or backeward for affections are planted in the soule answerable to things aimed at by it For as in the nature of things there be good and bad delightfull and hatefull hurting or pleasing so answerably God hath framed the soule to the nature of things That the soule hath affections suitable to the things it aimeth at For good things God hath planted affections in us to joyne claspe imbrace them and welcome them as Love Joy Delight and such like And for evill things he hath planted affections to avoid them That Religion is especially in the affections as indignation hatred and the like Indeed Religion is mainely in the affections whereof there is excellent use take away them and take away all Religion whatsoever A man were it not for his affections is like Mare mortuum the dead sea that never stirreth Therefore it is but a doting idle conceit of these rigid men that take away affections much like the follie of them who because they have beene drunke with wine doe therefore cut up all the vines But the way were to moderate the excesse not to cut up the vines So for the affections wee must not roote them up or cut them downe but order them aright For what doth the first Commandent require Thou shalt have no other gods but mee But a right ordering of all the affections of the soule Ioy delight trust and feare and the whole frame of them to be carried to God For the inward worship of God is nothing else but the excellent working of these affections sutably to the Law with the detestation of the contrary It is not knowledge that makes a man a good man but the affections the Divell and wicked spirits know much but they have no love joy or delight in them Therefore we must value our selves and things as we are in our will and affections for so God valueth us and we should value others thereby This well done would bring us a wondrous deale of comfort and stop our too much and rigid judging and censuring of others Ephraim shall say what have I any more to doe with Idols Now in particular we see here that Ephraim not onely leaveth Idols but there is planted in him a sound indignation against them whence we may learne Observ That it is not enough to leave sinne but we must loath sinne also A notable place to this purpose we have in the Prophecie of Isaiah what they should doe after their conversion in the case of hatred to Idolatry Isa 30.22 Yee shall defile also the covering of thy graven Images of silver and the ornament of thy molten Images of gold thou shalt cast them away as a menstruous cloth thou shalt say unto it get thee hence There is a hatred and a strong loathing indignttion against sinne when it is discovered in the pollution and vilenesse thereof which affection of hatred God hath planted to draw the soule away from any thing that is truely hurtfull to it It is not enough to leave sin for some by ends as feare of punishment shame and the like but we must loath it also The Prophet David when he professeth his love to the law Psal 119.163 how prooveth he it I hate and abhorre lying Psal 13â— 21 And so againe Doe not I hate them O Lord that hate thee and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee I hate them with perfect hatred I account them mine enemies Here is hatred and perfect hatred with abhomination Reason 1 The Reason is because God is a Spirit and lookes to the bent of our spirits seeing what we love and what we hate Iohn 4.24 therfore the strength of this consideration draweth the soule to hate and love with God as hee hates and loves and as much as may be to hate sinne as he doth Reason 2 And then againe he requireth our heart especially My sonne give me thy heart Give me thy love in that which is good and hate that which is ill What ill we leave we must hate first and what good we doe we must first love or else we shall never doe either of them acceptably to purpose What the heart doth not is not done in Religion if it hath no hand in the avoiding of ill it is not avoided if it have no hand in the doing of good it is not done before God Therefore in true conversion there must be a loathing of sinne Reason 3 Thirdly Because in all true conversion there is a new nature put in us now the New Creature which partaketh of the Divine Nature whereby we resemble God it hath an Antipathy to the greatest ill which is sinne the cause of all other evils whatsoever which maketh us opposite to God defileth the soule and hindereth our sweet communion with him A new Creature we know hath a new disposition and is opposite to the works of the flesh they are contrary to one another so that we see it cleere that we must not onely leave but loath sinne Quest. But how may we know discerne and trie this true hatred of sinne Answ Our hatred of sinne is 1. when it is universall First true hatred is universall he who hates ill truely hates it universally in the whole kinde As we see in wicked men and divels who hate God and all goodnesse so on the contrary those that are good hate all ill whatsoever whether it pleasure or displeasure them they stand not upon it they hate the very nature of all ill Those whose obedience and affections are partiall they hate some evills but not others which is not true hatred wrought by the Spirit of God for that is universall to the whole kinde 2. Implacable Then also wheresoever true hatred is it is unplacable and unappeasable there 's no true end of sound hatred but by the abolishing altogether of that thing it hates as we see the hatred of Satan to the Church and people of God is unappeasable and unquenchable nothing in the world can stay Satans hatred nor the hatred of his instruments who hate the remembrance of Gods people Therefore the very name of Calvin and Luther must be put out of their bookes to satisfie their hatred Not onely when they are dead burne their bones but abolish their memory if they can So there is the like disposition in Gods people to that which is ill A godly disposition it hateth sinne even to the death and is not quiet untill all sinne be abolished Whereupon it is never quiet in this life but desires Heaven not enduring patiently the least reliques and rags of sinne desiring that that which it so hateth might have no being at all Those who mince and cull things who are so gentle and tender towards their sinnes and corruptions in themselves and others is this that hatred which is unappeasable and never rests till it see either a through Reformation or abolishing of what it so hateth Wherin it is a
503. In which is shewen the priviledges and prerogatives of a man that is convinced in all temptations P. 503. 1. When God himselfe seemes to bee our enemie P. 503. 2. Against Satan P. 503. 3. Against our owne consciences P. 504 How we may know whether we be convinced of this righteousnesse The answer to this P. 504. Secondly but how shall I know that the Holy Ghost hath convinced me enough of sinne so that I may without presumption apply the righteousnesse of Christ 1. If the Holy Ghost have discovered my sinfull condition P. 504. 2. By the worke of the Spirit P. 505. 3. By inward peace and great joy P. 505. 4. Where this is it answers all objections P. 506. The use How we should live by faith P. 506. 2. How every day to make use of the righteousnesse of Christ P. 507. Wherefore did Christ goe to the Father 1. To make application of what he had wrought P. 508. 2. To send the Spirit P. 508. 3. To stop Satans mouth P. 508. 4. To make the Father our Father P. 508. 5. Sweet comforts at the hower of death P. 508. The use Great comfort in the hower of death P. 509 510. April 10. 1638. Imprimatur THO WYKES THE SAINTS Priviledge IOHN 16.8 9 10. When he is come he shall reproove the world of sinne righteousnesse and judgement Of sin because they beleeve not in me Of righteousnesse because I goe to my Father Of judgement because the Prince of this world is judged Especially the 10. verse Of righteousnesse because I go to my Father and you shall see me no more OVR blessed Saviour descending from Heaven to Earth for the Redemption of man after he had accomplished that great worke he ascended thither againe And knowing his Disciples would take his departure very heavily hee labours to arme them against the assaults of all griefe and sorrow that might otherwise oppresse them and that by many arguments Among the rest this is not the least that when he is gone away he will send the Comforter unto them God never takes away any thing from his children but he sends them a better And this Comforter whom he promised to send shall beare them through in all their Ministery all function and in effect hee thus bespeakes them You my Disciples are to encounter with the world Be of good comfort my Spirit shall goe along with you and he shall reproove the world of sinne righteousnesse and judgement Of your selves you are too weake but the Spirit shall strengthen you and make way into the hearts of those that shall be saved by convincing them of sinne righteousnesse and judgement So that bee not discouraged the Spirit shall breath courage into you and make way for your doctrine When the Comforter is come he shall reproove the world of sinne and of righteousnesse and judgement Of sinne because they beleeve not in me Of righteousnesse because I goe to the Father Of judgement because the Prince of this world is judged There are three maine parts of salvation Knowledge of our misery knowledge of our deliverance and a life answerable The Holy Ghost shall worke all these he shall Convince the world of their owne sinne of righteousnesse by a Mediator and of a reformation of life So that the Holy Ghost shall goe along with you in the carriage of the whole businesse of mans salvation Where he begins he makes an end Where he Convinces of sinne he Convinces of righteousnesse and then of a necessity of a reformation he beares all afore him and he doth it in a spirituall order First he Convinces the world of sinne 1. Convincing of sin then of righteousnesse then of judgement because it were in vaine to Convince of the righteousnesse of Christ unlesse he hath before Convinced of sin For who cares for balme that is not wounded Who cares for a pardon that is not condemned therefore he Convinces of sin first I have spoken heretofore of Convincing of sinne Here is a threefold Convincing of sinne of righteousnesse and of judgement and every one of these hath a reason added thereto Of sin because they beleeve not in me Of righteousnesse because I goe to my Father Of judgement because the Prince of this world is judged The Holy Ghost begins with Convincing of sin What is this Convincing It is a cleare and infallible demonstration of our condition What is this Convincing It brings a commanding light into the soule It sets downe the soule and takes away all cavills all turnings and windings To convince is to make a man as the Psalmists phrase is lay his hand upon his mouth Light is a convincing thing now we see the Sun we see it is day though ten thousand men should say it is not day we would not beleeve them because the convincing herof is undeniable that he must be an unreasonable man that gainesayes it So then the Spirit of God brings a commanding light into the soule undeniable thou art thus and thus here no shifting no winding and turning will serve the turne when the Holy Ghost comes with this light I doe but plainely unfold this This Conviction of the Holy Ghost is not in generall onely that all men are sinners but particular and strong thou art a sinner and thou art in danger of damnation And it is universall taking in sins of nature sins of life sins of the understanding will and affections and it is not of sinne onely but of the misery by sinne of the danger folly and madnesse of sinne and of the aggravations that greaten sinne as of stifling so many good motions withstanding so many meanes abusing so many mercies The Holy Ghost Convinces us throughly that wee can have nothing to reply Because I have spoken of this before I am short Beloved unlesse the Holy Ghost Convince there will be no Convincing our deceitfull hearts have so many windings and turnings proud nature armes it selfe with defences as a hedge-hogg winds himselfe round and defends himself by his pricks So you have many cloath themselves with strong words ill translations upon others frivolous mitigations the way of the multitude as with a coate of male to keep out this Conviction that did not the Holy Ghost strike in hard with their consciences Thou art the man this worke would never bee done Quest But you will aske me this Question how shall we know common Conviction of conscience from this of the Spirit for carnall men that goe to Hell are Convinced by a common Conviction what is this saving Conviction Answ I answer 1. Difference Common Conviction by the light of Nature is a weake Conviction a little sparke will shew a little light but it will not inlighten a roome it must be the worke of some greater light as the Sun the Spirit is a strong light stronger then naturall conscience Naturall conscience and common light is of some breaches of the second Table Naturall conscience never convinces of corrupt nature
but the Spirit doth most of all as you may see in David Psal 51. Psal 51. He resolves all into this as if he should say what should I tell you of my murther and Adultery in sin did my mother conceive me so a true Christian doth not look to the branches so much as to the root Then againe 2. Difference a naturall conscience when it convinceth a man it is against his will it makes him not the better man he mends not upon it but he is tortured and tormented But a man that is convinced by the Holy Ghost he takes Gods part against himselfe he is willing to be laid open that he may find the greater mercy So that there is a grand difference betweene common conviction of nature and the Conviction of the Spirit The Conviction of the Spirit is the light of the Spirit which is of a higher nature then that of naturall conscience I will send the Comforter when he comes he will greatly inlighten and over-power the soule 3. Difference Againe the Conviction of the Spirit sticks by a man it never leaves the soule But that of an ordinary conscience it is but for a flesh and after they are worse then they were before I must cut off these things because the time is alwaies past upon these occasions before we begin Vse Come we therefore to make some Use The Spirit doth Convince of sinne But how by the Ministery ordinarily though not alone by the Ministery Therefore we must labour willingly to submit to the Ministery Convincing of sinne Conscience will Convince first or last Is it not better to have a saving Conviction now to purpose then to have a bare desperate Conviction in Hell O beloved all the admonitions wee heare if we regard them not now we shall hereafter therefore labour to make good use of this Sword of the Spirit of God and it is an argument of a good heart to wish O that the Ministery might meet with my corruption that it may be discovered to me to the full A true heart thinkes sin the greatest enemy and of all other miseries it desires to bee freed from the thraldome thereof For that defiles Heaven and Earth and separates God from his creature It s that that threw Angels out of Heaven Adam out of Paradice What imbitters blessings and puts a sting into all afflictions but sin if it were not for sin we would take up any crosse and beare any affliction more quietly then we doe Therefore as we desire to be saved and to stand with comfort before God at the day of judgement let us desire and indeavour to bee throughly Convinced of sinne Take heed of resisting the Spirit of God in the Ministery why are so many led captive of their lusts but because they hate the Ministery of the Word they looke upon it as Ahab did upon Elias Hast thou found me O my Enemy They naturally are in love with their sinnes and there is none so much hated as those that present themselves to themselves A man take him in his pure naturalls is a foolish creature his heart rises against Conviction You see the Pharisees Wise men Learned men being convinced they hated Christ to the death why Mat. 23.27 because he did untombe them and discover the dead mens bones within So many now a daies that are convinced hate any that by life or speech discover their sinne unto them if it were possible and in their power to the death Thus the Holy Ghost convinces of sin But before I leave this point let me adde this from the reason or ground of this Conviction because they beleeve not in me That unbeleefe makes all other sinnes damnable no sinne is damnable if we could beleeve and repent Therefore we are convinced of sin because we doe not beleeve as we say of a man that is condemned because he cannot reade therefore he is condemned he should escape if he could reade being for no great fault so it is here it is not beleeving in Christ and repenting makes all other sins deadly The differing of one man from another is their faith and repentance some there be whose sinnes are greater then others yet by the Spirit of God and Faith they worke them out every day It is faith in the brazen Serpent that takes away the sting of the fiery Serpents J have done with the conviction of sinne Let us now come to speake of the conviction of Righteousnesse 2. Conviction of Righteousnes Of righteousnesse because I goe to my Father and you shall see me no more It is a fit time for the Holy Ghost to convince Gods people of righteousnesse when they are convinced of sinne before then they can relish Christ Balme is balme indeed when the wound is discovered and felt O then a pardon is welcome when the party is condemned The reason of this conviction of righteousnesse is because I goe to my Father and you shall see me no more The Holy Ghost as he sets on sinne upon the conscience so he takes off sinne by applying to the conscience the righteousnesse of Christ this is his office first to convince the world of sinne and then to convince of righteousnesse wherby we stand righteous before God And this righteousnesse here is not our owne inherent but the righteousnesse of Christ a Mediator God and man A fourefold gradation of convinction of righteousnesse The Holy Ghost convinces of righteousnesse in this order of a fourefold gradation First that there must be a righteousnesse and a full righteousnesse The second is this that there is no such righteousnesse in the creature Thirdly that this is to be had in Christ the Mediator Fourthly that this righteousnesse is our righteousnesse Gradation 1 First there must be a righteousnesse for wee have to deale with a God who is righteousnesse it selfe and no uncleane thing shall come into Heaven unlesse we have a righteousnesse how shall we looke God in the face or how can we escape hell Gradation 2 Now for the second that it is not in any creature men or Angels we have not a righteousnesse of our owne for there are divers things to be satisfied God himselfe and the Law and our owne consciences and the world Perhaps we may have a righteousnesse to satisfie the world because we live civilly O but that will not satisfie conscience And then there must be a satisfaction to the Law which is a large thing that condemnes our thoughts desires but God is the most perfect of all Put case we have a righteousnesse of a good carriage among men this will not satisfie God and the Law it will not satisfie conscience men they are our fellow-prisoners conscience will not be contented but with that which will content God when conscience sees there is such a righteousnesse found out by the wisedome of God that contents him else conscience will be alwaies in doubts and feares Gradation 3 Thirdly this
