2. Pet. 2.32 And may haue such power vpon him that he may doe many things therafter Herod is said to haue reuerenced Iohn to haue heard him gladly and to haue done many things Marke 6.20 To these for illustration and because we are hereafter to consider their differences from a true entire and vniuersall sanctification we may adde those fiue degrees incident to the reprobate Heb. 6. First hee may bee illightened in his vnderstanding with some glimpses of heauenly light Secondly he may haue some taste in his heart of the heauenly gift Thirdly he may be made partaker of the holy Ghost the authour and fountaine of all graces He may in some measure enioy the good word of God the glorious instrument of the conuersion of soules He may haue some taste and feeling euen of the powers of the world to come Nay and besides all these that which nailes him fast vnto formalitie and makes him with contentment to walke in a plodding course of outward profession is a perswasion that he is already in the way of life when as yet hee neuer entred no not the very first step vnto it For indeed he may be perswaded though from false and mistaken grounds that he is rich in heauenly things and hath need of nothing and that he is already possessed of the kingdome of grace intituled to the kingdome of glory and yet bee most wretched and miserable and poore and blind and naked His state in this case being not vnlike the dreame of a poore or hungry man which in his sleepe filleth himselfe with varietie of dainties or tumbles himselfe amid his rich treasures and heapes of gold but when he awaketh behold he is faint his soule longeth and he embraceth nothing but emptines and aire yea and besides the very imaginary fruition of his supposed happinesse when he is awaked encreaseth his languishing and doubles the sense of his necessities Euen so the formall hypocrite in this life dreames of much comfort to come makes sure of heauen thinkes himselfe the onely man his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Apostles calles it his forme of godlinesse in his conceit is the onely true state of saluation whatsoeuer is short of him is prophanenesse whatsoeuer is aboue him is precisenesse But when vpon his deaths bed hee awaketh and hath his conscience illightned and his particular sinnes reuealed vnto him in stead of catching a crowne of glorie which he hath vainely possest in his hopefull securitie he graspeth nothing but feare and amazement anguish and sorrow Yea and now his former false perswasion of his happie state enlargeth the gulfe of his despaire and makes him more sensible of his present and vnexpected miseries Giue me leaue I beseech you to enlarge this point and to acquaint you with some reasons of this perswasion For a false perswasion of alreadie being in the state of grace is a barre that keeps thousands from the state of grace indeed The good spirit of God you know doth perswade euerie regenerate man by a sweet and silent inspiration out of a consideration of an vniuersall change and sanctification and present sinceritie in all the powers and parts of his soule and body calling that he is most certainly in the state of grace and heire of heauen Whence spring perpetually whole riuers of vnspeakeable comfort that most then refresh his soule when hee is neerest to bee ouerwhelmed of the maine Ocean of the worlds bitternesse and pressures In a lying resemblance to this sacred worke of the holie Ghost in the hearts of Gods children Satan lest he be wanting to his puts on the glory of an angell of light and insinuateth into the imagination of the formall hypocrite some flashes of comfort and conceites that he is in state of grace and shall be saued Whence issues a cursed security a wretched opposition to more sinceritie then he finds in himselfe a slumber and benummednes of conscience an impatiencie of hauing his formalitie censured by the ministerie of the word a neglect of a more sound search into the state of his soule For Satan in his Angelicall forme tels him that more strictnesse and purity is but onely a proud hypocrisie and pretence of such as affect a transcendencie aboue the ordinarie degrees of holines and bids him take heed of being too busie and pragmaticall in taking notice of euery small corruption and infirmitie for tendernes of conscience and a too nice apprehensiuenes of euery little sinne will vncomfortablie enchaine him to Melancholy Vnsociablenes and some degrees of despaire And howsoeuer saith Satan some Preachers of preciser humour out of their vnhallowed zeale and censorious austerity breath out nothing against thee but fire and brimstone indignation and wrath damnation and horrour yet take not these things to heart but let such peremptorie comminations passe as malicious thunderbolts discharged from too fierie spirits begot by indiscreet heate and directed to priuate ends Thus this wilie serpent cries peace peace vnto his soule when God knowes there is no peace towards but noise and tumbling of garments in blood and burning and deuouring of fire The conscience indeed may bee asleepe for a while like a fierce wild beast gathering vigour and puissance that being awaked by the hand of God at the approch of sicknesse or death may more implacably rent deuoure and torment for euer But I come to the grounds of this persuasion I told yee before that the spirit of God assures his children that they are in state of grace out of a consideration of an vniuersall sincerity in all their waies But Satan for his children hath other reasons which I conceiue to be such as these First the formall hypocrite is notablie confirmed that his state is good when he compares himselfe with those which are more sinfull as Murderers Adulterers Drunkards Prophaners of the Sabbath Vsurers Swearers Liers Iesters out of the word of God and fellowes of such notorious ranke But if besides the disclaiming of these his conscience bee able to informe him of his ciuill honesty externall iustice some workes of charity c. why then the matter is put out of all controuersie and he presently canonized a saint in his owne conceite You may see his picture in the 18. of Luke O God I thanke thee that I am not as
