betrayed it had beene good for that man if hee had neuer beene borne Doct. It is a grieuous sinne to despaire of Gods mercie From whence wee may gather this inctrustion that it is a most grieuous sinne to despaire of Gods mercie As that wretched Kain did when hearing the iudgement which God had denounced against him for killing his brother hee cryed out in the horrour of his soule My sinne is greater then can bee pardoned Gen. 4.13 And indeede a Quid aliud est desperare quam Deum sibi comparare August de vera falsa paenit ca. 5. he that despaireth of the forgiuenesse of his sinnes what doth hee else but compare God to himselfe Which is a great derogation from the Lord that his high and glorious Maiestie should bee likened vnto a vile and sinnefull man Besides hee doth offer horrible indignitie and notorious iniurie vnto the Lord. For as much as in him lyeth hee denyeth many of his most glorious attributes and properties as namely his loue his truth his power his iustice and his mercie For his loue If it were such as our sinnes could hinder it it should bee inferiour to the loue of man For what offence can bee so great from one man to another but loue will easily procure the pardon of it As wee see especially betweene parents and children It is not possible for a childe to commit any offence so great but vpon his submission and reformation his Father will forgiue him Though his affection bee for a time estranged yet hee will easily receiue him into fauour againe And therefore the Prophet saith Can a woman forget her childe and not haue compassion on the Sonne of her wombe Isa 49.15 as if he should say it is not possible But the loue of the tenderest and dearest mother in the world is but like a droppe of water to the maine Ocean in respect of that loue wherewith the Lord our heauenly father loueth vs that are his children So that wee may say of our greatest sinnes as the Apostle saith of all outward afflictions Rom. 8.39 they are not able to separate vs from the loue of God that is in Christ Iesus If the loue of the church to Christ Iesus her blessed spouse Cant. 8.8 be so strong as much water cannot quench it neither can the flouds drowne it 1. Pet. 8.8 much more is his loue to vs so feruent as an Ocean of our sinnes cannot quench or drowne it If the loue of men doe couer euen a multitude of sinnes 1. Pet. 8.8 yea all trespasses that can be committed Prou. 10.12 surely the infinite loue of God will couer our sinnes be they neuer so many Besides the Lord is no changling in his loue to loue a man to day and vpon some dislike to cast him off to morrow but whom he loueth once to the end he loueth them Job 13.1 and it is not our sinnes though many and great that can alienate his affection Nay hauing out of the abundance of his loue giuen vs his owne sonne Rom. 8.32 how shall he not with him giue vs all things necessarie for our saluation Secondly for his truth He hath made many gracious promises vnto vs that if we confesse and forsake our sinnes Prou. 28.13 we shall haue mercy Ezech. 18.21.22 that if we returne from all our sinnes which we haue committed c. all our transgressions which we haue committed shall neuer be mentioned vnto vs c. but as the Prophet saith God will haue mercy vpon vs Isa 55.7 2. Tim. 2.13 1. Ioh. 1.9 for hee is very readie to forgiue Now hee is faithfull in the performance of his promises as the Apostle saith Hee abideth faithfull hee cannot denie himselfe But if wee confesse our sinnes as he requireth he is faithfull to forgiue vs our sinnes And therefore for a man to distrust the forgiuenesse of his sinnes after he hath truly repented of them is to make God a lyer If we haue but the word of an earthly Prince it is a disgrace not to trust vnto it Much more is it a disgrace vnto the King of heauen and earth not to stay and relie our selues vpon his word For as St. Paul saith Let God be true and euery man a lyer Rom. 3.4 Thirdly for his power Wee know it is infinite And though our sinnes were as crimson yet hee is able to make them white as snow and though they were red like skarlet yet he is able to make them as white as wooll Isa 1.18 Hence is it that the Lord himselfe saith I haue put away thy transgressions like a cloude and thy sinnes as a mist