righteousnesse is to be had in Christ What is the righteousnesse of Christ The righteousnesse of Christ is that righteousnesse that is founded upon his obedience active fullfilling the Law and passive discharging all our debts satisfying Gods Justice the meritoriousnesse of both of them is founded upon the purity of his Nature all his sufferings and doings had their excellency from the personall Union of God and Man in reference to which Union wee may without blasphemy averre that God performed the Law God died for us Gradation 4 Fourthly and lastly this righteousnesse is our righteousnesse the Spirit convinces that this belongs to all beleevers for it is better then Adam had his righteousnesse was the righteousnesse of a man This righteousnesse is the righteousnesse of a mediator And it is such a righteousnesse that when wee are cloathed with it we may goe through the Justice of God wee may have accesse with boldnesse to the throne of grace and say Lord I come in the righteousnesse of Christ that hath appeased thy wrath and satisfied thy justice this the Holy Ghost convinces of Quest. But you will aske me how doth the Holy Ghost convince me of the righteousnesse of Christ Answ I answer First the Holy Ghost presents to the soule the knowledge of this excellent righteousnesse and then creates a hand of faith to imbrace it being proposed you that are humble and broken-hearted sinners here is Christ for you The Spirit of God doth not onely reveale the excellency of Christ but that this belongs to me that Christ is given for me and that revelation of the Spirit doth sway the soule when the Spirit doth not tell in generall onely that Christ is an excellent Saviour but shall relate to a Christian soule God gave Christ for thee this swayes the heart to rest upon Christ whereupon the marriage is made up betweene the soule and Christ the soule saies I am Christs and I give my selfe to Christ and to whatsoever accompanies Christ and then as it is in marriage the persons by vertue of that relation have interest into each others substance and estate So when this mysticall marriage is made up betweene Christ and us wee have a right unto Christ by all rights by titles of purchase and redemption He hath purchased Heaven for us and us for Heaven all that Christ hath is ours all his good is ours our sinnes his and his righteousnesse ours So when the Holy Ghost convinces me of Christs righteousnesse and gives me faith to imbrace it then Christ is mine with all he hath By this I have spoken you may see how the Spirit convinces doe but imagine what a blessed condition the soule is in when this match is made But you will aske me why is the sending of the Spirit necessary for the convincing of this righteousnesse I answer for divers reasons Reason 1 First because it is above the conceit of man that there should be such a righteousnesse of God-man therefore it is discovered by the Spirit and when it is discovered the Spirit must open the eyes of the soule to see els wee shall have a naturall knowledge of supernaturall things for a man by a naturall knowledge may understand them so as to be able to discourse of them therefore to change the soule there must be a supernaturall sight to see supernaturall things A divell incarnate may know all things and yet want to see onely the Holy Ghost gives inward sight inward eyes and works faith to see Christ as mine Reason 2 Againe the sending of the Holy Ghost is necessary for this conviction because hee alone must set downe the soule and make the conscience quiet who is greater then the conscience Conscience will clamour thou art a sinner the Holy Ghost convinces in Christ thou art righteous The Holy Ghost onely knowes what is in the heart of God the Father and in the heart of every man He onely knowes the intent of the Father to every Christian and can answer all inward Objections and Cavils of flesh and blood raised up against the soule therefore the convincing of the Holy Ghost is necessary Howsoever Christ hath purchased our peace yet the Holy Ghost must apply it For the conscience is so full of clamours that unlesse the Holy Ghost apply what Christ hath done conscience will not be satisfied God the Father hath appointed Christ and Christ hath wrought it but the third person must apply it to the soule to assure us that this belongs to us The application of all good things to the soule that Christ the Sonne hath wrought is the proper office of the third person In civill Contracts here there must not onely be a purchase but a Seale though Christ hath wrought righteousnesse for us the Spirit must Seale it to every soule this righteousnesse belongs to you Christ is yours with all that is his Reason 3 Againe it must needs be a worke of the Spirit because flesh and blood is full of pride and would faine have some righteousnesse of their owne the Jewes were of this temper and it hath beene the greatest question from the beginning of the world till this day what is that righteousnesse whereby we must stand before God but Gods Spirit answers all objections Beloved the best of us though in an estate of grace if the Holy Ghost doe not convince us we shall be in darkenesse and call all into question therfore we must not bee convinced onely at the first but in a continued course of Christianity unlesse the Holy Ghost doth this we shall fall into a dungeon of darkenesse therefore the convincing of the Holy Ghost is necessary Beloved this should make us take heed how we heare and how we reade even to beg this convincing of the Spirit in every Ordinance O Lord vouchsafe the Spirit of revelation and take the scales off mine eyes that as these are truths of themselves so they may be truths to me Sway my soule that I may cast my selfe upon thy mercy in Christ c. Object I must answer some Cases that many a poore soule is troubled withall Alas I am not convinced by the Spirit that Christ is my righteousnesse therefore what case am I in Answ I answer some are more strongly convinced and some lesse Let a man be carelesse of holy duties and he is lesse convinced but let him be constant therein and he shall finde the Holy Ghost convincing him more strongly that the righteousnesse of Christ is his there are many presumptuous persons that turne the grace of God into wantonnesse who because through the Enthusiasmes of Satan they never question their estate but conceit themselves to be good men and in the estate of grace think this to be the convincing of the Holy Ghost whereas this is a generall rule Spirituall convincing is not totall but alwaies leaves in the heart some drugs of doubting as a ship that rides at anchor though it may reele too and fro yet is it safe for the
case when we come to aske forgivenesse with a purpose to offend It is the extremity of prophanenesse to come to aske a pardon to the intent that we may sin still therfore he repeates it againe Take unto you words and turne to the Lord. The Forme is Take away all iniquity and receiue us graciously or Doe good to us So will we render the Calves of our lips Wherein we have 1. A Petition 1. To take away all iniquity 2. To receive them gratiously 2. A Restipulation or promise of thankfullnesse backe againe to the Lord So will we render the Calves of our lips So that we may observe hence What God will grant us he will have us aske of him yet for all these things I will be sought unto of the House of Israel saith God because hee will have us acknowledge our homage and dependance upon him therefore we must aske what he hath purposed to give Take away all iniquity c. where there is an implication of a confession of their sins and great iniquities Take away iniquity and Take away all iniquity that is our manifold guilt So before Petition there must be a free and full Confession as was shewed before Of Confession how it is to be done and unto whom Now this Confession here is made to God and to God onely saith Austin in this case Because it is a point in controversie it is good to heare what the Ancients say There are a curious sort of men who are busie to search into other mens lives and are carelesse in amending their own Augustin Saith he what have I to do with men to heare me confesse when I have offended God wee must confesse to God and to God only But in some cases there may be publique and private Confession to men Publique in publique offences for the satisfaction of the Church and the glory of God for preventing of scandall Private to Ministers for the quieting of conscience but this is onely in some cases men goe not to the Chirurgeon as the Papists would have it for every little prick of their finger Simile No but yet in some cases it is good to open the matter to a Minister who hath the tongue of the learned but the sin is toward God against him hee onely being able to forgive sins as the Pharisees confessed Mark 2.7 None can forgive sinnes but God the Papists therefore herein are worse then the Pharisees The Petition is Take away iniquity and all iniquity Why all Why all iniquity is prayed against because where there is any true goodnesse in the heart that hatred which carries the bent of the soule against one sinne 1. In a sincere soule all are alike hated is alike against all as I shewed and the divell carries thousands to hell by this partiall obedience because he knowes at any time where to have such God and a purpose to sin will not stand together nor dwell in a heart that allowes it selfe in any sin be it never so small He saith Take away all because the Spirit of God workes in a man renewed such a disposition of sincerity to hate all alike Secondly he saith Take away all iniquity 2. Because a renewed soule desires to bee like God because the heart which desires to bee at peace with God desires also to bee like God who hates all sinne therefore saith the sanctified soule forgive all sin Take all away that I may have nothing in me displeasing unto thee I desire to joyne with the Lord to hate what he hateth and as he hateth to carrie a perfect hatred to the whole kinde Take away all iniquity hatred is not satisfied but with the utter abolishing of the thing hated Therefore it hath this extent here Take away all sin both the guilt and the reigne of every sin that none may rule in me nay by little and little purge out all Take away iniquity and the traine of all which it drawes after it Iudgements Take away inquity that is forgive the sin and overcome the power of it by sanctifying grace and remit the judgements attending it Take it away Sinne hatefull to a conscience awaked That is take away the guilt of it utterly by pardon and the remainders thereof by sanctifying grace so as the Spirit may rule and be all in all in us They see sinne is an offensive thing and therefore they say Take it away as an offensive odious thing and as a burden For howsoever it be sweet as honey in the committing it afterwards when the conscience is throughly awaked it is most offensive and bitter so as in this case a sinner would gladly run from his owne conscience and from himselfe run any where from the tormenting and racking thoughts of conscience awaked and withall hates the place where it was committed and the company with whom yea the thoughts of them as Absolom hated Thamar after hee had lyen with her so a sinner awaked from sin hates what hee formerly loved As good men love the circumstances of any thing which puts them in mind of any good they have done loving both place and person So it is with a sinner when his conscience is awaked hee hates all things which puts him in minde of his sins therfore Take it away forgive it cast it into the bottome of the Sea blot it out of thy remembrance cover it impute it not all which phrases shew a taking away Triall of a sound desire of forgivenesse Therefore I beseech you let us examine our selves hereby whether our desire of forgivenes be sound or not if we desire sin should be taken away we cannot thinke of it with comfort For in that many thinke with delight of their old sins what doe they else but repeate them over againe and againe but where the heart is soundly touched with a saving sense of sinne O then he cries Take it away Take it out of my conscience that it cause not despaire there and out of thy remembrance that no advantage be taken against me for it Take it away But it is no otherwise taken away then by satisfying of divine justice How much are we beholding to Christ therefore who hath borne and taken away our sins and as the Scape-goate gon away with the burden of all into the wildernesse of oblivion Blessed be God and the Lamb of God that takes away the sinnes of the world We can never blesse God too much nor sufficiently for Christ Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ Now we may thinke of sinne without shame and despaire O blessed state when a man can thinke of his former odious and filthy loathsome sinnes and yet not despaire Because when he beleeves in Christ the blood of Christ purgeth all away takes away all sin He hath taken them away You see here in the first place That a true Convert first begs mercy above all they pray for the taking away of their
iniquity for take away this and all other mercies follow after because this onely is it which stops the current of Gods favours which remooved the current of his mercies run amaine As when the clouds are gone the Sun shines out So let our sinnes bee remooved and Gods favour immediately shines upon us Therefore first Take away all iniquity and then we shall see nothing but thy Fatherly face in Christ You see what the care of Gods children is to seeke mercy and favour in the first place as David Psal 51.1 Have mercy on me O Lord this he begs first of all whereas God had threatned other terrible judgements as that the sword should never depart from his house c. yet he neglects all as it were and begs onely for mercy to take away iniquity For a sinner is never in such a blessed condition as he should be in untill he prize and desire mercy above all because though we be in misery untill then with sinfull Ephraim Hos 7.14 wee howle upon our beds for corne and wine preferring earthly sensuall things before all But that soule and conscience which is acquainted with God and the odiousnesse of sin that soule God intends to speake peace unto in the end desires pardon of sinne and mercy above all for it knowes that God is goodnesse it selfe and that when the interposing clouds are vanished God cannot shew himselfe otherwise then in goodnesse grace and mercy Take away all iniquity Quest Before I goe further let me answer one Question Ought wee not to thinke of our former sinnes shall God take them away altogether out of the soule Answ O no! Take them away out of the conscience O Lord that it doe not accuse for them but not out of the memory it is good that sinne be remembred to humbleus to make us more thankfull pitifull and tender-hearted unto others to abase us and keepe us low all the daies of our life and to make us deale gently and mercifully with others being sensible of our owne frailties As they are naught in the conscience so they are good to the memory Therefore let us thinke often of this what the chiefe desire of our soules to God should be for mercy to have sinne taken away In all the Articles of our Creed that of cheefest comfort is That of Remission of sinnes Wherefore are all the other Articles of Christ his Birth Death and Crucifying but that hee might get the Church and that the priviledges thereof might be Forgivenesse of sinnes Resurrection of the Body and life everlasting but Forgivenesse of sinnes is in the first place Quest But may some say How shall I know whether or no my sinnes be forgiven 1. By something that goes before 2. By something which followes after Answ There is somewhat which goes before viz. 1. An humble and hearty Confession as 1 Ioh. 1.9 1. By an hmble confession if wee confesse our sinnes hee is faithfull and just to forgive us our sinnes and to cleanse us from all unrighteousnesse therefore whether I feele it or not if I have heartily fully and freely confessed my sins are forgiven God in wisedome and mercy may suspend the feeling thereof for our humiliation and for being over-bold with Satans baites yet I ought to beleeve it for I make God a lier else if I confesse heartily and acknowledge my debt to thinke that he hath not cancel'd the bond 2. When we finde strength against it Mat. 9.2 6. Secondly sin is certainely pardoned when a man finds strength against it for where God forgives he gives strength withall as to the man whom he healed of the Palsie Thy sinnes are forgiven thee take up thy bed and walke When a man hath strength to returne to God to run the way of his Commandements and to go on in a Christian course his sinnes are forgiven because he hath a Spirit of faith to goe on and leade him forward still Those who find no strength of grace may question forgivenesse of sins for God where he takes away sin and pardons it as we see here in this Text after prayer made to take away iniquity he doth good to us 3. Some peace of conscience The third evidence is some peace of Conscience though not much perhaps yet so much as supports us from despaire as Rom. 5.1 Therfore being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Iesus Christ that is being acquitted from our sinnes by faith wee have peace with God so much peace as makes us goe boldly to him so that one may know his bonds are cancel'd and his sins forgiven when with some boldnesse hee dare looke God in the face in Jesus Christ A Iudas an Achitophell a Saul because they are in the guilt of their sinnes cannot confesse comfortably and goe to God which when with some boldnesse we can doe it is a signe that peace is made for us 4. By love to God Againe where sin is pardoned our hearts will be much inlarged with love to God as Christ said to the woman Luke 7.47 Her sinnes which are many are forgiven her because she loved much Therefore when we finde our hearts inflamed with love to God we may know that God hath shined upon our soules in the the pardon of sin and proportionablie to our measure of love is our assurance of pardon therefore wee should labour for a greater measure thereof that our hearts may be the more inflamed in the love of God It is impossible that the soule should at all love God angry offended and unappeased nay such a soule wisheth that there were no God at all for the very thoughts thereof terrifie him Againe where sinne is forgiven 5. By mercifullnes to others it frames the soule suetably to be gentle mercifull and to pardon others for usually those who have peaceable consciences themselves are peaceable unto others and those who have forgivenesse of sins can also forgive others those who have found mercy have mercifull hearts shewing that they have found mercy with God And on the contrarie hee that is a cruell mercilesse man it is a signe that his heart was never warmed nor melted with the sense of Gods mercy in Christ Therefore as the Elect of God saith the Apostle put on bowells of compassion as you will make it good that you are the Elect of God members of Christ and Gods children Therefore Their miserable condition who have not forgivenesse of sinnes let us labour for the forgivenesse of our sinnes that God would remoove and subdue the power of them take them away and the judgements due to them or else wee are but miserable men though we enjoyed all the pleasures of the world which to a worldly man are but like the liberty of the Tower to a condemned Traitor who though hee have all wants supplied with all possible attendance yet when he thinkes of his estate it makes his heart cold dampes his courage and makes him