the faithfull Christian. The fifth reason whereby the formal hypocrite doth falsly perswade himselfe to bee truly happie and so by consequent that keeps him short of the state of grace may be this When by some good motion of Gods spirit stirred vp in him by the preaching of the word he begins to set and addresse himselfe to a sanctified vse and exercise of religion and to a faithfull and constant course of true holinesse indeed hee presentlie meets with a sore and strong opposition by his owne inward corruptions by tempâ—ations of Satan and vexation from the world which he perceiuing and being very sensible of such sudden disturbance from his former securitie perswades himselfe that the passage to grace is not so rough and boisterous and therefore retires and reposeth himselfe vpon his formall Christianitie as the best state he sees any possibility of attaining vnto But if hee will saue his soule he must acknowledge and feele by his owne experience the truth of that saying of Isai. 59.15 He that refraineth from euill maketh himselfe a pray For what child of God is there truly conuerted who at the very first step out of the world and the vanities thereof met not with many crosses and discouragements He knowes and may remember full well whosoeuer he bee how his owne flesh fretted when it felt it selfe snaffled and guided by the Law of the spirit how by making conscience of sinne he laid himself more open to the aduantages wrongs and insultations of his enemies how the companions of his former leaudnesse and iniquitie railed and raged against him as against an Apostata from goodfellowship and high resolution And Satan that he may giue edge and vigour to all these vexations hee busilie bestirres himselfe and casts about to hinder our conuersion While a prisoner lies in a dungeon fast in fetters the Iaylor is quiet and secure but if hee once knocke off his bolts breake the prison and escape there is presently a tumultuous clamour in the house the Countrie is raised and he is followed with Hue and Cry Euen so while we lie quietly in the captiuitie of sinne vnder the chaines of eternall death he neither disquiets himselfe nor vs But if by the mercies of God we bee once enlarged and set foot into the libertie and light of grace why then all the powers of hell are presently in armes and vprore and with much malice and furie the instruments of darkenes are set on foot to regaine vs into his kingdome This point appeares in the fifth of the Canticles Our blessed Sauiour is there said to stand at the doore and knocke being full of the pretious dew and drops of diuine grace and waiting patiently in the cold and darknesse of the night but yet we see what ado and stirre there is with the Christian soule before she can get vp out of the bed of pleasures and vanitie the sweetnesse of sinne and sensualitie had so deepely possest and bewitched her that by her excuses and delaies she hazards so great saluation and happines tendered vnto her by her spoâ—se Yea and at length after she is resolued to renounce her pleasures and in some good measure hath conquered her inward corruptions so that shee opens the doore followes Christ besides other troubles and encumbrances she finds abroad the very watchmen that should haue told her the way and directed her after her spouse euen they set vpon her and smite her and wound her and take away her vaile Euery man then that will come vnder the banner of Christ and haue part in the conquest must together with the new man put on a Christian courage both to tame and represse the rebellions of his owne flesh and to withstand and repell assaults and persecutions from abroad The sixth reason whereby the formal hypocrite doth falsely perswade himselfe to bee in state of true happines may be an obseruation of the death and ends of other men whose liues he perswades himselfe come short of those perfections and degrees of goodnesse he findes in himselfe As if he take notice of a notorious sinner who vpon his deaths-bed by a perfunctorie shew of penitencie and some formall eiaculations for mercy and pardon makes the world beleeue he dies a Saint Or if he obserue the end of an honest ciuill man yet neuer acquainted with the power of grace to bee quiet peaceable and confident without impatiency feare or despaire he presently out of a comparatiue examination of his owne state which he finds not onely free from notorious sinnes but besides morall honestie graced with outward religiousnesse I say he presently conceiues his owne workes in respect of theirs to be works of supererogation his owne life certainely to be without all exception and so himselfe without all danger of damnation And this conceit is notably confirmed if there follow some glorious and flattering Panegyricke of funerall commendation For then he holds the assurance of his happinesse to be sealed vnto him by the mouth of the minister and so with resolution and obstinacie sticks fast in his present state and will no further Mistake me not in this last point beloued in Christ Iesus For first I do not go about to confine the boundles and vnlimited mercies of God nor absolutely to exclude repentance from the deaths bed I know that pretious truth registred in Ezechiel At what time soeuer a sinner c. like a Pearle in a ring and a Starre in his Orbe shines amongst many other gracious promises in the booke of God with speciall comfort vnspeakable and glorious vpon the darkened and drouping soule of euerie true penitent at what time soeuer But yet this I say in this point That any man that knowes and is acquainted rightly and truly with the narrownesse of the way to heauen the nature of Gods iustice the cunning sleights of Satan the difficultie of true repentance how fearefully mans heart is hardned by custome and continuance in sin he would not deferre his repentance to his old age or deaths-bed for ten thousand worlds I adde this That As a sudden death in respect of time or a death wherein appeares much impatiencie fiercenesse and vncomfortable behauiour by reason of the qualitie of the disease or some extraordinarie temptation for the time or that God will be so glorified by iustly hardning the wicked may bee the way to euerlasting happinesse so a lingring patient and lamblike death may be a passage to endlesse woe and miserie For that great iudgement is to passe vpon our soules not according to the strange effects symptoms of our sicknesse not according to the short moment and violent passions of our death but according to the actions of our health the former affections of our hearts and the generall course of our life Secondly I would by no meanes be too busie or vncharitable in my iudgement vpon those which haue alreadie stood or falâ—e to their owne master But as I esteeme that crueltie and
