not accuse those of acting by the Devil but from the Power of God from hence he concludeth That he did not cast out Devils as they malitiously charged him by the help of the Devil and that they were themselves otherwise convinced in their own Consciences therefore he did it by the Spirit of God and by that they could not but know that the Kingdom of God was come amongst them and so they spake Evil of God and the Spirit of God and that out of Malice contrary to the Conviction of their own Consciences Now saith he Take heed what you do this is a kind of Sin which God will never forgive though all other Sin and Blasphemy shall be forgiven yet for you knowing that what I do I do as God and by the Power and Spirit of God to Persecute me and to Repraoch me and that you may the better do it to ascribe that to the Devil which is the Work of God done by me this is a Sin which shall never be forgiven So that according to our Saviours Words this seemeth to be the Sin That the Pharises knowing well enough that Christ was God Eternal God and having sufficient means to convince them of it and that from his Casting out of Devils and several other Miraculous Operations which it was in the Power of God onely to do Notwithstanding yea against this Conviction Maliciously Persecuted the Lord Jesus Christ and denied these mighty Operations to be from the Spirit of God but said they were from Beelzebub the Master Devil From hence will appear though not distinctly what the Specifical Sin against the Holy Ghost is yea what Sins border upon it and come nearest to it 1. All Sinning against Light and Convictions 2. Apostacy from a former Profession and owning of the Gospel and the Holy Ways of God 3. A Malicious Pursuing and Persecuting of such as our Consciences tells us are Righteous Persons 4. An Ascribing to the Devil what we are Convinced of to be the Works of God and so reproaching the Operations of the Spirit of God whatsoever the Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost be These things or the most of them must be ingredients into it and truly if Persons have been enlightened with the Knowledge of the Truths and Ways of God and have made some Profession of them and have had some Savour of them if they fall away from that Profession and that to such a degree as not onely to disown what themselves formerly owned but to hate those Truths and Ways of God and to Persecute such as still Profess them and adhere to them and charge those Impressions and Operations which are from the Holy Spirit of God to be from the Devil so Blaspheming the Holy Spirit of God if there be such an unpardonable Sin to be commited surely these are under the guilt of it nor can I see any thing can possibly free them from the dreadful Consequence of it but a timely Repentance remembring their first professed Love and turning unto God which whosoever can do or shall obtain Grace from God to do undoubtedly hath not sinned beyond Pardon for he that confesseth his Sins and forsaketh them shall have Mercy But as I said before these Sins comes nearest this Guilt and where any Soul hath been or shall be in this kind and to this degree guilty the Devil hath a very fair Advantage against him to move him to Despair upon a Suggestion that he hath committed that Sin which according to the Revealed Will of God in Holy Writ shall never be forgiven nor will he find any way to get out of this Snare nor any thing to answer the Tempter pressing hard upon him with a Temptation of this Nature until he can say I have indeed done this but God hath given me an Heart to Repent of it to remember from whence I fell and to do my first Works and he will find it as hard for him to recover any just hopes of Pardon and Eternal Life and Salvation as he will find it to be renewed by Repentance if the latter be found impossible to a Soul under these Circumstances so will the former also be found O therefore to prevent Temptations of this nature take heed of all sinning of any continuance and going on in a course of Sin especially of any sinnings against Light and Convictions or against former Professions and especially of any Malice and Hatred to the ways of God which you either have formerly owned and acknowledged or which your Consciences tell you are the right ways of the Lord. 3. Thirdly Let me again commend to you an Acquaintance a through Acquaintance with the Covenant of Grace and the Dispensation of Salvation revealed to us in the Gospel The Despairing Soul hath ordinarily a Legal Spirit and sticks in the Covenant of Works Remember that we are not under the Law bâ—t under Grace in some sense not onely true Believers but even the whole World or at least that part of it to which the glad Tidings of Salvation through the Gospel is published is not under the Law but under Grace not under a Legal Dispensation So as none can be saved without a personal perfect Obedience to the Law of God but under a gracious Dispensation wherein as the Apostle saith Rom. 1. 17. The Righteousness of God is revealed from Faith to Faith that is wherein it is revealed that the Righteousness wherein a Man must stand Just and Righteous before God is not his own Righteousness made up of his Obedience to the Commandements contained in the Divine Law but the perfect Righteousness of Christ by God reckoned unto every Soul that repenteth and believeth in the Lord Jesus Christ who walketh not after the Flesh but after the Spirit minding and savouring the things of the Spirit which Righteousness of Christ is reckoned to the Soul as soon as it comes to own receive and lay hold upon Christ in the Gospel exhibited and tendered unto it The Soul well possessed of the Doctrine of Free Grace and Gospel Justification though it may see frequent Causes for Heart-sorrow and Humiliation as well for its former as for its renewing Sins yet cannot easily see the umbrage of any ground to Despair and cast away its hope as to Divine Mercy and Forgiveness or Eternal Life and Salvation But I have elsewhere enlarged upon this Argument 4. Fourthly If you would avoid Temptations to Despair take heed of presuming You shall observe in the Tempers of those with whom you converse in the World That those whose hopes are most quickly up find them also soonest down The reason is because they are persons that usually have no great depth of judgement and do not build their hopes upon good and sufficient bottoms So that as it is with some little Rivolets whose Channel is but a small continent and which want depth every good showr of Rain raiseth them and causeth them to overflow the Banks but then the same degree of Rain
Self-Murther However the Text saith No Murtherer hath Eternal Life We have heard the Subject let me open the Praedicate and shew in what Sense the Proposition is true That no Murtherer hath Eternal Life 2. Eternal Life is to be considered either In the First Fruits of it or the fuller Harvest 1. In the First Fruits and so it must be considered here or else we must admit an Enallage of the Present Tense for the Future 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and not onely so but also limit the Sense of it to the Future for which I see no reason at all For take Eternal Life as it signifieth the happy State of Souls after the Resurrection in the Beatifical Vision of God so no one alive hath Eternal Life Eternal Life therefore in the first place signifieth That special Effectual Grace of God which will certainly bring the Soul to Eternal Life That which he before called the Seed of God abiding in the Soul And that will bring in a Question to which I may possibly speak something by and by Whether an Elect Soul that is called and sanctified may not fall into this Sin 2. But 2dly Eternal Life is also considerable in the full Harvest as it signifieth the Blessed Estate of the Soul in the Beatifical Vision of God and so it is true no Murtherer none that dieth under the Actual Guilt of Murther not repented of not removed from him shall see God and to this purpose is that Rev. 21. 8. where Murtherers are reckoned amongst those who shall have their part in the Lake that burneth with Fire and Brimstone which is the Second Death and that brings in a Second Question Whether a Murtherer cannot be saved But before I can speak any thing to these it is reasonable I should speak something to a more Origiinal Question with reference to this Sin Case Whether it be not lawful for a Person in any Case to Kill him or her self It is plain from the reading of Prophaner History that diverse of the Heathens yea some of their Philosophers did not think it unlawful for Men and Women to kill themselves but thought it in some Cases their Duty In Case of their Countrey or Friends under great Disturbances of Mind or Pressures of Bodily Afflictions c. but even amongst them there were a wiser and so understanding part who from their Light of Reason saw better things for even they would sometimes dispute That it was no Indication of Valour or Fortitude but of a base and impotent and cowardly Mind that durst not encounte with a little pain or trouble and that we were set in this World by our great Commander the Lord of all as Souldiers in a Rank and File which we must not break out of but by order and direction from him and that it was an injury to the Kingdom or Common-wealth wherein we lived and such like But we have surer Rule to guid us by to wit the holy Scriptures And the Unlawfulness of it upon any pretence whatsoever is determined by all Divines both Ancient and Modern that are of any value and that for these Reasons 1. Because the Law of God is express Thou shalt do no Murther and that Precept is not to be limited to the Murthering of others for the Law of God doth not say Thou shalt not kill thy Neighhour but Thou shalt not kill it must indeed be restrained to Men and Women for God hath given us a Liberty as to Beasts to Kill and Eat nor is the Law concerning Brute and Irrational Creatures but such as are Rational and that without distinction Now he that killeth himself doth kill Again the Law in the General Scope of it commandeth Charity now we ought in the first place to be Charitable to our selves Murther say Casuists is the Killing of a Man without Authority Now this he doth who killeth himself for none is superior to himself none hath Authority over himself 2. Again saith Jiliucius one of the Popish Casuists who yet though many of them give strange liberty to Men to kill others yet few or none give Men liberty to kill themselves To kill a Person can be lawful but in two Causes 1. For our own Defence so a Person may kill one assaulting him breaking into his House c. Or 2. For Execution of Righteous Sentence of Justice But none can kill himself in his own Defence nor be a Magistrate to himself to Judge Sentence or Condemn himself so that say they it can be lawful in no Case for Men to put an end to their own Lives 3. Again They argue truly from a particular Enumeration of the supposed Justificant Causes that should justifie such a Fact shewing the Invalidity of them We read of one of the Heathens who having got a dark Notion of an Eternal State would put an end to his Life that he might the sooner be in possession of it But this is not the way to Eternal Life St. John saith No Murtherer hath Eternal Life Eternal Life is the gift of God and he gives it according to his Revealed Will and his Revealed Will is Rev. 21. 8. That Murtherers should have their Portion in the Lake which burneth with Fire and Brimstone and this is the Second Death A Second Cause which the Heathen assigned as justificant of Self-Murther was To avoid the Violence of others suppose Persecutors or Mutherers But this cannot justifie For what harm can the injuries or violence of others do us Saith Augustine A Third Cause some assign or pretend is To avoid Sin for the time to come To prevent their further dishonouring of God But this were to do evil that good might come of it and to prejudge our selves and deny Gods Mercy to Back-sliders A Fourth Cause assigned is To take revenge upon our selves for past Sins But who made us Judges and Revengers in the Case And surely past Sins are better washed by the Blood of Christ and the Water of true Repentance The last and indeed most general and true Cause is To avoid Shame and Ignominy to deliver our selves from horrors and terrors of Conscience or other miseries But the very Heathen condemned this as the Indication of an Impotent Cowardly Spirit of an hasty and impatient Spirit Where is the Faith and Patience of Christians if this were lawful But I shall have occasion in the sequel of this Discourse further to shew the exceeding vanity of these Pretences for the justification of so horrid a Fact 4. Again It is a Sin against the Light and Law of Nature No man yet ever hated his own Flesh Nature it self not debaucht nor disordered saith to every one Spare thy Self There cannot be a greater Violence offered to our Nature surely than to destroy it To shut up this Discourse there being few that stand in need of this Conviction who are in an ordinary way capable of it Dr. Ames a Learned Casuist of our own concludes it a Sin