God Doe good to us spirituall that needs no limitation because wee cannot more honour God then to depend upon him for all spirituall good things Thou art wiser and knowest what is good for us better then we our selves beggars ought to be no choosers therefore Doe good to us for the particulars wee leave them to thy wisedome O Beloved it is a happy and blessed priviledge to be under the conduct of so wise and All-sufficient a God who is good and as hee is good knowes best what is good for us We would have riches liberty and health I but it may bee it is not good for us Doe good to us Thou Lord knowest what is best doe in thine owne wisedome what is best Vse Which should teach us not to limit the Holy one of Israel in our desires of any outward thing whatsoever Especially desire forgivenesse and spirituall good things leaving the rest to his wise disposing Yet notwithstanding out of the sense of paine and griefe wee may pray either for the mitigation or remooving of a crosse if God bee so pleased because hee hath put in us selfe-love not sinnefull but love of preserving our nature therefore he permits us if it may stand with his good pleasure to desire the good of our outward man as Lord give us bodily health for we cannot else bee instruments of serving thee With reservation of Gods good pleasure wee may desire such and such things conditionally that when we see God will have it otherwise we rest contented sit downe quietly knowing that whatsoever health sicknesse or crosses hee sends it comes from his goodnesse and love and shall turne to our good at length if wee love God all shall worke for good Take away our iniquity and doe us good wee should make this petition for the Church and our selves pardon our sinnes and doe good to us to our persons to the state to the times wherein we live to the Church at home and abroad doe good to all How to know when blessings enjoyed come from Gods love Anâ— we may observe this from the order and know what good wee have it comes from God in love when it comes after forgivenesse of sinnes How then may wee take comfort of all the good things we have enjoyed having seene many good daies enjoyed many good blessings in health wealth good Magistracie Ministery Peace plenty and the like If all this goodnesse of God leade us to God and draw us neerer unto him after forgivenesse of sinnes grounded on the former evidences I spake of then they come in love But never let us thinke to have true comfort with a blessing or any good thing we enjoy till wee have assurance of Gods love and mercy in the forgivenesse of sinnes least God strip us naked of all the good things wee have and make us as naked as Dives in Hell who had not any thing that was good to refresh his body or soule So that all good things wee enjoy here without this will onely aggravate our condemnation Let us observe therefore how all our good things are joyned with spirituall good whether wee our selves are made better by them or not having our sinnes pardoned I beseech you let us renew our requests for forgivenesse of sinnes every day making our accounts even with God desiring grace to set our soules in a holy and sanctified frame with God that our selves may bee good our conversation good and that then he would doe good to us all other waies and sanctifie all other things This is the Method of Gods Spirit in setting us right onwards in our heavenly journey first to have forgivenesse of sins then sanctification to be better our selves and then to looke for peaceable and comfortable daies in this world if God see it good What can bee more Take away all iniquity and doe us good all manner of good Therefore since all good comes from God the first and chiefe good let us labour to have communion with him by all sanctified meanes that so hee may take away our ill and doe us every way good to our soules bodies conditions O what a blessed thing is it for a Christian to keepe a strict and neere communion with the fountaine of goodnesse who can doe more for us then all the world besides When we are sick on our death beds or when conscience is throughly awaked then to speake peace comfortably to us in this great extremitie is more worth then all this world Therefore let us labour to keepe communion with God that he may speake peace to our soules when nothing else can I beseech you therefore let us take heed how we breake or walke loosely with God seeing wee can have no further comfort of any good thing we enjoy then wee are carefull to keepe and maintaine our peace and communion with him at all times and when we run into arrerages with God then bee sure we lie not in sinne but say Take away all iniquity and doe good to us labouring to bee in such an estate as God may give us his holy Spirit both to make us good and sanctifie unto us all other good There bee good things which are are good of themselves and which make all other things good Thus by communion with God we our selves are made good and all other things likewise are made good to us all his waies being mercy and truth unto those who feare him Therefore resigne we our selves and all that we have unto his wisedome and disposing because oftimes there is good where wee imagine the worst of evills to be as it is sometimes good to have a veine opened Simile to be purged the Physitian thinkes so when yet the Patient impatient of Reasons issue thinkes not so But as the Physitian is wiser then the Patient to know what is best for him so God is wiser then man to know what is good for him who intends us no hurt when he purgeth us by affliction All our care therefore should be to annihilate our selves to come with empty poore soules to God Doe good to us In which case it is no matter what our ill bee if hee doe us good who hath both pardon and rich grace to remoove the evill of sinne and convey all grace unto us out of his rich Treasurie So will we render the calves of our lips Here is the Restipulation or promise they Returne backe againe to God for there is no friendship maintained without rendring when God hath entred into Covenant with us then there is a kinde of friendship knit up betwixt him and us he becomming our friend We must not therefore be like graves to swallow up all and returne nothing for then the inter-course betwixt God and us is cut off Therefore the same Spirit which teaches them to pray and to Take to them words teacheth them likewise to take unto them words of Praise that there may bee a Rendring according to Receiving without which we are worse then
againe deformitie for it takes away the beauty and vigour of the soule and dejects the countenance it debaseth a man and takes away his excellencie Gen 49.4 as Iacob saith of Reuben Vnstable as water thou shalt not excell because thou wentest up to thy fathers bed Saith God to Cain Gen. 4.6 why art thou wrath and why is thy countenance fallen and the Prophet David hee confesseth Psal 32.3 4. when I kept silence my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long So againe There is no soundnesse in my flesh Psal 38.3 because of thine anger neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sinne So that sinne is a wound and a disease whether wee consider the miseries it brings on soule and body or both Therefore howsoever a sinfull person thinke himselfe a goodly person and weare his sins as ornaments about him Pride Lust and the like yet hee is a deformed loathsome person in the eyes and presence of God and when conscience is awakened sinne will bee loathsome irksome and odious unto himselfe fill him full of griefe and shame so that hee cannot endure the sight of his owne soule That all sinnes are diseases Now all sinnes whatsoever are diseases The first sinne of all sinnes which wee call hereditarie Originall sinne what is it but an hereditarie disease a leprosie which we drew from our first Parents spread over all the soule having the seeds and spawne of all sinne in it The Church of Rome makes it lesse then other sinnes as indeed Popery is ignorant both of the height of grace and of the depth of corruption for if they knew the one they would bee more capable of the other Why doe they not conceive aright of grace and of the height of it because they know not the depth of Originall sinne And indeed the true knowledge of this disease is proper onely to the child of God in the true Church none but he knowes what Originall sinne is others can dispute and talke of it but none feeles it but the child of God Now all other particular actuall sinnes 1. Sinne like a disease in regard of the cause be diseases flowing from hence so that all diseases in this kinde arise either 1. from our selves as wee have a seminarie of them in our owne hearts or else 2. from the infection and contagion of others or 3. from Satan who hath society with our spirits as men have with the outward man comming in by his suggestions and our intertaining of them so that in that respect sin is like unto a wound and a disease in regard of the cause of them And in regard of the effects 2. Sinne is like a disease in regard of the effects it breedâ— sinne is like a disease Diseases if they be neglected breed death it selfe and become incurable so it is with the diseases and sinnes of the soule neglect them and the best end of them will bee despaire in this world whereupon wee may have advantage to flie unto the mercy of God in Christ This is the end of sinne either to end in a good despaire or in a fruitlesse barren despaire at the houre of death leading to Hell when they have no grace to repent Rom. 6.23 The wages of sinne is death c. Sinne it selfe is a wound and that which riseth from sinne is a wound too doubting and despaire for this disease and wound of sinne breeds that other disease a despaire of mercy which is the beginning of Hell the second death These things might be further inlarged but for the present onely in generall know That sinne is a disease and a wound of the soule so much worse then the diseases of the body by how much the soule is more pretious then it and the death of the soule more terrible then the death of the body Sinne is a disease and a wound for what is Pride but a swelling what is Anger but an intemperate heate of the soule like an Ague as it were what is Revenge but a wild-fire in the soule what is Lust but a spreading Canker in the soule tending to a consumption what is Covetousnesse but as a sword a perpetuall wounder of the soule piercing it through with many sorrowes what is Security but as it were the Lethargie and Apoplexie of the soule and so wee might goe on in other resemblances Quest But it may be demanded how shall we know that we are sicke of this sicknesse and disease you speake of Answ How doe wee know that we are sicke in body If the body be extreame cold we know there is a distemper or if it be extreame hot so if the soule be so extreame cold that no heavenly Motives or sweet Promises can worke upon it stirre it up then certainely there is a disease upon the soule If the soule be inflamed with Revenge and Anger that soule is certainely diseased the temper of the soule is according to the passions thereof a man may know by his Passions when he hath a sick soule If a man cannot relish good diet then wee count him a sick man so when a man cannot rellish holy discourse nor the Ordinances of God You have some men that can rellish nothing but profits and pleasures and such vanities but no divine thing such have sicke soules undoubtedly So againe a man may know there is a deadly sicknesse and sorenesse upon the soule 1 when it is senselesse of its wounds and 2 is senselesse of that which passeth from it as men we say are readie to die when excrementall things passe from them without any sense So a man may know that he is desperately soule-sicke when oathes lies and deceitfull speeches passe from him and yet he is senselesse of them they think not of them they meane no harme doth that argue a sound state of body when a man is so desperately ill that he feeles not his bodily hurts and is this a good state of soule when these filthy things come out from it insensibly it is an argument of extreame deadnesse of spirit and irreverence and of a desperate sinne sick soule when there is no dread or awe of the Majesty of God let such looke about them it is an aggravation of the danger of the soule this kind of temper We usually say when the stomacke is so weake that it can hold no nourishment without casting it up againe as fast as it receives it certainely such a one is sick and in a dangerous state of body So when a man heares and heares and reads and reads and digests nothing into nourishment but all is left where he heard it it is a signe that they have sicke soules when their retentive power is so weake And there is certainely some sicknesse some dangerous obstruction in that soule that cannot digest the wholesome Word of God to make use of it some noysome lust then certainely obstructs the soule which must be purged out
