thou sowest up mine iniquities Wicked men doe treasure up vengeance against the day of the Lord the profane person treasures up wrath and in the eighteenth verse he saith The mountaines falling come to nothing as if he had said good Lord who can beare all those sinnes that I have committed Are they all sealed up and shall all the judgements due unto them fall upon me heavier then the mountaines Good Lord what rock or mountaine can beare the weight of my sinnes thus sealed up setled and laid close to my heart And so God seales up an hundred thousand oathes in one bagge and an ocean of pride and mischiefes done to Gods people and Church are barrelled up in another and the Lord shall one day lay all these upon thy necke Who is able to beare all these sinnes Now it falles out with a sinner as it is with a banckrout debtor one man throwes him into prison and when he is there every one comes against him and so he shall never come out but die and rotte in the prison so though the Lord will not execute judgement on thee speedily yet in the end the Lord will be paid for all thy sins and when thou art in hell then mercy and justice and patience will cry all to heaven for justice and vengeance then happily a drunkard is cast into prison for his drunkennesse and for his blasphemy and then all his filthinesse comes in as so many bills of inditement against him Oh therefore labour to see sinne alive we play with sinne as if it were dead when children see the picture of a dead lyon upon a wall they labour to pull him in pieces but if there were a live lyon in the place it would make the strongest to runne So thou paintest thy sinne and sayest it is thy infirmity God forgive your swearing the like and thus you dally with your sinnes but brethren labour to see sinne alive and to see sinne roaring upon you see the pawe of sinne and the condemnation that shall be throwne upon the soule by it and this will awake the soule in the apprehension of it Secondly we must see sinne convictingly that it may be so to us as it is in it selfe that looke what sinne is in it selfe we may so conceive of it in our soules being guilty of it and this discovers it selfe in these two particulars First when we have a particular apprehension in our owne person that looke what we confesse to be in sinne in generall we confesse the same in our owne soules and that our sinnes are as bad as the sinnes of any this is the cursed distemper of our hearts howsoever we hold it to be truth in generall yet when we come to our owne sinnes the case is altered and we never come to the right seeing of them as they concerne our owne particular As the adulterer can easily confesse the danger and filthynesse of that sinne in others but he thinkes not his sinne to be so vile as the Wise man saith He that enters into the house of an harlot doth he ever returne againe doth he ever take hold of the path of life The Lord is pleased to set such a heavy stamp on this sinfull distemperature These are truths and a man in his cold blood wil easily confesse it in the generall that he never returnes againe Take the words as they are in the letter of them and howsoever they have some other interpretations yet in the letter it is thus read he is euer hardly recovered Howsoever it may be yet with much difficulty David had let his soule loose in that he did hardly recover himselfe againe scarce one of a thousand yet ever tooke hold of the way of life And the drunkard will confesse the danger of his sinne in generall when he sees his drunken mates lie grovelling in the dust he will be ashamed of it and say Now no adulterer or drunkard shall ever come into the kingdome of heaven but here is the wound of it when he comes to his owne particular drunkennesse and uncleannesse that he must looke into them then the sight of a mans knowledge hath not so much power as to judge himselfe rightly or to make a particular application to himselfe but he thinkes his adultery and drunkennesse is not like to another mans or else his knowledge is but weake or else he seeth as a man in the twylight when the sun is downe and the heavens begin to withdraw their light though a man can see to read abroad yet he cānot see to read in the house or in the chamber So it is with a weake knowledge and with a feeble understanding in a wicked man he is notable to see the vile nature of sinne in himselfe when he comes to read his owne closet sinnes and his bosome abominations then he hath not so much light as to perceive them so fully in himself as he thought to doe therefore the rule is this Arest thy soule in a speciall maner of those sinnes whereof thou standest guilty that phrase in Iob is to good purpose thou lookest narrowly to my pathes thou settest a print upon the heels of my feet so God followed Iob to the hard heeles and did narrowly observe his waies so deale thou with thy owne soule and set a print upon the heele of thy heart arest thy heart in particular for thy sins and I would have you perceive your owne particular sinnes and follow them to your hearts and make huy and cry after your sinnes and dragge your hearts before the Lord and say Is murther pride drunkennesse and uncleannesse such horrible sinnes and doth God thus fearefully plague them Lord it was my heart that was proud and vaine it was my tongue that did speake filthily blasphemously my hand hath wrought wickednesse my eye was wanton and my heart was uncleane and filthy Lord here they are it is my affections that are disorderly and it is I that doe delight too much in the world Thus bring thy heart before the Lord you shall observe the same in David so long as Nathan spake of sinne in generall he conceived of it truly and confessed the vilenes of it and the heart of this good King did rage against the man saying It is the Sonne of death but as soone as the prophet had said Thou art the man though he never saw his sinne kindly before yet now his heart yeelded and he began to see himselfe and his sinne in the naturall colours of it So the Apostle Iohn saith Hee that hateth his brother is a man-slayer and you know no man-slayer hath eternall life abiding in him Then play thou the part of Nathan and say I am the man it is this wretched heart of mine that hath hated the Saints of God and therefore if I be a murtherer will not my sinne keepe me from the kingdome of heaven as well as another mans Yes that it will if pride
soule as it befell the drunkard that was asleepe on the toppe of the mast who feares no harme because he sees it not So it is with a sinfull heart he is resolved to goe on still in his sinne because he seeth not the danger take a man that hath his heart stabbed with a stilletto and the wound is so narrow that it cannot be searched there is no meanes to come to it Just so it is with a blind ignorant heart there is much meanes whereby good might be done to it but an ignorant heart barres all out so that nothing can doe good to the soule All counsels admonitions reproofes cannot prevaile all mercies allure not because they find no sweetnesse in them a Minister is as able to teach the stoole whereon he sits as to doe them good Me thinks it is with a world of men that live in the bosome of the Church as it is with such as have suffered shipwracke they are cast upon the waves and their friends are standing upon the shoare and see them and mourne for them there they see one sinking and another floating upon the waves even labouring for his life and they sigh and mourne but cannot helpe him Just so it is with ignorant people that are swallowed up with the floods of iniquitie here is one man going and there another in the broad way to destruction we pitty them and pray for them that God would open their eyes and give them the sight of their sinnes but alas they are not able to conceive of any thing We cannot come at them thus they sinke in their sinnes Our Saviour looking over Jerusalem said Oh that thou hadst knowne at least in this thy day the things that belong unto thy peace but now they are hidden from thine eyes As if he had said oh now they are sinking they will not be reformed nor reclaimed now they are going the way of all flesh and to hell too the way of peace is hidden from their eyes they refuse the meanes that may doe them good I might here condemne the Papists that say ignorance is the mother of devotion whereas it is the breeder of all wickednesse and the broad way to hell and everlasting destruction The use is this as you desire the comfort of your soules and to be prepared for mercy and to pertake of that rich grace that is in Christ as you desire to have the rich promises of the Gospell put over to you as ever you would have the Lord Jesus Christ a guest to your soules you are to be entreated to give your soules no content til you have your eyes so opeÌ„ed to see your sins that you may be convicted of them Now it may be some will say it is good that you say but what meanes must we use to come to this sight of sinne Answ. I answere to such poore soules give me leave to doe three things First I will shew some meanes how we may come to see sinne convictingly Secondly I will take away all the lets that may hinder a man from it Thirdly I will use some motives to stirre us up to use the meanes and set upon the service though it be somewhat harsh and tedious to our Corruptions The meanes are three First we must goe to God for knowledge the Lord knowes our hearts therefore we must goe to him that he would make us able to know them too the Church of Laodicea thought none like her selfe as it is the fashion of many in this age so to doe and therefore the Lord said thou thoughtst thy selfe rich and full and that thou didst want nothing It is an argument of a proud sinfull heart that he is alwaies wel conceited of himselfe and of his owne wit grace and sufficiency but marke what the Lord saith to this Church I counsell thee to buy of me eye-salve She thought all her compters to be good gold all her appearances to be good Religion but the Lord bids her buy of him eye-salve As if he had said you see not your sinnes and therefore goe to God and beseech him that dwels in endles light to let in some light into your soules When the poore blind man Bartimeus sate begging by the way saying O thou son of David have mercy upon me and pressed earnestly on our Saviour in so much that when his disciples rebuked him he cryed so much the more O thou sonne of David have mercy on me and when Christ said what wouldst thou have me to do for thee he answered Lord that I may receive my sight If he did so earnestly seeke for his bodily eyes much more should we for the eyes of our soules that we may see our sinnes A blind mind brings a wicked heart with it and laies a man open to all sinnes and therefore we ought to be more pinched for the want of this sight Object then of our bodily eyes and if the question be asked what wouldst thou have honour riches or the like Answ. Answere O Lord the sight of my sinnes I know sin is a vile loathsome thing O that I could see sinne convictingly and clearely Secondly labour to acquaint your selves throughly with God and with his law and to see the compasse and breadth of it the words of the commandements are few but there are many sins forbidden in them and many duties required therefore labour to see thy sinnes convicted and thy many duties neglected The Apostle Paul thought himselfe once alive without the Law and who but he in the world he was able to carry all before him he thought his peny good silver but when the Law came saith the text then sinne revived when God had opened my eyes to see my sinne and the corruptions of my heart then I saw my selfe a dead man yet Paul was a Pharisie and brought up at the feet of Gamaliel and one that did keepe the Law of God in a strict maner Whence we learn that a man may be an ignoraÌ„t man be his parts never so great for humane learning and the â—ame Apostle saith I had not knowne lust except the law of God had said thou shalt not lust by which is meant the tenth commandement which forbids the secret distemper of the heart though there is no delight and consent to it who but Paul and yet he knew it not and therefore no wonder though many otherwise well learned are ignorant in Gods Law therefore looke your selves in this glasse of the word all you that say how ever you are not able to talke so freely as others yet you have as good a heart to God as the best I tell you if you could but see the filthinesse of your hearts you would be out of love with your selves for ever An ignorant heart cannot but be a naughty heart Thirdly binde your hearts to the peace and good behaviour and be willingly content to take every truth that is revealed without quarrelling
and I would have a man to bind his heart hand and foote that they may not dare to have any brabling against the revealed will of God that so what ever truth is delivered though never so crosse and contrary to our corrupt nature the soule may be willing to be under the blow of it and let the strength of the word come full upon the heart And this will make us feelingly to understand our conditions as in Iob when God had taken downe his proud heart see how he submits himselfe Behold I am vile what shall I say I will lay my hand upoÌ„ my mouth I have sinned but I will go nâ— further as thogh he had reasoned thus with himselfe I have I confesse pleaded too much for my selfe I have made more shift for my selfe theÌ„ was needfull I have gainsaid thy word but now no more Now if any man seeme to quarrell take up armes against the truth of God let that man know he was never truly huÌ„bled for his sins It is a sinfull rebellious spirit that carries it selfe thus against God his word the shifts whereby the soule labours to beate backe the power of the word may be reduced to these three heads First the soule hath a slight apprehension of sin and thinketh that it is not so hainous and so dangerous as those hot spirited ministers beare men in hand this is usually the common conceit of all men naturally and even of us all more or lesse to make a slight account of sinne and that for these foure respects First in respect of the commonnesse of it because that every man is guilty of it we slight it what saith one Good now what then are not all sinners as well as we though we have many faylings yet we have many fellowes If we were drunkards or whoremongers then it were somewhat Thou sayest true indeed thou hast many fellowes in thy sinnes and thou shalt have share with many fellowes in the punishment to come there is roome enough in hell for thee and all thy fellowes hell hath opened her mouth wide nay the more companions thou hast had in thy sinnes the more shall be thy plagues Quest. O saith one all the world lies in sinne and we doe no more then the world doth Answ. But if the world lies in sin Christ never prayed for the world and he will never save the world What a senselesse thing is this to be such a 〈◊〉 as God hates Is this all thy pleasure that thou art a hater of God What ods is it for a man to be stabbed with a penknife or with a speare or for a man to be murdered in the streets or in his bed so though thy sinnes be not hydious blasphemies and the like yet if they be petty oathes they are enough to sinke thy soule It is not your great swearer but no swearer shall come into the Kingdome of heaven the text saith not no great liers shall enter into heaven but no liers shall enter into heaven What differeÌ„ce is there between a man that goes to hell for open rebellion and a man that goes to hell for civill profession and what difference is there betweene an open adulterer and a secret adulterer Quest. But some will say are not all sinfull by nature and are not some saved and why not I as well as others Answ. For answer I say no man is saved by nature but if any be saved the Lord opens his eyes and breakes his heart and so it must be with thee too if ever thou thinkest to receive any mercy from God Secondly there is also a naturalnesse in a sinfull course and they say it is my nature and infirmity and I am of a cholericke disposition I shall sometimes sweare when I am angry and I cannot but be drunke sometimes when I light into good company Quest. What would you have of us Saints on earth Answ. I either Saints or Devills never sanctified never saved never pâ—rged never glorified as the Apostle Saint Iohn saith He that hath this hope purgeth himselfe as he is pure he striveth with his whole endeauour to be pure and alwayes he hath a respect to all Gods commandemeÌ„ts And as the author to the Hebrewes saith pursue faith and holinesse without which no man can be saved If thou dost say if it were an honour to pray in my family if Gentlemen and Knights did it I would doe it I tell thee if holines doth seeme to fly away by disgrace persecution theÌ„ you must pursue it Nay dost thou say it is thy nature to sinne Then I say the greater is thy wickednesse if it be thy nature so to doe We hate not a man because he drinkes poyson but we hate a â—oad because it is of a poysonus nature therfore rather mourne the more for thy sinnes because it is thy cursed nature so to doe And say Lord did only temptations or the world allure me to this there were some hope that thou wouldest have mercy upon me but O Lord I have a cursed nature and though there were no Devills nor world no temptations outwardly yet this cursed nature of mine would sinne against thee They that have received Christ have a new nature and therefore if I have a carnall corrupt nature then my condition is most fearefull And say did temptations the world allure me then there were some hope of mercy but it is my nature to sinne and therefore my estate and condition is most miserable wretched Oh wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of death Thirdly many say words are but winde and all this winde shakes no corne And so when we presse men to the inward worke of the soule not onely to keepe men from the halter but to tell them they must pull downe their proud hearts and be humbled for their sinnes and the like then they reply thoughts flie away suddenly and thoughts are free To which I answer these words are such winde as will blow downe thy soule into the bottomlesse pit of hell It is not I that say so but our Saviour himselfe By thy words thou shalt be justisfied and by thy words thou shalt be condemned though you make nothing of your swearing and idle thoughts and revilings of Gods people yet the God of heaven will require them at your hands and you shall either receive acquittance from Christ of them or else vengeance for ever for them For the Lord commeth with thousands of his Saints in flaming fire to punish not onely murtherers and adulterers and the like but all ungodly ones the Lord will call thee to an accompt for all thy abominations nay for all thy speeches against the people of God upon thy ale-bench when thou diddest tosse theÌ„ too and fro and the Lord will set thy sinnes in order before thee nay he will call thee to an accompt for them for all thy thoughts though