Isa 44.22 insinuating that though our sinnes bee neuer so many yet he can as easily take them away as he can scatter the clouds with the wind or disperse the thickest mist with the heat of the Sunne And the Prophet Micah expresseth the same with great force of wordes saying Hee will subdue our iniquities and cast all our sinnes into the bottome of the Sea cap. 7.19 where he alludeth vnto that great ouerthrow which the Lord gaue Pharaoh and his host in the red Sea Giuing vs thereby to vnderstand that though our sinnes did march neuer so furiously against vs and exercise most cruell tyrannie in our soules and consciences yet the Lord is able to subdue them as hee did Pharaoh and his host whom he ouerwhelmed in the bottome of the Sea To this purpose St Augustine hath a good saying a Qui de Deo non praesumit veniam non animadvertit plus peccato suo Dei posse clemētiam Si enim sentiret Deum magis bonum quam se malum quicquid in se iustitia non inueniret à Deo magis bono expectaret Et quidem diffidit qui summi boni bonitatë maiorem sua nequitia non sentit Ille enim solus diffidat qui tantum peccare potest quantum Deus bonus est Cum sit autem nullus qui hoc possit qui timet de se malo praesumat de meliore Adbuc qui diffidit suam nequitiam Dei pietati comparat finem imponit diuinae virtuti dans finem infinito perfectionem diuinitatis auferens deo Aug. de vera fall poenit c. 5. 1. Pet. 2.24 Isa 53.5.6 Collos 2.14 1 Iob. 1.9 that hee that hopeth not for pardon at Gods hands doth not consider that Gods mercy is more powerfull then his sinne For if he thought that God is more good then himselfe is euill whatsoeuer righteousnesse hee findeth not in himselfe hee would expect him from God that is better And surely he is distrustfull that doth not thinke the goodnesse of the Lord to be greater then his wickednesse For let him only distrust that is able to sinne so much as God is good But seeing there is none that can doe this let him that feareth because himselfe is euil presume of him that is better Moreouer
spent and lost his strength cannot returne but by the grace of his maker calling him to repentance and forgiuing his sinnes For who can free a miserable soule from the body of death but the grace of God in Iesus Christ And againe b Ad malum eius prior est voluntas hominis ad bonum verò eius prior est voluntas creatoris eius siue vt eam faceret que nulla erat siue vt reficiat que lapsa perierat Aug. de ciuit dei lib. 13. cap. 15. Si quaÌ„do steti per te stâ—ti sed quaÌ„do cecidi per me cecidi and semper in luco ia cuissem nisi tu me erexisses semper caecus fuissem nisi tu me illuminasses quando cecidi nunquam surrexissem nisi tu mihi manuÌ„ porrexisses Aug. Soliloqu cap. 15. To the euill of man his owne will goes before but to any thing that is good the will of his creator goeth before Whether it be to make that which was not at all or to renue and repair that which was lost by his fall And in another place c Restat vt recte dictum intelligatur Non est volentis c. vt totum Deo detur qui hominis voluntatem bonam praeparat adiuuandam adiuuat praeparatam Nolentem praeuenit vt velit volentem subsequitur ne frustra velit Enchir. cap. 31. Act. 9.1.2.3 Prou. 30.20 It remaineth saith hee that that speech of the Apostle be well vnderstood It is not in him that willeth nor in him that runneth c. That the whole worke may be giuen to God who both prepares the good wil of man that it may be fit to be holpen by grace and also aideth it being prepared He preuenteth him that is vnwilling that hee may be willing and followeth him that is willing that he may not will in vaine And heereof we haue very pregnant examples both in the vnregenerate before their conuersion and also in the regenerate when they fall into sinne after grace receiued For the former what disposition was there in the Apostle Paul to further his conuersion till the Lord called vnto him from Heauen was hee not posting to hell as fast as hee could was he not as opposite to God as might be For it is said He was breathing out threatnings slaughter against the Disciples of the Lord. And hee had procured a Commission from the high Priest to bind all that were of that way And for the latter beside the example of the Apostle Peter in this