It is a pittifull thing to see the desperate condition of many now who though they live under the tyrannie of sinne yet flatter their owne disease and account them their greatest enemies who any way oppose their sicke humour What doe they most cordially hate The sound preaching of the Word the very sight of such a one whose calling hath beene to put us in minde of our sinnes evill courses and vanities of the world is loathsome and offensive to carnall men in whom corruption is growne up to such a tyrannie that it swayes the whole soule to devise how to satisfie it Man is so diseased that those lusts in him which he should labour to subdue and mortifie by the power of the Spirit doe so over-sway him that all his life is nothing else but a disease and backsliding into sinne And as if we were not corrupt enough our selves how many are there who feed their corruptions when they frequent ill places and company whom they cannot bee without and are as fish in the water feeding the old man in them So that such are not onely sick but defend maintaine and feed their sicknesse their whole life being spent this way which they laugh at and make Pride their chaine and ornament as the Prophet speakes This is spoken that we may take up a lamentation for the vilenesse of mans nature and to teach us how to judge aright of men when they devise how to have their liberty strengthened to goe to Hell as it were with an high hand having their will so fortified that no man is able to deale with them thwart them or teach them any thing If it were offered to most men to have what estate they would in this world what are their wishes and desires O that I might live as I list that I m ght have what would content my pleasures without controule that I might have no crosses but goe smoothly on yet this which is the desire of most men is the most cursed estate of all and most to be lamented Thus it appeareth Sinne is a wound and a disease what Use may we make of it Vse 1 If this be so then in the first place let us know and consider That no man who lives in sinnes unrepented of and uncured is to be envied be they never so great Who will envie a man that hath a rotten body covered over with glorious attire when every man knowes that he carries a rotten disease about him either some disease in the vitall parts or from the rottennesse of sin which puts a kind of shame and scorne Can we pittie a man thus in glorious attire having a filthy body under it thus covering their nakednesse in whose case we would not for any thing be and are they not much more to be pittied who have ulcerous soules galled and pierced through with many sinnes when we see men that are blasphemers swearers men guiltie of much blood and filthinesse and of many sinnes hanging upon them to envie such a mans greatnesse is extreame folly O he carries his deaths wound about him as we say he is striken already in his side with a deadly dart without the healing mercy of God there is but a step betwixt him and eternall death wherefore no man is to be envied for his sinfull greatnesse Vse 2 Againe if this be so that sinne is a disease and wound of the soule let us therefore labour to cure it presently It is desperate folly in men to neglect their bodies when they know that they are prone to such and such diseases which are growing upon them every day how carefull are men perceiving this much to prevent diseases by timely physick all sinnes are diseases and growing like diseases run from ill to worse and worse 2 Tim. 3.13 Wicked men saith the Apostle grow worse and worse Therefore if sin be a disease prevent it presently for as we see Hereticks and others the like are hardly found but at the first and then are hardly cured so if we neglect the diseases of our soules they will breed a consumption of grace or such an ill temper of soule as that it cannot well desire to repent Nay when a man lives in wicked rebellious courses long God will give him up to such terrors of conscience that it will not be pacified but upbraid it selfe I have beene a sinnefull wretched creature mercy hath beene offered me againe and againe but now it is too late having outstood all the meanes of grace and rejected them When they have considered that their lives have for a long time beene a meere rebellion and that they have put off the checks of conscience the admonitions of the Word and Spirit with the motions thereof it is long in this case before a man can have peace for answerable to the continuance in sinne is the hardnesse of the cure if it be cured at all Therefore there is no dallying with sinne That there is no dallying with sin to delay repentance I shall repent at length but not now yet a while I will continue these and these courses I shall doe well enough c. as if a man who were sicke or desperately wounded should say I shall doe well and yet neglect to send for the Physitian None are so desperately foolish in case of the body why should wee for our soules is not that in much more hazard then the body if we had spirituall eyes to consider of it That want of conviction of the sinfullnesse of sinne makes us so sinnefull and carelesse The truth is people are not convinced of this that sin is such a sicknesse which is the reason they are so carelesse of it But when the conscience is awaked as it will bee one day heere or in Hell then they will be of another minde Nay in this world when friends nor riches nor any thing can comfort then they cry out O that they had not beene so foolish they would give a world if they had it for peace of conscience this will be the best of it for men that goe on in sinne Therefore before hardnesse of heart grow upon us that disease following the disease of sinne let us take heed and labour to have our soules healed in time Thus wee have found That sinne is a sicknesse for so much is implied when he saith I will heale their backsliding Whence the direct Observation is That God is the great Physitian of the Soule For he saith here I will heale their backsliding so that healing implies the taking away of 1. The Guilt of sinne which is the venome of it by Iustification 2. The Rage of sinne which is the spreading of it by Sanctification 3. The Remooving the judgement upon our estate For unlesse God bee the more mercifull these things follow where there is sinne and breaking of his law there is a state binding over to damnation and guilt when there is a sinnefull disposition raging and bringing us from one
so long as God hath promised to bee the Phisitian and the blood of Christ is the Plaister that healeth us The Question is not what how many Jsa 1.18 19. how greaâ— and of what continuance our sinnes are but how wee stand affected towards them hate them and resolve against them That sinne connot hurt us which wee fight against mourne for complaine of resolve to leave and truely hate Let us never stand then in comparisons with our sinnes which beare no proportion to the infinite skill and power of our great Phisitian and to the infinite worke of Christs all sufficient satisfaction What canst thou object o man It is Christ that iustifieth the ungodly who art thou that condemneth Rom. 8.33 34. It is he that died yea rather who is risen againe who is also at the right hand of God and also maketh intercession for us Thou canst not satisfie for the least sinne God hath laid upon him the iniquities of us all Levi. 16.21 Isa 53.5 The chastisement of our peace was upon him and with his stripes wee are healed Let us therefore bee wise for afterwards heare reade lay up and meditate for the time to come for times will come if wee belong to God that nothing will content or pacific the soule but the infinite worth and merit of an infinit and free mercy apprehended in the face of Jesus Christ When our sins are set in order before us the sinnes of our youth middle and old age our sinnes against conscience against the Law and Gospell against examples vowes Promises Resolutions and admonitions of the Spirit and servants of God When there shall bee such a terrible acouser and God shall perhaps let the wounds of conscience fly open and joyne against us when wrath shall appeare bee in some sort felt and God presented to the soule Heb. 12.29 as a consuming fire no comfort in heaven or earth appearing hell beneath seeming readie to revenge against us the quarrell of Gods Covenant O then for faith to looke through all these clouds to see mercy in wrath Heb. 12.6 love in correction life in death the sweetnesse of the promises the vertue and merit of Christs sufferings death resurrection and intercession at the right hand The sting of death removed 1 Cor. 15.55 sinne pardoned and done away and glory at hand In somme this promise made good which leads unto all this happinesse as wee shall by and by heare I will heale their backesliding I will love them freely for mine anger is turned away O this is a marvelous matter then to be perswaded of Therfore let us make a right use of these words in due season For they are Pro. 25.11 like appels of gold with pictures of silver like balme to a greene wound like delivery in a shipwracke but indeed all comparisons come farre short of this illustration as the terrour of incensed wrath in the fearefull apprehension of eternall unspeakeable miserie is beyond any other feare apprehension or joy But least this grace be abused by others for wee must not with-hold the childrens bread for feare others partake with them unto whom it belongs not let them know this much that those who turne this grace into wantonnesse and will be evill because God is thus gracious that there is no word of comfort in the whole Scripture for them who stand resolved to goe on in their sinnes presuming of mercy See what God saith in this case Deu. 29.18 19 20. Least there should bee among you a roote that beareth gall and wormewood and it come to passe when hee heareth the words of this curse that hee blesse himselfe in his heart saying I shall have peace though I walke in the imagination of mine heart to adde drunkennesse to thirst The Lord will not spare him but then the anger of the Lord and his iealousie shall smoake against that man and all the curses that are written in this booke shall lie upon him and the Lord shall blot out his name from under Heaven Psal 68.21 God will wound the hairie scalpe of such an one who goes on in his wickednesse and meanes to bee so And in the New Testament those who thus make a progresse in sin what do they They are said to treasure up unto themselves wrath Rom. 2.5 against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgement of God Therefore Gods word speakes no comfort to those who purpose to live in any sinne All the comfort can bee spoken to such is That yet they are not in hell that yet they have time to returne to this great Phisitian of the soule But take such an one in his present condition hee can have no comfort in this estate wherein there is but a step betweene him and hell So as when the rotten thred of this uncertaine life shall faile or is cut asunder downe they fall Wee have no comfort heere for them till they returne This pretious balme belongs to the wounded conscience Briefly for use then Vse Seeing that our God is a healing God as wee can admire the wisdome skill and excellencie of our Phisitian so let us much more make use of him 2 Chro. 16.12 upon all occasions Trust and cleave to him not like good Asa but not good in this who forgot himselfe and sent first to the Phisitians But let vs especially rely upon God and looke to him Isa 4.5 who can create help and must blesse all meanes whatsoever Hee is a healing God who will heale all rebellions and the most grievous sicknesses he is a Physition that is good for all turnes There are some diseases which are called the scorne of Physitions as the Goute the Ague and the like wherein in some cases they are put to a stand and know not what to doe but God is never at a losse his skill cannot be set downe he is good at all diseases to pardon all manner of sins Therefore let us goe to him for cure seeing there is neither sinne nor griefe nor terror of conscience arising thereupon which can be so great but God can cure both the sinne and the terror if we take a right course and speake peace to the soule God is a healing God arising when he comes with healing in his wings As he saith Mal 4.2 I will heale their rebellion c. And as he is a healing Physition so he puts his patients to no charge for as he saith I will heale their backesliding so he saith I will love them freely Therefore let us the more build upon this truth That free mercy is the scope of God in the new Covenant which is indeed the summe of all Godlinesse For what is the Gospell but the triumph of mercy doe but consider the scope of God in the new covenant whereof the Sacrament is a seale which is onely to shew forth the exaltation of the Grace and Mercie of God in Jesus Christ above all
a man is in love with his disease can there be a cure where there is a love of the disease 4. By our estimation of heavenly and earthly things Coloss 3.1 Not to name many the last which is a high pitch shall be by our estimation of things here and above What hath this healing wrought in thee What estimation of things How is thy heart weaned from the world How are thy affections set on things which are above When a sick man is soundly recovered though his distempered pallate could not relish the best meates in his sicknesse yet now he relishes and loves the best most of all Looke then to our selves how forget we with blessed Saint Paul the things which are behind Phil 3.13 pressing hard to the marke which is before for the high price of that Calling How stand wee affected to long for our Countrey this world being only the place of our pilgrimage Surely a soule that is soundly healed is an undervaluing soule to use this world and all things therein as though we used them not and it is also a valewing soule 1 Cor. 7.29.30 to covet spirituall things above all Psal 119.79.127 O saith David how I love thy law it is my meditation all the day I love thy Commandements above gold yea above fine gold The joy of this estate 1 Pet. 1.8 is a joy unspeakeable and glorious of which it is said the stranger shall not meddle with Pro. 14 10. This much concerning the disease before we come to the cure a Question ariseth Quest. Whence then comes a calme in a carnall person From ignorance and deadnesse of conscience or from diversion as a sick man when he talkes with another man that is his friend his minde is diverted that he feeleth not his sicknesse all the while so wicked men either their consciences are seared and they goe on in sin or else they have diversions Great persons are loath to heare and are usually full of diversions from the time they rise till they sleepe againe all diversions busie conscience about other things so they keepe themselves that it may not trouble them But the peace of a true Christian comes from another ground from sound knowledge of his disease and from sound satisfaction by faith knowing Christ the Spirit of God sealing this knowledge to the soule if peace bee thus setled it is a signe of a sound cure Quest But you will say How shall I know that my sinnes are pardoned when I am subject to those sins still Answ How to know pardon of sin when corruption gives soyles still Not to speake of transient actuall sinnes that are past and pardoned when we have repented of them but of the roote of all sinne which is weakenesse and corruption in us fortified and as it were intrenched by nature occasions and custome of this the Question is How to discerne of pardon the roote of sinne remaining and now and then foyling us The Answer is Affirmative we may have that sinne pardoned which yet occasionally may foyle us still For a man is in the state of health though he have the dregs of a disease hanging upon him wherby a man ofttimes hath some little fit of the disease When nature and physicke hath prevailed over the disease yet after that there may be grudgings So when God hath cured the soule by pardon and hath begun to cure in Sanctification the cure is wrought though some dregs remaine because those dregs are carried away with daily physicke and daily flying to God Lord forgive our debts Lord heale us every prayer and renewing of Repentance carries some debt away till death comes that excellent Physitian which once for all perfectly cures both soule and body bringing both there where both shall have Perfection Quest But you will say is Gods grace weake that it cannot carrie away all dregs of corruption as well as pardon Why is pardon in the forgivenesse of sins absolute when yet God suffers the dregs to remaine so as we still are subject to the disease of sinne Answ God is wise let us not quarrell with our Physitian for he is wiser then we our selves for he makes these reliques medicinall to us as thus Naturally we are prone to security and spirituall pride therefore he makes a medicine of our infirmities to cure spirituall pride and security and to set us a worke Therefore the Iebusites and the residue of that kinde Judg. 3.1 were left uncast out from among Israel that thereby he might proove Israel and least they should be a prey unto wilde beasts to devoure them So some remainders of the flesh are left still in the best that these wilde beasts might not prey upon their soules spirituall pride which is a detestable sinne robbing and denying God of his Prerogative and security the grave of the soule to cure these two especially God makes the reliques and remainders of sinne a medicine unto us Quest Why doth God suffer these infirmities and diseases to remaine in us Answ Why â—od suffers diseases and infirmities to remaine in us Diseases are suffered to put us in minde of infirmities in the roote which we knew not before for if these should not sometimes breake forth into a disease we would thinke our nature were pure therfore God suffers them to breake forth into diseases Numb 20.12 Who would have thought that Moses had beene passionate certainely himselfe did not know himselfe at the waters of strife that the seeds of anger should be in the meekest man in the world who would have thought that David whose heart smote him for cutting off the lap of Sauls garment 1 Sam. 24.5 that so milde a man should have cruelty in him and yet after that he committed murther Who would have thought that Peter Mat. 26.33.69 c. who made such protestations of love to Christ that though all men forsooke him yet he would not yet after that should denie his Master and forsweare him all which was to shew us that it is usefull for us sometimes to have our corruptions breake out to put us in minde what inward weakenesses wee have unknowne and unsearched in us and that wee may know the depth of our corruption Gods children are gainers by all their infirmities and weakenesses That Gods children are gainers by their affliction and weakenesses whereby they learne to stand stronger Heere is a maine difference betwixt the slips of Gods children and the ordinarie euill courses of others they grow worse and worse the ofter they fall into sin the more they are setled upon their dregs But Gods child hath the remainders of corruption in him from whence he hath infirmities and whence hee breaks into diseases but notwithstanding corruption is a looser hereby for the ofter he falls into sinne it is the weaker and weaker for the more he sees the roote of it the more he hates it resolves and strives against it till it
