an increase to set you a running and striving and fighting against all that hinders Oh what might be said to get those creeping souls upon the wing to quicken your motions heaven-ward O how might I help you off with those weights that hâ—ng on those weights of earth and flesh of cares and lusts and sins that you might run with patience and run with alacrity and joyfulness the race that is set before you O consider the imperfect state you are in consider and lament it lament and make on forgetâ—ing the things that are behind reach forth unto those things which are before 2. Are sinners yet recoverable Oh lose not the present season but seek your recovery as Is 55.6 Seek the Lord whilst he may be found So seek your souls whilst they may be found seek recovery while it may be had But what shall I do to recover 1. Get you to be heart-sick of the misery that is upon you If ever God recover you he will first smite you he will wound you that he may heal you Micah 6.13 I will make thee sick in smiting thee said God in another case The Devil smites with a deadly wound but Gods wounds are healing wounds Hos 6.1 Come let us return to the Lord for he hath smitten and he will heal us The Devil smites with blindness the Devil smites with hardness and insensibleness of heart What is the reason thou art such a blind and hardned and sensless soul O the Devil hath smitten thee into this blindness and hardness Gods smiting of the heart is like Moses his smiting of the rock Exod. 17.6 He smote the rock and water issued out God will so smite these rocks as to fetch a stream of tears and sighs and groans out of the hard heart he will make those stones to feel The Devils work is to put sinners past feeling and O how successful hath he been at this work Poor sinners the Devil hath been at work with you smiting you into insensibleness and what sensless souls hath he made you Though the word of the Lord which is shâ—rper than a two edged sword and pierceth to the dividing asunder of the soul and spirit of the j ints and marrow hath been driven home upon you yet you feel it not The Devil hath made thâ—e such a stupid sensless soul that thou canst feel nothing but God smites to recover your feeling he will make you sick in smiting you He will â—o so if ever he means to heal you O sinner do not resist bur help forward this work of God upon you Do what you can to recover your own sense do not harden your hearts against the word do not harden your hearts in your sins pray that God would make you sick at the heart under all your misery It would be some encouragment to Ministers to bring an healing word unto you if we could once find you to be sick If we could but recover your sense we should have hope to save your lives but here it is that our work sticks we cannoâ— by all that we can say recover you to sense to a sense of your lost estate Wo is me for I am undone said the Prophet in another case Is 6.5 O might we hear such a word from sinners mouths Wo is me for I am undone I am an undone soul I am a lost soul You are undone you are lost souls and before ever you be soundly recovered you will by the sense and sickness of your hearts be forced to acknowledge it Wo is me for I am undone Sinner dost thou think thy self well art thou whole and ailest nothing This is thy senslessness and this senslessness is the most deadly part of thy disease a sick man that is grown sensless is the next step to a dead man if his sense be recovered there is more hope of his life What a word of hope would it be might we hear this word running through all the company of hardned sinners here wo is me for I am undone what shall I do what will become of me I am a lost soul dead in trespasses and sins held under the power of the Devil dragging on to destruction I am well enough as to my body and my outward condition but O my poor soul my poor blind soul my poor hardned soul my poor guilty soul in what a woful case is it Could we perceive such a sense of your case could we hear such bemoanings and complainings of your misery this were hopeful we should then hope you were upon recovery if we could by any means work you to such a sense of your estates But how is it with you sinners Is there any such good token to be found upon you Sinners here be God knows enough of you but where be the smitten sinners Where be the sensible sinners the broken sinners the fearing sinners where be the men that the word of God hath made them sick in smiting As it is with some Physick for the body so it is with Gods Physick for souls it never worketh kindly but it makes men sick in the working Where be the sick sinners In one sense you are all deadly sick but were be the sinners whom Gods Physick hath made sick Whom the word hath made sick whom conscience hath made sick that