Malice as Ananias his lye Acts 5. 9. Not repented of but sin unrepented of as the two Theeves are Examples 10. Not sin confessed but covered and smothered Prov. 28. 13. Lastly Sin forsaken never damns sin not forsaken ever damns Prov. 28. 13. Ezek. 18. 21. Manasseh an example of the one Pharaoh of the other 1. We must distinguish of Righteousness 1. There is a Legal and Evangelical Righteousness 2. A Righteousness before God and before men Before God there is none Righteous according to the strictness of the Law But Zachary Elizabeth Abel and Lot and all truly godly are called and counted righteous by an Evangelical righteousness while they endeavour to fulfil all righteousness though in many things fall short But though they dare not plead their righteousness before God in whose Eyes the Heavens are not pure yet can they before men say Ye are witnesses and God also how holily and justly and unblamably 1 Thess 3. Po. we have had our Conversation among you Whose Oxe or Asse have I taken or whom have I defrauded There are sins Quotidianae Incursionis as Tertullian calls them some over-sights which the best are not free from but bewail and they consist with Grace But there are other gross sins Vastantia Conscientiam which make foul work with Conscience and denominate a man unrighteous in a high measure these shut out of Heaven 1 Cor. 6. 9 10. A third Doctrine much abused to strengthen Doct. 3. Christ died for Sinners men in sin is That Christ dyed to save Sinners which is the most comfortable Doctrine in all the Bible a saying worthy of all acceptation and due consideration But what use doth the presumptuous Sinner make of it Then saith he shall I do well enough though I live in sin for I can't out-sin the Merits of Christ's Blood which is said to cleanse from all sin And thus would he make Christ the Minister and Maintainer of sin as if he came not to destroy the Works of the Devil but to Patronize 1 John 3. 8. them But if thou wilt understand know That Jesus Christ came not to save us in and with but from our sins Matth. 1. 21. that is from the practice love and dominion of sin He gave himself for us to redeem us from all Iniquity and to Tit. 2. 14. purifie to himself a peculiar people zealous of good Works Every word of which Text speaks life to the Sinner but death to his sin Christ came indeed to reconcile God and the Sinner not the Sinner and Sin He pulls down the partition-wall between God and the Believer but sets up a partition-wall between the Believer and his Sin But many deal with Christ said a worthy Dr. Hall Bishop as some do with their Prince or some great noble man they care not how much they take up and how far they run in debt and when payment should be made they get a Protection to elude the course of Justice So do many fly to Christ for his Protection saith he and this is a common cheat 4. There is no Doctrine more abused then Doct. 4. We are saved by grace that of free grace That we are saved by Grace not Merit The Scripture ascribeth all to Grace we are justified by Grace Rom. 3. 28. Saved by Grace not Works Ephes 2. 8. Where Sin aboundeth Grace superaboundeth Rom. 4. 20. Hence the Libertine assumeth I will rely on the Grace of God and not doubt of Salvation though I am such a Sinner The Apostle easily foresaw that such an Antinomian and Antievangelian Inference would be made by some ungodly ones as Jude calls them who would turn grace into wantonness therefore doth twice obviate and refute it in one Chapter Rom. 6. 1. Shall we continue in Sin that Grace may abound And verse 15. Shall we sin because we are not under the Law but under Grace And knocks down both with the same short answer of defiance 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God forbid Shall Grace act against it self and destroy Grace shall gratia gratis data become Ingratum faciens 1. These do quite and clean corrupt the Doctrine of Grace which teacheth to deny Vngodliness and worldly Lusts and to live soberly righteously and godly in this present World Tit. 2. 11. 2. These do pervert the use of Grace set down Rom. 6. 14. Sin shall not have dominion over you because ye are not under the Law but under Grace 3. These frustrate the main end of Grace which is set down Rom. 5. ult That as Sin hath reigned unto Death Grace might reign by Righteousness to eternal life To abuse Grace is the greatest Sin imaginable and to despight the Spirit of Grace is the Sin unpardonable Heb. 10. 29. And if any are ungodly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in God's Black-Book as destined to condemnation Jude verse 4. they are such as turn the Grace of God into wantonness A fifth Doctrine much abused is That Doct. 5. That we are saved by Faith we are justified and saved by Faith alone which is most true and consonant to Scripture Rom. 3. 28. Gal. 2. 16. Ephes 2. 