their hunger and they did so Yea he but had the Ravens bring bread and flesh to Elijah and they did it In like manner did the winde and sea Mat. thew 8. 27. the Lions Dan. 6. 22. those two shee-Bears a Kings 2. 24. the Fire Dan. 3. 27. the Earth Numb. 16. 29 to 37. obey the voice of the Lord and many the like spoken of in Scripture But Man is wholly gone astray from his rule and not onley runneth from it but against it so that he is far worse then things worse then himself Which were it rightly considered would be enough to melt an heart of Adamant For was this the principal end for which men were created in such a glorious condition That we might honour love and serve our Creator and injoy communion and happinesse with him for ever and are we so far from excelling the rest of the creatures that we are become more disobedient and rebellious to God then any one of them except Satan himself One would think it should make all that thirst not after their own damnation not onely to hate and dislike themselves for it but force us with all possible speed and industry to seek out the cause and how to recover our selves out of this wretched and damnable condition Sect. VIII But it will be demanded how this comes â— be so and what was the cause To which I answer God at first entered into Convenant with our first parents as publick persons both in behalf of themselvs and all that should proceed out of their loinâ— and so that whatsoever gifts privileges and endowments they had bestowed upon them should be continued to them and theirs onely upon condition of their loyaltie and personal obedience of which the tree of life was a pledge and they should have and injoy them or lose and be deprived of them aswell for their off-spâ—iâ—g as for themselves as they should keep or transgresse his royal Law But see how unworthily they demeaned themselvs towards this their bounâ—â—ul Maker and Benefactor For whereas God placed them in Paradice and gave them free liberty to eat of the fruit of every tree in the Garden save onely of the tree of knowledge of good and câ—iâ— prehibiting them that alone even upon pain of eternal death to them and theirs they most peâ—fidiâ—usly contemned and brake this Law which as sundry circumstances that do aggravate it shew was a most execrable and damnable sin As observe the several circustances set down by Moses to amplifie the foulnesse of their Fall as First that they despised and made light of the promise of God whereby they were commanded to hope for everlasting life so long as they continued their loialty and obedience 2. There was in it an unsufferable pride and ambition in that he could not content himself with being Lord of the whole Universe but he must be equal unto God and every way like his Maker 3. What greater unbelife could there be when he gave more credit to the Serpent in saying he should not die then to God who immediately before tells them that if he did sin in eating the forbidden fruit he should die 4. In this sin was not onely unkindnesse not to be parallel'd but wilful murther of himself and all his posterity whom he knew were to stand or fall with him 5. Herein was soul apostacie from God to the Divel to whom charging God with lying envy malice c. he revolted and adhered rather then stick to his Maker And to these might be added many the like circumstances which grievously aggravate the sin of our first Parents and make it so deadly in effect For hereby it is we not onely lost our blessed communion with God that the Image of God after which they were created was forthwith abolished and blotted out but that many grievous miseries and punishments came in the room of it so that in the place of wisdom power holinesse truth righteousnesse and the like ornaments wherewith we had been cloathed there hath succeeded these and the like 1. This their sin hath filled our whole man with corruption 2. It hath made us become vassals unto sin and Satan 3. It hath disabled us from understanding the will and observing the Commandements of the Lord 4. It caused us to lose our right unto and sovereignty over the creatures 5. It makes our persons and actions unacceptable to God 6. It hath cast us out of Gods favour and made us liable and subject to all the plagues and miseries of this life and to endlesse eaflesse and remeâ— dilesse torments in the life to come Sect. IX And the reason is Our First Parents being the root of all man-kind and instead of all their posterrity before they had issue And the covenant being made with them as publick persons not for themselves onely but for their Posterity who were to stand or fall with them they being left to the freedome of their own wills in transgressing the commandment of God by eatting the forbidden fruit through the temtation of Satan have made us and all man-kind descending from them by ordinary generation as guilty of their sin as any heir is liable to his Fathers debt Their act being ours as the act of a Knight or Burgess in the Parlament House is the act of the whole County in whose name and room they sit and whom they represent by which means our Nature is so corrupted that we are utterly indisposed and made opposite unto all that is spiritually good and wholly inclined to all evill and that continually and have also lost our communion with God incurred his displeasure and curse so as we are justly liable to all punishments both in this life and in the life to come Now for the fuller confirming and amplifying of what hath been said touching Oâ—iginal sin take onely these ensuing Scrirptures and Aphorisms without any needlesse connexion that I may be so much the briefer Sect. X. Amongst many others the most pregnant Scriptures for the confirming of this point I hold to be these The Fathers have eaten sowr grapes and the childrens teeth are set an edge Jer. 31. 