inlightened and touched thou wilt be much contended and comforted as David said to Abigail when shee came to disswade him from going against Nabal to destroy him she said Vpon me my Lord be this iniquitie why Blessed be God saith David that sent thee this day to meet me and blessed be thy counsell which hath kept me this day from comming to shed blood and avenging my selfe So if thou hast a good heart thou wilt not goe away repyning and fretting at the word and say the minister meant me crosseth me Take heed of this tempter of heart and if God bee pleased to carve out to any man those particular fruits that concerne his good goe away and blesse the Lord say blessed be his good word and his poore servant that met this day with my sins I never observed that pride I never observed that malice I never discovered that carelesse what became of Christ I cared not what became of his ministers I respected not what became of his name I regarded not but the Lord hath shewed me my sinnes and blessed be God for that good worke which hath beene communicated to my soule by his servant And observe this so farre as the heart is fearfull that the minister should meet with his sins so farre the heart is naught Nay if it be thus if your consciences testifie against you that you are loath to have your sinnes dealt roundly withall you thinke the ministers should be mild and not use such bitter reprehensions and sharpe reproofes I beseech you thinke of it seriously you deale with your sinnes in this kind as David did with Absalon when Ioab was to goe out he gives him charge to use him kindly and gently that is doe not kill him but take him prisoner that was his speech deale kindly for my sake with the young man Absalon Dost thou deale so with thy sinnes thou wouldest have the minister deal kindly with drunkennesse and adultery and malice do not kill drunkennesse but only take him prisoner keep him in reforme the outward face of drunkennesse that we may not be drunken in the open streets but in a corner and so that men may not sweare at every turne but when they come among gentlemen that they doe it cunningly The case is cleare thy soule if it be of this temper it never hated sinne it never sorrowed for sinne it never found the word of God working upon it for the subduing of sinne Imagine there were a traytor or rebell come into the towne that sought to take away the Kings life nay suppose he were thy enemy or the like will any one say that man hates an enemy that cannot endure to have an enemy discovered attached and brought to execution No sure but he loves him he covers him he hides him and would not have him knowne he is a lover of a traitor and a traitor himselfe else why doe you harbour a traitor you cover him that he cannot come to judgment and therefore you are a friend unto him so it is in this case Canst thou say that thou hatest sinne thou hatest malice and covetousnesse and loosenesse and prophanesse and in the meane time thy soule saith I cannot endure that the minister should discover these I cannot endure that he should attach them and arrest my soule for my covetousnesse and adultery and the like My heart riseth and I would cover it and hide it nay I can beare it out sometimes and say the traytor is not here I am not the drunkard I am not the adulterer you talke of but if the minister will pursue thy soule then thou shuttest the doore against him If it be thus with thee I tell thee thou art a friend to the traytor thou never hatedst thy sinne thou wert never yet brought to a true sight or sorrow for it Wee will now proceed When they heard this saith the text the word in the originall caryeth a continual act when they had heard there was not an end but the sting of the word did still stick in their hearts When they walked on the way that sounded in their eares I have crucified the Lord of life and when they lay downe that came into their mindes I have shed the blood of the Lord and when they arose this was their first thought I have consented thereunto and imbrewed my hands therein this stucke upon the spirits of thē and the sting of the truth would not away but after they had heard it it remained still in their hearts The doctrine is this that serious meditation of our sinnes by the word of God is a speciall meanes to breake our hearts for our sinnes After they had heard this notes a continuall action the truth of God still stuck in their stomackes the arrowes of God would not out the Apostle shot some secret shot into their soules which came home to their hearts and consciences when they heard this that is the musing and meditating and pondering of this when they could hold no longer they could beare no more but came to the Apostles and said what shall we doe Sometimes God brings a man into the Church to carpe at the minister and to see what he may have against him now if the Lord sting the conscience of that man he will heare you all the weeke after and say me thinkes I see the man still he aymed at me he intended me and me thinkes I heare the word still sounding in mine eares he is alwaies meditating on the word in this kind And a serious meditation of sinne discovered by the word is a special meanes to pierce the soule for the same this is the power of meditatiō whē David had considered the glory of wicked men how their eyes started out with fatnes and they had more then heart could wish and who but they in the world they were not troubled they were not molested then he thought they were the only men in the world when he had considered and mused of this it pierced his soule and he was vexed with it this went to the very intrailes of him and therefore that place is marvelous pregnant It was the meanes whereby Lot was so touched with the abominations of Sodome that righteous man dwelling among them in seeing hearing vexed his righteous soule from day to day with their unlawfull deeds Many saw and heard besides Lot and yet were not vexed but he vexed himselfe that is the meditation of those evils bringing them home to his soule vexed him and troubled him and the word is a fine word implying two things first the search and examination of a thing Secondly the racking and vexing a man upon the triall So it was with Lot he observed all the evils he weighed them and pondered them and then he racked his soule and vexed himselfe with the consideration of them the same word that is used here for vexing is used in the matter of a storme
the text saith The Ship was tossed with the waves So meditation doth tosse the soule with vexation It was the practice of the Church remembring mine affliction the wormewood and the Gall my soule hath them in remembrance and is humbled in me In remembring I remembred for so the originall hath it I remembred all my miseries and afflictions and my sinnes that were the cause thereof that is I still mused meditated thereof And what follows the heart was buckled and bowed thereby and was broken in the consideration thereof But you will say what doe you meane by this musing and meditating what is this meditation Answ. I answere meditation is nothing else but a setled exercise of the mind for the further inquiry of a truth and so the affection of the heart therewith There are foure things to be considered in it First it is an exercise of the mind it doth not barely close with a truth and apprehend it and see it and assent unto it and there rest but it lookes on every side of the truth It is a fine phrase of Davids I thought upon my waies and turned my feet into thy testimonies The originall carryeth it I looked upon my waies on both sides it is taken from curious workes which are the same on both sides they that work thē must oftē turn them on every side so it was with the prophet David I turned my waies upside downe and looked every way on them And so againe Many shall runne too and fro and knowledge shall be increased Runne too and fro what is that It is not the bodily removing of the man so much as the busie stirring of the mind from one truth to another it propounds one and gathers another so that it sees the whole silvage of the truth I use to compare meditation to perambulation when men goe the bounds of the parish they goe over every part of it and see how farre it goes so meditation is the perambulation of the soule when the soule lookes how far sinne goeth and considers the punishment of it and the plagues that are threatned against it and the vilenesse in it Secondly it is setled exercise of the minde it is not a sudden flash of a mans conceit upon the sudden But it dwels and staies upon a truth it setles againe and againe that it hath bestowed it selfe upon When a man is deepe in meditation upon a thing he neither seeth nor heareth any other thing else the streame of the heart is setled upon the truth conceived A man that hath beene offered an injury by another when he eares and walkes still he thinkes of his injury his heart is setled on it So your hearts ought to be on the truth The Apostle to Timothy saith Continue in the things thou hast learned the word in the originall is Be in them that is let a mans mind be moulded into the truth Thirdly it is a setled exercise for two ends first to make a further inquiry of the truth and secondly to make the heart affected therewith for this is the nature of meditation not to settle it selfe upon a thing knowne but it would either know more in those truthes that are subjected to it or else labours to gather something from them It is with the truth as it is with a man which goeth into the house and puls the latch when he was without he might see the outside of the house but he could not see the roomes within unlesse he drawes the latch and comes in and goe about the house meditation puls the latch of the truth and sees this is my sinne this is the cause here is the misery this is the plague and thus meditation searcheth into every corner of the truth Lastly meditation labours to affect the heart not only to know a thing but to bring it home to the soule these things are so know it for thy good So when a man hath viewed all and considered all then meditation brings all to the heart and labours to affect the heart therewith this is that which brings sorrow and compunction for sinne a setled exercise of the heart that meditates on sinnes that makes inquiry after them and the grounds are two and very remarkeable they are The first is this meditation makes all a mans sinnes and any truth belonging thereunto more powerfully and plainly to be brought home unto the heart It is the action of the understanding when a man doth gather all reasons and musters up force of arguments and labours to presse the soule and lay them heavy upon the heart and bring it under the power of the truth It is with meditation as it is with usurers that will grate upon men and grinde the faces of the poore and sucke the blood of the needy they will exact upon men and take use upon use they will not be contented to take the principall but they will have consideration for all the time until they have sucked the blood of a poore man that is under such a muckworme A poore man could be content to pay the principall but to exact use upon use this killes him So doth meditation it exacts and slayeth the soule of a poore sinner you have committed adultery in a corner but you shall not so carry it away This you did against the knowledge of God revealed against many mercies received against many Judgements threatned against checks of conscience against many vowes and promises remembred and Item for this and Item for that and thus meditation oppresseth the soule But then the soule will say happily it is but a trick of youth or it is my infirmity No no saith meditation this hath been your course from time to time continually that hath beene your haunt it hath beene a riveted corruption that hath fastened upon your bones and will goe to your graves with you and it will bring you to hell But then the soule saith I will repent No no saith meditation your heart is hardened in this sinne you have a heart that cannot repent nor yeeld the word of God workes not it prevaileth not the minister hath flung hell fire in your face and told you that no drunkard nor adulterer shall goe to heaven and yet you goe away no more moved then the seat whereupon you sate you have continued in sin and are hardened in sinne Thus marke how meditation exacts use upon use But then the soule replies I will goe to the word and wait upon the meanes and it may be the word will provaile No saith meditation you have despised the word and God will take away his word from you or you from his word or his blessing from both What is it a matter of infirmity No it is your continuall course And you repent No you cannot you cannot you are hardened And you hope the word will worke upon you No no it is cursed unto you Thus meditation exacts use upon use until the blood
of the soule be sucked up Meditation breakes the soule and layeth waight upon the soule in this case It is a passage remarkable of Peter the text saith when our Saviour told Peter that before the cock crew twice he should deny him thrice in the last verse of the chapter the second time the cocke crew Peter remembred the words of our Saviour when he thought therupon he went out and wept bitterly the word in the originall is this the holy man catcht all together and heaped all the circumstances together and reasoned thus the cocke crowes now I remember the words of Christ oh what a wretch am I that should deny such a master that called me such a master as found me such a master as was mercifull unto me when I never saw my selfe nor my sinnes he plucked me out from my sinnes It is that master I have denyed he came to doe me good to save me and I have denyed him Nay even at a dead lift if ever I should have defended him I should have defended him now if ever stood for him I should have stood for him now but to deny my master and forsweare him that I should do it an Apostle beloved an Apostle thus honored that I should doe it when I professed the contrary what such a master denied by me such an Apostle at such a time before such persons and forced to it by such a silly maiden All these sinfull circumstances the manner of them the nature of them the haynousnesse of them the holy Apostle laid all these to his heart and his heart sunck under these circumstances thus gathered together and he went out and wept bitterly Looke as it is in war were there many scores that came against an army they might be conquered or many hundreds might be resisted but if many thousands should come against a small army it would be in danger to be overcome Meditation leadeth as it were an army of arguments an army of curses and miseries and judgements against the soule how ever one misery or plague will not downe but a man may brooke it and goe away with it yet meditation brings an army of arguments and tells the soule God is against thee wherever thou art what ever thou dost And then the heart begins to cry out as Elisha's servant did Master what shall I doe what so many sinnes and so haynous and so many judgements denounced and shall fall upon me for them Lord how shall I doe how shall I be delivered from these pardoned for these thus meditation brings home sin more powerfully to the heart The second argument is this as meditation brings in all bills of account so secondly meditation fastens sinne upon the consciences of those to whom the word of God is spokē more strōgly in so much that the soule cannot make escape from the truth of God delivered and from the judgements of God denounced against him Sometimes when men heare the word and threatnings denounced then their hrarts are touched and they goe away resolved not to commit sinne as they have done But when they are gone it workes not but the heart recoyles againe and goeth to his owne course againe The reason is because you meditate not on the word It is with the word as with a Slave if a man have never so good a salve which will helpe a soare in foure and twentie houres if a man shall doe nothing but lay this salve to the wound and take it off it would never heale the wound and no wonder Why he will not let it lie on the best salve under heaven will not heale a sore and eate out a corruption unlesse it be bound on and let lie So it is with the good word of God many a soule heareth the word of God and his heart is touched for his sinne and his conscience beginnes to be awakened but when he goeth out of the Church all is gone his affections die and his heart dies and his conscience is not touched no wonder you will not hold the word to your soules you heare sinne and not heare it you wil see sinne and not apprehend it and therfore it is that the word over-powers not your corruptions Do you thinke the salve will work when you keepe it not on The word of God is the salve conviction of Conscience is like the binding on of the salve meditations like the binding of it to the sore remember the truth which touched thee first and keep that on let nothing take it away from thy minde hold that good word close to the soule and it will keepe thy heart in the very same temper after the delivery thereof as it was in the delivery The Apostle Iames compares a slight hearer to a man that lookes his face in a glasse slightly that forgets himselfe what visage he had but saith Who so looketh unto the law of liberty and continueth therein he being not a forgetfull hearer but a doer of the word this man shall be blessed in his deeds the Law of liberty is the Law of God and this Law being a glasse You must not onely heare and be gone and slight and neglect it but you must continue in looking and then you shall see the complexion of your sinnes and the vilenesse of your corruptions when the drunkard heareth the basenesse of his sinnes and the adulterer the basenes of his abominations they looke themselves slightly in the glasse of the Law But they must carry away the glasse with them and looke themselves still the adulterer must say I am a prophane creature and my heart is polluted Conscience defiled and this soule hardned and I shal be damned if a man should thus looke and view his sinnes and carry away the glasse with him continually he would see his life so ugly and his heart so base that he could not be able to beare it If the pills be never so bitter yet if a man swallow them suddenly there is no great distast but if a man chaw a pill it wil make a man deadly sicke because it is against the nature of it so our sinnes are like these pills they goe downe somewhat pleasantly because we swallow downe our oathes prophannes our malice and contempt of God and his ordinances and we make it nothing to mocke at the religion of God and the professors of it you swallow downe pills now but God will make you chaw those pills one day and then they will be bitter Though the swearer swallowes down his oathes now yet at last the Lord will make him remember that he will not hold him guiltlesse but araigne him at the day of judgement and make him cry guilty at the barre and againe will make you chaw over your malice you hated the Lords word and the workes of his Spirit and this will condemne you Againe meditation doth beset the heart of a man that he cānot escape wheresoever he is meditation brings
his sinnes on the teaster of his bed this is thy covetousnesse and thy pride and for these thou shalt be plagued Looke upon these sinnes they are thine owne thou hast deserved punishments to be inflicted upon thee for them thus we see the grouÌ„ds how meditation must be raised We see how we may bring meditation home to the heart we see how also we may get the life power of meditation I thought to have propounded an example that you may see the practice of the truth delivered as imagine it were the sinne of the opposing of the word I would breake my soule withall first by meditation cast the compasse of this sin looke into the word see whatsoever the word hath revealed of this sinne The text saith by this meanes the anger of the Lord is marvelously provoked in so much that he will laugh at the destruction of such Nay by this meanes Christ himselfe is despised nay our condemnation is hereby sealed irrecoverably 2. Chron. 36.16 the text saith They despised Gods word till the wrath of the Lord arose and there was no remedy Nay hereby we aggravate our condeÌ„nation For Christ saith Mat. 11.22 Woe be to thee Bethsayda Woe be to thee Chorazin for if the mightie workes which have beene done in thee had beene done in Tyre and Sidon they would have repented in dust and ashes But it shall be easier for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgement then for thee Nay the Author to the Hebrewes saith 2.3 How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation The case of such a man is desperate how shall we escape Thus you see the reach how farre this sinne goeth gather up all then and tell your hearts of this when they rebell and oppose the word of God How dare I doe this what provoke God so farre as to laugh at my destruction what despise Christ and his Spirit nay make my case irrecoverable and aggravate to my condemnation but if the heart will not stoope under this then call for conscience conscience to your charge and then conscience comes and chargeth the soule on paine of everlasting condemnation to heare and to be humbled And if this will not doe intreat the Lord to take the rod into his owne hand and bring these truths home unto the soule that it may never be quieted till it be humbled this is the course I would have you take to bring the truth home to your soules When the minister hath done his sermon then your worke beginnes you must heare all the weeke long he that never meditates of his sinnes is never like to be broken hearted for his sinnes take notice of this The text saith of these converts They were pricked in their hearts This clause of the verse discovers unto us that which brings in this shiverednesse and contrition of spirit which the Lord cals for at the hands of his servants Now give me leave to make way for my selfe by opening of the words that having taken away all the vaile from them you may more clearely see the truth delivered First let me shew you what this piercing or pricking of the heart is Secondly what is meant by heart You must know that sound sorrow or sorrow soundly set on is here meant by pricking and this word pricking resembles sorrow in three degrees For the word in the originall imports not only a bare pricking but a searching quite through and we have no word in our English tongue to answere the same word but onely a shiverednesse of soule all to pieces I say there are three things wherein pricking resembles sorrow First the body cannot be pricked but there must be some paine some griefe some trouble wrought by it and accompanying of it Secondly it is the separation of one part from another as the naturall Philosophers couceive and as the Physitian gives us to understand it is the sundering of two parts Thirdly the parts being thus pricked there is the letting of it out and if any blood or water be in that part thus pricked so answerably in this sound sorrow in heart there are three things I meane in that sorrow which is set home by the Almighty First there is a great griefe and vexation of soule Secondly by reason of the burthen that lieth upon the heart that cursed knot and union and combination betweene sinne and the soule comes in some measure to be severed and parted the soule being thus grieved with the sinne is content to be severed from it this is the thing we aime at Thirdly this knot of corruption being loosened and this closure being broken and the souldring betweene sinne and the soule being removed there is now a passage for the letting out of all these corruptions that the heart may be taken from under the power of sinne and be subject to the power and guidance of God This is the true nature of sorrow And by the way consider this unlesse the Lord should thus wound and vexe the soule the heart that prizeth corruption as a God as every naturall man doth would never be severed from it did the soule see onely the delight in sinne it would never part from it and therefore God is forced to make us feele this that we may be severed from our sinnes and be subject to him in all obedience Secondly what is meant by heart not to tyre you with any matter of signification this word implieth two things specially which concerns our purpose both may be implied and intended but the first is mainely implied and intented it is not the naturall part of a man which is in the middest of the body that is a fleshly heart but it is the will it selfe and that abilitie of â—oule whereby the heart saith I will have this and I will not have that As the understanding is setled in the head and keepes his sentinell there so the will is seated in the heart when it comes to taking or refusing this is the office of the will and â—t discovers his act there As our Saviour saith Where your treasure is there will your hearts be also And as the Apostle saith a man confesseth with his mouth and beleeveth with his heart So then they were not onely pricked as with a pinne but this sorrow seiseth upon the soule and pierceth unto the very will it was not outward overly sorrow but that which went to the very root and entred into the very heart From these words thus opened the Doctrine I might have handled from this point is that sins unpardoned are of a piercing nature they were not onely pricked because they heard the words but their sins peirced them but I will not meddle with this point though otherwise is were very usefull The use is this might take off the Imagination of those that thinke there 〈◊〉 no delight but in sinfull courses they are much deceived There is no gall but in sinne and there is no sorrow but from sinne
