the Statutes of Omri are kept Mic. 6.16 You can observe his statutes why cannot you set about mine hee sets up a Temple you can go constantly to it why cannot you go constantly to mine The reproofe was very equall If thou wilt not set upon the meanes thou art most equally condemned I cannot preach so often as some do nor be so much resident as some are No Why wilt thou not give over one of thy two livings then Thou art able to do that if thou 'lt not set upon the meanes thy condemnation is equall Thus I have confirmed this first point namely that the wicked may use those meanes that the Lord commands them as meanes In the second place I shewed that this being thus thy condemnation must be wilfull if thou wilt not use all the meanes Arguments to prove it First The Lord will not helpe that man by a miracle to go that hath legges to go and will not Thou sayst thou wouldst faine go to Heaven tell mee what legges hath God given thee What meanes hath hee lent thee If thou wilt not use them the Lord will never helpe thee without Had the Israelites had any meanes to have gotten over Jordan as Ships or Barkes Boates or Bridges or Fords and they would not hee would never have helpt them over without You know the Lord parted the waters Josh. 3.13 but if they had refused the meanes hee would not have kept them on this manner without if they had food sufficient in the Wildernesse to eate and they would not hee would not have rained food downe upon them had they had Shoomakers and Drapers and cloath sufficient to come by and they would not he would never have miraculously have helpt the garments from wearing It s a tempting of God when thou hast the meanes and wilt not be diligent in them to desire God to help thee without thou wouldst have thy children Gods children thy family Christs family then use the meanes Set up the constant invocation of Gods Name Morning and Evening among them set up Reading set up Catechising and every good thing or thou canst never expect it Wouldst thou be holy and heavenly then use the meanes Talk of Heaven in thy meetings reason about grace inquire of good soules And how may I come by an humble heart How may I get faith and be lead by the spirit If thou wilt not be constant in the use of the meanes all thy prayers to God are nothing but temptings Thou art troubled with by thoughts thou sayst thou wouldst faine be delivered therefrom then use the meanes be not so long without God every houre pray every day oftner strive in the duty the harder if thou wilt not use the meanes God will never helpe thee without Thou art full of thy doubtings thou sayst thou heartily desirest to be freed then use the meanes or thou liest give over thy broad walking thy broad acquaintance those that have no more holinesse in them then the stock are thy bosomest friends if thou wilt not use the meanes God will never assure thee without nor convert thee without if Dives his five brethren will not heare Moses and the Prophets they shall have no miracle from the dead Luke 16.18 if God lend thee the meanes hee will not save thee without Secondly God will not bate a farthing of the price hee sets thee at when a Tradesman hath once set his lowest price hee will not goe lower Now the use of the meanes are Gods lowest price the Lord will not bate a farthing of that wherefore is a price put into the hand of a foole Pro. 17.16 the meanes of grace are this price and the price is in thy hands when the Lord vouchsafes thee the meanes hee le not bate thee a farthing of this price He sets this price on his mercies and graces thou must use all the meanes not as though grace might be valued no it exceedeth all prices or as though grace were not free Yea its free and without price its fit though that this price should be set upon the almes that the proud beggar should choose to receive it if thou wilt not give the price that God hath put into thy hand thou art worthy to misse it I will give so much and labour so much and pray so much and reforme so much No no that will not do Christ will have tother odde penny too thy filthy speaking must off and thy base passions and old curses must off hee le have thee stoope to all his holy meanes wouldst thou have it cheaper Mine owne children and Saints never had it cheaper Not Abraham Isaac nor Jacob nor Paul they were faine to use all holy meanes to abandon every lust to set up every duty invocation in their families meditation in their hearts examination in their consciences holy communication in mouthes none of my Saints had it cheaper And thou makest a mock of them for praying so much and professing so much so much hearing and so much gadding after Sermons c. Well well I 'le not bate thee one duty nor one lust nor one carnall desire I 'le have thee set about all or thou shall never have mercy Yea but I cannot finde in my heart to put up this nor to be abridged of this and shall Christ and thou part for one single farthing Perish then and go and thanke thine will for it in Hell God is resolved upon this price and this is the lowest Thirdly God will never be brought out of his walke thou