place is it not euident in Dauid who lay a long time after his fearefull sins of adultery and murder neuer thought of repentance at the least for the space of three quarters of a yeere for the child that was begotten in adultery was borne before there is any mention made of his repentance but euen as Salomon said of the Adulterous woman she eateth and wipeth her mouth as though it had neuer beene shee and saith Prou. 30.20 I haue not committed iniquity so did Dauid set a good face on the matter and beare it out all this while as though he had neuer offended And as it is said of Esau that after he had sold his birthright hee rose vp and went away neuer considering what he had done Gen. 25.34 so for any thing we find to the contrary Dauid neuer felt his hart to smite him for his sinne but slept securely in it till the Lord sent the Prophet Nathan by the ministry of the word to awake his drowsy conscience Vse 1 This doctrine serueth first to refell a maine point of Popery concerning freewill The Papists doe stiffely maintain that there is in mans will a naturall power to that which is truely good whereby of it selfe it cooperateth with Gods grace in the first act of mans conuersion They say that God onely first perswadeth the will as a man may perswade his friend to take a iourney whereto he is vnwilling But in the accomplishing of any worke God is onely an assistant and man by his owne power worketh together with him But this is iniurious to match the doing of man with the power of God Indeed man hath no power ouer the heart but draweth onely by perswasion but the Lord by his diuine power doth not onely perswade but also bendeth and turneth the heart as it pleaseth him And therefore Salomon in that excellent prayer of his desireth the Lord to bow their hearts vnto him that they may walke in his waies c. 1. Kings 8.58 So that it is blasphemous to hold that the wil of man should worke with Gods grace in any thing that is good Indeed as they are works and actions so they proceed from the will of man but as they are good workes they are onely the works of grace as our Sauiour Christ told his Disciples without mee ye can doe nothing Iohn 15.5 And so saith Dauid of the worke of Praier Thou preparest their hearts and bendest thine care to them Psalm 10.17 And the Prophet Isaiah speaketh generally of all good works Thou also hast wrought all our works for vs. Isa 26.12 And to this purpose the Master of sentences hath a good saying a Paratur voluÌ„tas hominis a Deo a domino gressus eius diriguntur Non quia hoc sine nostra voluntate agatur sed quia voluntas nostra nil boni agit nisi diuinitus adiuue tur l. 2 di 26. A. Mans will is prepared of God and his steppes directed of the Lord not because this is done without our will but because our will cannot doe any thing that is good without Gods assistance And Fulgentius is very plentifull in the proofe of this point b Nunquam redire velle potest ouis errans nisi fuerit boni pastoris inquisitione praeuenta humeris reportata Fulg. de incar gra Chr. c. 22 Reuera vt velimus misericordiae praeuenientis illuminamur dono vt curramus misericordiae subsequentis fulcimur auxilio ibid. cap. 18. 19. Gratia Christi gratis indignis ita tribuitur vt ipsa in nobis exordium profectum bonae voluntatis operetur Ibid. cap. 1. Ne deputes viribus tuis quod viam mandatorum Dei currere delectaris Haec enim omnia nullatenus haberes nisi a Deo munere gratuitae donationis haberes Non hoc homini dat natura sed gratia Fulg. epist 6. ad Theodorum Senat. Non quisquam hominum siue ad cogitandum siue ad operandum quodcunque honuÌ„ potest esse idoneus nisi fuerit munere gratuito diuinae opitulationis adiutus Phil. 2.13 2. Cor. 3.5 Ab ipso est initium bonae voluntaâ—is ab ipso facultas boni operis ab ipso perseuerantia bonae conuersationis Fulg. ad Probam epist 4. Hominis conatus ad bonuÌ„ cassi sunt si a gratia non adiuuentur nulli si non excitentar Bern. de gra lib. arbit Spiritus sanctus est