hides his sinne take heed that God say not Amen when thou art going the way of all flesh Then thou wilt cry for mercy but then the Lord will say remember that impostumed heart of thine might have been launced and cured but thou wouldest needs keepe thy lusts and corruptions still For the Lord Jesus Christs sake now pitty your selves if you desire your everlasting comfort now take shame to your selves that you may be for ever glorified O now launce those proud rebellious hearts of yours that you may finde some ease teare now in pieces those wretched hearts that the coare being let out the cure may be good sound Secondly this reproves the cunning hypocrit howsoever he is content to be ashamed for his sinne and to shew the foulnesse of it yet it is admirable to consider what sly passages and trickes he will have before he comes to open any thing sometimes he sends for a faithfull minister and it is his entendment to confesse his folly and yet he goes backe againe and confesseth nothing at all but if the Lord follow the close hearted hypocrit and let in some more of his indignation and make his wrath to seaze upon his soule then he sets downe a resolution to confesse all and yet there is such dawbing such secret acknowledgment of sinne it stickes in his teeth something he will say that may be every man can say against him and then he speakes of hardnesse of heart and of wandering thoughts and that which even the best of Gods people are troubled withall but he never comes to those sinfull lusts that lie heavyest upon his soule If a man that is sicke have a foule stomacke but yet is unfit to vomit it may be he casts the uppermost up but the spawne of it remaines so it is with the hypocrite he saith something and now and then a word fals from him he would faine bite it in againe if he could but there is a witnesse within that must not be seene When Rachel had stolne her Father Labans Idolls he followed after Iacob for them and searched among the stuffe but Rachel being something foolishly addicted that way sate still upon them and Laban must not search there So it is with the close hearted hypocrite he is content to confesse that which all the world cryes shame of him for but there is some Idoll lust as secret uncleannes or private theft that he will not confesse Now for the terrour of all such gracelesse persons I desire to discover two things in the point First that this is a marvelous fearfull sinne Secondly it is a dangerous sinne First me thinkes the sinne it selfe is like the sinne of Ananias and Saphyra hee sold all that he had and as the Lord moved him and commanded him he gave way to it that it should be given to the poore But when it was sold he kept backe one part of it and when Peter said Did you sell it for so much Is this all the price Yes saith he Now mark what Peter saith Why hath Satan filled thy heart that thou hast not lyed to man but to God Satan many times steps into the heart but when he is said to fill the heart he shuts out the worke of judgement and reason and the Word and Spirit and all good Resolutions in those particular occasions which concerne a man As if Sathan should say Knowledge shall not direct him the Spirit shall not perswade him the word shall not prevaile with his heart but I will take possession of him in despite of all these this is Sathans filling of the heart Thus it is with the Hypocrite his conscience is awakened and saith Thou must confesse thy sinnes or else thou shalt be damned for them the word commands thee and the Spirit perswades thee to confesse thy sinne and hereupon thou saist This is my condition and there is no ease nor comfort to be had in private means and therefore I must goe to some faithfull Minister and reveale my selfe to him and when thou hast done thou keepest backe halfe from him and thou lyest against Conscience the Word and Spirit and all and when the Minister saith Is this the bottome of thy sinne Diddest thou not commit such and such a sinne Oh! no I was never guilty of any such matter and yet thou lyest Marke what I say this is to have Satan fill thy heart thou givest up thy heart into the possession of the Devill Knowledge directs thee not the Spirit perswades not and the Word prevailes not but the Devill crowds into every corner of thy heart and thou wilt cover thy sins and so perish for them everlastingly But secondly as the sinne is vile and odious so it is as dangerous Hee that hideth his sinnes shall not prosper saith the Wiseman Howsoever thy heart may be still for a while yet thou shalt not prosper in thy Family nor in the Word and Sacraments but all meanes are accursed to thee thou shalt receive no mercy at all hee that confesseth and forsaketh his sinnes shall finde mercy but he that confesseth not his sinnes shall not finde mercy As wee use to have a neast egge to breed upon so it is the Devils cunning to leave a neast egge some bosome lust or other in thy soule and the Devill sits upon this same as upon a neast egge and when the Devill is cast out by a slight overly confession of your sinnes yet there is some secret lust still left in the heart and that will breed a thousand abominations more in you For I beseech you take notice of this the Devill returnes and brings seven Devils more then himselfe and he hatcheth seven times more uncleannesses then there was before therefore as you desire that Satan may not fill your hearts and as you desire to have any meanes blessed to you come off kindly and currantly eyther not confesse at all or else confesse currantly that you may finde mercy in the time of need The second Use is for Instruction to shew us that a broken hearted sinner is easily convicted of his sinnes and willing to under-goe any reproofe hee that will confesse his sinnes freely of himselfe will easily yeeld when hee is called upon to doe it If the word lay any thing to his charge he will not deny it a man need not bring any witnesses against him he will never seeke to cover his sinne but if any occasionall passage of speech come that may discover his sinne he takes it presently and yeelds to it and saith I am the man I confesse this is my sinne and my folly he doth not fence his heart against the truth To whom shall I looke saith God even to a man that hath a contrite heart and trembles at my word this is the root and this is the fruit the heart must be contrite and broken by the hammer of Gods Law before it can shake at the hearing of the word A
79.26.187 83.2.18 103.3.6 119.36.13 59.83 Pro. 8.19.24 Esay 5.19.49 7.18.5 17.11.29 Ier. 4.3.162 15.42 8.6.12 31.29.12 Lam. 3.19.82 20. ib. Eze. 16.16.223 30.31.244 Ezek. 36.31.11 Dan. 12.4.83 Hos. 2.2.65 15.211 3.3.175 Zac. 11.10.13 Mal. 3.45.22 Mat. 7. last 62 12 37◠43 21.45.66 27.4.240 46.57 Luke 3.11.64 12. ib. 19.10.58 23.40.222 29.42.36 Ioh. 6.44.171 Acts 3.17.38 Acts 4.22.69 5.3.235 16.30.180 Ro. 7.7.38 8.15.138 2. Co. 3.2.62 Eph. 3.19.215 20. ib. 1. Th 5.8.213 2. Ti. 1.17.138 3.14.84 4.1.72 Tit. 1.13.72 Heb. 6.19.212 2. Pet. 2.8.82 Re. 22.17.173 CHristian Reader thou hast here some sermons brought to light which by reason of the Authors absence are presented to thy view both with some lesser escapes and in more homely termes then his judicious eye would have suffered The principall faults I have here corrected those which are smaller may in the reading be easily discerned Page 30. for many read may p. 51. f. the r. they p. 63. f. sorces forces p. 78. f. carelesse carelessenesse p. 89 f. slave salve and line 32. insert is p. 94. ◠cup. p. 98. f. wherfore whereof p. 173. f. brad bad p. 142. and so in other places for happily perhaps p. 149. f. it him p. 67. f. fece fence p. 275. f. pulked plucked p. 56. blot out not p. 119. blot out this and that p. 143. blot otu the. p. 149. blot out and so forth p. 153. blot out for it is so in the second place p. 155. blot out which p. 160. blot out how I dispute p. 141. blot out in the second place p. 112. l. 11. blot out those evils and. THE SOVLES PREPARATION FOR CHRIST ACTS 2.37 Now when they heard this they were pricked in their hearts and said to Peter and the other Apostles Men and brethren what shall wee doe to bee saved IN this great worke of preparation for Christ Observe two things First the dispensation of the worke of Grace on Gods part he pulls a sinner from sinne to himselfe Secondly the frame and temper of spirit that God workes in the hearts of those that he doth draw and that makes its selfe knowne in two particulars partly in Contrition partly in humiliation For our better proceeding in the prosecution of these two maine points I shall handle them severally and at large And first we will sift out what this Contrition and humiliation is that we may not deceive our selves and thinke we have them when it is nothing so This Contrition as I conceive is nothing else but namely when a sinner by the sight of sinne and vilenesse of it and the punishment due to the same is made sensible of sinne and is made to hate it and hath his heart separated from the same and the sight of sin makes it selfe knowne in three particulars First when the soule is sensible of sinne Secondly when it hath a hearty and sound sorrow for the same and an earnest detestation of it Thirdly when he hath his heart separated from his corruptions All these are not wrought so much by any power that is in us as by the Almighty power of God working in us for the sinner would not see his sin but the Lord forceth him as the holy Prophet saith Thou holdest my eyes waking I am so troubled that I cannot speake the Lord holds sinne to a carnall sinfull wretch so that his sinne walkes and sleepeth and goeth with him nay the soule of a poore sinner would beat backe the blow and would not have the word to touch him he labours to shift off the arrowes of the Almighty which the Lord shooteth into the soule but the Lord will not suffer him so to doe Thy arrowes sticke fast in me and thy hand presseth me sore Psalm 38.2 As if the Prophet had said I would faine have beate backe thine arrowes but they sticke fast in me and I would have shaken off the burden that lay upon me but thine hand presseth me sore so then at last when the sinner sees hee cannot shake off the arrowes then he is content to bee separate from his corruptions This is in generall in the text wherin you shall plainly see these three particulars fully expressed First the sight of sinne by the hearing of Peters words and it was not by the bare hearing of his words onely but when Peter came somewhat roundly home to them and said This is Christ Iesus whom ye have crucified then followes the former worke namely the acknowledgement of their sinnes and the first cause that made them see their sinne was a particular application of their sinnes hee came punctually and particularly to them and said you are they that have crucified the Lord Christ this touched them and made them see their sinnes Secondly the daily and serious meditation and apprehension of their sinnes and of those truths which were delivered in the word hearing that is daily pondering and considering of the evills that were committed by them and shewed to them Thirdly they were pricked they did not pricke themselves but the Lord followed that truth that was delivered and by his Almighty hand did make that word prosperous to their soules and though they would not pierce themselves yet the Lord pierced them The second part of it is in these words They were pricked in their hearts not in their hands or eyes but in their hearts The third part is the separation from sin in these words Men and brethren what shall we doe Whatsoever you would have us to doe we will doe it and whatsoever sinne is forbidden wee are content to be rid of it nay nothing was too hard or too much for them Give mee leave to take a doctrine by the way from the words they when they heard this who were these they see this in the 36. verse them that had crucified the Lord of life What will some say is it possible that ever they should be so pierced frō their sinnes it was said of Iudas that betrayed Christ it had been good for that man that he had not beene borne What shall we thinke of those that murther Christ. If Iudas was damned for betraying of Christ then much more they for killing of him Is it possible the Lord should doe good unto them yes even they came to be pricked in their hearts From these words this doctrine ariseth It is possible for the most stubborne sinners upon earth to get a broken heart They that stoned the Prophets and killed them that were sent unto them and sleighted all the meanes of grace they that refused Christ and would not heare him they are now brought upon their knees and are resolved now if any course might bee taken to get Christ and mercy Titus 12.13 one of their owne Prophets said the Cretians are alwayes lyers evill beasts and slow bellies a man would thinke it a vaine thing to medle with them they are such desperate wretches but the text saith Reprove them sharply that they may be sound in the faith so
and stubbornnes be such vile sins in others then they are so in me and as there must be a sight of our personall particular sinnes so Secondly the soule must be set downe with the audience of truth and the conscience of a sinner should be so convicted as to yeeld and give way to that which is knowne as not seeking any shift or way to oppose that truth which is revealed his particular apprehension of sin is like the inditement of a sinner before God and his conviction is that which brings the soule to such a passe that the heart will not nay it dares not nay which is more it cannot escape from the truth revealed As when a man is only arested and no more he may escape therefore it is not enough particularly to arest the soule and bring it under command that it cannot shift from the truth revealed When the Lord comes to make rackes in the hearts of such as he meanes to doe good unto the text saith he will reprove the world of sinne that is he will convince the world of wickednesse he will set the soule in such a stand that it shall have nothing to say for it selfe he cannot shift it off for there is in every mans heart naturally such corrupt carnall pleading that it labors to defeat and put by the worke of the word that it may not come home to the heart As a man in battaile array labours to put by the blow that it may not hit his body so it is with a corrupt heart when the word comes home to the soule as it doth sometimes into the heart of a drunkard or an adulterer or a murtherer and the word of God seemes to stabbe the heart they put by the word of God by carnall shifts and so breake the power of it that it cannot have its full blow upon the soule and so the word takes no place to any purpose in them Now this kind of knowledge takes away all shifts that the soule hath nothing to say for it selfe and pluckes away all defence that the edge of the word cannot be blunted but that it will fall flat on the heart this is that I would put to your consideration punctually When there is that wisedome and knowledge revealed to the soule so powerfully that it prevailes with the heart and it gives way thereto so that all the replies and pleas of the soule be taken away and the soule falls under the stroke of the word not quarrelling but yeelding it selfe that the word may worke upon it and withall there is a restlesse amasement put into the heart of the creature and a kind of dazeling the eye so that the soule is not content now before it see the worst of his sinne that is revealed and then it lies under the power of that truth which is made knowne these two make it plaine The minister saith God hates such and such a sinner and the Lord hates me too saith the soule for I am guilty of that sin Many times when a sinner comes into the congregation and attends unto the ordinary meanes of salvation if now the Lord be pleased to work mightily at last the mind is enlightned and the Minister meets with his corruptions as though he were in his bosome and he answereth all his cavills and takes away all his objections With that the soule begins to be amased to thinke that God should meet with him in this manner and saith If this be so as it is for ought I know and if all be true that the Minister saith then the Lord be mercifull unto my soule I am the most miserable sinner that ever was borne Give me leave to open a passage or two this way Suppose there be an ignorant creature that knoweth nothing and he thinkes God will pardon him because he is so he need not consider of this or that which the minister calls upon him for see what God saith to such in Esay It is a people of no understanding therefore he that made him will not have mercy on them and he that formed them will shew them no favour You thinke to carry all away with ignorance but the God of heaven will shew you no pitty and he that made you will not save you When a poore soule begins to consider of this he that made us wil save us Will he not no he will not Not one of you not your wife nor children nor thy servant this drives the soule into amazement when the Lord works this truth in him and he frequents the ordinances more diligently and saies if it be so my case is fearefull In conclusion he finds every minister saith so and all writings confirme it and he seeth it is so indeed and it is the will and way of God Then the soule is cast and saith I see this is just my estate and condition therefore woe to me that ever I was borne This is right conviction and though his carnall neighbours come to him and beginne to cheere him up and say The Lord is more merciful then men are ministers must say something c. If the heart be truly convicted it returnes this answere and saith I have thought as you doe but now I see there is no such matter these are but figtree-leaves and will not cover my nakednesse It is true Christ came to save sinners and he came to humble sinners too he came to bind up the heart and he came to break the heart too This is a great part of the spirit of bondage spoken of Rom. 8.15 Wee have not received the spirit of bondage to feare againe When God hath revealed a mans bondage to him So that sees he himselfe bouÌ„d haÌ„d foot for marke it so long as a man keepes in these carnall shifts he is not in bondage But when he is once in bondage and fetterd he saith If ever any had a proud heart I am he If ever any were prophane I am he And if ever God hated such wretches he hateth me Now there is no escape there is no plea at all he will not go away say there is no such matter Ministers many say what they will No no the soule that is truely conuicted of sinne yeelds it selfe and saith I have sinned Oh what shall I do unto thee thou preserver of men saith Iob as if hee had said Lord I have no plea at all to make nor no argument to alledge for myselfe I onely yeeld up the bucklers I cannot say so bad of my selfe as I am I have sinned Lord what shall I doe unto thee Oh thou preserver of men thus it is with a heart truely convicted and throughly informed of the vilenesse of sinne he doth not withdraw himâ—elfe and play least in sight but he saith this is my condition just the Lord met with my heart this day God resists the proud prophane in heart and he resists me too I have heard much and would not be informed