was made perfect through Sufferings And in the Greek there is no more than 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for every the Substantive is either 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and then the sense is he tasted of every Death or which it may be is more probable it must be supplied from the next verse for every Son who was to be brought unto Glory But not to enter into that Discourse onely to caution you from laying too great stress upon Particles in Scripture 2. Consider what I before hinted That none of those who hold the utmost Extension of the Death of Christ as to the Objects ever said That all those for whom Christ died should be saved Those indeed who believe Christ died only for the Elect assert this but those who hold Christ died equally for all no more for Judas than for Peter and those that say Christ by his Death purchased a certainty of Salvation for some and a possibility of Salvation for all yet neither of them will say That all shall be saved for whom Christ died which hath made me often admire at Mens heats for these Opinions which if they could prove to be true have no more Significancy Indeed they seem to be calculated for nothing but the Assertion of a Power in the will of Man to chuse and do what God requireth in order to Salvation and so to be his own Saviour Now if this be all that any understanding Man pretends to in his asserting that Christ died for all how is it possible that any particular Soul can from his Belief of it conclude he shall be saved 3. Besides this Notion is pressed with the same absurdities as that which I first mentioned for he that believeth That Christ died for all and every Man and therefore for him must needs hold Universal Salvation though not upon the account of Creation yet upon the account of Christs Redemption and this is not onely to hold what God no where hath revealed in his Word but that which is directly contrary to the Revelation of the Word and that which is contrary to a multitude of Promises and Threatnings and will make them to be meerly superfluous and insignificant The conclusion is That thou hast no ground from any such Notion be it true or false to conclude any such thing as that thou art actually reconciled to God and shall be saved nor did ever any judicious Person so conclude but I fear thousands of ignorant ordinary Persons build their Hopes here and my self have by some been told so 3. A third Notion upon which some may be tempted to presume is The Vertue and Efficacy of Baptism The Jews you know rested much upon their Circumcision and I fear too many amongst Christians rest as much upon their Baptism and their being in it Regenerated and Born again To arm you against this Temptation I shall as to the other offer you some few things to be considered 1. None can be confident upon this account but they must consider Baptism either as it is the Door into the Church From thence it must follow That all those that are Members of the Church of God shall be saved Or Secondly As an Ordinance of God with which God doth constantly concur in washing away the guilt of Sin by Vertue of the Blood of Christ I shall shortly shew you that which of these two ways soever Men look upon their Baptism they can make no such conclusion from it 1. There is nothing in Scripture to justifie such a Conceit That all those who are by Baptism admitted into the Catholick visible Church shall be saved for I pray observe in this Notion of Baptism 1. It doth no more than Circumcision did under the Old Testament to which it succeeded Circumcision was the Door into the Church of the Jews as Baptism is the Door into the Gospel Church Now there is nothing clearer in all the Scripture than that all those that were Circumcised were not saved Judas was Circumcised yet a Devil a Son of Perdition The Scribes and Pharises Lawyers and Hypocrites against whom our Saviour in the Gospel denounced so many Woes they were all Circumcised The Apostle expresly tells us that Circumcision availeth nothing nor yet Uncircumcision but a New Creature That Circumcision verily profiteth Persons if they keep the Law but if they were Breakers of the Law their Circumcision is made Uncircumcision Rom. 2. 25. That he is not a Jew which is one outwardly neither is that Circumcision which is outward in the Flesh but he is a Jew which is one inwardly and Circumcision is that of the Heart and the Spirit and not in the Letter whose Praise is of God not of Men v. 28. 29. What is more plain than that of our Saviour Publicans and Harlots shall enter into the Kingdom of God and the Children of the Kingdom shall be cast out Luke 13. 26 27 28. v. 25. he is speaking to the Jews who were all circumcised all Members of the onely Church God at that day had in the World When once the Master of the House is risen up and hath shut the Door and you begin to stand without and to knock at the Door saying Lord Lord open unto us and he shall answer unto them I know you not whence you are◠Then shall you begin to say We have Eaten and Drank in thy Name and thou hast taught in our Streets I hope all these were Sons of the Church and no ordinary Members of it but v. 27. He shall say I know you not whence you are depart from me all ye workers of Iniquity there shall be weeping and gnashing of Teeth when you shall see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the Prophets in the Kingdom of God and you your selves thrust out And they shall come from the East and the West and the North and the South and shall sit down in the Kingdom of God And behold there are last which shall be first and first which shall be last So as this alone is no ground of Hope or Confidence to any Soul 2. This appeareth further from hence That many Persons be Baptized and Members of Churches in whom Faith and Repentance which the Word of God every where makes necessary to Salvation are most certainly wanting Many Persons are Members of the Church by Baptism who yet are Drunkards Whoremongers Lyars Unbelievers such as the Scripture hath expresly said shall have their Portion in the Lake which burneth with Fire and Brimstone Baptism therefore in this Notion affordeth not the least ground of Confidence to any thinking and considerate Soul 2. Suppose we take Baptism in the Second Notion as it is an Ordinance of God instituted for something It is true the effect of Baptism what it is and how far it extendeth hath been a great Question amongst Divines Some ascribing to it the Justification of the Soul and the Remission of Sins to all but then they restrain it to Original Sin and so it onely as
hearts Or else they are such as in heart thinketh so though in words they profess otherwise Such as the Apostle speaketh of Tit. 1. 16. Who profess that they know God but do in works deny him being abominable disobedient and to every good work reprobate I shall very little concern my self as to either of these only consider what may be said as to those who have such impressions but they are their intollerable burthen and affliction Indeed they are rather to be called impressions than thoughts and let us first inquire into this bitter stream from what source and fountain it floweth CHAP. II. From whence Atheistical and Blasphemous Thoughts may proceed sometimes from Lust sometimes from the World but these are usually imbraced and nursed up in the Soul Those that are the Subject of the present Discourse ordinarily proceed from the Devil as a Tempter and a Blasphemous Spirit THE Adversaries of a Christian with whom the good fight is to be managed are usually reckoned to be The Flesh the World and the Devil their Opposition to us is by moving inticing and perswading us to sin to the ruin of our Souls Hence Divines distinguishing Temptations from their Efficient Cause or Causes say There is Tentatio a Carne a Temptation from the Flesh which agreeth with St. James Every man is tempted when he is drawn away by his own LUST and inticed but that must be understood of such Temptations by which a man is conquered 2. There is Tentatio ab hoste a Temptation from the Enemy without and this is either from the World that is the Things or Men of the World Or from the Devil Any of these may be Tempters in this Case 1. Lust may be a Tempter to Atheistical and Blasphemous Thoughts though I must confess I cannot understand how that should be a tempter to such Thoughts as these not by us chosen studied or delighted in by them Debaucht Wretches that give up themselves to Drunkenness Whoredom Lying Cursing Swearing Neglect of all Duty to God and Man are concern'd if they can to perswade themselves That there is no God that seeth them or dâ—â—approveth them or that hath a superiour power to them or will judge or condemn them for did they believe this their Consciences would never let them be quiet Now that lust that Sinful desire which is in them to keep their lusts without regrets of Conscience or any sowre Reflections after their Debaucheries may be a Tempter to them to say in their hearts yea and to imbrace a perswasion in their hearts That there is no God but this doth not properly concern our present Case 2. The World also the men of the world may be Tempters to such thoughts as these The discourses of others you know offer matter for our thoughts to run upon and as in other causes so in this there may be some who may argue Atheism and Blasphemy with us and who may endeavour to perswade us to such Sentiments Atheistical and Blasphemous Books may set our thoughts on work but these can have no great causation in such thoughts as are permanent afflictive and troublesome to us It is in the power of Christians to avoid Atheistical and Blasphemous company and to abstain from reading of such Books Though therefore men of the world may be Tempters to Atheism yet they can hardly be charged as Tempters in this Case 3. The Devil