canst never looke that God should come out of his walke to shew thee any mercy or give thee any grace Now the way wherein God walkes is the meanes of grace and of salvation There thou must looke for God or thou canst have no hope for to finde him Suppose a poore Petitioner should come with his petition to the King he can never looke to have the King come downe hither to Rochford to grant it him No hee must go up to the King The King is at Court at White-Hall and there he may have him if he will not go thither he is wilfull and if his petition be not granted he may thanke his owne will So thou canst not looke to fetch God out of his owne walke the meanes of grace and salvation endeavour to obey him prayings cryings seekings c. These and the other meanes of salvation are his walke these are the wayes wherein they must wait to finde God if they would have him in the way of thy judgements have we waited for thee Isa. 26.8 There the godly wait for the Lord in the way where his walke is hee will not bee spoken with but onely there in his walke If thou wilt not seeke him there thou mayst thanke thine own will if thou missest him yee that are negligent to hold out in Gods wayes yee can never looke to finde mercy while yee live Pray for mercy and cry for mercy and grone
drowsy wee doe not take paynes There is teaching in abundance and why cannot wee learne There is misery enough on the Church and why cannot wee mourne There is woe enough a comming and why cannot wee provide for 't aforehand God will whip out these lazy weedes out of us if wee belong to him O it provokes him as Vineger to the Teeth and smoke to the Eyes so is the sluggard to him that sends him Ah thou lazy drone this 't is to send a leaden-heeld drone of ones errand it makes the Master looke as sowerly on him as if hee had drunken a Porringer of Vineger So beloved this our sloth to good things it does deepely provoke God there is many a mercy wee lose because of our sloth many a grace wee never attaine nay many a crosse and many a trouble do wee get by reason of our sloth Oh let us stirre up our selves and blow up the sparkes that are under the embers or else it will be evill and bitter that God will make us to suffer And you that live in your sinnes let mee tell you yee can never looke for mercy except yee shake of your sloth yee may desire to be converted and pardoned and saved and so forth but the soule of the sluggard desireth and hath not But the diligent shall be made fat 'T is the diligent the diligent onely that shall be fatted with grace but yee may desire all dayes of your life but yee shall never have grace except yee take paines Nay your owne raynes shall torment you in Hell Oh how did I idle out my time and let slip occasions and I could die and I would to hell and I would not do otherwise and woe is mee that ever I was borne c. The Third Ground A wicked man will not set himselfe to use all the meanes that hee may HE is not onely slothfull in the use of the same nor onely will he not do as much good as hee may but also hee will not so much as use the meanes constantly in any fashion I cannot saith hee repent nor be such a new creature as you talke of Why then wilt thou not use the meanes This makes thee inexcusable All the whole World both godly and ungodly have a cannot indeed the ungodly their cannot is larger and beginnes sooner but the godly their cannot is much lessened and beginnes further off The Lord inables them to go further then all the wicked of the World but beyond that there beginnes their cannot I say all the whole World have their cannot I call that the meanes of grace which is between their Can and their cannot As Prayers and hearing the Word and studying and meditating c. The Lord seeing all men in their cannots hath appointed such meanes as they can whereby they are to seeke unto God to do that which they cannot Now a child of God whose cannot is in some measure healed by grace hee can pray in faith and heare in faith c. And therefore Prayer in faith hearing Gods Word in faith c. are his meanes to get more hee cannot obey more nor believe more but he uses these meanes that hee may But a wicked man his cannot is larger hee cannot pray in faith and do these in faith and therefore the faithfull doing of these duties are not his meanes I cannot do so sayes hee No but thou mayest set upon them all and do them in as good manner as thou canst that is thy meanes Though thou canst not pray in faith yet thou canst set up constant Prayers in thy Family though such as they are Thou canst not conferre with grace but thou canst conferre about grace every day thou canst not repeat the Word to thy Houshold in faith but thou canst repeate it in as good a manner as thou art able that is thy meanes Now if thou wilt not use the meanes thou stickest at a will not and when thou dost perish thou must thanke thine owne will thou stickst at a will not The first question Christ askes thee is this what canst thou do As when the sonnes of Zebedee beg'd to sit one on the right hand and the other on the left this they could not except God did vouchsafe