Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A45417
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Of conscience by H. Hammond.
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Hammond, Henry, 1605-1660.
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1645
(1645)
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Wing H549; ESTC R25406
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35,832
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32
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we being weake dyed for the ungodly to note the universal benefit of his death for such weak ones and such sinnes as these to which meer weaknesse betrayes them The very doctrine which from that text at the beginning of our reformation our Reverend Bishop Martyr did assert in his excellent Preface to his explication of the commandements 41 To which purpose I shall onely adde one proofe more taken from the {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} or rationall importance of Saint Pauls exhortation Rom. 15. 1. We that are strong saith he mus beare the weaknesses {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} of them which are not strong {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} and not please our selves for v. 3. Christ did not so but c. which reason sure must come home to both parts the affirmative as well as the negative or else the Logick will not be good and so the affirmative be that Christ bare the infirmities of the weake and so again v. 7. {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} applyed to the same matter he took us up when we were thus fallen I might adde more but I hope rather that I have said too much in so plaine a point and abundantly evinced the irreconcileablenesse of such frailties with a good conscience 42 A third thing is that The lusting of the flesh against the spirit is reconcileable with a good conscience so it be in him that walketh in the spirit obeys the desires and dictates of that and fulfilleth not the lusts of the flesh Gal. 5. 16 17. There is no spiritually good thing that a man ever doth in his life but the flesh hath some mutinyings lustings and objections against it there being such a contrariety betwixt the commands of Christ and the desires of the flesh that no man which hath those two within him doth the things that he would For so t is {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} that you doe not not that you cannot doe The things that he would i. e. the things which either he resolves to doe or takes delight in those he doth not i. e. either purely without some mixture or still without some opposition of the contrary or as againe the place may be rendred this opposition of these two one against another tendeth to this that we may not doe or to hinder us from doing every thing that we would as indeed we should doe were there not that opposition within our owne brests This is the meaning of that 17 verse which notwithstanding it followes verse 18. that if we be led by the spirit if that be victorious over the contrary pretender as it may though tother lust against it if the production be not works of the flesh adultery c. v. 19. but the fruit of the spirit love peace c. v. 22. against such there is no law no condemnation no accusation of conscience here or hereafter 43 For it must be observed that there is great difference betwixt this lusting of the flesh against the spirit in them that are led by the spirit Gal. 5. and the warring of the law in the members against the law in the mind which bringeth into captivity to the law of sin i. e. to it selfe Rom. 7. For those in whom that latter is to be found are there said to be carnall sold under sinne as a slave was wont sub hasta to be sold and so {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} to be led by the flesh and fulfill the lusts of the flesh which is of all things most unreconcileable with that mans state against whom there is no condemnation in Christ Rom. 8. 1. and so with a good Conscience 44 And if the resistance of the minde or the law morall of the spirit or the law Christian be sufficient to excuse that action or habituall course which is committed and lived in in opposition to both of these or while both of these check and contradict then sure are sins against conscience become if not the most excusable sinnes yet the more excusable for this that they are against conscience that woulding or contending of the mind or the law of the mind being no other but the dictate of the instructed conscience in them which know the law Rom. 7. 1. which he that obeyes not but followes the law or command of sin against it hath not sure a good conscience in our second sence as that signifies a Conscience of well-doing or doing nothing against rule of Conscience for that this man in terminis is supposed to doe 45 Having now proceeded thus farre in the affirmative part in shewing what sinnes are reconcileable with a good Conscience I should now proceed to the negative part and shew what are not reconcileable therewith But before I advance to that there is one classis or head of sinnes about which there is some question and difficulty of resolving to which of the extreames it should be reduced i. e. whether it be reconcileable or unreconcileable with a good Conscience And that is the single Commission of some act of knowne sinne which hath not the Apology of weaknesse to excuse it and yet is not indulged or persisted or continued in for of those that are so you shall hear anon in the 8 Proposition but without delay retracted by humiliation and reformation For the stating and fatisfying of which it will be necessary first to observe that 46 Any such act of wilfull sinne First hath in it selfe a being and so is capable of a notion abstracted from the retraction of it Yea secondly is a work of some time and though it be never so suddenly retracted by repentance yet some space there is before that retraction and if we speak of that time or space there is no doubt but that act first is contrary to good conscience and contracts a guilt and consequent to that the displeasure of God and obligation to punishment which nothing but repentance can do away yea and secondly is a naturall means of weakning that habit of good of sauciating and wounding the soule and for that time putting it in a bloody direfull condition and should God before repentance strike for ought we know there would be no remission and so fearfull would be the end of that soule 47 But then secondly if before God thus visit in justice repentance interpose as in this present case we suppose it doth if this plank be caught hold on instantly upon the shipwrack if he that hath committed this act of carnality c. lye not down after the manner of the Grecian horses in Saint Ambroses expression qui cum ceciderint quandam tenent quietis patientiae disciplinam are taught when they fall in the race not to strive or endeavour to get up again lye still on the ground with great stilnesse and patience walk not after the flesh Ro. 8. 1. Then presently is he set right again in Gods favour upon performance