is hath made them feel their sickness No no the Lord be merciful to you your Soul-physick will not work it leaves you at your ease under the hardness and senslesness of your hearts as if you were indeed sound men and needed nothing But sinners know that till you are wrought to a sense of the misery you are in there is no hope of your recovery Do but â—enture on a while longer in this stupid hardened state and you will be past recovery You are at present without feeling but if you once be past feeling you are past recovery for ever O get you broken hearts O cry unto the Lord that he would smite you and make you sick in smiting you That he would set you a trembling that he would affright you and afflict you for your sins O stir up and awaken those sleepy souls O study and consider and get a little understanding what a woful case you are in Believe God he tells sinners that they are sons of death sons of perdition under condemnation Beheve God before the Devil and your own hearts these have agreed together to tell you a lie to tell you your case is not so bad you shall do well enough you shall escape well enough believe not the Devil believe not your deceitful hearts believe God believe the scriptures read over that word and see how dreadfully it speaks of the case of sinners and know that all this it speaks to thee all the plagues and terrours of the Lord which you read or hear out of the Scriptures these words belong to you who are yet in your sins Sinners I would fain preach you to Christ and preach you to
that gave it Man though he hath a mortal body yet he hath an immortal Soul The Spirit of a man is the Candle of the Lord and when this Candle is once lighted it shall never go out It s carried away hence but it s carried to God that gave it The Souls of all men good and bad when they die do all go to God even those that go to the Devil are first carried to God by him to receive their Sentence to their everlasting state Sinners when they die go not to God as their Reward or Blessedness but to God as their Judge Sinners will say as Christ did Luke 23.46 Father into thy hands I commend my spirit but God will say to them who are ye away from me ye workers of iniquity I know you not Mat. 7.23 I am none of your Father ye are of your Father the Devil get you down to him Commend your Spirits to me what have you given up your Souls to the Devil and all your life long have they been serving of him and he been corrupting and depraving of them blinding them hardning them made them such a filthy and unclean thing and now do ye think to come off so to commend these filthy and unclean Souls to me away with them I 'le none of them If those that are sanctified by my Spirit and serve me with their Spirit come to me when they die I 'le take them to me I will acknowledge my self their Father they shall dwell with me but those that have served sin and the Devil while they lived let not them think to commend their Spirits to me when they die I 'le none of them Well but whether we must dwell with God or the Devil into the other World all Souls good and bad must pass when they go hence 2. There is an eternal Judgement So the Apostle tells us Heb. 6.2 of the Doctrine of eternal Judgment It is call'd an Eternal Judgement not as if the day of Judgment should last for ever in how long or how short a time that judgment shall be dispatched no man certainly knows the glorious God can make short work and will do so in that great and dreadful day It s called Eternal Judgment because it sentenceth men to their everlasting state and its the last judgment there shall never be another to all Eternity but the sentence of this Judgment shall stand for ever 2 Cor. 5.10 We must all stand before the Judgment Rom. 2.6 Who will render to every man according to his works to them that by patient continuance in wel-doing do seek for glory honour and immortality eternal Life but to them that are contentious and obey not the truth indignation and wrath tribulation and anguish to every Soul of them that do evil 3. In the Judgment to come the secrets of the heart shall be opened and judged Men shall be judged for their words men shall be judged for their deeds but not for these only but for the secrets of their hearts Eccl. 12.14 God shall bring every work to Judgment with every secret thing whether it be good or evil The Judgments of men are only over our Bodies and outward Acts they know not our hearts and therefore cannot be our hearts Judges But 1. God sees the heart I the Lord search the heart and try the reins Jer. 17.10 He seeth in secret and he that seeth in secret will reward openly Mat. 6.4 1. He seeth the good that is in secret the love and fear of his Name our inward desires and thirstings and breathings after him every holy thought