malice most sauage and vile that is discharged vpon the body or good name of the dead so I would haue also a charitable conceit follow the soule of the departed so farre as spirituall wisdome a good conscience diuine truth the glory of God the safetie of the soules of the liuing will giue leaue But no further Thirdly neither doe I mislike or condemne Funerall Sermons I could rather wish that as the death of his Saints is precious in the sight of God so that it might be glorious in the eyes of men I could rather desire that the iust prayses and true sincerity of the child of God were published euen by some Seraphicall tongue that both the glory of his graces might passe along and shine bright to all posterity and that such a fire of zeale for imitation might be enkindled in the hearts of all the hearers especially the present occasion making their minds more capable of persuasion that they passing thorow the same course of holinesse might at length be made partakers of the same happinesse with the Saints of God Only in these cases I would haue that spirituall discretion truth and conscience vsed that neither the godly be iustly grieued and offended the wicked heartned and hardened in their courses false conceit of happines nor the faithfulnes and sincerity of the ministery disgraced and scandalized Thus farre I haue laid open vnto you the state of formall hypocrisie in which may concurre immunity from notorious sinnes all naturall and morall perfections admirable variety of learning policy and all other acquired ornaments of the mind an outward performance of all duties of religion some measure of inward illumination a resemblance and shadow of the whole body of true regeneration and a persuasion as you haue now last heard of being in state of grace Euen thus farre a man may goe in the profession of Christian religion and yet be a stranger from the power of faith and from the life of godlinesse I now come by reasons and arguments to disable it in those points which haue not beene touched for challenging any interest in the true happinesse of a man And first to proue that a performance of outward duties of religion without the power of grace vpon the soule and an vniuersall sanctification in all the faculties thereof cannot produce any sound comfort in the heart or acceptation with God My first reason is that Principle generally receiued with all schoole Diuines and very sound and Orthodox in true Diuinity The iniquitie defect or exorbitancie of any particular of one circumstance maketh an action euill but an absolute integritie of all concurrents is required to make a good worke acceptable to God comfortable and profitable to a Christian The end must be good the glory of God the action it selfe in it owne nature must be iust warrantable the circumstances honest and seasonable the meanes direct and lawfull the fountaine the hart sincere and sanctified If this last be wanting especially though otherwise it be neuer so gloriously conucied neuer so wisely managed of neuer so goodly a shew to the eyes of the world yet it is not only mard and defaced and no action of grace but odious and abominable in the sight of God The Moralists by the light of nature saw a truth proportionable to this euen in the actions of vertue The truth and worth wherof they did censure and esteeme not by the bare outward action but by the inward free and independent vprightnesse of the mind And therefore to an action truely vertuous they required a resolued knowledge an irrespectiue and aduised freedome of spirit a constant and easie habit of the mind an entire loue to the fairenesse of vertue So that whatsoeuer honest actions sprung from passion humour scare respect ambition or the like they accounted vertuous and good onely by accident and occasion not inwardly and essentially whereupon they hold that many great and honourable atchieuements of ancient Worthies amongst the Heathens howsoeuer they were admirable in the eyes of men and beneficiall to the publicke State for sometimes out of some sudden eleuation of spirit or pang of vaine-glorie they were euen prodigall of their liues and blood for the good and deliuerance of their countrie yet to the authours and actors themselues they were not the true workes of vertue but of ambition and a desire of immortall fame It is euen so in the higher actions of grace and religion Besides the outward performance God requires sinceritie of heart and truth in the inward parts to make them gratious and acceptable And howsoeuer otherwise they may purchase them a name amongst men prosperity in the world some lesse torment in hell and procure good vnto others yet except they proceed from a faith vnfained and a pure conscience to the Christians themselues in respect of all heauenly happinesse they are fruitles and vnprofitable My second proofe is out of the 5. of Matth. Except your righteousnesse exceed the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisies ye shall not enter into the kingdome of heauen The outward righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisies was famous in those times and much admired So that if God did not principally respect the heart if that were not true in the 16. of Luke That which is highly esteemed amongst men is abomination in the sight of God they might not onely haue carried away the garland for piety on earth but haue iustly seemed to haue beene the onely heires to a crowne of immortality in the heauens For besides their forbearance and protestation against grosser sinnes Murther Theft Adulterie Idolatrie and the like they were frequent and solemne in prayers fastings almes-deeds and that with farre greater strictnesse and deuotion then the religious actions of formall hypocrisie are performed in these times of the Gospell Besides I doubt not but many of them were persuaded that their way was the way of life and that they were in the state of true happinesse And yet for all this except wee exceede their righteousnesse the speech is peremptorie we shall not enter into the kingdome of heauen For we see in the 23. of Mat. what a chaine of curses out of the mouth of our blessed Sauiour did iustly draw them into the bottome of hell Thirdly this truth is manifest out of the Doctrine of the Prophets Esai 1 Mich. 6. Hag. 2. Psal. 50. and many other places Whence ariseth this conclusion That the principall and holiest exercises the most solemne and sacred actions of religion without sinceritie and sanctification of heart are but as the cutting off a Dogs necke and the offering of swines blood Their sacrifices oblations and incense Their nâ—w Moonâ—s their Sabbaths and solemne feasts were things commanded by Gods ownâ— mouth yeâ— where they were performed with impure and propâ—ane hearts he telâ— them that his soule hated them that they were a burthen vnto him and that he was wearie of them For if the Lords contentment had finally rested in