be consummated by Repentance and Sanctifying grace Let no man therefore be too much cast downe for infirmities though ofttimes they breake out In what case we may be comforted though infirmities breake out if thereupon we finde a renewed hatred Repentance and strength against them for God looks not so much how much corruption there is in us as how we stand affected to it and what good there is whether we be in league with it and resist it It is not sinne that damnes men but sin with the ill qualities sin unconfessed not grieved for and unresisted else God hath holy ends in leaving corruption in us to exercise trie us and keepe us from other sinnes Therefore sinne is left uncured Now the way to have it cured The way to have sinne cured both in heaven and in sense of conscience by Sanctification both in the Pardon and likewise in Sanctification we have it in the Context what doth God say I will heale their backsliding c. after they had searched their hearts and thereupon found iniquity and then prayed Take away all iniquity after they had desired a divorse from their sinnes Ashur shall not save us and when they had some faith that God would cure them and accordingly put confidence in God the Father of the Fatherlesse Then saith God I will heale their backsliding so that sense of pardon in the forgivenesse of sinnes and sense of grace comes after sight sense wearinesse and confession of sinne God doth not pardon sinne when it is not seene sorrowed for nor confessed and where there is not some degree of faith to come to God the Father of the Fatherlesse and the great Physitian of soules When wee do this as it is said in the Context then wee finde the forgivenesse of sinnes with the gratious power of Gods Spirit healing of our diseases I will heale their backsliding Let us therefore remember this least we deceive our soules for it is not so easie a thing to attaine unto forgivenesse of sinnes as wee thinke That though â—orgivenesse of sinnes bee freely given yet the preparing way thereunto costs us deare And then againe though forgivenesse of sinnes bee free yet notwithstanding there is a way whereby wee come to forgivenesse of sinnes that costs us somewhat God humbles the soule first brings a man to himselfe to thinke of his course to lay open his sinnes and spread them before God in confession and working upon the soule heartie Repentance so to come to God and waite for forgivenesse of sinnes perhaps a good while before there be a report of it There are none who have sins forgiven but they know how they come by it for there is a predisposition wrought in a mans soule by the Spirit which teacheth him what estate he is in and what his danger is whereupon followes confession and upon that peace God keepes his children many times a long while upon the racke before hee speakes peace unto them in the forgivenesse of sinnes because hee would not have them thinke sleightly of the riches of his mercy It is no easie matter to attaine unto the sense of the forgivenesse of sinnes though indeed wee should strive to attaine it that so wee may walke in the comforts of the Holy Ghost The difficulty of obtaining or recovering the sense of forgivenesse may be seene in David after his fall did hee easily obtaine sense of pardon O no God held him on the racke a long time He roared all the day long Psal 32.3 4. his moisture was turned into the drought of Summer But when hee had resolved a through and no sleight confession when he had resolved to shame himselfe and glorifie God then saith he And thou forgavest my sinne but till he dealt throughly with his soule without all guile he felt no comfort So it is with the children of God when in the state of grace they fall into sinne it is no sleight Lord have mercy upon me that will serve the turne but a through shaming of themselves before God and a through confession resolving and determining to be under another government to have Christ to governe them Why the soule must waite and be humbled before the sense of the forgivenesse of sinnes as well as to pardon them God will no otherwise do it Because hee would glorifie his rich mercy herein for who would give mercy its due glory if forgivenesse were easily attained without shaming of our selves If it came easily without protestation and waiting upon God as the Church heere we should never be throughly humbled for our sinnes and God would never have the glory of his mercy nor knowne to bee so just in hating of sinne in his deare children who long agoe upon such tearmes have attained sense of forgivenesse of sinnes It is worth our trouble to search our soules and to waite at Christs feete never to give over untill we have attained the sense of forgivenesse of sinne It is heaven upon earth to have our consciences inlarged with Gods favour in the pardon of sin That there can be no sense of pardon where Humiliation and Reformation is wanting What is the Reason that many professe that God is mercifull and Christ hath pardoned their sinnes c. if the ground be right it is a high conceit of mercy and such have beene soundly humbled for their sinnes But dost thou professe so who livest carelesly in thy sinnes and licentiously still surely thy ground is naught for hadst thou beene upon the racke in Gods scalding-house and smarted soundly for sinne wouldest thou take pleasure still to live in sinne O no. Those that goe on carelesly in their actions and speeches not caring what they are did they ever smart for sinne who carrie themselves thus Surely these were never soundly humbled for sinne nor confessed them with loathing and detestation Therefore let us marke the Context heere inferred after they had confessed praied and waited resolving Reformation in their false confidence then God promiseth I will heale their backsliding It is a fundamentall error in a Christian course the sleighting of true humiliation which goes along in all the Fabrick and frame of a Christian course Let a man not be soundly humbled with the sight of his sins his faith is weaker and his Sanctification and comfort the sleighter Whereas if a man would deale truly with his owne heart set up a Court there and arraigne judge and condemne himselfe which is Gods end in all his dealings afflictions and judgements inflicted upon us the deeper wee went in this course the more would our comfort be and the report of Gods mercy in the sense of that which followes I will love them freely for mine Anger is turned away The end of the fifth Sermon THE SIXTH SERMON HOS 14.4 5. J will love them freely for mine Anger is turned away J will be as the Dew unto Israel he shall grow as the Lillie and cast forth his Roote as
Reason 2 2. Because no creature can deserve any thing at Gods hands 1. Because by nature wee are all Gods enemies and therefore what can enemies deserve nothing but wrath and vengeance 2. If we have any graces they are the gift of God and therefore wee deserve nothing by them they being of his owne gift So saint Iames speakes Iam. 1.17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and commeth downe from the Father of lights with whom is no variablenesse nor shadow of turning And Saint Paul saith That of him and through him and to him are all things Rom. 11.36 what should follow heereupon To whom be glory for ever Vse 1 This in the first place serves for reproofe of our adversaries of the Romish Church who say that God loves us for something foreseene in us which is good or for somewhat which in time wee would doe to deserve favour at his hands but both are false the cause of love is free from himselfe for when wee have done our best Luk. 17.10 yet saith the Holy Ghost wee are unprofitable servants Vse 2 Secondly It is for reproofe of Gods owne deare children who because they finde no deserving in themselves are therefore discouraged at the sight of their owne unworthinesse whereas quite contrary the sight of our owne unworthinesse should make us the more fit subjects for Christs free love which hath nothing to doe with them that stand upon deserving Many of Gods deare children are troubled with temptations doubts and feares of Gods love and favour towards them because they expect to finde it in the fruits of Grace and not in free Grace it selfe If wee would have any sound peace let us look for it in free Grace Therefore the blessed Apostle in the entrance of his salutations in his Epistles still joyneth Grace and then Peace to shew us that if wee looke for sound Peace wee can no where finde it but in Grace Wee would finde Peace in the Grace that is in us but it is labour in vaine for wee shall never finde it but in free Grace Vse 3 Hence wee may also bee comforted in the certainety of our salvation for that grace and love and favour whereby wee are saved is in God not in us Now whatsoever is in him is immutable and sure So saith the Apostle Neverthelesse the foundation of God standeth sure 2 Tim 2.19 having this seale the Lord knoweth them that are his and let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity Where speaking of election which comes from the free love of God hee makes that a sure foundation to build on if there bee a reformation to depart from iniquity wee may be comfortably assured of our salvation And as it is with Election so is it with all the other fruits of God love Vocation Rom. 3.24 Joh. 13.1 Adoption Iustification and Perseverance the foundation of God fastly sealed in the way of holinesse stands good and sure in all Vse 4 This further teacheth us Thankfulnesse unto God who hath so freely loved us for if there were deserving on our part what place were left for thankfulnesse We know one who deserves nothing and hath small matters bestowed upon him at least will be thankfull for such favours But when one is so farre from deserving any thing that by the contrary hee deserveth all plagues and punishments hath yet many and aboundant mercies bestowed freely upon him this doth exceedingly provoke especially a generous spirit to a suitable thankfulnesse as much as may be Vse 5 And let it likewise breed Confidence in us to God in all our miseries both for pardon of sinne helpe in distresse and comfort in sorrowes because he loves us freely and did love us whilst we were enemies make therefore upon all occasions the Apostles use of it For if when wee were enemies wee were reconciled to God Rom. 5.10 by the death of his sonne much more being reconciled wee shall be saved by his life I will love them freely In the next place from hence we observe another point which necessarily followeth upon the former Observ That God did not then begin to love them when he said I will love them freely but to discover that love unto them which hee carried unto them from all eternity For instance hereof Saint Paul was beloved of God ere God manifested his love unto him as hee testifieth of himselfe that the discoverie of this free love was Gal. 1.15.16 when it pleased God who seperated me from my mothers wombe and called mee by his Grace to reveale his sonne in mee c. So Ephes 1.3 4. The Apostle blesseth God in his salutation unto them who had blessed them with all spirituall blessings in heavenly places in Christ But whence fetcheth hee the ground hereof According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and unblameable before him in love Ephe. 1.4 Wee need not multiply places more to prove it our adversaries would faine seeme to cleere God onely in all and so shrowd their arguments under such needlesse pretences shift of all places name wee never so many with their strong heads distinctions and sophismes But God will one day give them no thankes for their labour the will of God how unequall soever in our eyes who cannot with our shallow conceits sound the depth of such misteries being ground enough to justifie all his actions whatsoever Wee will therefore come to some Reasons of the point Reason 1 Because Whatsoever is in God manifested in time is eternall and everlasting in him without beginning and ending for wh tsoever is in God is God 1 Joh. 4.8 Joh. 14.6 God is not loving but Love and he is not onely true but Truth it selfe hee is not wise onely but Wisdome it selfe And therefore his love discovered in time must needs bee from all eternity Reason 2 Secondly Jf God did then first begin to love us when he manifested his love unto us then there should be a change in God because hee should love them now that hee did not formerly love As wee see those who loved Paul after his Conversion loved him not before there was then a change in the Church in which case if God should so love hee should bee changeable and so be like unto man Reason 3 And then againe Christs Prayer Iohn 17. makes it cleere that the love of God beginneth not with the manifestation thereof for Christ there knowing all the Fathers secrets as comming out of the bosome of the Father intimates the contrary where he makes one end of his prayer for them to be Ioh. 17.23 That the world may know that thou hast loved them as thou hast loved me Now how he loved Christ is also shewed a little after For thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world Joh. 17.24 Therefore the Saints and Children of God are loved
my supplications It may be for outward condition that even where God loves they may goe backewards so and so but for their best part their soules God will be as the Dew to them and they shall grow as Lebanon God will bee good to them in the best things And a Christian when he begins to know what the best things are concerning a better life he then learneth to valew spirituall blessings and favours above all other whatsoever Therfore God suits his promises to the desires of his children that he would water their drie soules that he would be as the dew unto them Gods love is a fruitfull love and fruitfull in the best things As we know what David saith There be many who say who will shew us any good Lord lift thou up the light of thy Countenance upon us Thou hast put gladnesse in my heart Psa 4.6 7. more then in the time that their corne and their wine increased So God fits his gratious promise answerable to the desires of a gratious heart I will be as the Dew to Israell To come to the words in particular 2. The excellencies of Dew in divers particulars Quest Answ for this is the ground of all that followes I will be as the Dew unto Israell How will God be as the Dew to Israell This is especially meant of and performed to the Church under the New Testament especially next unto Christs time Why the Grace of God is compared to Dew when the Dew of grace fell in greatest aboundance upon the Church The Comfortable Sanctifying Fruitfull Grace of God is compared to Dew in many respects 1. Because it comes freely from God First The Dew doth come from above God sends it it drops from above and cannot bee commanded by the creature So all other gifts and especially this perfect gift the Grace of God comes from above from the Father of lights there is no principle of grace naturally within a man It is as childish to think that Grace comes from any principle within us as to thinke that the dew which fals upon a stone is the sweat of the stone as children think that the stone sweats when it is the dew that 's fallen upon it Certainely our hearts in regard of themselves are barren and dry wherfore Gods Grace in regard of the Originall is compared to Dew which should teach us to go to God as the Church doth here and pray him to deale gratiously with us to do good to us for this cause laying open our soules unto him to shed his Grace into them Grace comes insensibly and invisibly Thirdly The Dew doth fall Insensibly and Invisibly So the Grace of God wee feele the comfort sweetnesse and operation of it but it fals insensibly without observation Jnferiour things heere feele the sweet and comfortable influence of the Heavens but who sees the active influence upon them which how it is derived from superiour bodies to the inferiour is not observable as our Saviour speakes of the beginnings of grace and workings of it Ioh. 3.1 The winde bloweth where it listeth and thou hearest the sound thereof but canst not tell whence it commeth or whether it goeth so is every one that is borne of the Spirit Jt workes we know not how we feele the worke but the manner of working is unknowne to us Grace therefore is wrought undiscernably No man can see the conversion of another nay no man allmost can discerne his owne conversion at first Therefore this Question should not much trouble you shew us the first houre the first time of your conversion and entrance into the state of grace Grace to many falls like the dew by little and little drop and drop line upon line it falls sweetly and undiscernably upon them at the first Therefore it is hard to set downe the first time seeing as our blessed Saviour speakes grace at the first is wondrous little likened to a graine of Mustard-seed But though it be small at first Mark 4.31 32. yet nothing is more glorious and beautifull afterwards for from a small seed it growes to over-spread and be great shooting out branches And as the roote of Iesse was a despised stock and in shew a dead roote yet thence Christ rose a branch as high as Heaven So the beginning of a Christian is despised and little like a dead stocke as it were Pro. 4.18 but they grow upward and upward still till they come to Heaven it selfe Thus we see there is nothing in the world more undiscernable in the beginning then the worke of grace which must make us not over-curious to examine exactly the first beginnings thereof because it is as the falling of the Dew or the blowing of the winde Againe as it fals undiscernably and invisibly Grace workes sweetly and mildly upon the soule so very sweetly and mildly not violating the nature or course of any thing but rather helping and cherishing the same or if it make any chang in any thing it doth it mildly and gently So usually unlesse it be in some extraordinary case God workes upon the soule by his grace mildly and sweetly Grace works sweetly upon the soule preserving its freedome so as man when he begins to be good shall be freely good from inward principles wrought in him His judgment shall like the course hee takes and be cleane opposite to others that are contrary from an inward principle as free now in altering his course as formerly he was in following the other There is no violence but in regard of corruption God works strongly and mildly strongly for he changeth a stone into a fleshie heart and yet sweetly he breakes not any power of nature but advanceth it for grace doth not take away or imprison nature but lift it up and set it at liberty for it makes the will stronger and freer the judgment sounder the understanding cleerer the affections more orderly it makes all things better so that no violence is offered to nature Againe Grace is compared to Dew In regard of the Operations of Dew For what effects hath Dew upon the earth first it cooles the ayre when it fals and then with coolenesse it hath a fructifying vertue for falling especially on tender hearbs and plants it soakes into the roote of them and makes them fruitfull So it is with the Grace of Gods Spirit it cooles the soule scorched with the sense of Gods Anger as indeed all our soules will be when we have to deale with God who is a consuming fire till we take that course to looke upon him in Christ for the pardon of sinne Heb 12.29 after which his Grace and the sense of it cooleth asswageth and speakes peace to an uncomfortable disconsolate heart This voice Sonne be of good comfort 1. Grace like dew is a cooler thy sins are forgiven thee O! this hath a cooling in it and this also This day shalt thou be with me in Parradice O!