whom you know the Scriptures call the Tempter the Enemy the Envious one is doubtless the principal Efficient cause He goeth about like a roaring Lion seeking whom he may devour and he hath many Arts and Wiles and Depths and Methods which he useth to destroy Souls with amongst which this is one to make impressions of Atheism and Blasphemy upon persons by some they are imbraced as Notions that are suited to their Sensual Appetite and which will very well fit their Carnal Desires By others they are disgusted as contrary to those Impressions which the Holy Spirit of God hath made upon their Souls and their former Notions Apprehensions and Belief in God Yea so far disgusted that their Souls are frighted at the sight of these Strangers comming to their House and are amazed which way they should ever come in having to their knowledg never opened the least Window or Door to them nor any way invited them so much as for an hour or a moment their Souls loath and abhorthem and yet they revive upon them Temptations of this nature thus circumstanced can be from no other Tempter than the Devil CHAP. III. No seeming good propounded to such Souls as are thus Tempted to whom the Temptations are Afflictive Nor doth the Tempter always use Arguments not so much hoping to prevail with such souls as to trouble them to that degree as to put them upon destroying themselves To others he useth Arguments From the No Evidence of the Divine Being to our Sense The Incomprehensibleness of it and the Perfections of it by our Reason The many Disorders which the Divine Wisdom thinketh fit to permit in the World These are the usual Topicks of Tempters that tempt souls unto Atheisme EVery Man when he is tempted is drawn away by his own Lust and enticed saith St. James 1 Jam. He is enticed by some glimmerings of good and so he is drawn away but it is vain for us to enquire what seeming good enticeth a Soul who looketh upon his motions and solicitations and the things to which the Soul is so solicited as the greatest Evils in the world St. James therefore is there speaking not of Temptations in the general but of such Temptations as flow and proceed from our innate Lust There must in all Temptations of that nature be a Bait upon which the Lust in our hearts may feed and tho it be not necessary that that Bait be a real Good yet it must have some appearance of good in it for the principles of Humane Nature will not allow it to move into the Embraceâ— of any thing which it apprehendeth Evil but this is not necessary in Temptations which flow solely from the Devil the eternal ruin of the Soul is the Design of that Envious One and it is all one whether he can affright or intice the Soul into Hell whether he can destroy it by Poison or by a more certain Stabb It may be more worthy our Enquiry what Arguments the Devil can possibly use with a Soul so far prejudiced against imprâ—ssions of this nature that he can hope should prevail with it to receive any such impressions For the Soul of Man being a rational being is not like without something of Reason or a shew of it to be brought over to agree to any such impression 1. What if we should say that possibly the Tempter promiseth himself no such success what if his design be not to proselyte a Religious Soul to the Proposition which is contrived in his Suggestion but meerly to weary the Christian out of his life by
Actions we are only the Objects of them not the Agents in them When God forbiddeth us Sin he forbiddeth us not to omit something which he hath Commanded us to do or to forbear something which he requireth us not to avoid He doth not forbid us the Actions of others which we cannot prevent Suggestions and Impressions of this Nature are the meer Actions of others to which we no way concurr What are not our Acts cannot be our Sins 3. Thirdly I argue from the Words of our Saviour Matth. 15. 11. Not that which goeth into a Man dâ—fileth a Man but that which cometh out of a Man that defileth a Man and to the same purpose Mar. 7. 20. Are you so without Understanding also Do you not perceive that whatsoever from without entreth into a Man it cannot defile him because it entreth not into his Heart v. 20. And he said that which cometh out of the Man that defileth the Man for from within out of the Heart of Man proceed Evil Thoughts Adulteries Fornications Murthers Thefts Covetousâ—ess Wickedness Deceit Lasâ—â—viousness an Evil Eye Blasphemy Pride Foâ—lishness all these Evil things come from within and defile the Man I know our Saviour is there discoursing relating to the Pharisaical Supersticious Conceit of Mens being Defiled by Eating with unwashen hands But this Discourse led him to lay down some General Maxims of unquestionable Truth 1. That that which meerly entreth into a Man from without cannot defile him 2. That what defileth a Man must be something of his own something which cometh out of himself His Destruction must be from himself 3. That amongst these things may be Evil Thoughts for they proceed from the Heart v. 21. 4. That what proceedeth not from the Heart cannot Defile Let me now a little Apply this to the present purpose Atheistical and Blasphemous Thoughts thus Circumstanced do meerly Enter into us from without we suppose the Soul not to contrive and breed them not to study and delight in them They are in a Sense within a Man the Soul hears the Noise feels the Impression of them but they Enter from without from an Agent that is without the Man Secondly They are not a Man 's own he doth not Hugg or Imbrace them or Feed upon them they are but as Bastards laid at his Door not born in his House not bred of his own Soul Thirdly Though they be Evil Thoughts yet they proceed not from the Heart A Mans Imaginative Power relates to his Sensitive Part his Understanding is but the Out-room of his Soul Thus far indeed these Evil Thoughts enter into a Man they make some Impressions upon his Power of Imagination that is an Open Faculty to which a Man hath no Lock or Barr so long as there are Sensible Objects or Sinful Agents in the World they will have some Passage into this Entry of the Soul of Man The Understanding which is the Porter to the Heart takes some Cognizance of all Passengers into it so as a Man may have some Notions and take some Cognizance and make some Judgment of these Evil Thoughts but yet they are not come into the Heart which is the Will of Man here they come not out of this they proceed not they are not willed nor chosen they are not loved nor delighted in the Soul melts not in any imbraces of them but is scared at the sight of them abominateth rejecteth and abhorreth them So as these things proceed not out of the Heart nor indeed were ever admitted into the Heart 4. Fourthly If these were the Souls Guilt how shall we excuse our Saviour from Guilt or Eve before she yielded to the Tempter or Joseph though he resisted the Motion of his Mistriss Our Saviour was made like unto us in all things Sin only excepted but how shall he be excused from Guilt if Satans troublesome Motions to him were a Guilt The Devil tempted him though not to things of this Nature yet to sinful Acts to distrust the Providence of God to destroy himself c. He received his Suggestions with detestation and abhorrence he said to him Get thee behind me Satan The Devil was Guilty by his Motions but no Guilt clave to our Saviour rejecting and abominating his Motions It is true he did not receive them with that Passion that Horrour and Trembling which Pious Men oft do but that only speaks him freed from that Passion and Weakness under which we labour Again Who will say that Eve our First Parent sinned by hearing the Serpent speak to her before she saw the Tree was Good for Food and that it was Pleasant to the Eyes and a Tree to be desired to make one Wise And took of the Fruit thereof and did Eat Who will say That Joseph's Mistriss soliciting him to lie with her was his Guilt She cast her Eyes upon him she said Lie with me But he refused as you read he said How shall I do this great wickedness and sin against God Neither was this a single but repeated Motion She was Importunate with him The Text saith Gen. 39. 10. That she spake to him day by day but the Text also saith That he hearkned not unto her to lie by her or to be with her and not doing this Joseph doubtless was not Guilty The case is much the same with thee the Tempter hath said unto thee Do not believe there is a God or a Christ or that he ever was made Man or died for the sins of man or that God is such a one so Just so Omniscient c. And thus he talks to thee day by day but thou hearkenest not to the Tempter thou wilt not so much as parly with or deliberate upon them much less give credit unto them how art thou in this more Guilty than Joseph Tho thy Tempter dealeth with thee more secretly by Impressions on thy Spirit his more externally by Audible Words and thy Temptation be to a more Spiritual his to a more Fleshly Wickedness yet this Act is not more if so much as his 5. Lasty I argue from that known Maxime in Divinity Omne peccatum est voluntarium All sin must be voluntary It is most certainly true of Actual Sin It is also true of Original Sin The Sin of Adam which was Peccatum Originans was voluntary and we all in him voluntarily hearkened to the Serpent and had our Hands all our Hands in Eves Hand which she reached up to pluck of the Fruit of that Tree And for the Original Corruption and depravation of our Natures it was but consequent to that and so contracted voluntarily But Actual Sin must apparently be voluntary for an involuntary Action is no humane Action Now in this case here is nothing of the Will the poor Creature cries Get thee behind me Satan It would not hear such a Noise nor entertain such a Thought it trembleth at the fears of the returns of them I have seen one my self in such an Agony at but the fears of