with some extraordinarie terror Let those then examine themselues at this marke who howsoeuer shame keepe them from vncleane practises and grosser acts of filthines yet inwardly boyle in speculatiue wantonnesse and adulteries of the heart Those who howsoeuer their indirect meanes speed not for mounting themselues to high estate yet spend their best thoughts all their life long in proiecting and contriuing as though they were borne to aduance themselues and not to honour God in their â—allings Those who though they doe not enclose oppresse and grind the faces of the poore yet haue their hearts exercised in couetousnes Those who though they haue forsakeÌ„ some sins yet maintain in themselues one known sweet sinne Those who though lawes and feare of danger restraine from railing with open mouthes against our State yet harbour secret repinings murmurings vnthankfulnesse and discontentments Euen a contemptuous thought of a king or lawfull authority is a sinne of high nature and me thinkes for the miraculousnesse of the discouerie is paralleld in Ecclesiastes to the bloodinesse of actuall murther That which hath wings saith the Preacher shall declare the matter Lastly let those examine themselues at this marke who offer themselues to those sinfull occasions breeders of many strange and fearefull mischiefes I meane prophane and obscene Playes Pardon me beloued I cannot passe by those abominable spectacles without particular indignation For I did euer esteeme them since I had any vnderstanding in the waies of God the Grand empoysoners of grace ingenuousnes and all manly resolution Greater plagues and infections to your soules then the contagious pestilence to your bodies The inexpiable staine and dishonour to this famous City The noisome wormes that canker and blast the generous and noble buds of this land and doe by a slie and bewitching insinuation so empoyson all seeds of vertue and so weaken and emasculate all the operations of the soule with a prophane if not vnnaturall dissolutenes that whereas they are planted in these worthie houses of Law to be fitted and enabled for great and honourable actions for the publicke good and the continuance of the glory and happinesse of this kingdome they licentiously dissolue into wicked vanities and pleasures and all hope of their euer doing good either vnto God the Church their Countrie or owne soules melteth as the winter ice and floweth away as vnprofitable waters These infamous spectacles are condemned by all kind of sound learning both diuine and humane Distinctions deuised for their vpholding and defence may giue some shallow and weake contentment to partiall and sensuall affections possest with preiudice but how shall they be able to satisfie and secure a conscience sensible of all appearance of euill How can they preserue the inclinablenesse of our corrupt nature from infection at those Schooles of leaudnes and Sâ—nkes of all sins as to omit Diuines Councels Fathers Moralists because the point is not directly incident euen a Polititian calleth them Alas are not our wretched corruptions raging and fierie enough being left to themselues dispersed at their naturall liberty but they must be vnited at these accursed Theaters as in a hollow glasse to set on flame the whole body of our natural vitiousnesse at once and to enrage it further with lust fiercenesse and effeminatenes beyond the compasse of nature Doth any man thinke it possible that the power of sauing grace or the pure spirit of God can reside in his hart that willingly with ful consent seeds his inward concupiscence with such variety of sinfulll vanities and leaud occasions which the Lord himselfe hath pronounced to be an abomination vnto him How can any man that euer felt in his hart either true loue or feare of so dreadfull a Maiestie as the Lord of heauen and earth endure to be present especially with delight and contentment at Oathes Blasphemies Obscenities and the abusing sometimes of the most pretious things in the booke of God whereat wee should tremble to most base and scurrill iests Certainely euery child of God is of a right noble and heroicall spirit and therfore is most impatient in hearing any wrong indignitie or dishonour offered to the word name or glory of his Almightie Father A second marke of difference may be this The power of sauing grace doth subdue and sanctifie our affections with a conscionable and holy moderation so that they become seruiceable to the glory of God and for a more resolute cariage of good causes and zealous discharge of all Christian duties But the bridling of passions in the formall hypocrite is not so much of conscience as artificiall politique for aduantage and by the guidance of morall discretion so that if they be tempted by strong occasions and violent obiects they many times breake out to the dishonour of God the disgrace of a Christian profession and the discouery of their hypocrisie Let euery man then examine himselfe at this marke and with a single eye and vpright heart take a view of his affections whether his ioy be inward and spirituall that is in the assurance of Gods fauour in his word in his children in prayer and a continuall practise of godlinesse or outward and caâ—uall that is in the attainement of greatnesse and woâ—dly pleasures in the increase of his corne and wine and oile Whether he loue the peace of conscience farre more deâ—rely then the fauour of men or his owne life Whether hee bee more zealous for the honour and praise of God then his owne Whether he be more affraid of secret sinnes then open shame of offending God then outward afflictions Whether he be more angry in the cause of religion and concerning Gods glory or for his owne priuat wrongs And so thorow out the rest of his affections Let the fierce and desperate gallants consider this point which vpon euery light occasion and termes of disgrace are ready out of a graceles vngrounded opinion of declining cowardize to sheath their swords in the bodie of their brother And let them assure themselues that the meeke and mercifull spirit of God will neuer consist with such bloodie and vntamed affections his holy motions will not come into their secret neither will his sauing grace be ioyned with their assembly For in their wrath they will kill a man and in their selfe-will they will destroy the image of God Cursed bee their wrath for it is fierce and their rage for it is cruell Oh that they would but marke and foresee into what an ineuitable and endlesse maze of certaine misery and vengeance they enter when they enter into the field vpon either offer or acceptance of challenge If they be slaine they are accessaries to their owne vntimely murder They violentlie and wilfully pull themselues from the land of the liuing to the abhorred regions of death They cruelly and irrecouerably rent their owne poore soules from time of grace and repentance They extinguish all hope of posteritie and perhaps their house and family determines in