how it cooled and chered the good theefe and comforted him And so when God sayes unto the soule I am thy Salvation O! when the soule feeles this how is it cooled and refreshed And the soule is not onely cooled and refreshed but 2. Grace fructifieth as dew doth It is also sweetned and made fruitfull with comfort to the soule If we were to see a man in the pangs of conscience stung with fiery temptations as with so many fiery serpents and poysoned darts which drinke up the spirits and presents God a consuming fire and Hel beneath full of insupportable torments set on by the insupportable wrath of God then we should know what it were to have grace in this efficatious manner cooling and refreshing the soule that hath these fiery darts stuck into it of violent strong temptations which to the present sense are the flashes and beginnings of Hell O! It is an excellent thing to have the Grace of God in such a case to asswage and coole the maladies of a distressed soule which for the present seemes to burn in a flame of wrath As it cooles so also it makes the heart fruitful our hearts of themselves being as the barren wildernes and wild desert Psal 107 33 14. Now God by his grace turnes the wildernes into water springs as it appeareth in many places of the Prophets Saith God For I will powre water upon him that is thirstie and floods upon the drie ground Isa 44 3. Jsa 45 8. I will powre my Spirit upon thy seed c. So Grace it turnes the barren wildernesse the heart drie of it selfe and makes it fruitfull Wee know what Paul said of Onesimus a fruitlesse servant Philem. 16. nay a fugitive theefe he is unfruitfull no longer saith he now that he is become a convert another a new man now he will doe good service A man is no sooner altered by the dew of grace but howsoever formerly he were a naughtie hurtfull person of whom every man was affraid because of his wickednesse yet now he is a fruitfull person and strives to bring forth fruits worthy of amendment of life Mat. 3.8 6. Grace is unresistible And we may adde one more in the next place in regard of the unresistiblenesse thereof for as nothing can hinder the dew from falling from the sweet influence of Heaven unto us Iob. 38 37. or hinder the working of those superiour bodies upon the inferiour or hinder the wind from blowing so who can hinder Gods Grace they may out of malice hinder the meanes of it and hinder the gratious working of the Spirit by discouragements in others which is a signe of a divelish spirit when yet God hath a hand in that too after a sort For it raineth in one citie and not in another by Gods appointment but nothing can hinder where God will have the dew and water and shine of the influence of grace worke nothing in the world can stop it So it is said in that excellent Prophesie of Christ and his kingdome Psal 72.6 Hee shall come downe like raine upon the mowen grasse as showers that water the Earth which as they coole and fructifie so come they unresistibly Let none therefore be discouraged with the deadnesse drienesse Vse Against discouragement in regard of our barrennes in goodnesse and barrennesse of their owne hearts but let them know that God doth gratiously promise if they will take the course formerly set downe to be as the dew unto them Therefore let them come unto the ordinances of God with wondrous hope confidence and faith that he will be as dew unto them that seeing he hath appointed variety of ordinances the Word and Sacraments he will blesse those meanes of his owne ordaining and appointing for his owne ends He that hath gratiously appointed such meanes of grace will he not blesse them especially having promised I will be as the dew unto Israell Therefore let us attend upon the ordinances and not keepe away though our hearts be barren drie and unfruitfull God is above the heart and able to turne the wildernesse into a fruitfull place he can make the heart a fit habitation for himselfe to dwell in Let us by faith attend upon the ordinances if we find not comfort in one ordinance let us go unto another and another comfort and help shall come especially if with the Church Cant. 3.4 we go a little further For the promise is I will be as the dew unto Israell 3. The order of Gods Promise But marke the order wherein he makes this promise First he gives grace to pray to him Take away all iniquity and receive us gratiously doe good to us Then he gives a spirit of reformation promising amendment whereupon this followeth that he will forgive their sinnes love them freely c. And be as the dew unto Israell He will be as the dew unto Israell but he will give them grace first to bee humbled confesse sinne and pray to God for grace and forgivenesse There is an order of working in the soule God giveth Justification before Sanctification and before he freeth from the guilt of sinne he gives grace to confesse sinne If we confesse our sinnes hee is faithfull and just to forgive us our sinnes 1 Ioh. 1.9 and to cleanse us from them saith S. Iohn Where these goe before grace will follow and where they doe not there will be no Sanctification Therefore let us consider the order for wheresoever God takes away iniquity and heales their soules in regard of the guilt of their sinnes unto those hee will be as dew Therfore if we have still barren soules without desires or strength to goodnesse certainely our sinnes are still upon the file for Justification is never without holinesse of life Whosoever is in Christ 2 Cor. 5.17 hee is a new creature When this is done God will be as the dew because he doth pardon our sinnes for this cause that he may thereby fit us to be entertained in the covenant and are we fit to be in covenant with him untill our natures be altered Therfore whensoever he enters into covenant with any he changeth their natures that they may be friends and have communion with him Then the same soule which crieth take away all iniquity desireth also the dew of grace to make it better this order is not onely necessary on Gods part but in regard of the soule also For was there ever any soule from the beginning of the world that truely desired forgivenesse of sinnes which did not also therewith desire grace such a soule were but an hypocriticall soule For if it be rightly touched with sorrow it desires as well ability to subdue sinne as forgivenesse of sinne Holinesse and Righteousnesse with forgivenesse Luk. 1.75 Vse 1 Therefore least we deceive our selves let this be an use of triall from the order that if we finde not grace wrought in our natures to restraine sinne
and alter our former lewd courses our sinnes are not yet forgiven For wheresoever God takes away sinne and loves freely there also he gives the best fruits of his love bestowes the dew of his grace to worke upon and alter our natures Christ came not by blood alone to die for us but by water also to sanctifie us He will not onely love freely but he will be as the dew where he loves freely therefore if we have not sanctifying grace we have not as yet pardoning grace For we know the Prophet joynes them both together Psa 32.1 1. Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity and in whose spirit there is no guile If we retaine a guilefull false spirit our sinnes are not forgiven we see both these are put together Vse 2 And seeing all these good things come from God it is necessary to take notice of what hath beene said of Gods goodnesse that we doe not rob God of his due glory nor our selves of the due comfort that we may draw thence The Egyptians had the river Nylus that overflowed the land every yeere caused by anniversary winds which so blew into the mouth of the river that it could not discharge it selfe into the sea whereupon it overflowed the bankes and left a fruitfull slime upon the ground so that they needed not nine as other Countries because it was watered with Nylus Hereupon they did not depend upon Gods blessing nor were so holy as they should but were proud of their river as is intimated by Moses unto the people Deut. 11.10 11. But the land whether thou goest in to possesse it is not as the land of Egypt from whence yee came out where thou sowest thy seed and wateredst it with thy foot as a garden of herbes But the land whether yee goe to possesse it is a land of hills and valleyes and drinketh water of the raine of heaven a land which the Lord thy God careth for c. They having more immediately raine from Heaven saw Gods hand in watering it whereas the Egyptians did not And what makes a Papist to be so unthankfull He thinks he can with his owne industry water his owne ground with somewhat in himselfe What makes another man thankfull on the other side Because he knoweth he hath all things by dependance from the first cause for as in nature Act. 17.28 In God wee live moove and have our beeing much more in grace we have all our nourishment spirituall being Mal. 4.2 mooving and life from the dew of Heaven all our heate is from the Sunne of Righteousnesse which makes a Christian life to be nothing else but a gratious dependance Phil. 4.13 I can do all things saith Saint Paul big and great words O! but it is through Christ that strengthens me These things must not be forgotten for a child of the Church is a child of grace by grace he is what he is he hath all from Heaven Eze. 29.9 Suitable to the former place is that in Ezekiel And the land of Aegypt shall be desolate and waste and they shall know that I am the Lord because hee hath said the river is mine and I have made it He shall be desolate because he boasts and brags of his river and depends not upon God for the sweet showers of the former and the latter raine they boasted because it was a fat fruitfull countrie which the Romans called their granary But wee must looke for all from Heaven God by his Spirit will be as the dew You know in Paradise there were foure rivers that watred the Garden of God that sweet place That the head whence all blessing come is in Heaven and made it fruitfull but the heads of all these rivers were out of Paradise So it is with the Church of God Psal 46.4 There is a River the streames whereof makes glad the Citie of God as the Psalmist speakes many pretious comfortable graces the particulars whereof follow but where is the head-spring of that river it is in Heaven We have all from God through Christ the Mediator So though we have of the Water and Dew yet notwithstanding the head and spring of all is from without the Church in Heaven in Christ in the Mediator And therefore in all the excellent things we enjoy in the Church let us looke to the Originall first cause Christ by his Spirit He is as the Dew to his Church Vse 3 This affoords likewise an Vse of Direction Quest How to come to have grace to sanctifie and alter our natures Answ How to have grace to sanctifie our natures Doe as the Church doth heere desire it of God Lord teach me to see and know my sinnes Lord Take away all iniquity and receive me gratiously Heale my soule for I have sinned against thee O love mee freely Turne away thy angry face from my sinnes and be as the Dew unto my barren soule my dead soule O quicken it make good thy promise come swiftly come speedily come unresistably like raine upon the mowen grasse Psal 72.6 as showers to water with the dew of grace and fructifie my drie parched soule Thus we should be earnest with God for grace for our selves and for the Churches abroad for our Church and State at home Therefore let such an use be made of it generally as God and not other forraigne helps may especially bee trusted in for it is the onely way to destruction to let God alone and to trust to this bodie and that bodie for in this case many times God makes those we thus trust in our destruction as the Assyrians and Babylonians were the ruine of the ten Tribes But begin alwaies first in Heaven set that great wheele a working and he will make all things comfortable especially for our soules then we shall not onely finde him to make good this promise I will be as the Dew unto Israell but the residue which follow after He shall grow as the Lillie c. Those unto whom God is Dew a double blessing he will make them grow and so grow as they shall grow up as the Lillie Thistles and nettles and ill weeds grow apace also but not as Lillies but Gods children are Lillies and then they grow as Lillies Quest Answ Christians grow like Lillies How doe Christians grow like Lillies First for beauty and glory There is such a kinde of glory and beauty in that plant that it is said by our Saviour 1. In regard of beauty and glory Mat. 5.29 That Salomon in all his royalty was not arrayed like one of these because his was a borrowed glory from the creature but the Lillie hath a native beauty of its owne Againe 2. In regard of sweet fragrant smell the Lillie hath a sweet and fragrant smell so have Christians a sweetnesse and shining exprest in their conversation as we have it a little after His smell shall bee as Lebanon c. And
particular Christian and it is very necessary it should be so for without growth neither can we give God his due Honour nor he receive the smell of a sweet Sacrifice from us as is fit Nor can we without it with-stand our enemies or beare our crosses that God may call us too Againe without growth and strength we cannot performe those great duties that God requires at our hands of Thankfulnesse nor doe things so cheerefully and sweetly as may be comfortable to us In summe without growth wee can doe nothing acceptably either to God or his people the more Grace the more acceptance Which is spoken that wee may value the Promises this especially that we shall grow up in Grace and Knowledge as the Lillie and cast forth our rootes as Lebanon But how shall wee come to grow Answ Goe to God that we may continually have from him the sanctifying dew of his grace goe first for pardon of sinne 1. We must goe to God claiming the promises in a right order then for a heart to reforme our wayes to enter in a new covenant for the time to come that wee will not trust in Ashur but will renounce our particular personall sinnes after which we shall find sanctifying grace so as the dew of Gods Spirit will make us grow therefore take this order to improove the promises Goe to God for his love in Christ for the pardoning of sinne and accepting of us in him that we may find a sence of his love in accepting of our persons in the pardoning of our sinne which is the ground of love for then this sence of his love will kindle our love towards him againe feeling that we are in the state of grace Then goe to God for his promise in this order Lord thou hast promised that thou wilt be as the dew and that we shall grow as Lillies make good thy promise then that I may finde the effectuall power of it transforming my soule into the blessed Image of thy deare Sonne And know 2. We must use all meanes of growth that we must use all the meanes of growth together with the promise for in the things of this life if a man were assured that the next yeare would be a very plentifull yeare would men therefore because they were thus forewarned hang up their plowes and not prepare their ground no but they would the rather be encouraged to take paines because they know that howsoever God be pleased to vouchsafe plenty yet he will doe it in the use of meanes observing and depending on his Providence So when he hath made gratious promises of the Dew of his Grace and of growth as Lillies c. This implyeth a subordinate serving of his gratious Providence therefore it is a way to stirre us up unto the use of all meanes rather and not to take us off from them Gen. 17.8 Even as God when hee told the Israelites I will give you the Land ef Canaan did onely promise it leaving the remainder to their conquest in the use of meanes Should this have made them cast away their swords No but it was that they might fight and fight the more couragiously So when God hath promised growth in Grace should this make us carelesse O no it should make us more diligent and carefull and comforts us in the use of meanes knowing that our labour shall not be in vaine in the Lord. 1 Cor. 15.58 Now Lord I know I shall not loose my labour in hearing in receiving of the Sacrament in the communion of Saints and use of sanctified Meanes for thou hast made a gratious promise that I shall grew as the Lillie and that thou wilt be as the Dew unto me therefore make thy good worke begun effectuall unto my poore soule that it may flourish and bee refreshed as a watred garden But there are severall sorts of growth formerly touched either 1. A growing upward or 2. A growing in the roote or 3. A Spreading and growing in the Fruit and Sweetnesse Therefore Christians must not alwayes looke to have their growth in one and the same place but must wisely consider of Gods prudent dealing with his children in this kinde as will bee further seene hereafter in the particulars Hee shall cast forth his rootes as Lebanon That is He shall cast and spread and so put forth his rootes as Lebanon he shall grow upward and downeward in regard of firmenesse he shall be more rooted Jn what proportion Trees grow upwards in that proportion they take roote downewards because otherwise they may be top heavy and overturne a blast of winde taking advantage of their talnesse and weakenesse to roote them out the sooner therefore proportionable to their spreading above there must be a rooting in the ground As the prophet speakes to Hezekiah of Gods people 2 King 19.30 And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Iudah shall yet againe take roote downeward and beare fruit upward There must be firmenesse in the roote as well as growth in the branches for which cause God here promiseth to the Church and every Christian stability and fixednesse that as he groweth upward like the Lillie so he should grow downward firme and strong Quest Now whence comes this rootednesse and firme stabilitie of Gods Children Answ The cause of the Saints stability Ioh 1.16 Especially from this that they are now in the Covenant of grace rooted in Christ who is God-man in whom they are firmely rooted In Adam we had a roote of our owne but now our roote is in Christ All grace is first powred into Christs blessed Nature and then at a second hand Out of his fulnesse we all receive grace for grace Being rooted in Christ we become firme for there is in him an everlasting marriage and union Rom. 11.18 The Roote beareth us wee beare not the Roote Christ beareth us wee beare not him So now in the covenant of grace all the firmenesse is out of us Even as salvation it selfe was wrought out of us by a Mediatour so it is kept by a Mediatour out of us all goodnesse grace and favour of God to us is not in us but in Christ but it is so out of us as Christ and we are one But now we onely speake of the cause of our firmenesse and stability that because we are in the state of grace we have an everlasting firmenesse as we are in Christ Jesus God now making a second covenant he will not have it disanulled as the first was Lev. 18.5 for his second workes are better then his first His first Covenant was Doe this and live but his second is Rom. 10.9 Beleeve this and live So as howsoever our state in grace be but little yet it is of a blessed growing spreading firme nature so sure as what is begun in grace will end in glory where God gives the first fruits he will give tenths yea the full harvest and all Because by