every holy purpose the inward mournings of the heart under sin and temptation the inward strivings wrestlings of the heart against temptation and corruption our self-loathings and self abasings the integrity and uprightness of our hearts whilst men are censuring or reproaching or punishing us as hypocrites God sees the integrity that is in our Souls O Friends get an honest upright heart in the sight of God you shall never loose the benefit and blessedness of it God sees the sincerity of the upright and will certainly reward it 2. He seeth the evil that is in secret the proud heart the false and guileful heart are open before him Beware of playing the Hypocrite of satisfying your selves with Hypocritical Duties hypocritical Praying hypocritical Hearing or Professing God sees what that heart of thine is a doing while thy tongue is a praying or thine ear hearing thou mayst deceive men and thine own self but God cannot be deceived 2. The secrets of the heart shall be opened and judged in that Judgment of God 1 Cor. 4.5 Judge nothing before the time until the Lord come who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and make manifest the Counsels of the heart and then shall every man have praise of God 1. The things of the heart are hidden and dark things The thoughts of the heart dark thoughts the Counsels of the Lord dark Counsels even the good things that are in the heart are to all others but dark things 2. In the day of Judgment these things of darkness shall be all brought to light the secrets shall be all made manifest What a sight will there be in that day when the hearts of all the World shall be seen as it were at one view What a blessed sight will there be when all the Beauty and inward Glory of the Saints all their Graces shall be seen What a black sight also will there be when all the filth and garbage that is in sinners hearts all the venemous brood all the Cockatrices eggs that ever have been hatch'd in those unclean hearts when all the wicked Counsels and Devices of their hearts all the Curses and Blasphemies all the Couzenage and Fraud of the heart all the wicked Plots and Contrivances of the heart against God or his Saints all the Adulteries and Filthiness of the heart all the Madness and Follies of the heart all the Malice and Spite and Rage of the heart when all these shall be presented at one view O what an odious sight will there be Sinners do not cheat your selves in your sinful ways with hopes of Secrecy for all must be brought to light If all that wickedness and hypocrisie if those filthy lusts and unclean thoughts that are in your hearts should be now seen by all this Congregation how would you be ashamed and how would you blush to look any body in the Face but because thy naughty heart and its naughty thoughts and desires cannot be seen thou mayest be a proud fellow of a froward heart of a dissembling lying heart and no body the wiser therefore thou lettest thy self alone to be as thou art as long as thou hast a secret covering for all thy ugly Conditions 't is well enough but do not cheat thy self thus all these hidden things of darkness must be brought to light thou must be turned inside outward and all the shame of
not the Lord Psal 115.17 The living the living he shall praise thee Is 38.19 That is spoken of the naturally dead and living and must we not say the same of the spiritually dead and the living Souls dead Souls can't praise the Lord they can't pray nor believe nor hope nor serve the Lord the living the living Soul it shall praise thee it shall pray unto thee and serve thee Hypocrites are all dead at heart and therefore all their services are but dead services they make a shew and keep a stir in the outward parts of Religion they can talk as Christians and walk and move but it is with these dead Souls as with those dead bodies which we call walking Ghosts they look like men and speak like men and go up and down like men but still they have no Soul in them It is the Devil that acts in them and speaks in them and carrieth them up and down none of all their actions or motions are vital actions the devil can make them speak and walk and look like living men but he cannot make them live such is the Hypocrites Religion he can pray and hear and sing and speak as Christians do but he is dead at heart and thereupon all his duties are but dead duties Friends you are as much concerned to keep your hearts as you are to be able to do any thing that will please God or save your Souls What is the intent of your Religion why do ye come together to pray and hear and partake of the Table of the Lord You will say I come to perform these duties to please the Lord I come in order to the saving of my Soul Do you so then look to your hearts better see that there be the root of