for I call not for selfe-murther nor Preach like some of those Romish Incendiaries for Bloud but in this slaughter there is no crueltie no inhumanitie I bid you not kill your selues as that dreaming Platonist or the more desperate Pseudo-Messiah in the parts of Transilvania but call for that death whereby you may more comfortably liue We must be so broken in the apprehension of the breaking of Christs body for us as if we were under the same wrath this the Iewes learned who were commanded to lay their hands upon the head of the Beast which was slaine as a witnesse that the desert was theirs and that in justice their owne bloud should be drawne by the Sacrificers knife 2. Vse If the Broken heart be Gods Sacrifice it condemnes the unbroken in heart as being no fit Offerings There are many that come unto these businesses of our publique fasting and humiliation that bring not their hearts with them for if the heart were present there would be affections present with the heart suiteable to the businesse wee haue in hand Where men haue no sence of their misery no sorrow for their sinne no hungring after pardon it is an argument their hearts are not present If your hearts were here there would be moysture in your eyes tendernesse in your Consciences zeale in your prayers Where is your sensiblenesse your sorrow your sighing your zeale nay where are your hearts If such as bring not broken hearts are condemned much more such as bring not their hearts at all such onely come for company and fill the Church with dead Carcasses that haue no life in their service no heart unto the worke that they performe Will yee mocke the holy presence Will yee come to Gods Altar without an Offering without a Sacrifice in your hands As if while Aaron were killing a Beast the people should throng about him and gaze on meerely for Curiositie So yee deale when yee presse hither if yee bring not your hearts with you yee haue nothing to doe here either bring Offrings or croud not the Altar But I meant not to deale purposely with these but with such as if they doe bring their hearts yet unbroken so it Reproues 1. Such as are insensible of sinne that though many blowes are layd upon them yet feele them not but remaine still hard and unbroken like Anvils that endure the Hammer When wee discover sinne and denounce judgements against the sinnes that wee discover wee bestow our blowes upon the Consciences of offenders and purposely that wee might Hammer them to another shape but there are many though they lye under the stroake and are directly under the reprehension yet are not made sensible that those sinnes are theirs that those threatnings are to them that they are the men If men were broken they would be sensible as Iosiah was when he heard Shaphan reade the Booke of the Law which the Priest Hilkiah gaue him he rent his Clothes sent his Courtiers to enquire the farther declaration of the Writing because he saw that great was the wrath of the Lord. 2. Such as are not open to Confession of sinnes argue that there is no breach made upon their spirits You know a Vessell though it be full of liquour yet if there be no breach it lets none run forth but if it be broacht it hath a free vent Man is a vessell that containes much and is fild with a filthy pudled poysonous water some of that remaines in such as are sanctified and washed by regeneration therefore it is their continuall care to emptie themselues and make wide leakings that they may freely powre themselues forth before the Lord. But I feare I may too justly accuse you who is it that in private can lay out his sinne in the presence of God Confessions come hardly from men in the publique wee that are your mouths in these more common solemne duties cannot freely enough confesse your and our sinnes enough to the shaming of our selues doing it as if wee would rather shew our memories in the Catalogues of sinnes and our wit and Oratory in painting them then our true and unfained Contrition in being affected with them But if sometimes wee spend a larger time upon this necessary and neglected duetie you soon grow weary of our length and by your carriage discover that you thinke us tedious and that lesse time might haue beene spent with more profit Ah! Beloved how justly may our private devotions be suspected when wee dare shew our selues weary in the publique Which of us is wont to spend an houre or more upon our knees in the acknowledgement of those many corruptions which wee might easily acquaint our selues withall when there is no witnesse to obserue it but the eye of God I call your Chambers your Closets your beds to witnesse against you your unbroken hearts For if wee were truely broken there would be vent both frequent and forcible so David powrd himselfe out in this Psalme when the sence of his double sinne had made a Breach upon his spirit 3. Lastly such as though Broken yet are not contrite not shivered into peices Men may be bruised and yet not so divided that one peice is taken from another that the frame is dissolved The Devils may beleeue and tremble Iam. 2.19 And wicked men haue often trembled So did Pharaoh so did Baltasar so did Faelix but the frame of their evill hearts was not taken asunder they returnd againe after the fit to be the same men that they were before Pharaoh returnd againe to his rebellion Baltasar to his Cups Faelix