pleased him to shew it then he cried out woe is me I am a man of polluted lippes he knew before that he was a sinfull man but a new sight of God his holinesse discouers to him a deeper sight of his owne corruption the spots of the face not perceiued in darknesse are manifested in the day and then doe men thinke shame of them when they are discouered by the light So long as the eye lookes to the earth and creatures which are in it it seemes to be quicke enough but turne it vpward toward the sunne the weaknesse of it is soone perceiued when wee looke to our selues and compare our selues with our selues and with men like our selues we seeme to be some thing but if our eyes were open to see the Lord and that most excellent purity and holinesse which is in him then would we cry out with Iob. Now mine eies hath seene the Lord therefore I abhor my selfe The holy Angels couer their faces at the brightnesse of his glory what shall man doe who is dust and dwelles in lodgings of clay Againe seeing God loues Sin is but a lying vanity truth in the inward affections let vs also study to loue it for in a conformity with God standeth mans felicity By truth heere wee vnderstand two things holinesse and sinceritie opposite to sinne and hypocrisie sinne is in very deede but a lie a falshood and a vanitie and therefore so named by the spirit of God It seemes to be an other thing then it is indeed al that to this day haue beene inamoured with it haue found it in the end to be but a lying vanitie and yet vaine man cannot learne to despise the deceit thereof And this euill becomes so Then is it worst when it is couered with hypocrisie much the worse when it lurketh vnder a shew of holinesse hypocrisie is a generall lie of the whole man In a common lie the tongue lies against the heart onely but in hypocrisie not the tongue onely but the eye the hand the feet lie also when the hand is lifted vp to heauen and eye lookes vp but the heart followes them not when the knee is bowed but the heart is not bowed before the Lord. Nothing distinguishes a true The proper difference of a true Christian from a counterfeit christiā from a counterfeit but this truth and sincerity in the inward affections the bastard Christian can counterfeit the true Christians behauiour in al things but he cannot follow him in this one the sincerity of his heart As a Painter can paint the cullour of the fire and the forme of the flame thereof but cannot paint the heate of it so a hypocrite can resemble a Christian in any thing but not in his heart Esau can mourne and weep bitterly like Ezechia Ahab can put on sack cloth like Mordecai Saul can confesse in word I haue sinned like Dauid but none of their hearts were vpright in the sight of God Thirdly when wee heare If the Lord require truth in vs how much more is he true himselfe that God loues truth we may consider that hee is true or rather truth it selfe what hee loues in his creature is but a sparkle of that goodnes which is in himself we haue here then strong consolation against our naturall doubtings and distrusts if we consider how God is verity Of his nature he can not breake his promise if he require such constant truth in his Psal 15. creature that when he sweares he wil not haue him to change but to performe the good which he promises how much more may wee looke to finde this truth in himselfe Therefore thou hast taught me wisedome This is the last argument An other amplification of Dauids sinne it was against knowledge wherby Dauid amplifies his sinne that hee had done against that knowledge wherewith God had indewed him for the Lord had delt fauourablie with him and had taught him the knowledge of his will but he like a beast suffered that light to be suffocated by the fury of his owne affections Of this we see that the light A fearefull thing to sin against knowledge which God giues men if they do against it is a great augmentation of their sin The seruant that knoweth his masters will and doth it not is worthy of double stripes If I had not come and spoken to you ye should haue had no sinne the Gentiles who had no more but the light of nature are cōuinced because that when they knew God they Rom. 1. glorified him not as God what then shall become of vs who beside the light of nature haue also the light of the gospell if still we walke in darknesse it shall certainly aggrauate our sinne and make our condemnation more fearefull then that of Sodome and Gomorrha From which the Lord of his great mercy preserue vs. VERSE 7. Purge me with Hyssop and I shall be cleane wash mee and I shall be whiter then snow AFter that DAVID After confession the godly ioine petition for mercy not so the wicked had made a confession of his sin and that not coldlie or for fashion as they doe whose consciences are not wakened with the sight of their sinnes but had by all circumstances aggrauated his sinne now hee returnes to his petition of mercy This hyssop wherewith The hyssop by which Dauid craues to be purged Dauid craueth to be purged it is as Basil cals it Alterius reioenigma Naturall hyssop is an hearb humilis calida odorifera of excellent vertue in medicine Est enim in hyssopo vis purgatoria Aug. de doct christ lib. 2. maxime pulmonum The typicall vse of it in the ceremoniall Law was threefold first the Israelites sprinkled the posts of their dores with a bunch of hyssop dipped in the bloud of the Paschall Lambe Exod. 12. secondly a bunch of hyssoppe dipped in bloud was vsed in the besprinkling and cleansing of the Leper and thirdly in the Sacrifice for sinne Numbers Leuit. 