must be respected 1. Wee must consider our calling to reproove others for howsoever we must carry an universall hatred to sin thus farre that we must not doe it Yet in the discovery of hatred and dislike to others we must consider what calling we have and how farre we goe And it must be done with a sweet temper 2. It must be with a due respect keeping of distance to the party reprooved keeping our distance and reserving the due respect unto those in whom we shew our dislike As we see Nathan when he came to tell David of his fault how he doth it what art he useth It must so be done as that it may appeare to be done out of pure zeale that it is no wilde-fire nor no heate of nature but that it commeth meerely from the spirit and in much love with mildnesse and pitie in which case it carrieth a wondrous authority The discoverie of hatred to the faults either in a Minister or in a Megistrate though they must be truely dealt with and have their faults told them yet there must be respect had to their place by reason of the weakenesse of men As it is with the body great men have their Phisitians as well as meaner onely their phisicke must be more costly because perhaps of their tendernesse of their constitutions but as for their bodyes they must not be suffered to perrish nor will not So for their soules they must have that which other men have to helpe them but it must be done with reservation and respect as Paul speaking to Festus the Governour calleth him most Noble Festus Act. 26.25 c. Pressing also goodnesse in some sort upon King Agrippa O King Agrippa Act. 26.27 believest thou the Prophets I know thou dost So wee see how wee may examine whether our hatred to sinne be true or not Let every one therefore make Use of it in their calling Those that are intrusted with Gods Message let them know that Gods Ambassadors are to be faithfull in their Message for they serve a greater Lord then is upon the Earth And let them shew their true hatred of ill and the danger of sinne wheresoever they finde it And for those that are Governours of others let them not thinke that they hate sin in themselves except they hate sin also in all that belong to them and reforme it For we see here an evidence of conversion when Ephraim was converted What have I any more to doe with Idols and 2 Cor. 7.11 2 Cor. 7.11 There is an excellent description of the nature of Repentance by many parcels The Corinthians had repented how is this evidenced O! Behold saith he this selfe same thing that ye sorrowed after a godly sort what carefulnesse it wrought in you yea what cleering of your selves yea what indignation yea what feare yea what vehement desire yea what zeale yea what revenge what Revenge and Indignation against sinne a kind of extreamitie of hatred a hatred quickned and kindled the height of hatred What Indignation Jnsinuating that wheresoever there is the truth of conversion there will be indignation against sinne in our selves As David confesseth of himselfe having sinned Psal 73.22 So foolish was I and ignorant I was as a beast before thee When he suffered such a thought to lodge in his breast that it was better with the children of the world then with the Church of God he was troubled for it But when he went into the Church of God and saw the end of wicked men then he saw his owne foolishnesse in being so deceived and speakes against himselfe with indignation So wheresoever there is true conversion there is hatred with indignation against our selves As in that place before alleadged they shall say unto their Idols Isa 30.22 get thee hence what have I any more to doe with you which is a phrase of speech shewing a disposition of hatred to the utmost extention Get you hence So Christ to the Divell Get thee behinde me Satan This is the right temper of a truely converted Christian exprest by divers phrases in Scripture By a denyall of our lusts by killing and crucifying by pulling out the eye and cutting of the right hand which phrases doe they not imply a great strength of hatred and indignation when we must as it were pull out our owne eyes that is our beloved sins which are as deare to us as our eyes and as usefull as our right hands unto us Yet these must be cut off Col. 3.2 mortified crucified and denyed Therefore let us not deceive our selves but let us judge of the truth of our conversion by our true hatred to sinne in our selves and others and in all who are committed to our charge If this be so what shall we judge of a cold luke-warme temper It is the nature of cold to gather Heterogeniall bodies together As we see in Ice there are strawes and stones and all Heterogeniall things incorporated because the cold congeales them together But where there is fire there is a seperating of the drosse from the good mettall So where the Spirit of God is it is not so cold as to jumble sin and sin this and that together but it purgeth away that which is ill and that which is good it makes better For in what proportion the fire of Gods Spirit stirs up that which is good in that proportion there is a hatred of that which is ill They are unparaleld affections Those that love God they hate evill Those that are alike to all things doe shew that they have not this active true hatred against sinne No Ephraim shall say What have I any more to doe with Idols Quest But now how shall wee come to get this hatred against sinne and holy Revenge and Indignation against our selves for that which is amisse in us Answ First How we may come to hate our sinnes Wee must get neare communion with God and a cleare sight of his excellency Exo. 32.19 we must every day labour to get a cleerer sight of the excellency of that which is good and a neerer communion with God by Prayer and Meditation and then when we have beene with God it will worke an abhomination of whatsoever is contrary unto him Thus Moses when he had talked with God in the mountaine at his returne seeing them dancing and sacrificing to the Calfe of gold what did Moses he brake the Tables asunder So it is with those that have communion with God who is light it selfe 1 Iohn 1.5 and in whom is no darkenesse who is Holinesse and Puritie it selfe those who have effectually conversed with God in his Ordinances Meditation Prayer and the like when they looke upon sinne which is contrary to God they looke upon it with a more perfect hatred So Esay 6. When God appeared to the Prophet and touched his tongue with a coale from the Altar saith he Woe is me for I am undone because
the devices of men See then the vanity of Idolaters Mat. 15.9 who though they would doe nothing in vaine yet doe all their will-worship in vaine Jt is not onely Idolatry but obstinate Idolatry the Romish doctrine We would have cured Babel but she would not be cured Ier. 51.9 Js this a light cause of our comming out of Babylon doe we leave them for trifles when they stand guilty of abhominable Idolatry you may see here if so be Ephraim out of holy affection say what have I now any more to doe with Idols What to think and judge of those that would bring God and Jdols together if Ephraim had beene of the temper that many men now are he might have said How some men slight Idolatry tush what need we care for Idols Crucifixes and the like there is not such a distance betwixt them and us why may not both Religions stand together This new fangled nicenesse is but the distempered devices of some few giddy headed men who know not what they would have This is the wisdome of many men in our times who reckon that there is not an eternall irreconcileable distance betweene light and darkenesse the service of God and that of Idols We cannot serve two masters saith Christ Mat. 6.24 Yes say they wee may serve two masters Anti-christ and Christ God and Beliall O but what saith Ephraim What have I now any more to doe with Idols There can be no mixture you know where there is abhomination That Church Reve. 3. which was neither hot nor cold may paralell many now in our times who are neither hot nor cold Papists nor Protestantes but politicke Atheists who will be both or neither whatsoever may best serve and advance their worldly ends How doth God looke upon such saith he I will spew them out of my mouth God hates such most of all now I would thou wert either hot or cold If this be the affection of Gods people towards Idols and Idolaters an utter aversation and shall we thinke to jumble and mingle contrary things together to serve God and the Divell Christ and Anti-christ Thus we see what to thinke of the temper of these men That in some lesser matters we may use our owne opinions Phil 3.15 in lighter matters indeed wee may enjoy our own private opinions in some things As Saint Paul saith in lesser things If any men be otherwise minded God shall reveale it unto him But vvhen he comes to the point of justification by Christ in Gods worship vvhat saith he If any man be otherwise minded God shall reveale it No but if I or an Angell from Heaven teach otherwise let him bee accursed Gal. 1.8 Now vvhen men teach another doctrine and worship joyning with grosse Idolaters in that worship there we must be of Pauls spirit If I or an Angell from Heaven teach otherwise let him be accursed The Holy Ghost at first appeared in the forme and shape of a Dove which is a meeke and milde creature Mat. 3.16 that hath no tallons to hurt with Yet notwithstanding at another time hee appeared in fiery tongues Act. 2.3 to shew that the same Spirit that in lesser things maintaineth peace and love when it is set against any sinne especially against that sinne of sinnes Idolatry which brings Gods vengeance upon Kingdomes and states and rootes them out there the Holy Ghost must appeare in fire that element must be in the hearts of people against that sinne that though to persons that have their slips and in lesser matters there must be the spirit of a dove yet there must be in men the spirit of courage indignation abhomination and hatred unto the Idolatry of the times That wee may say from our hearts with Ephraim What have I now any more to doe with Idols Conclusion Therefore let us joyne with those that we shall live for ever with in Heaven and goe in the best courses and wee shall never need to feare seperation nor want incouragements to well doing Thus shall we neither grieve nor be ashamed to say with Ephraim What have I now any more to doe with Idols At the length the Kings of the earth who adore the whore they shall come and eate her very flesh Rev. 17.16 So it will be the end of those that raigne in other mens consciences and in a manner will be accounted gods that all which is gotten with wrong to God shall be renounced with griefe shame and detestation of the persons of those that make Idols of others and will be made Idols in the hearts of others thinking themselves not enough respected unlesse they command the conscience the end of such cannot be good all this must end in loathing shame and detestation What have I now any more to doe with Idols said Ephraim and what have J now any more to doe with such and such profanenesse hypocrisie double-dealing and the like shall such persons thus sinnefull say one day with shame and horror of conscience Wherefore let us meet God betimes and renounce our Idols of all sorts that God may come to heare us observe us and bee as a greene firre tree unto us c. Whereof if God please wee shall heare more the next time The end of the eleventh Sermon THE TWELFTH SERMON HOS 14.9 Ephraim shall say what have J any more to doe with Idols J have heard him and observed him J am like a greene firre tree from me is thy fruit found THE words as wee heard heretofore are a gratious answer unto the prayer which God himselfe by his Spirit had dictated to Ephraim as likewise a reward of Ephraims Reformation Ayded by grace Ephraim shall my 〈…〉 What have I now any more to doe with Idols God will heare him and observe him and be like a greene firre tree unto him For saith God from mee shall Ephraims fruit be found Whereby we see that whensoever God doth alter the soule by his grace there he also breeds divorce and division betweene it and all Idolatry a disposition in some sort like himselfe having those Sympathies and antipathies hee hath towards sinne and goodnesse Now because God is a jealous God and cannot abide Idols therefore Ephraim being sanctified by the Spirit of God is minded as God is What have I any more to doe with Idols God hath framed the soule that it may injoy the cheefe good and avoid the cheefe ill especially for pettie goods and pettie ils are not so behoovefull Yet notwithstanding God will have us avoid all ill and imbrace all good and he hath made the soule into an answerable condition Therefore hath hee planted affections therein tending to good as Love and Joy and delight especially made for the imbracing of the maine good thereby to goe out of it selfe and close with that maine cheefe good in closing wherewith it may be happy And then to avoid the cheefe ill sinne and damnation hee hath planted affections
of aversation abhorring hatred griefe and the like Thus hath he framed the soule for these maine ends without which affections the soule were as Mare mortuum that dead sea The affections are the wings and the winde of the soule that carrie it unto all which it is carried unto especially when the winde of Gods Spirit blowes upon it then it is carried out of it selfe for of it selfe it cannot love or hate as it should but God must raise the affections and lay them downe againe Wee have not the managing of our owne hearts grace teacheth us to doe all The particular then here is indignation and hatred What have I now any more to doe with Idols So that the proper affection in Gods children which should be conversant about that which is ill and sinnefully ill is hatred and indignation here is hatred with indignation the extent of the affection Reason 1 The reason whereof is when Gods children are once converted they have a new nature put into them like unto Christ whose Spirit they have what he hates they hate Hee hates all sin and nothing but sin hee hates the Divell himselfe for sin and no further Reason 2 Then againe when once they are Gods children they have a new life put into them which hath antipathie to all that is contrary to it Every life in any creature hath antipathie to every enemy thereof There is antipathie in Doves to Birds of prey and in the Lambe to the Wolfe because they are enemies to the life and being of them So in the soule of a Christian so farre as grace is renewed there is an antipathie aversation and abhorring of that which is contrary What have I to doe with sinne in any kinde when grace hath altered the disposition of a mans heart then sinne and he are two two indeed in the most opposite tearmes that may be what have I any more to doe with my former delightfull sinnes we are two now for we were before nothing but sinne And indeed where this hatred is not there men may leave sinne because sinne leaves them but this is not enough God would have us to hate it with indignation what have I now any more to doe with it Quest But how should we come to have this true hatred of sinne as Ephraim should have Answ 1. Helps to hate sinne Amongst those helpes formerly named this is a maine one to represent to the soule as the soule is quicke and nimble in such apprehensions the odiousnesse of sinne that it is a truly hatefull thing and therefore that our affection of hatred cannot be better set nor imployed upon any object then that of sinne For let us consider that it is not onely ill in it selfe defiling the soule and hindering communion with God but it is also the cause of all ills being the ill of ills as God is the good of goods For our troubles and terrors of conscience wee may thanke sinne and for all that we suffer every day in our conditions of life what is all but the fruite of our owne wayes Wherefore suffereth living man Lâ—m. 3.39 â—â—r 4.18 saith the Prophet man suffereth for his sinne Thine owne inventions have brought these things upon thee therefore they are bitter unto thee they shall pierce thy bowels Shall we not therefore hate that which is the cause of all mischiefe to us If we had an enemy especially if he were a soothing false enemie that under pretence of love should seeke our bane and ruine and joyne with our worst enemies would we not hate such an enemy Sinne is the greatest enemy which we have in the world and doth us more harme then the Divell himselfe for it betrayeth us to the Divell and under pretence of favouring and pleasing our nature betrayes us It is a false deceitfull enemy which commeth not in an ugly shape but closes with the soule in a kinde of conjugall love Dalilah like inticing and alluring us whereby it hath the more advantage and strength in that it appeares in a lovely pleasing and not in an imperious commanding manner therfore it should be the more hatefull to us Shall we not hate such an enemy as alwayes dogs us and hinders us hinders us from doing any thing well and puts us on to all that is ill It is such an enemy that we cannot goe about to pray or doe any good thing but it hangs upon us and clogs us in all our performances If a man knew that such a one as made love to him and all his were his great grand enemy aiming at his destruction would a man ever love such a man thy baâ—e false revengfull covetous worldly heart it joynes with Sathan without which hee could not hurt thee Shall a man cherish that which betrayes him to his worst enemy the Divell and then should he cherish that which makes a breach betwixt him and his best friend If a man saw one so maliciously evill towards him as to sow dissention by all meanes hee could betwixt him and his best honourable friend by vvhom hee vvas maintained in all things vvould not a man hate such a one vvhat doth sinne else but breed division and emnity betvvixt God and us and further vvhen it hath mooved us to doe ill it cryeth for vengeance against us at Gods hands Conscience soundly avvakened is alvvayes clamarous to pull somevvhat from God against us Are not sinners justly called fooles either men must be Atheists to deny all or else if they cherish sinne they must needs be fooles and starke mad if they confesse this that they joyne vvith that vvhich is their chiefe enemy Therefore learne to be vvise to salvation make not vvith Salomons foole a sport of sinne Pro. 10.23 of svvearing of defiling our selves and others seeing God threatneth damnation unto such And then againe avoide all parly and intercourse with sinne in the first suggestions or with wicked persons that may draw us away Use sinne ruggedly and harshly as they doe here what have I to doe with Idols doe but intertaine parly with it and it is of such an insinuating nature that it will incroach daily and spread over the soule suddenly betraying it to the Divell Therefore use it hardly in the first beginnings and avoid Satan in the first suggestions if we love the peace of our soules as Ephraim here what have I any more to doe with Idols for as we say in the case of honesty They come to neare that come to have the refusall They should not have so much hope from a chast person there should be such a modest carriage as should not give any one the boldnesse to adventure in that kind So if a man carry himselfe remotely from sinnfull courses he shall have a great deale of peace from wicked men who dare not so much as adventure to draw away such a one they know he is resolved Therefore constant resolution against all sinne and wicked men will breed a great
