I. The Common Sin of Excuses OUr first Parents having eaten the sowr Grape their own and their Childrens Teeth have been set on edge still hankering after forbidden Fruit. And as if Sin and Excuses were Twins as Esau and Jacob holding each other by the heel we still run after the Taste of the Tree of Evil to the Fig-tree to borrow some Leaves to make an Apron and think if we get into the Thicket of Excuses and can say All hid that we may say All 's well not remembring the Voice we shall hear in the Cool of the Day the Evening of our Life Adam where art thou This is a great and fore Evil which hath tainted our Nature and is the remain of that first poyson wherewith the old Serpent in Paradise infected our first parents Excuses have first shut us out of Paradise and now obstruct our way to Heaven The great Supplanter then took away our Birthright now our Blessing Excuses obstruct our way to Heaven being still a Block or Bar in our way thither Whensoever God calls to a Duty Excuses are a Block to hinder Obedience that we cannot go forward When God calls again from Sin Excuses are a Bar to hinder Repentance that we cannot go backward But all the way to Hell is thick strew'd with Excuses and under covert of them most deluded Souls as Ahab in his Disguises once run confidently and fearlesly upon their certain and unavoidable ruine Our Blâ—ssed Saviour in that Parabolical Scheme Luke 14. 16 17 18 19. doth as in a Map set down how all the Race of Mankind is tainted with this Evil. A certain man made a great Supper and bade many and sent his Servants at Supper-time to â—â—y to them that were bidden Come for all things are now ready But they all with one consent began to make Excuses The first said I have bought a piece of Ground and must needs go see it I pray thee have me excused Another said I have bought five yoke of Oxen and I go to prove them I pray thee have me excused And another said I have married a Wife therefore I cannot come I pray thee have me excused and I pray thee have me excused is the answer of them all in effect In which Scripture you may as in a Map see on the one side the kindness of God to Man on the other Mans unkindness to God and to himself In the one Gods rich Grace displaied in the other Mans vile Ingratitude described Gods care of Mans Salvation Mans carelesness What could God do more to make them happy He provides invites waits sends out again What could they do more to make themselves unhappy They put off all by evasions and shifts and subterfuges St. Matthew Mat. 22. 5. hath it They made light of it Here you may see the nature of that sin we are about to discourse of Excuses 2. The universality of this sin They all with one consent began to make Excuses as if they had laid their Heads together and resolved there would none of them go 3. The particularity yea singularity of this sin not a man of them to seek of his Excuse The first had his Excuse the second his the third a third So many men so many Excuses It is the sin of all it is the sin of every one whence this shall be our Observation upon which this Discourse shall run viz. It is the General sin of the World and of those in the Church too All and every Mans sin to slight and reject the Grace of God and to endanger their own Eternal Salvation by a company of fair and specious in shew but indeed slight vain and frivolous Excuses It is the sin of the World Wo to the World because of Excuses It is the sin of the Church Wo to the Church and to many that are called to partake of rich Gospel-grace which they reject and make void by Excuses It is the most common sin of the World Divide the World into three parts The first and best is the least of such as gladly receive the Gospel and say with Samuel Speak Lord thy Servant heareth 1 Sam. 3. 10. or with St. Paul Lord what wilt thou have me to do A little Flock of these there are but few of them 2. There is a far greater and worse number of them that in stead of accepting shew foul contempt of the Gospel which breaks out in their opposition and persecution of it as in that Parable akin to this appears Mat. 22. 6. The remnant took the servants and intreated them shamefully and slew them A Remnant but a vile and very great Remnant of prophane Persecuters and Opposers But the greatest though not the worst part is of our Excuse-makers It is not said they all with one consent came in All are not Accepters Nor all with one consent persecuted and opposâ—d but the Remnant Too great a Remnant too All are not Persecuters But all with one consent made excuse All are Excuse-makers all guilty here more or less A sin it is in which the most godly sometimes have been faulty as well as the most wicked Abraham Sarah Moses Jeremy as well as Cain Saul Judas The most ancient of sins and the First-fruits of the first sin When Adam and Eve had eaten that forbidden Fruit the next thing was to frame an excuse Hast thou Gen. 3. 