14. 19. All these were typicall and did signifie no other but that All typicall purgations figure the blood of Christ all his people should looke for purgation from all their leprosie and vncleannesse in the blood of the Lambe Christ Iesus who takes away the sinnes of the world and his blood clenseth from all sinne Dauid knew that these were types and figures instituted for signification of better things and therefore did hee not neglect them yet on the other part he would not leane vnto them as if remission of sinnes were to be gotten by these Legall purgations but by them he ascended to the spirituall thing signified by them hee had enough of the typicall hyssop at his commandement and the Priest ready to spinkle him with it when it pleased him but he knew this would not serue his turne he lookes to the Spirituall hyssop and hee praies that God would purge him without which no Leuiticall washing
glorie to God by confessing the sinne thou hast done that all the people may knowe that the Lord is not angrie without cause It is a dangerous thing to hide our sinnes where the hiding of them may hide and obscure the glorie of God as the maner of hypocrites is who grudge and murmure when God strikes them with his rods as if either they were punished without a cause or then worse handled then they had deserued Againe let vs marke here Happie are they whom God iudges now in such sort that he corrects them the manner of God his dealing with his own he iudgeth them in this life that they should not be condemned hereafter This he doth partly by his word reproouing them of sinne partly by his rods correcting them Happie are they who now are so iudged for they who profit not neither by his rebukes nor his rods what else doe they but reserue them selues to a sharper iudgment VERSE 5. Behold I was borne in iniquitie and in sinne hath my mother conceiued me HE still proceedes Dauid serches out the first originall of his sinne in the amplification of his sin and now he rippeth it vp from the verie foutaine and first original thereof entring in a deep consideration of the vniuersall corruption of his Nature It is not in this fact onely will hee say that I am culpable I confesse my whole Nature to bee so corrupt from the verie wombe through sinne as most iustly making me odious abhominable in the eyes of God yea now when by occasion of this one sinne which hath broken out in externall action I looke to my inward disposition and consider the originall corruption of my nature con-containing all sorts of sin within it proceeding from the want and priuation of originall righteousnesse I am ashamed of my selfe in the sight of God To expresse this he vses two wordes the first Cholel signifying How originall sinne is expressed by Dauid to creat or forme whereby he will declare that euen in his forming in the wombe he was infected with sinne the other is Iacham signifying to warme thereby declaring that while hee was warmed fostered and nourishedde in his mothers wombe hee was defiled with sin originall At the beginning hee was but an vncleane Creature Where we are not to thinke Mariage is not blamed when it is said that man was conceiued and borne in sinne that hee accuses the formation or fostering of a birth in the mothers wombe these are the great and maruailous workes of God Neither yet that hee reiects the blame on his parents or condemnes mariage or vse of the mariage-bed these are the ordinances of God Non Aug. cont Pelag. lib. 3. cap. 21. De nupt et concupiscen est malum quod natus es sed cum quo natuses And againe Natura humana quae de coniugio nascitur opus est Dei And to this same purpose said Basil non accusat Basil hic nuptias sicut quidam stulte sunt suspicati Sed praeuaricationem quae ab initio mundi a progenitoribus nostris est commissa in medium producit hanc fontem esse factam ipsorum fluentorum dicit Hee doth not here accuse mariage as some haue foolishly suspected but the transgression commited by our first Progenitors he brings out as the foūtain of al these flouds of iniquitie that since sinne haue broken out in our nature Here first we may perceiue The rhetoricke by which godly men moue the Lord to mercie what is the Rhetoricke which godly men vse whereby they would mooue the Lord to bee mercifull vnto them namely to present to the eies of his cōpassion their heauy diseases and the deep wide and inueterate wounds which they haue receiued from their deadly enemie let vs learne by their example not to couer nor hide our sinnes if wee would haue mercie A wise man desires his wound to be ripped vp and not to bee ouerplaistred albeit the Physitian would forget it hee wil remember and request him to doe it How much more should we lay open our woūds to Christ that hee may cure them he is that sweet Samaritan who at the first sight of the wounds of that poore Traueller betwene Iericho and