them all for they would haue scoffed at him but he betaketh himselfe into such a place where hee might doe it most freely I doe not denie but that Gods children many times doe weepe in the presence of others but it is because the abundance of their sorrow is such as they cannot otherwise choose As the woman that washed our Sauiour Christs feete came into the Pharisees house and wept before all that were at table And in publique humiliation when the Church meeteth together to preuent or turne away some iudgement of God there is qublique and open weeping But especially when a man is alone his teares haue full scope Then hee pulleth vp the sluces and flood-gates of his eyes and guiueth them free passage As wee see in Dauid who wept not so much in the day time when he was among others but when night came that hee was alone in his bed then he wept so abundantly that hee watered his couch with his teares Psal 6.6 And that good King Hezekiah lying sicke on his bed though hee could not goe from those that stood about him Isa 38.2.3 yet it is said hee turned his face to the wall that hee might weepe as priuately as hee could Indeede it is a true saying though it were spoken with a prophane mouth a Ille dolet verè qui sine teste dolet Mart. lib. 1 Epigr. 34. hee sorroweth ttuely that hath no witnesse of his sorrow no witnesse I say but God and his owne conscience Againe we must not thinke that a little sorrow or a few teares will serue the turne But wee must haue great measure of griefe and with Peter in this place wee must weepe bitterly b Quam magna deliquimus tam granditer defleamus Alto vulneri diligens longa medicina non defit paenitentia crimine minor non sit Cypri Serm. 5. de lapsls Looke how grieuously wee haue sinned 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so greatly should we bewaile our sinnes A deepe wound must haue a large plaister and our repentance must not bee lesse then our fault It is true it is no matter of merit for a man to weep more or lesse We may say in this case as the Apostle saith of meates It is not our sorrow that maketh vs acceptable to God 1. Cor. 8.8 But yet much sorrow is a token of great repentance and on the other side where there is but a little sorrow there is but a little repentance And therefore S. Augustine hath described repentance c Est paenitentia quaedam dolentis vindicta puniens in se quod dolet commisisse De vera sal paenit cap. 8. 2. Cor. 7.11 Magis corde fundendae sunt quam corpore Fulg. ad Probam Epist 4. Joel 2.13 to be a certaine kind of reuenge whereby a sorrowfull man doth punish that in himselfe which it grieueth him to haue committted And Saint Paul saith that reuenge is one of those blessed fruits that doe accompanie true repentance euen a cruciating of all the body and a sobbing to make the heart to ake that the teares that a man sheddeth in this case may seeme to come from the heart rather then from the body And hence is it that the Lord calling the people to sorrow for their sinnes doth not require some light sorrow or some small measure of griefe but such a sorrow as should euen rent their very bearss And Dauid saith that a mans heart must bee contrite and broken Psal 51.19 euen beaten to powder as it were with godly sorrow or else his repentance will neuer bee acceptable to God This is not onely required but hath also beene practised by Gods children for other mens sinnes 2. Pet. 2.7.8 Righteous Lot had his soule vexed with the vncleane conuersation of the wicked Sodomites And the Prophet cryeth out in like manner My leannesse Isa 24.16 my leannesse woe is me the transgressours haue offended yea the transgressours haue grieuously offended he did so grieue at the transgressions of the people that hee beecame exceeding leane withall as the doubling of the word importeth The Phrophet Ieremie likewise is full of passion in this behalfe Iere. 4.19 Sometimes he cryeth out as if hee were in great perplexitie My belly my belly I am pained euen at the very heart my heart is troubled within me I cannot be still c. 9.1 Sometimes hee wisheth that his head were full of water and his eyes a fountaine of teares that hee might weepe day and night c. 13.17 And he telleth them his soule shall weepe in secret for their pride and his eye shall weepe and drop downe teares Psal 119.139 And Dauid saith that his eyes did gush out with riuers of water Luke 19.41.42 because men kept not the law Yea our Sauiour Christ himselfe wept for Ierusalem bewailing the stubbornnesse of the people that would not be reclaimed yea which is more the Lord had absolutely forbidden the Priestes in the law Leuit. 