vnsearchable corners thereof Hath it humbled it with the sight of thy sinnes and sense of Gods iudgements Hath it filled it with fearefull terrours compunction remorse and true sorrow for thy life past Hath it after quieted and refreshed it with a sure faith in Christ Iesus and a delight in heauenly things Hath it mortified thy inward corruptions and broke the heart of thy sweet sinne Hath it planted a holy moderation in all thy affections that whereas heretofore they haue been enraged with lust with immoderate anger with ambition with insatiable desire for the enlargement of thy wealth possessions and greatnesse and with hatred of Gods dearest seruants and their holinesse are they now inflamed with zeale for Gods honour truth and seruice with a feruent loue vnto the Lord and his Saints with Christian courage to oppose against the sinnes of the time to defend goodnesse and good causes to contemne the lying slanders and prophane scoffes of worthlesse men Hath it begot in â—hy will an hunger and thirst after the spirituall food of thy soule the Word and Sacraments so that thou haddest rather part with any worldly good then not enioy the incomparable benefit of a conscionable and constant ministery Are thy thoughts of which heretofore thou hast made no great conscience but letten them wander vp and downe at rondom wickedly idely and wantonly are they now I say bounded within a sacred compasse and spent vpon holie things and the necessary affaires of thy honest and lawfull calling Is thy vnderstanding informed and acquainted with the mysterie of saluation which the world and the wise men thereof account nothing but madnesse and follie Is thy memorie which hath heretofore been stuffed with trash and toies vanities and follies now capable and greedy of diuine knowledge Are thy words which heretofore haue been full of prophanenesse and worldlinesse now directed to glorifie God and to giue grace vnto the hearers Nay yet further besides this inward renouation of the faculties of thy soule hath the power of grace sanctified all thy outward actions Dost thou now order in euery particular al the businesse of thy vocation religiously conscionably and by direction out of the word of God Art thou inwardly affected and faithfull in the performance of religious duties as in hearing the word of God in sanctifying the Sabbath in prayer and the rest Dost thou now heare the word of God not onely of course and custome but of zeale and conscience to reforme thy selfe by it and to liue after it Doe not the weeke daies duties and worldly cares drowne thy mind on the Sabbath but that thou dost the whole day entirely freely and cheerefully attend the worship of God Dost thou exercise daily with fruit and feeling prayer that precious comfort of the faithfull Christian Thou being conuerted dost thou labour the conuersion of others especially of those which are committed any way to thy charge and for whom thou must giue a more strict account as if thou be a master of a family dost thou pray with them and instruct them in the doctrine of saluation and waies of godlinesse Dost thou now not onely sticke at and forbeare great and grosse sinnes but dost thou euen hate the garment spotted of the flesh and al appearance of euill Doth the tendernes of thy conscience checke thee for the least sinnes and make thee fearefull to offend though it bee but in a wandring cogitation After euery fall into infirmities art thou carefull to renew thy repentance and learne wisedome and watchfulnesse to auoid them afterwards Doest thou feele thy selfe profit grow and encrease in these fruits and effects of grace And hast thou such a gratious tast of the glory of God and of eternall life that thou art euen willing and desirous to meet thy Sauiour in the clouds not so much for to be rid out of the miseries of this life as to be freed from the heauie burthen of sinne which hangs on so fast and to enioy his presence in the heauens for euer In a word as thy soule giues life spirit and motion to thy whole body and euery part thereof doth the spirit of God euen so inspire thy soule and body and all thy actions with the life of grace Why then thou hast past the perfections of the formal hypocrite and art possest of the state of true blessednesse thou art then happie that euer thou wast borne thy way is certainely the way of life And I can assure thee and I dare boldly pronounce it that thou art already vtterly out of the reach of all the powers of hell Satan is chained vp for euer doing thee any deadly hurt All the creatures are reconciled vnto thee and at league with thee Thou hast filled the Angels with joy at thy conuersion they will for euer guard thee Thou shalt neuer more be afraid for any euill tidings Though the earth be moued and though the mountaines fall into the midst of the sea thy heart shall abide strong vnshaken and comfortable When thou fallest downe vpon thy bed of sicknes thou shalt find no mortall poyson in thy flesh no sting in death no darkenes in the graue no amazement at that great and fearefull day For all the merits and sufferings of Christ are thine all the comforts of Gods children are thine all the blessings in the booke of God are thine all the ioyes of heauen are thine euen all things are thine and thou art Christs and Christ is Gods Onely stand fast in the faith quit thy selfe like a man and be strong gird thy sword vpon thy thigh buckle fast vnto thee the whole armour of God ride on because of the word of truth and the Lord thy God be with thee Breake thorow for a while with vndaunted courage the bitternesse of the worlds malice the keene razours of empoysoned tongues thâ— teares and tediousnesse of a few wretched daies for thou art nearer the price of the high calling then when thou first beleeuedst Shine more and more in faith in patience in loue in knowledge obedience and all other Christian graces vntill the perfect day vntill thou reach the height of heauen and the full glory of the Saints of God I now proceed more distinctly to other markes of difference betwixt the state of grace and formall hypocrisie Some notes of distinction for my purpose may be raised out of those places of Scripture which I proposed for to acquaint you with the kinds of perfection and degrees of goodnesse whereof a man as yet vnregenerate is capable and may bee partaker In the 8. of Luke the hearer resembled vnto the stonie ground is the formall hypocrite Hee receiues the word of God with ioy as doth the faithfull Christian though â—ot in the same measure But here is the speciall point and marke that differenceth the one from the other The word and faith in the formall hypocrite haue no roots They are not deepely and soundly rooted and planted in his vnderstanding conscience thoughts