10 11 12 13. eaten of that Tree Adam The Woman that thou gavest me Hast thou eaten Eve The Serpent beguiled me said she Dost thou hide thy self from me Adam I saw I was naked said he again Nothing but Excuses and so sin upon sin Cain the first born of Adam when he had shed his Brothers blood thinks to put it off with an Excuse Am I my Brothers keeper But Gen. 4 9. it is wonderful to observe what ado the Prophet had with Saul after he had so grosly transgressed the Commandment to get him speak that hard word Peccavi But one while he pleads innocency he had spared the Cattel indeed some of them 1 Sam. 15. 13 15 c. but it was for Sacrifice and they were fat ones Then would he cast it upon the People then upon his Fear No owning but excusing his sin till Samuel told him downright he was rejected for his halting and disobedience Excuses are the most general and prevailing sin of the World the Peccatum in deliciis the sin that is made most of by Simple and Gentle High and Low none but cherish and harbor it The greatest Persons as Saul a King greatest Politicians as Jeroboam and the simplest Swain The Sluggard hath an excuse to spare his pains A Lion is in the way And take any Prov. 26. 13. one without his excuse and call him a very poor Man indeed What the Prophet noteth of the Idolater he that is so empoverisht Isa 4â— â—â— that he hath no Oblation yet seeketh a piece of Timber that will not rot to make an
Idol of and then applauds himself when he hath done I may say of the poorest and simplest None so poor but he seeketh to get some rotten Excuse or other of which he makes an Idol to quiet his clamorous and otherwise unsatisfied Conscience Saul had his Excuse for disobedience 1 Sam. 15. 15. After for his going to the Witch Jeroboam 1 Sam. 28. 15. 1 Kings 12. 28. an Excuse for his Calves in Dan and Bethel the Jews for stoning of Christ had an Excuse at hand Joh. 10. 33. and another for Crucifying of him We have a Law and by our Law he ought to die Joh. 19. 7. CHAP. II. The several Kinds of Excuses EXcuses are not all alike some are good some bad We meet with several holy just honourable Excuses in Scripture which are for our imitation Such was Holy Joseph's when sollicited to uncleanness by his impudent Mistris How can I do Gen. 39. 9. this great wickedness and sin against God That of David when pressed to avenge himself of his Master and Sovereign Saul God forbid that I should do this thing to my Master the Lords Annointed 1 Sam. 24. 6. and again 1 Sam. 26. 9. Such that of the three Worthies Dan. 3. 16. We are not careful to answer thee in this matter our God is able to deliver us out of thy hand and if not we neither can nor will worship thy Image Such that of the Apostles We must obey Acts 5. 29. God rather than Men. But our Discourse is professedly about bad Excuses I therefore pass those over Evil Excuses are of three sorts relating 1. To Sin 2. Duty 3. Faith We begin with such as refer to Sin and such are of two sorts 1. Such as are homebred and taken from self 2. Some extraneous and borrowed from others They are very many that relate to all these Heads I intend not an enumeration of all that were almost endless but take notice of such as are most obvious In the first place to begin with those 1. Denying the Fact that refer to Sin The first Excuse I shall take notice of is to deny the Fact Not I not I is the old Put-off Little less was that of our first Parents when questioned about the first Transgression Not I but the Woman Not I but the Serpent The like Judas his impudent Reply Is it I q. d. Who will say it is But most palpable that of Gehazi who by one Lie told in his Masters name got of Naaman two great Bags of Silver as much or more than he could carry and two Changes of Rayment and reckoned with himself what Purchases he should make of Olive-yards Vineyards c. But when he came back to his Master with another Lie in his Mouth as one Lie leads to another Thy Servant 2 Kings 5. 25. went no whither as denying the Fact he received a sad Doom The Leprosie of Naaman stick to thee and to thy Seed for ever A fit and just Brand for the Liars Forehead Had every Liar one such there would be many a foul Face to be seen in the Streets But how ordinary is it with young and old Servants and Children when done amiss to deny the fact thinking thereby to excuse and extenuate the fault which doth but aggravate it and of one fault makes two as our Divine Poet Dare to be true nothing can need a lie Herbert A fault that needs it most grows two thereby He that covereth his sin by a lie or denial Prov. 28. 3. shall not prosper but he that confesseth and forsaketh shall find mercy both with God and Man 2. A second sort will not tell you a downright Lie but as handsomly as they 2. Artificial Storie and fair Taâ—es can smother the Truth by an Artificial Story and think their work is done Thus did Joseph's Brethren when they had sold their Brother come home with a fair Tale having stript him of his Garment and dipt it in Blood shew'd it to their Father This we found whose Garment it is we know not Discern thou whether it be thy Sons I Gen. 37. 