21.10.11 that they should not mourne vpon any occasion no not for the death of their Father and Mother but they must euen ouercome their owne naturall affection in that case And when God had fearefully slaine Nadad and Abihu 10.2.6 the sonnes of Aron with fire from heauen for offering strange fire vpon the Altar Aron is commaunded that for his life hee shall not mourne nor shew any token of sorrow for them And yet marke they that might not weepe for any worldly matter Ioel. 2.17 are commaunded not onely to weepe but euen to howle and cry for their owne sinnes and the sinnes of the people If this be required of vs for other mens sinnes much more must wee striue to a great measure of sorrow for our owne sinnes Our sinnes should be our greatest sorrow Nothing in the world should come so neare our hearts as they And therefore the Lord saith that when men are once brought to a true sight of their sinnes they shall mourn for them euen as one that mourneth for his onely sonne Zech. 12.10 and bee sorry at one is sorry for his first borne As nothing more woundeth the heart of a tender father then to loose his onely sonne the Image of his name and the hope of his house so nothing should peirce the heart of a man so deepely as the consideration of his sinnes And hence is it that all the penitentiaries in the Scripture are not brought in with a sigh or a teare or two but with exceeding great sorrow to giue vs to know that slender sorrow in repentance is but hypocrisie The people of Israel that lamented after the Lord for their sinnes are said to haue powred out buckets of teares 1. Sam. 7.2 7. as it were vnto the Lord. Psal 6.6 And Dauid saith that hee wept in such abundance as hee caused his bed to swimme and watered his couch with his teares In both which places
doth not take aduantage against vs but still mercy pleaseth him as the Prophet speaketh c. This doctrine serueth to admonish vs to take heede of this fearefull sinne of desperation and to trust at all times in the mercy of God for the forgiuenesse of our sinnes For as wee haue heard God is as readie to forgiue as wee can bee to aske forgiuenesse And therefore Bernard saith well a Tardius videtur Deo veniam peâ—â—tori dedâ—sse quam illi accâ—passa Isa 30.18 Sic â—â—â—m festinat misâ—ricors Deus absolâ—cre reum à tormento conscientiae suae quasi plus cruciet misericordem Deum compassio miseri quam ipsum miserum compassio sui De conscient aedis cap. 38. It seemeth longer to God to giue the pardon of sinnes then it doth to a sinner to receiue it according to that of the Prophet The Lord standeth waiting that hee may haue mercie vpon vs. For the mercifull God doth make such hast to absolue a sinner from the torment of his conscience as though the mercifull God had more compassion of a poore wretch then hee hath of himselfe And Saint Augustine saith b Non possum terreri multitudine peccatorum si mors Domini in metem venerit quoniam peccata illum vincere non possunt Extedit bâ—achia tua in cruce expandit manus suas paratus in amplexus peccatorum August Manual cap. 23. I cannot be terrified with the multitude of my sinnes if I can but call to minde the death of our Lord because my sinnes cannot ouer-come him hee hath stretched out his armes vpon the Crosse and spred abroade his handes as being readie to embrace poore sinners So that c Quecunque necessitas coâ—â—t ad poenitudine nec quantitas criminis nec breuitas teporis nec horae extremitas nec vitae enormitas si vera contritio si pura suerit voluntatii mutatio excludâ—t à venia sed in amplitudine sinus sui mater charitas prodigos suscipit reuertetes omni sepore Dei gratia recipit poenitetes Cypr. ser de Coen Dom. as another Father saith Whatsoeuer necessitie driueth a man to repentance neither the greatnesse of his sinne nor the shortnesse of the time nor the extremitie of the houre not the enormitie of the life past if there bee true contrition and an holy change of his will doth exclude him from pardon but the Mother charitie admitteth her prodigall children into the largenesse of her bosome when they returne and the grace of God at all times receiueth sinners when they repent For the