that out of his cruell malice hee may mixe some hellish poison son with these riuers of comfort labours to cast into his mind euen some thoughts of impossibilitie of the performance of the promises of saluation and of the attainement of that excellent waight of glorie and would gladly make him thinke it incredible that hee should euer bee crowned with immortalitie or be so gloriouslie partaker thorow all eternitie of vnspeakeable comforts aboue This temptation as I take it doth not much disquiet the formall hypocrite or any vnregenerate man For because his perswasion of happinesse to come is false and misgrounded and that hee hath no sound assurance of heauen Satan is too wilie to suggest vnto him doubts and distractions of this nature But wheresoeuer it lights it is of feareful consequence and therfore not to bee debated vpon by the thoughts or disputed with Satan that is not the way to conquer this temptation but suddenly and resolutely to bee repeld by the power of prayer and out of an holy contempt of so base and lying malice to be cast as dung vpon the face of the tempter So that the faithfull Christian for al this may maintaine and possesse his hart in patience and vnconquerable comfort out of these two considerations First if hee bee a diuell and prince of hell as Gods child feeles sensibly and certainely by this present immediate suggestion why then vndoubtedly there is the glory of infinite Maiestie in heauen Angels Saints boundlesse and endlesse blessednesse of euerlasting time Secondly he is to consider that in the daies of his securitie and worldlinesse no such scruples arose in his thoughts And therefore it is onely a malicious tricke of the enemie of all true comfort to defeate vs of our heauen vpon earth our assurance of heauen in the world to come A fourth way of weakening our faith is this If Satan by taking in the nicke the tide of our fraile and impotent affections by casting vs vnawares vpon occasions and allurements or by the suddennesse subtiltie or violence of some temptation be able to hale vs againe into some grosse and scandalous sinne to which by reason of our naturall disposition and custome wee were often and most principally obnoxious before our calling why then from thâ—nce he drawes and enforceth vpon vs discomfortable and faith-killing conclusions He presently infers vpon such relapses that we haue deceiued our owne soules that our holinesse indeed is but hypocrisie that our faith is but temporary and our conuersion counterfeit Otherwise the grace of God would be sufficient for vs and the power of his sanctifying spirit would at the least so farre restraine vs bridle and mortifie our corruptions that we should not breake out againe and backslide into a sinne so much loathed and repented of Otherwise as our sweet and master-sinne in the time of our vnregeneration made the deepest gash the widest gap into our consciences so if we were indeed in the state of grace wee should most carefully and tenderly close vp that wound and bee most vigilanâ— and solicitous in fencing and fortifying that breach before any other By this meanes Satan many times giues a sore blow to our faith and breeds much heauinesse and discomfort in the soule Thus Satan in his temptations sometimes proceedes by a method a it were of nature in striking at faith the roote and heart of our spirituall life But if hâ— be not able to fasten his fierie darts vpon the shield of faiâ—h why then he takes a contrary course and method as it may best fit his aduantage and more easie insinuation For he attempts the dulling and diminishing of our zeale and forwardnesse in religion and other fruits of faith and inferiour parts of sanctification And that by such meanes as these One weapon by which he labours to wound our feruencie and faithfulnesse in duties of holinesse and to hinder the entire exercise of the graces of sanctification is prosperitiâ— and freedome from discomforts and miserie For if he once espie vs to be encompassed with worldly peace reputation amongst men honours and offices plenty of wealth and preserments he is euer then in good hope by the helpe of the natural aptnes of worldly happines to ensnare and intangle to beget in our hearts worldlinesse and securitie the two great and dangerous consumptions of spirituall life For if worldlinesse once take possession of our hearts it wasts by little and little our ioy in heauenly things our comfort in the communion of Saints our longings for the incomprehensible and euerlasting happinesse it banisheth all thought of the worth of our soules of the spirituall state of our conscience of the vanitie and change of this present life of the glorious rising againe of our bodies and the immortalitie of the second life and in stead thereof filleth vs with earthlie cares with feares iealousies griefe hopes wishes independance vpon the prouidence of God and a thousand platformes for the encreasement and securing of our outward felicitie And securitie it makes vs insensible of Gods iudgements of our falling from our first loue of the danger wherein we stand It makes vs put farre from vs the euill day and to thinke our mountaine so strong that wee shall neuer bee mooued but continue in our happie state and die in the nest Secondly he seekes to weaken our practise of godlinesse by fastening vpon vs vncheerefulnesse and vnprofitablenesse in the meanes of the preseruation of grace For if he can once make vs cold and negligent or onely formall and cursorie in the daily examination of our consciences in hearing the word of God in the godly exercises with our schollers or families in publike prayer or our more priuate striuing with God by groanes and sighes for the supplie of some grace or remooueall of some corruption then there euer followes a languishing and decay of the life of grace If we but perfunctorily receiue the heauenly food into our vnderstandings and being hindered by distractions carelesnesse or worldlie cares not digest it by meditation and conference and by spirituall exercise of seruent prayer conuey it into the seuerall parts of our soules our new man wil quickly fall into a consumption Thirdly hee doth notably dull and darken our holinesse and sinceritie by casting vs vpon vngodlie and prophane company which hath I know not what secret and bewitching power to transforme others into their owne fashions and conditions and to make them sometimes to condemne their former forwardnes and zeale in the seruice of God For as the feed cast into the earth drawes vnto it self by little and little the property of that soyle whereunto it is transported vntil at length it becomes like y t which doth there naturally grow so the spirits and manners of men commonly conforme themselues to those with whom they ordinarily conuerse Lamentable then is their case base their resolution and miserable their comfort who for aduantage faction foresight and hope of future gratifications or