against Nature Piety Justice Charity Of the first I have spoken It appeareth to be against Piety as being against the Authority of God who alone hath Life and Death in his Hand and hath the Power of our Lives 2. Against the Goodness of God from Him and of his Goodness we live and the upholding our Souls in Life ought to be acknowledged to God as a great Piece of the Divine Goodness and Mercy to us 3. Against the Providence of God in the Government of the World disturbing that Order which he hath set A Sin against Justice which will not allow any person to rob or spoil the Kingdom or Common-wealth in which he is a Member at his pleasure Against Charity saith he which ought to begin at our selves and by which we are first obliged to preserve our own lives and then the lives of others From these and such like Arguments Divines do reasonably conclude That Self-murther is in all Cases Sinful in no Case Lawful nor by any Pretence Excusable The next question is 2. Qu. Whether it be to that degree sinful as that no Soul that hath received the Grace of God can commit it And 3. Qu. Whether no Soul that doth commit it can have Eternal Life can be saved Both these seem to make up the Apostle John's Sense when he saith We know that no Murtherer hath Eternal Life I will speak to them both together in some few Conclusions 1. Con. It is very hard to say What Sin one that belongeth to the Election of Grace yea one who is called with an holy Calling and in a State of Grace and who shall certainly be saved may not commit You know into what Sins Lot Noah David and Peter fell in an hour of very high and great Temptation 2. Con. In particular Such a person may be the actual Murtherer of another David was so I mean by Actual not that he immediately committed it but as it is contra-distinguished to murtherous habits in the Heart in the Sense that St. John saith He who hateth his Brother is a Murtherer This is plain in the Case of David 3. Con. Such a Murtherer cannot have the Seed of God at that time working and abiding in him nor upon such a fact have a proximate Right to Eternal Life This is plain for Murthers are no fruits of the Spirit but of the Flesh Gal. 5. 21. And no person under the guilt of Sin before Repentance and the renewed exercise of Faith can either have any Sight of his Grace or any Proximate Right to Eternal Life 4. Con. It is possible That such a great Sinner as the Murthererer of another may be renewed by Repentance and Faith and so may obtain Everlasting Life This appeareth both by the Promise and also by those Presidents of Free Grace which the Holy Scrtptures do furnish us with that we may have Consolation For the Promise it is made to all Sin and Blasphemy Matth. 12. 31. David was a Murtherer so was Manasses c. 5. It is possible That a man may be in a Justified and Sanctified Estate and may put an end to his own Life and yet not be a Self-murtherer That is now supposing him distracted and in a fit of Frenzy not understanding what he doth This man is now not to be judged a Murtherer of himself his Act is not a Rational Humane Act and doubtless shall not be imputed to him This may happen in high Feavors c. But 6. Supposing a Sanctified Person to be in the use of his Reason though not perfectly in a great measure able to guid his actions by the conduct of it he cannot do any such action The Grace of God working or stiring in him Nor obtain Eternal Life without Repentance of it for which he can have but very little time if any at all And this I take to be the Apostle's Sense when he saith That no Murtherer hath Eternal Life abiding in him 1. He hath no true Grace working or acting in him 2. In that State of Guilt without true Repentance for which he hath little or no time he dying cannot be saved 3. He can have no proximate Right to Eternal Life I shall add further That I find no great difficulty to determine That a person in the use of his Reason killing himself out-right and presently cannot be saved Men may offer such violence to themselves as they may not presently die by the Act they have done in order to it so as they may have time to repent and be received to Mercy that made me put in the word outright forthwith and there is no Sin that is upon a True Repentance unpardonable They may do it in a Deliration or Distraction when they are not under the guidance and conduct of their Reason and then it is not an Humane Act. But supposing their Act to be an Humane Rational Act and so effectually done as it leaveth no breathing time for Repentance I cannot see a possibility of Salvation in such a Case I can easily agree it that every one who killeth himself doth not murther himself Possibly a man does an Action or makes some Omission by the doing or the omitting of which he dies but he never designed never intended it but possibly hoped for a quite contrary effect of such Action or Omission Such a one may be said to have killed himself but not to have murthered himself Nay although a person had no such intention contrary but by his mistake what he designed for good to himself issueth in such an effect yet he may be no Self-murtherer because not under the perfect guidance of his Reason Suppose a Child or a Fool and Natural Ideot which neither of them are guided by their Reason should do such Acts I think they oughe not to be concluded Murtherers The Case is the same of Frenetick and Distracted Persons Suppose in a Violent Feavour or a Frenzy occasioned some other way a person should destroy him or her self I would be very tender of concluding such a person under this guilt The difficultest Case seemeth to me to be in the Case of that partial Deliration which we see often caused from Melancholy and is commonly attended with violent impulses from Satan The Question is Supposing persons under these circumstances do destroy themselves what is to be determined concerning their Everlasting State If they offer such violence to themselves as doth not produce death presently but gives them a time for Repentance the Determination will be best founded upon our sight of their Behaviour upon the reprieve which the Providence of God giveth them Whether they heartily repent of such attempts and be serious in asking pardon at Gods hands yea or no. If the attempt hath such a speedy issue in Death as leaves no room or place for this That which is to be considered is How they before were in what possession of Reason under what violence of Impulses which may induce us to believe the action not
are in any Measure acquainted with the Holy Scriptures know that they are full of many great and precious Promises as to Eternal Life and also as to this Life As to Eternal Life made under such Conditions and upon such Terms as his infinite Wisdom thought fit to Prescribe and Limit Those as to this Life are of various sorts many of them relating to an afflicted state That he will put Strength into us That he will lay no more upon us then he will inable us to bear That he together with the Temptation will also give an happy issue and many more of like import as to which the Soul that Trusteth God and in which the Exercises of such Trust and Confidence in God are lively and vigorous can never be Guilty of this Sin for how shall that Soul go about to deliver it out of a Misery which believeth that God will in his own time deliver it and in the mean time Support Uphold and Comfort it and make its Affliction issue in Good and for its advantage working for it a far more Eternal and exceeding Weight of Glory Or how shall that Soul Trust in God for Pardon of Sin and Eternal Life which knoweth that Repentance and Faith are the ordinary means prescribed by God for obtaining these things and do the last Act of his Life of such a Nature as leaveth no room to be renewed by Repentance and is such as God hath said None that doth it hath Eternal Life So that as it is apparent that this Temptation is advantaged by nothing so much as Atheism and Unbelief so there is no such Antidote against it as vigorous Habits and Acts of Faith Nor is it possible that a believing Soul should be under the Power and Prevailings of it while it keepeth under the Conduct and Command of Reason CHAP. IX An Holy Life and Conversation an excellent Preparative to this Spiritual Combate This opened Terrours of Conscience for Sin oft times one great cause of such Thoughts These not ordinary but for great Sinnings some more notorious Acts of Vngodliness or of Vnrighteousness great Sinnings against Light c. 5. FIfthly There is no better Preparative for this Spiritual Combate then an Holy Life and Conversation Although the Holiest Men alive are not exempted from this Fiery Dart even Christ himself heard the Devil say Cast thy self down yet you shall observe these Temptations mostly fall upon Men of loose Lives and Conversation at least do most ordinarily prevail against such The ordinary Motive that prevaileth with Souls to do this thing is the avoiding of some great Evil which either they have in prospect or feel the burden of Now this Evil is either more External such as Slavery and falling into the hands of Enemies This made Saul fall upon his own Sword and Cato kill himself Or horrible bodily Pains and Tortures being exposed to some shameful Death c. Or else they are more Internal such as Horrours and Pangs of Conscience They are rare Instances that either Holy or Civil History gives us of Persons putting an end to their own Lives to avoid Imprisonment Shame or Tortures from Men and not many that we have of Persons who in Terrible Bodily Pains have exposed to the Prevailings of this Temptation Now these Terrours and Pangs of Conscience arise from the Souls Reflections upon its Guilt in respect of Sin Thus the Scripture tells us Judas hang'd himself crying out he had betrayed Innocent Blood Thus History tells us Pontius Pilate killed himself and thus we Read of many others in History And although there be no Sin so little but if God setteth it home upon the Conscience and supporteth not the Soul with his Grace it is able to drive the Soul to this desperate issue yet it is not ordinary for Sins of a more minute Nature and such as the best of Men commit to be followed with such horrours as seize the Spirit of a Man or for Satan to take such an advantage from them The reflections which produce this effect are usually upon some Sins of a more then ordinary Tincture and that have had some more eminent circumstances of Aggravation From whence it followeth that a Godly and Righteous Conversation Religious towards God Just and Righteous towards Men is one of the best Preservatives from the violence of this Temptation A Prâ—fane Atheistical Blasphemous Person is highly exposed to the Impetus of it so is any who hath bin guilty of more notorious Acts of Unrighteousness such as Murther Persecution high degrees of Violence and Oppression For though it be true that God is able to pardon many Sins as well as few great as well as small and the Promise extendeth to all Sin and Blasphemy to Scarlet and Crimson Sins yet we shall find it an harder thing to be beleeve in Christ for the Remission of Sins of so high a Tincture Besides that Courses of Sin of this Nature have a very ill influence upon the Heart to blind and to harden it so that poor Creatures under the Guilt of them are often more sensible of the Wrath of God due to those who commit such things then of the Evil and Filthiness of them O therefore flee such things as these are you know not how far God for them may leave you to Satans Buffetings of this Nature you know not what it is to Repent of them nor how hardly the Soul that is under the Guilt of them is brought to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ or to hope in him for the free Pardon and Remission of them or to arrive at any sense of the Pardon of them In short take heed of all bold sinnings against Light and Checks or Reverberations of Conscience If we will not hearken to the lighter Checks and Dictates of Conscience we are often and but justly repaid with the severer Terrours and Affrightments of it for our doing of such things contrary to its Dictates and lighter Admonitions But the holy Man that walketh closely with God that liveth up to his Light and Revelations of the Will of God is very much out of this danger and though he may have some impressions of this Nature yet they rarely are advantaged from an aking Conscience in the sense of Guilt CHAP. X. Directions for them who are already fallen under this Temptation Melancholy to be evacuated by Natural Means 2. The Motive is to be considered which usually is a freedome from some present or imminent Evil. Two things to be considered 1. Whether it will free us to destroy our selves 2. Whether there be not a more safe and certain way to be free I Have thus far onely prepared you against a wrestling with this Temptation and given you preventing Physick which indeed they say is best and it is better indeed to keep such an Enemy as Satan is Armed with this Dart at a distance then to trust to our own Strength in the hour of Combate But possibly as to some poor Souls