them a new gift But what can yee do sayes Christ are yee able to drinke of the Cup that I am to drinke off and bee Baptized with the Baptisme that I am Baptized with Wee are able say they Mat. 20.22 23. Yee shall indeed drinke c. Marke he puts them to do that which they can and then bids them leave that which they cannot unto God I say the the first question Christ askes thee is what canst thou do I cannot be a Saint Lord help me to mercy c. Yea but what canst thou do Canst thou not use these and these meanes I appoint thee If thou wilt not do them neither will I helpe thee This is the nature of meanes to be a meanes to that which one cannot A child of God can pray in faith but hee cannot master such a lust and therefore hee prayeth in faith that he may Hee can heare the word preached in faith but hee cannot get his heart to it as hee would and therefore hee heareth in faith that hee may Doing these in faith are the meanes now this is not the meanes of the wicked for they cannot do any thing in faith but their meanes is to set about them at least that they may I cannot pray in faith sayst thou yea but thou canst set up constant Prayers in thy Family though such as they are thou canst not cast off thy sinnes in faith thou mayst cast them of though a godly man may do these things in faith and therefore that is his meanes But that which is his can is thy cannot and that which is his meanes thou must use meanes unto Thou must pray that thou may pray in faith repeate the Word that thou mayst repeate it in faith reforme thy life that thou mayst reforme it in faith and seeke the Lord that thou mayst seek him in faith Now if thou wilt not set upon the meanes thou stickst at a will not I confesse here is the difference the godly have a promise upon their using of the meanes they using them in faith but thou hast no promise yet who knowes what God may do As the King of Nineveh said le ts cry mightily to God le ts cast away these and these sinnes who knowes if God will turne and repent Jon. 3.9 hee had no promise hee could not tell whether God would forgive He would set upon the means hee would cry mightily and it hit well for God spared the City if thou wilt not set upon the meanes thou dost wilfully perish and here I cleared two things 1. That God appoints every man the meanes that hee may use hee may use those meanes that God commands him as meanes 2. That if hee will not hee
a naturall conscience in thy breast but also direction in his Word to prevent it and if thou dost not thou wilt not are the lusts of thine appetite violent why then dost thou not forecast for to reine them Why dost thou not abstaine from going to Feasts awhile Why dost thou not stint thy Trencher with so much If thy lusts be on fire why dost thou feede them with fuell Are the lusts of anger and wrath predominant in thee thou rapst out an Oath before thou art aware why then dost thou not as Chrysostome would have thee Set forfeitures for every Oath Why dost thou not intreat Gods people severely to reprove thee and exact a fine of thee for every misgoverning word Why dost thou not bawke such acquaintance as may occasion thy Tongue to cast out Oathes why dost thou not club downe thy lusts with argument upon argument shall I be touchy to be damned and proud to be damned c. even arguments of selfe-love are able to knock them downe I do not know how No that 's because thou wilt not know they knew not neither will they understand Psal. 82.5 so thou knowest not neither wilt thou understand that 's the reason thou still walkest in darknesse why dost not thou oppose thy lusts at first rising non obtinebis ut desinat si incipere permiseris sayes Seneca thou canst never get victory except thou be here first in the feild The Lord hath given thee counsells on this fashion why dost thou not use them onely because thou wilt not hast thou impediments Clarancus had them too but hee overcame them sayes Seneca Why dost not thou if thou wilt not thou dost willingly perish thou might do more then thou dost but thou wilt not and thou mighst shunne more then thou dost but thou wilt not Fourthly because thou wilt say all these things are but naturall and morall and civill I may perish for all these but alas I am not able to do any thing spiritually I cannot believe I cannot repent though this be very true yet thy plea is no excuse for though they be naturall yet they are first First that 's in order which is naturall and afterwards that which is spirituall and if thou stickest there thou stickest at a will not The Lord hath taken a sufficient course to humble thee and thou wilt not be humbled thou sayest thou canst not obey spititually I grant it its most true nor repent spiritually why then wilt thou not be humbled that that canst not as God said to Pharaoh how long wilt thou refuse to humble thy selfe before mee Exodus 10.3 There is an externall humiliation as Ahabs humiliation thou mayst come to before that humiliation thou canst not expresse why art thou not humbled with that which thou mayst First then why dost thou not see thy case to be damnable Dost thou