these things by divine Truth we grow wise and prudent the Spirit ioyning with the same and then we come to make a right use of them There must bee first a spirituall Wisdome and Prudence inlightned by the Spirit ere we can make use of the word aright to taste and relish it Because though the word be light yet light alone is not sufficicient to cause sight but there must concurre unto the outward light an inward sight grace must illuminate the understanding and put a heavenly light into the soule As by the light within meeting with the light without the eye being the instrument of sight applying it selfe to the thing thence comes sight So there be divine Truthes out of us wherewith when the Holy Ghost puts an inward light into the soule sanctified VVisdome and Prudence then the inward light meeting with the light without we see and apprehend The Spirit therefore must joyne to worke VVisdome and Prudence Naturally we are all dead and have lost our spirituall senses therefore the Spirit of God must worke in us spirituall sences sight and taste that wee may see discerne and relish heavenly things which ere we can doe there must be a harmony betwixt the soule and the things that is the soule must be made spirituall answerable to the heavenly things pitched upon or else if the soule be not set in a suteable frame it can never make a right use of them Now when the understanding of a man is made wise by the Spirit of God it will relish Wisdome and Prudence For the Spirit of God together with the Scripture takes the scales off the eyes of the soule subdues rebellious passions in the affections especially that rebellion of the will putting a new relish in all so as they come to love affect and joy in heavenly things Now when these scales of spirituall blindnesse are fallen off the eyes of the soule and when rebellion is remooved from the will and affections then it is fit to joyne and approove of heavenly things else there is a contrariety and Antipathy betwixt the soule and these things as the body when the tounge is affected with some aguish humour cannot relish things though they be never so good but affects and rellisheth all things suiting that distemper So it is with the soule when it is not inlightned it judgeth all things carnally there being an antipathy betweene the soule and divine truths brought home unto it perhaps a soule not inlightned or sanctified will apprehend the generallities of truth very well but when they are pressed home to practise then unlesse the soule be changed it will rise up and swell against divine truths and reject the practise of them Without subduing grace to alter and change the soule the affections thereof are like the March Sunnes which stirre up a great many humors but not spending them they breed aguish humors and distempers So the light of the word in a carnall heart it meets with the humours of the soule and stirres them but if there be not grace in the soule to subdue these affections it stirres them up to be the more malicious especially if they be prest to particular duties in leaving of sinnefull courses so that the Spirit of God must alter the understanding and subdue the will and affections ere there can be a conceiving of divine truths savingly Therefore before these acts he joynes these graces Who is wise and who is prudent c. Vse The use hereof is this much not to come to the divine truth of God with humane affections and spirits but to lift up our hearts to God Why Lord as things themselves are spirituall so make me spirituall that there may be a harmony betweene my soule and the things that as there is a sweet rellish in divine truths so there may be a sweet taste in mee to answer that rellish which is in divine truths that the wisdome of thy word and my wisedome may be one then a man is wise There is not the commonest truth or practicall point in Divinity but it is a mistery and must be divinely understood and must have prudence to goe about it as we should doe Repentance and the knowledge of sinne it is a mistery till a man be sanctified in his understanding he can never know what spirituall misery is till the inward man be inlightned and sanctified to know what a contrariety there is betweene sinne and the Spirit of God As no man can know throughly what sicknesse is but he that hath beene sicke for the Phisitian doth not know sicknesse so well as the patient who feeles it So it is with a holy man sanctified by the Holy Ghost tell him of sinne he feeles it and the noisomenesse of it the opposition of it to his comfort and communion with God Onely the spirituall inlightned man can tell what Repentance sin sorrow for sin and the spirituall health of the soule is Therefore it is said here Who is wise and who is prudent and he shall understand these things The end of the fourteenth Sermon THE FIFTEENTH SERMON HOS 14.10 Who is wise and he shall understand these things prudent and he shall know them for the wayes of the Lord are right the just shall walke in them but the transgressors shall fall therein AT length by divine assistance we are come unto the conclusion of this short Chapter wherin the Holy Ghost from God hath shewed such bowells of mercy and tender compassion unto miserable sinners incouraging them to returne unto the Lord by many and severall arguments being formerly insisted upon our last worke was to shew you what Wisdome and prudence was the difference of them and how that none without these endowments are able to know and make use of divine Truthes and misteries of Religion Who is wise and he shall understand these things prudent and he shall know them c. We came then to shew that there must be Prudence and Wisdome before wee can understand divine Truthes there must be an illumination within it is not sufficient to have the light of the Scripture outwardly but there must be a light of the eye to see there must be wisdome and Prudence gathered from the Scriptures Now VVisdome and Prudence if they be divine as here is meant it is not a discreet managing of outward affaires of our personall condition but an ordering of our course to Heaven-ward Wherefore a man may know whether he be wise and prudent by his relishing of divine Truthes for otherwise he is not wise and prudent in these things which are the maine Now having shewed that onely the wise and prudent can conceive and make a right use of these great things delivered he comes to shew and defend the equity of Gods wayes how crooked soever they seeme to flesh and blood these things ought to be hearkned unto because they are the wayes of God The wayes of the Lord are right By wayes heere he understandeth the whole
some comforts afforded them which supporteth them against all the stormes and tempests they endure they have alwayes a Goshen to fly too others shall perish in that way wherein they shall walke and escape The just shall walke in them but the transgressors shall fall therein Thus farre we are now come in the unfolding of this Chapter having shewed Gods rich and incomparable mercies to miserable and penitent sinners how ready God is to embrace such as this rebellious people named were with all the arguments used to make them returne unto the Lord we are now come at last unto the upshot of all a discovery of the severall effect and worke Gods word hath upon both sorts of people here named and aymed at The just shall walke in them but the transgressors shall fall therein These were very bad times yet there were just men who walked in the wayes of God so that we see In the worst times God will have alwayes a people that shall justifie wisedome God will have it thus even in the worst times that the just shall walke in them though before he saith Who is wise and who is prudent yet here he shewes that there shall be a number who shall walke in Gods wayes Who though they goe to Heaven alone yet to Heaven they will though they have but a few that walke in Gods wayes with them they will rather goe with a few that way then with the wicked in the broad way to Hell alway God hath some who shall walke in his way for if there were not some alway who were good the Earth would not stand for good men they are the Pillars of the world who uphold it It is not for wicked mens sake that God upholds the frame of the creatures and that orderly government we see all is to gather together the number of his elect of whom in some ages there are more and in some lesse of them borne thereafter as God breathes and blowes with his Spirit For according to the abundant working of the Spirit is the number of the elect Yet in all ages there are some because it is an Article of our Faith to believe a holy Catholicke Church Now it cannot be an article of Faith unlesse there were alway some that made this Catholike Church for else there should be an act of Faith without an object Therefore we may alwayes say I believe that there are a number of elect people that walke in the wayes of God to Heaven-wards And what is the disposition of these some The disposition of just men in their places to have a countermotion to those of the times and places they live in Some are foolish not caring for the wayes of God cavilling at them But the just shall walke in them that is they take a contrary course to the world that slights wisedome Thus in all times it is the disposition of Gods children to goe contrary to the world in the greatest matters of all They indeed hold correspondency in outward things but for the maine they have a contrary motion As we say of the Planets that they have a motion contrary to the wrapt motion being carried and hurried about every twenty foure houres with the motion of the Heavens they have an other motion and circuit of their owne which they passe also So it is with Gods people though in their common carriage they be carried with the common customes and fashions of the times yet they have a contrary motion of their owne whereby being carried by the helpe of Gods Spirit they goe on in a way to Heaven though the world discerne it not they have a secret contrary motion opposite to the sinnes and corruptions of the age and times they live in Therefore in all ages it is observed for a commendation to goe on in a contrary course to the present times Gen 6. Gen 18. Noah in his time Lot in his time and Paul in his time who complaines All men seeke their owne Phil. 2.21 it is a strange thing that Paul should complaine of all men seeking their owne even then when the blood of Christ was so warme being so lately shed and the Gospell so spread yet all men seeke their owne And he speakes it with teares but what became of Paul and Timothy and the rest Phil 3.20 But our conversation is in Heaven from whence we looke for the Saviour the Lord Iesus Christ c. Let all men seeke their owne here below as they will we have our conversation contrary to the world Our conversation is in Heaven c. So that they hold out Gods Truth in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation that is when every man takes crooked wayes and courses in carnall pollicie yet there are a company that notwithstanding walke in the right wayes of God cleane contrary to others The just will walke in the right wayes of God As holy Ioshua said Choose you what you will doe Josh 14.15 but howsoever I and my fathers house will serve the Lord. So when many fell from Christ for a fit because his Doctrine seemed harsh Peter justified that way when Christ asked him will ye also leave me with the rest who are offended Lord saith he whether shall we goe we have tasted the sweetnesse of the Word and felt the power thereof Whether shall we goe Lord Joh. 6.68 thou hast the words of Eternall life So Gods people have an affection carriage and course contrary to the world Reason The Reason is taken from their owne disposition they are partaker of the divine nature 2 Pet. 1.3 which carrieth them up to God-wards against the streame and currant of the time Vse The Use hereof shall be onely a Tryall of our selves in evill times whether or not then we justifie Gods wayes and the best things If we doo it is a signe we are of the number of Gods elect to defend and maintaine good causes and right opinions especially in divine truthes which is the best character of a Christian others in their owne spheare have their degree of goodnesse but wee speake of supernaturall divine goodnesse a man may know he belongs to God if he justifie wisedome in the worst times if he stand for the truth to the utmost thinking it of more price then his life It is the first degree to Religion Luk. 14 26. to hate father and mother wife and children and all for the Gospell Now when a man will justifie the truth with the losse of any thing in the world it is a signe that man is a good man in ill times Therefore in ill times let us labour to justifie truth both the truth of things to be beleeved and all just religious courses not onely in case of opposition being opposed but in example though wee say nothing Heb. 11.7 Noah condemned the world though he spake not a word by making an Arke so Lot Sodome though he told not all Sodome of
page 396 c. God how to be conceived of in our worshipping of him page 344 345. God not to bee transformed like our selves in our affections page 345 346. To set up any thing in our soules above God is Idolatry page 347. God is the onely true defence and shelter page 386 c. Christians happinesse arising from hence page 387. God not being wicked mens shelter makes their estate most wofull page 387. Who have not God for a shelter are most miserable page 392 393. Grace Grace compared to dew in sundry respects page 207 c. Grace of God free p. 207 208 Grace of God comes insensibly and invisibly page 208 209. Grace works mildly upon the soule page 210. Grace cheeres and comforts the soule page 211. Grace makes barren soules fruitfull page 212. Grace of God unresistible page 212. Barrennesse in Grace ought not to discourage us page 213. Grace the meanes to increase it page 113. Grace wrought in the soule is an evidence of the pardon of sin in that soule page 215. All Grace from God page 216 217. Grace how to be attained pag 218. Grace compared to Olives in divers respects page 250 c. How to be rooted in Grace page 237 c. Grace why some have more then others page 408. In praying for Grace we must waite Gods leisure page 408. Grace is of a fructifying nature page 281. Gratious fruit comes from God and us too page 404. Growth Growth of Christians like Lillies page 219. Sudden Growth of Gods children page 220 221. Growth in Grace the necessity of it page 214. Growth in Grace the meanes to attaine to it page 225 c. Growth in Grace to be indeavoured after page 242 c. Christians many times deceived about their Growth in Grace page 240 c. Growth in Grace the chiefest blessing page 243. Growing Christians their excellency page 300. Governours Governours of Families ought to endeavour to bee good for their sakes that are under them page 272. Gratious Governours will communicate Grace to their Family p. 273. Gospell Gospell first and second spring of it speedy page 22â— H Hatred Hatred of sin how to discerne it page 311 312 c. True Hatred of sin is universall page 311 312. True Hatred of sin is implacable page 312 313. Hatred of sin ever followes true Conversion page 319. Hatred of sin how to be attained page 321. 368. Hatred of sin how knowne page 371. Heart Heart chiefly required of God page 311. Broken Heart a sacrifice p. 45. Humility Humility a certaine way to shun Gods anger page 197. I Idolatry Idolatry men prone to it by nature page 92. 356. Idolatry what it is page 93. Idolatry frames base conceits of God page 334. Idolatry how it is committed page 335. Idolatry the occasions of it to be avoided page 343 344. Close Idolatries of many Christians page 344 c. Idolatry Gods puishments on people for it page 357. Idolatry meanes to avoid it page 354 c. Idolaters hatefull to God p. 354 Idolaters Gods punishments on them page 357. Idolatry how sleighted by many page 360. Nothing lost by renouncing Idolatry page 373 374. Idols Idols why to be hated page 333 c. Idols abhominable to God page 333. Idols opposite to God p. 334. Infirmities Infirmities why God suffers them in his children p. 161 c. Infirmities of Gods children made their gaine page 162. Our Infirmities ought not too much to deject us page 163. Impenitent Impenitent sinners not to bee envied page 138. Infidelity Infidelity the cause of all woe page 446. Iust. Iust men who they be p. 450. Iust men have respect to all Gods Commandements p 450 451. Iust men doâ— all things to a good end page 451 452. Iust men desire to grow in grace page 452. Iust men love the Brethren page 452. Iust men have onely cause to rejoyce page 453. K Knowledge Knowledge of God and Christ is a meanes to make people leave Idolatry page 354 355. L Life Life of man subject to many annoyances both outward and inward page 391 392. Men must bee endewed with spirituall Life before they can walke in Gods waies page 461. Love Love of God an evidence of the pardon of our sins p. 30 31. Love of God to his people free page 172 173. Love of God to us eternall page 177. Love of God to us not to bee measured by our feeling of it page 179. Love of God the cause of all mercies to us page 179 c. Gods Love is a fruitfull Love page 205. M Mercy Mercy Gods scope in the new Covenant page 149. Gods Mercies are compleate to his children page 33. Mercy sweetneth all Gods Attributes page 106. Mercy agreeable to Gods nature page 191. God chiefely Mercifull to those who most stand in need of his Mercy page 108. Mercifullnesse Mercifullnesse to others is an evidence of the pardon of our sinnes page 31. Mercifullnesse a character of Gods child page 116. Meanes Meanes of salvation not profited by bring destruction p. 255. In the use of all Meanes to looke up unto God page 409. Masses Masses that we ought not to be present at them page 340. Man Man not to be a prescriber of his owne way page 444. O Occasions Occasions of sin to be avoided page 316. P Papists Papists grosse Idolaters page 94 335 c. Their shifts for worshipping Images answered page 95. Papists how they Idolize Saints page 336. Papists make an Idoll of the Pope page 337. Papists worse Idolaters then the Heathen page 339. Papists why they are so impudent in their Idolatry p. 340. Papists why so hardly converted page 356. Papists not to be conversed with page 342. Popish Writers to beware of them page 343. No reconciliation betweene Papists and Protestants page 341. Pardon Pardon of sinne the chiefest mercy which makes way for all other page 153. God Pardon 's all sinnes page 129 130 145. Pardon of sinne why not apprehended page 153. Pardon of sinne how knowne page 156 c. Pardon of sinne how knowne when we are still subject to sin page 160. Pardon of sinne not attained without Humiliation and Reformation page 166 167. Peace Peace of conscience is an evidence of the pardon of our sins page 30 157. Peace of conscience in a carnall man whence it comes page 159. Perseverance Perseverance the ground of it page 181. Persons To have Persons of men in admiration is Idolatry page 347. Performances Outward Performances trusted too is Idolatry page 351. People God hath his People in the worst times page 456 c. Prayer Prayer is a speciall helpe against all sin and sorrow p. 17. Prayer sets God on work p. 18 Prayer answered where a Spirit of Prayer is given p. 126 127. Our Prayers are heard when we renounce sin page 375 376. Praise Praise an acceptable Sacrifice to God page 48 49. Helps to enable â—to Praise God page 50. Praising oâ—â—od must be from a broken heâ— page 51.