suffer or fly God hath made good that promise in Jeremie he hath revealed to us abundance of peace and truth and we through ingratitude have ferfeited both Our peace is shaken and who can promise himself with Hezekiah there shall be peace and truth in my dayes Peace may faile thee but let not Truth Every good Christian may and should say with the good King there shall be Truth in my daies if not peace and truth I will so far honor truth as to receive the love of it I will hold it fast by faith hold it forth by practise praise God daily for it and venture all in defence of it So did the Martyrs whose memory is sweete and whose reward is great It is better suffering for truth then with truth yet if Truth must suffer or can die better it is to dye with Truth then out-live it But that Truth may live and we live by truth let us magniâ—ie God much for truth for his word and good bookes that spring thence Some pâ—obably may say it s enâ—ugh to praisâ— God for his word other books are not â—â—nti Wilt thou praise God â—or the Seâ— and â—e unthankfull for the rivers and springs Wilt thou lift up thy voyce for the great Waters and be silent for the silver drops and showers If the former raiâ—e affect thee be not ingratefull for the latter God would have men to value his servants and praise him for their labours But they have errors in them Be it so shall we refuse to praise God for the Flowers and the corne because there be some weeds in the garden and thistles in the field Prejudice not thy selfe buy reade take thy delight here is a garden without weeds a corne field without Cockle or darnell thorne or thistle Art thou a Sincere Convert here are truths sutable solid and wholsome thou maiest feed and feast without feare The Authour is one of singular piety inward acquaintance with God skild in the deceits of mens hearts able to enlighten the darke corners of the little world and to give satisfaction to staggering spirits His worke needs not the purple of anothers commendation to adorne it But because custome not necessity for it's truths prorogative to travaile without a pasport I say because Customo causeth Truth to crave and to carry Epistles Commendatory know that the worke is weighty quick and spirituall and if thine eye be single in perusing it thou shalt find many precious soule-searching soule-quickning and soule-enriching truths in it yea be so warned and awakned is that thou canst not but blesse God for the man and matter unlesse thou be possest with a dumbe devill To conclude Christian Reader take heed of unthankfulnesse spirituall mercies should have the quickest and fullest praises Such is this worke thou foresawâ—est it not thou contributedst nothing to the birth of it It 's a preventing mercy By it and other of the same nature od hath made knowledge to abound the waters of the Sanctuary are daily increased and growne deepe Let not the waters of the Sanctnary put out the fire of the Sanctuary If there be no praise there is no fire If thy head be like a winters Sunne full of light and heart like a winters earth without fruit feare Iest thy light end in utter darkenesse and the tree of knowledge deprive thee of the tree of life The Lord grant thou mayest finde such benefit by this worke as that thy heart may be ravished with truth and raised to praise God to purpose and made to pray Lord still send forth thy light and truth that they may leade us So prayes Thine in Christ W. Greenhill An Introduction to the Worke. THe knowledge of Divinity is necessary for all sorts of men both to settle and establish the good and to convert and fetch in the bad Gods principles pull downe Satans false Principles set up in mens heads loved and beleeved with mens hearts and defended by their Tongues whilest strong holds remaine unshaken the Lord JESVS is kept off from conquering of the soule Now Spirituall Truths are either such as tend to enlarge the understanding or such as may worke chiefly upon the affections I passe by in this knowing age the first of these and being among a people whose hearts are hard enough I being with the latter sort For the Vnderstanding although it may literally yet it never savingly entertaines any truth untill the Affections be therewith smitten and wrought upon I shall therefore here prosecute the unfolding of these Divine Principles First that there is one most glorious God Secondly that this God made all mankind at first in Adam in a most glorious estate Thirdly that all mankind is now fallen from that estate into a bottomlesse gulfe of sinne and misery Fourthly that the Lord Jesus Christ is the onely means of Redemption out of this estate Fifthly that those that are saved out of this wofull estate by Christ are very few and these few are saved with much difficulty Sixthly that the greatest cause why so many dye and perish in this estate is from themselves either 1. By Reason of their bloudy Ignorance they know not their misery or 2. By reason of their Carnall security they feele not they groane not under their sinne and misery 3. By reason of their Carnall confidence they seeke to helpe themselves out of their misery by their own duties when they see or feele it or 4. By reason of their false faith whereby they catch hold upon and trust unto the merits of Christ too soone when they see and feele they cannot helpe themselves The Contents of this Treatise THat there is a God Page 3 4. That this God is most Glorious p. 16. The happinesse of them that forsake all for this God p. 15. A Discovery of Atheisme p. 10. Whence terrors of Conscience arise p. 8. An Explanation of Gods Attributes p. 17. We should make God to be Our God p. 14. God made all Mankind at first in a glorious and happy estate p. 25. Wherein this glory or blessednesse of man did appeare p. 26. How Adams estate was Ours p. 29. Wee are more perfectly righteous in Christ then we could ever have beene in Adam p. 32. How to get the Image of God renewed in us p. 40. A Discovery of such as content themselves with a certaine measure of holinesse p. 34. How justly God may require perfect obedience to all the Law of every man and curse him if he cannot performe it p. 30. Mans misery in respect of Sin p. 42. Every naturall man is dead while hee lives p. 48. The haynousnesse of Adams sin p. 96. Sinnes of the Heart are worse then sins of the Life p. 55. Every Action of wicked men is sinfull p. 57. Whether good duties ought to be performed by naturall men seeing their best Actions are siâ—nes p. 61. Mans misery in respect of the Consequents of sinne p. 63. Mans fearefull flavery under Sathan p. 67. How to