20. was a true proverb though by them abused By one man sin entered into the world and death by sin and so death passed upon all men in whom all have sinned Rom. 5. 12. to 21. Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean not one Job 14. 4. Sec Chap. 13. 14 15 16. We are all at an unclean thing and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags Isa. 64. 6. By the works of the Law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight Rom. 3. 20. There is no difference for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God Rom. 3. 21 22 23. And God saw that the wickednesse of man was greaâ— in the earth and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was onely evil continually And it repented the Lord that he had made man Genesis 6. 5
6. Both Jews and Gentiles are all under sin As it is written therâ— is none righteous no not one There is none that understandeth there is none that seeketh after God They are all gone out of the way they are altogetheâ— become unprofitable there is none that doeth good no not one Their throat 〈◊〉 an open sepulchre the poison of Asps is under their lips there is no fear of Goâ— before their eies Rom. 3. 9. to 20. Out of the heart proceed evil thoughtâ— murâ—bers adulteries fornications thefts false witnesse blasphemies Mat. 15. 19. see Gal. 5. 19 20 21. Whence come warrs and fightings among you comâ— they not hence even of your lusts that war in your members James 4. 1. Unâ—â— them that are unbelieving is nothing pure but even their minde and conscienâ—â— is defiled Tit. 1. 15. I see another Law in my members warring against the Law of my minde and bringing me into captivity to the Law of sin which is my members O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death c Rom. 7. 14. to 25. where the Apostle speaks all this and a gret deal more of himself see Ephes. 2. 2 3. Gal. 3. 10. Yet how many that gâ—ieve for their other sins who are never troubled for their Original corruption which should above all be bewailed even as the mother and nurse of all the rest and thought worthy not of our sighs alone but of our tears For this is the great wheel of the Clock that sets all the other wheels a moving while it seems to move slowest And never did any truly and orderly repent that began not here esteeming it the most foul and hateful of all as David Psal 51. 5. And Paul crying out of it as the most secret deceitful and powerful evil Rom. 7. 23 24. And indeed if wee but clearly saw the foulnesse and deceitfulnesse of it we would not suffer our eies to sleep nor our cye-lids to slumber until a happy charge had wrought these hearts of ours which by nature are no better then so many styes of unclean Divels to become habitations for the God of Jacob Sect. XI We are the cursed seed of rebellious parents neither need we any more to condemne uâ— then what we brought into the world with us In Adam the root of all we all so sinned that if we had no inherent sin of our own this imputed sin of his were enough to damne us Our first Parents were the root we are the branches if the root be bitter the branches cannot be better They were the fountain wee the springs if the sountains be filthy so must the spangs Whence it is that holy David cries out Behold I was shapen in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me Psal 51. 5. Tantillus puer tantus peccator saith Saint Austin when a little childe I was a great sinner As in the little and tender bud is infolded the leaf the blossom and the fruit so even in the heart of a young child there is a bundle and pack of folly laid up as Solomon affirms Pov. 22. 15. And as Moses speaks The thoughts of man's heart are evil even from his childhood Gen. 6. 5. 8. 21. We brought a world of sin into the world with us and were condemned so soon as conceived we were adjudged to eternal death before we lived a temporal life As admit thou hadst never offended in the least thought word or deed all thy life yea admit thou couldst now keep all the Commandements actually and spiritually yet all this were nothing it could not keep thee out of Hell since that Original sin which we drew from the loins of our first Parents is enough to damn us Sin and corruption are the riches that we bequeath to our children rebellion the inheritance that we have purchased for them death the wages that we have procured them God made us after his own Image but by sin we have turned the image of God into the image of Satan Yea like Satan we can do nothing else but sin and make others sin too who would not so sin but for us As a furnace continually sparkles as the raging Seafoams and easts up mire and diet and as a filthy dunghill does continnally reak forth and evaporate â—â—â—ous â—doâ—â— so do our hearts naturally stream forth unsavery eructations unholy lusts and motions even continually As O the infinitely intricate windings and turnings of the dark labyrinths of man's heart who finds not in himself