any other by-respect plunge themselues into such companies where perhaps they may enioy many pleasant passages of wit set and artificiall disports and passing the time direction in their worldly affaires combination against the power of religion and the true professors thereof but where they shall find no furtherance in the way to heauen no comfort in heauenly things no encouragement to piety no counsell in tentations no consolation vpon their deaths-bed O how much better were it for these few and wretched daies to sort and solacâ— themselues amongst the Saints of God with whom they might shine as glorious lights together in the earth and hereafter in the heauens aboue the brightnesse of the sun for euermore rather then prophanely to sport themselues in Meshech and for a season proudly to ruffle it in the tents of Kedar where there is no light of grace no ioynt expectation of eternity but darkenesse of sinne and shadow of death Mistake me not in this point I would not haue men goe out of the world or become Separists I would rather haue them if they will vnderstand Paul aright be made all things to all men that they might by all meanes saue some That is I would haue the children of God not be wanting in any offices of kindnesse or pietie but to yeeld and communicate themselues so far as dutie charity humanitie necessitie of their generall or particular calling vpon good warrant and iust occasion mâ—y challenge and exact at their hands But as for a free and full communication of the secrets of their soule of their dearest affections of their spirituall estate of their ioyfullest and best expence of time I would haue that onely vouchsafed and conueied into the faithfull bosome of a true Christian and confined to grace as it peculiar and principall Object Let their goodnesse and good deeds spread without limit but their delight and intimatenes is to bee restrained and appropriated to the Saints that are on the earth and to the truely excellent which are onely the godly Hence it is that Gods children are many times censured for morositie vnsociablenes disdainefulnesse of spirit and opposition to good fellowship when God knowes they can find no taste in the white of an egge no strength in a broken staffe of reed no comfort in the men of the world who haue their portion in this life and therefore they would not part with their Paradise of communion of Saints or comfortable communication with God in their solitarines for the companie of kings and a world of carnall contentments Fourthly Satan doth sometime worke a soule decay of grace and exercise of godlinesse by putting into our heads some inordinate plot and forecast for preferment and greatnes For if he can once set our thoughts busily on foot for proiecting and contriuing with excessiue desire ambition and greedinesse some honour office or high place why then farwell zeale farwell taking part with Gods children farwell an vnshaken resolution in standing for the honour truth and seruice of God and a Christian courage in reprouing sins For then we must liue reseruedly we must be content to part with our libertie and be depriued of our selues We must labour to satisâ—ie and accommodate our selues to the humours pleasures and passions of men In a word our whole cariage must hold a necessarie and exact correspondence with the men and meanes that are able to promote vs for so vâ—certaine and irregular are the reuolutions of mens fauours that many times if a man but misse or mistime one ceremony or circumstantiall obseruance it is enough to cast him off and vtterly cashire him from his hopes ends Most miserable and seruile is their life that thus forsake the strong tower of their saluation and claspe their hand of faith about the arme of flesh For they do not onely bereaue themselues of that worthie freedome of spirit which an honest Heathen would not exchange for his life but also as they grow into a habit of seruitude and base engagements vnto men so they grow into a flauerie vnto sinne and bondage vnto the corruptions of the time And the higher they rise into fauor with prophane greatnes and policie the deeper they sinke into the miseries of basenes and flatterie and the high displeasure of almightie God And at length if they attaine their ends for sometimes they die in the tedious prosecution of some vndeserued dignitie they double their discomforts and encrease their account For commonly where the pursuit and purchase of any honour and preferment hath beene base and indirect there the discharge and execution is formall vaineglorious and vnconscionable Thus you see a second method of Satan whereby he goes about to kill the fruits of faith and to cause if not an vtter cessation yet much weakenes and interruptions in the operations of grace Many moe such depths and proceedings hee hath in his tentations As for example If he meet with notoriously wicked men as Drunkards Swearers vncleane persons and the like he tempts them to Atheisme a reprobate sense contempt of Gods worship and seruice and to the great offence To defend their leaud and gracelesse courses to glorie in their sinnes and in their dexterity of making others drunke with the same iniquitie He stickles strikes the bargaine betwixt them and death and hell and enters as it were bond for the performance of the couenant Hee tempts them to scorning and by their scoffings and railings in some fort to the despiting of the spirit of grace in the children of light which is a soule signe of a feared conscience and a fearefull preparatiue to sinne against the holy Ghost These are Satans standard-bearers and theâ—fore he inspires them with extraordinarie boldnes and desperatenesse in sinning and teacheth them to march furiouslie in variety of rebellions against the Maiestie of heauen If he meete with honest ciuill men heelabours to perswade them that iust and vpright dealing with their neighbours good meanings and intentions in matters of religion are the verie life of the seruice of God and a sufficient way to heauen And to conceiue sinne and sinceritie to be nothing else but morall vertues and vices the power of sanctification to be nothing but good education the practise of godlinesse to be nothing but sober and honest behauiour and the whole mysterie of Christianity to be onely a graue and stayed ciuilitie And the much adoe about faithfull and conscionable preaching to bee onely the humor of some odde fellowes that would be accounted singular and seraphicall If he meete with formall hypocrites who besides immunitie from grosse sinnes and their ciuill honestie are carefull and fashionable in the outward duties of religion yet short of a sound conuersion hee labours might and maine to settle in them an opinion that the state of regeneration is nothing but precisenesse and puritanisme that sauing sincerity and a true practise of holines is onely a transcendent Idea consisting in pure abstraction conceiued in the