and my life will certainly undoe you You say you cannot but speake idely and thinke vainely and doeill as all doe sometimes I tell you those sinnes shall be everlasting chaines to hold you fast in the power of the devill untill the Judgement of the great day And thus much of the understandings corruption whereby men are commonly deluded Now followeth the second Secondly in regard of the false bastard peace begot in the conscience Why should the Campe tremble when Scouts are asleepe or give a false report when the enemies are neare them Most men thinke they are in a safe estate because they were never in a troubled estate or if they have beene troubled because they have got some peace and comfort after it Now this false peace is begot in the heart by these foure meanes 1. By Sathan 2. By false teachers 3. By a false spirit 4. By a false application of true promises 1. By Sathan whose kingdome shall fall if it should be divided and be alwayes in a combustion hence he laboureth for peace Luke 11. 21. When the strong man keepeth the palace his goods be in peace that is when Sathan armed with abundance of shifts and carnall reasonings possesseth mens soules they are at peace Now looke as Masters give their servants peace even so the devill 1. By removing all things that may trouble them and 2. By giving unto them all things that may quiet and comfort them as meat drinke rest lodging c. so doth Sathan deale with his slaves and servants First by removing those sins which trouble the conscience for a man may live in a sinne and yet never be troubled for that sinne for sinne against the light of conscience onely troubles the conscience as children that are tumbling and playing in the dust they are not troubled with all the dust nay they take pleasure to wallow in it but onely with that whether it be small or great that lights in their eyes And hence that young man came boasting to Christ that hee had kept all the commandements from his youth but went away sorrowfull because that dust that sinne he lived in with delight before fell into his eyes and therefore was troubled Now marke the plot of the Devill when he can make a man live and wallow and delight in his sinnes and so serve him and yet will not suffer him to live in any sinne against conscience whereby he should be troubled and so seeke to come out of his woefull estate he is sure this man is his owne and now a poore deluded man himselfe goes up and downe not doubting but he shall be saved why because their conscience they thanke God is cleare and they know of no one sinne they live in they know nothing by themselves that may make them so much as suspect their estate is bad Matth. 9. 13. I came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance that is such an one as in his owne opinion is fish whole every sinne being a child of Gods sicknesse he is never without some kinde of sorrow but some sins onely being a naturall mans sicknesse they being removed he recovers out of his former sorrow and growes well againe and thinkes himselfe sound but the Lord Jesus never came to save such therefore Satankeepes possession of them For the Lords sake looke to this subtilty many thinke themselves in a good estate because they know not the particular sinne they live in whereas Satan may have stronger possession of such as are bound with his invisible fetters and chaines when those that have their pinching bolts on them may sooner escape Secondly By giving the soule liberty to recreate it selfe in any sinfull course wherein the eye of conscience may not be pricked and wounded Servants when they are put alwayes to worke and never can goe abroad are weary both of work and Master that Master pleaseth them that giveth them most liberty To be pent up all the day long in doing Gods worke watching praying fighting against every sinne this is a burden this is too strict and because that they cannot endure it they thinke the Lord lookes not for it at their hands Now Satan gives men libertie in their sinfull courses and this libertie begets peace and this peace makes them thinke well of themselves 2 Pet. 2. 19. There 's many rotten professors in these dayes that indeed will not open their mouthes against the sincere hearted people of God yet they walke loosely and take too much liberty in their speeches liberty in their thoughts liberty in their desires and delights liberty in their company in their pastimes and that sometimes under a pretence of Christian liberty and never trouble themselves with these needlesse controversies to what end or in what manner doe I use these things whereas the righteous man feareth alway considering there is a snare for him in every lawfull liberty May not I sinne in my mirth in my speaking in my sleeping Oh! this liberty that the Devill gives and the world takes besots most men with a foolish opinion that all is well with them Thirdly by giving the soule good dyet meate and drinke enough what dish he likes best Let a Master give liberty yet his servant is not pleased unlesse he hath meate and drinke and food so there 's no wicked man under Heaven but as he takes too much liberty in the use of lawfull things so he feedeth his heart with some unlawfull secret lust though all the time they live in it it may be it is unknown to them Luk. 16. Dives had his dish his good things and so sang himselfe a sleepe and bad his soule take his ease and rest yea observe this dyet is poysoned in it selfe but ever commended to the soule as wholsome good and lawfull They christen sinne with a new name as Popes are at their election if he be bad they call him sometimes Pius if a coward Leo c. So covetousnesse is good husbandry company keeping good neighbourhood lying to save their credit from cracking but a handsome excuse and hence the soule goes peaceably on and beleeves he is in a good estate Fourthly by giving the soule rest and sleepe that is cessation sometimes from the act of sinne hence they are hardly perswaded that they live in sin because they cease sometimes from the act of sinne as no man doth alwayes sweare nor is he alwayes drunk nor alwayes angry They think onely their falls in these or the like sinnes are slips and falls which the best man may have sometimes and yet be a deare child of God Oh! Satan will not alwayes set men at his worke for if men should alwayes have their cups in their hands and their queanes in their armes if a covetous man should alwayes root in the earth and never pray never have good thoughts never keepe any Sabbath if a man should alwayes speake idely and never good word drop from him a mans conscience would never be