therefore it is just with God to harden my heart for ever the Lord hath come ofteÌ„ with many loving perswasions to allure me draw me to him If the devill had had the meanes that I have had he would have been moved and more bettered by theÌ„ then I have beene and have done more then I have done I have hated and despised all and to this day I have not beene brought upon my knees shall not Christ rule over me and yet save me No it cannot be except I can bring my necke under the yoke of the Lord Jesus Christ it is not possible I should be â—aved by him I excuse not my selfe Lord nay I confesse I know more then all the men in the world can speake by me and I yeed to all this and more what shall I say I have sinned O thou preserver of men The reason why and how it comes to passe that God deales thus with poore sinners is taken from the office which the Lord hath placed between the heart the man the ground lies thus There are two things in the soule First you conceive and understand a thing Secondly you will and choose it The first is the inlet of the heart so that nothing can affect the heart but so farre as reason conceiveth it and ushers it home to the soule thereupon the heart as the King hath his Councellors which call all matters before them and consult about businesse then they bring them before the King to have a finall sentence from him to know what he will have and what he will not have So the understanding is like the Counsellors and the will is the Queene the understanding saith this or that is good then the will saith let me have it the understanding saith these and these duties are required and the will imbraceth them the understanding conceives what sinne is and the will saith these and these evills have I done and they will cost me my life if I repent not As it was with Iob when his Oxen and Cattell were taken it never troubled him because he never knew it but when he heard of it by the messengers he said Naked came I out of my mothers wombe There must be a messenger before he can be grieved for the evill So it is with the soule of a sinfull creature the Devill hath made a prey and a spoile of him thou camest into the world in Adam wise holy and gratious but he hath made thee unholy and ignorant and thou considerest not this till God by his Ministers opens thy eyes and makes thee see plainely that the Image of sinne and Satan is upon thee and that God is now become thy enemie and that now thou goest on in the way to destruction and art become the heire apparant of hell And when these evill-tydings come to the understanding that leaves them upon the heart and will of a man and so lets it worke effectually upon it as God doth blesse the same as Paul saith I know that through ignorance they did it if they had knowne the Lord of life they would never have crucified him This is the cause why we commit sin because we see it not and therefore we sorrow not for it As it is with some hot Clymates in the world though there be never so much heat in the sun yet if there bee no entrance for the heat into the house it will not scorch nor heat any so the understanding is like the doore or entrance into the house and sin is of a fiery scorching nature if there be no passage and if the minde know not and if the will affect not sin it will never scorch his conscience though a man carry sin enough in his bosome to sinke his soule for ever yet wee suffer it not to worke upon us and wee attend not to it because the brazen wall keepes it off as the proverb is that the eye never sees the heart never rues Because we see not our evills and discern not our sinnes so clearly as we should therefore it is impossible we should be touched for them as we ought to be The first use is for instruction from the former truth delivered we may learne that an ignorant heart is a naughty heart and a miserable wretched heart whether it be out of ignorance that cannot or out of wilfulnesse that men will not apprehend their conditions both are marvelous sinfull and miserable I desire to deale plainly in this point because I know there are many that doe flatter themselves in their conditions and thinke all is well with them I will say nothing of the cause but I appeale to the hearts of all that heare me this day your selves shall be judges in these particulars Imagine you did see a poore sinner come before you and lay open his condition and bewaile it with bitternesse saying that for his owne part he never did find his heart touched for his sinnes nor sorrow for his corruptions did ever enter into his soule but he hath lived senselesse and carelesse for this wounding of spirit he counted it a wonder for this humblenes of heart it was ever a ridle unto him let any one passe sentence upon this man now and tell me seriously what do you thinke of such a person I heare me thinkes every man reason thus and every mans heart shakes at it saith Good Lord what a senselesse poore ignorant creature is this If no humbling for sinne no pardoning for sinne and no share in Christ no salvation What is this a good heart that is not in the way to receive any good If a man be never broken for sinne God will never bind him up and if never humbled and burthened for his sinne God will never ease him of it Therefore woe to that soule that is thus miserable and accursed I beseech you passe this sentence against your selves Oh brethren the hearts of men are past this brokennesse of spirit nay they are enemies to it they never had their judgments cleared and convicted of their sinnes and therefore their hearts were neuer broken and this brokennesse is so farre from their heart as it never came into the head we thinke not of the foule nature of sinne Doest thou thinke this to be a good heart that was never humbled prepared for Christ alas it is so farre from being truly wrought upon that it was never in any way to pertake of mercy from God therefore thy condition is marvellous miserable thy misery is as great as thy sinne if not greater because when a sinfull creature is wounded and gauled for his sinne there is some hope he may be cured and helped but an ignorant soule is not capable of it he is in hell and seeth it not he is under the power of Satan and thinkes himselfe at liberty nay for the present he is uncapable of any good from the meanes appointed to that end It is with an ignorant
they are sudden and quickely passed over as the Prophet Ieremiah saith O Ierusalem wash thy heart from wickednesse how long shall thy vaine thoughts remaine in thee Whatsoever men thinke of thoughts yet they are the very life and sinewes of sinne and they are brought forth by meditation of a mans corruptions in this kinde A man may sinne more in thought then in any other kinde whatsoever both in regard of the vilenesse of sin and his unavoydablenesse thereof A theefe cannot robbe all the towne but a covetous man may wish all in the towne were hanged that he might have their goods and so an adulterer cannot commit sinne with every woman in the towne but he may lust after both the godly and prophane and he may commit adultery both with the chast and unchast too in his thoughts A man may sinne infinitly in this kinde and never have done for no company nor place can hinder an adulterer from sinning and lusting nor the malicious man from envying in his heart nor the covetous man from desiring the goods of other men Though thou darest not cut the throat of a minister yet thou canst malice all the ministers in the countrey Fourthly the soule hath a strange inward resolution of â—leaving to sinne whatsoever can be said or done to the contrary And this inward resolution of the soule hath a delight in corruptions though he die and be damned for the same this plucketh the heart from the word and layeth so many mists upon the understanding that it cannot see the truth when the soule hath nothing to say for it selfe it falls to open and profest reviling of Jesus Christ and defying of him and hence it is that after many good arguments the soule stands as it were at a set and saith I will not beleeve it though there were five thousand Ministers to perswade me to it and why doth he so hath he any argument to alledge No not a word but he that is proud will be proud and he that is a swearer will sweare and will not make conscience of any thing this comes from a proud and a sturdy heart When Ieremiah would have convinced the people of their sinnes and of the punishments threatned to them they said Thou speakest falsly there is no such matter So it is with many a carnall heart now a dayes if the minister of God will not please their phantasies then all the businesse is they knew all this before when as indeed they knew nothing at all Therefore saith God Take heed there be not in any of you a root of bitternesse if the soule heareth the law and blesseth himselfe in his wickednesse and saith I shall have peace though I walke after the imaginations of my owne heart the Lord will not spare that man but the Ielousie of the Lord shall smoake against him this roote of bitternesse is nothing else but sin and a resolution to continue in it For the Lord Jesus sake consider this there are too many of these in the Congregation wilt thou not beleeve Gods word I tell thee thou deniest almost that there is a God and thou renouncest the Lord Jesus Christ and salvation by him thou saiest in effect there is no God and that there is not any meanes of grace revealed What devillish blasphemy is this Let me speake to the terror of all such hearts hell never entertained any such thoughts the devils in hel for ought I know have not any such profest resolutions the devils beleeve and tremble the devills beleeve that the Scriptures are the word of God and they know there is infinit mercy in God but they shall never tast of it and they know all the plagues threatned shall come upon them and they snake and tremble at the remembrance of it What do the devills consent to the word of God conceive of it and know that it is the truth of God and shall be made good upon them Then good Lord of what a strange temper art thou that wilt not beleeve it that wilt not consent that it is true the devill is not worse then thou art in this case I must confesse that the consideration of these passages sometime makes the soule of a poore minister shake within him and were it in my power as it is not the first worke that I would doe should be to humble and breake the hearts of all such vile wretches but all that I can or will doe is this that which the holy man Moses spake and he spake it with a marvellous caution you that never came to the height of this horrible contempt take heed that there be not any man among you that saith It shall goe well with me whatsoever the minister saith It is as much as your soules are worth and to such as are guilty of this sinne I wil give the same counsell that Peter gave to Simon Magus who had a base esteeme of the gifts of the Spirit O saith Peter pray that if it be possible the thoughts of thy heart may be forgiven thee It is a fearefull thing it is a marvellous opposing of grace And for you whose eyes God hath opened goe home consider of the miserable estate of all such as lie in this sinne goe to prayer and send up requests in the behalfe of all such poore creatures and say Is it so Lord that there are many such who have the name of Christians that will not be reformed nor humbled good Lord that many that have the name of Christians will not come in thy word will not prevaile nor take place in their hearts Good Lord breake their hearts in pieces breake in upon them and let thy word overcome them in mercy and compassion and bring them to the true knowledge of sinne here and happinesse hereafter And thus much of the first Cavill Secondly the soule saith I confesse I see more now then ever I conceived of before I did not conceive that sinne was so haynous and so dangerous as it is Now I see it is marvellous great and dangerous yet this is my hope that whatsoever falls it will not light upon me and therefore what need I care I hope to prevent it and then all will be well When the word comes faire full upon the conscience of a man and would pierce his heart and meets him in every place as the angell did Balaam he will have some fetch or other to put by the word and he saies I hope for all this the danger shall not fall upon me Now the way that the soule useth to put by the word and to prevent the danger threatned appeares in these three particulars The first is this how ever sinne is never so vile in it selfe and he is guilty thereof yet he thinks the God of heauen doth not attend to his sinnes or else he is not so just or righteous that he will punish him for them Indeed if he were some
day of accompts there was never sâ—nner broken hearted but God did bind him up and there was never any truly wounded for sinne but God did ever heale and comfort him and therefore labour to looke your face in the glasse of Gods Law and so see your owne spots I confesse this is tedious to your sinnes the plagues due to them but looke thou on them that God may not If an adversary offer meanes of agreement we use to say suffer it not to come to the publike triall for the case is naught I say it will be so with every wicked mans case the Lord hath a controversie with every wicked man and it must be tryed in the publike day of judgment or else you must make a private agreement betweene God and your owne soules If there be any drunkard or adulterer or unjust person that is guiltie of any sinne you had better take up the matter in private Doe not feare to looke upon your sins but bring theÌ„ all out before the Lord and see the ugly face of them and intreate the Lord to seale up unto you the pardon of them that you may never be called to an accompt for them I tell you it is the most comfortable course in the world The last use for instruction to all my fellow brethren let me speake a word to them and to my selfe too let us all take that course in dealing with the people and Gods ordinances which God himselfe takes up As the steward disposeth of every thing at his masters will and the Apothecary orders drugges as the Physitian appoints so let it be with us to we are but stewards and Apothecaries let us take that course and use those meanes that God hath appointed for his peoples good God saith you must see your sinnes and be humbled for them and therefore let us labour to make men see them as the Apostle saith I hope we were made manifest to your Consciences Did not your Consciences say so that you could not gaine-say it we must take up that course the Scripture hath revealed and which the faithfull servants of God have ever used and which God hath ever blessed nay it is our wisdome so to doe Mathew the seventh and the last Christ taught the people with authority not as the Scribes there is a kind of commanding power which the word ought to have upon mens Consciences if a man be a sinner it will reprove him and command reproofes to sease upon him and if he be in distresse of Conscience it will command comfort to take place in his heart Give me leave to speake my thoughts and it is my judgement too What doth it profit a man to scrape up a little Greek and Latine together and to leave the sense of the Scripture undiscovered and the Conscience no whit touched nor the heart stirred He that knowes any thing this way though he were but an ordinary schoole-boy that had but any skill in the tongues if he could not doe it he should be scourged by my consenâ— But let it be in case of Conscience a poore soule comes to anguish of spirit the onely way to â—et this man on foote againe is to answer all his objections and questions and resolve all his doubts and to make the way good and the case cleare Alas this course is not knowne amongst us And in the way of examination if a man come to examine a sinner he takes away all his cavils and all his carnall shifts that he hath to hinder the word and forces the soule to say It is Gods word though he will not entertaine it Let a man try this course and he shall finde a marvellous difficulty this is the reason why our ministery thrives not and the hearts of men are not wrought upon because we labour not the right way to shew men their sinnes and to convince their conscience that they may not flinch out from the ordinances of God Nay I take it to be the speciall cause why after all the pretious promises that God makes knowne no man receives good by them We offer salves to them that know not whether they have any sores or no And we offer Physicke to those that we know not whether they have any disease or no we speake of grace Christ but people thinke they have no need of theÌ„ suffer me to speake my mind herein freely That ministery which doth not ordinarily humble the soule breake the heart doth not convert and draw to Christ but that ministery that doth not inlighten the mind and convince the soule of sinne that never humbles ordinarily and therefore never doth draw home to Christ Now we come to shew the causes why and the meanes how sinners come to see their sinnes The Apostle speakes it to their faces You are they that have committed this sinne you have crucified the Lord of life this is your sinne The Doctrine from hence is this A speciall application of particular sinnes is a chiefe meanes to bring people to a sight of their sinnes and to a true sorrow for them The Apostle doth not generally propound their sins but he comes home to their hearts and it is not onely done in this place but it hath beene the practice of all Gods faithfull ministers heretofore As Iohn Baptist he goes not cunningly to worke secretly to intimate some truths but he deales roundly with them and saith O generation of vipers who fore warned you to flie from the wrath to come And he shewes them their sinnes in particular And when the publicans came to be baptised he saith Receive no more then is appointed for you and he saith to the souldiers Doe violence to no man and be content with your wages he was the minister of humiliation and preparation and therefore he deales thus plainely with them When Ahab had slaine Naboth the Prophet Elias came to him and sayes In the place where dogs lickt the blood of Naboth shall dogges licke thy blood Ahab said Hast thou found me out ô my emenie And he said I have found thee out because thou hast sould thy selfe to worke wickednesse in the sight of the Lord and the text saith When he heard this he put on sacke-cloth and went softly This was the power of a particular reproofe though he were a miserable wicked man Thus did Paul deale with Peter wheÌ„ he halted before the Jewes he did plainly reprove him to his face and that not secretly but because he had sinned openly therefore he reproves him openly so also our Saviour Christ shakes up the Scribes and Pharisees And this is the rule in generall as the Apostle saith Reprove theÌ„ sharply that they may be sound in the faith Oh! but some will say If I doe thus plainly deale with them I shall discourage them altogether Answ. Nay it will make them sound Christians indeed see what the Lord saith Plead with your mother the word
would give any thing I might live under his ministery It is just Ahabs old humour he could sute seasonably with foure hundred false Prophets and if there had beene five thousand more they should all have been accepted of him but when Iehosaphat said Is there never another Prophet of the Lord Oh yes saith Ahab there is one Micaiah but I hate him he never spake good to me that is he never soothes me up So it was the temper of the people mentioned in the Acts when the Apostle saw they were a rebellious people he deales plainely with them but they cryed Away with such a fellow he is not worthy to live What said they then it seemes we shall be cast off from the Lord and be his people no more they were not able to beare that people in this case deale with Gods faithfull ministers as the widdow of Sarepta did whē the Prophet had told her that the meale in the barrell and the oyle in the cruse should not decrease all this while he was welcome but when her child was dead Oh what have I to doe with thee thou man of God thinking indeed that the Prophet had killed her sonne So all the while we set the doores open wide that all the drunkards and adulterers in the country may goe to heaven you like us well enough and we are as welcome as may be and we are marvellous good preachers and you thinke us fit for the pulpit but if we come once to lay sinne to your charge and to threaten condemnation for it to say If God be in heaven you shall never come there if you continue in your sinnes oh then they are up in armes and say as the widdow did Are you come to slay our soules and awaken our consciences beloved this argues a spirit that never found the power of the word But it is our duties and we must doe it and howsoever it is not accepted of the wicked yet it shall finde entertainment with God and he shall give us our reward at that great day Secondly it is a word of reproofe suffer me to deale plainly in this kinde if particular application be so powerfull and so profitable let me speake a word of my selfe and to my fellow-brethren It falls heavy on us that are not willing to practice the same but rather oppose it in others that desire to doe it this plain and particular application is accounted a matter of sillinesse and want of wisedome and rashnesse and a thing which befits not a pulpit but a mans words must be sweet and toothsome and he must have a tender hand over men whosoever they be be they never so prophane Nay I dare say if the Devill himselfe were here he 〈◊〉 not be troubled ministers must lay bolsters under mens heads and sow pillowes under their elbowes that they may sit easily and not trouble drunkards and adulterers but let them be still in their sins and so let them goe downe to hell this is that which the Devill loves and takes much content in And it is certaine if he could prevaile no other course should be taken up if a great man be present or a patron that we looke for a living from if my eares had not heard it I could not have beleeved it it is strange to thinke how they daube this over If their sinnes be so grosse that all the Congregation would cry shame if he did not reproofe them what will they say reprove you we will not we dare not but beseech you and desire you as every man hath his infirmitie a word to the wise is sufficient c. I blame my selfe so farre as my base feare possesseth me but brethren what will become of preaching in conclusion if this may take no place in the hearts of people and yet notwithstanding all this there is one thing to be considered if there be but any upright hearted minister or sincere Christian that is more exact then ordinary what will the carnall ministers doe though they have no reason in the text no ground in the word to warrant them though they cannot condemne a poore Christian upon good grounds yet they will invent new wayes and wrest the Text to dishonour Gods name and then in all bitternes they can vent themselves against faithfull Christians and conscionable ministers and hence the hands of the wicked are strengthened and the hearts of Gods people are much daunted and the Gospell of Jesus Christ prevailes not in the heart of such as it is preached unto Let us see what it is that God requires of us marke the severe charge and command that the Apostle gives his scholar Timothy I charge thee before God and the Lord Iesus Christ who shall Iudge the quicke and the dead preach the word be instant in season and out of season reprove rebuke as if he had said the stubborne hearts of men need this specially reproving and therefore doing this is the maine thing that God requires and the maine end for which the word serves Sharp reproofes makes sound Christians He that heales overly hurts more then he heales are there not many to be humbled and are there not many lusts raigning in the hearts of men and women Let us therefore throw away this shamfull hiding and make our ministery knowne to the soules of those to whom we speake Object But some will object against this preaching that it is nothing but the rashnes of mens spirits a kind of rayling that fits not a pulpit Answ. To this I answere the Prophets of God ever used and practised it and the holy Apostles which were inspired in an extraordinarie measure of the spirit did imitate Christ and his Prophets and God commanded Esay to lift up his voice as a trumpet and shew my people their transgressions and the house of Iacob their sinnes That is tell the drunkard and adulterer of their sinnes Did Christ and his Apostles raile Are these men onely wise Oh fearefull that the soules of men should be so desperately transported against the truth of God you that have had any such thoughts against the power of God in the ministery of the word repent and pray that if it be possible the words of your mouthes and thoughts of your hearts may be forgiven The Apostles and Christ himselfe used this kind of teaching Woe unto you Scribes and Pharisies seven times together if Christ had now lived you would have said he had railed Oh fearefull I tell you this is the next sinne against the sinne of the holy Ghost Object Ay but Secondly they object in this last age of the world there is a difference to be put it is true if men were not taught this were necessary but now in these times of knowledge what needs all this adoe all those troubles and reproofes what shall we make men to be chamlings to mince their meat for them no set their meate set the word before them and