to his fingring of Bribes they were tough and remaind whole still Some men are sometimes startled at a Sermon when wee speake judgement and lay it home close to the Conscience they wake and begin to looke up but like men halfe asleepe and halfe awake they soone fall againe to their slumber A Drunkard that upon such an occasion as this heares the odiousnesse of that sinne layd open together with the danger may for the present begin to bethinke himselfe what a course he runne and whither it is like to leade him upon this he startles and begins to resolue He will follow that sinne no longer The resolution it may be holds as long as the fast holds or it may be till the next day or longer but then he meets with some knowne Companion falls to his sinne againe forgets that he was yesterday at a fast or that he ever heard that Drunkennesse was a sinne Here was a little breaking but no shattering of the heart the frame of the sinne was not broken the peices the joynts were not taken asunder from one another and therefore he easily returnes to what he was and is after the Sermon after the Fast just such a one as he was before it These all come under the second application the reproofe of such as are not broken-hearted 3. Vse If the broken-heart be Gods Sacrifice let us be exhorted to this
an unrighteousnesse as being a trespasse against the rights of another now the plea that ariseth from this is called an action of trespasse Sinne is not onely an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a transgrossion against Covenant but also an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an unrighteousnesse that which offends God God is holy sinne makes us nastie God endures not such but hath his controversie his action of trespasse against them 4. Sinne dishonours God that as it were he loses by it and therefore hath an action of dammage The dammage is that which the Iurors giue up in their verdict as an expense recoverable That word which is used among some parts of our English Nation skath seemes to come of the Germane word Schad and that of the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 schadad hee wasted But thus properly it cannot be spoken concerning God for as our goodnes extends not to him so our sinne can make no wast upon him We cannot make him lesse excellent or lesse glorious so that on the part of God there cannot be expensaelitis as the Civilians speake God can be no looser yet unto our judgement of things he complaines that he is dishonoured that he is wearied by our sinnes I haue not caused thee to serue with an offering nor wearied thee with incense but thou hast made me to serue with thy sinnes thou hast wearied me with thine iniquities Esay 43.23.24 In this sense God is dammaged and hath his action I hasten to the application in two uses 1. Vse If sinne be the cause of Gods controversie with a Land we haue then found the reasons of Gods stroake on ours We cannot but see that God is offended he hath oft cited us sometimes attached us with arrests proceeded against us A little observation will tell us and we need no more knowledge then the Egyptian Magicians had to discerne and say This is the finger of God And we may fitly use that speech of Moses Numb 16.46 There is wrath gone out from the Lord the plague is begun There is much wrath gone out many plagues decay of trading in a time of peace generall poverty in all parts of the Land great houses empty and decayed distractions at the Holme absence from publicke employments errors in obtruded tenents I will not unbutton Marius before the Senate to shew more skars to shew which were in stead of oratorie Quid opus est verbis ubi vulnera clamant wounds speake with a peircing Rhetoricke Onely take notice of the pestilence 't is much abroad and now come neare to us in these more Northern parts Is God unjust or haue wee not merited what we feele Nay wee will cleare him while we condemne our selues For the transgression of Iacob is all this and for the sinnes of the house of Israel Mic. 1.5 Sinne and punishment are inseparable and to righteousnesse and sinne doth Salomon resolue the exaltation and ruine of a people Pro. 14.34 Righteousnesse exalteth a Nation but sin is a Reproach to any people I know that no time hath beene without Complaints and every age hath still beene thought the worst so that it hath beene the glory of every one that hath thought himselfe eloquent and able to speake to speake against the time I loue not peevish and unnecessary aggravations for it is easie to accuse and make a Satyr Yet it is not lawfull to cover our sinnes neither is it more unlawfull than unprofitable for he that covereth his sinnes shall not prosper The rule is no lesse true of nationall than of personall sinnes oh that wee could so take notice of sinnes as to grieue for them so to discover them as to remoue them Every age hath beene accounted worst ours is truely so You will consent unto it if you turne over the leaues of Histories the Records of former times and compare age with age sinnes with sinnes What care what light what meanes haue wee sinned against Our Dunghill hath sent forth a greater stench a worse savour by how much the Sunne hath more and longer shone upon it and we are therefore worse because we might haue beene better It were profitable to spend sometime upon History and Comparison