not know that judgement is past upon all to damnation Rom. 5.18 all men are damned out of Christ Whosoever is not a new creature is not in Christ but is a damn'd man to this day thou knowest the Lord himselfe doth say thus what hinders thee now from deducting a particular therefrom If upon all men then upon mee if all be damned to this day that are not new creatures in Christ then I am a damned man to this houre this logicke God doth vouchsafe thee why dost thou not reason on this fashion I am a damned man and a damned woman to this day if thou wouldst be brought to this passe there might be some hope of thee but thou wilt not thou wilt scrape up some hopes or other thou wilt not beleeve this Beleeve thus sayes God but I will not sayst thou no thou wilt have thy lust still and thou wilt not beleeve this if thou wouldst believe verily thou art a damned man because thou art not a new creature in Christ may be thou wouldst never have done til thou art one thou wouldst forsake all and follow Christ in all things but thou wilt not Secondly but I cannot sayst thou why then wilt thou not dispaire in thy selfe a man must despaire as he is otherwise hee can never get into Christ as long as a man lives and does after the flesh hee can have no true hope of mercy or pardon or any thing no hee is a dead man all the Angels of Heaven cannot help him if there were a thousand Christs he should perish without them and why wilt thou not despaire in thy selfe Despaire God forbid I 'le never despaire while I live God is more mercifull then so and I hope I neede not despaire Christ dyed for sinners and I were a foole if I should despaire Thus thou pleadest with God for thy vaine hopes but why wilt thou sayes God why wilt thou plead with me thou hast transgressed against me Jer. 2.29 Thou pleadest for hopes and liest in thy sinnes why wilt thou marke the will is set on it and thou wilt plead thou might despaire of thy selfe but thou wilt not and therefore thou wilt wilfully perish Thirdly but I cannot pull downe my owne heart nor master mine one will sayst thou no Why then canst thou not goe and resigne it to God Lord here is a proud heart I cannot humble it Oh here is a stony heart I cannot breake it Lord do thou here is a rebellious heart I cannoâ— subdue it Lord do thou but thou wilt not resigne up this heart thou wilt not set about it as well as thou canst they will not frame their doings to turne unto God Hos. 5.4 they will not so thou wilt not frame thy selfe to do it as well as thou canst. And therefore thou dost willingly go on and thou art wholy inexcusable before God and when he sends thee to Hell thou shalt know thine owne will brought thee thither Thou mighst reforme thine outward man but thou wilt not thou mighst bridle thy lusts and thy passions but thou wilt not thou mighst take a thousand good opportunities but thou wilt not And therefore thou hast no excuse before God thou dost willingly perish It s true thou canst not may be but necessity is not it but thou wilt not indeed if thou didst every day labour to fight against thy lusts and resist to the utmost and couldst not then it were necessity but thou dost not nay thou wilt not Hee that resisteth and then cannot hee may plead Lord what a wofull necessity of sinning am I in but thou givest way to thy lusts aâ—d therefore thou art inexcusable and thou doâ—t willingly perish The second Ground THe second now follows Every wicked man is slothfull and negligent Thou evill servant and slothfull sayes Christ Mat 25.26 Thou hast beene lazy with the Talent I gave thee I gave thee preaching and teaching and thou hast beene lazy to heare it I have given thee knowledge of that which is good and thou hast beene lazy to improve it I have pulled thee to Prayer by the motion of my Spirit
and thou hast beene lazy at the duty Thou evill and slothfull servant I have given thee many a sweet opportunity to be ridde of that base lust that thou are most addicted unto and thou hast beene lazy to take it This is another ground of this Doctrine Now if this be so thou must lay the blame on thine own will and not on Gods denying thee power Because sloth is a fault of the will I cannot call him a sluggard that sticks at a cannot but onely him that sticks at a Will not He that labours and strives as much as hee can none will call him a sluggard but him that can labour more and will not Sloth is a voluntary fault of the will How long wilt thou sleep O sluggard Prov. 6.9 How long wilt thou its not a fault of impotency but of will Five Demonstrations to prove this First if thou be slothfull to good duties then thou dost only imagine a company of cannots I cannot do as I would sayst thou No why then art thou slothfull to make more imaginary cannots A slothfull man imagines more cannots then there be I cannot go this journey sayes he I shall be weary I shall be rob'd I shall fall off my horse I cannot travell it the way of a slothfull man is a hedge of Thornes But the way of the righteous is made plaine sayes Solomon the slothfull man he imagines there 's a Thorne hedge in his way I shall be prickt