they are wise enough to take their meat and to apply the word to themselves Answ. To this I answer three things I confesse it is true the Lord blessed be his name hath made his word more evidently knowne then formerly and yet there is a great deale of knowledge wanting in the most sort of men nay I can speake it by experience that the meaner ordinary sort of people it is incredible and unconceiveable what Ignorance is among them Nay I will be bold to justifie it that he that thinkes himselfe the wisest in understanding if we come home to him by way of examination we shall make it known to him that he knowes little or nothing of which he should and ought to know But Imagine men had the knowledge of the word that is not the maine end of preaching to instruct men but to worke upon their hearts When a man hath taught men what they should doe he is but come to the walls of the Castle the fort is in the heart the greatest worke of the ministery is to pull downe the wills of men that know the truth of God and hold it in unrighteousnesse Nay they that doe know it how dull are they in the performances of these duties God calles for at their hands so that we had not onely need to mince their meat for them but even to put it into their mouthes nay they sleepe with meat in their mouthes I appeale to you that are inlightned in the knowledge of the truth doe you not finde dulnesse of minde and indisposednesse of spirit in the performances of those duties God calls for at your hands It was spoken by a reverend Divine that the freest horse needs sometimes a spur to pricke him forward so I say the best Christian needs a sharpe reproofe to pricke him forward in a Christian course But thirdly if reason cannot prevaile they dash this preaching out of countenance Object and say when men want matter to make up their sermons then they ransacke mens consciences and apply unto them their particular sinnes and so they make up their sermons Answ. To this I answer againe then our Saviour Iesus Christ wanted matter he presseth their faults to the Scribes and Pharises seven times together nay in the sixt of Iohn he presseth on truth nine times his aime and end was namely that he was the bread of life he followeth it and setleth it on them Now in these mens judgements Christ wanted matter he had not wherewith to spend the time therfore he spake to the hearts of men and came home to their Consciences but to say the truth the ground of their cavills that are cast against this kinde of preaching is because this troubles the hearts of those to whom we speake brings vexation to the soules Do we want matter for our preaching no but this I say it is an easie matter for any man to observe truths out of a text to lay forth a point this is an easie thing for any one that hath a judgement inlightned in the Scripture but for a minister of God in the worke of examination to drive the soule of a carnall man to a stand that he cannot escape to make him goe away and hang the wings in so much that the soule shall be humbled or else goe away and snarle at the truth and reproofe delivered Or for a man to uphold a soule in the time of trouble to comfort it and take away all doubts I say this is the hardest matter for a minister to accomplish under the Sunne in the worke of the ministery I speake for these two passages that all the world may know what belongs to the worke of the ministery and also that al the world may know if men take any distaste at this kinde of preaching we care not it is our dutie The third use is for exhortation if this be our duty it ought to stirre up the heart of all the people of God to set an edge on their affections that they should desire this manner of teaching and when God maketh his truth thus knowne to us we should submit to the power thereof You have most need of this and there is most profit in this and therefore your hearts ought to be more inlarged to the coveting and submiting thereto And therefore you that are hearers suffer me to provoke you to it when the time comes that you are to approach to the house of God pray unto the Lord that he would direct you and that the minister may come home to your hearts bring your hearts to the word as the people did their sacrifices in the old law they brought them and laid them on the Altar that the Priest might kill them and divide them So bring your hearts under the power of Jesus Christ that they may be cut and divided that you may be let blood in the right veine that your corruptions may bee subdued that they may have their deaths wound given them take up that resolution of the Prophet David I will heare what the Lord saith to my soule I will not heare what the Levit saith to the Courtier or to the commons but I will see what the Lord saith to me Oh say some the minister speakes home to such a one he touched him to the quicke What is that to thee Will anothers mans salve cure thee therefore labour that the Lord may come home to thy particular that the Lord may salve thee and cut thee and save thee for thy everlasting comfort You are wise for the things of this life you will be content to part with any thing that may procure your comfort if a father were now on his death bed making his will every child would thinke what doth my father give me For if a man be bidden to a Feast he is not content only to have the meate set before him but if the master of the feast will carve for him he will take it kindly Every faithfull minister is the father of the people and they are his children they are the Stewards of the Lords house and give to every one their portion terrour to whom terrour belongs and comfort to whom comfort belongs Therefore when you come into the congregation and see the minister giving and parting to every one his doale reproofe here and instruction there looke up to heaven and labour to get some thing to thy owne particular and say as Esay did in another case something for me Lord something for me instruct me reprove me make knowne my sinnes and discover my abominations when the dainties of salvation are distributing You that are at the lower end of the table thinke with your selves will the dish never come to the lower end Oh that the Lord would now guide the minister to lay his hand on the sore of this cursed infidelitie of minde Oh that the Lord would knocke downe that sinne of mine this day And if thy heart be any whit
them The mind happyly hath conceived and fadomed these truths and brought in these occasions and yet for all this the mind stirres not the heart workes not I say therefore when your meditation is thus raised you must have this skill to follow home the blow and make it worke kindly on the heart and that is done by these three things When your meditation is up there is another thing which is the following of it home to the soule and that appeareth in these three particulars The first is this when we have conceived aright of sinne and the nature thereof and the punishment due thereunto then doe not rest in the bare consideratiō of these things but never leave the heart be still musing of these things and bring these blessed truthes home to the soule binde these things on the wil and affections hold them and fasten them there force them upon the soule that the heart may not make an escape take notice of it it is a rule I would have you consider of never leave meditating til you finde your heart so affected with the evill as your mind judgement conceived of the evill before namely let the heart feele that evill it conceived let the soule feel that gall to be in sin which the mind apprehended to be in it you see these sinnes loathsome and abominable make the heart feel them and be affected with them the heart will fly off now therefore it is the cunning of a Christian to lay at the heart and pursue it continually and hold these truthes to the soule and at last it may be under the dint of the blow and the power of God makes the soule feele and finde and be apprehensive of the gall and bitternes and vilenes of the evill as before it conceived it so to be It is not enough for a man to exercise himselfe in the meditatiō of sin but a mā must bring his soule in subjection under the power of that meditation a man must not only chew his meat but he must swallow it also if he meane to have it nourish him meditation is when the heart swalloweth downe these sinnes that is when he labours so to be affected with sinne and the nature of it as it doth require Meditation in this case is like the beleaguring of a Citie when a Citie is wisely strongly beleagured and beset roūd about they doe two things first they batter it from without as much as they can and secondly they cut off all provision and reliefe from comming in and so the city being partly battered from without as much as they can and being hindred from all reliefe comming in in conclusion when they see the enemie is strong and no provision can come to them they are contēt to yeeld the City and render up themselves and if they send a parly to him that doth besiege it and say they are ready to perish why he bids them deliver then and they shall be provided for he bids them yeeld and they shall be succoured and before that day there is no supply shall be brought into the City So it is with meditation and here is the cunning of a Christian. Do as wise Souldiers doe cut off all provision that is by serious meditation bring thy heart to such a loathing of sinne that it may never love it more besiege the heart with daily meditation that so you may cut off any ease and refreshing that the heart may seeme to have in any sinfull course if the soule be looking after any sinne if the soule would goe out a litle to occasions and take delight in his corruptions the drunkard in his company and the wordly man in his wealth then batter that When you are thus affected beleaguer the way that you may finde no comfort no ease and when the soule is looking after occasions and lingering after his abominations then say to your hearts you will have your sins though you have your shame with them you will have your corruptions though you have your confusion with them when the soule would meddle with these let meditation knocke off these If you be still proud and malitious and quarrelling take heed you cannot have these but you must have hell and all you cannot have these but you must have destruction and all the mercy of God will be not abused and the justice of God will not be provoked and God will be revenged of you and at last the heart by this meanes will be troubled Why deliver up your sins then and your soules if your hearts find any sorrow and anguish why then yeeld up your souls unto Christ that you may finde as much comfort in a good way as you have done misery in an evill way Thus by meditation make the heart see those evills nay thus by meditation make thy heart see those evills and the punishment that shall be executed for those evills Secondly when you have made the heart thus affected with sinne then take heed that the heart doth not flie off and shake off the yoke Imagine meditation brings all those sins and miseries and vilenesse all are brought home to the heart and the soule is made sensible by this meanes Hold the heart there then labour to keepe the heart in the same temper that it is brought into by the consideration of sinne for this is our nature when the strooke is troublesome that lieth upon us and the sinnes are hainous that lie upon us and are committed by us these sinnes these sorrowes these judgements when the heart feeles this it is weary and would secretly have the wound healed quickly and the sorrow removed and the trouble calmed Take heede of this and labour to maintaine that heat of heart which you finde in your selves by vertue of meditation this is the pitch of the point as there must bee subjection unto meditation the heart must be so affected with sinne as it conceived it to be so there must be attention that is the soule must hold it selfe to that frame and disposition so wrought as it should be Looke as it is with a Gold smith that melteth the metall that he is to make a vessell of if after the melting thereof there follow a cooling it had beene as good it had never beene melted it is as hard haply harder as unfit haply unfitter then it was before to make vessell of but after he hath melted it he must keep it in that frame till he come to the moulding and fashoning of it So meditation is like fire the heart is like a vessell the heart is made for God and it may be made a vessell of grace here and of glory hereafter Now meditation it is that melts the soule the drosse must be taken away from the soule and sinne must bee loosened from the heart Now meditation doth this it melts the soule and affects the soule with the weight of sinne now when you have your heart in some measure melted keepe it
there doe not let it grow loose againe and carelesse againe for then you had as good never have beene melted And that is the reason why many a poore sinner that hath sometime beene in a good way and the Lord hath come kindly and wrought powerfully on the heart and yet at last it hath grown cold dumpish as hard as ever he was againe and the worke is to beginne againe And take notice of it looke as it is with the cure of the body if a man have an old wound and a deepe one two things are observable it is not enough to launce the wound and draw out the corruptions but it must be tented also for if the wound be deepe it must not be healed presently but it must be kept open with a tent that it may be healed soundly and thoroughly so it is here meditatiō whē it is set on doth launce the soule it launceth the heart of a man and it will goe downe to the bottome of the belly When a man seeth his sinne and weigheth his sinne it will goe downe to the bottom sometime and when your heart is thus affected do not heale it too soone but hold the soule in that blessed frame disposition For as meditatiō doth launce the soule so attention doth tent the soule keepe the soule therfore so troublesome and sorrowfull that so you may be healed soundly thorowly and comfortably I use to finde this by experience a City that is be leaguerd and wonne he that hath won it sets a Garison over it that he may keepe it for ever under So when the soule hath beene wonne by the stroke of meditation affecting the heart with sinne then set a garison over the soule and keepe it in awe set a garison over the Conscience and keepe all downe keepe all under that it may submit it selfe and that kindly under the stroke of the truth for it were a blessed frame if we could alwayes be so in that temper that we are in when we are first humbled for our sinnes The third rule which is marvelous usefull is this when the soule hath beene affected with sinne by meditation and kept to sinne by attention then know how you must stint your soules know therefore that the soule must be so farre kept to the consideration of sinne that it may seeke out for pardon for sinne This is a point of marvelous use and you must give the leave to be inlarged because there are many deceits this way in the spirits of a man for marke it this is the cunning of the Devill if it be possible he will keepe a man that he shall never see muse nor be troubled for sinne and therefore he doth plucke him off and sends him to company on one side and merriment on the other side that by this meanes he may keepe him from serious meditation of the evill But if it be so that God wil make a man meditate of his sinnes and that the heart of a sinner is fully resolved to muse and ponder and consider of his corruptions If he will pore upon his sinnes then he shall see nothing else but sinne and thus the Devill hath hindred many a poore soule from comming unto Christ and frō receiving comfort of him he shall now be alwayes poring upon his corruptions and therefore here lies the skill of a Christian not to neglect meditation and therefore here is the stint of meditation of our sinnes you shall thus discover it So farre see thy sinnes so farre be affected with them so farre hold thy minde to them that they may make thee see an absolute necessity of a Christ and that these sinnes may drive thee to the Lord Iesus Christ for succour here is the maine thing observable and thus farre we may goe and must goe if ever God intend to doe good to our soules and therefore when thou settest thy soule and bestowest thy selfe to muse and meditate upon thy corruptions and lay them to thy heart when thou findest thy soule to bee affected with them and humbled under them labour then to see an absolute necessity of a Lord Iesus Christ and so farre see them that they may drive thee compell thee to seeke unto Christ for mercy and this is all God lookes for all the Lord requires and cares for in this preparation or preparative worke And therefore take notice of it see thy sinnes so farre as they may make thee meerely looke for a Christ and to fall upon the armes of Gods mercy in and through Christ. For it is not sorrow for sinne nor humiliation nor faith it selfe that can justifie us in it selfe but onely these must make way for us to a Christ and through him we must receive comfort for these two be the speciall extreames that the Devill seekes to drive a man into If a man presume of a mans owne sufficiency then he thinkes he is well and he will not goe to Christ because he thinkes he doth not stand in need of Christ and if he despaire of his owne abilitie he will not goe to Christ neither and here is the ground why a sinner despaires it is not by reason of any sinne excepting onely the sinne against the holy Ghost despaire is not grounded there for Cain despaired yet Manasses committed greater sinnes then Cain and despaired not but the soule despaires out of stoutnesse of heart because it hath not sufficiencie in it selfe it will not looke out for helpe and comfort from another presumption saith I have sufficiencie in my selfe and need not goe unto Christ and despaire saith I have not sufficiencie and therefore will not goe to Christ here is the property of despaire to cast away hope when a man hath no hope that God will helpe him now all the while the soule lookes for sufficiencie from Christ there is hope for though our sinnes bee never so hainous that 's nothing all the question is whether we can hope in Christ For if all the sinnes that ever were are or shall be committed ranne into one man as all Rivers runne into one Sea Christ could as easily pardon his sinnes as ever he pardoned the sinnes of any Saints in heaven but here is the ground when we looke into our selves we can see there is no sufficiencie to comfort us and we will not goe to Christ that we may be comforted and so we come to be voide of hope and to despaire a despairing heart is a proud stubborne heart because he cannot have what he would of his owne therefore he will not goe to another to receive it and so sinkes downe in his sinnes And therefore let this be the period and stint of meditation when the soule so farre seeth sinne and the punishment deserved by it that the hart is resolved that none but Christ can take away these sinnes and the punishments due to them and is resolved to seeke to Christ and be beholden to him for all when it is thus with