secret hypocrisie whoredome prophannesse and with shame in thy face come before this God for pardon and mercy Admire and wonder at his patience that having seene thee hath not damned thee 8. Hee is a True God whereby he meanes to doe as he saith Let every Child of God therefore know to his comfort that those things which hee hath not under feelings but under a promise shall one day be all made good and let all wicked men know what ever threatning God hath denounced whatsoever Arrowes are in the bow-string will one day fly and hit and strike deepe and the longer the Lord is a drawing the deeper wound will Gods arrow that is Gods threatning make 9. Hee is an holy God Be not ashamed therefore of holinesse which if it ascend above the common straine of honesty the blind and mad world accounts it madnesse If the righteous that is those that bee most holy bee scarcely saved where shall the ungodly and the sinner appeare 1 Peter 4. 18. Where Not before Saints and Angels for holinesse is their trade Not before the face of the man Christ Iesus for holinesse was his meate and drinke Not before the face of a blessed God for holinesse is his Nature Not in Heaven for no uncleane thing crawles there they shall never see God Christ Saints Angels or Heaven to their comfort that are not holy weare therefore that as thy crowne now which will be thy glory in Heaven and if this bee to be vile be more vile 10. He is a just and mercifull God just in himselfe and so will punish all sinne mercifull in the face of Christ and so will punish no sinne A just GOD against an hard-hearted sinner a mercifull God towards an humble sinner God is not all Mercy and no Justice nor all Justice and no Mercy Submit to him his mercy embraceth thee Resist him his justice pursues thee When a Child of God is humbled indeed commonly hee makes God a hard-hearted cruell God loth to helpe and saith can such a sinner bee pardoned a wicked man that was never humbled makes God a God of clouts one that howsoever he speaks heavie words yet he is a mercifull God and will not doe as he saith and hee findes it no difficult worke to beleeve the greatest sinne may be pardoned conceive therefore of him as you have heard Thirdly God is glorious in his Persons which are three Father begetting Sonne begotten and the Holy Ghost the third person proceeding Here the Father is called the Father of glory Eph. 1. Christ is called the Lord of glory 1 Cor. 2. and the Spirit is called the Spirit of glory 1 Pet. 4. the Father is glorious in his great work of Election the Son is glorious in his worke of Redemption the Holy Ghost is glorious in his work of Application the Father is glorious in choosing the house the Son is glorious in buying the House the Spirit is glorious in dwelling in the House that is the heart of a poore lost sinner 4. He is glorious in his Works in his works of Creation and in his workes of providence and government wonder therefore that he should so vouchsafe to looke upon such wormes such dunghils such Lepers as we are to provide protect to slay his Sonne to call to strive to waite to give away himselfe and all that he is worth unto us O feare this God when you come before him People come before God in Prayer as before their fellowes or as before an Idoll People tremble not at his voyce in the Word A King or Monarch will bee served in state yet how rudely how slovenly do men goe about every holy duty Thus much of the first Principall Head that there is One most glorious God Now we are to proceede to the second viz. CHAP. II. THat this God made all mankind at first in a most glorious and happy estate like unto himselfe For the opening of which Assertion I have chosen this Text Eccles. 7. 29. God made man righteous which clearely demonstrates That GOD made all mankind at first in Adam in a most glorious happy and righteous estate Man when he came first out of Gods mint shined most glorious There 's a marvellous glory in all Creatures the servants and houshold stuffe of man therfore there was a greater glory in man himselfe the end of them God calleth a Parliament and gathers a Councell when man was to bee made and said Come let us make man in our owne Image as though all the Wisedome of the Trinity should be seene in the creation of man Wherein did the glory or blessednesse of man appeare In the impression of Gods Image upon him Gen. 1. 26. Can there be any greater glory for a Ioseph for a subject than to be like his Prince What was the Image of God The Schoolmen and Fathers have many curious yet some necessary though difficult questions about this I will omit all theirs and tell you only what is the APOSTLES judgement Colossians 3. 20. out of which this generall description of GOD s Image may bee thus gathered It is mans perfection of Holinesse resembling GODs admirable holinesse whereby onely man plâ—aseth God For all other inferiour Creatures did carry the workes and footsteps of GODs power wisedome goodnesse whereby all these Attributes were seene Now the most perfect Attributes of God that is his Holinesse that hee would have onely appeare in and be made manifest by man his best inferior creature as a Kings wisedome and bounty appeares in managing the affaires of all his Kingdome but his Royal Princely and most eminent perfections appeare in the face and disposition of his Sonne next under him But more particularly this Image of GOD appeared in these foure particulars 1. In mans understanding this was like unto Gods Now Gods Image here chiefly consisted in this particular viz. As God saw himselfe and beheld his owne infinite endlesse glory and excellency so man was privie to Gods excellency and saw God most gloriously as Moses though a sinfull man saw him face to face much more Adam a perfect man God loving man could doe no lesse than reveale himselfe to man 2. In his Affections the image of God chiefly appeared in two things First As God seeing himselfe loved himselfe So Adam seeing God loved this God more than the World more than himselfe as Iron put into the fire seemes to bee nothing but fire So Adam being beloved of God was turned into a lumpe of love to love GOD againe Secondly As God delighted in himselfe So did Adam delight in God tooke sweete repose in the boâ—ome of GOD. Mee thinkes I see Adam wrapt up in continuall extasies in having this God 3. In his Will the Image of God chiefely appeared in two things First As GOD onely willed Himselfe as his last end So did Adam will GOD as his last end not as man doth now Secondly As God willed nothing but
