Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A45470
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Tracts
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Hammond, Henry, 1605-1660.; Hammond, Henry, 1605-1660. Of conscience.
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1645
(1645)
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Wing H608; ESTC R9409
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37,736
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38
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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} {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 noâ— 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 classiâ— 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 â—atisfying 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 retractation 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 racâ— 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. â— Then presently is he set right again in Gods savour upon performance of the solemnities as it were payment of the fees of the Court humiliation contrition confession and lowly supplications to God for pardon in Christ and so then to him thus repaired there is no condemnation beside the forementioned effects that attended that sinne at the time there is no future arrear behind in the other world 48 As for the other effect of sinne in this life the wasting of the Conscience or provoking of God to withdraw his grace though any such act of wilfull sinne may justly be thought to do that also in some degree first to stop God from going on in his current of liberality and secondly to cast us back from that plenitude and abundance which before in the riches of Gods bounty in Christ was afforded and so much weaken our stock of grace leave us much more infirme then wee were before the Commission yet wee find not any threat in Scripture that God will upon this provocation of one single act not persisted in presently withdraw all grace but we have reason to hope what the Article of our Church supposes that in this case he leaves sufficient grace to enable that child of his that thus falls by that his grace to return again 49 And if that sad presage Heb. 6. 6. seem to any to withstand this the answer will be prompt and easy by observing that the word {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} there the fallers away signifies more then some one single
light yet heavier upon those who after the knowledge of the truth and gust of the life to come and participation of the holy spirit relapse to their former sinnes it being there affirmed that there is no possibility to renew them or as the Greeks read it for them to renew or recover to repentance and consequently the sacrifice for sinne {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} no longer belonging to or remaining for them yet doth not this hinder the truth of the present proposition for 1 those places to the Hebrews belong not to the sins of the unregenerate life which only now we speak of but of the relapse after the knowledge of the truth 2. even in those places speaking of those sinnes the doctrine is not that there shall be any difficulty of obtaining pardon for them upon repentance for the Subject of the Apostles Propositions is the {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} and {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} men considered exclusively to repentance as abiding in sinne unreformed impenitent and to such we designe not to allow mercy but that this is so great a grieving and quenching of the spirit of God that it becometh very difficult and in ordinary course impossible for them that are guilty of it to repent {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} again to recover to repentance It being just and ordinary with God upon such sinnes of those to whom he hath given grace to withdraw that grace againe according to his method and oeconomy of providence exprest in the parable of the talents from him that hath not made use of the grace or talent given shall be taken away even that which he hath and Wisd. 1. 5. the holy spirit of discipline will not abide where unrighteousnesse cometh in and so being thus deprived of that grace it is consequently impossible that those should {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} in a neutrall sense renew and recover or in an active reciprocall renew or recover themselves to repentance though yet for God to give a new stock of grace it is not impossible but only a thing which he hath not by revealed promise obliged himselfe to do and therefore whether he will doe it or no is meerly in his own hand and dispositive power and that which no man hath ground to hope and title to challenge from him All which notwithstanding our present proposition stands firm that where there is repentance or true thorow change those former retracted acts or habits are reconcileable with good Conscience 40 The second this that Sinnes of weaknesse of all kinds whether first of ignorance or secondly of naturall infirmity the one for want of light the other for want of grace or thirdly of suddaine surreption such as both by the law of Si quis praecipiti calore in the Code of Iustinian and by the municipal laws of most nations are matter of extenuation to some crimes to discharge them from capitall punishment at least to make them capable of pardon or fourthly of dayly continuall incursion either for want of space to deliberate at all or because it is morally impossible to be upon the guard to be deliberate always opere in longo â—as est obrepere somnum or fistly which through levity of the matter passes by undiscerned and the like are irreconcileable with a good conscience because againe be a man never so sincerely resolute and industrious in endeavour to abstaine from all sinne yet as long as he carries flesh about him which is such a principle of weaknesse that ordinarily in the New Testament the word flesh is set to signifie weaknesse such weaknesses he will be subject to such frailties will be sure to drop from him This I remember Parisiensis illustrates handsomely first by the similitude of an armed man provided with strength and prowesse and wrestling with another in lubrico on a slippery ground who though neither weapons nor strength nor courage faile him yet may he very probably â—all the slipperinesse of the footing will betray him to that or secondly by an horseman mounted on an unmanaged or tender-mouth'd horse who cannot with all his skill and caution secure himself from all misadventures the beast may upon a check come over with him or getting the bit into the mouth 〈◊〉 into the enemies quarters or thirdly by a City that is provided for a siege with workes and men and victuals and ammunition and yet by a treachâ—rous party within may be betrayed into the enemies hands there is a principle of weaknesse within like that slippery pavement that tender-mouthed beast that insidious party which will make us still lyable to such miscarriages and nothing in this contrary either to courage or diligence to resolution or endeavour And for such as these frailties ignorances infirmities c. So they be laboured against and the meanes of preventing or overcomming them sincerely used which if it be done you shall find them dayly wain in you and if they doe not so in some measure you have reason to suspect and to double your diligence there is sure mercy in Christ to be had obtaineable by dayly confession and sorrow and prayer for forgivenesse of trespasses without any compleat conquest atchieved over them in this life It being Saint Pauls affirmation very exactly and critically set downe Rom. 5. 6. that Christ {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} 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 must 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 tous 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