32. or no And thought they should never have heard more of it But not onely Murder but Lying and all Deceit will out they were afterwards brought to much shame and horror for the fact So true is that of the Wiseman A lying tongue is but Prov 12. 19. for a moment but the lip of truth shall be established for ever may be blamed never shamed A third sort comes and pleads Ignorance 3. Ignorance and saith he knew not that it was evil This was wicked Balaam's excuse when the Angel met him with a drawn Sword I did not know saith he that it was not thy mind that I should not go I will therefore return if it displease thee Num. 22. 35. Yes Balaam yes thou knewest well enough for the Lord had said expresly ver 12. Thou shalt not go neither curse them at all Yet go he would and curse them too though not in word yet by that more cursed and pernicious counsel that he gave the Midianites to entice the Israelites both to spiritual and bodily Fornication with their Idolatrous Feasts and then with their Daughters But though he escaped for a while he was after cut apieces Num. 31. 8 with the Sword It is true there is an Ignorance which if it be real not pretended invincible not affected doth in some sort excuse a tanto though not toto doth lessen the offence Such was Paul's who therefore found mercy upon his repentance because what he had done formerly against the Church he had done it ignorantly and in his state of 1 Tim. c. 13. unbelief yet did he never after plead his Ignorance by way of Excuse but every where laments it and the sad effects of it 4. A fourth stands up in his own defence 4 My Nature and pleads his Nature saying It is my nature and I cannot help it my nature and I must be born with my nature is to be hasty cholerick c. The godly mans grief is the wicked mans excuse Thou hast more cause to blush and be ashamed of the depravedness of thy nature and to pray to be made partaker of the Divine nature 2 Pet. 1. 3. We pitty the Child who hath casually licked Poyson who is sick swells vomits purgeth sweats c. and dies if it be not expelled but hate and kill the Toad and venomous Asp whose nature it is Shall Cain plead my nature is to be bloody Nimrod mine to be Tyrannical Pharaoh mine to be obstinate Haman mine to be haughty Nabal mine to be currish Ishmael mine to scoff Jezabel mine to be unchast and Belshazzar mine to be jovial and rant Then let the Lion Bear Tyger Wolf and Serpent plead our nature is to raven devour destroy and poyson let us alone The Thorn and Briar our nature is to prick and tear therefore let us grow in the
Non deserit nisi deserentes The shame sprang from Aug. thy self Prov. 22. 14. The mouth of the strange woman saith Solomon is a deep Pit but mark what follows he that is abhorred of the Lord shall fall therein There not Satan but God owes and pays the shame But more plainly Eccles 7. 26. where you see the cause and what went before Whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her God will preserve his Josephs but the Sinner the old prophane irreligious Sinner shall be taken by her So likewise ye may read Rom. 1. 26. That the Gentiles who smothered the natural light of their own Reason and sinned against Conscience not liking to retain God in their knowledge but became vain in their imaginations how God left them and as they went on farther and farther in a way of sin God went on in punishing First verse 24. God gave them up to uncleanness c. verse 26. God gave them up to vile affections and then they fell into unnatural and prodigious lusts And last verse 28. God gave them quite and clean over to a Reprobate mind and then he paid them home their shame with a witness for then were they filled with all and all manner of unrighteousness verse 29 30 c. 2. Excuses taken from Satan Some again Excuses taken from Satan are apt to take Excuses from Satan casting their sin upon him and because he is so bad think they may lay all their dirt at his Door Thus was the first sin parted between God and Satan The woman that thou gavest me said the man There 's for God The Serpent beguiled me said the woman There 's for Satan There 's nothing but excuse upon excuse and sin upon sin Yet did not this avoid the just Sentence against both for it was their own voluntary act Satan might perswade did not compel One saith the Devil as a sly Serpent deceived me another as a roaring Lion affrighted me a third as a fell Dragon cast a flood of temptations out of his mouth and over-whelmed me a fourth as a restless Friend he dogged and haunted me I could never be quiet for him All this excuseth not the sin is thy own sollicite and entice he may compel he cannot Thy will he hath no power over but by thy own consent The faithful Commander betrusted by his Prince with keeping a Fort thinks it not enough to hold no Correspondence with the Enemy but when he assaults him with his Batteries he manfully repels him makes up his Breaches prevents his Underminings seeks to Countermine him prevents his nearer Approaches Sallies out against him spends all his Darts and Ammunition against him endures all Extremities and when he fears and wants Supplies sends to his Prince and is relieved So it is with us not enough to say I was tempted enticed assaulted winnowed buffeted dogged but we should take the whole armor of God make resistance watch pray take the shield of Faith cry out and send to Heaven for assistance as Hezekiah with him is an Arm of Flesh but with us is the Lord of Hosts to fight our Battels and with him it is all one to save with strength or with them that have no might as Asa said 2 Chron. 