every swine hath his swill and every wicked man his lust for no unregenerate man hath fruition of God to content him and there is no mans heart but it must have some good to coÌ„tent it which good is to be found onely in the Fountaine of all good and that is God or in the cisterne and that is in the creatures hence a man having lost full content in God he seekes for and feeds upoÌ„ contentment in the creature which he makes a God to him and here lyes his lust or sinne which he must needs live in Hence aske those men that goe very farre and take their penny for good silver and commend themselves for their good desires I say aske them if they have no sinne Yes say they who can live without sinne and so they give way to sinne and therefore live in sinne Nay commonly all the duties prayers care and zeale of the best Hypocrites are to hide a lust as the whore in the Proverbes that wipes her mouth and goes to the Temple and payes her vowes or to feed their lusts as Iehu his zeale against Baal was to get a Kingdome There remaines a root of bitternesse in the best Hypocrites which howsoever it be lopt off sometimes by sicknesse or horrour of conscience and a man hath purposes never to commit it againe yet there it secretly lurkes and though it seemeth to be bound and conquered by the Word or by prayer or by outward crosses or while the hand of God is upon a man yet the inward strength and power of it remains still and therefore when Temptations like strong Philistines are upon this man againe he breakes all vowes promises bonds of God and will save the life of his sinne Secondly no unregenerate man or woman ever came to be poore in spirit and so to be carried out of all duties unto Christ if it were possible for them to forsake and breake loose for ever from all sinne yet here they sticke as the Scribes and Pharisees and so like zealous Paul before his conversion they fasted and prayed and kept the Sabbath but they rested in their legall righteousnesse and in the performance of these and the like duties Take the best Hypocâ—ite that hath â—he most strong perswasions of Gods love to him and aske him why he hopes to be saved He will answer I pray reade heare love good men cry out of the sinnes of the time And tell him againe that an Hypocrite may climbe these staires and goe as farre Hee will reply True indeed but they doe not what they doe with a sound heart but to be seene of men Marke now how these men feele a good heart in themselves and in all things they doe and therefore feele not a want of all good which is poverty of spirit and therefore here they fall short Isa. 66. 2. there were divers Hypocrites forward for the worship of God in the Temple but God loathes these because not poore in Spirit to them onely it is said the Lord will looke I have seene many Professors very forward for all good duties but as ignorant of Christ when they are sifted as blocks And if a man as few doe know not Christ he must rest in his duties because he knowes not Christ to whom he must goe and be carried if ever he be saved I have heard of a man that being condemned to dye thought to be saved from the Gallowes and to save himselfe from hanging by a certaine gift he said he had of whisâ—ling so men seeke to save themselves by their gifts of knowledge gifts of memory gifts of prayer and when they see they must dye for their sinnes this is the ruine of many a soule that though he forsake Aegypt and his sinnes and flesh-pots there and will never be so as he hath beene yet he never commeth into Canaan but loseth himselfe and his soule in a wildernesse of many duties and there perisheth Thirdly if any unrâ—generate man come unto Christ he never gets into Christ that is never takes up his eternall rest and lodging in any thing else but Jesus Christ Heb. 4 4. Iudas followed Christ for the bagge he would have the bagge and Christ too The Young man came unto Christ to be his Disciple but he would have Christ aâ—d the world too they will not content themselves with Christ alone nor with the world alone but make their markets out of both like whorish wives that will please their husbands and others too Men in distresse of conscience if they have comfort from Christ they are contented if they have salvation from hell by Christ they are contented but Christ himselfe contents them not Thus farre an Hypocrite goes not So much for the first Doctrine observed out of the Text. I come now to the second Doct. 2. That those that are saved are saved with much difficulty or it is a wonderfull hard thing to be saved The gate is straight and therefore a man must sweat and strive to enter both the entrance is difficult and the progresse of salvation too Jesus Christ is not got with a wet finger It is not wishing and desiring to be saved will bring men to heaven hells mouth is full of good wishes It is not shedding a teare at a Sermon or blubbering now and then in a corner and saying over thy prayers and crying God mercy for thy sinnes will save thee It is not Lord have mercy upon us will doe thee good It is not comming constantly to Church these are easie matters But it is a tough work a wonderfull hard matter to be saved 1 Pet. 4. 18. Hence the way to Heaven is compared to a race where a man must put forth all his strength and streâ—ch every limbe and all to get forward Hence a Christians life is compared to wrastling Ephe. 6. 12. All the policy and power of hell buckle together against a Christian therefore he must looke to himselfe or else he falls Hence it is compared to fighting 2 Tim. 4. 7. a man must fight against the Devill the world himselfe who shoot poysoned bullets in the soule where a man must kill or be killed God hath not lined the way to Christ with velvet noâ— strewed it with rushes He will never feed a slothâ—ull humour in man who will be saved if Christ and Heaven would drop in their mouthes and if any would beare their chaâ—ges thither If Christ might be bought for a few cold wishes and lazy dâ—sires he would be of small reckoning amongst men who would say lightly come lightly goe Indeed Christs yoke is easie in it selfe and when a man is got into Christ nothing is so sweet but for a carnall dull heart it is hard to draw in it for There are foure straight gates which every one must passe through before he can enter into Heaven There is 1. the straight gate of Humiliation God saveth none but first he humbleth them now it is hard to passe through the gates