Old in any Sin Secondly Take heed of any kind of prodigious Sinning There are degrees in Sin all Sin is not of the same dy or magnitude There are some Sins that more waste Conscience than others now observe this The greater Violence is done to our Conscience by any Sins the more Advantage the Devil hath from the guilt of them to raise a Temptation to Despair For although it is as easie with God to Pardon the greatest Sins as the smallest yet we shall not find it so easie to believe that God will forgive the greatest Sins as the smallest and so the Devil hath the greater advantage from the Reflection upon them to run us out of a Hope of the Divine Mercy Fear all Sin but above all take heed of notorious Acts of Impiety against God or Unrighteousness toward Men. 3. Thirdly Take heed of all Sinning against Light indeed against any Light whether it be that of Nature or Revelation Take heed of Sinning against those common Notions of Piety and Righteousness which are Planted in all by Nature against the Common Illuminations of the Holy Spirit by the Preaching of the Word of God against the Admonitions of Parents or Governours against the reflex Light of your own Conscience Sins against the direct or reflex Light of Conscience do often Cause a very great Darkness which is felt in the Soul for though in the heat and madness of our Pasnons in our Youth we sometimes run down Conscience and it keepeth silence a while yet it often recoileth and reproveth the Sense and setteth its Sins in order before it and shews them to it to a very great disadvantage and these are a kind of Sins which the Tempter often hangs much upon in order to promove Despair and putting the Soul out of Hope of Mercy 4. Particularly take heed of such Sinnings as border nearest upon the Sin unto Death you know that Christ hath told us That all Sin and Blasphemy shall be forgiven onely the Sin against the Holy Ghost shall never be forgiven And the Apostle hath told us That there is a Sin unto Death for which he did not direct the Christians to Pray that it might be forgiven their Brethren Now Divines have much exercised themselves in the finding out what this Unpardonable Sin is nor is it to this day well determined nor shall I undertake to determine what it is or whether it be any single Sin yea or no. We find in experience that the Tempter often maketh use of this Suggestion to drive a Soul to Despair telling it that it hath sinned this Sin and therefore there is no hope for it The vanity of which appears from the Souls thus tempted usual Ignorance What the Sin against the Holy Ghost is as to which indeed the most Judicious Divines have been much at loâ—s to determine or what comes nearest to it upon the Light we have from Scripture to help us to make a determination of it but though we cannot punctually determine in the Case and it be much more easie to determine what it is not then what it is yet we have Light enough from Scripture to shew us what sinning comes nearest to it and it is ill treading upon the brink of such a Pit That Text Heb. 6. v. 4 5 6. instructeth us thus far That it must be the Sin of an Enlightened Soul one upon whom the Light of the Gospel hath Shined and who hath tasted something of the Heavenly Gift and been in some Measure made Partaker of the Holy Ghost and Tasted the good Word of God and the Powers of the World to come and after this falleth away From whence these things follow That Heathens who never heard of God nor Christ cannot be Guilty of this Sin no nor titular Christians who never made any profession of Religion or Godliness nor had any degrees of Godliness They must be such as have been Enlightened Tasted of the good Word the Heavenly Gift and the Powers of the World to come and after this shall fall away Yet it is plain that all sinning against Gospel Light and Spiritual Illumination all degrees of falling away from the profession of this Truth is not this Sin The Apostle Heb. 10. 26. and 29. v. seemeth as to this Sin to instruct us further for he is there speaking of some for whom there remaineth no more Sacrifice for Sin but a certain fearful looking for of Judgment and fiery Indignation which shall devour the Adversaries Now who are these v. 26. Such as Sin wilfully after they have received the Knowledge of the Truth v. 29. Such as tread under foot the Son of God and count the Blood of the Covenant wherewith he was Sanctified an unholy thing and do despite to the Spirit of Grace And this also agreeth with that Phrase Heb. 6. v. 6. Where the Apostle giving a Reason why they cannot be renewed by Repentance assigneth this Seeing they Crucifie to themselves the Son of God afresh and put him to open shame so that it should seem that to make up this Sin to Apostacy after Illumination or at least having received sufficient Means of Illumiation and making some Profession there must be added some eminent Affront done to or Abuse of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Spirit of Grace either by Word or Deed and therefore our Saviour calleth it Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost Consonant to this is what the Gospel tells us of this Sin you have the first mention of it Matth. 12. 31. If you look into v. 24. you shall find That Christ having healed one that was possessed with the Devil who was both Blind and Dumb and People upon that recognizing him as the true Messias saying v. 23. Is not this the Son of David the Pharises said This Fellow doth cast out Devils by Beelzebub the Prince of Devils Christ confuteth them and vindicateth himself by this Argument easily to be diserned and made up from v. 24 25 26 27 28 29 30. I either cast out Devils as you say by the Prince of Devils or by the Power of God I will make it out that I do it not by the Prince of Devils 1. For this were a Ruin to Satans Kingdom if one Devil could be employed or would be employed in casting out another the Devils Kingdome would be quickly at an end it could not stand 2. Again saith he not I onely but your Children in my name cast them out for there were some Exorcists amongst the Jews who were the Children that is the Disciples of the Pharises who though they followed not Christ yet used his Name to cast out Devils as you shall find Mar. 9. 38. where John telleth Christ Master we saw one casting out Devils in thy Name and he followeth not us and we forbade him because he followeth not us and as you shall read v. 39. Christ allowed it the like you find Luk. 9. 48 49. So did the Sons of Sceva Acts 19. 12. Now the Jews did
not continuing they are as quickly down So it is with these Men a little thing raiseth their hopes and a little thing again sinketh them Thus it is in the great business of Hope as to the Pardon of Sin and obtaining Eternal Salvation Some Persons build up Hopes upon very light and unjustifiable Grounds their Hope is indeed but a Presumption like the Grass that groweth upon the House Tops which a little Heat of the Sun killeth But other Souls build up their Hopes upon more sure and wary Foundations which are not so soon shaked We use to say that we are certain of nothing more than what we have sometimes been uncertain of We are commanded to work out our Salvation with fear and trembling and to rejoyce with trembling Those Souls that have gained their Hope by the Conquest of many Doubts and Fears and Jealousies do not easily lose it whereas those who have hatched it up with more ease seldom keep it in an hour of Temptation 5. I know not what more to advise besides Frequent Self-Examination closâ— walking with God and diligent and constant Prayer Let me inlarge a little upon these I say First Frequent Self-Examination It is the Apostles Precepts Examine your selves prove your selves whether you be in the Faith or no 2 Cor. 13. 5. Whether we live by Hope or Sight I mean Assurance this is highly necessary for that Soul that would maintain the one or the other Two things I would have Christians much Examine themselves upon 1. The Grounds and Reasons of their Hope 2. The Abatements and Discouragements of them 1. As to the Grounds of their Hope which if good must always be bottomed in some Piece of Divine Revelation for Pardon of Sin and Eternal Life being both of them the free Gift of God it is unreasonable to hope for either but upon the Revelation of the will of him in whose Gift they are In examining therefore the Truth and Ground of your Hope trust to nothing but some portions of the Word of God which though it doth not tell you by name whose Sins are pardoned and whose are not who shall be saved and who shall perish it doth tell you what must be wrought in the Hearts of those whose Sins are Pardoned and how they must live that shall ever see the Face of God in Heaven there 's no trusting to your Interest in God as he that made you nor yet to Christ dying for all Men no nor yet to any Merits or Works of your own God hath no where said that he will save all those whom he hath Created nor all those who believe Christ died for all Men no nor yet all those that do some things that are as to the Matter of them good and such as if Men do not they cannot see God I shall not here run into particulars but in the general I shall tell you that there is nothing but the Revelation of the Will of God in his Word and the experimental finding that God hath wrought those things in your Souls which he in his Word hath made necessary in order to obtaining Pardon and Eternal Salvation that is in this Case to be trusted to Often therefore examine your selves upon these Points 1. What God in his Word hath made necessary to the obtaining of Pardon and Salvation 2. The Work of God upon your Hearts Creating and Working and Maintaining these Habits and Exercises in your Souls Nay do not onely this but examine your selves also about the holding or abating of your Hopes the Increase or Decrease and Discouragements of them in your Souls A faint decaying weakening Hope if not lookt to will grow more and more faint and weak every day than other till it putrisieth into Despair Now the force of this lies here The decays and abatements of our Hope are caused either from some Relapses into Sin or from some eminent with-drawings of the Holy Spirit of God which uphold and maintaineth it in a Soul And a daily examination or frequent examination of our selves how it is with us as to our Spiritual hope will put the Soul both upon frequent Acts of Repentance as it discerneth that its hope is abated by the prevailings of its Lusts and also upon frequent Prayers begging the revivings and upholdings of it from the Spirit of God 2. Live in close Communion with God I propounded to you before the avoiding of Sin all Sin but some especially to prevent Temptations to Despair But this is something more we are at first begotten to a lively Hope by the Word upon fervent Prayer c. and this Hope is maintained in the Soul by the same means by which it is first begotten and bred in the Soul I told you before that we must find the ground and bottom of our Hope in the Word of God Now Preaching where it is done sincerely and faithfully is nothing else but an Explication and Application of the Word of God an Interpretation of the Word to our Souls and a whetting of it upon our Souls and therefore in reason a consciencious Attendance upon it must necessarily be a means to confirm and strengthen our Hopes and to antidote Despair Nor certainly can often Communion in the Lords Supper be useless but contrariwise of very great use for the Lord in that Ordinance having added a Sign to his Word for the confirmation of our Faith it must needs be a proper means to strengthen and increase our Hope In short All Communion with God whether it be more Internal by Meditation and the secret Exercises of the Power of our Souls upon God or more External in such Duties as God hath prescribed us to perform an Homage to him by must be of great use to our Souls in this case For the more Freedom and Acquaintance we have with God the more we be with him the truer and more just Apprehensions we shall have of him and the more we shall understand the loving Kindness of God Now all Despair floweth from unjust and unkind Apprehensions and Impressions of God and from a too great an estrangement from him It is true those that know the Lords Name will trust in him and hope in his Mercy But above all be much in Prayer that obtaineth all Grace all Mercy from God the beginnings of it the growth and encrease of it c. But I shall add no more upon this Subject directing you to what I judge most proper to prevent in the Soul Fits or more settled Habits of Despair and certainly it is most advisable to keep Satan at a distance and more easie to oppose the first Assaults or avoid giving him advantages to it than to grapple with it CHAP. IV. What Despairing Souls should do They ought to consult the Physician if no Bodily Distemper gives a rise to such dark Thoughts What Business they have with God No Argument sufficient to warrant Despair Sometimes none pleaded The usual Arguments pleaded From our many Sins The greatness