14. 11. Help us O Lord our God for we rest on thee Help us against this Enemy And in thy Name we go out against him Resist the Devil saith St. James and St. Peter Jam. 4. 7. 1 Pet. 5. 9. Eph. 6. and he will fly from you Resist him manfully stedfast in the Faith and all his fiery Darts are blunted The Devil craves thy own help to destroy thee Those for the most part simple and sorry Creatures Witches and Sorcerers the Devil never leaves them till he gains their consent and a compact signed and sealed as their own act and deed then and not till then though they have been ignorant and lewd before doth he reckon himself sure of them And as these Witches have confessed they could have no power over some till they had gotten something of theirs So it is with their Master The Devil is call'd by many names in Scripture a Tempter Deceiver Accuser an Enemy Lyer Murderer c. no where a Compeller Preserve thy Will free and pure and he slinks It is not in his power to work in thee to will and to do what he will at his pleasure that is God's peculiar Prerogative Phil. 2. 13. As learned Zanchy De potentia daemonum in animas speaking of the power of the Devil upon mens Souls saith The Devil hath great power may have power over the Air Water over mens Bodies Goods Cattle States as in Jobs case may abuse our Senses Phancy work upon our Affections sollicit and assault the Will But this can he neither bend nor bow without our consent That is only in the power of God to do CHAP. V. Excuses taken from other things WE have done with Excuses as to 3. Excuses taken from other things sin taken from our selves and other persons We come now to speak of such as are taken from other things of which there are so many Reader that I do not promise thee to enumerate all but such as are most common and obvious And first Ignorance is a great and common 1. Ignorance pretence and were it really so it might pass for a just defence As when Abimelech was charged to be in a Confederacy with David against Saul he 1 Sam. 22. 15. avowed he was altogether ignorant of any such thing it was or should have been accepted as a clear purgation But ignorance is oft made a Cloak to carelesness and wretched neglect of duty belonging to our places Thus Solomon takes it for granted some do If thou forbearest saith he to Prov. 24. 11 12. deliver them that are drawn to death and sayst Behold we knew it not Doth not he that pondereth the heart consider and shall not he render to every man according to his works q. d. This is a poor shift a meer put-off Conscience is not so acquitted Thou mayst pretend thou wast not there hadst other business or some indisposition of Body but thou shouldst have been there If Nicodemus had not opened his mouth on Christ's behalf when he was traduced John 7. 51. And Joseph of Arimathea had not entered his Dissent at the Council-Table Luke 23. 51. when he was condemned The one had never been worthy of the name of a Disciple nor the other of an honourable Counsellour Mark 15. 43. Thy duty is if thou art betrusted with an Office to wait on thy Office Rom. 12. 7. 2. And now we have spoken of an Office 2. Their Place and Office there are some ready to plead their Place and Office for excuse that must bear them out Thus did Naaman plead When the King goeth into the house of Rimmon and 2 Kings 5. 18. leaneth on my hand for that is my place at Court and
as good a man as he I 'le carry no Coals If with my Inferior I may tread on him make him know I am his Betters my Servant shall know I am his Master my Wife that I am Head c. 6. This is a great Murderer and guilty of much Bloud If I am affronted saith the Gallant I will draw or send a Challenge If challenged I will not so Vn-man and Vn-Gentleman my self as not to fight him To lose the repute of a Christian one that feareth God and the guilt of Bloud is no disparagement but to lose the reputation of a Gentleman or indeed a Lamech that were a perpetual Gen. 4. disgrace If any wrong me should I not hate him if he provoke me strike him and lay him at my foot If abuse me may I not revenge my self and do to him as he hath done to me never be reconciled to him again as I hate to be false to my Friend but shall love him as much as he loves me so I will not be false to my self but hate an Enemy as much as he hateth me 7. This is the great Adulterer and Mother of Whoredoms If I commit Adultery David if Incest Lot may Excuse me If I have committed Fornication it is a Venial Sin many of the Fools of Israel have done so before me I am not the first nor shall be the last if I talk at random and speak scurrilously it is but to make my self and others merry and words are but wind if I have