Religion within you see that your praying be the praying with the heart that your hearing be not the opening your ear but the opening of your heart to the Word see that whatever you do that hath any shew of Religion in it you do it heartily watch your hearts when you come into the house of the Lord watch your hearts when you set upon any work for God lest they give you the slip and so make all your Services to be but bodily exercises which as 1 Tim. 4.8 profit little Bodily exercises that is the outward part of our Religion Ear Religion Tongue Religion Knee Religion these bodily Exercises where there is not an heart at the bottom of them profit nothing at all they will do nothing to the pleasing of God or the saving our Souls Friends beware of Hypocrisie take heed lest any of you be found hypocrites that your faith you seem to have be not the faith of hypocrites that your hope be not the Hypocrites hope that your praying and fasting and almes be not all the Sacrifices of hypocrites and such sacrifices they are if they be Sacrifices without an heart Come not before the Lord with hollow Vessels which will make a sound but have nothing in them We that look upon you can't tell what there is within you we see your faces and hear your voices but what is under God knows look you to it that it be not all hollow and empty within he that seeth the heart seeth what there is within and will accept or reject according to what he finds of the heart in all you do Friends What do ye here this day have you brought with you ever a Sacrifice for God ever a living Sacrifice the living God will regard none of you if you bring not a living Sacrifice He doth not require of you as he did of old a Bullock or a Ram for a Sacrifice No nor a Dove nor a Lamb for a Sacrifice it is a Soul for a Sacrifice a living Soul that is quickned and sanctified by the Bloud and Spirit of Christ And upon this account farther are you concerned to look to and to keep your hearts as ever you would do any thing in Religion that is acceptable with God or of any avail to your own Salvation The heart is the spring of all vital Actions and they are only our vital Actions our living and lively duties that will be accepted of the living God Would you not be rejected for hypocrites would you not compass the Lord about with lies as Ephraim did Hos 11.12 would you not come before the Lord with lies and comfort your selves with lies then see that you bring your hearts with you before him Is there any life begotten in your hearts is Christ formed upon you is the Spirit of Christ poured forth into you is there the life of God in your hearts and is this the spring of all your acceptable services then as you love your lives as you fear to serve the living God with dead service set a careful guard upon your hearts that neither these be stolen away from God nor that life which is within you be stolen out of your hearts Brethren I would not that any of you be found hypocrites therefore do I labour with you therefore do I preach to you and warn every one of you that you may be presented perfect and upright in the day of the Lord. I would not that you be found hypocrites in that day nor would I that your Religious actions be found hypocritical actions in your present day 'T is said of the limbs of Antichrist 1 Tim. 4.2 That they speak lies in hypocrisies I would have Christians not only none such as speak lies in hypocrisie no nor to speak truth in hypocrisie to do good in hypocrisie and therefore 't is that I have spent so much time among you upon this Subject of looking to your hearts that these may be right with God in all that you do I fear there are hypocrites among you I fear that much of the Religion of some of you may be but hypocritical Religion but look to your selves and as you would be loth to have no better acceptance than hypocrites as you would dread to have your portion with hypocrites so dread it to satisfie your selves with hypocritical duties serve the God of your hearts with an hearty service serve the true God with an heart and with a true heart serve the living God with living hearts see that there be the life of God in your hearts and let the life within you be the Spring of all your Performances that all that ever you do in Religion be the issues of life 3. It is the record of all the transactions which have been betwixt Christ and your Soules If ye be Christs there have been great dealings betwixt Christ and your Souls Christ hath been dealing with you dealing with you by his word dealing with you by his Spirit instructing and enlightning your Souls convincing and awakening your Hearts perswading and alluring your hearts after him Christ hath been dealing with you about your repenting and turning to the Lord about your Reconciliation and making peace with God God hath been in