as he tells him was ready to have done greater things for him against all this he sinned in the matter of Bathsheba and in the matter of Uriah It is true this cost him many Tears many Prayers yet he obtained Mercy Peter was a Man of great Light and had been made the Object of great Love Christ had said to him Thou art Peter and upon this Rock will I build my Church yet this Peter cursed and sware and denied his Master and after this when he had gone out and wept betterly Christ remembred him and I doubt not but you believe Peter is in Heaven Thou canst not say that thou hast sinned against greater Light or greater Love than these two eminent Saints in Glory sinned against To have sinned out our Light indeed that is to such a degree as we have no more Checks no more Rebukes of Conscience this is very sad and the Interpretations of it be to the Enemies of God To be past Feeling that is sad but by thy Trouble and Complaining it appeareth that is not thy Case but it is plain that many have sinned against Light much Light and against much Love too whom God hath from the infiniteness of his Mercy forgiven and rereceived up to Glory 3. Temptation But will such a Soul say It is true had I in time turned unto God there might have been hope but alas time is past time is past with me had I turned to God in my Youth but I am in the declining part of my Life God hath said His Spirit shall not always strive with Man The Fig-tree was Cursed after Three years in vain expecting Fruit. God hath a long time been looking for Fruit of my Soul and hath found none I have sinned wilfully after I had received the Knowledge of the Truth there remaineth now I fear no more Sacrifice of Sin but a certain fearful looking for of Judgement and fiery Indignation which shall devour the Adversaries Heb. 10. 26 27. To which I say 1. This is indeed a very sad and bitter Reflection and I desire that such Complaints as these when we hear them may be sanctified to all that have time before them to take heed how they mispend it and trifle it away but where this Counsel is too late the Question that we have in hand is Whether there be a sufficient Warrant for a Souls Despair 2. The sadness Secondly of this Case is aggravated from the appearances of Scripture for this Temptation It is generally held by Divines That as Countries and Nations have their Periods of Grace so particular Persons have their Days of Grace too and Periods beyond which Gods Spirit shall not strive with them and it appeareth by that Text Heb. 10. That there is a wilful Sinning after the Knowledge of the Truth after which there will remain no Sacrifice for Sin But what that degree of wilful Sinning is and how it must be circumstanced that is another Question But to speak more directly to the Temptation 1. In the first place I would have thee scriously consider Whether the Freeness of Divine Grace in the Remission of Sins be duly thought of by thee who objectest thus against thy self Take heed thou hast not some Thoughts within thee that thou shouldest recompence God by thy future Holiness for thy past Provocations and whether that which discourageth thy hoping in God and looking up unto him for Mercy be not a prospect that thou art not like to have time enough to make this Recompence If thou hast any such Thoughts as these thou dost not well attend to the Promise of Pardon which runs thus I will blot out thy Transgressions for mine own Name sake and we have Redemption even Forgiveness of Sins through his Blood The end which God aimeth at in the Forgiveness of any Souls Sin is his own Glory the glorifying of the riches of his Grace not receiving the Homage of an Holy Life though that be thy Duty and what God requireth of thee yet I say that is not Gods great and ultimate end He will have Mercy on whom he will have Mercy and extend Compassion to whom he will extend Compassion The Consideration upon which God doth it is the Price paid and Satisfaction given by the Blood of his Son It is not for our sake nor for our future Works sake but for his own Name sake and for his dear Sâ—n's sake that he granteth unto any Pardon and Forgiveness of Sin Now although the time of thy Life yet to come in probability will not be commensurate to the time of Life which is past and spent in Sinning and Dishonouring God yet why may not the great God glorifie the Riches of his Grace in the free Forgiveness of thee Why may he not exalt the Blood of his Son in washing thy Soul 2. Secondly It is not for us to know times and seasons which are in Gods Power onely It is true God seemeth to have revealed that every Soul hath a set time beyond which be will shew it no favour and that this is not onely the end of our Life but may be sometime before our dying day but we know not what time that is and therefore it is rashness for any Soul to conclude my time is past Where have we any Directions from the Word of God to fix any such time or to conclude it as to any period of time We know the Master of the Vineyard called to some to come and Work in his Vineyard at the 11th hour and we know also that the Thief upon the Cross was told in the last hour of his Life that he should that Night be with Christ in Paradise Secret things belong unto God Revealed things onely to us and to our Children Unless we had some certain Rule to determine the Time to us we have no Reason to determine it our selves to discourage us from what his Word commandeth us as our certain Duty 3. Thirdly Supposing there be an heart found in us to be sorry for our Sins humbled for them and to turn from them to God and to accept of the Lord Jesus Christ and his Salvation tendred unto us in the Gospel it is certain our time is not yet past The Reason is because the promise of Pardon and Salvation is made unto such So that no Soul hath reason to conclude there is no hope for him in God but that Soul that laboureth under impenitency and hardness of heart and findeth in it self a resolution yet to go on in its sinful courses And therefore you shall observe in that dreadful Text Heb. 6. the Apostle saith of them that have been once enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly Gift and the Powers of the World to come and have been made partakers of the Holy Ghost c. if they fall away it is impossible they should be renewed again by Repentance if they could Repent it were not impossible they should be Pardoned or obtain Eternal Life and Salvation but
it pleaseth not God to renew them by Repentance if thou findest an heart to Repent to bleed for Sin and turn from it there is no Reason for thee to Despair or to conclude it is too late for thee It is a true saying That True Repentance is never too late for it always hath the Promise of Pardon and Forgiveness annext 4. Fourthly as to that Text Heb. 10. 26. If we sin wilfully after we have received the Knowledge of the Truth there remaineth no more Sacrifice for Sins It is not to be understood strictly as the words seem to sound as if it concerned all Persons that sin against their Light and Knowledge but onely of some degrees of wilful sinning for all the Sons and Daughters of Men would be in a sad state if there were no Sacrifice for sin remaining for any that after the receiving and owning of the Truth did in any degrees knowingly and wilfully sin against God But this also appeareth by the Conâ—ext and the Text Heb. 6. to which this is apparently paralel 1. It speaketh of Adversaries v. 27. 2. Of such as trod under foot the Son of God and counted the Blood of the Covenant with which he was sanctified an unholy thing It is apparent he spake of Christians that made a total open Defection from the Doctrine of the Gospel to Judaism This is that which v. 26. He called the forsaking the assembling themselves together forsaking the Communion of all Christians and a malicious contempt and despising of Christ and of his Blood counting it an unholy thing The Truth which he here speaketh of is undoubtedly the Truth which he had before opened in this Epistle wherein he had enlarged in a Discourse to prove that Christ was truly God and truly Man and the true Messias shadowed out by the Jewish High Priest Now saith he if a man sin wilfully that is having owned and acknowledged and professed this Truth afterwards reject it deny it apostatise from the profession of it leaving the Assemblies of Christians shall joyn himself to the Assemblies of those who are the Adversaries of Christ and continue and maliciously go on in that apostacy and defection What ever Remedy he may dream of finding in the Jewish Sacrifices he will indeed find that there is none of their Sacrifices will do him good nor will Christ expiate for him so there will be no Sacrifice for his Sin This I take to be much of the sense and import of that Text according to which it will not much concern one in thy Circumstances 4. Temptation But will some Soul say There is a Sin that shall never be forgiven our Saviour hath told us so Math. 12. 31. Mar. 3. 28. Saint John calls it a Sin unto death The Apostle admiting those two Texts Heb. 6. 6 7. and Heb. 10. 