an indisposition of mind to all good and an inclination to all evill O the strange monsters the ugly odious hidious fiends the swarms litters legions of noisome lusts that are couched in the stinking sties of every one of our decetful hearts insomuch that if all our thoughts did but break forth into action we should not com far short of the Divels themselvs Sect. XII And as the healthiest body is subject to the mortallest disease so there is no sin so odious unto which of our selvs we are not sufficiently inclinable For Original sin in which we are all born and bred containeth in it self the seeds of all sins that fearful sin against the Holy Ghost it self not excepted Such venemous natures we have that never was there any villany committed by any forlorn miscreant whereunto we have not a disposition in our selves Insomuch that we ought to be humbled even for those very sins from which we are in a manner exempt For that Coins envy Ishmaels scofing Rabshâ—ka's railing Shimei's cursing Senacheribs balsphemy Doegs murther Pharaohs cruelty Sodoms lust Judas his treason Julians apostacie c. are not our sins and as much predominant in us as they were in each of them it is onely God's free grace and goodnesse For all of them should have been thine and my sins if God had left us to our selves Lord faith Saint Austin thou lust forgiven me those sins which I have done and those sins which onely by thy grace I have not done they were done in our inclination to them and even that inclination needs God's mercy If we escape temptation it is his mercie if we stand in temptation it is his mercie if our wills consent not it is his mercie if we consent and the act be hindered it is his mercy if we fall and rise again by repentance all is his mercy We cry out of Cain Judas Julian the Sodomites alas they are but glasses to see our own faces in For as in water face arswereth to face so doth the heart of man to man Sayes Solomon Prov. 27. 19. even hating of God is by the Holy Ghost charged upon all men Rom. 1. 30. John 15. 23. 24. 25. Wee are all cut out of the same piece and as there is the same nature of all Lyons so of all men There is no part power function or faculty either of our souls or bodies which is not become a ready instrument to dishonour God our heart is a
a man should truly grieve and bee displeased for his sins and yet continue in them without â— change Sect. XXIV Fourthly as for their assurance of salvation it is upon a good ground as a 〈◊〉 the rest for they sâ—mber and suppose themselvs good Christians â—â—…e faith is but a dream their hope but a dream their charity but a dream their obedience but a dream their whole religion but a dream so their assurance of salvation is but a dream they have regeneration in conceit â—epentance and righteousness in conceit they serve God well in conceit do the works of justice and piety in conceit and they shall go to heaven only in conceit or in a dream and never awake untill they feel themselvs in the flames of hell Every drunken beast and blasphemer thinks to go to heaven though none shall come there nor once see God without holiness which they abhor One mindes nothing but his cups another nothing but his coyn a third onely his Curtizâ—n yet all these point to meet in heaven but this is not the way thiâ—her The lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes and the pride of life 1 John 2. 16. is a broad way but not to heaven Micha when hee had a Levite in his house thought that God loved him Judg. 17. 13. It is usuall with formalists when they have the Sacrament in their belly to think that all is well as the Jews thought wee may â—ut away our wives wee may swear wee may hate our enemies wee may kill the Prophets subject the Word of God to our traditiâ—ns and follow our own ways Why Abraham is our father John 8. 39. But by their leave Christ calls them bastards and finds out another father for them ver. 44. Ye are of your father the Devill and the lusts of your father ye will do Profane Libertineâ— such as account not themselves well but when they are doing ill yea the most covetous oppressors who may say as Pope 〈◊〉 did I can have no place in heaven because I have so often sold it upon earth every man of them hopes I confess with more confidence then judgment to have benifit by the Gospell when they will not bee tyed to the least tittle of the Law But if Christ bee not our King to govern us hee will neiâ—her bee our Prophet to fore-warn nor our Priest to expiate Except we so sake our sins God will never forgive them yea hee hath swâ—rn by an oath that whomsoever hee redeemeth out of the hands of their spiâ—ituall enemies shall serve him in holiness and righteousness all the days of their lives Neither can it confist with his justice to pardon such as continue in an evill câ—uâ—se of life If Christ hath freed us fâ—om the damnation of sin hee hath also freed us from the dominion of sin If with his blood hee hath quenched the fire of hell for us hee hath also quenched the fire of lust in us Christs justifying blood is given us by his sanctifying Spirit He being consecrated was made the authour of eternall salvation unto all tâ—em and them onely that obâ—y him Heb. 5. 9. Of whomsoever a man iâ— overcome even unto the same he is in bondage 2 Pet. 2. 