Or else they say commonly thou hast sinned but comfort thy selfe despaire not Christ hath suffered and thus skin over the wound and let it fester within for want of cutting it deeper I say theâ—efore because they want a faithfull watch-man to cry fire fire in that sleepy estate of sinne and darknesse vvherein they lye therefore whole Townes Parishes generations of men are burnt up and perish miserably Lam. 2. 14. Secondly because they have no leisure to consider of their misery when they have the meanes of revealing it unto them as Foelix Acts 24 25. Many a man hath many a bitter pill given him at a Sermon but he hath no leisure to chew upon it One man is taken up with suites in Law and another almost eaten up with suretiship and carking cares how to pay his debts and provide for his owne another hath a great charge and few friends and hee saith the world is hard and hence like a Mole rootes in the earth week-dayes and Sabath-dayes the world thus calling them on one side and lusts on another and the Devill on the other side they have no leisure to consider of Death Devill God nor themselves Hell nor Heaven The Minister cryes and knockes without but there is such a noise and lumber of tumultuous lusts and vaine thoughts in their hearts and heads that all good thoughts are sad unwelcome guests and are knockt downe presently Thirdly because if they have leisure they are afraid to knovv it Hence people cry out of Ministers that they damne all and will heare them no more and they vvill not bee such fooles as to beleeve all that such say the reason is they are afraid to know the vvorst of themselves they are afraid to be cut anâ— therefore cannot indure the Chirurgion they thinke to be troubled in mind as others are is the very high-rode to despaire and therefore if they doe heare a tale how one after hearing of a Sermon grew distracted or drowned or hanged hiâ— selfe it shall be an item an a warning to them as long as they â—â—ve for troubling their heads about such matters Men of guilty consciences hence flie from the face of God as prisoners from the Iudge as debtors from the Creditor But if the Lord of Hosts câ—n catch you you must and shall â—eele with horrour of heart that which you feare a little now Fourthly because if they be free from this foolish feare they cannot see their misery by reason that they looke upon their estâ—tes through false glasses and by vertue of many false principâ—es in their minds they cheat themselves Which false Principles are these principally I vvill but name them First They conceive God that 〈◊〉 them will not be so cruell as to damâ—â— them Secondly because they feele no misery but are very well therefore they feare none Thirdly because God blesseth theÌ„ in their outward estates in their Corne childreÌ„ calling friends c. would God blesse them so iâ— he did not love them Fourthly because they thinke sinne to be no great evill for all are sinners so this cannot mischieve them Fifthly because they thinke Gods mercy is above all his workes though sinne be vile yet conceiving God to be all mercy all honey and no justice they thinke they are well Sixthly because they thinke Christ dyed for all sinners and they confesse themselves to be great ones Seventhly because they hope well and so thinke to have vvell Eightly because they do as most do who never crying out of their sinnes while they lived dying like Lambs at last they doubt not for their parts doing as such doe they shall dye happily as others have done Ninthly because their desires and hearts are good as they thinke Tenthly because they doe as vvell as God will give them grace and so God is in the fault onely if they perish These are the reasons and grounds upon which profane people are deceived Novv it follovveth to shew the grounds on which the finer sort miscarry Secondly Hollow Professors cheat and cozen their ovvne soules It is in our Church as it is in an old Wood where there are many tall Trees yet cut them and search them deeply they prove pithlesse saplesse hollow unsound creatures These men twist their ovvne ruine vvith a finer thread and can juggle better then the common sort and cast mists before their owne eyes and so cheat their ovvne soules It 's Ministers first work to turne men from darknesse into this light Act. 26. 18. and the Spirits first worke to convince men of sinne Ioh. 16. 9. and therefore it's peoples maine worke to know the worst at first of themselves Novv the cause of these mens mistaking is three-fold First the spirituall madnesse and drunkennesse of their Vnderstanding Secondly the false bastard peace begot and nourished in the Conscience Thirdly the sly and secret distempers of the Will First There are these seven drunken distempers in the understanding or minde of man whereby he commeth to be most miserably deceived First the understandings Arrogancie You shall never see a man meane and vile in his owne eyes deceived Psal. 25. 9. but a proud man or woman is often cheated Hence proud Haman thought surely hee was the man whom the King would honour vvhen in truth it was intended for poore Moâ—decay For pride having once overspread the mind it ever hath this property it makes a penny stand for a pound a sparke is blown up to a flame it makes a great matter of a little seeming grace and therefore the proud Pharisee when hee came to reckon with himselfe hee takes his poore counter that is I am not as other men nor as this Publican and sets it downe for 1000. pound that is hee esteemes of himselfe as a very rich man for it So many a man because hee hath some good thing in himselfe as hee is pittifull to the poore hee is a true man though a poore man hee was never given to wine or women Hee magnifieth himselfe for this title and so deceives and over-reckons himselfe There are your Bristow-stones like Diamonds and many cheaters cozen Countrey folkes with them that desire to bee fine and know not what Diamonds are So many men are desirous to be honest and to be reputed so not knowing what true grace meanes therefore Bristow-stones are pâ—â—rles in their eyes A little seeming grace shines so bright in their eyes that they are halfe bewitched by it to thinke highly of themselves although they be but glittering seeming jewels in a swines snout A cab of Doves dung was sould in Samaria's time of famine at a great rate a man living in such a place where all about him are either ignorant or prophane or civill a little morall honesty dung in respect of true grace goes a great way and is esteemed highly of and he is as honest a man as ever lived A man that lookes through a red glasse all things appeare red a man