Ierusalem was moued to compassion and powred wine and oyle into his wounds when Priest nor Leuit had pitie vpon him what mercie here he preached in that parable he hath it ready to practise vpon all that frō a penitent and beleeuing heart present their miseries vnto him Secondly wee see heere how Particular sinnes moue the godly to a detestation of the whole corruption of Nature these particular sinnes of Dauid leades him to a narrower inquisition and greater detestation of the whole corruption of his nature thus the children of God are moued by some particular sinnes wherein they are fallen to grow in the hatred of all sinnes whatsoeuer Whereas by the contrary carnall men excuse their particular sinnes by the common corruption of mans nature as if their sinnes were the lesse because all men by nature are sinners but they deceiue themselues for the lesse they thinke of their sinnes the more shall God thinke of them when he shall visit them let vs not sparingly iudge our selues if wee would haue the Lord merciful vnto vs. And lastly since this is true in What great neede man hath to be changed out of Natures estate vs all that we were conceiued and borne in sinne what great need haue we of regeneration for vnlesse a man be borne again hee can not see the kingdome of God Let natural parents who haue been instruments to their children of a naturall generation whereby they are borne heires of the wrath of God do what lies in them by prayer and good education to make them pertakers of regeneration otherwaies they will curse the loines that got them and the wombe that bare them and children againe who glorie in the external priuiledges of blood and heritage which they haue gotten from their parents let them remember vnlesse they be borne againe it had beene better for them neuer to haue beene borne VERSE 6. Behold thou louest truth in the inward affections and haste taught me wisedome in the secret of mine heart HE proceedes still The vilenesse of sin appeares in this that it is contrary to Gods holy disposition to amplifie his sinne by consideration of that contrary holie disposition which is in God the Lord is holy his eye is so pure that it cannot behold iniquity he loueth truth and delights in the holinesse and cleannesse of the heart but alas I am vncleane and therefore so much the more miserable that my disposition is contrarie to his Of this wee learne that the The true knowledge of God workes true humility best way to humble vs in regard of that sinfull corruption which is in vs is the knowledge of God when Esay in a vision saw the maiesty of God as it
could make him cleane The Spirituall hyssop then The purging vertue of Christs bloud full of bloud is Christ Iesus Qui humiliauit se ad mortem qui calore suae immensae charitatis nos dilexit qui odore manfuctudinis suauitatis totum mundum repleuit His blood sprinkles not the bodies so much as the soules and consciences of men for so the purging vertue which is in the naturall hyssop is internall and by it is signified Coram Deo opus esse non externa sed interna purgatione Seeing so it is that the godlie How carnall Papists are who place so great sanctification in externall things Israelites in vsing these externall types which were not ordained for themselues but for other things had a spirituall disposition looking euer to the thing signified by them Is it not a shame for Papists to be so grosse and carnall as to place any sanctificatiō in the like externall sprinkling of their body with their holy water as they call it with as great reason might they bring in againe all that ceremoniall Law which was but for a time and now is abrogated But now seeing the truth is come which is Christ Iesus it is good reason the type and figure should cease The fountaine is opened to Dauids house for sinne and for vncleannesse Hee hath made a perfect purgation of our sins by his owne blood Now to retaine the ceremonies of Iudaisme or to bring in from Paganisme their superstitious washings of sinne as Papists borrow from Pompilius these heathenish purgations by sprinkling of water which they vse is to offer wrong to Christ Iesus for the first in effect imports that Christ the veritic is not yet come and therefore they will stil retaine the figure the second imports that albeit hee bee come hee hath not made a perfect purgation of our sinnes by himselfe but his wants must bee supplied by a purging with water on earth and a purging by fire in the second house of hell But heere it is to be demanded Sinne not imputed is as if it had not beene committed how it is that Dauid saies if the Lord wash him hee shall bee cleaner and whiter then the snow doth he meane that after sinne is forgiuen there abideth no more any remainder of sinne vnto him No this is not his meaning but that if the Lord forgiue him his sin hee shall hee in as good estate with the Lord as if he had neuer done it Peccatum enim non imputatum est quasi non commissum a sinne not imputed is as if it had neuer beene committed That wee may vnderstand A twofold purging of sinne this the better wee are to consider how there is a two-fold 1 One by Christs bloud this is our iustification washing or taking away of sinne one that is made