relapses and backslidings A present sensiblenesse of al manner of sinnes whereby his present integritie and vnblameablenes is happily preserued An habituall tendernesse by which he is armed and senced against the corruptions of the time vnconscionable courses and commission of sinnes to come In remorse for sins past I comprise a more ful knowledge an vniuersall reuelation of his sinnes by the light of Gods word and power of his spirit and that both in extension and intension both in number and grieuousnesse a sense and feeling of them in their true waight as they are able to sinke him downe into the bottom of hell Much sorrow and anguish for the staine and guiltinesse they haue left behind them and for that they prouoke to iust wrath so louing and gratious a God And lastly a loathing of them so that hee neuer casts his eies backe vpon them but with an addition of a new and particular detestation He neuer enters meditation of the soule hainous passages of his former life but with shame and horror Euery solemne reuiew of his time of darknes and vnregeneration makes the wound of his remorse to bleed afresh By sensiblenes I vnderstand a quicke and present apprehension and feeling of euery sin whether it bee publicke or priuate open or secret in our selues or others as well in our thoughts and affections as in our words and actions in our generall or particular calling more grosse and infamous or slips and stumblings scandals and appearances of euill Habituall tendernes is a gracious temper disposition of the conscience wherby it is apt to be gauled smart at the first enteruiew with the iniquities of the time and at euery occurrence of corruptions and all vnconscionable attempts These properties of tendernesse aptnesse to smart easines to bleed at the apprehension and approch of sinne are peculiar to a conscience illightened sanctified and purged by the blood of Christ neuer incident to the best naturall conscience or furnished with the choysest notions and perfections of ciuill honesty and formalitie for these are neuer so straite laced but can let downe at the least without distaste or checke common sinnes lesser euils the gainefull and honourable errors and obliquities of the time Hence it is that all prophane and vnregenerate men wanting the curbe of a sober and sanctified conscience haue euer infinite aduantage for getting the start and precedencie in compassing the comforts glory and preferments of the world For they when the atchieuement of any honour happinesse or high place is on foot aduise presently with thâ— ordinarie informers and counsellers of their conscience custome example multitude worldly wisedome the sway of the times and such like but with the word of God and godly Christians onely so farre as they doe not crosse their ends and contradict those plots and contriuances which they haue laid for their aduancement vnto high roomes And thus they may passe with reasonable quietnes without grudging or grieuing of a conscience so guided thorow a a thousand corruptions and indirections basenesse flatteries sinfull engagements vnwarrantable courses Any of which if it should meete with a conscience once soundly frighted with horrour of former sinnes softned and sanctified by the blood of the Lambe would not onely rubbe off the skin and gaule it but make it bleed to death But worldly men are at a point they must and will enioy the world for here they haue their portion and heauen They esteeme it their greatest happines to bee admired and adored aboue others and therefore venture vpon whatsoeuer vnlawfull and indirect procurements which may bring them to high places rather then they will be defeated and disappointed in the pursuit of worldly happinesse they will thorow whether it be thicke or thinne right or wrong force or fraud staine of reputation or wound of conscience Simonie or flatterie friend or foe all is one though in the meane time they strike their owne poore soules thorow with many sorrowes though when they are most glorious in their owne conceit in the â—ie of the world in the iust censure of God Angels and sound Christians they be most vile contemptible and indeed in this seeming sun-shine of worldly prosperitie they treasure vp vnto themselues strange feares and astonishments snares fire and brimstone and stormie tempests against their latter end It is otherwise with Gods child in such affaires He still takes counsell and direction at the oracle of God with Cornelius resolution to heare or forbeare whatsoeuer is there commanded or forbidden and so followes the comforts of this world onely so farre as it will giue him leaue warrant and assistance But if he be to enter any corrupt course or to passe thorow any vniustifiable meanes for the attainement of his purpose and preferment there presently comes into his mind such considerations as these Hee conceiues with himselfe that the passage into any place of office or honour by corruption is euer attended with the curse of God and so no true comfort to be expected in the enioyment and execution That the restlesse humor and proud spirit of ambition euer haunts and possesses men of least worth and worst conscience That he which truely feares God neuer desires height of place for the glory or gaine but onely with a sobor indifferencie thither enclines and caries his affections and hopes and that with trembling at the waightinesse of the charge where it pleaseth diuine prouidence by honest and lawfull meanes to plant or transplant him for the imployment of his talent and where hee may most glorifie God benefit the Church and keepe a good conscience He thinkes vpon the vanitie and miserie of all things we enioy in this world of that strict and great account hee must very shortly make vnto the Lord and Iudge of all the world of the length of that eternity thorow all which is vnauoidably to be endured an euerlasting estate either in the ioyes of heauen or paines of hell Out of such thoughts as these springs his truely noble Christian resolution that he had rather want preferment while the world stands and end his daies in a retired and innocent obscuritie then by casting himselfe into the common fashions and corruptions of the world forfeit the fruit and comfort of his former integrity wound his conscience and serue the time That he is farre more willing to endure any affliction or disgrace with Gods children then to enioy the pleasures of sin and glory of the world for a season I now come in the third place to tell you that the word of God is not rooted in the thoughts of the formall hypocrite which is the hearer resembled vnto the stonie ground and thence riseth a very notable and most speciall difference betwixt him and the child of God truely possest of the glorious state of Grace And I beseech you marke mee in this point For the thoughts of a man doe farre more cleerely and impartially distinguish the power of