26 27 28. be to be restrained to that saith of it that those who are guilty of it cannot be renewed by Repentance and that there remaineth no more Sacrifice for it I have committed that Sin and therefore I know there is no hope for me I have nothing to do but to look for that fiery Indignation which is to devour the Adversaries Thus speaks the Tempter Thus after him doth the poor Soul speak that is Tempted To which I Answer 1. It is very unreasonable for thee to conclude that thou hast sinned the Sin against the Holy Ghost the unpardonable Sin till thou canst tell what the Sin against the Holy Ghost is if thou canst not tell what it is how canst thou tell that thou hast committed it Now it is not like that thou shouldest be able to determine a Question which hath exercised so long the greatest Divines and yet remains not determined by them at least not agreed in by any considerable consent Some make it a Sin of which we are not now capable the dâ—nial of the Divine Nature of Christ after they had seen his miraculous Operations which God alone could do and Reviling Reproaching and Persecuting him notwithstanding all they had seen in him or heard from him And it is plain this is that which Christ in those Texts of the Gospel doth primarily and immediately speak of But those Texts in the Epistle to the Hebrews cannot be thus interpreted yet what this specifical sin is is not agreed amongst the best Divines 2. Secondly Many of those from whom we hear these complaints apparently have not Light enough I mean not knowledge enough to be under the guilt of this Sin for that is apparent from Heb. 6. that whatever this sin be it must be the sin of knowing enlightened Persons such as have been once enlightened as have tasted of the Heavenly Gift So that ignorant Persons cannot be under this Guilt they must be knowing Persons and such as have made a Profession 3. Thirdly It is also thus far agreed That there must be a Total and Final Falling away from the Profession of Faith which Men have made and this must â—e conjoyned with Malice expressed in Words or Deeds or both such as may â—e interpreted a doing despight to the â—pirit of Grace a trampling under-foot the â—lood of the Covenant an accounting it an unholy thing a Crucifying Christ a-fresh 4. Fourthly There must be a Perseverance in this Apostacy and Blasphemy to the end without Repentance or it cannot be this Sin for the Apostle saith of such as commit this Sin that it is impossible they should be renewed again by Repentance and Christ saith That it shall never be forgiven Now it is certain any Sin that is repented of may and shall be forgiven I must confess when I consider what woful Apostacies some in the days wherein we live have made from the Doctrine of Godliness and what Blasphemies come from their Tongues and Pens against the Operations of the Spirit imputing that to Melancholick Fancies and Dreams and to Impressions from the Devil which are from the Holy Spirit of God and its Impressions Teachings and Operations and when I also consider with what an heat and passion of Madness many are carried out iâ— Persecuting the Servants of God and thâ—â— in an age so ferrtile of means that they either have known do know or may know other things My Heart akes and trembleth for many poor Souls and I cannot but fear many more than we are aware of are under this tremenduoâ— Guilt nor know I how they can evince the contrary but by a timely sense of their Sins Repentance and Sorrow of Heart for them and taking a new course but yet I say final Impenitency must go to make up this Sin which unless thou findest thou hast no Reason as to it peremptorily to conclude against thy self The Evidence of this truth often puts the Tempter to his last shift and we hear often the poor Tempted Soul saying thus 5. Temptation Ah! This this is my case I know I have not so sinned but if I could Repent if I could Believe in Christ I might
and yet not eying the Command of God be carried out to it from other Motives Now this is no Obedience no keeping of the Commandements of God 4. That no Obedience is true but what is Universal I do not say perfect for who liveth and sinneth not but Universal There is an equal respect to the whole Law of God Psal 119. 6. Then shall I not be ashamed saith David when I have respect to all thy Commandements The Reason is plain because who so doth or avoideth an Action purely upon this Reason because God hath commanded or God hath forbidden it will find himself under the same Obligation to do whatever God hath commanded and to avoid whatsoever God hath forbidden yet is not a Christian to measure his Obedience from his performance but from the regard which he hath in his Heart to the whole Law of God conjoyned with a proportionable endeavour tho our Corruption will sometimes be too hard for us 5. If a Man or Woman hath built up his Hopes as to the remission of Sins of which he as yet hath no Assurance and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eternal Life upon this that God having in the Gospel made a Revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ as he upon whom he hath laid the Salvation of Men and having wrought in his Heart a firm and steady Assent to what God hath there revealed and inabled him to accept of this Salvation and to close with Gods way of Salvation casting all the Concerns of his Soul for Pardon and Salvation upon Jesus Christ and that he hath by his Spirit made a change in his Heart that he now hateth all Sin and loveth God and the Commandments of God and hath a regard to them all desiring to do whatsoever God hath commanded and to avoid whatsoover he hath forbidden and that because he hath commanded the one and forbidden the other and accordingly endeavoureth in his whole Conversation though he be many times over born with Temptations and finds a Law in his Members rebelling against and prevailing against the Law of his Mind and bringing him into Captivity to the Law of Sin This Man now builds his Hopes not presumptuously but upon the clear Revelation of the Will of God in his Word But less than this is no better than Presumption from false Notions taken up of Regeneration Conversion Repentance Saving Faith and True Holiness Yet further In order to the avoiding of this Temptation take heed of taking up scanty and narrow Notions of the Law of God It is indeed a snare unto a Soul so to interpret the Divine Law so as to doubt and fear Actions that are lawful as if they were forbidden But it is a more dangerous Rock for a Man to dash upon so to interpret Gods Law as to make those things lawful which God hath forbidden or to undeestand those things as unlawful or at least indifferent which God hath commandeded but I hinted it before to you and I now tell it you again There is none that is but moderately acquainted with the Srriptnres and with the Writings of the Popish Casuists but will plainly see that it hath been the great Design of their Divines for a long time to interterpret the Law of God so as Men might keep their Lusts and yet keep the Commandments of God according to the sense they have put upon them In short Obedience to the Church is almost with them The whole Duty of Man There are some others that came too near them making strange loose Interpretations of the Law of God The precept for not taking Gods Name in vain they say is onely to be understood against Perjury The 4th Commandement onely commandeth the keeping such days holy as the Church appoints These and such like Interpretations serve for nothing but to help a Soul to presume And indeed this loose Interpretation of the Law of God is necessary to all such as maintain the Justification of the Soul not by the Righteousness of Christ but by a Righteousness of our own And that Man hath a Power in himself to do all that God requireth of him I say it is necessary for those Men to interpret Gods Law into a consistancy with Mans Power But let all good Christians that value their Souls take heed of those Interpretations Let them but Interpret the Commandements so as by them shall be commanded and forbidden whatsoever is commanded and forbidden in the Word of God and then they will easily discern these fallacies and so they must interpret them or they cannot conclude that the Ten Commandements contain the sum of all that God hath commanded us to do and avoid for it is most certain that the whole Scripture is as much the Revealed Will of God as the Ten Commandments and hath equal Authority with us Be acquainted therefore with the Scriptures and call that Obedience and Holiness which that calleth so and be assured that let Men tell you what they will without that Holiness that Obedience no Man shall see God I have dwelt a little the longer upon this head because indeed the great mistakes of Men are upon these points that Men fancy that their case is good that they believe enough and are holy enough to go to Heaven nay to plead their Holiness as a Righteousness in which they shall adventure to appear before God 6. A Sixth Notion which I instanced in of this mischievous tendency Is the Power of a Priest or Minister to give Absolution So as if while they live the Minister hath absolved them or if when they come to die they can but Receive the Sacrement be absolved they conclude their Case is good enough The Opinion is in its Original perfectly Popish but founded on that Text Whose Sins soever you remit they are remitted and whose Sins soever you retain they are retained John 20. 23. The words are spoken to Christs Disciples upon whom he breathed v. 22. and said Receive you the Holy Ghost then he adds Whose Sins soever you remit they are remitted and whose Sins soever you retain they are retained And this Power saith the Papist every Priest hath he deriveth from the Apostles and hath the same Power given to him which Christ gave them And there is a Tincture of this Doctrine upon the Spirits of some that are no professed Papists and I perswade my self that many less knowing People peniciously rest upon it I shall therefore a little inlarge upon it 1. In the first place That God onely can forgive Sins is a Principle so consonant to Reason and so abundantly Confirmed in Holy Writ that certainly none can make the least doubt of it Sin is a debt a debt to the Justice of God Christ hath taught us to pray with Reference to it Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors Now Reason tells us that none can discharge a debt but he onely to whom it is owing it is an injury done to God and who can forgive it but
the Person that hath received it So that all the Question can be Whether God hath not commissionated Mininisters to do it in his Name and will not ratifie what they do 2. Secondly It is so great a Prerogative of God so great a piece of his Glory that it is a verry unreasonable thing for any to think that God should trust it out of his hands Christ indeed who thought it no Robbery to be Equal with the Father and who had all Power in Heaven and Earth committed to him had Authority on Earth to forgive Sins but no Creature had ever such a power It is a piece of the Lords Name I even I am he that blotteth out Transgressions for my Names sake It is his Glory which he will not give unto another 3. Thirdly It cannot be imagined but that our Lord knew well enough That if a Power of Forgiving Sins should be intrusted to every Minister many Mens Sins would be remitted expresly contrary to the whole Tenour of the Gospel They know not who Believe nor who truly Repent they can judge but according to the outward appearance Now Thousands may appear to us true Believers and truly Penitent that are not so and so consequently many Unbelievers many Hypocrites and hard hearted Sinners should have their Sins remitted Besides Ministers are no better then Elijah Men subject to like passions with other Men and out of Passion or Prejudice might refuse to Remit their Sins who did truly Believe and truly Repent and can any Man think that our Lord should commit such a power to those who are so Fallible who are no competent Judges of Persons whom God indeed will Pardon but might through Ignorance or through Passion and Corruption pronounce a Forgiveness of Sin or a not Forgiveness directly contrary to the Will of God Or will any be so mad as to think that every Minister is Infallible Or that God will in Heaven confirm what they do upon Earth directly contrary to the Will