and pitch of meditation thus farre see and affect and drawe your hearts to the consideration of your sinnes that the soule may be forced to goe to Christ and use all meanes to find him pray for a Christ heare for a Christ use all meanes and see a need of a Christ to blesse thee in all thy services and see a need of a Christ to pardon thy sinnes and then you take a right course And thus much for the second passage now we see how to follow meditation home that the soule may be affected therewith and holden thereto Ay but you will say our thoughts are dull and our meditation fraile and our wants heavy and little good we get by this meditation we fall to sinne againe how shall we come to get the life of meditation that it may be to us as it ought to be I answer the meanes to make meditation powerfull are two I confesse after a man hath mused and pondered it is possible that a corrupt heart may recoile and fall backe againe therefore there are two helpes to put more life into meditation First labour to call in the helpe and assistance of conscience that meditation may be more fruitfull and powerfull conscience is a great commander it is Gods vicegerent and chiefe officer and God is the general overseer of all the affaires of the world but conscience hath authority to execute Judgement according to the sentence God hath revealed and hath a greater command with the heart then bare meditation hath understanding and reason are but the underlings of the wil they are but servaÌ„ts subjects to the wil and these only suggest and advise unto the will what is good as a servant may suggest to his master what is good and yet his master may take what he list refuse what he please in this kind But conscience hath a greater command Rom. 2.15 conscience is said to accuse or excuse a man and conscience comes with a law and a command as the Apostle saith 1. Iohn 3.20 If our hearts condemne us conscience makes the heart to yeeld I compâ—â—e it thus look as it is happily with a man that is in debt if a man have a writ out for him he is not troubled greatly with that he will not goe to prison because of that nay though he shew it him yet he will not goe but if he brings the Sergeanâ—â—o arrest him then he must go and and then he must be imprisoned whether he will or noe So it is here meditation brings in the writ and sheweth a man his sinnes layeth open all his duties neglected so many hundred duties omitted so many thousand sinnes committed so many prophanatioÌ„s of Sabbaths so many oathes so many blasphemies but the soule saith What is this to me I have sinned and others have sinned and I shall doe as well as others but conscience is a Sergeant and Sergeants do your office these are your sinnes and as you will answer it at the day of Judgement take heed of those sins upon paine of everlasting ruine When conscience begins thus to arrest a man then the heart comes and gives way to the truth revealed and conscience thus settles it upon the heart The Second meanes whereby meditation may get power upon the soule is this we must cry crave and call for the spirit of humiliation and contrition that God by that blessed spirit of his which in Scripture is called the spirit of bondage would set to his helping hand assist conscience his officer take the matter into his owne hand and because there are many rebellious corruptions that oppose Gods truth we must call to heaven for helpe that God would seise upon the heart and breake it A perverse heart will linde the Judgement and say I will have my sinnes though I be damned for them and when conscience comes and saith I will beare witnes against you for your pride and covetousnesse and prophanesse They resist conscience Looke as it is if a Sergeant arrest a man he may escape his hands or kill the Sergeant but if the Sheriffe or the King himself come take the prisoner in hand then he must goe to prison whether he will or no so it is here though a corrupt heart can stoppe conscience stay conscience yet there is a commanding power of Gods spirit the spirit of humiliation And when God comes from heaven to aide his officer the heart must stoope and be governed Looke as it is with a child that is under government his father perhaps bids the servant correct him now it is admirable to see how the child will taunt with the servant and struggle with him mightily now when the father heareth this he saith Give me the rod and he tells the child you would not be whipped but I will scourge you and he will set it home and plague him so much the more because he resisted the servant So it is here the Lord hath revealed his will and sent his ministers to discover your sins and verrifie your hearts it is strange to see what resistance we finde one scornes to heare and rebells against the minister Well however the voice of the minister or the word cannot make the blow fall heavy enough for the time yet if the Lord take the rod into his owne hand he will make the stoutest stomack stoope and the hardest heart come in when the father takes the rod into his hand and lets in hell fire he will set it home take it off who will or can the Apostle cals it the spirit of bondage and observe the place When the spirit of bondage commeth then commeth feare The spirit of bondage is said to be the spirit of feare as who should say the Lord sheweth a man his bondage by the Almighty power of his Spirit and will make the soule feele it and stoope unto it In Iob the Lord doth shew unto men their workes and then he commands them to returne he openeth their eare to discipline saith the text and commandeth that they returne from iniquity he openeth the eye and maketh a man see his sinnes and then he commands the heart to returne whether it will or no. When the Lord doth shew unto man his sinnes and holds him to his sinnes that he cannot looke off them this is the worke of the spirit of bondage when conscience hath done his duty and yet his mouth is stopped then the Lord himselfe comes and however the word by the mouth of the ministery could not prevaile yet God will set the sun-light of his spirit to your soules and then you shall see your sinnes and stoope under them When a man would cut off the sense of sinne yet where ever he is and what ever he doth the Lord presents his sins to him when he goeth in the way he reades his sinnes in the pathes when he is at meate his sinnes are before him when he goeth to lie downe he goeth to read
heart hath formerly received from Gods Spirit For sanctification comes after justification and after the soule hath received faith and grace then the heart hath a new power given unto it whereby it is able to set forth it selfe into any holy action so that in this a man is a free worker whereas sorrow in preparation is a worke wrought on me and I am a patient and doe onely endure it but I have not any spirituall power to doe any thing of my selfe Now mark what I say both these are saving for rows but they differ marvelously many thinketh at every saving work is a sanctifying work w ch is false for every saving worke is not a sanctifiing worke as the Apostle saith Those whom he calleth them he also justifies and whom be justifies he glorifies Glorification implies sanctification here in part and glory for ever hereafter there is a saving worke and calling but yet not sanctifying worke for vocation is when God so farre enlightenâ— the minde as to buckle the heart and to turne it away from corruption to him and then afterwards God brings the heart to be justified and then sanctified they are first called and then justified and then glorified The difference of those 〈…〉 is thus to be conceived in this similiâ—udâ—â— as it is with the wheeles of a clocke thâ—◠〈◊〉 quiâ—e wrong what must a man doe to set this clocke â—ight againe he must 〈◊〉 stoppe it 〈…〉 no longer wrong and then turne it and set the wheeles right now all this while the clocke is a patient and the workâ—man doth all Secondly wherein is thuâ— set right then the work man puts the plunmets and weights on it and now the wheeles can runne of themselves by vertue of that poise and weight they have gotteÌ„ so that these two are plaine different actions Just so it is with the 〈◊〉 of the soule the will and the affections which are as the wheeles of this great and curâ—ous clocke for the soule goes hel-ward and sin-ward and the minde knows nothing and the will and the affections imbrace nothing but hell and sinne now to bring these into any holy order the Lord must stoppe the soule and that is done by the discovery of sinne and by this humiliation of heart when the Lord lets a man see his sinne and saith to him If thou wilt have sinne thou must have hell and all together and then the soule saith if it be so I will meddle no more with sinne the adulterer will be uncleane no more and the drunkard will bee drunke no more Now when the soule is thus turned it looketh heaven-ward and God-ward and is content Christ should rule over it All this while the soule is a meere patient this is a saving worke a worke of Gods Spirit where ever it is soundly wrought and will in the end be faith and grace But now when the soule is seâ— heaven-ward God justifies a poore sinneâ— and pluckes him to himselfe by faith and adopts him to be his child then the Lord gives him of his Spirit and this is as the weight of the soule then by the power of that spirit the soule is able to runne right hath a principle of grace in it and the poise of the spirit of grace which doth possesse the soule makes it able freely to mourne for sinne and to have the heart inlarged in the service of God this is mainely the sanctifying worke Quest. The second question is this whether doth the Lord worke this in all and whether doth he worke it in all alike or no. For I perceive the hearts of many poore Christians are gasping for this the Lord never wrought upon me in this maner and my heart was never thus battered bruised therefore how shall we know whether the Lord doth worke this in all or no and in all alike Answ. For the answere of this question I will handle three things First the worke is the same in all Secondly the maner is different in the most Thirdly many have it in them and yet perceive it not how or when it was wrought First this work of contrition of heart is wrought in every one in this worke of preparation before he is or can be planted into Christ for the truth of this and the substantiall nature of it Scripture is plaine and reason is pregnant Scriptures are many I will only name three as that in Luke our Lord Jesus Christ came to seeke and to save that which was lost We may observe two things first the qualification of that party whom Christ will seeke and save he must be a lost man in his owne apprehension secondly see the certainty of salvation of such a one Christ came for this end he came to seeke up and save that which was lost Now Christ will not misse of his end he came for the lost sheepe then the lost sheepe he will have though the lost sheepe cannot seek nor save theÌ„selves yet Christ will save them Thus you see all men must be thus disposed before they can be saved and if thus fitted and disposed they shall be certainely saved It is not enough for a man to be in a miserable estate and damnable condition but he must also see it and his heart must be truly affected with it and finde and feele the but then of it not so much for the punishment but for the sinne whereby his heart is estranged from God and also God from his soule Now that the sensiblenesse of his lost condition is there spoken of and this man that hath it shall be saved may appeare because the sensiblenesse of a mans condition in regard of the punishment of sinne is such as a man may have and yet never have grace and salvation Cain had the feeling of Gods wrath and felt the punishment of it and so did Iudas also and yet they were never sought up nor saved The second place of Scripture is out of Iohn No man commeth to me except the father draweth him by comming you must conceive beleeving as in that famous place of Iohn He that comes to me shall never hunger and he that believeth in me shall never thirst Now this text implyes two things and they are profesly granted by the intendment of the Apostle for the people murmured why the Pharisies and the great ones beleeved not and followed not Christ to whom Christ answeres Vnlesse my father from heaven draw them they cannot come so that these two things are cleare first a man must be drawne secondly if he be drawne he shal surely come This drawing is thus much when God opens the eye of a man and makes knowne his sinne sets downe the heart in the acknowledgement of sinne so that he feeles the vilenesse and the burthen of it and is content to part with the fame When the Lord shal lay all a mans abominations upon him all his adulteries and all his thefts and
now he sees what it is to depart from a blessed and a pure God O then he will be drunke and uncleane and malitious no more because the heart is weary of it and is content to part with it From hence I reason thus true drawing is ever accompanied with true beleeving but this sense of sinne in regard of the punishment of it is not alwaies accompanied with true beleeving but a man must see his sinne further in the vilenes of it and in the abomination of it and then he shall undoubtedly beleeve The streame of the whole Scripture runnes this way as that in Matthew Come to me all yâ—â— that are weary and heavy laden and I will ease you and this is that which Esay saith The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he hath anointed me to preach glad tidings to the meeke he hath sent me to binde up the broken hearted to proclaime liberty to the captives the opening of the prison to them that are bound to proclaime the acceptable day of the Lord and to comfort them that mourne Nay the garment of gladnesse is fitted only for the broken hearted as in the third verse of that chapter To appoint unto them that mourne in Sion to give unto them beauty for ashes and the oyle of joy for mourning and the garment of praise for the spirit of heavinesse Nay the promises of largest extent in Scripture doe either expresly belong unto such as aâ—â— broken in heart or else they doe imply so much that a man must be so before ever God can or will accept of him As in the Revelations Hoe every one that will let him come freely and take of the water of the well of life and live for ever So then some may say Object though a man were not broken hearted yet if he will take this water of life he shall live for ever Answ. Nay but except he be broken hearted and humbled he will never take it as a man must have grace so he must will the water of life now to will the water of life is this to choose grace as the chiefest good and to prize grace more then any thing else in the world and to esteeme the Lord Jesus and his grace truly pretioâ—s A man is said to chuse a woman when he is content to part with all for her and to have her for her grace sake so a man must part with sinne and himselfe and whatsoever is deare to him that he may haue grace now he will not part with sinne unlesse he be weary and burthened with it and therefore this wearying implyes the burthening of the heart with sinne thus much for the proofe of Scripture Now to adde some â—easons that may compell our Judgements to yeeld to this truth and they are taken First from the qualification of mans heart naturally and secondly from what he must be before he can receive Christ. I will discover my thoughts in foure conclusions and thus I reason It is a confest case I conceive that every man by nature doth entertaine sinne as his God and seekes and loves that most of all himselfe and his sinne is his God In this case it is his chiefest good and the heart will not nay it cannot be content to part with it What is the cause that we propound Christ and grace and salvation to a company of poore simple creatures and yet the counsells the promises and commandements of God prevaile not with the heart of them nor awe them but still they will have their sinnes and the offer of Christ and grace lies in the dust the adulterer will have his queans and the drunkard will have his cups they will not suffer the word to plucke away their corruptions but they will have them though they be damned for them what doth this argue but that sinne is their God Nay it is cleare not only in palpable reason but the Scripture is evident this way It is the match Christ offers to the young man if he would sell all and follow him he should have treasure in heaven he was covetous and this was fayre offer for a little trash he should have everlasting life now the text saith he went away sorrowfull he would rather have his covetousnes and his wealth then heaven The second conclusion is this there cannot be two Gods in one heart two Kings in one throne nor two Suns in one firmament you cannot have Christ and yet be an underling to sinne will Christ be a Physitian to heale you that you may have your sinnes still No our Saviour is plaine to the contrary you cannot serve God and Mammon If the adulterer will have his queanes then he must forsake the Lord and if he will not part with his lust nor have his heart circumcised nor broken then he must goe downe whole to hell as the Prophet said Why halt you between two opinions if God be God serve him God will bochiefe in the soule It is not possible to have heaven and hell together it is impossible for a man looke up to heaven steadfastly with both his eyes downe to the earth both at one time Thirdly you must of necessity cast off the yoak of corruption and rebell against that you must have your first god pride and malice and the like to be unthroned before the Lord Christ wil set up his scepter and before he can be welcome to your soules you must have your hearts divorced from your first husbands from sinne and all those abominations which you have loved and hugged as your life if ever you would have Christ make a match with you and take possession of your soules as the Lord saith Thou shalt â—e as a widdow and fit for me and as the originall hath it Thou shalt be separate from all and fit thy selfe for me and then I will marâ—y thee to my selfe in righteousnesse Lastly the soule will not 〈◊〉 with his corruption and lust which are his god unlesse he be wearied with them and finde the gall and bitternesse of their evill nature I say till then it is impossible that ever the soule should be separate from that sinne wherein it hath found such contentment therefore it is of necessity that they be parted but before the soule seeth the venom of sinne it will not part with it and so he cannot come to receive the Lord Jesus Christ and hence it is that the Lord in his infinite wisedome is thus not only willing to doe for a poore sinner but to force him to it for there is such love and liking to sinne that if you pull away the adulterers queanes and the drunkards pots you had as good kill them and they begin to say It was well with the towne before the minister came there the reason is because he would have his sinne Now the Lord is pleased to lay a heavy weight upon the â—oule and to force the burthen