8. I will therefore believe saith the careless Christian and then hope I shall do well enough though I have no good works which I hear are excluded in those fore-cited Scriptures in the matter of Justification But know O vain man That Faith and Works are only opposed in the matter of Justification but are never separated and parted As the Eye and Ear are opposed in the matter of seeing the Eye only sees not the Ear but where God gives Eyes he gives Ears also So to whom Grace is given to believe it is given to obey Faith is not an idle but active and operative Grace It works by love Gal. 5. 6. Is of a heart purifying nature Acts 15. 9. It unites the Soul to Christ so that Christ is said to dwell in the Soul by Faith Ephes 3. 16. And to live in the Soul Gal. 2. 20. The right Epithete of true Faith is most holy Faith Jude verse 20. His right property is sanctifying Acts 26. 28. True Faith is never solitary but attended and known by her good many Companions Vertue 2 Pet. 1. 5. Love Ephes 1. 15. Fear Heb. 11. 7. Repentance Mark 1. 15. Righteousness 2 Tim. 2. 22. Obedience Heb. 11. 8. Patience Heb. 6. 12. Sanctification 2 Thess 2. 13. Good Works Tit. 3. 8. Her Exercises are holy Duties Therefore we read of the Prayer of Faith James 5. 15. Living by Faith Heb. 11. 28. Walking by Faith 2 Cor. 5. 7. And as to our spiritual warfare it is of singular use we read of the fight of Faith 1 Tim. 6. 22. Resisting the Devil quenching his fiery Darts overcoming the World and all by Faith So that such know little of the nature of Faith who dream that Faith hath nothing to do but to look on a Promise and sit still Faith hath Promises Conditions Precepts Threats
Eccles 11. 8. His Silence Psal 50. 21. His Mercifulnes Deut. 29 19. Riches of Goodness Rom. 2. 5. His Grace Rom. 6. 1. His Preservations Jer. 7. 10. We are delivered to do all these abominations His Denyals or dipleasure 1 Sam. 28. 15. The Lord doth not answer me I hold my self disobliged from seeking farther after him The Lord doth not remove this Plague I am therefore disobliged from further waiting on him 2 Kings 6. ult May we not therefore seeing it is of such a poysonous nature that it sucks poyson out of every thing say that it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Out of measure sinful And I may add one thing more Nothing doth more harden men in sin keeping them from Repentance keeping them that have once sallen from arising and causing them that once turn back to slide back by perpetual back-slidings to hold fast Deceit and Jerem 8. 4 5. 8. refuse to return no man once saying what have I done but spurred on by these Excuses rushing into Sin as the Horse into the Battel 3. Some Uses of Information 3. Uses for infoâ—mation 1. This may inform us what a shifting Creature Man is full of Shifts and Excuses you know not Proteus like where to have and how to hold him It is so hard a matter to fasten a Conviction upon him harder to take him off from his false bottoms so many Mazes Muses and Meanders windings and turnings that it is hard driving them out of them all See it in Pharaoh when God first sent to let Israel go his answer was I know not that it is the Lord then requires a Miracle to Ex. 5. 2. prove it Exod. 7. 9. Aaron throws down his Rod it becomes a Serpent then is he half perswaded But when he saw the Magicians do the like he is off again v. 13. So was he coming and going again about the Waters turned into Bloud v. 22. But when the Frogs were in his Chamber and croaking in his Bed you would have thought you had him fast Intreat the Lord to take away the Frogs and ye shall go Exod. 8. 8. The Frogs are no sooner gone but he is gone too When the Plague of Flyes came then Israel should go again Verse 25. When they were gone Israel must not stir Verse 32. Thus he dealt fast and loose with God Sometimes you hear him relenting after repenting of his Repentance sometimes praying anon saying his Prayers backwards One while he sends for Moses and intreats his Prayers and seems stricken Exod. 9. 27. At another time sends for him in all haste and prayes and promiseth fair and asks God and them forgiveness Exod. 10. 16. 17. Yet though this great Fool was ten times in the Mortar of Affliction his Folly departed not from him At first he would not yield at all Exod. 5. 3. After a little Chap. 8. 28. they should go but not so far Chap. 10. 11. They might go now as far as they would so their Wives Children and Cattle staid At last when he could no longer will nor chuse then go serve the Lord as ye have said and take all with you Herds and Families and bâ—ess me also Exod. 12. 32. How many shifts had Saul ere he would come to say I have sinned 1 Sam. 15. The world is more full of shifts than any thing else So that to those three things which posed the wise Man that he said he could not find them out The way of a Ship in the Sea of an Eagle in the Ayr of a Serpent on a Rock Prov. 30. 