company be company for you where Christ would not be pleased to find you Let no temper or frame of Spirit grow upon you but what Christ would be pleased to find you in Would Christ be pleased to find you among the vain company or vile ones of the Earth would Christ be pleased to find you in a careless senseless untoward jolly frothy or in a sower angry envious impatient temper keep you from such ways keep you from such company keep you out of such temptations have as little to do as possible with them Keep you out of vain and evil ways company and temptations and keep you on with life and vigour and power in the ways of Christ Let not your ways only please Christ but your walking in them do not be sluggs and drones and triflers in Christianity follow the Lord and follow him fully follow the Lord and let your Soul follow hard after him Be doing the Will of Christ and let your hearts stand compleat in all the Wills of Christ The most watchful diligent painful lively Christians these are they that keep nearest to the Lord. Friends be warned to keep you thus near to the Lord. The Lord calls you such Psal 148.14 A people near unto him Approve your selves to be such since the Lord hath made you near keep you near to him Live in Union and Communion with Christ in intimacy of Acquaintance with Christ and with all possible care that your whole course may be such as may be a walking worthy his great name and be well pleasing to him This is the way to keep you out of danger and whatever befalls you whilst you are thus walking in Christ you will be still near your remedy whilst you are near Christ he will not be far from you but will be ready to help and ready to comfort you You complain it may be every one of you that your hearts are out of order One cries O my heart what a proud heart it is another complains O mine heart it is a fretful peevish heart Another cries out O mine heart is an earthly worldly heart another O my heart is a sluggish slothful heart another O what shall I do mine heart is a dead and an hard heart why bring them all to the Physician Where be the diseased or distressed Souls among you what be you all well Is there no Soul disease upon you O there is never a one of you but have your Soul Distempers and sad ones too why come to your Physician for your cure If you were any of you sick of the Palsie or Dropsie Fever or Consumption and Christ stood here as of old every such diseased body would be thronging upon him come ye poor blind hardned Souls come lay your selves before the Lord and cry unto him Lord that mine eyes might be opened Lord that mine hard heart might be broken that my dead heart might be quickned Who ever of you hath a complaint to make hath a wound hath a disease or hath a weakness or discomfort come every one of you whatever ailes you come bring in all the lame and the blind and the diseased defiled and distressed hearts bring them in to the Physician come and lay them all at the feet of Christ Lord help me Lord heal me Lord wash me But be sure you come with a purpose to keep you by him when you come to him come unto Christ and he will heal you and then keep you by him and he will preserve you from Relapses into the same or a worse disease which if you wander from him again is like to come upon you 2. Keep under Christs Banner Keep to your Colours The Banner of Christ hath engraven upon it or his Colours bears upon it as his Coat of Arms the Covenant the Cross and the Crown with this Motto Pugnanti victoria vincenti Corona Victory to him that fights the Crown to the Conquerer The Covenant is for our union with Christ the Cross for our Trial the Crown for our Encouragement And here I shall give you three Directions 1. Let the Covenant be upon your hearts The Covenant is 1. For the strength of our hearts it notes our listing our selves under Christ as his Servants and Christs undertaking the conduct of us When we understand what we are engaged in what hard service we have bound our selves to what a painful active life as Christians we must count upon our hearts will be apt to fail us and cry out of the life of a Christian as the Apostle of the work of the Ministry 2 Cor. 2.16 Who is sufficient for these things I shall never be able to bear through such a life but then remember your Covenant your Baptismal Covenant I mean which doth not only engage you to the Lord but engageth the Lord to you Look to the Captain of your Salvation who hath bound himself to help you through who hath said Heb. 13.5 I will never fail you nor forsake you And then you shall be able to say with the Apostle Phil. 4.13 I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me Venture not on any thing in your own strength fear not nor be dismay'd at any thing whilst