a wanton Eye or lustful Thoughts Thoughts are free what hath any to do with them 8. The Eighth Commandement is wholly taken away by Excuses If I steal better so then starve If I be false to my Master said the unjust Steward Luk. 16. Blame me not if I desire to live I have nothing to live upon but my Wits better so than dig or beg or be cashiered If I rack my Tenants may I not make the best of my own If I over-reach in Bargaining Caveat Emptor may I not sell my Commodity as dear as I can If I spend all it is but my own if I hoard up all lend spend give nothing may I not please my self If I have an advantage against my Neighbour and take it vexing him with troublesome Suits in Law the Law not I am to be blamed If I commit Sacriledge the Church hath enough and too much already It is but a piece of a Babylonish Garment given to the Church in times of blind Superstition If I pay not my Tythes the Parson comes easily enough by his Living Thus is there no Eighth Commandement 9. For the Ninth we may say Excuses were a Lyar from the beginning and abode not in the truth and yet pleads for all manner of untruths If I tell an untruth the Jesting Lye doth no man harm the Officious Lye doth a deal of good to my Friend The Excusatory Lye hideth a fault and saveth anger yea the pernitious defaming Lye will have somewhat to defend it self I have now cryed Quit with him he reviled me and I have reviled him if slander it was my Enemy If I take up an ill Report and spread it you have it as I had it I was not the Author of it yea if I make Oath to a false Charge it is but what is put in my mouth and others will second it Thus is there no Ninth Commandement left neither Lastly as for Coveting what Excuses have men ready to justifie any thing If my Neighbour hath Field or Tenement that lyeth convenient for me why may I not seek to add House to House and Field to Field by fair means if it may be as Ahab to Naboth or else out him by Law and dispossess him if that will not do as did Jezabel by a Wile and Quirk in the Law or play the Sycophant and forge some cavilling Accusation to pick a hole in his Coat as sometimes Zacheus had done or by flattering Insinuations undermine him as Ziba did Mephibosheth or if I envy repine at or maligne my Neighbours good what hath any to do with that Thus have Excuses made void the whole Law and not left one unviolated 2. As Excuses are such capital offenders against the Law they are as much against the Gospel too endangering the frustrating of Gods Counsel slighting the offers and tenders of Grace as those in the Parable Luke 14. 18. Thereby receiving the Grace of God in vain or turning it into wantonness or slipping the season and opportunity of the day of Grace as if he that out of Grace stretcheth out his hand all the day long were bound to stretch it out all their life long to a rebellious and gainsaying people 2. Are as injurious to Christ slighting his Person and Kingly power because his Visage so marred Outside so mean Parentage so low Followers so inconsiderable his Precepts so pure Yoke so strict Cross Mat. 11. 6. so heavy and ignominious that he goes for a blessed man that was or is not offended in him They cast him out of the Vineyard and had a reason for it then the Inheritance was their own They take Mat. 21 38. away his Life and have a Law and great Reason of State for it to prevent the Roman subjugation Excuses have banished the Gospel because it brings a Religion and Laws different from former Customs Acts 16. 21. have made the Jews to stumble at the imputed Righteousness of Christ Ro. 10. 23. having a Legal Righteousness of their own have emboldened the Papists to joyn other Mediators with Christ as the Blessed Virgin and their Patron Saints to mingle the Bloud of Christ with that of Martyrs their own Merits Pardons Pennances Satisfactions all to Corroborate but indeed to Invalidate the alone all-sufficient Satisfaction of Christ Excuses have corrupted the Doctrine of Grace laid down Tit. 2. 11 12. Perverted the use of Grace Rom. 5. 22. that Grace should reign by Righteousness have made Christ the Patron and Minister of Sin Gal. 2. 17. because he came to save Sinners in a word have subverted the whole Gospel perverting the Doctrines of Justification Faith Repentance Remission of Sins to encourage men to sin and presume with the greater security 3. Excuses have sinned against the Holy Ghost sighting and putting by his Motions Excitations Convictions as did Felix not regarding his present first second reiterated Knocks Calls Invitations but perswading themselves the Spirit will come again at their pleasure when they are old sick or dying as Sampson once thought he would go shake and rouze up himself as in former times but wist not Judg. 16. 20. that the Spirit of the Lord was departed from him 3. Excuses are of so evil and malignant aspect that they have turned all things unto Sin that they have had to do with increasing to more ungodliness making ill use of Gods Decrees Ezek. 33. 10. Of Gods Providences as Adam the Woman whom thou gavest me Gods Patience