Scripture witnesseth that hee despised not the Theefe that confessed his sinnes nor Marie Magdalene that washed his feete with her teares nor the Woman of Canaan that besought him for her Daughter nor the Woman that was taken in adulterie nor Matthew sitting at the receit of custome nor his Disciple that denyed him nor Paul that persecuted his Disciples nor the wicked Iewes that crucified him But yet this must not encourage any man to presume too farre of Gods mercy as though hee might liue as hee list and yet haue the pardon of his sinnes For the Lord hath denounced a fearefull threatning against all such impenitent persons Hee that blesseth himselfe in his heart saying I shall haue peace Deut. 29.19 although I walke after the stubbernesse of mine owne heart The Lord will not bee mercifull vnto that man 20. but the wrath of the Lord and his iealousie shall smoake against him and euery curse that is written in this booke shall light vpon him and the Lord shall put out his name from vnder heauen So that the mercie of God how great soeuer is restrained only to repentant sinners Hanged himselfe This fearefull example of Iudas giueth vs occasion Question Whether it be lawfull for a man to kill himselfe in the last place to discusse that Question Whether it bee lawfull for any man to lay violent handes on him selfe and to procure his owne death Many causes there are which driue men to these desperate courses but they may bee reduced to two heads either for auoiding of euill or for procuring of good For the first Many there are that when some great calamitie is either threatned against them or lyeth heauie vpon them which they thinke they are not able to beare seeke to escape it by offering violence to themselues As some to preuent bondage and thraldome a Plutarch in cius vita as Cato Vticensis because hee would not bee in subiection to Caesar killed himselfe Some in a long and languishing sicknesse haue desperately ended their dayes to ridde themselues from their paine as Plinius Secundus maketh mention of one that in this case famished himselfe to death Some hauing made themselues odious in the world by their wickednesse with Nero when hee saw himselfe censured of the Senate and hated of all good men beginne to loath their liues as being ashamed to liue any longer And wee haue both heard and seene that many wretched misers hauing hoorded vp corne in hope of a dearth when it hath fallen out contrarie to their expectation haue for very griefe hanged themselues Againe some to preuent sinne whereunto they were like to be forced or being forced to shunne the reproach and infamie that might redound vnto them haue killed themselues as Lucretia did among the Romanes Nemo polluto queat Animo mederi morte sanandum est sed is Hercules furens apud Senecam when shee was rauished by Tarquinius Last of all some not able to beare the horrour of their conscience by reason of Gods wrath haue sought to free themselues by being their owne executioners as did Saul and Iudas and diuers others For the second Some in a preposterous desire of euerlasting happinesse haue wilfully shortened their liues As one Cleombrotus who hauing read Plato his booke of the immortalitie of the soule that hee might the sooner attaine to it cast himselfe headlong from a wall Others haue made away themselues for vaine glorie to get them a name As Curtius among the Romanes 2. Maccab. 14.41.42 c. and Razis among the Iewes and many others But wee are to know that it is not lawfull for any cause whatsoeuer for a man to depriue himselfe of life The truth whereof may appeare by many reasons First death in it selfe naturally is euill inflicted vpon mankinde for a punishment of sinne yea it is one of Gods enemies as the Apostle saith 1. Cor. 15.26 The last enemie that shall bee destroied is death And therefore no man should wittingly and willingly procure it to himselfe Secondly that same naturall affection which is in all men should restraine them from so desperate cruelty against themselues Otherwise they rebell against God who is the author of nature which wee see the very brute beasts will not doe They may peraduenture goare and teare one another but whatsoeuer extremitie they are in they will neuer hurt themselues So that