19 Have ye then no government of your passions no conscience of your actions no care of your lives false hypocrites yee do but abuse and profane that name which yee unjustly arrogate Sect. XXV But yet more to convince you you go to heaven when in sundry partlculaâ—s you fall shoâ—t of many wicked reprobates recorded in Scripture as do buâ— deal impartially with thy self and tell mee thou civill Justiciary whether thou ever hadst the heart upon hearing the thâ—eatnings of the Word to â—eleâ—t and humble thy self with Ahah to confess thy sins and â—esire the people of God to pray for thee with Pharoah to bee affected with joy in hearing the Word and practice many things with Herod to â—ee zealous against sin with Jehu willingly to part with a good part of â—hy goods with Anarias â—o forsake the world all thy hopes in it to folâ—ow poor Christ as Demus and others to venture thy life with Alexander the Copper-smith in cleaving to the truâ—h yea it is said of Judas himself â—hat hee repented there is contrition hee saith I have sinned there is confession and hee restored the money again there is satisfaction which is 〈◊〉 the Papists repentance and yet hee is Judas the son of perdition still Now tell me dost thou not com short of these many such as these be wicked reprobates and yet wilt thou pleas thy self in a fals conceit of thine own happiness who comest further behind them then they do behind true christians If some that have journied in the wilderness to Kadâ—sh-barnea shall yet never enter into Gods rest shall those that never left Egypt Is the stony ground reprobate and can the high-way ground bee good There are three sorts of ground mentioned Mark 4. 4. 5. 6. 7. and the very worst of them receives the seed yet all damned whither then shall the â—empest of Gods wrath drive them that would never yet give the Gospellâ— religious ear But vicious men think God is all mercie as â—oggie ayr useth to represent every object far bigger then it is when the Word tells us that he is a consuming fire and a â—ealous God Deut. 4. 24. Heb. 12. 29 and when we â—hall find in Deut. 28. thrice as many curses as blessings Dost thou expect to have him mercifull to thee that art unmerciâ—ull cruell and bloody to â—im to his and thine own soul none that have eies in their heads and open can be so sortâ—â—â— But Sin is like the juicâ— of Poppie called Opium which if the quantity exceed bâ—ingeth the patient into a deep sleep that he never awaketh Sinners dream they are awake but indâ—ed they are â—ast asleep yea with Sardi they are dead while they think they are â—live And indeed this mispâ—ision or mistake this very opinion of being in â—afe good enough keeps a man out of all possibility of being bettered â—or what we presume to have attained wee seek not after Yea this conâ—â—ited righteousness is the onely cause of all unrighteousness and many a man had been good if he had not at present so thought himself Untill Paul was humbled to the very ground trembling and astonished he neâ—er asked Jesus what wilt thou have me to do And the like of those Conâ—eâ—ts that were pâ—ickt in their hearts at Peters searching Sermon upon their being convinced that they were the murtherers of the Lord of life Acts 2. vers. 36 37 38. Sect. XXVI In the last place touching their Election this is an infallible truth Whomsoever God hath appointed to salvation to them he hath appointed â—he means also which is holiness Iâ—deed a man may be so bold of his Preâ—estination as to forget his conversation so he may dream himself in Heaâ—en and waken from that dream in Hell God's purpose touching the end include the means Though God had promised Paul that his company should not be drowned yet he told the Marâ—iners that unlesse they kept in the ship they should be drowned Act. 2â— 22 23. 31. â—s if their safety should not be without means Rebekâ—â— had God's Oracle for Jacobs life yet she sent him away out of Esau's reach It was impossible for Herod to hurt the child Jesus yet he must flie into Egypt And so I have shewn in the last place what are the conditions of the new Covenant and to whom the promises belong which is all that I undertook Now if men will yet go on and perish in their impenitencie their blood be on their own heads and not on mine I have discharged my duty Neverthelesse least the single evidence that I bring from the Word of Truth should not prove sufficient to gain your credence to what haâ—h been spoken And because examples give a quicker impression then arguments I have one thing more to crave of thee which is of as great concernment as all that I have hitherto spoken namely that thou wilt also hear the confession of two parties in the ensuing or second part of this Discourse that were lately in thy very condition though now by the infinite goodnesse of God they have their eies opened and their heaâ—â—s changed to see and know both what it is to be in the state of nature and what to be brought into the glorious liberty of the sons God that so by a three-fold coard you may be drawn to accept of salvation upon God's own terms whereas otherwise you can no way escape his eternal wrath The ensuing or second part which I would request you to read and mind is A happie conference between a Formalist converted and a loose Libertine intituled As Experimental Index of the Heart And so much of the first Part the second followeth FINIS Sold onely by James Crump in Little Bartholomews Well-yard and by Henry Cripps in Popes-head Alley 1658.