and by many future performances of constancy and resolution if ever he hope to be approved or justified by him 53 But now having thus far confirmed this and so rather strengthned then weakned the objection the next thing I shall desire may be observed is this that every non-remission of a sinne for some time every displeasure of Gods every not-imputing to righteousnesse is not an utter intercision of justification is not a calling all the former forgotten sinnes to remembrance for to such onely an Apostacy or continued falling away from God betrayes the soule For the whole current of my life may approve my fidelity to God though some one action be very contrary to it Nay secondly a Father may be displeased with his Sonne for some one fault and yet not difinherit him nay upon farther provocation he may cast him out of his family and yet afterward receive him into it againe 54 So that there are three degrees observable in this matter first displeasure secondly wrath thirdly fury First withdrawing of the Fathers favour suspension of pardon so t is in case of any such single act of sinne presently repented of considered before its retractation Second casting out of the family totall intercision of mercy for that present so t is in case of such sin persisted in indulgently Third utter finall irreversible abdication so t is in case of finall obduration 55 This may be illustrated 1. by a vulgar then by an ecclesiasticall resemblance Among friends 1. there may be a matter of quarrell dislike displeasure and one friend justly frowne upon the other yea and keep some distance from him and be really angry with him for some act of injury done by him contrary to the lawes of friendship which till he hath some way repaired the friend may justly not pardon him and so absteine for that present from the former degree of familiarity with him but then 2. the injurious friend may continue as injurious still and go on and persist in that course of falsenesse or unfriendlinesse and then the injur'd friend wholly forsakes his company breaks off those bands of friendship with him yet so as that upon the others relenting and amending he may yet againe returne to him and so that totall separation prove no finall one 3. there is upon obduration or no manner of relenting a finall irreversible breach 56 The ecclesiasticall resemblance is that of the three degrees of excommunication among the Jewes the first or lowest was niddui separation not totall turning out of either sacred or civill society but remotion to a distance that the offender should not come within foure Cubits of any other and so be denyed the peace of the Church and the familiar kind of communion which others enjoy Above this there was cherem which was a totall exclusion or distermination with anathemas or execrations joyned with it but yet was not finall then thirdly there was Schammatha giving up to destruction or desolation delivering up to Gods comming in judgement and that was irreversible 57 Now for the full satisfying of the argument having already shewed you the state of this offender in respect of justification it will onely be necessary to adde one thing more that the state of the same man as it respects sanctification is parallel and fully proportionable to the state as it respecteth justification and so the objection will quite fall to the ground 58 To the clearing of which you must know that sanctification may be conceived in a double notion 1. as a gift of Gods 2. as a duty of mans To prevent mistake this I meane God gives the grace of conversion and sanctification and he that is effectually wrought on by that grace is converted and sanctified this is it which I meane by the first notion of sanctification as it is a gift of Gods But the man thus converted and sanctified i. e. thus wrought on and effectually changed by the Spirit of God is bound by the gospel-Gospl-law to operate according to this principle to use this talent and this is called to have grace Heb. 12. 28. i. e. to make use of it to the purpose there specified of serving God {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} i. e. either well pleasedly cheerfully willingly or well pleasingly so as God may and will accept in righteousnesse and godly feare according to the notion of Having in the parable of the talents where t is said that to him that hath shall be given i. e. to him which makes use of the talent intrusted to him operates accordingly doth what that enables him to doe offends not against it by idlenesse or by commission of contrary sinnes which he that doth is the non habens he that hath not there from which shall be taken away c. And this having of grace is it which I meane by the second notion of sanctification as it is a duty of mans which I conceive is meant by the Apostle when he saith this is the will of God even your Sanctification and he which hath this hope purifies himself and let us cleanse our selves from all filthinesses perfecting holinesse all which places suppose the thing spoken of to be the duty of man which by the help of Christ strengthning him he is able to performe and therefore upon the supposition of Gods working in him both to will and to doe to will by sanctifying to doe by assisting grace he is incited and exhorted by the Apostle to work out his owne salvation 59 This being thus cleared t will be easily granted in the second place that every such act of deliberate commission as we now speak of is contrary to sanctification in this latter notion contrary to the duty of the sanctified man from which breach of duty it was that we bound him before under that guilt which nothing but repentance could rid him of and if you mark it that is the onely thing which contracts a guile the doing somewhat contrary to duty and so the want of this second notion of Sanctification it is the want of sanctified operations which interposes any rubs in the businesse of our justification and not so properly that wherein God onely was concerned his not giving grace guilt being still a result from sinne and sinne being a breach of the law a contrariety to duty and not to guilt and though he that hath not received the gift of sanctification be not justified yet the cause of his non-justification then is not in proper speaking Gods not having given him grace to sanctifie for that is but a negative thing and cannot produce non-justification which is in effect a positive thing by interpretation signifying condemnation two negatives making an affirmative non-justifying being non-remitting of sinne and that the actuall imputing of it to condemnation but the sinnes of his former and present impenitent unsanctified life 60 This also being thus cleared I shall onely adde a third thing and then conclude this matter that in the same