you have the Lord Jesus to be your strength Christians be not disheartned fear not to engage in the strictest and severest course of Christianity lean upon the Lord and he will help you through Set your hearts to the work and leave the care of Success to him that careth for you Remember this let your trust in Christ your hold on the Covenant be your strength on which you lean for the carrying you through the whole of your Christian course 2. This Covenant will be the guide of your hearts What is it that I have to do how is it that I must live why look into your Covenant what is it that you have engaged to do how is it that you have covenanted to live you have covenanted Holiness and Righteousness you have covenanted against an idle Life or doing nothing against a trifling life or doing your work by halfes against a worldly or fleshly or wicked life the World Flesh and Devil these you have all covenanted against You have covenanted the crucifying the Flesh and the World the resisting the Devil and to follow Christ against them all You have covenanted to fight against the Flesh and the World and to fight to the Victory not to be less fleshly than oth r men to be less worldly than other men but you have covenanted against a fleshly and worldly life Think not of carrying it fair with both of cutting out a middle way betwixt Christ and the World betwixt a fleshly and an heavenly life 't is a total victory over this flesh and this world over a fleshly and a worldly life which you have covenanted to pursue When ever you are at a stand and are in doubt as to any particular actions or way of life that you have before you and
Rejoyce not so as to forget your own Sins or your Brethrens Afflictions 1. So as not to forget your Sins 1. Rejoyce not so in the Lord as to forget your Sins against God Your Joy must arise from this that God hath forgotten them but though God hath forgotten you must remember them they must still stand written in your own Book though God hath blotted them out of his 1. Forget not in your Joy the Sins that you are guilty of that so you may rejoyce with Mourning we are apt in our rejoycing to forget our sins if we do not remember our sins when we are lifted up in Joy we are too apt to be puffed up with Pride Godly sorrow will be of the same use to us in our rejoycing as Paul's Thorn in the Flesh 2 Cor. 12.7 to prevent our being exalted above Measure That Joy which killeth Godly Sorrow whilest we are here what a Divine Tincture soever it seems to have 't is suspicious that it is not the right Joy the more solid Joy of the Saints hath it's Foundation in Godly Sorrow When we consider what great things the Lord hath done for our Souls how he hath Regenerated reconciled and called us by his Grace pulled us as Brands out of the Burning and raised us as Worms out of the Dunghill and made us sit together with Christ in Heavenly Places cloathed with Garments of Salvation and made us to shine forth in his Image when we remember what the Lord is to us our Rock our Refuge our Father our All-sufficient Portion all Love and Life all Bowels Compassions and everlasting Consolation when we remember this and therein do rejoyce we must then consider But what have I been to him What have I done against him who hath done so great things for me What an unworthy Wretch what a sinful Polluted and unthankful Creature am I God hath loved me God hath saved me the Lord God is become my God and herein I do and I will rejoyce but woe is me I have sinned against the God of my Mercy and therefore I will rejoyce with Mourning whilest I Joy in the Lord I will weep over my sinful unworthy and guilty Soul Whilest you say with the Psalmist Psal 66.16 Come unto me all ye that fear the Lord and I will tell you tell you with Joy tell you with Praise what he hath done for my Soul what a gracious God what a Compassionate Merciful God I have found him to be to me whilest you say thus Come and I will tell you what God hath done for me you must say also Come and I will tell you tell you with shame tell you with sorrow what my Soul hath done against God O how vile have I been How Proud and how false to God How many wayes guilty before him of neglecting of abusing of walking unworthy of his wonderful Love The Lord is my God therein I will rejoyce I have sinned against God and for these things I weep and lament 2. Not so as to forget the sins that have been Conquered by us that we may rejoyce in Triumph the Victories that we have gotten over sin will be both an advance to our Joy in God and the Evidence of the sincerity of that Joy Those that are still in the Chains and Fetters of Lust in whom their Pride or their Covetousness or their Frowardness doth still Lord it over them and can yet rejoyce in God it is to be doubted that their