honest man then he will strive to doe as he doth and now he is quieted When he hath attained unto this pitch of his ovvne now he thinkes himselfe a young beginner and a good one too so that if he dyeth he thinkes hee shall doe well if he liveth he thinkes and hopes he shall grow better and vvhen he is come to his ovvne pitch here he sets downe his state fully satisfied And novv if he be prest to get into the estate of grace his answer is That is not to be done now he thankes God that care is past The truth is beloved 't is too high for him his owne legges could never carry him thither all his grace comming by his owne working not by God Almighties power Let a man have false weights he is cheated grievously with light gold why because his weights are too light So these men have too light weights to judge of the weight of true grace therefore light clipt crackt pieces cheat them Hence you shall have those men commend pithlesse saplesse men for very honest men as ever brake bread why they are just answerable to their weights Hence I have not much wondered at them who maintaine that a man may fall away from true grace The reason lyeth here They set up to themselves such a common worke of grace to bee true grace from which no wonder that a man may fall Hence Bellarmine saith That which is true Grace veritate essentiae onely may be lost not that grace which is true veritate firmae soliditatis which latter being rightly understood may be called speciall as the other common grace Hence also you shall have many Professors hearing a hundred Sermons never moved to grovv better Hence likewise you shall see our common Preachers comfort every one almost that they see troubled in minde because they thinke presently they have true grace Now they begin to be sorrowfull for their sinnes 'T is just according to their owne light weights For the Lords sake take heed of this deceit True grace I tell you it 's a rare pearle a glorious Sun clowded from the eyes of all but them that have it Rev. 2. 18. a strange admirable almighty worke of God upon the soule vvhich no created power can produce as far different in the least measure of it from the highest degree of common grace as a Devill is from an Angell for 't is Christ living breathing raigning fighting conquering in the soule Downe therefore with your Idoll grace your Idoll honesty true Grace never aimes at a pitch it aspires onely to perfection Phil. 3. 12 13. And therefore Chrysostome calls Saint Paul insatiabilis Dei cultor A greedy insatiable devouring worshipper of the Lord Almighty Seventhly The Understandings errour is another cause of mans ruine And that is seene principally in these five things these â—ive errours or false conceits First In judging some trouble of minde some light sorrow for sinne to be true Repentance and so thinking they doe repent hope they shall bee saved for sinne is like sweet poyson while a man is drinking it dovvne by committing of it ther 's much pleasure in it but after the committing of it there is a sting in it Prov. 23. 31. 32. then the time commeth when this poyson workes making the heart swell vvith griefe sorry they are at the heart they say for it and the eyes drop and the man that committed sin vvith delight now cryes out vvith griefe in the bitternesse of his soule O that I beast that I am had never committed it Lord mercy mercy Prov. 5. 3 4. 11. 12. Nay it may be they vvill fast and humble and afflict their soules voluntarily for sinne and now they think they have repented Isai. 58 3. and hereupon when they heare that all that sinne shall dye they grant this is true indeed except a man repent and so they thinke they have done already This is true At what time soever a sinner repents the Lord will blot out his iniquities But this Repentance is not when a man is troubled somewhat in mind for sinne but when he commeth to mourne for sinne as his greatest evill as if he should see all his goods and estate on a light fire before him and that not for some sinnes but all sinnes little and great and that not for a time for a fit and away a Land-floud of sorrow but alwaies like a Spring never dry but ever running all a mans life-time Secondly In judging the striving of conscience against sinne to be the striving of the flesh against the Spirit and hence come these speeches from carnall blacke mouthes The Spirit is willing but the flesh is weake and hence men thinke they being thus compounded of flesh and spirit are regenerate and in no worse estate then the Children of God themselves as sometime I once spake with a man that did verily thinke that Pilate was an honest man bâ—cause he was so unwilling to crucifie Christ which unwillingnesse did arise onely from the restraint of conscience against the Fact So many men judge honestly yet simply upon such a ground of themselves they say they strive against their sinâ—es but Lord be mercifull unto them they say the flesh is fraile and hence Arminius gives a diverse interpretation of the seventh Chapter of the Romans from ordinary Divines concerning which Paul speakes in the person of an unregenerate man because he observed divers gracelesse persons as hee saith himselfe having fallen and falling commonly into sinnes against conscience to bring that chapter in their owne defeâ—ce and comfort because they did that which they allowed not vers 15. and so it was not they but sinne that dvvelled in them And so many among us know they should be better and strive that they may grow better but through the power of sin cannot conscience telleth them they must not sinne their hearts and lusts say they must sinne and here forsooth is flesh and spirit Oh no here is conscience and lust onely by the eares together Which striving Herod Balaam Pilate or the vilest Reprobate in the World may have Such a vvarre argueth not any grace in the heart but rather more strength of corruption and more power of sinne in the heart as it 's no vvonder if a horse run avvay vvhen he is loose but when his bit and bridle is in his mouth now to bee wilde argueth he is altogether untamed and subdued Take â—eed therefore of judging your estate to bee good because of some backvvardnesse of your hearts to commit some sinnes though little sinnes for thy sinnes may be and it is most certaine are more powerfull in thee then in others that have not the like struglings because they have not such checks as thou hast to restraine thee Knovv therefore that the striving of the Spirit against the Flesh is against sinne because it is sinne as a man hates a Toad though he be never poisoned by it But the striving of thy conscience against