thy many distempers the longer seed time the greater harvest and so howsoever this sorrow is troublesome now it will be very comfortable in the end and though it be tedious to lay all these cursed abominations upon thy heart yet it will not be harsh when the Lord remembers you in his Kingdome it will never repent you that you have had your hearts humbled and broken when the Lord comes to heale you and it will never repent you that you have wept when the Lord comes to wipe away all teares frō your eyes Blessed are they that mourne for they shall be comforted saith our Saviour but Woe to you that are at ease in Sion there is a time of mourning for sinne you cannot have ease and quietnesse alwaies you had better now be wounded then everlastingly tormented And therefore if you desire to see the face of God with comfort and to have Christ speake for you and say come you poore heavy hearted sinners I will ease you if ever you desire this labour to lay load on your hearts with sorrow for your sinnes Oh what comfort shall ◠poore broken heart finde in that day David saith A broken and contrite heart O Lord thou wilt not despise When men goe into a farre countrey for merchandize they will not take rattles and such toies for their money but such commodities as they may get something by so when the Lord comes for broken hearts you must not thinke to put the Lord off with a little painted sorrow No no it is a broken heart that the Lord wil not despise Would you know what kinde of heart the Lord will accept and never cast off It is a broken heart tell your friends and neighbours of it me thinkes you looke as if you would finde acceptance with God and goe to heaven oh then get an humble lowly broken heart the Lord regards not all the rivers of oyle in the world not a hundred thousand fasts but it is a broken heart that God will blesse and glorifie Looke as it is with a womans conception those birthes that are hasty the children are either still borne or the woman most commonly dies so do not thou thinke to fall upon the promise presently Indeed you cannot fall upon it too soone upon good grounds but it is impossible that ever a full soule or a haughty heart should beleeve thou maiest be deceived but thou canst not be ingraftted into Christ therefore when God begins to worke never rest till you come to a full measure of this brokennesse of heart Oh follow the blow and labour to make this worke sound and good unto the bottome and then you shall be sure to receive comfort as the Prophet David saith Our eyes are up unto thee till thou have mercy on us Let your consciences be wounded throughly and kindly resolve not to heare the cursed counsell of carnall friends that say what neede you mourne O poore fooles there is not any even the civillest professor in the Kingdome but if God did discharge his sinnes to his heart as hee could doe it were enough to make him goe howling with sorrow to his grave therefore humble your selves before God and never be at rest till the Lord shew mercy to your soules never unburthen your soules before God ease you and do not breake prison For if you doe God will send after you with a witnesse No no When God hath put thee into prison breake not out til God send to deliver you and then your hearts will be filled with comfort soundly humbled soundly comforted If a man be lost Christ will seek him up and save him Quest. Now it may be some poore soule will say How shall I bring my heart to this sound worke indeed Answ. For answere to this I will shew three meanes whereby the Lord workes this sound conviction First when the Lord begins first to worke upon you and you begin to see your corruptions then possesse your soules with the apprehension of the ticklishnesse of your condition wherein you are this worke is great and marvelous inward and you may be easily deceived and the danger is great if you be deceived it is in this case with the soule as it is with a ship on the sea when the marriners passe by and see the rockes where such and such ships have beene split and the men and all lost they are very wary to steere aright and to direct their compasse aright but neare sands and rockes they will not come So it is with this humbling of the heart many have beene cozened and deceived therein therefore now hold this rule Let that soule whose eyes God hath opened and brought under his blowes let such I say rather feare he is not sound in the worke then feare that he shall not have ease for every man saith I pray you Sir comfort and refresh me and will God never give me comfort Oh now you goe wrong many perish because they goe off from this worke so soone but never did any perish because he received the worke soundly Therefore reason thus with thy owne heart and say Good Lord be merciful to me my condition is very tickle If now I be deceived thē farewell comfort Was not Cain and Iudas vexed and disquieted and yet damned This is a great point of wisedome and sinks many a Christian I know what I say as it is with child bearing a woman when her throwes come often and strong there is some hope of deliverance but when her throwes goe away commonly the child dies and her life too So it is in this great work of contrition which is nothing else but the child-birth of the soule when your throwes goe away take heed that your salvation goes not too once you could say the minister spake home to my heart I remember the time full well Why then what becomes of all your sorrow You can be as carnal as secure as ever it is certaine you are in child-bearing but your throwes have left you and your brokennesse of heart is gone and therefore you are in an ill case surely at some low ebbe of grace Againe if a mans heart be soundly broken though he fal into some sinne he may be recalled but if he have not his heart soundly broken he is undone If the foundation be naught the building must needes fall So it is in this preparation of the soule for Christ if this be naught all comes to naught therefore be so much the more fearefull of your soules because your condition is so much the more tickle in this then in any thing else and rather desire soundnesse then quietnesse Secondly when God stirres doe you stirre your hearts too be you stabbed further make the blow goe deeper therefore wheresoever any truth goeth neere thy heart and awakens thee looke up to heaven and blesse God for it and labour to drive the naile home to the head and make the salve sinke into
Object Oh! many are they that have it could I feare God as I should and seeke for mercy as I ought then there were some hope but I have no heart to endeavour or desire after any mercy and I cannot bring my soule nor submit my will to yeild and therefore shall I ever have any mercy Answ. Why not thou too Doth God sell his mercy No he gives it freely God keepes open house Oh the freenesse of that mercy and goodnesse that is in God! he requires nothing of thee to procure it but he shewes mercy because he will shew mercy thou hast no will but God hath a will and his shewing of mercy depends not on thy wil but upon his owne freewil It is true God will make a man will and break his heart because no man otherwise can be saved but it is as true that Christ will give you brokennesse of heart as well as heaven and salvation I will take away the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh and cause you to walke in my wayes saith the Lord hold this truth in thy soule As there is no worth in the soule that can deserve any thing at Gods hands so there is no sinne the sinne against the holy Ghost only excepted that can hinder the freenes of Gods grace from saving of us if thou belong to him he will hale thee to heaven and pull thee from hell he will make thee lie in the dust and wait for mercy come groveling for his grace and that freely without any thing on thy part Who is a God like to thee saith Micah who pardonest iniquity because mercy doth please thee The Lord sheweth mercy not because thou canst please him but because mercy pleaseth him And in Esay he saith I am he that blotteth out thy offences for my owne names sake But the soule may say Object they were Gods people that did humble themselves and they had hearts to feare him Answ. See that in the twentie fourth verse Thou hast brought me no corne neither hast thou filled me with the fat of thy sacrifice but thou hast wearied me with thy transgressions yet the Lord saith I am he that pardoneth thy sinnes Thou saiest if thou couldest pray and humble thy selfe there were hope of mercy the text doth not say It is a sinner but it is I a God that must doe it this is the freenes of his grace But some may object Object Is it possible that a man should receive any mercy yet be so stubborne and rebellious This makes way for drunkards to live as they list and yet thinke to goe to heaven Answ. I answer It is true the Lord will pardon thē if they belong to him but he will doe it with a witnesse the Lord will dowze that soule of thine in the veine of his vengeance but he will pardon thee too God will pardon thy sinne in Christ but he will make thee feele the bitternesse of sinne Lastly consider the abundance of mercy and goodnesse that is in God whereby he not only strives with us in the midst of all rebellions but he is more mercifull then we are or can be rebellious this helpes the heart of another thing that cuts it For when the soule seeth all his sinnes for number for nature so many and so abominable he saith Object Can mercy be shewed to such a wretch as I am Answ. Yes for as God is al-sufficient and his promise free so he hath plenty of mercy for the worst he exceeds in mercy all the sinnes that can be except that against the holy Ghost and therefore the soule throwes it selfe upon this the Apostle saith Where sinne abounds grace abounds much more lest any man should say Let us sinne that grace may abound the text saith in another place whose damnation is just This knockes off fingers though a sinfull wretch abuse God and Grace yet mercy will overcome the heart in this case but it will cost him deare though thou turnest the grace of God into wantonnesse the Lord will turne that wantonnesse of thine into bitternesse the Lord will sting that heart of thine one day and make thee see whether it be good to forsake mercy when it is offered it will be easier for Sodome then for thee when thou shalt see a company of poore Sodomites frie in hell howsoever God may bring thee to heaven yet he will make thee frie in hell and he will make thee thinke a Sodomite to be in a better condition for the present then thou art Object But some will say God cannot in justice save such a wretch as I am For answer to this see what Saint Iames saith Mercy rejoyceth or triumpheth over Iustice howsoever Iustice saith he must be plagued yet Mercy saith Christ hath made a plentifull satisfaction for him then mercy triumpheth over judgement so then if God be al-sufficient and his promise free and his mercy superabundant then we may be stirred up to hope for mercy from God our hearts may be supported herein for ever Now I come to some other particulars that are plainly exprest in our text First they made a free and open confession of their sinnes they did not stay till the Apostle went to their houses but they went to him and said Men and brethren you have spoken against the sinne of murder and we confesse we are guilty of this sinne they saw their sinnes and confessed them openly before the Apostles The Doctrine which ariseth from hence is this When the heart is truly broken for sinne it will be content to make open free confession thereof when a man is called thereunto or thus sound contrition brings forth bottome confession Men and brethren What shall we doe to be saved as if they had said the truth is we have heard of the feareful condition of such as have killed the Lord Jesus and we confesse whatsoever you have said he was persecuted by us and blasphemed by us we are they that cryed Cucifie him crucifie him we would have eaten his flesh and made dice of his bones we plotted his death and gloried in it these are our sinnes and haply a thousand more that then they revealed and this is remarkable They goe to Peter and the other Apostles they did not goe to the Scribes and Pharisees and that cursed crew Whence observe this by the way when the soule is thus truly broken generally it will never repaire to such as are carnall and wicked men for these people knew that the Scribes and Pharisees had their hands as deeply imbrued in Christs blood as themselves and besides they knew them to be such naughty packes that they would rather incourage them in their sinnes then any way ease them and recover them from the same therefore they went to the Disciples because they were holy and gratious persons and willing to succour them and it is certaine that soule was never truly broken for sinne
that goes for helpe to such as are guilty of the same it is suspitious that these men goe only to stoppe the mouth of conscience but never to have conscience awakened You see our converts here went to the Apostles not to the Scribes and fellow-murtherers but this by the way only I goe on in the former point A broken hearted sinner knowes more by himselfe then any man can doe when a man is pinched with famine or drought he will open his wants fully and freely and so a man that is sicke and hath some heavy disease upon him will tell of more paines and gripings then any Physitian can doe So it is with the soule that is deadly sicke in the â—ight of his sinnes and abominations Quest. But now a question will grow from hence May not a wicked man that never was truly broken-hearted make a large and open confession of his sinnes Answ. I confesse that in the horrour of conscience he may doe it with the dogge returning to his vomit and with the Sow to her wallowing in the mire now the hogge that is kept in a cleane meadow will looke somewhat white but if he comes from thence hâ— will lie downe in the first durty puddle he comes at so there are some sinners that have beene well trained up and live in a good familie they are a little cleansed but when they come to live among wicked coÌ„panions they grow as prophane as the rest and yet all this while they are hogges and will murmur at others that are more holy then themselves Now the dogge is he that hath had his eyes opened and his conscience awakened and some horrour laid upon his soule and this doth make him disgorge himselfe for a while to ease him of his horrour but when that man returnes to his sinnes he will snarle and bite too and fall heavily upon Gods people so much the more because he hath confest his sinnes thus it was with Iudas he swallowed downe his thirtie pence but God made him come and acknowledge his sinne and take shame to himselfe and yet a Judas a devil at this day in hell I tell you this his confession out-bide most people in our generation the fish is conteÌ„t to nibble at the bait and so is taken with the hooke and when it hath the hooke and bait too it would be ridde of both so when horrour of conscience hath fastened upon the soule of a man because of sinne he could be content to vomit his sinne and all up and yet he is a very beast Quest. Againe this question may arise here doth confession argue true contrition Answ. I answere there is a kinde of confession which no man attaines unto but he hath a broken heart Iudas nor no carnall heart under heaven comes to this and you must know there is no word spoken by the one but may be spoken by the other and therefore the difference is not froÌ„ the words but from the inward frame of the heart and for the opening of this truth I will propound and shew these two things First the confession of a poore broken hearted sinner Secondly I will shew you when the Saints of God are called to confesse For the first the difference betweene the true and the false confessioÌ„ is discovered in these three particulars First they differ in the end a broken hearted sinner confesseth his sins that he may take shame to himselfe and glorifie God this is the frame of the soule that truly confesseth his sins he doth it to honour the Gospel which he hath so much dishonoured to discover the vilenesse of his person and of his sinne that he hath so much set up he is willingly content that the glory of it may be Gods and the shame his owne Consider that passage of the good Thiefe upon the Crosse when the reprobate was going to be executed for his sinne he railed upon Christ whence observe this by the way a wicked man will be a wretch though he should goe to hell presently now when he was railing see what the Good thiefe replies Fearest thou not God we have sinned and are justly punished for our sinnes to die and goe to hell too if God be not the more mercifull this man you see was content to fal out with himselfe and his sinnes and to honour the justice and holinesse of God in condemning of him So in Ezekiel the text saith They shall remember their waies that were not good and shall be ashamed that is they shall take shame to themselves they shall not shrinke for the same a gracious heart cannot tell what to doe to make sinne and it selfe base enough before God that his soule and sin may fall out one with another As in the example of Zacheus whereas the confession of a carnall hypocrite comes not so currantly off it sticketh in his teeth he begins to confesse something and then he stands he saith something and cals it backe againe and is loath to take any shame for the evill committed and therefore haply he will come when he is called and goe away and confesse nothing at all Nay if a minister heare any thing of him he will hide it and tell a flat lie rather then take shame to himselfe for it it is true a carnall hypocrite may confesse sometimes to give the minister content as commonly such doe he may confesse to get inward with a man and to get commendations nay he may confesse to sinne more freely without suspition for charitie beleeves this that when a man hath confessed his sinne he will never sinne in that kinde againe nay sometimes he doth it to stop the mouth of conscience and therefore when conscience is full of horror to quiet conscience and to stil the clamor thereof he is content to reveale his sinne that so he may have some secret peace for his sinne thus far they differ in their ends Secondly they differ in their grounds the cause and ground of a broken hearted sinner it is from the loathsomnesse and vilenesse that the heart seeth in sinnâ— and therefore it confesseth to free it selfe from that sin and to let out all those abominations that are so loathsome and tedious to him as the sinner that is truly burthened is to confesse all his sinnes so especially those that are most loathsome and secret even those sins whereby the heart hath bin most estranged from God for as before the soule did confesse sinne freely because he was content to take shame to himself so now he doth it to ridde himselfe of the same Then a man feeles sinne kindly when it goeth to the very inwards of the soule it is in this case with a broken hearted sinner as it is with that part of a mans body that is impostumed or the like wheÌ„ the impostume is ripe if it be lauÌ„ced to the quicke the very coare and all comes out bâ—t if it be pricked with a pinne there may some
may be eased and cured Lastly if a man have beene guilty of common open sinnes and it is knowne abroad that he hath beene an open swearer and adulterer if God hath broken his heart thorowly for his sins and he lies it may be upon his death-bed and now enjoyes the company of a faithfull Minister or some holy Christian he is bound to acknowledge his sinnes that as God hath beene dishonoured by him so now hee may honour God and shame himselfe and discourage the hearts of those wicked wretches that have shared with him in the sin if ever he be truly broken and if God throw him on his sicke-bed and these things be layed to his charge he will cry out of himselfe and say Oh I have hated the light of Gods truth I did persecute the cause of godlinesse I was a persecutor and blasphemer saith Paul so it will be with your proud and rebellious hearts if ever God open your eyes and awaken your consciences as they must be eythâ—r here or in hell Therfore when your companions come about you cry shame of your selves and say The Lord knowes and all the country knowes that I have beene a drunkard and an adulterer it is the gall of my heart Now if God had not beene mercifull unto me I had drunk and drunk my last it hath cost me deare and so it will be with you too It is strange to see how God throwes some upon their death-beds and fils their consciences full of horrour yet a man cannot wrest a word from theÌ„ Nay though all their drunken companions come about them they have not a word to say to theÌ„ I doe not thinke that the heart of any Christian wil endure it if ever God break his heart kindly Thus you see when a man is bound to confesse his sin this is farre enough from the tyrannicall confession of that strange popish doctrine of auricular confession they hold all men are bound whatsoever their condition be whether their sins be pardoned or unpardoned they are bound to confesse all their mortall sinnes and to expect their pardon authoritatively from the Priests hand upon the paine of great matters The aime of the papists herein is first to snare mens consciâ—nces and secondly to picke mens purses for when a man hath confessed his mortall sinnes his conscience is snared and then they must give so much money for the pardon of them agreeable to the offence Now we bind no man upon paine to come necessarily but if hee can get pardon from God in the use of the meanes and get power against his corruptions in this case we injoyne no man to confesse but when the Saints doe come it is not because we wil or can sel pardoÌ„s but only to fit them for mercy And this is the truth and that our Church holds This falls marvelous heavy and foule upon those that are so farre from this duty that they are opposite against it and account it a matter of madnesse and childishnesse to acknowledge their offences to any man Men would be comforted in regard of the sorrow they feele but they would not be content to open their sinnes and take shame to themselves This harbours in the hearts of many carnall wretches and so they are deprived of the fruit of the Gospell They thinke it all their cunning to shift and shelter and mince their sinnes and to keepe them close from the knowledge of the Minister It may be the wife is sicke and the husband saith I pray you shew her some comfort Why saith the Minister what needs â—hee any comfort seeing shee was never in distresse Oh! saith hee shee hath lived an honest quiet woman and so by this meanes wee heare of nothing but good I would faine wrest this madnesse out of the hearts of carnall wretches When the Lord hath them upon the racke then their consciences are full of horrour and they know not which way to take yet they scorne to acknowledge any thing shall they be convicted of their sins and such babies to cry their sinnes at the market-crosse they have a better course then so for say they who knowes it and let him prove it or the like What if no man ever yet knew it thy owne conscience and God knowes it If thou goest to a Physitian thou wilt lay opeÌ„ all thy soares all thy paines to him or else thou expectest no help from him and canst thou looke for any comfort from a minister and never discover thy sinnes whereby thou art hindered in a good course men would be comforted and yet never knew why they were afflicted You that keepe your sinnes so close and maintaine them so tenderly the God of heaven will plucke those sweet morsels from your mouthes and lay them upon you when you would be rid of them As a man that is sicke he will not send to the Physitian because he thinks he is able to beare it out till at last the disease begins to fester inwardly all the Physitians under heaven cannot cure him if he had sent in time he might have beene eased so it is with many sinfull creatures out of a sturdy stoutnesse of heart they scorne to confesse their corruptions well now God opens their eyes and they begin to say this is not well and that is not well but you will not send for the minister all this while if it be horrour of conscience you will beare it well at last you come to your death beds and the Lord layes his heavy hand upon you and then you cry for the minister and all oh saith one woe to me because of this adulterous heart this drunkennesse and this malice and this madnesse against God and his people I was a cunning persecutor and with such a woman I committed adultery and at last when he hath ended his confession he sinks and dies Now the minister comes too late yee will beare the check of conscience in time the wound growes soare and your soule sinks into irrecoverable misery Oh woe to that soule this is all because he would not have his heart launced well if thou wilt not then take that cursed heart of thine and expect Gods wrath with it if thou repent not See how God deales with a sinner in this kinde the text saith His bones are full of the sinnes of his youth which shal ly with him in the dust Although sin be sweet in his mouth though he spare it and keepe it close as sugar under his tongue it is as the gall of aspes within them take heed how you keepe your sins close when conscience and horrour cals upon you to confesse them and God hath you upon the racke and saith these sinnes you have committed in secret either confesse them or they shall turne to the gall of aspes if still you will have your sins remember that the God of heaven beares witnesse this day against that soule that will not come off but