by the blood of Christ another by the spirit of Christ The taking away of sin by the bloud of Christ is perfect euen now For they to whom the merit of the blood of Christ is imputed haue presently all the giltinesse of their sinne remoued fully and perfectly this in effect is the benefit of our-iustification The other taking away of sinne by the spirit of 2 The other by his spirit this is our sanctification Christ is imperfect his vertue hath begun in vs a mortification of our earthly members his spirit daily weakeneth and subdueth in vs the life and power of sinne that it reigneth not to command vs as it was wont to doe and this in effect is the benefit of sanctification but this taking away of sinne in this life is not perfect for some remainders of sin euen in them to whom sinne is forgiuen will the Lord haue remaining for the exercise of our faith and daily humiliation as more at large wee haue shewed in our Treatise vpon the 8. to the Romans VERSE 8. Make mee to heare ioy and gladnesse that the bones which thou hast broken may reioice HItherto DAVID with his confession The second ranke of Dauids petitions is for peace of Conscience of sin hath ioined petitions for mercy Now he proceeds and craues that these euils which his sinne had brought vpon him may be remoued Sinne hath many euill effects at the first it offends God and grieues his spirit but at the last it shall grieue the soule of him that did it Let vs learne to beware of it This petition of Dauid is to Sin spoiles man of inward peace and ioy bee opposed to his present disposition so shall wee vnderstand it O Lord I heare within mean accusing voice of conscience which terrifies and disquiets me I beseech thee Lord let me heare the contrary voice of ioy and gladnesse Heere then he confesseth that which all the children of God may finde in their own experience that sinne impaires the peace of conscience If wee could remember how sweet is the ioy and peace which wee lose for the vaine and perishing pleasure of sinne wee would bee loath any more to make any such exchange Secondly wee see here that there is not any testimony saue onely the testimony of Mans testimonie of the remission of sinnes is nothing without the testimony of Gods spirit Gods spirit that can bring peace to the troubled conscience Nathan had before this witnessed to Dauid that his sinnes were forgiuen him but Nathans word pacified not his conscience the ministration of the word of God hath credit with men the ministration of the Spirit that bringeth consolation hee hath reserued to himselfe When Martha and Marie mourned for dead Lazarous many godly Iewes came out of Ierusalem to comfort them but they got neuer comfort till Christ Iesus came and so the godly may mourne for their sinnes and for the deadnesse of their heart but there shall bee no comfort till the comforter come and re fresh their soules But here it will be obiected The ministerial comfort of Gods seruants greatly to be regarded and why what then auailes the ministery of the word and the consolations of the seruants of God giuen out of it Yea very much indeed for where the testimony of the word pronounced by Gods seruants goes before to witnesse mercie there the testimony of Gods spirit conforming it followes after for the blessing of peace pronounced Luke by the seruants of God vpon the children of peace abides vpon them this we see cleerely here in Dauid Nathan pronounced to him vpon the knowledge of his repentance the remission of his sinnes hee could not feele it for the present but the Lord followes and iustifies Nathans Ministrie witnessing that to Dauids heart which Nathan had witnessed vnto his eare And this we haue to marke Remission of of sins may be thine suppose thou feele it not for a comfort against these spirituall desertions whereunto the Children of God are subiect Remission of sinnes may bee thine the seruants of God with a warrand may witnesse vnto thee that thy
see that if we be They who can not speakc to the prise of God are stricken with a sore plague gouerned by the spirit of God we will account that wee are stricken with dumnesse when we cannot speake to the praise of God Many are such in this age who haue a tongue for euery purpose but none for the praises of God they are stricken with a sore plague and yet they feele it not their heart is bound by Satan with the cords of their sinnes and so their tongues cannot be loosed to glorifie God from this most miserable estate the Lord deliuer vs. VERSE 16. For thou desirest no sacrifice though I would giue it thou delightest not in burnt offerings IN this verse Dauid Ioy for Gods mercy and sorrow for our own sinnes agree well in the godly giues a reason why hee promised no other duety of thankefullnesse to the Lord but to praise him as hee protested hee would doe in the former verse the reason is because the sacrifice in man or from man which God likes best is the sacrifice of a contrite spirit Then ye see that Dauid when he sacrificed praise sacrificed also a contrite spirit what is it to giue thankes for Gods mercies if all the same time we be not sorrowfull that we should haue offended so mercifull a God The thankes giuen by many is tastles to God because