I cannot get over it what is there a Thorne hedge in the way No for the righeous that goes it hee finds it plaine hee sees none no there is no such Thorne-hedge in the way but he does imagine one and therefore his will not is his let not his cannot for hee does but imagine a cannot So dost thou say I cannot do thus and thus why then art thou slothfull to imagine more cannots and Thorne hedges then there are I cannot live then Oh I cannot go so often to Prayer and if I should do as you say I should be houted at up and downe you tell mee I am a Hell-hound for my pride and my passions Oh if I should believe this I should never have merry day more Alas all these are but imaginary cannots imaginary Thorne hedges I cannot be so strict neither can I put it up I say thou dost but imagine a company of cannots and therefore thou wilt not 2. Demonstration Jf thou bee slothfull to good duties then thou makest every little difficulty a cannot nothing but an impossibility is a cannot But if thou beest slothfull thou makest every little difficulty a cannot I cannot turne mine owne heart nor breake mine own heart but why then art thou slothfull to make every little diffiuclty a cannot a slothfull man makes every little difficulty a cannot The slothfull man will not plow by reason of cold and therefore shall hee beg in harvest and have nothing Hee will not plough by reason of cold hee sticks at a very little difficulty his fingers are so tender forsooth they must not ake his Toes are so Lady-like they must not smart because its a little diffcult therefore hee will not do it He will not plow by reason of cold Well beg then and yee will cannot you endure a little cold yea he could indure it but it would be difficult And therefore sayes the Text he will not Plough by reason of cold Hee does not stick at an impossibility for then indeed hee could not But the slothfull man will not plough by reason of cold he stickes only at a difficulty and therefore he will not nay if hee should labour soundly indeed his very labour would keepe him from being a cold the truth is its the labour of ploughing that he is against And therefore every little cold shall serve for an excuse So why art thou slothfull to count every petty difficulty a cannot It s an uncomfortable thing to be alwayes poring on my sinnes I cannot abide it troublesome to be Tongue-tyed What not speake a word but onely with warrant from Scripture I cannot abide it what never helpe my selfe at a dead lift by telling a lie never right my selfe by a little revenge never comply nor sort with such and such old acquaintance because they drop out an Oath now and then before they are aware O I cannot abide it What thus precise I am not able to abide it No cannot cannot thy stubborne will stoope to a little difficulty get thee to Hell and see if thou canst abide that and there thanke thine owne will for thy perishing 3. Demonstration if thou beest slothfull then thou turnest thy very abilities into cannots not onely all difficulties but also thine abilities into cannots Like a drone that is lazy hee loses his abilities that hee hath By much slothfulnesse the building decayeth Alas I am very dead-hearted sayst thou nay but O man the time was when God quickned thee at a Sermon why didst thou let it decay the time was when thou wert a little well affected why didst thou let it decay time was when thou wert soberer and lesse given to wrath and passions and why didst thou let these good conditions decay the Lord gave thee them heretofore and thou hast played the sluggard with them and therefore now they are decayed Thy quickning is decayed thy sorrowes for sinne decayed thy meltings decayed through much slothfulnesse the building does decay Hee that is slothfull in his worke is brother to a great waster So thou art a brother to a great waster because thou art slothfull 4. Demonstration If thou beest slothfull then thou dost voluntarily nayle thy selfe unto cannots There is many a sinne that now thou art a slave to that thou mighst have troden under thy foot but now thou canst not thou mightest have gone further and further on in reformation if thou hadst held on when thou wert going like a Coach its easier to make it runne on when once its going then stir it when once it stands still and now thou canst not now thou art nayled to it like the doore to his hinges Now thou canst pray and pray and grow nere the better heare and read and neer the holier as the dore turneth upon its hinges so doth the slothfull man on his Bed The dore goes to and fro to it goes and fro it goes it goes may be all the yeere long and still it hangs just upon the same hinges and after seven yeares travell it hangs there where it did it s nayled to its hinges So t is with a sluggish heart hee goes to a Prayer and from a Prayer to a Sermon and from a Sermon to a good duty and from a good duty and still he hangs just on the same hinges He hath gotten no ground is just where hee was so thou art just at the same passe after a thousand prayers and a thousand Sermons and millions of good duties still thou hangest on thy