but I cannot entend that worke because the method of the Text leades me to another to the discovery of our sinnes by those of Israel and in that same order first of our sinnes secondly of the aggravations 1. Our sinnes of omission parallel if not much exceed theirs 1. There is no Truth Terras Astraea reliquit sweet Truth together with righteous dealing hath well-nigh forsaken us Where shall we seeke for Truth with hope or incouragement to finde it Not in the Court there they tread upon one anothers breasts to rise not in Cities there they bargaine away their Consciences Not in the Country there the plaine haue learned to deceiue and more easily to deceiue because more plaine wee cannot finde Truth in fields in shops nay which is the heavy misery of Apostatizing times scarce in our Pulpits Ah! Beloved how unanswerable are wee to the Gospell of Truth to the way of Truth made knowne unto us Our tongues haue little Truth in their ordinary expression 't is the onely age of Complement and formall protestations when men sell words at a cheape price and thinke it enough to speake well as if man were made for nothing but a promise There is as little in our hands why else doe we handle the false measures and ballances of deceit But the heart is the store-house of unfaithfulnesse men are of double mindes and therefore no wonder if of double dealings rather Foxes than men full of craftinesse and deceit 2. There is no Mercy Mercy which is that sweet bond of amitie and fastens man to man That which hath the promise To the mercifull thou wilt shew thy selfe mercifull That which our Saviour commended in the Parable as highly pleasing unto God Mercy is neglected There is no mercy in our Censures while we sit Iudges over every mans actions and taxe them yea condemne them without hearing It is commonly the disease of weake unbusied people who being not furnished with abilitie for other employment nor with conscience to be much in their owne watch delight to be doing what is most easie to censure others Who shall liue free and untainted if such undiscerning men haue the chaire and giue the sentence There is no mercy in our Reports we care not how we wound the reputations and teare the credits of men not offending There is but little charitie where there is an aptnesse to entertaine all loose and scandalous reports and to scatter them as busily as wee greedily entertaind them There is no mercy in our dealings witnesse the poore neglected miserably neglected by you that haue the charge and power in your hands to relieue them notwithstanding his Majesties late Injunctions and the extreame necessitie that I name not other kindes of unmercifulnesse wherein men shew themselues Tygers and Wolues rather than
pray with understanding also 1 Cor. 14.15 The Papists doe but count their beades they doe not pray and the ignorant are like the Papists they doe but say the words 2. With faith this honors God and makes us bold for in Christ we haue boldnesse and accesse with confidence by the faith of him Ephe. 3.12 And how shall they call on him in whom they haue not beleeved Rom. 10.14 The rule is in Iames If any man lacke wisedome let him aske of God and it shall be given him but let him aske in faith nothing wavering for he that wavereth is like a waue of the sea driven with the wind and tossed let not that man thinke he shall receiue any thing of the Lord. Iam. 1.5.6.7 Faith ballasts the soule without it the soule floats sometimes it thinkes it hath a promise and then it riseth to a vaine height the height of presumption sometimes it is driven off and then it sinkes Moses his hands were sometimes up and sometimes they fell downe till a stone was put under them then continued praying and prevaild against Amalek Exod. 17.12 The heart must be established upon something we must haue faith in the providence and faith in the promises and then the heart growes quiet as t is said of Hannah Shee spake in her heart it was not a formall lip-prayer and her countenance was no more sad 1 Sam. 1.13.18 When shee had poured forth her soule before the Lord shee was quiet shee then rested Desire and hope and feare are usually extremes and are full of paine but faith attends with ease and knowes assuredly that enough that is so much of the promise as is fit shall be performed 3. We must attend unto our selues that wee bee not distracted in prayer To that question whether the defect of this attention doe frustrate prayer The Schoole-men haue answered That not an actuall but a virtuall attention is ever necessary I cannot altogether reject that answere for though an actuall attention in every prayer and in every part of prayer is very commendable and that which wee must indeavour for yet the virtuall attention which is to persist in the disposition to attend is that which is necessary I shall cleare this by distinguishing of our wandrings The soule is apt to gad and those wandrings from the duetie which are by our owne neglect these make our prayer to be sinne If otherwise they are not ours but Sathans injections they frustrate not our prayer though they may somewhat hinder our comfort It is the Archers fault if he hit not the marke if himselfe were carelesse of his posture of his ayme but if he ayme rightly and intend his shaft to the marke and another purposely jogge his arme in the delivery of the Arrow t