wrath present to them if they see it not ready every moment to light upon their hearts they are never melted but thâ—y remaine hard-hearted secure sleepy wretches and never groane to come out of their woâ—full estate and this is the reason why many men that have guilâ—y consoiences thought they have many secret wishes and purposes to bee better yet never cry out of themselves nor ever seeke earnestly for mercy till they lie upon their death-bed and then oh the promises that they ply God with try me Lord restore me once more to my health and life againe and thou shalt see how thankfull I will be because that now they apprehend wrath and misery neare unto them Heb. 3. 13. Thirdly Because they thinke they can beare Gods wrath though they doe conceive it neare at hand even at the very doores men thinke not that Hell is so hot nor the devill so black nor God so terrible as in deede he is And hence wee shall observe the Prophets present Gods wrath as a thing intolerable before the eyes of the people that thereby they might quench all those cursed conceits of being able to beare Gods wrath Nahum 1. 6. and hence we shall have many men desperately conclude they will have their swinge in sinne and if they perish they hope they shall be able to beare it it is but a damning they thinke and hence they goe on securely O poore wretches the devill scares and feares all the world and at Gods wrath the devills quake and yet secure men feare it not they thinke hell is not so terrible a place Fourthly because they know no better an estate Hence though they feele their wofull and miserable condition yet they desire not to come out of it Although men finde hard lodging in the world hard times hard friends hard hearts yet they make a shift with what they finde in this miserable Inne untill they come to Hell for such a man pursued by outward miseries or inward troubles there stayes O miserable man that makes shift till he come to Hell They may heare of the happy estate of GODS people but not knowing of it experimentally they stay where they are Ioh. 4. 14. Take a Princes childe and bring it up in a base house and place it never aspires after a Kingdome or Crowne So men hatcht in this world knowing no better an estate never cast about them to get a better inheritance than that they scramble for here Wives mourne for the long absence of their beloved Husbands because they know them and their worth God may absent himself from men weeks months yeares but men shed not one teare for it because they never tasted the sweetnesse of his presence It is strange to see men take more content in their cups and cards pots and pipes dogges and hawkes than in the fellowship of God and Christ in Word in Prayer in Meditation which Ordinances are burdens and prisons unto them What is the reason of it Is there no more sweetnesse in the presence of Gods smiling in Christ than in a filthy Whore Yes but they know not the worth sweetnesse satisfying goodnesse of a God yet into fresh waters they will never returne because now they taste a large difference of each estate So it is here if men did but once taste of the happinesse of Gods people they would not for a thousand worlds be one halfe houre in their wild loose Sea agaiâ— e. Fifthly because if they doe know a better estate yet their present pleasures their sloth doth so bewitch them and Gods denyals when they seeke unto him doe so farre discourage them that they sleepe still securely in that estate A flothfull heart bewitched with present ease and pleasures and delights considering many a teare many a prayer must it make many a night must it breake its sleepe many a weary step must it take towards heaven and Christ if ever it come there growes discouraged and deaded and hard-hearted in a sleepy estate and had rather have a bird in the hand then two in the bush Prov. 1. 32. Ier. 48. 11. The Israelites wished that they were at their Onyons and garlike againe in Egypt Was there no Canaan yes but they wished thus because there were walls built up to heaven and Giants sonnes of Anack in the Land difficulties to overcome O slothfull hearts Secondly because God sometime put them to straights and denied them what they sought for they were of such a waspish teasty sullen spirit that because the Lord had them not alwayes on his knees they would runne away so many a man meets with sorrow enough in his sinfull dropsie drunken estate he heares of heaven and a better estate yet why goes he to his lusts and flesh pots againe Oh! because there are so many difficulties and blockes and hindrances in his way and because they pray and finde not ease therefore they eate drinke laugh sport and sleepe in their miserable estate still Matth. 7. 14. therefore men walke in the broad way because the other way to life is straight and narrow it is a plague a burden a prison to be so strict men had rather sit almost an houre in the stockes than be an houre at prayer men had rather be damned at last than sweat it out and runne through the race to receive a Crowne and hence men remaine secure Sixthly because of the strange strong power of sin which beares that sway over mens soules that they must serve it as prisoners stoope to their Jaylor as souldiers that have taken their pay their pleasure of sinne must follow it as their Captaine though they goe marching on to eternall ruine nay though Doomes day should be to morrow yet they must and will â—erve their lusts As the Sodomites when they were smitten with blindnesse which tormented their eyes as though they had beene pricked with thornes for so the Hebrew word signifies even when destruction was neare they groped for the doore Men cannot but sin though they perish for sinne hence they remaine secure Seventhly Despaire of Gods mercy hence like Cain men are Runnagates from the face of God men thinke they shall never finde mercy when all is done hence they grow desperately sinfull like those Italian Senators that despairing of their lives when upon submission they had been promised their lives yet being â—onscious of their villany made a curious banquet at the end of it every man dranke up his glasse of poyson killed himselfe so men feeling such horrible hard hearts and being privie to such notorious sinnes they cast away lives and heaven and soules for lust and so perish wofully because they lived desperately and so securely Eighthly Because men nourish a blinde false flattering hope of Gods mercy hence many knowing and suspecting that all is naught with them yet having some hope they may be in a good estate and God may love them hence they lie downe securely and rest