19. We may add a fourth hardest of all to be found out The way of a Man with his Excuses From hence it is that the work of Conversion is so difficult hence that the work of the Minister is never at an end This made the wise Man say He Prov. 11. 30. that winneth Souls is wise is the man of a thousand and hath learned the Art of Arts. Man is so sly and subtle a Creature and so full of shifts and put-offs that as it is an endless Task to reason Children out of their Will when they are ill of Worms perswade them to take any thing to do them good they had as lieve dye almost as take it shew him the Aloes oh it is bitter now his Worms gnaw not he is well now or give him any thing else then if ill again he will but not yet to morrow or anon but not yet then not so much half that quantity then he looks many a sad look upon it and takes a little when he sees there is no remedy and when he hath it down is ready to cast it up again So is it with many men as to their Souls to take any thing that may do them good to purge out Sin by Repentance how many Put-offs How many Pleas How many Delayes How many four Faces which shews they had as lieve dye almost as repent and live Or they will only take a little as one saith upon a Knives point or at the point of Bp. Andrews Death 2. This gives us an account why there is so little true Grace and so few real Converts in the world so little Repentance Faith Obedience and Sincerity the Reason is there are so many Excuses As he said once To will is present to perform is another thing out of my power so may most say To Excuse is present but to perform is out of my Endeavour and Desire they never go about it Hence the misery of man is great upon him And Issachar-like for Laziness and present Ease he chuseth rather to lye under the two heaviest burthens of Sin and Wrath then to be eased of both by using a strenuous endeavour in right use of Means An Excuse costs little but any course of Piety asketh Cost E. g. Repentance requireth Confession Contrition Humiliation Mortification Reformation Prayer calleth for Watchfulness Sobriety Faith Reverence Fervency Frequency Holiness Obedience Charity uprightness of Conversation Obedience that again calls for the Heart Spirit Faith Fear Love Diligence Care Conscience Patience Constancy Proficiency Perseverance As for Faith that is to be grounded on the Promises and maintained by studying them eying Precepts Conditions Threats frequent Prayers and by a constant course of obedience and sincerity of Heart Sincerity likewise calls for much Inspection of our Hearts Examination of our Wayes and State much eying of God searching the Scriptures observing our selves avoiding of sins and occasions of Sin performing Duties close and strict walking with God and according to his word Now all these require cost and pains which the lazie person thinks may be well spared by this commodious and easie way of Excuses 3. See the folly and falshood of that common Proverb A bad Excuse is better than none at all We may invert it and say Better no Excuse than the best of them all which make men double guilty by adding sin to sin and sinful Evasions and Excuses to
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-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
them alone Thus Mat. 23. 14. could the Pharisee devour a poor Widows house yet keeping on his constant course of Prayer and Divine-Service the noise of the Widows cry never troubled him So they that crucified the Lord of Glory when they had such a pretence as had a face of Law Habemus Legem were not at all scrupulous and so squearnish as Pilate who called for water to cleanse himself of that Blood they never call for water to wash their hands but take his Blood and all Pilate's guilt upon themselves His Blood Mat. 27. 24 25. be no us and our Children they cry without the least remorse Only they must have it done before the Passover and must not go into Pilate's house that day of Preparation that they might not be defiled when they came next day to the holy Passover which Jo. 1◠28. they conscientiously were preparing themselves for 4. This is a profitable way to save charges 4. To spare pains cost pains and trouble about Religion and their own Souls And what a wonder is it to see those very men who will spare for no cost pains or charge for their Bodies Diet Apparel Physick Recreations or their Buildings and Furniture yea their Horses Dogs Hawks every thing stick only to be at cost and pains about their Souls The easiest and cheapest Religion is alway best The shortest way to Heaven pleaseth most Now these Excuses fit their turn for that and nothing like them For should they be at charge to mind Religion as some do it would ask pains study care diligence fear trembling there must be reading praying meditating reforming repenting and I know not what more To what end all this wast saith the Sluggard I have heard of a more compendious