is the fault of the other not his Here is our tryall doe wee intend the marke to send the shaft of prayer to heaven rightly then the malice of the stander-by shall not hinder our entrance and audience But however because of our weakenesse and the Devils maliciousnesse wee must be the more upon our watch and like the wise-man of whom Salomon speakes wee must haue our hearts in our hands that is alwayes in a readinesse for every holy dutie that wee set about The heart must accompany prayer and therefore wee must attend that it be within our reach for it is apt to stray and then wee are dull and without life in prayer Wee must keepe our hearts in tune that when wee strike upon the strings of that instrument there may be melodie to God who may delight to heare This is the attention of the minde 2. There must be the intention of the Will and this is the Exhibition or representation of the Will before God which I shall best shew you what it is by two phrases of Scripture which describe prayer A powring out and a lifting up of the Spirit 1. A powring out of the soule The phrase is used by Hannah 1 Sam 1.15 and Psal 62.8 Powre out your heart before him It usually signifies to deale freely with any one yet without straining there are two things in the phrase Reverence and Humilitie 1. Wee must pray with reverence which is so necessary that Religion it selfe is described to be Actus Reverentiae When wee pray wee come before God and when wee come before God wee stand upon holy ground and in that case the command was unto Moses that he should plucke off his shooes We must be of a speaking gesture our posture and carriage before God must witnesse our reverence that wee tremble at the glory of his presence 2. Wee must pray with humilitie wee haue a patterne in Abraham his very formes are imitable I haue taken upon mee to speake unto the Lord which am but dust and ashes Oh let not my Lord be angry and I will speake Oh let not the Lord be angry and I will speake but this once Gen. 18.27.30.32 He attends every petition with apologie So our Iacob whose story wee are now upon I am not worthy the least of all thy mercies And that poore dejected Publican giues us an example of admirable humilitie he comes unto the Temple for his devotion brought him thither and he dares not neglect a dutie though he be not worthy to performe it but when he is come there how doth he behaue himselfe how humbly how sadly He stands afarre off as not daring to presse nearer to a glorious presence he weuld not lift up so much as his eyes towards heaven as ashamed to behold that against which he had sinned he smites upon his breast with remorce and feare and indignation and all that he can bring out at last is no more but this God be mercifull to mee a sinner Luk. 18.13 And this is the acceptable prayer though he durst scarce speake God readily heard him he went away justified so that wee may say with David Psal 10.17 Lord thou hast heard the desire of the humble There are two Originall words that doe liuely expresse this unto us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which in Greeke signifies to pray is of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the knee and the Hebrew word Berecha prayer is of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Berech Ingeniculando fudit preces both importing the bowing of the knee in prayer Humilitie is so necessary that the promise is to it 2 Chro. 7.14 If my people shall humble themselues and pray then I will heare from heaven And Esa 66.2 To this man will I looke even to him that is poore and of a contrite spirit This is the Sacrifice that God accepts when sacrifices and burnt-offrings will not please him This is the powring forth of the soule the oother phrase is 2. A lifting up of the spirit the phrase is used Psal 25.1 Vnto thee O Lord doe I lift up my soule And it signifies also two things fervency and continuance 1. Fervency Wee must haue zeale and heate in our prayers Iam. 5.16 The effectuall
it and worthy of it it gives us a ground of Tryall to discover the truth of our Repentance by the fruits Wee will examine those Signes particularly according to the formerly named different acceptations that being more distinct wee may make the application closer to the Conscience 1. Taking Repentance for Contrition the fruit or signe of it is to bee truely and sincerely sorrowfull for sin but because all men doe professe themselves sorrowfull we judge of the truth of it 1. True and unfeined sorrow grieves more for the offence than for the punishment It grieves at sin not onely as a burden and that which wearies us with the heavie load of following wrath but as it is a sin a violation of divine Law and from hence it looks upon it as an odious thing though it saw no punishment vile and filthy though not dangerous 2. Unfeined sorrow is greatest for sin greater for sin than for other crosses or what els may move displesure The apprehension of sin by a sorrow-toucht man makes his memory thoughts bitter to him that he is in Bitternes because of his sin as one is in Bitternes for his first borne according to the phrase used Zach. 12.10 Yet this tryall must be with caution for a Convert doth not alwaies finde this difference of sorrow sensitively but ever Intellectivê quoad displicentiam voluntatis He may be sometimes over-born with a passionate sodain