when they are touched with some sense of that God hath done to them they feele no remorse of that euill they haue done against him happy is the soule wherein these two meete together a ioy for Gods mercies toward vs and a sorrow for our sinnes against God And againe ye see that if a What praise is acceptable to God man praise God truely he offers with praises himselfe and all that he may doe My soule praise thou the Lord and all that Psal 103. is within mee praise thou his holy name As he shewes in the subsequent verse The sacrifices of God are a contrite spirit Wherein he declares that in thankesgiuing to God hee offered a thankefull heart for bee-gone mercies a sorrowfull heart for bee-gone sins a resolute heart in time to come to amend And this is the praise wherein God delightes But heere arises a threefold A threefold doubt moued doubt first seeing the legall sacrifices commanded by God how can it be said the Lord desires not that which he commanded secondly is not the Apostles praecept To doe good Heb. 13. and distribute forget not for with such sacrifices God is pleased And thirdly are not wee commanded to offer vp our bodies a liuing Rom. 12. sacrifice holy and acceptable to God how is it then that heere Dauid speakes that God desireth no sacrifice To these it is answered that The first is answered Dauid doth not simply reiect legal sacrifices Dauid speakes not simply but by way of compariso these external sacrifices if they be alone wanting the internall sacrifices of a contrite spirit are not acceptable to God and of this for the first doubt we learne that if vnder the law externall worship without the inward pleased not the Lord far lesse will it now please him vnder the gospell Cursed said Malachie is the man who hath a male in his flocke and vowes an sacrifices a corrupt thing to the Lord And this curse is now double vpon them who giue not the best they haue to the Lord drawing neere him with their lips but far from him in their hearts As to the second externall The second answered almes and such sacrifices are accepted of God if they flow from faith sacrifices of almes and such like now commanded please the Lord out of all doubt if they proceed from faith in Christ offered out of a contrite spirit not puft vp with conceit of merit the humble heart makes a small gift to be great an example whereof we haue in the widowes mite it was a smal thing but because it proceeded from a great affection Christ accounted it the greatest gift was offered that day And the want of a good heart on the contraty makes a great gift to be small an example whereof we haue in Cain his sacrifice in it selfe rich enough but because it proceeded from a poore affection it was not acceptable to God Ten thousand riuers of oile and all the beasts on thousand mountaines yea in all the Forest of Lebanon are nothing to the Lord if the heart be not rightly set that offers them And as to the third we are The third answered wee are bound to offer our bodies but euery offering of the body is not acceptable to God bound to offer vp our bodies vnto him but remember euery offering of the bodie pleases him not some of a blinde zeale becomes the buriers of their owne bodies like Baal his Priests Turkish Derbies and Popish Penitentiaries cutting lancing and renting their flesh or else defrauding their bodies of that due which they owe vnto him prodigall of them in their blind zeale not moderatly subdueing them by disciplin If euery such sacrifice had pleased God the Apostle would not haue said though I feede the 1. Cor. 13. poore with all my goods and though I giue my body to be burned if I haue no loue it is nothing we must first see that the heart be sacrificed to the Lord and then the body in the resonable seruice thereof for no vnreasonable suduing of the body pleases God But what shall be said of many Atheists conuinced who do not so much as offer externall sacrifice to the Lord. profane Atheists who now doe not offer so much as externall sactifices they will not resort to the assemblies of Gods saints to giue God in his house external praier and praises neither offer they to the poore externall almes nor to God the externall seruice of their bodies they bow not the knee they lift not their hand they vse not the members of their body as weapons of righteousnesse and how then shal we thinke they make conscience of Gods internal worship But now to the words in particular VERSE 17. The sacrifices of God are a contrite spirit a contrite and a broken heart o God thou wilt not despise WE first learne that Some offer to the Lord that which is theirs but not themselues Sauan if any man would offer a sacrifice conuenient for the Lord let him prepare the spirit and the minde God himselfe is a spirit and will be worshipped in spirit hee loueth truth in the inward affection Corpora fecit propter spiritus ideoque etiam spiritualia non corporea quaerit hee made also the bodies for the spirits and therefore seekes he not bodily without spirituall seruice Some there are qui sua dant non seipsos who offer to him not themselues but that which is theirs but it is a blinde folly to thinke thou canst please him with gifts when thou wilt not giue the seruice of thine