in their flattering hope Hence observe those people that feldome come to a conclusion to a point that either they are in the state of grace or out of it that never come to be affected but remaine secure in their condition they commonly grow to this desperate conclusion that they hope God will be mercifull unto them if not they cannot helpe it like the man that had on his Target the picture of God and the Devill under the first he writ si tu non vis if thou wilt not under the other he writ ipse rogitat here 's one will Ninthly because men bring not their hearts under the hammer of Gods word to be broken they never bring their consciences to be cut Hence they goe on still securely with festered consciences Men put themselves above the word and their hearts above the hammer they come not to have the Minister to humble them but to judge of him or to pick some pretty fine thing out of the word and so remaine secure sotts all their dayes for if ever thy heart be broken and thy conscience be awaked the word must doe it but people are so Sermoâ—trodden that their hearts like foot-paths grow hard by the word Tenthly because men consider not of Gods wrath daily nor the horrible nature of sinne men chew not these pills hence they never come to be affected nor awakened Awaken therefore all you secure creatures feele your misery that so you may get out of it Dost thou know thine estate is naught and that thy condemnation will be fearefull if ever thou dost perish and is thine heart secretly secure so damnably dead so desperately hard that thou hast no heart to come out of it whatâ— no sigh no teares canst thou carry all thy sinnes upon thy backe like Sampson the gates of the Citie and make a light matter of them Dost thou see hell fire before thee and yet wilt venture art thou worse than a beast which we cannot beare nor drive into the fire if there be any way to escape oh get thine heart to lament mourne under thy miseries who knowes then but the Lord may pitty thee But oh hard heart thou canst mourne for losses and crosses burning of goods and houses yet though God be lost and his image burnt downe and all is gone thou canst not mourne If thine heart were truely affected the pillow would be washed with thy teares and the wife in thy bosome would be witnesse to thine heart-breakings in mid-night for those sinnes which have grieved the spirit of God many a time thou couldest not sleepe quietly nor comfortably without assurance If you were sicke to death Physitians should heare how you doe and if you were humbled we should have you in the bitternesse of your spirits cry out What shall we doe but know it thou must mourne here or in hell If God broke Davids bones for his adultery and the Angels backes for their pride the Lord if ever he saves thee will breake thine heart too Quest. But thou wilt say how shall I doe to get mine heart affected with my misery Answ. Take a full view of thy misery 2. Take speciall notice of the Lords readinesse and willingnesse to receive thee yet unto mercy for two things harden the heart 1. false hope whereby a man hopes he is not so bad as indeed he is â— No hope whereby a man when he seeth himselfe so notoriously bad thinkes there is no willingnesse in the Lord to pardon or receive such a monster of men to mercy and if neither the hammer can breake thy stony heart nor the Sunshine of mercy melt it thou hast an heart worse than the Devill and art a spectacle of the greatest misery 1. In regard of sinne 2. in regard of Gods wrath First in regard of sinne Thou hast sinned and that grievously against a great God thou makest no great matter of this No but though it be no loade to thee it 's a loade on the Lords heart Isa. 1. 24. and time will come he will make the whole sinfull world by rivers of fire and bloud to know what an evill it is For 1. In every sin thou dost strike God and fling a dagger at the heart of God 2. In every sin thou dost spight against God for if there were but one onely thing wherein a man could doe his friend a displeasure was not here spight seene if he did that thing Now tell me hath not the Lord beene a good friend unto thee Tell mee wherein hath hee grieved thee and tell me in what one thing canst thou please the devill and doe God a displeasure but by sinne yet O hard heart thou makest nothing of it but consider thirdly in every sin thou dost disthrone God and setteth thy selfe above God for in every sinne this question is put whose will shall be done Gods will or mans Now man by sinne sets up his owne will above the Lords and so kicks God blessed for ever adored of millions of Saints and Angels as filth under his feet What will this breake your hearts Consider then of Gods wrath the certainty of it the unsupportablenesse of it how that dying in thy sinnes and secure estate it shall fall for when men cry Peace Peace then commeth sudden destruction at unawares pray therefore to God to reveale this to thee that thine heart may breake under it Secondly consider of the Lords mercy and readinesse to save thee who hath prepared mercy and inâ—reates thee to take it and waiteth every day for thee to that end The third Reason of mans ruine is that carnall confidence whereby men seeke to save themselves and to scramble out of their miserable estate by their owne duties and performances when they doe feele themselves miserable the soule doth as those Hos. 5. 13. men when they be wounded and troubled they never look after Jesus Christ but goe to their owne waters to heale themselves like hunted Harts when the arrow is in them Rom. 9. 31 32. For the opening of this point I shall shew you these two things 1. Wherein this resting in Duties appeares 2. Why doe men rest in themselves First this resting in Duties appeares in these Eleven degrees 1. The soule of a poore sinner if ignorantly bred and brought up rests confidently in superstitious vanities Aske a devout Papist how he hopes to be saved he will answer By his good workes But enquire further what are these good workes why for the most part superstitious ones of their owne inventions for the Crow thinkes her owne bird fairest as whipping themselves pilgrimage fasting mumbling over their Pater-nosters bowing downe to Images and Crosses 2. Now these being banished from the Church and Kingdome then men stand upon their titular profession of the true Religion although they be Devills incarnate in their lives Looke up and down the Kingdome you shall see some roaring drinking dicing carding whoring in Tavernes and