way and I will venture upon it A good excuse will save all this labour And he is a very poor man indeed that is to seek an Excuse These deal with their Souls as many Thread-bare Gentlemen do with their Backs and Garments who must be in the fashion and loth to be at charge of new inside and outside buy some handsome fashionable outside put a little Trimming on it and care not what the inside is who can look into that or as others who get a long Vest or Cloak to cover all whereas to Subueula pexae trita subest Tunicae Hor. have all new and good would ask more cost CHAP. X. The sinfulness vanity and frivolousness of Excuses HAving given an account of the Causes The sinfulness of Excuses and Reasons of Excuses in general not intending to speak of each particularly I come now to give an account why in our Proposition at first I called them sinful and frivolous 1. I shall speak to their sinfulness 2. To their frivolousness Their sinfulness appears in three things 1. They are Maxima impeditiva bonorum The greatest hinderances of any one thing 1. The great hinderers of good in the World of all good 1. They keep men from the good of Duty Faith and Obedience which they are call'd to 2. From the duty of Repentance which they might have upon failour of the former 3. Then from the comfort they might have had from Faith Obedience and Repentance had it not been for them 4. They keep from God that Subjection Honour and Obedience which we owe to him All which is to be seen in those Guests in that Parable Luke 14. 18. when invited to come to the Gospel-Supper to partake of Christ and his benefits they shew little Faith to believe the report of so much Grace and Mercy tendered little Obedience to come in upon a Gospel invitation persuming those were just Excuses they alledged of the Farm Oxen and Marriage 2. Having those Excuses in readiness they never trouble their minds with Repentance as if they had been at all to blame 3. Then are they frustrated of all that good and benefit which should have accrued to them upon acceptance They rejected the Councel of God against themselves as was said of some Luke 7. 30. They were in a fair possibility of well-doing had they not barred up the way to Salvation by these excuses 4. The Lord seeing his Grace so slighted upon such sleeveless and frivolous pretences is justly incensed sendeth to call in others resolving whosoever should these should not participate of his Grace and Mercy 2. They are secondly The maxima 2. The great Seminary of Evils productiva malorum The greatest Nursery and Seminary of Evils A world of evil springs from them They may be called Progenies Viperarum A Generation of Vipers or Semen Maleficentissimum as Junius or Malignantium as Ar. Montanus renders that of Esay 1. 4. A Seed of evil Doers a pestilent Seed of a very lewd Race Of these Excuses that may be said which Solomon chargeth the Whore withall She increaseth Transgressors among men Prov. 23. 28. and maketh them ten times worse then they would be Or what was charged on Jeroboam an active Ring-leader unto general Sin who lay under much guilt He sin'd and made Israel to Sin Yea which is worse then both that may be charged upon Excuses which the Lord chargeth upon the false Prophets That they strengthened the Jer. 23. 14 17. Hands of evil Doers that none doth return from his wicked way by promising them life Encouraged and animated with these they have made a Covenant with Death and Agreement with Hell not as if in a Esay 28. 15. regardless and desperate manner they slighted them but as being in their own conceit and apprehension sufficiently secured against them So Junius gives the See Jun. in locum sense 3. Whatever men may pretend these 3. They are all one with flat denial Excuses are upon the matter none other then plain refusals and flat denials but in a more smooth and complemental garb They speak as if the men were wondrous well affected onely sorry they could not magnifie their religious Inclinations by reason of these diversions But the truth is they had no real intention at all Verbalis excusatio realis recusatio An excuse in words is a refusal in deeds And the Lord interprets it for no orher therefore sends to call in others more cordially willing These have rejected me and I will reject them Hence our word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Luke 14. 18. rendred excuse is often rendred to refuse renounce reject deny as Acts 23. 11. 1 Tim. 4. 7. 5. 11. Tit. 3. 10. Heb. 11. 25. So that they might as well have spoken out in plain English as Corah did Numb 16. 14. We will not come up for they never meant it though they made such a fair pretence for a blandation and colour 2. Their frivolousness appears in that 2. Their frivolousness they are not able to stand 1. Before the presence of God 2. The tryal of his Word 3. The strict examen of Conscience 4. A fiery tryal of Affliction