grief for the losse of health or credit or estate or friend and may be for the time miserably distempered but in his serious collected thoughts hee sees sin as the swallowing Evill that which drowns the thought of others And because Tristitia is ex eo quod patitur aliquis as the schoole speakes therefore he that sorrows for sin is wearied with it and that makes him nolle peccatum disaffect it and desirous to shake it off This is the first signe True sorrow 2. Taking Repentance for a generall turning there are three signes 1. Hatred of sinne which was the praise of Ephesus This thou hast that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans which I also hate Rev. 2.6 The Penitent casts not off his sin as the Merchant in a tempest throws away his goods because hee cannot keep them but willingly freely because hee cannot endure to looke upon them Why are some men in the time of their Sicknesse violent in throwing away their sins Not for want of love unto them but they see the Sea growes high the Tempest rageth they begin to apprehend what death is and what hell is and know unlesse they lighten their vessel they cannot be safe then they are busie in the work they throw over-boord their usury their drunkennesse their swearing and such like stuffe but it is not out of hatred to their sins but of love to themselves for if they could continue in their sins and be saved when they have don they could be contented not to part Their practise and affection may be lively seen in Phaltiels history David had married Michol Saul injuriously gave her to another when David came to the Crown and was able to command hee sends for his wife Michol her husband dares not disobey but brings her on her journy and then sends her from him But what Is Phaltiel weary of his Michol that he now forsakes her nay hee was enforced and though she were gone he looks after her to Bahurim weeping Carnall men though for feare or some other reasons they shake hands with their sins yet they have many a longing heart after them and bestow many affectionate looke they part and yet they are loth to part asunder But unfeined hatred sues for a Bill of Divorce and with much willingnesse forsakes sin as a lewd and paltry strumpet angry that so long hee was wedded to it But the truth of this appeares further 1. When our hatred is against all sin without any exception 2. When it is constant without Truce or any Intermission 3. When it is implacable without articling for agreement or hope of any future reconciliation 4. When it is vehement without granting any present favour or toleration All which notions I might enlarge profitably but that I remember you observe how the time spends 2. Besides hatred of sinne there will be a purpose to leave which discovers it selfe right and sincere 1. When the purpose shewes it selfe full for the future time against future sinnes by its readinesse in the present against present sinnes It is the formall protestation of deceitfull men That they will reforme they will leave such courses but in the meane time they earnestly pursue what they say they doe purpose to leave 2. When there is a purpose to use the means as well as to resolve the end they meane to forsake sinne that ply the ordinance that attend upon preaching that are much in prayer that are often in the combat if men neglect these meanes I cannot beleeve that they are fallen out with their sins in earnest 3. When there is an indeavour to remove away those impediments which usually hinder the execution of the purpose If a man say hee purposes to leave drinking and yet hath no care to refraine ill company it argues his purpose is deceitfull because hee studies not to remove the hindrances of his purpose 3. Besides this hatred and purpose there will be reformation a reformation of the whole man an amendment of life Hee that can see his sinne confesse his sin weep for his sinne and yet returne to his sinne againe Beleeve not such a mans repentance for where is his reformation I confesse there may be infirmity and the penitent may sometime fall into the sinne again But what meanes this cleaving this continuance in sinne You all if demanded would boast your repentance so did Saul of his obedience in the matter of Amalek But sayth Samuel unto him What then meanes the lowing of Oxen and bleating of Sheep in mine ears God commanded him to slay all Saul saith he had done the whole commandement but whence then was that noise Are yee Drunkards still common Swearers still whore-masters still Profaners of the Lords day still and come to these fasts as penitents and witnesse your boast of repentance Are yee humbled as the Lord commanded Have yee repented as the Lord comands What meanes this noise Why doth your drunkennesse your oathes your profanesse continue you have not done as the Lord required if there were true repentance there would bee reformation This is the second 3. Taking repentance for conversion the signe of it is a new life which is many waies discerned There are new thoughts new desires new delights The soule dwells upon heaven and lives by faith by faith which seasons the affections and takes away the souls frettings and impatiencies and weanes us from earthly pleasures making us as weaned children to be content with the dug or without it teaching us so to look upon the comforts of the breast what ever we