broken heart comes not to flout at the minister nay that is a sturdy heart but a broken heart shakes at the word of God if there come a promise a broken heart trembles lest he hath no share in it and if there be any command he trembles lest he should not be able to obey it but if the Lord meet with some maine lust as secret malice against the Saints of God and secret uncleannesse or the like if the Lord give a wipe at these things in the word thē this broken heart hath enough he hath his load and longs to be private he remembers that truth and the wound being fresh bleeds againe and he mournes againe and laies hold on his heart and saith Good Lord I was this malicious wretch I intended this mischiefe to thy Saints and if it had beene in my power I could have sucked their blood I was that uncleane wretch shall all these sinnes be pardoned and shall all these cursed abominations be removed Can these corruptions be subdued Brethren yee cannot be ignorant how a wounded heart is affected with every touch you that have broken hearts you know it I shall not need to tell you Therefore when ever the Lord comes to rake in those filthy and drunken hearts of yours they will shake within you and you will say this is my sinne and these are my abominations whereby God hath beene so much dishonored The third use is for exhortation if you know these things as I am perswaded you doe then be intreated in the name of the Lord Jesus to walke in that way which God hath revealed this is the basenesse of our hearts we are loath to unbuckle our vile and secret distempers they are shamefull themselves and yet we are loath to take shame for them Therefore deale openly freely with your soules confesse your sins freely that God may deale comfortably with you hath the Lord at any time let in this horrour into thy soule and is thy heart now troubled at the word and after all thy teares and paines and meanes using with uprightnesse doe thy corruptions still remaine are they not yet subdued as they might be canst thou not get any assurance of the pardon of them I say then cast away thy shamefull hiding and concealing of sinne and do not say what will the world and ministers say of me away with these shifts God cals thee to confession the Saints have done it and thou must nay thou wilt doe it if ever thy heart be kindly broken as it should be in some measure pleasing unto God and profitable to thy selfe Object But some will say how may we doe it Answ. For answere thereunto I will first give some direction how to doe it Secondly I will give some motives to worke our hearts to the same First be wise in chusing the party to whom you must confesse your sinnes for every wide mouthed vessel is not fit to receive pretious liquor so this confession is not to be opened to every carnall wretch that will blaze it abroad the minister to whom you confesse ought to have these three graces First hee must be a skilfull and able Minister of God one that is trained up and is master of his Art and so experienced that hee may be able in some measure to finde out the nature of the disease Not that any Minister under heaven can be so wife and holy as to give pardon to a poore sinner but onely hee is able ministerially to doe it under God Hee must be able to approve himselfe the Minister of God hee must have the tongue of the learned and be able to breake the heart and prepare the soule for Christ and then to apply the cooling promises of the Gospell to him There are many who in stead of curing of the soule kill it and by popping the Sacrament into a mans mouth thinke to send him to heaven but in conclusion send him to hell Secondly hee must be a mercifull Physitian one that will pitty a poore soule they that have experience of trouble and misery in themselves are most compassionate to others in distresse he that hath beene tossed in the sea will pitty others that have beene in the same danger If these people had gone to the Scribes and Pharisies they had beene well holpen No but they went to Peter and therefore found helpe when Iudas had sinned and betrayed his Master and his soule was full of horrour he went to the Pharisies and confessed his sinnes but what succour found he they answered him what is that to us Hast thou sinned then beare it and looke to it thy selfe so it is with carnall wretches what comfort yeild they to a poore distressed conscience they adde sorrow to sorrow and say it is nothing but melancholy he hath gotten this by hearing some fiery hot minister or by reading too much in some bookes of election and reprobation Lastly he must be a faithfull minister one that will not fit mens humors nor answere the desires of their hearts in speaking what they would have him but his faithfulnesse must appeare in two things First in dealing plainely with every one though a man be his patron or of what place or condition soever he be if he have a proud heart he must labour to humble him And Secondly as he must apply a salve fitting for the sore so he must be faithfull in keeping secret the sinne that is laid open to him that nothing may fly abroad no not after his death except it be in some cases Now what remaines but that you all be moved to take up this duty and provoke your hearts freely to confesse your evill waies to which purpose let me give you three motives First because it is a very honourable thing will exceedingly promote the cause of a Christian you will hardly yeild to this on the sudden a man doth thinke that if the minister knowes his vilenesse he will abhorre him for it But I assure you brethren there is nothing that doth more set forth the honour of a Christian and winne the love of a minister then this Indeed it is a shame to commit sinne but no shame to confesse it upon good grounds Nay when the heart comes kindly off it is admirable to see how a faithfull minister will approve of such persons his love is so great towards them O saith the minister it did me good to heare that man confesse so freely I hope the Lord hath wrought kindly in him certainely now he is in the way to life and happinesse oh how I love him I could even be content to put that man in my bosome Whereas this overly and loose dealing of yours is loathsome to us doe you thinke we perceive it not Yes we may feele it with our fingers and when you are gone I tell you what we thinke surely that man is an hypocrite he hath a hollow heart he is not willing to
take shame to himselfe for his sinne his confession never comes to the bottome Secondly confession is a matter of great safety I take this to be the only cause why many a man goes troubled and gets neither comfort in the pardon of the sinne nor strength against it because he comes not off kindly in this worke of confession When you doe nakedly open your sinnes to a faithfull minister you goe out in battaile against sinne and you have a second in the field to stand by you but especially there is comfort in this particular for the minister will discover the lusts and deceits and corruptions that you could not finde out and he will lay open all those holds of Sathan and that meanes of comfort that you never knew I am able to speake it by experience this hath broke the necke of many a soule even because he would goe out in single combate against Sathan and doe what he could not revealing himselfe to others for help was overthrowne for ever As it is with the impostumed part of a mans body when a man lets out some of the corrupt matter and so skins it never healing it to the bottome at last it cankers inwardly and comes to a gangrene and the part must be cut off or else a man is in danger of his life so when you let out some corruptions by an overly confession but suffer some bosome lust to remaine still as malice or uncleannesse c. Then the soule cankers and Sathan takes possession of it and the soule is carried into fearefull abominations Many have fallen fouly and lived long in their sinnes and all because they would not confesse freely therefore as you desire to finde out the deceitfulnesse of your corruptions confesse them from the bottome of your soules Thirdly this open and free confession may maintaine the secrecy of the soule for the onlâ— way to have a mans sinnes covered is to confesse them that so they may not be brought upon the stage before all the world Object Oh saith one this is contrary to common reason we are affraid to have our sinnes knowne that is our trouble we keepe our sinnes close because we would preserve our honour Answ. I say the only way for secrecie is to reveal our sinnes to some faithfull Minister for if we confesse our sinnes God will cover them if you take shame to your selves God will honour you but if you will not confesse your sinnes God will breake open the doore of your hearts and let in the light of his truth and the convicting power of his Spirit and make it knowen to men and Angels to the shame of your persons for ever If Iudas had taken notice of his sinne and yeilded to Christs accusation and desired some conference with Christ privately and said Good Lord I am that Iudas and that hell-hound that have received mercy from thee in the outward meanes and have been entertayned among thy people yet it is I that have taken the thirtie pence Lord pardon this sinne and never let this iniquity be laid to my charge I doubt not but though Iudas his soule could not be saved because that now wee know Gods decree of him yet God would have saved him from the publike shame that was cast upon him for it but he did not doe so but hidde his malice in his heart and professed great matters of love to Christ and kissed him and thus he thought to cover his sin wisely but what became of that the Lord forced him to come and to indite himselfe in the high priests hall before the temporall and spirituall counsell So you that keepe your sinnes as sugar under your tongues and will be loose and malitious and covetous still well you will have your thirtie pence still and they are layed up safe as Achans wedge of gold was remember this God will one day open the clossets of your hearts and lay you upon your death beds and then haply yee will prove mad and vomit up all were it not better to confesse your sinnes to some faithfull minister now If you will not give the Lord his glory he will distraine for it have it from your heart blood as Iulian the apostata said when the arrow was shot into his heart he plucked it out and cried saying thou Galilean thou hast overcome me the Lord distrained for his glory and had it out of his heart blood Now I come to the second fruit of contrition which is here plainly expressed and it is this A restlesse dislike of themselves and their sinnes as if they had said Men and brethren we care not what we doe against those evils of ours whereby the Lord hath beene so much dishonoured and we indangered command us what you will we must not rest thus so loathsome are our sinnes that we will doe any thing rather then be as we are So from hence the doctrine is this The soule that is truly pierced for sinne is carried against it with a restlesse dislike and distaste of it or thus Sound contrition of heart ever brings a thorow detestation of sinne this they professedly proclaime before the Apostles As if they had said thus much in more words You say we are they that have crucified the Lord of life and we confesse it oh happy had it beene for us if we had never listened to the plots of the Scribes and Pharisies but that which is past cannot be undone or recalled What must now be done if we rest here we perish forever can nothing be done against these our sinnes that have done so much against the Lord Jesus we must loath ourselves and our sinnes and we must get out of this eâ—â—ate or else we are undone for ever Now for the further opening of this point I will discover these three things First I will shew what a distaste and dislike this is Secondly wherein this hatred and dislike of sinne consists Thirdly I will shew the reason why it must be so For the first namely what dislike this is for the clearing of which you must looke backe to that which I spake before of godly sorrow For of the very same stampe and nature is this dislike and hatred of sinne and it is thus much in effect First there is a hatred in preparation and secondly a hatred in â—sanctification both are saving workes but both are not sanctifying workes vocation is a saving worke but not a sanctifying worke they are two distinct workes This hatred in preparation is that which the Lord workes upon the soule and smites upon the soule and thereby puts this kinde of turning into the heart not that the heart hath any powerfull inward principle of grace before for this is the first that the Lord workes so that as before the soule was forced to see sinne and to feel the burthen of it so the heart is now brought to dislike sinne this is a worke wrought upon the soule rather then any
the bottome And let me advise you to this when your soules are wrought upon by any reproofes or admonitions take that truth and labour to maintaine the power of it upon your hearts all the weeke after and let your soules be awed by it Thirdly consider what thy soule findes to be most evill and detestable whether it be poverty or disgrace or losse of liberty and then marke what I say get up thy heart higher in the very apprehension of sinne as it is sinne and let thy soule be more affected with the vilenesse of sin then of any other hardship whatsoever As thus suppose thy heart be vere proud if shame and disgrace befal thee oh how doth this heart shake in the apprehension of it he can live no longer except some honour come Now sinne is worse then shame therefore looke up to heaven say oh my heart did shake with shame but sinne is farre worse for what if the Lord take away my honour that he hath promised to such as feare his name and what if he blot my name out of the booke of life therefore sinne is worst of all this is certaine there is no evill the soule feares or finds but sinne is the cause of it but the separation of the soule from the Lord is the greatest evil and sinne is the cause of it and therefore rest not till thy soule shake in the apprehension of it This is the next way to be above punishment or any thing else Now I come to the fruits of godly sorrow which are from these words They said to Peter the other Apostles Men and brethren what shall wee do In these words there are three things presumed and three things plainly expressed First there are three things presumed they did see themselves in a miserable and damnable condition as if they had said hell is now gaping it is but turning of the ladder and we goe to hell for ever Men and brethren what shall we doe Secondly they themselves were ignorant and could not direct themselves what to doe to come out of this estate and therefore they said Men and brethren advise vs what to doe if there be any help yee know it Yet still there is a secret kinde of hope and the heart suspects that it may and will be otherwise with them they doe not say there is nothing to bee done no they say What shall we doe surely there is some way to finde helpe if wee could tell it Againe there are three things plainly expressed in these words they make an open and plaine confession of their sinnes when they were sicke at the hearâ— they could make open confession and lay the hand upon the sore and say If there be any vile wretches under heaven we are they Secondly a thorough resolution against their sinnes and a hatred of the same as if they had said We are resolved to doe any thing whatsoever it is we care not so we may thwart our sinnes The last thing expressed is a sequestration of the soule from this sinne the soule falles off from them and bids farewell to all cursed courses First I come to the three things presumed and because I shall have occasion afterward to handle the two former Therefore now I come to the last of the three which is this Men and brethren What shall we doe Surely there is some course to bee taken Is there not you that are Gods Prophets tell vs if there be any hope for such poore distressed sinners as we are So the Doctrine is this there is a secret hope of mercy wherewith God supports the hearts of those that are truly broken hearted for their sinnes howsoever these men did see themselves miserable yet they did not throw off all say Men and brethren there is no hope for vs therefore we will heare no more but seeing we must go to hell we wil take our pleasure while we live here in the world while we may and if we must bee damned we will be damned for some thing No these people had some hope that they should finde mercy the Lord bruised the heart but he did not breake it the Lord will not quench the smoking flaxe but kindles it further and the Lord drawes on the worke of the soule and pluckes it to himself and makes it looke vp to him and waite vpon him for helpe and mercy I confesse it is true that sometimes the soule in some desperate fit and in some horrour of heart when temptation growes violent long and the distempers of a mans heart stir exceedingly then a man may seeme to cast of all and resolve with Dauid when he had beene long persued by Saul I shall one day fall by the hand of Saul So the soule sayth God will one day leaue me and I shall perish And as Dauid sayth in another place All men are lyers that is they sayd I shall be King of Israel but they are all deceived They all lyers but it was in his haste in a proud impatient haughty humour of soule This is our nature if God buckle not to our bow and heare us not even when wee will then in a proud humor wee are apt to say oh my sins will never be pardoned and I shall never get ground against my corruptions a man that is in a swoune lies as if he were dead but yet he comes to himselfe againe and lookes up and speakes So how ever the soule in some unruly humor is driven to a swoune and thinkes it impossible to finde mercy or overcome his corruption yet still he recovers againe and the soule that is truly broken for sinne is upheld as Ionas said I am cast out of thy preseÌ„ce I am eveÌ„ sinking yet will I looke towards thy holy temple So howsoever the soule may be over-whelmed in a drunken fit of pride or impatience yet aftes the soule hath prayed it saith I will wait upon God for mercy God deales with poore sinnners in this case as men doe that pound pretious powder as Bezar stone or the like to make some potion withall they will breake it and pound it all to pieces yet they cover it up close and will not loose the least sand of it as they breake it so they keepe it close that none be lost So when God doth purpose to doe good to your soules he will breake you and melt you and then you thinke he hath cast you off in his anger No no he is pounding of you but he will preserve those soules notwithstanding and will not lose such poore sinners whom he purposeth to doe good unto As it is with pocket dyâ—ls a man may shake them this way and that way but they are still northward by vertue of the loadstone so there are many shakings in the soule sometime it feareth God will not be mercifull he sometimes hopes that he will thus it is tossed to and fro but still it is heaven-ward there is a