Joy is false and foolish Joy a Light of their own Sparks and no Divine Sun-beam fear that Joy and trample upon it which will consist with a Slavery to Lust as the Apostle sayes concerning Death 1 Cor. 15.57 so should we concerning Sin Thanks be to God that hath given us the Victory this is Matter of Praise this is Matter of Joy When the Israelites saw the Egyptians Dead upon the Sea-Shore Exod. 14.30 then they Sang a Song of Joy and Praise Luke 10.20 Rejoyce not that the Devils are subject to you that is that you have Power to cast the Devils out of Possessed Bodies Rejoyce not that is not so much in this but rather rejoyce that your Names are written in Heaven and that 's the same with this Rejoyce not that the Devils are cast out by you but that your sins are Conquered by you Victory over sin is an Evidence of our Title to Glory next to the Blood of the Lamb the Blood of our mortified sins is the best Ink to write our Names in the Book of Life Rev. 3.12 Him that overcometh will I make a Pillar in the House of my God and I will write upon him the Name of my God and the Name of the City of my God c. Christians what have you done in your War against Sin What work have you made with those Lusts which War in your Members Can you tell of any Conquest you have gotten Where be the Persons among you that can say This Heart was once a Proud Heart but now through the Grace of God 't is more humble this Heart was once a froward Heart but now through Mercy it 's become meek the Lion is become a Lamb this Heart was once a Covetous Heart an Hungry greedy Heart all Earth and Earthy clogged and chained to this World by its Worldly Lusts but now through Grace the Cloggs are knocked off the Chain is broken and my Soul is gotten loose from this Earth and can now despise it in comparison of God and the things above Friends have you any of you experiences of any such Victories Forget them not keep them by you and in the day of your rejoycing in God let your Eye be upon these your Conquests of Sin and this will be a means that your joy will be the more full then will you Triumph in Christ Jesus when with your Conquering Captain you have your Enemies in Chains 3. Not so as to forget the Sins that we are in danger of but to rejoyce with trembling we are still in our Warfare and how far forth soever we have Prospered in it we have Enemies still before us that we are in perpetual danger of therefore as it is said let not him boast so let not him rejoyce that 's putting on his Armour as if he were putting it off The Canaanite is still in the Land sin lies at the Door and will be upon you if you stand not upon your guard Christians must build up themselves in their Holy joy as the Jews built the Wall of Jerusalem Nehem. 4.17 They must have a Trowel in one Hand and a Sword in the other they must Build and Watch Build and Fight there is an evil Worm that is apt to grow out of our Joy which will overthrow and devour it and that is Security or secure Confidence It was this that spoiled the Psalmist's Joy who was a better Man and a Wiser than any of us Psal 30.6 7. I said in my Prosperity I should never be moved
's my grief that I am a Worldling or proud or froward but God be merciful to me I can't get rid of these evils if your sorrow whatever it be doth not bring forth Fruit unto Repentance it is not wrought up high enough there must be more load layd on there must be more of its Thorns and Spears and Stings thrust into that hard Heart of thine thou must feel more of its Gripes it must fetch out more Groans and Sighs and Tears out of thee thou must be brought to another manner of trouble for sin then yet thou art e're it reach the due degree of Godly sorrow 2. This sorrow must not be so great as to hinder the exercise of any other Grace or Duty 't is seldom there is an errour in the excess we don't use to sorrow over much no no we are apt to err in the defect we do not usually come up to sufficient sorrow our hearts have but a light hurt upon them our wounds ordinarily are not deep enough 't is this which mostly undoes us we find our sin to be too light a burthen 't were well if our hearts were more sick that we could find them bleeding inwardly and bleeding more abundantly as 't was said of false Teachers Jer. 6.14 They heal the hurt of the Daughters of my People slightly It is seldom that we can now a dayes hear of such a thing as a troubl'd Soul and a wounded Spirit We are even Professors of too whole and unbroken hearts The Sacrifice of God is a broken heart Psal 51.17 but how few such Sacrifices are there any where found for the Lord The work of the Ministry God helps us is seldome that more acceptable work an healing work to heal the wounded Soul to bind up the broken heart to comfort them that are cast down but the