of God The Papists indeed contend the Pope is Infallible but is every Priest so too Or can they think that God will confirm his Errours contrary to his own Revealed Will as to those Terms upon which alone he will forgive the Sins of any 4. It must therefore be understood onely of a Declarative Forgiveness Whose Sins soever you shall according to my Will declare Remitted they shall be Remitted and whose Sins soever you shall according to my Revealed Will declare not to be Forgiven they shall not be Forgiven Now this Declaration may be either General or Particular Generally every Minister that Preacheth the Gospel Declareth That he who confesseth his Sins and forsaketh them shall have Mercy That he who Believeth shall be Saved more particularly If any Christian in any distress shall ask the Judgment of any Minister having declared the state of his Soul to him so as to give him a probable Hope that he heartily hath repented and doth truly believe the Minister may Declare If these things be true which thou hast told me if indeed thou truly repentest and truly believest in the Lord Jesus Christ God hath Forgiven thine Iniquities But the truth of the latter dependeth on the truth of the former and it is impossible that any Minister should have any other Power to Forgive any ones Sins or Authority to declare them to be Forgiven for he must not pronounce contrary to the Scripture and therefore our Liturgy says no more Then that God hath given Power and Authority to his Ministers to declare Remission of Sins to those that truly repent and believe his Holy Gospel 5. The Apostles had I cannot say any further Authority but a further Advantage for this than ordinary Ministers having a more extraordinary Revelation a more extraordinary ability to dicsern Spirits Without doubt the Apostles themselves were not authorized by Christ to declare to any Impenitent any Unbelieving Soul that his or her Sins were forgiven for this had been for our Lord to have contradicted himself Indeed the Apostles might and did see further into Men than any can now do by reason of the extraordinary Gift of the Holy Ghost and therefore it immediately is said before He breathed upon them and said Receive the Holy Ghost I know none now to whom Christ so breatheth upon and to whom he saith Receive the Holy Ghost yet as the Hebrew Docters say Spiritus Sanctus non semper tangit corda Prophetarum The Spirit of God did not always touch the the Hearts of the Prophets the Prophets could not always Prophecy but onely when the Spirit of Prophecy came upon them So though the Apostles could sometimes by vertue of that extraordinary Gift of discerning Spirits discern Spirits yet I do not think they could allways for if they could the Apostles would never have Baptized Simon Magnus whom he by and by told That he was in the gall of bitterness and bands of iniquity 6. This being all can be affirmed of any Ministers with any Sense or Modesty the Papists in the Council of Trent had no ground to Curse all those that held That the Words of Christ Whose Sins you remitt are remitted are to be understood of an Authority to Preach the Gospel or that the Priests Absolution is not a Judicial but a Ministerial Act. Yet this new Doctrine passed not those that were assembled in that Popish Council without Contradiction Concil Trid. Sess 14. cap. 3. cap. 9. The Franciscan Divines told them That it was the Opinion of Hierom and P. Lombard and Bonaventure and almost all the School-Men That the Absolution in the Sacrament of Penance as they called it is but a Declaration that his Sins are remitted and Pelargus told them That that Text Whose Sins you remit are remitted by the Ancients is not as to their Sense limited to the Sacrament of Penance nay perhaps not by any one of them so understood Because this Doctrine of the Priests or Ministers Absolution savours much of the Popish Doctrine I will a little shew you what their Doctrine is in the Case 1. They hold that Original Sin is washed away in Baptism then Children are regenerated and justified 2. But in regard that after Baptisme Men sin many times a day they have therefore devised a Sacrament of Penance as they call it The matter of which they make to be Contrition Confession and Satisfaction the Minister of it to be a Priest good or bad for they determine that a Priest guilty of Mortal Sin may administer this Sacrament the vertue of which they say doth not depend upon the quality of the Priest but the Character of his Ordination Contrition indeed they make an hearty sorrow for Sin Confession they say is not onely necessary in private to God but in the Ears of the Priest for say they how can he absolve and remit Sins if he doth not know them and that in their Circumstances So that their Doctrine of the necessity of Auricular Confession
upon which account they all have their Confessors depends upon this Doctrine of the Priests Absolution all the pretended necessity of it is in order to the receiving that benefit Then they further say That God doth onely Pardon the Eternal guilt of Sin and Christ hath onely satisfied for that So that for the removal of Temporary Punishments there must be also Satisfaction Hence their Priests have power to appoint People Pilgrimages Building of Churches Paying sums of Money for Satisfaction This Penance being undergone they do declare that any Priest being appointed thereto by the Church may in ordinary Causes not onely Declaratively but Judicially Pardon and Absolve the Sinner but if an higher Priest a Bishop or the Pope hath reserved some Cases in which he or they alone will have power to Absolve and to appoint to Penances and Satisfactions in those they onely can do it the more private Priests cannot This is their Doctrine Protestants now say that God alone can forgive Sins but by his Ministers in the Preaching of the Gospel he doth declare a Mans Sins are forgiven who have a true Contrition who truly repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ fully forgive them so that he expecteth no further Satisfaction for the Sinner than that which was long since given by the Blood of Christ who hath Trod the Wine-press of his Fathers Wrath alone and finished all that Work They say indeed that Confession of Sins in most causes is sufficient to God alone It is he alone that can forgive them In some Causes indeed a more open Confession is necessary 1. When the Church hath been publikely Scandilized not that this is necessary in order to Gods Pardon but as an Act of Obedience to Gods Will and for a more Comfortable Brotherly Communion and the Churches Satisfaction that the Person ought not to be longer kept out of its Communion 2. They say further That in the case of great Horrors of Conscience and Terrors upon Peoples Spirits it may be of great advantage to particular Christians under such Terrors to confess some particular Sins unto their Judicious Brethren or unto their Faithful Ministers but not in order to their Pardon of them but in order to their Prayer to God for them and offering words in season unto them that are weary and being more knowing and mighty in the Scriptures than they are from the Scriptures declaring the Will of God in their case comforting them if their case will bear comfort from the Word of God or otherwise advising them what to do according to the Will of God that they may receive true and solid comfort and Peace They do also further say that Satisfaction where any hath wronged another is necessary if in our Power as in Cases of Theft c. but for any necessity of any other Confession or Satissaction in order to Gods Forgiveness of the Sin they do not understand it nor believe it And for Judicial Absolution they say it is Gods alone Act and that all that the Minister can do is to declare the Will of God to People in case they do truly Repent and Believe that God hath doth and will forgive them freely for Christs sake In the mean time they do not deny but God may concurr with the Minister as his Ordinance giving a sense of the Remission of Sins which Remission was before given them upon their Repentance and believing in Truth to them while the Minister faithfully declareth the Will of God for the pardoning such as truly Repent and Believe but if any person be Absolved by a Minister hath cheated him and pretended Repentance and true Faith having no such thing his heart Or if any Minister hath either through Ignorance or Passion declared a Persons Sins forgiven whose Sins while he is in those Circumstances God hath said he will not forgive he may have cheated his own Soul or the Minister may have cheated him but God is not mockt his sins remain notwithstanding his pretended Absolution God dispenseth out the Grace of forgiveness not according to the Ignorance and Passions of Men but according to the Rules of Holy Scripture which is the Revelation of his Divine Will 2. Trust not therefore to any such vain Imaginations no nor to the Receiving of the Sacrament either in thy life time or at thy death That the Lords Supper is an Ordinance of God by which God doth signify and seal the Remission of Sins and Eternal Life by the commemoration of Christs death to such as truly repent and believe is out of question but that God in that Ordinance doth give Remission of Sins or hath appointed it so signifie seal or convey the pardon of Sin to any unbelieving Impenitent Soul is a very great Errour Such Persons may Eat and Drink there but it can be nothing but Judgment and Condemnation This hath made me frequently admire at some persons fondness of that Holy Ordinance when they apprehend themselves in danger of Death who never made Conscience of it in the time of their Health and Life especially considering that it cannot be administred in a right order viz. In the Communion of the Church where many who are joyned in one body eat of that one bread Upon which all Protestant Churches reject private Administrations of that Institution and upon just grounds Christ first gave it to the 12 at least to 11 of them we never read the Apostles Examples or Directions to or of any such Administrations upon this Account unless some particular Persons that have had long and lingring Sicknesses and of that nature as have not influenced their head nor so indisposed them but their minds could attend to the Action some of which I have known desiring a competent number of the Church with them privately to partake in the Ordinance from the publick Participation of which they have been long hindred I do not know that I ever knew any judicious Christian so much as desire such an Administration but many others I have which makes me think some more Ignorant People rest upon it and trust to it We know the Popish Notion of it and what a stir they make with the Host carrying it about in great state to dying Persons And I fear a tang of their Doctrine yet sticks in the minds of many who are professed Protestants We know what a trade the Papist make of their Doctrines of Auricular Confession Satisfactions and Private Masses Celebrated for the living and the dead and were it not for the gain came into their Purses by them they could not be so fond of such absurd Opinions and Practices But Christians take heed of these Notions which tend to nothing but to nourish Presumptions in your Souls and that you may take heed of them let me mind you of 2 Passages of our Saviours Mark 4. 24. Take heed what you hear and Luk. 8. 18. Take heed how you hear Take heed how you hear hear as those noble Bereans Acts 17.