main of our work lyes in making wounds in pricking to the heart in casting down the high and hardned hearts Is not there much of this work lying upon our hands to be hammering and humbling and piercing your hearts through with Godly sorrow How few are there of you who can truly say I thank God this work is done upon me the breaking work the afflicting work the affrighting work is done upon me my heart through Grace is brought low and made soft and made sick of my sins so that I am prepared for the healing and comforting work That sharp two edged Sword of the word hath pierced so deep and made such work such wounds in my heart that now the Oyl is more needed and the Balm to heal my wounds O it is matter of trouble and sadness of heart to find no more such sad Souls and sorrow bitten hearts then we can either see or hear of in the World 'T is seldom therefore I say that there is too much of this sorrow that trouble for sin riseth too high but yet sometimes and in some cases it may be so there may be an excess of sorrow for sin Christians may be pressed down over measure they may be swallowed up of overmuch sorrow as the Apostle intimates and would have prevented 2 Cor. 2.7 Comfort such an one lest perhaps he should be swollowed up of overmuch sorrow Therefore in this case there must be Limits set to our sorrow and it must be held within these Limits It must be so much only as may not hinder the exercise of other Graces and Duties it must neither hinder our Hopes nor hinder our Faith nor our Love no nor our Joy in the Lord It should be with Christians in this case as with the Apostle in another case 2 Cor. 6.10 As sorrowing yet alwaies rejoycing Sorrowing yet believing sorrowing yet hopeing cast down yet comforted It must not hinder our Duties Some Christians have been so overwhelmed with trouble that they have not been able to hear nor pray nor think with any Comfort upon God or the things of God this is an excess of sorrow and must be restrained Sorrow for sin no more then will help you to believe and Hope and Love and praise and serve the Lord. 2. Affliction This is another object of sorrow The Degrees and Limits of this are 1. That we sorrow not so little but that we have a due and a deep sense of the hand of the Lord upon us Otherwise we despise the chastning of the Lord which the Apostle forbids Heb. 12.5 Despise not thou the chastning of the Lord. By afflictions I mean here the sufferings of this Life Crosses and Losses of Estates of Friends Husband Wife Children or near Relations Sufferings in our persons by Sicknesses Pains Languishing and the like these must be grieved for God complaines Jer. 3.5 I have smitten them but they have not grieved 'T was their sin that they did not sorrow 2. That we sorrow not so much as to sink under our sorrows That we be not swallowed up of overmuch sorrow As we may not slight or despise the chastnings of the Lord so we may not faint when we are chastned The Apostle tells us 2 Cor. 7.10 That worldly sorrow the sorrows of worldly-men for their worldly crosses worketh Death It sometimes kills their Bodies some men die of their griefs but it often kills their Hearts sinks them in their Spirits stupifies them and makes them fit for nothing We may not be so depressed with sorrows but that we still keep our Hearts alive and to be of good courage 3. Not as men without hope We must sorrow for all our afflictions but as the Apostle would have Christians sorrow for the dead 1 Thess 4.13 Sorrow not says he as others which have no hope The Righteous hath hope in his Heart and his hope must moderate his sorrow This sad state will not last alwaies there 's hope of an end of his afflictions and that should moderate his sorrow The Righteous hath hope in his Death Prov. 14.32 and hath this double hope 1. That Death will put an end to his sorrows 2. That the end of his Sorrows shall be the beginning of Everlasting Joyes and in this hope he must comfort himself under his sufferings and moderate his sorrows for them 4. Alwaies as men that have worse matters to sorrow for The least sin is a worse evil then the greatest affliction and calls for more of our sorrow Christians must take heed that they do not loose the sense of sin in their excessive sorrowing for affliction When affliction lyes too heavy sin usually lyes too light Jer. 30.15 Why cryest thou for thine affliction because thy sins were increased I have done these things unto thee Why art thou impatient under thy sufferings Whatsoever thou sufferest how hard soever it goes with thee in the World there 's a worse thing then all this that should set thee a crying thy sin thy sin which is the root of all that which thou sufferest 5. Let your sorrow for Affliction never be so great as to hinder your sorrow for sin Sorrow more